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1901.] SENATOR FRYE STILL SANGUINE OF SUCCESS. Senator Frye is still sanguine that the shipping bill will pass the sen- ate during the present session. He says that the senate steering com- mittee intends to continue the measure in the legislative program until it has been voted upon, even if it becomes necessary to hold night ses~ sions. Three amendments lately recommended by the maritime com- mittee of fifteen will also be accepted by the committee on commerce.. This committee has the bill in its care and it is believed by the majority of its members that these new amendments greatly improve the measure. One of these amendments consists in the insertion of a clause in sec- tion 9 of the bill, which is designed to protect American vessels engaged in the transportation of cargoes to ports in Central America and Mexico. Under the provisions of the bill as originally reported, certain vessels were barred from the reception of the bounties prescribed by the measures, because a part of their cargoes was consigned to United States ports on the Pacific coast and the steamships were accordingly classified as en- gaging solely in the coastwise trade.. As a matter of fact, only a small proportion of the cargoes of these vessels is sent to our Pacific ports, while the bulk thereof clearly comes under the classification of foreign trade. The other two amendments are in section 18 of the bill, prescribing the conditions under which owners of vessels may be permitted to enjoy the proposed subsidies. As the bill was originally framed all the-owners of the vessels were required to give bonds to the United States treasury, agreeing to build new vessels within five years, aggregating at least 45 per cent of the tonnage of those already in existence. Inasmuch as the ownership was often complex, it was found that this provision would be impracticable and it has been, therefore, decided to make this requisite apply only to a majority of the owners. Further to simplify this section, the secretary of the treasury is authorized in its amended form to retain 25 per cent of the compensation from time to time earned by those entitled to suc’ subsidy as security for the performance of the obligations as- sumed in the bond. A new section is added to the bill defining “gross tons” as apded by section 4153 R. S. As for the foreign-built steamships admitted to subsidy under the bill, against which some objection has been urged, Senator Frye states that it is absolutely certain at the outside this class of vessels amounts to not more than 300,000 gross registered tonnags. Senator Frye will not foreshadow the result in the house, but he has no concern whatever in regard to the fate of the measure in the body over which he presides. “I can find no factious opposition to the bill,” said Senator Frye, “notwithstanding the report that filibustering tactics were to be resorted to by its enemies, nor do | look for prolonged discussion. Not more than four or five speeches remain to be made on each side and arrangemeuis will be made whereby these speeches can be delivered in a night session, if necessary. The army appropriation bill will doubtless be passed by the middle of the current week. The shipping bill will then be made the un- finished business and will have the right of way, but there will be no dis- position on the part of its friends to antagonize the regular appropriation bills as they may be presented. The opposition to the bill is clearly traceable to the foreign shipping interests and when the time comes for taking a vote, it will be found that a large majority for the measure is assured. The amendments recently decided upon will certainly tend to facilitate the success of the bill, as they remove all legitimate sources of objection from all those who have American interests at heart.” NARROW ESCAPE OF SHIP AND CREW. The following letter from Mr. H. Coulby of ‘Pickands, Mather & Co. needs no explanation. It tells its own story and shows that the men in the fire room of a vessel cannot be too careful: “One day during the past fall, while our chief engineer, Mr. A. Arnold, was on the steamer Appomattox, he happened to be in the fire hole and saw a fireman with a can on his shovel and some coal, just about to throw it into the fire. Mr. Arnold told the fireman to stop and see what was in the can. They took it off the fireman’s shovel, and upon examination it was found to contain blasting powder. It was very for- tunate for the boat, and people on her, that ‘Mr. Arnold happened to be there and prevent the fireman throwing the can into the fire box, other- wise it would undoubtedly have blown up the steamer. The can was about the size of a gallon can, nearly full of blasting powder; and upon investigation it was found to be a can used by the coal miner for carry- ing his blasting powder. Evidently in the falling of coal in the mine the can had been covered up, shoveled into the tram car and shipped to the lake front in a car of coal, which car was dumped on the Appomattox as fuel coal. We think it would be well for you to publish this incident, as a caution to firemen to be very careful and not throw into fire boxes anything that happens to get onto the shovel. It was a narrow a for the boat and the lives of the men on her.” CONTRACT FOR THREE SHEATHED BATTLESHIPS. Secretary Long wrote letters this week to the Newport News Ship Building & Dry Dock Co., the Bath Iron Works and Moran Bros. of Seattle, informing them of his decision to award each a contract for building a sheathed and coppered battleship under the conditions pre- scribed by the navy department. The chief interest in these bids centers in that of Moran Bros. Their price was beyond the limit of cost fixed by congress, but the law on the subject makes it imperative on the secretary to award the contract for one vessel to a. firm on the Pacific coast. Mr. Long tendered the contract to Moran Bros, at $3,511,000, plus 4 per cent., the bonus allowed Pacific coast bidders on account of the cost of transporting material across the continent, thus making the amount of the contract $3,651,400. The sum of $3,511, 000 was fixed by deducting from the limit price, "$3, 600,000, a sufficient amount to cover the cost of inspec- tion, supervision and coppering, Secretary Long having determined that these things must be paid for out of the appropriation by congress. It is believed at the navy department that ‘Moran Bros. and the two other firms will accept the department’s proposals. The Harlan & Hollingsworth Co., Wilmington, Del., expects to re- ceive a contract for the construction of a ferry boat similar to the Phila- delphia for the Philadelphia & Kaign’s point traffic in connection with the Philadelphia & Reading railway. MARINE RE VI eR RRM 19 LARGEST BOILER WORKS IN THE WORLD. OPENED WITH THE DAWN _ OF THE NEW CENTURY—DESORIPTION OF THE NEW BOILER PLANT OF THE BABCOCK & WILCOX CO. AT BAYONNE, N. J. With the beginning of the new century, work was started in the new boiler works of the Babcock & Wilcox ‘Co. at Bayonne, N. J. The engine was started at midnight, at the dawn of the new year, in the presence of the mayor of Bayonne and a number of the city officials and the officers and heads of departments of the Babcock & Wilcox Co, Operatives went to work at once in the drum shop, which is the first. department to be put in operation, and in the presence of the guests a steam drum was com- pleted out of the flat sheets. Those present witnessed all the operations of shearing, punching, rolling, riveting and assembling involved in its manufacture. Supper was served to the guests and toasts were drunk to the success of the new plant. The new works of the Babcock & Wilcox \Co. are located in Bayonne, where the company has purchased thirty acres of land, having a frontage .of 650 ft. on the Kill von Kull, with a depth of water 25 ft. on the pier line. The plant is the largest of its kind in the world. The buildings com- pleted have a floor area of about 160,000 sq. ft., to which will be added at once buildings of approximately 40, 000 sq. ft. floor area. The plant is equipped throughout with special tools, and has been designed with the greatest care to expedite the processes: of manufacture by reducing to the, last degree the needless handling of material and by the use of the most approved appliances. - The business of the Babcock &- Wilcox Co, is over thirty years estab- lished, beginning with the partnership existing between Babcock & Wil- cox in the manufacture of engines in the early sixties. The first boilers were built by them in 1867. The partnership was changed in 1881 to the present corporation. The works of the company have hitherto been lo cated on grounds leased from the Singer Manufacturing Co. in Eliza~ bethport, N. J., but the enormous growth of the business in later years made necessary an increase in productive capacity, and in 1899 the com- pany decided to build the new works now nearing completion. The site chosen is an ideal one. So large a tract of land with so desirable a water frontage close to New York city is exceedingly difficult to obtain, and in most instances such a manufacturing site can only be obtained by filling in soft marshes fronting on the water. The site oceu- _pied by the Babcock & Wilcox Co. is remarkable in that it consists wholly of solid ground, no piling having been used for either the buildings or the heavy foundations required for the machinery installed. A spur track from the Central railroad of New Jersey enters the property, so that the company enjoys the best facilities for shipping both by rail and water. e water tube boilers manufactured by the Babcock & Wilcox Co. have a one: wide reputation, The success of the water tube boiler dates from the first boilers of their manufacture. In addition to the enormous business which they are doing in stationary boilers the company has in the last few years entered into the manufacture of marine water tube Boilers which are now exclusively used in the United States navy, are being introduced in the British navy, and are very widely, used in the merchant marine. BOSTON CUP DEFENDER. A few friends of Thomas W. Lawson and Designer B. B. Crownin- shield have seen the designs for the Boston cup defender and are highly impressed with the model. They have talked a little in club circles and a general:idea of the lines Crowninshield is working on can be easily figured out. Instead of building an enlarged Jolly Roger or Hebe, which were his two successful boats of last season, Crowninshield has taken the model of the Columbia as far as he has been able to and the new yacht is to be an improvement of the latest Herreshoff crack, so that Crownin- shield and Herreshoff are working on the same lines. Herreshoff here has. an immense advantage. His experience in the construction of the Vigilant, Defender and Columbia makes the work on the new yacht com- paratively easy, while Crowninshield has no data on which he can rely and has to work out every little detail. For this reason many think that a mistake has been made in trying to beat Herreshoff with a type of boat that the Bristol man has developed so successfully. The Lawson boat will be beamy, more beam than the ‘Columbia, and by getting so much initial stability in the hull proper the boat will need less lead on the keel. The boat will be sparred to the limit, the estimated spread of canvas being 14,000 sq. ft., which is 700 sq. ft. more than the Columbia carried, and her displacement will be much less than the champion of 1898. The overhangs on the Boston model are long and low, and with a very slight angle of heel her waterline length will be increased considerably. The bow is full, and the underbody is not cut away as much as that of the Columbia. The lead keel appeared to be longer than that of the Colum- bia and the draught of the new boat somewhere about 20 ft. The hull proper is very short draught and the floors very flat. In constructing the boat a different method will be adopted from the Bristol style. No lead keel will be cast. Plates will be bent to the shape of the keel and form a sort of trough. The keel will be set on the top of this trough and the frames set up on this plate. The trough will be filled with pigs of lead and then molten lead will be run in to fill in the spaces around these pigs and to hold them in shape. The rudder will not be hung on a skag, but on the stern post, which will rake at an angle of about 45 degrees. TRIAL TRIP OF THE ILLINOIS. A dispatch from Newport News announces that the battleship Illi- nois, sister of the Alabama, just turned out by ‘Cramps, and the Wisconsin, just completed by the Union Iron Works, will go out on her builders’ trial trip Feb, 138, according to the present arrangement. The completion of the Illinois has been considerably delayed by the failure to. receive armor. The turret armor is still to come from the factory. In view of the fact that the Wisconsin and Alabama both made high rates of speed, the builders’ trial and official trial of the Illinois will be watched with in- terest. The builders will undoubtedly push her to her best on the builders’ trial. Officers for the Illinois have not yet been assigned. No captain has reported for duty in connection with the work on the ship. Captains Folger and Chester were at Newport News nearly a year before the Kear sarge and Kentucky went out. €s