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- SHIP BUILDING AND REPAIRS, ANOTHER (LARGE FREIGHTER. The Chicago Ship Building Co. announced. last Mon- day the closing of a contract with C. W. Elphicke and Arthur Orr, of Chicago, and Capt. M. M. Drake, of _ Buffalo, for the construction of a new steel steamship _ which will be a precise duplicate of the steamer Chili, owned by Drake, Elphicke and others. She will be 345 feet long over all, with 326 feet keel, 42 feet beam, and and 26% feet deep. She will have two spars and one stack, and will have eight gangways for loading flour and package fright, with the usual hoisting equipment. The Chicago Ship Building Co. then sublet the con- tract for the new steamer’s propelling engine and boilers to the Cleveland Ship Building Co. ‘These will. be duplicates of the Chili’s machinery, of the triple expansion, inverted type, the cylinders of the engine being 20, 33, and 54 by 40 inches. ‘There will be two boilers, 12 feet 4 inches in diameter by 11 feet 6 inches in length, with two 48-inch furnaces each, and tested to 170 pounds pressure. THE NEW GOODRICH BOAT. The Goodrich Transportation Co. are preparing the rough plans of the new wooden passenger propeller which they intend to build, for winter and summer nay- igation on Lake Michigan. Mr. W. J. Wood, whose work of superintending the construction of the Wiscon- sin & Michigan ferry barges has just been completed, is preparing the plans and specifications for the new steamer, and is expected to superintend her construc- tion after the contract has been awarded, which will probably be in a few weeks. A NEW YACHT. The Cleveland firm of Murphy & Miller, shipbuilders, . have just been awarded a contract for a handsome new sailing yacht, for Mr. Louis Cowles, of 356 Prospect street, Cleveland. The yacht will be schooner-rigged, and will measure, when completed, about 39 tons. She will be 60 feet in length over all, by 14 feet beam, and 8 feet depth of hold. She is of the center-board type, but is so arranged that her cabins are very roomy, with two private staterooms, and sleeping accommodations for several more. She is designed for crusing on salt as well as fresh water, and has a fresh water tank, with a capacity of about 500 gallons, directly beneath the cock- pit. She may be finished in time to go to the ocean this year. STILL IN THE WIND, Reports are circulating to the effect that the Lake Erie and Detroit River Railway Co.; which has leased the London and Port Stanley Railroad, and is extending the former line to connect with the latter, is trying. to arrange for the construction of two car ferry boats to ply across Lake Erie, between Cleveland and Port Stan- ley, President Walker visited Cleveland last week, and spent some time on the docks, but kept his own counsel. Talk of one to three new passenger boats of small types for excursion service along the head of Lake Erie is reported from Toledo, but nothing definite has been decided. The Union Dry Dock Co., of Buffalo, has as yet made no announcement that it will proceed with the con- struction of a duplicate of the steamer Chili, but it is understood that the project has not been relinquished. OUTPUT OF THE SHIPYARDS—NEW WORK. The new steamer Yale, building for R. R. Rhodes and others, will be ready to leave the yard of the Cleveland Ship Building Co. on Saturday night or Sunday-morn- ing next, when she will at once proceed to Erie to take one cargo of coal for Sheboygan, Wis. She presents a very handsome appearance, and both builders and owners are proud of her. General Manager James Wallace says she has already earned $40,000, for she could not be duplicated to-day for less than that sum added to her real cost. The new Wilson steamer is growing steadily at this yard. The work of receiving the material for the keel of No. 64, the new 432-foot steamer, began at the shipyard of the Globe Iron Works Co. Wednesday. The keel will be laid as soon as the material gets in, and work will be pushed as rapidly as the plate mills will allow, every effort being made to get the benefit of the fine fall THE MARINE RECORD: season, Specifications for material for the revenue steamer John G. Carlisle have not left the hands of the government, but work on this boat will go on as fast as the Circumlocution Office will permit, No. 2 of the Wisconsin & Michigan Car ferry barges was launched in Bay City Tuesday afternoon, and will goto Chicago at once. The No. 1 is already in com- mission, Work at F. W. Wheeler & Co.’s yard, while progressing with commendable speed, has not brought anything to the launching stage.. The new steel barge Aurania, built at the Chicago Ship Building Co.’s yard for John Corrigan of Cleve- land, will be launched this, Thurday, afternoon. She is expected to be completed Saturday, and to be ready to leave in tow of the steamer Aurora, which will go after her from Milwaukee. GENERAL REPAIR WORK. Tne past has been a fairly lively repair week at the Cleveland basins. The large dock of the Ship Owners’ Co. is so near completion that it cannot be flooded any more, and a few jobs have been refused on this account. The big dock will not, however, be ready for occupancy until towards the middle of September. he A. Geb- hardt received a new stem and forefoot late last week. The Bulgaria was in dock Tuesday and had her wheel patched and her stern-bearings lined up, besides being looked over generally.. The Onoko had her stern-bear- ings fixed, and the Cadillac went in Wednesday night for anew wheel. The Waverly, which was damaged by fire at Escanaba about ten days ago, is at the dock, re- ceiving a new texas and cabin forward. The fire caught in the lamp room, below the spar deck, and the repairs will cost about $3,000. At the Cleveland dry-dock the schooner Wenona had her butts calked and a leak stopped last Friday. Since then the Desmond had had her bottom re-calked and a new stem put in and the Mariposa got a new hub for her sectional wheel. The Ashtabula tug Sunol had a leak stopped and received a new stern pipe The damage to the John B. Lyon, which was bulged out by a collision, has: been greatly overestimated. Capt. Dan McLeod and C. H, Benham held a survey on her at Lorain, and find that $1,500 will repair her. Her injury consisted chiefly in broken planking, frames and stanchions. BUFFALO.—The steamer W. P. Ketcham fee been getting some new bottom plank in Mills’ dry-dock, and the Samuel Mather got a new wheel. The tug Town- send Davis, for Hand & Johnson’s line, is in the Union dry-dock for a new rudder. DETROIT.—Some exteusive changes will be made in the machinery of the ferry-boat Promise next winter, her engines being altered in the Cylinders so as to make them more nearly correspond with those of the Plead sure. Both these steamers will be equipped with steam steerer. The steam yacht Idler is at the upper dry-dock for an over-hauling. At Oades’ shipyard the schooner Col. Ellsworth has a just complete $2,000 worth of repairs. The tug Cora is being ironed off and is receiving a new shaft. The wrecker Saginaw has been having a little moinor work done, and Starke’s dump scow has been re-calked. The Frontier Iron Works is still overhauling the machinery of the Waldo Avery, which will be returned to Bay City and placed in the rechristened boat soon. CuHICcAGO.—The steamer Emma EK. Thompson is re- receiving a general overhauing at Miller Brothers’ shipyard. She will be fitted out and placed in com- mission at once. Captain O.S. Olson will command her. Thetug Charles Halladay was in Miller Bros.’ dock to have a ieak stopped and receive a new shoe; the schooner A. G. Morey is in for some new bottom plank- ing and re-calking. The steamer Fountain City was in for bottom re-calking, and the tug Alert tore-fasten her wheel. The steamer Mabel Bradshaw, got repairs to her stern bearings. Port Huron,—The schooner Fannie Campbell (Br.) is having extensive repairs, amounting almost to a re- build at Dunford & Alverson’s dry-dock. The schooner Kate Winslow, which collided with the Northern Light in the fog Saturday night, is making some repairs be-~* fore continuing her trip down. Her fore rigging was carried away and her rail and stanchions were damaged. The EK. C. Pope, which collided with the Northern Light shortly before the Winslow did, had a narrow escape, being cut through to within six inches of the water line. —] The hole was on the port side, abreast of the machinery, and was about ten feet square. “She had a wooden patch put on here and proceeded to Buffalo at noon Sunday. Baker Bros., of Detroit, have succeeded in raising the Nellie Torrent, which sunk below Miller’s coal dock. Work on her was pushed rapidly after she was brought to the surface, and she left for Buffalo early this week. The work on the steamer H. EK. Runnels is nearly completed. The work is being rushed as fast as possible. The Wolverine Dry-dock Co. are dismantling the old Mineral Rock. Her engines and boilers will be taken out and her hull laid away until times pick up, and then she will be converted into a tow-barge. She will carry about 375,000 feet of lumber. The burned steambarge City of Concord, which was purchased by Mills & Co., will receive an entire rebuild, and anew boiler. It will be remembered that she was burned at Toledo, a year or twoago. She will be put in first-class shape for the lumber and coal trade. OwEN SounpD.—The dry-dock is being operated by A. M. Lenham, who has looked after the Polson inter- ests here since the shipyard closed down. Hesays that with a foot more water on the sill, the dock could geta great deal more work. As it is, the dock has been fairly busy since the first of June. The propeller United Lumbermen has been in for repairs, and the schooner Edward Blake for a thorough re-calking. TEED ee : THE CHICAGO DRAINAGE CANAL. The report. of the Board of Engineers, Gen. O. M. Poe, Major EK. H. Ruffner and Capt. Wm. I. Marshal, appointed by the secretary of war to examine and report on the probable effect of the Chicago drainage canal upon lake and harbor levels, has just been made public by Secretary Lamont. The board suggests that the canal is not solely a state affair, but says that as soon as it shall be used for navigatioa it will become a national waterway and that federal supervision must be extended toitin due time. _The board discusses at some length the water levels of the great lakes, pointing out that these levels are a delicate matter and subject to many changes. “If,’? says the report, ‘‘the new outlet should reduce the levels of Lake Michigan and Huron about six inches the effect will be produced in full in about two years.”’ ; ‘The report asserts positively that the tapping of the lakes must effect the lake level and discusses the effect of this upon the shipping interests, concluding that if the levels are reduced three or'six inches the boats must load accordingly and will loose that much load on each trip. The abstraction of 10,000 cubic. feet. of water per second will iower the levels of all the lakes of the system except Lake Superior and reduce the navigable capacities of all harbors and shallows throughout the | system to an extent that may be determined, if at all, by actual measurement only. Under the laws of the United States these RIES in capacity cannot be made without federal authority, and to enable the executive officers of the United States to act advisedly in the matterit is necessary in the opinion of the board not only that these measurements be taken but that the money cost of restoring the navigable depths in channels and harbors be carefully estimated. The board submits estimates made by other enginéers indicating that a loss of seven inches is possible in Lakes Michigan and Huron as the effect of the canal. ‘The trustees of the drainage canal cuntemplate taking only 300,000 cubic feet under present conditions, but after the canal is opened the board assumes that ulti- mately the entire 600,000 cubic feet will be drawn from Lake Michigan as authorized by the state charter. The report suys tuat while the channels and harbors of the great lakes below St. Mary’s falls will be injuriously affected by a diminution in depth, the inner ha: bor of Chicago will be diminished also by the introduction of a current which in the present condition of the river, with the minimum flow of 5,000 cubic feet per second, is entirely inadmissible. The estimate of the effect of the canal on this harbor should, they say, also consider this element. ‘The board of trustees have not yet determined upon a plan of treatment of this navigable ehannel, and their plans may, the report suggests, be such as to improve, impair, or destroy its utility as a navigable river.