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1900] MARINE REVIEW. : 19 NEW YORK STATE AROUSED. RADICAL MEASURE OF CANAL IMPROVEMENT PROPOSED BY GOVERNOR ROOSE- VELT’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE—A WATERWAY FOR BOATS OF 1000 TONS CAPACITY AT A COST OF $60,600,000, Buffalo, Jan. 16—Canal advocates are feeling decidedly more firm in their position since the big meeting here last week, for it developed strength that was hardly looked for in a gathering that was not at all worked up beforehand. There is a snag just ahead, though, that ought to . be taken care of before it ig allowed to do any harm to the cause. The snag is the amount that the governor’s advisory canal committee will recommend for putting the canal.into good commercial condition to en- able it to carry grain from Buffalo to New York at a profit for a cent a bushel. The report will be made’public any day now, and though nothing of the details have been published yet, it will very probably urge by a big array of figures that $60,000,000 is needed for the work, and it may now be said also that the report is such a radical affair that when it gets through with the canal there is barely half of the original Clinton’s ditch left. For this reason it is proper that some note of warning be given or the timid support of the canal is going to be frightened. Some time ago the committee was so anxious that its recommendations should not be mis- understood that the public was asked unofficially not to pass judgment without reading the entire report. It was felt that such a study of the situation would conyince everyone, as it did the committee, that there was but one thing to do. If a solid business and scientific body like the committee, with not a bit of politics or self-interest in its composition, should feel obliged to report in favor of fairly a new canal there is ample reason for the same view of the case by the public. ‘In the first place there will be in the report a provision for a canal that will float a thousand ton boat in place of the present 250-ton boat, and so much of the existing waterways is to be taken into the route that fully half of the entire distance from Buffalo to New York will be made in free waters. The big cities on the way, like Rochester and Syracuse, will be avoided, because it is found by actual calculation that it is cheaper to build a new canal in such territory than it would be to enlarge the present canal through these cities. Then the plan contemplates for motive power either steam or some other force that may be independent of a tow path, for it takes in Seneca river and Oneida lake, and also the Mohawk from Little Falls eastward. When the Erie canal was built it was supposed that horse power was to be the only thing available for moving the boats, so an independent line was laid out away from streams for the most part, merely using the Ton- awanda a few miles, as it was so sluggish and little subject to overflow that it would carry a towpath about as well as an artificial canal. It is now felt that the days of the horse boat are about over, and the-committee has struck out boldly for the best route, regardless of the method of propul- sion. In every case where a deviation from the old plan or the old route is asked for, the committee will be able to show by figures that the change is a saving in cost, and as to results there will be nobody to complain, unless it may happen to be the old boatman who still believes that the salvation of the route is possible under the tow path and mule system. It is not denied that there are some of these left, and good men they are too, willing to go on to-the end in poverty and knowing that the end is not far off. They are the men who by their tenacity have contributed much in a certain way to the continuation of canal traffic, these weary years of neglect of their interests and the interests of the state, and they are worthy of all respect, but the time has come when the main chance must be considered and action must be prompt or all is lost. The committee had in mind all along that there would be a chance of complaint from the boatmen and the interior cities, and has made special provisions for them. In case of the boatmen the plan suggested is be- lieved to cover any objection, and the interior cities will certainly rejoice, for in case of Syracuse, for instance, use is made of Onondaga lake, so that docks are provided inside the city, and other cities are all looked after in some special way. The result is that the canal will cease to be the eye- sore it is in so many towns and will furnish the same, or better, accommo- dations to traffic as before. There is no doubt that Chairman Clinton had an inkling of the com- mittee’s ideas or at least an intuition, when he declared at the meeting that something must be done and done at once, and Attorney Milburn of the steel plant, in urging canal improvement for that interest, went still further and asked the public to be prepared for a big outlay. ‘The time for moderate measures has passed,” he said. “So I am eager enough for an early and thorough consideration of the new plan to forestall the re- port a few days and ask that nobody make the smallest comment on the plan till the whole is understood. I am in no way doing this by request, but merely by reluctant sufferante, hoping to promote the interest of commerce by urging a consideration of the committee’s findings and de- ductions, made, as they were, from the highest business and engineering standpoint. We have resolved to perpetuate the Erie canal. Let us sink all differences as to method and leave the plan to those who are qualified to speak on the subject.” JOHN CHAMBERLIN. MANILA HEMP. It is a singular fact that, owing to climatic and other conditions, the product known as Manila hemp can be grown only in the Philippine is- lands, now the subject of so much interest to the United States. No other fibre has been discovered which will take its place in vessel use. In another column we print an interesting and important review of the Manila hemp situation, written by Mr. H. F. Lyman, secretary ot the Upson-Walton Co. of Cleveland. Mr. Lyman has made special and ex- haustive study of this subjcet for some years, and is. probably as well posted as any man in America. He has recently returned from London and New York, where he has been in conference with leading au‘horities in this line, and, consequently, his opinion is entitled to great weight. As will be seen, he looks for no lower prices, at least for some months to come, WASHINGTON LETTER. TESTING MORE MODELS OF SUBMARINE BOATS—CLAIM OF THE UNION IRON WORKS—NICARAGUA OANAL BILL—OTHER MATTERS, : During the past week tests of a working model of boat No. 7 of the Holland type, designed by John P. Holland and manufactured by the Hol- land Torpedo Boat Co., have been conducted in the experimental basin at the Washington navy yard. The model, which is of wood, is a little over 8 feet long, and is exactly one-eighth the size of what the vessel it repre- . sents will be. It is stated that the new design No. 7 will have many im- provements over the Holland, which has already demonstrated the prac- tical ability of submarine torpedo boats. The new boat will be when com- pleted larger in dimensions than the Holland, will carry five instead of three Whitehead torpedoes and will have a larger radius of action. It is being constructed precisely on the principles of the Holland and the im- provements are merely those which experience with the Holland has shown to be advisable. The most notable improvement in the new boat is the introduction of automatic ballasting, which will be available in any kind of water, either salt or fresh, or any admixture of the two. Salt water is 3 per cent heavier than fresh water, and in a boat the size of No. 7 the difference in its displacement betweeen fresh and salt water would be about four tons. This improvement is regarded as a remarkable achieve- ment, as it may be applied to other boats than the type in question. The tests during the past week have been under three conditions: First, the model was shown light and surface running; second, it was tried awash with part of the turret showing, and last, it was tested entirely submerged. The resistance of the hull to water, the wave formations caused by its progress, and the wake created thereby, were carefully examined in order to discover if there was very much agitation, especially in the latter re- spect, so that an endeavor might be made to correct it if discovered to exist. Similar tests of the Plunger and Holland are now in preparation. The senate committee on claims has submitted a report on the bill for the relief of the Union Iron Works of San Francisco in the Monterey matter. The report says that in view of the strong equities of the con- tractors, and of the precedents already established in similar cases, the committee agrees with the secretary of the navy that the penalties should be remitted and the bill reported favorably with the recommendation that it pass. This case arises out of the technical failure of the Union Iron Works to maintain the horse power required by their contract for the Monterey during the official trial. The contract requirement was that an indicated horse power of propelling engines, air pump and circulating pump engines of 5,400 should be maintained for four consecutive hours. The total horse power developed by these engines during the trial was only 5,071.77, though for an hour and three-quarters the power was main- tained above that required, and then fell off, owing to inefficient firing of the boilers. By reason of this deficiency in horse power of 328.23 a de- duction of $32,823 was made from the amount paid the contractors on the basis as provided in the contract of $100 per indicated horse power which the contractors should fall short of the required 5,400. The evidence shows that this failure to develop the full horse power during the con- tract trial was due, not to any lack of power of the engines, which the contractors claim are fully capable of developing the 5,400 horse power and more, but to inefficient firing and attendance upon the machinery. The navy department admits the correctness of this claim. Secretary Long has written a letter to the house naval committee in regard to the policy of assigning line officers to engineer duty and former engineer officers to line duty in accordance with the intent of the per- sonnel law. The secretary says: “Referring to what was said when the members of the house com- mittee on naval affairs called on me, and especially to the suggestions of Mr. Butler, I find that on Dec. 15 last orders were given out that a line officer who has not previously been in the engineer corps and who is. next in rank to the navigator of each vessel, shall, where there is no officer for regular engineer duty, be assigned to duty in charge of the engineer de- partment of the ship, instead of having charge of a line division. The policy of the department is, in order to carry out the spirit of the per- sonnel bill, to give former engineer officers who are hereafter to perform line duty, relief from engineer duties at sea, in order that they may have every opportunity to prepare themselves to pass the examination r.q ired for line duties. This seems justice to them. Then, further, the policy is, pursuing the same end, to provide that at least one officer on every ship who has always been of the line shall be assigned to duty in the engineer department, so that he may get that experience; in other words, that former engineer officers, who are hereafter to do line duty, may learn line duty and line officers may learn to do engineer duty.” The house committee on interstate and foreign commerce has in- structed Chairman Hepburn to favorably report to the house the bill for the construction of the Nicaraguan canal. The bill as it will be reported to the house, except in some minor particulars, will be the same as the one which passed the committee stage at the last session of congress. There was some discussion in the committee as to the wisdom of waiting for the Walker commission to report, but it was finally decided that this commission could add little to the information already in hand. It is known, however, that there are several members in the house who are extremely anxious that this commission shall ‘be given time to make a thorough report. Representative Clark of New Hampshire, from the committee on foréign affairs reported to the house on Monday a resolution which was adopted calling on the secretary of state for information relative to the treaty of 1817 between Great Britain and the United States which pro- hibits the presence at any time of more than one warship on the great lakes. Secretary Hay has already outlined in the Review the reason why this treaty has not been abrogated. The High Joint Commission declines to take it up as a separate issue. The secretary will shortly put in the possession of congress all information concerning the steps which have been taken through diplomacy to abrogate the treaty.