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Published every Thursday at 418-19 Perry- Payne Bldg., by the Marine Review Pub Go. VoL. XXI. CLEVELAND, O., MARCH 1, 1900. Subscription $2.00 a year. Foreign $3.50 a year. STATEMENT FROM SECRETARY HAY RELATIVE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF VESSELS OF WAR ON THE GREAT LAKES— HE TELLS THE SENATE THAT THE JOINT HIGH COMMISSION WOULD wig PROBABLY HAVE REACHED AN AGREEMENT ON THE SUBJECT aera BUT FOR THE ABRUPT SUSPENSION OF ITS LABORS. Washington, D. C., Feb. 28—As explained in an interview with Sec- retary 'Hay of the state department, published in the Review some time ago, it is more than probable that the agreement of 1817 with Great _ Britain respecting naval vessels on the great lakes would have been so modified as to admit of the construction of the smaller class of vessels of war in lake ship yards—such of them as could pass through the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic seaboard—but for the suspension of the work of the joint high commission, which had under consideration recently svarious pending questions between the United States and’Canada. In a statement just submitted to the United States senate Secretary Hay goes into this question in considerable detail. The statement is in response to inquiry made by Senator McMillan of Michigan. Secretary Hay gives a full history of the negotiations which resulted in the arrangément be- tween Great Britain and the United States for disarming on the Great Lakes. He also directs attention to a history of its observance sent to congress by President [Harrison, Dec. 7, 1892, and then says: “An arrangement was reached between the governments of Great Britain and the United States on May 30, 1898, for the creation of a joint high commission, to which should be referred for settlement various pending questions between the United States and ‘Canada, among which was a revision of the agreement of 1817, respecting naval vessels on the lakes. Instructions given to the American commissioners on the subject. as respecting the view of the government of the United States, were that it was desirable to secure a declaration or recognition that it was not contrary to the true spirit and intent of the arrangement of 1817 to bui'd vessels of war on the great lakes or in its ports, provided they were not to be used or maintained upon those lakes. It was held that the evident meaning of the arrangement, especially when received in the light ol the correspondence leading up to it, was that only such armed vessels as described should thenceforth be maintained in these waters. “Tn 1817 the great lakes were independent inland waters. Lake On- tario was shut up by the rapids of the St. Lawrence river and Niagara; the lakes above Lake Erie were shut in by the rapids of the St. Clair river, and Lake Superior in turn was separated by the rapids of Sault Ste Marie. There was no navigable connection between them and the ocean. Under such circumstances, to build and arm vessels on the lakes meant to maintain them there, and to use them for no other purpose than as part of the permanent arrangement. The language of the treaty, there- fore, was not improper at the time to convey the idea intended. More- over, at the time of making the arrangement, the region of the great lakés was in a large measure an uninhabited wilderness. Today the lakes are highways for enormous traffic, and their ports are great centers ol manufacture and industry, and can afford to the United States facilities not dreamed of in 1817. aes “These lakes have among other things peculiar advantages for the construction of certain classes of war vessels, and their facilities in this respect are capable of large extension and development, which in the future may be of inestimable value to the United States. For these rea- sons the government regards it as entirely consonant with the spirit of the arrangement of 1817 to use those facilities and to do so upon a full under- standing with Great Britain that its building of war vessels on the lakes is in no way hostile to the arrangement or intended to increase the per- manent armament to be maintained there. The American members of the commission were therefore instructed to secure some arrangement where- by, under proper conditions, such vessels should be constructed and passed through the Canadian canals to the ports of the United States on the Atlantic ocean. It was likewise held that a proper construction of the treaty did not prohibit the maintenance on the lakes of vessels properly equipped for the purpose of training seamen and reserves in the middle states, and that the employment of a proper training ship-is not neces- sarily hostile to the spirit of the treaty, and should be so declared. It is understood that some satisfactory progress was made toward the attain- ment of these ends, but the labors of the commissioners have been sus- pended without reaching a definite result.” THE DISABLED M’PHERSON. The United States transport McPherson arrived in Hampton Roads on Saturday last in tow of the steamship Admiral Sampson, which picked her up early Friday morning 450 miles off Hatteras. She was towed on Sunday to the ship yard at Newport News and will be placed in dry dock to have her shaft repaired. Capt. Burne and the officers of the Mc- Pherson say that the towing done by the Admiral Sampson was the fastest they have ever seen. From the time she picked up the disabled ship until she reached Old Point the Sampson averaged ten knots an hour with the larger vessel in tow. A newspaper despatch from Perth Amboy. N. J., carriés a rumor to the effect that several Philadelphia capitalists have purchased a large tract of land adjoining the Philadelphia & Reading coal docks at Port Reading for the purpose of establishing a large ship building plant. Secretary Long has written a letter to the house committee on appro- 'priations in opposition to the proposition to transfer the hydrographic _ work of the navy to the coast and geodetic survey under the treasury epartment. NEW REVENUE CUTTERS. - The treasury department has just opened bids for the construction of a new revenue cutter for the great lakes, but it has not been determined as yet whether the contract can be let under the appropriation, on ac- count of the advanced prices that have entered into all materials for ship construction. In another part of this issue of the Review the department calls for bids on another cutter, a vessel to be located on the Pacific coast and for which proposals will be opened April 3. The lake cutter will be a single screw steel propefler of about 620 tons displacement. Dimensions will be 178 feet long over all, 30 feet molded beam and 15 feet depth to the base line. The hull was designed by Capt. Russell Glover, the superintendent of construction. It will be built entirely of mild open-hearth steel. The practical test requires that the material must withstand bending transversely back on itself without sign of fracture. This grade of material has been found satisfactory in every way for.use in the construction of the hulls of revenue cutters. The floor plates generally will be 18 inches deep next to the vertical keel, while in the engine and boiler space they will be extended up so as to form a part of the foundations for the engine and boilers. The outside plating up to the -line of the main deck will be of steel, fifteen pounds to the square foot. The stem will be slightly ram shaped. The hull is divided into compartments by four water tight bulkheads. Quarters for the officers are located on the berth deck, aft of the engine compartments, and quarters of the petty officers and crew forward of the boiler com- partment. The accommodations for the crew, as well as for the officers, are comfortable and every care has been exercised to make the condi- tions of life on board ship as pleasant as possible. To this end shower baths and running water have been provided for the crew. Provision will be made for carrying a certain amount of sail, prin- cipally to be used for steadying purposes in a seaway. For this purpose there will be two steel masts each about 80 feet high above the main deck. The propelling machinery of the vessel, which is expected to give a speed of 14 knots at full power, was designed by Capt. John W. Col- lins, engineer-in-chief, who also has charge of the electric light, sanitary and steam heating systems and the inspection of all material. The vessel will be fitted with steam steering gear, steam windlass, fire and flushing pumps, so as to make it thoroughly efficient in every way. SS BUILD SHIPS AND CHANNELS FOR THE FUTURE. Although he does not figure prominently in* annual meetings of thé Lake Carriers’ Association, or in places where talk is required, Capt. Geo. P. McKay, treasurer of the lake association of vessel owners, has always been a quiet worker in matters that require the approval of congress or the departments at Washington. He has always favored the improvement of channels and harbors on a very broad scale, just as he has urged the construction of larger ships than have at times been built by the interests with which he is associated. In writing recently to Congressman Bur- ton, chairman of the rivers and harbors committee, relative to a change of breakwater plans at Cleveland that will cause the east breakwater to deflect towards the shore, thus reducing the enclosed _area, Capt. McKay said: “In all work of this kind we ought to build up to present necessi- ties and look to the future so far as we can. We have just launched in Cleveland two steamers for the ‘American Steamship Co. that are each 500 feet long and of 9,000 net tons capacity. Two other similar steamers are in process of construction. Such is the character of the coming freighter. In addition we have already in service a great fleet of vessels of 400 feet and upwards. Take for example the great Poe lock at the Sault. General Poe asserted positively, and we all just as positively believed, that that lock, 800 feet by 100 feet, would accommodate four of the largest vessels at one time, two in length and two in breadth, but before the lock was completed a number of vessels were trading to Lake Superior of which the lock could only accommodate two at the best, and even two such boats as are now being built, and will be in service the coming year, could not lock through at the same time. We would be unable in the coming season to care for the commerce of the St. Mary’s river if it were not for the assistance that will be provided by the Can- adian lock. In view of this I hope you will do all you can to have the shore deflection of the breakwater changed. If it is necessary to deflect either way, let that be out in the lake rather than toward the shore.” NEW SPANISH PURCHASES. Washington, D. C., Feb. 28—Naval officers are delighted with the acquisition of the Spanish transport General Alava and the gunboats Quiros and Villalobos. All three are modern vessels ‘built within the last five years. They are particularly adapted for service in the waters of the Philippines. The Quiros and Villalobos are sister ships and are described as composite single-screw gunboats. Both were built in Hong Kong— the Quiros in 1895 and the Villalobos in the following year. Each is 145 feet 4 inches long, 22 feet 10 inches beam and of 347 tons displacement. The draught is not known but the displacement shows that it is light enough to render the vessels available for service in the lagoons and rivers . of the Philippines. The indicated horse power of each is 500, capable of driving the vessel 12 knots an hour. Engines are of the triple expansion type. The armament, which Gen. ‘Otis says was purchased with the ships, consists of two six-pounder quick-firing rifles and two five-barreled Nordenfeldt machine guns. The General Alava is a single screw steamer rated as a transport and built for carrying an armament. She was constructed at Dumbarton, England, in 1895. She is of steel, has a single screw, is 212 feet long, 29 feet 8 inches beam, has a mean draught of 18 feet 8 inches, displaces 532 tons and is fitted with triple expansion engines. No. 9