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464 TAE MARINE REVIEW i tt DUNCAN. mained in the office of the Big Four railway until the fall of 1893, when he entered Goulder & Holding's office as law clerk, later being admitted to partnership. He is a member of the Colonial and Rowfant clubs, is a Ma- son, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite, is a Mystic Shriner and a member of the Royal Order of Scotland. Tracy H. Duncan was born in To- ledo, though he has lived in Cleveland Pracically all his life. He graduated from the Western Reserve college and law school in 1903 and he is instructor in marine fire and life insurance at the Western Reserve university law school. Frederick L. Leckie is a native of Port Huron, Mich. After graduating from the high school he sailed for a number of years, passing through the various grades of sailing and has held a master's license ever since he was 21 years old. He is a veteran of the Spanish-American war, having served in the regular army during the Porto Rican campaign. He is treasurer of the Ship Master's Lodge of Cleveland. Pacific Coast Coal Test It was expected that the comparative test of eastern and western coals would begin the first of the coming month, but it has been found necessary to postpone that event until early in De- cember, when the Maryland and West Virginia shall have completed their fareet practice. The naval 'collier Saturn has been loaded with 800 tons each of three prominent state of Wash- ington coals and is already in San Francisco 'bay awaiting the availability of the two vessels of the Pacific fleet which have been assigned to this duty. The test will be conducted with a view to obtaining information for the guid- ance of the Navy department in the matter of coal obtained on the west coast. Representations have 'been re- fe 1. LEeckip: peatedly made to the navy department that fuel from that source is equal to the coal which is. purchased from Pastel "imines, in = which event, of course, there will be an appreciable saving in transportation. There has been, on the other hand, considerable doubt. .as 10 the suitability of . the western product as compared with eastern coal for naval use, where it is desired to obtain the greatest steam- ing efficiency. The naval authorities would be much gratified if the test is conclusive, since the comparison along identical lines, such as is con- templated, will undoubtedly dispose of a vexatious controversy, which sur- vives through succeeding administra- tions, an effort stimulated by the pros- pect of an enlarged market. It is planned to have the Maryland use the western coal, while the West Virginia will burn the eastern coal, proceeding on the cruise together in order that there may be identical conditions as fo. distance and. weather. On 'the trip from Seattle to San Francisco the Saturn burned one of the Seattle brands of coal.= It did not prove en- tirely satisfactory, according to the unofficial report which has been made of the incident--Army and Navy Reg- ister. The publication of the above para- graph drew the following reply from George F. Thorndyke. Editor Army and Navy Register:-- My attention has been called to an article appearing in your issue of Oct. 22 entitled 'Pacing Coast Coal Test." The statements made therein, ac- cording to the best knowledge I have eompels me to conclude that the Register partially misrepresented the facts. The writer believes himself to be the first to 'have made complaint be- cause of the navy department's policy in transporting Pocahontas coal to this coast in foreign tramps, dismiss- ing those ships from its service on the Pacific coast, where they so com- peted with the business of the Amer- ican owned vessels here that their business was demoralized. My first utterance in remonstrance November, 1910 was contained in a letter addressed to Beekman Winthrop, acting secre- tary of the navy, in 1908, wherein I plainly represented the facts by stat- ing to 'him that there was sufficient, efficient coal mined on this coast to enable the navy department, by its use, to produce practical results. That I was entirely within the truth when I made that statement is a certainty; my authority is unquestionable. I am confident that records neither in the navy department, nor else- where, will show that anyone from the Pacific coast represented that coal mined here would equal in efficiency the Pocahontas, or any other prefer- able Atlantic coast coal. It was stated to Mr. Winthrop that the Comox, B. C. coal, when tested at the Bremerton navy yard, a few years ago, lacked 'but 6 per cent of being as efficient as is the Pocahontas coal. I stated that some of the coal mined on the American side on this coast was customarily used in vessels of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co., United States army transports, and United States reveuue cutters .opetating to Bering Sea, thought to be the most dangerous navigable body of water in the world. Other ships, required to maintain sea steaming equal to: 17 and 18 knots daily, successfully use our coal. No one has attempted to disprove these statements and it would be asinine to do so. The navy department, through an acting secretary, did promise to make several tests of Pacific coast coal, com- mencing in November next. In con- firmation of that promise there were some 2,700 tons of King county coal loaded on board the collier Saturn and transported to San Francisco, for the 'purpose of making the test. It was understood that the Saturn was to consume 300 tons of the coal loaded, as a side test; the balance was to be consumed by the cruiser Maryland. The navy department has failed us before with regard to this fuel propo- sition, so we now feel that there is no intention to make a fair test of the Pacific 'coast coal. We want no stronger reason for arriving at that conclusion than to know that the navy department intends to keep our soft bituminous coal in storage in excess of sixty days before consumption. The reason for that we quite well un- derstand. We have now given up hopes that a fair test will be made and doubt if a test of any kind is made. We feel confident the postponement of the tests until December was made as an excuse to enable the department to ship another consignment of Pocahon- tas coal to this coast about the first of the year 1911. We are constrained to believe this, because a little over a year ago an authoritative official of the navy department stated, when in Seattle, that it was then the expecta- tion of the navy department to use naval colliers to some extent in hand- ling Atlantic coal to the Pacific coast, and that he hoped that policy would 'be adopted before it became necessary to place contracts for coal about Jan- uary 1, 1910, a promise never kept, nor probably intended to be kept. As-regards the kind of coal bought and shipped on the Saturn to make the test: Por your information would