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time acquired the control of the new Belgian-American Navigation Co., which was to become better known as the Red Star line. In 1884 the International Naviga- tion Co. took over the business and ships of the American Steamship Co. itself, and in 1886 purchased the con- trolling interest in none other than the great Inman line of British mail steamers. Under the new management the PENNSYLVANIA, OnHI0, INDIANA, and ILLINOIS were remodeled to some exX- tent. The first class accommodations were discontinued, as in that new greyhound era it was no longer easy to attract saloon passengers for older ships. The vessels were thereafter operated in the emigrant and cargo traffic. In the middle of the 1880’s the eco- nomical triple-expansion style of en- gine came into its own. Not only were new ships now thus engined, but many older vessels were refitted with such installations to bring them up to date. Among the first of the latter was the Outro, which in 1887 re- ceived new triple expansion engines, together of course with new boilers to deal with the higher pressures in- volved. James Howden & Co. Glas- gow, who supplied the plant, further equipped her with the new Howden system of forced draft, the Onto thereby becoming the first Atlantic liner to possess this new feature. In 1891 James Howden & Co. also re-engined the INDIANA. In the same year William Cramp & Sons them- selves fitted their other two products, the PENNSYLVANIA and the ILLINOIS, with new triple expansion engines. The vessels also underwent a slight change in appearance in the course of their career. As late as the 1890’s sails still formed a part of the equip- ment of even sizable steamships, and when they were built these four American steamers were rigged in brig style. In their latter days, how- ever, the PENNSYLVANIA, INDIANA, and ILLINOIS were registered as_ brigan- tines, and the Ouro as a bark. Though the useful life of a ship is usually stated as twenty years, the quartet under discussion were still going strong in their third decade. Toward the close of the 1890’s they appear to have entered upon a new pe- riod of service in other parts, being sold to Pacific owners. The International Navigation Co., in acquiring successively the Red Star line, the American Steamship Co., and the Inman line, ultimately in 1893 consolidating them under the name of American line (the Red Star line retaining a distinct identity to a cer- tain extent for its definite good-will significance), was merely gathering up some of the threads that were to enter into the fabric of the great I. M. M. system, of such current in- fluence in the development of our merchant marine. 54 Re-elect Bureau Head at Annual Meeting At the annual meeting of the American Bureau of Shipping in New York on Jan. 27, Capt. ©. A. Me- Allister was unanimously re-elected president for the sixth consecutive year. G. P. Taylor, H. N. Herriman and J. Lewis Luckenbach were re- elected vice presidents and J. W. Can- tillion secretary. In his annual report to the board of managers, Capt. McAllister said that 1930 had been a prosperous year for the bureau, as it had classified 88 per cent of the total output of American shipyards. The work of the bureau on river craft has gradually been increased and recently it received orders to inspect and classify forty large barges for the Inland Waterways Corp. The gradual disappearance of wooden craft in the United States was shown in a comparison of sur- veys made—5873 on steel vessels and only 121 on wooden vessels. United Dry Docks Acquires Truss Weld License The United Dry Docks Inc., 11 Broadway, New York, has acquired the exclusive license on the At- lantic coast to the Kjekstad patent- ed truss-weld and reverse channel sys- tems of ship, barge and tank construc- tion. J. Kjekstad, inventor of the two systems and formerly president of the Truss-Weld Barge Co., has joined the truss-weld division of United Dry Docks as consulting engineer. A. Hud- son, formerly vice-president and sales manager of the Barge company, is sales manager of the truss-weld divi- sion. Under the truss-weld method an internal structure of angle member trusses running longitudinally, athwartship and vertically is set up, all trusses being welded at intersec- tions and to the skin of the hul Electric welding ig employed throughout and thus the method eliminates all riveting and_practi- cally all heavy internal members such as keels, ribs, beams and even frames. The first ship built under this system, a self-propelled oil carrier has been in use in Canadian waters nearly three years and has an un- broken operating record, although the ship has served frequently ag an ice breaker in the St. Lawrence and has figured in collisions and ground- ings, without fracture or damage re- quiring repairs. Other hulls already in successful operation include deck barges, oil towing barges, derrick and pile driven barges. The trusg- weld method is especially applicable to ships carrying liquid cargoes in the hold and those carrying heavy deck loads. The reverse channel type of con- struction is an arrangement of the channels so that they may be joined by direct welding, which makes for greater structural strength. Ships built on this plan are especially suited to carry dry cargo in the hold. Some of the special advantages claimed for the truss-weld system are: Economy in cost through the elimination of rivets and heavy in- ternal members. Saving of 10 to 25 per cent in weight of construction material. Extreme rigidity, elimi- nating to a great extent shearing stresses in operation. Ease of clean- ing and preserving hull interiors, there being no place where dirt or rust may be trapped. Economy in repair of damage. Permanent tight- ness of hull, all seams being lapped and welded both inside and outside and by test actually showing to be the strongest part of the shell struc- ture. Greater loads on shallower drafts with consequent saving in towing or driving power are claimed. View of Truss-Weld Barge Built for O’Brien Bros. Sand & Gravel Co., New York, showing internal structure of angle iron members MARINE REVIEwW—March, 1931