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_ MARINE REVIEW. FROM WOODEN FRIGATE TO IRON BATTLESHIP. Rear Admiral Philip Hichborn in New York World. Naval architecture in this country has undergone an almost incredible transformation during the century just passed. The evolution, whose consummation may be seen in the magnificent warships just sent out, has been marked by seven distinct stages, familiar to the student of this branch of our country’s history. Compare, for:instance, the historic fleet of Columbus, the Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta, the first boats that floated our waters, with the modern ship. Great ships in their day, they would now seem the merest cockleshells. Indeed, the Santa ‘Maria, largest of these famous vessels, was but 63 ft. long and of but 200 tons burden. Two centuries later on our first naval vessel was built. This proud achievement was called the Folkland. She wasn’t really an American ship, however, for the colonists no sooner saw her finished—she was built at Portsmouth—than they presented her to the English government, which immediately added her to its navy. The Folkland was of 637 tons burden and carried thirty-four guns and a crew of 226 men. Our historic Consti- tution marks the next stage of development, and represents the type of naval architecture that prevailed at the opening of the nineteenth century. No American needs to be told the story of this ship, built in 1797 and still in existence, which is perhaps the cornerstone of our national glory. The Constitution was a fine frigate in her time, 175 ft. long, with 2,200 tons displacement. During the entire first half of the century the Constitution type of vessel was not improved upon. In 1850 steam was introduced, and at this date there was built in Philadelphia the Powhatan, a side-wheel vessel of 3,980 tons displacement, carrying seventeen guns. At the same time there was built the Minnesota, one of the best war vessels in the world at that time. To this class belonged the Roanoke and Merrimac, both cut down and converted into ironclads at the beginning of the civil war by the federal and confederate authorities, respectively; the Franklin, in which Admiral Farragut made his tour of European ports after the close of the war; the Colorado and the Wabash. All were good ships and performed splendid service. The Monitor was built by John Ericsson in 1861, and though, individually, she was the first crude development of an idea, she revolutionized the navies of the world. Her splendid service showed that spars and sails must no longer be considered a part of a war vessel’s means of propulsion, and that ships must be protected by armor to meet the improvements in ordnance. While the Monitor type has long since passed out of favor as a sea fighter, there are certain phases of national defense for which many authorities consider its latest development, the Arkansas, ‘Connecticut, Florida and Wyoming, now building, the best vessels that can be devised. In them the only radical departure from the original consists in providing living accommodations above water. Other differences are those of detail. The Katahdin and Holland were the best examples of the next stage. The former is the outcome of the confederate ram Tennessee. Admiral Ammen, who participated in the fight between that vessel and the federal ships, always thereafter held the fixed belief that the ram was the most formidable weapon of marine warfare, and finally [January 10, persuaded congress to authorize the construction of a vessel after his designs, and the Katahdin was commenced at the Bath Iron Works in July, 1891. Owing to the difficulty of procuring her armor, she was not completed until February, 1896. She is 251 ft. long, 43 ft. 5 in. wide, 21 ft. deep, and at a 15 ft. draught displaces 2,155 tons. The most perfect bat- tleship of today is represented by the Virginia and class, the designs for which are being completed by the bureau of construction and repair. CRAMP ONTARIO STEEL CO. A Canadian exchange says: “Among the industrial activities of the present day in Canada iron takes a prominent place. Not to be behind hand in encouraging smelting works the town of Collingwood has made a grant of fifty acres of land and some water lots to the Cramp Ontario Steel Co., Ltd., authorized capital $5,000,000, which has been incorporated in Ontario, and whose directors are capitalists in Philadelphia and prom- inent Canadians in Sault Ste. (Marie, ‘Collingwood, Barrie and Toronto. Plans have been made for a blast furnace with a capacity of 200 tons, and it is said that work upon the buildings will be begun early next spring. The discovery of the Michipicoten iron deposits and other iron deposits elsewhere north of Lake Superior, and the facilities which already exist for transporting the ore, have made such enterprises far more practicable on the Georgian bay than they were-even one year ago. There is besides now in running order in Collingwood an iron and steel ship building plant, which is one of the most important things that could be for Cana- dian transport on the lakes. The gentlemen connected with the Cramp Ontario Steel Co, have informed themselves as to the cost of making iron and steel from Canadian ores at Collingwood, and have procured the opinion of Mr. Walter Kennedy of Pittsburg as an authority that ‘the works at Collingwood would be for foreign trade on at least as good a footing as works located at Pittsburg.’ The concession received by this company and the bounties paid by Ontario and the Dominion for pig iron production certainly lead to the belief that the industry should be a very profitable one. Of the 50,000 shares of $100 each 20,000 will be 7 per cent. cumulative preference stock and 30,000 shares common stock. There is 5,000 shares. of preference stock offered to the public for sub- scription at par, to which will be added, as a bonus, one share of common stock to every four shares of preference stock allotted. Mr. J. A. Mel- drum of Toronto is the broker, and the National Trust (Co. of Toronto and Montreal are trustees for the shares.” The Oceanic Steamship Co.’s new steamer Sonoma, 6,000 tons, built by the Cramps, arrived at San Francisco last week, breaking all records by the straits of ‘Magellan, making the trip from the mouth of the Dela- ware to the Golden gate in 38 days 9 hours, without making a port of call. A London dispatch announces that Donald Currie & Co., the well known ship owners, will build seven large steamers to trade between Great Britain and South Africa and America and South America. BELLEVILLE GENERATORS Grand Prix 1889 Originated 1849 Fors Concours 1900 Latest Improvements 1896 Number of Marine Leagues made each year by Steamships of the Messageries Maritimes Co., Provided with Belleville Generators—Since their Adoption in the Service. Year Australian|Polynesien dy ered aoeee Chili |Cordillere Tonkin | Annam BOO eee cece 22,576 oo 22,749 | 22,777 LESS PAS nis ic ae 22,749 22,801 1,103 OB oe hs io set obec diss we: 22,793 22,781 22,749 WEA bisa osk ess ia ree. 22,813 22,789 22,813 12,567 TONG SoS SS oa eee 22,891 22,922 22,936 13,629 9,57 | [a0 ) Ce acbsF ir Mae Sa A ee ae 23,178 30,906 23,183 20,735 | 21.051 11.8: (gee ep Re 22,750 23,202 23.185 20,745 25,370 14,382 Logo ee ee 23,646 23,178 23.199 20,842 21,080 20,851 21,318 7,569 EONS at ABS ag a a a 23,178 23,205 30,135 20,082 20,926 17,448 18,285 14,669 7,628 LEU 7) RASS RSER a eeRRR Ce 229,323 | 215,381 | 191,680] 175,953 108,600 97,998 52,681 39,603 22.238 7,628 ATELIERS ET CHANTIERS DE L’ERMITAGE, A ST. DENIS (SEINE), FRANCE, WORKS AND YARDS OF L’ERMITAGE, ST. DENIS (SEINE), FRANCE. TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: BELLEVILLE, SAINT DENIS, SUR SEINE.