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June, 1909 Allow pause of 4 seconds between letters or numerals and 6 seconds be- tween sentences. So call attention==.°. 2... Answer, or I understand= -- , -- Numerals follow, or ended=. . -- Pinish of message < ... -» to: be answered by R. D. as Separate let- ters if message is understood. Repeat=. .-- -- . . Ready to receive= -- -- Stop-- «o.0:: ; Light or lamp to be kept burning while receiving message unless: the re- ceiver should fail to understand a let- ter or word when he should darken (deaden) light at once, the other, no- ticing this, will repeat the last word or eroup. of letters... Ii. the. receiver wishes the whole message repeated he should darken his light, call the other vessel up, and signal U. R. J.- This is taken from the signal book and means "Repeat the message." The signal book should be used in all cases. First OFFICER. San Francisco. EMERGENCY BOATS. The photographs accompanying _ this article illustrate a novel means which has been devised for quickly crossing streams by the advance guard of an army. Advance cavalry frequently has to cross rivers to search the country before the main body approaches. Ob- viously they cannot wait to build a bridge or carry heavy boats with them. An invention made by a German mer- "TARE Marine Review 157 men with arms and the harness of their horses. The lances also serve as oars, the blades being constructed of flat pieces of wood. covered with cloth. The horses, of course, swim across the stream. Upon reaching the shore the boat can be knocked down in two minutes. The capacity of each boat is 3,600 Ibs. : LAKES TO THE GULF WATER- WAY IMPRACTICABLE, The board of engineers consisting of Col, W. He Bixby, Lieut Col.-C. Mep: Townsend, Lieut. Col. J. G. Warren, to- gether with Messrs. H. B. Richardson and H. P. Ritter, of the Mississippi River Board, have reported that the lakes to the gulf waterway which has SKELETON OF THE FoLpING BoAT CONSTRUCTED OF LANCES. chant appears to solve the difficulty. The folding boat illustrated herewith is constructed out of the lances used by the cavalry and covered with a water-proof cloth. Sixteen lances are required for one vessel. The boat can be assembled within four minutes by six soldiers and will carry sixteen been vigorously advocated by the city of Chicago is not practicable and not desirable. The main features of the report are that (1) the engineers doubt whether a 14-ft. depth is possible; (2) that such a depth, being too big for river craft and too small for lake craft, is an TRIALS oF Fotpinc Boats By GERMAN SOLDIERY. awkward proposition at best; (3) that the great river traffic in Europe, as on the Rhone, for instance, is handled in boats and barges drawing from 4 to 6 ft. loaded; (4) the present and pros- pective' demands of commerce from Chicago to the gulf could be met by a 9-ft. channel; (5) that the natural line of river development is via the Ohio river into the Mississippi, instead of from Chicago to St. Louis; (6) that the present 8-ft. depth from' St. Louis to the Mississippi mouth is sufficient to handle all the commerce in sight; (7) an 8-ft. channel from Chicago to St. Louis would be enough for all possible demands of commerce, present or pros- pective, and would be desirable if the cost should prove to be reasonable. The engineers will make a new sur-. vey to see if an 8-ft. channel could be opened between Chicago and St. Louis at a reasonable cost. The survey board discussed six meth- ods which might be followed in experi- menting to secure a 14-ft. waterway. The one nearest practicable would be a combination of dredging with movable dams and other regulation works. This would cost $128,600,00 from St. Louis to New Orleans, with an annual charge of $6,816,000 for maintenance. The 14 ft. from Chicago to St. Louis would cost an added $30,097,462, and an annual $310,000 for maintenance. ; i The bulk freighter Stadacona, building at the Ecorse yard of the Great Lal:es Engineer- ing Works, for the Inland Navigation Ce., was launched on May 29 and christened by Mrs. R. O. Mackay, of Hamilton. The Stad- acona is 500 ft. over all, 480 ft. keel, 56 ft. beam avd 30 ft. deep. Her engines are: triple-expansion with cylinders 22%, 36 and 61 in. diameters by 42 in. stroke, supplied with steam from two Scotch boilers 14 £t.-2 in. by 12 ft., equipped with forced draft and allowed 180 ibs. pressure. She will carry 9,500 gross tons.