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trunk and the lower deck. Lengthening of the vessel was earried out in the floating dry dock at the plant of the Great Lakes En- gineering Works at River Rouge. This dock is made up of four sec- tions which can be connected in any combination. Normally three sec- tions are connected to make one dock 610 feet long. The fourth section, 150 feet in length is generally used separately, for tugs and small work. As it was expected that the MAINE would be in dock about two months the sections were rearranged to make one dock 430 feet long for the lengthening job, and one dock 335 feet long to take care of a number of medium sized vessels while the process of lengthening was under way. All steel for this work was ordered within a few days after the contract was let late in December last year. The vessel was floated April 5, 1934 and delivered to the owner April 21. The midship section and bulkheads for the new part were laid down in the moldloft from plans furnished by the owner. All plate widths, framing and rivet spacing were checked from the ship, The bulk- heads were all laid out, punched, and partially assembled before the ship was cut and all shell and deck plates which did not connect to the old work were punched and sheared ready for erection. On Feb. 3 the Marine was placed in drydock and the section of the dock with the ship in place was then towed around to the fitting out slip where additional crane service is available. All oil tanks had been thoroughly steamed and cleaned and tested to make sure that they were gas free. However, as soon as ac- tual work was started, additional gas was liberated from under scale and under the framing and this con- dition had to be watched very closely during the entire progress of the work. No burners were used in cut- ting the ship in two, all rivets being either drilled or cut off with the riv- et buster. The vessel was cut just aft of the bridge which made the forward end about 96 feet long and the after end about 150 feet long. The forward end, which was moved, had a total weight of about 700 tons. Two slid- ing ways of 16 x 16 inches timber were fitted, spaced about 19 feet cen- ters, and the bow was wedged up much in the same manner as for an end launching. To haul the bow the required dis- tance (about 106 feet) away from the other part of the vessel, three 8 x 10 inches double cylinder, single drum, winches, each pulling on a 7- part purchase of %-inch diameter wire rope, were used. On account of the extremely cold weather there was some doubt as to the amount of power required, but the arrange- 22 ment proved to be ample. Moving the bow was completed on Feb. 13. The actual pulling time for the full length was about 8 minutes, In the erection of the new part the work was carried out just like in a new ship except that all connec- tions to the old work had to be lifted from the job. For additional strength, to com- pensate for the increased length, doubler plates were fitted on the sheer strake both port and starboard at the break of the poop. Doubler plates were also fitted on each side on the outboard stringer on the deck for a distance amidships of over one- half of the vessel’s length. Similar- ly doubler plates were fitted for a distance of over one-half the length of the vessel along C strake on the bottom on both sides. This is the strake next but one to the garboard. After the riveting was all com- pleted, all the tanks were tested in the dock up to a point above the light waterline. The vessel was floated on April 5 and the tank test- ing was completed afloat. In addition to the lengthening, a new upper pilot house was built, the foremast was’ shifted and some changes were made in the discharge piping. The MAINE is fitted with wireless and carries a wireless operator. Fire Protection Meeting There has been increasing interest in fire prevention and protection on the part of those engaged in mari- time affairs and as their problems are different from those usually en- countered on shore, the directors of the National Fire Protection associ- ation have decided to establish a marine section, which shall devote itself exclusively to maritime affairs. With this object in view an organ- ization committee was appointed. The American Steamship Owners associ- ation formally designated Mr. Cabaud and Mr. Harwood to be members of this committee; the Na- tional council of American Ship- builders designated Joseph W. Powell and Capt. Roger Williams, and the National Association of En- gine and Boat Manufacturers desig- nated Alfred E. Luders. It is to be hoped that shipowners and operators, shipbuilders and re- pairers, yacht builders, manufac- turers of marine engines, all will avail themselves of this opportunity to become members of this marine section and make it a success. The marine section will meet on May 14 at Haddon Hall, Atlantic City, N. J. Lambert & German, naval architects and marine surveyors, have removed their offices to 1019 Canada Cement building, Montreal, Que. MARINE REVIEW—May, 1934 New York Begins Campaign to Encourage Shipping The Foreign Commerce club of New York, on Wednesday evening, April 18, in the grand ball room of the Hotel Astor, celebrated ‘‘Port of New York Night” as the opening gun of a vigorous campaign to restore and hold the natural commerce of the port against the incursions of all comers. More than a thousand members and dinner guests of the club heard Mayor Fiorello H, La Guardia, of New York, deliver a vivid keynote speech, blunt in its earnestness, in which he promised shipping interests a square deal in the leasing of piers, docks and other terminal facilities, full co-operation of the authorities with the club in its trade conserva- tion efforts, declared war to the finish on rackets and grafts, and made a stirring plea for his free zone plan, Declaring that the unique charac- teristics of the port of New York enabled it to compete on even terms with any port anywhere, Mayor La Guardia asserted that high port charges were the ‘‘result of the low underhand rather than of the high overhead.’’ He vigorously assailed the apathy of the city authorities for the past twelve years and the ‘‘be- lief that has developed in this city that shipping simply had to come to New York and the lack of vision which has underestimated the energy and effort of other ports to draw commerce away from New York.’’ A new leasing policy was an- nounced by the mayor, who said: ‘‘I now announce that the policy of this administration will be to further the interest of commerce and to encour- age shipping coming to New York. Anyone desiring to lease or rent piers or docks can get them direct without the aid of any intermediary or any political fixer. I want to establish lower rates and dock charges and want long term leases of piers to be conducted in the open. I also want to eliminate any possi- bility of monopoly of piers or docks as well as the vicious system of sub- leasing.”’ Mayor La Guardia threw down the gauntlet to certain “selfish small groups, interested only in their own business” who have pre- vented the unanimous support of shipping interests for his “free zone”’ plan to utilize the municipal piers on Staten Island. ‘We were charged,” said he, ‘with seeking to use city piers in competition with private warehouses, whereas we were merely trying to bring busi- ness here from other ports where Army base piers were being used for the same purpose.”