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Peter ee) me TLE SN GO cau . SHIP BUILDING AND REPAIRS. F TALK ABOUT THE NEW SHIPS. Manager A. M. Carpenter of the Jenks Ship Building Co., Port Huron, states that the steamer to be built at the yard on Black River is to be constructed in the best manner of selected wood, and will be even stronger than the previous staunch vessels turned out from this yard. She is 254 feet long over all 240 feet keel, 42 feet beam and 14 feet deepin the hold. Thecylinders of her compound engine are 25 and 50 inches in diameter by 40 inches stroke, and her boiler is of the firebox type, 12x13 feet, tested for 125 pounds working pressure. It is thought that tne H. M. Lond Salt and Lumber Co. will name the new tug which they are building at Port Huron, in honor of Capt. Ed Allum, who has sailed the tug A. Sumner most successfully in the raft- ing trade for three years past. It is a very appropriate way to show their appreciation of Capt. Allum’s valua- ble services. The first of the 13 steel barges building at the Cres- cent shipyard, Elizabeth, N. J., for the Cleveland Steel Canal Boat Co., was launched last Monday. Other , launches are expected within a few days. The third big steel steamer for the Wolvin syndicate, which the Chicago Ship Building Co. is to turn out in the spring of 1897; will be named the Crescent City. The tug-yacht Edna G. will be launched Saturday afterhoon, April 4at the Cleveland Ship Building Co.’s yard. The steamer Queen City, building at this fee will-be out about June. LAUNCH OF THE CITY OF BANGOR. Knowing the uncertainty of March weather, F. W. Wheeler & Co. took advantage of an auspicious day to launch the big steamship building for the Eddy Bros. the City of Bangor, last Wednesday afternoon. The steamer is named in honor of the old home of her owners, just as their last ship, the Penobscot, was named ‘from the stream on which their birthplace was located. The City of Bangor is almost a counterpart in hull of the LC. Waldo, which was launched ten days prior at the same yard, having the same keel, but 9 feet more overhang. She is 384 feet over all, 366 feet keel, 44% feet beam, and 26 feet 7 inches hold. The cylinders of her triple-expansion engines measure 22, 35% and 59 - inches diameter, by 44 inches stroke of piston. screw has a diameter of 13% feet. The steamer Lagonda, building for Mitchell & Co., of Cleveland, will occupy the place vacated by the City of Bangor. Work on her was already well advanced, as there was room for a part of her next the berth of the Bangor. The next launch at the Wheeler yard will be that of the Whitney steamship, which will occur about two months hence. Her GENERAL REPAIR WORK. Port Huron.—The Britannic will come out of dock this week repaired in first-class style. Her place will be taken by the barge Montgomery which will receive ex- tensive repairs. The new tug Kittie Haight will be launched in about a week. She will be one of the staunchest tugs ever built at this port. The steamer Simon Langell is receiving entire new decks and hatch coamings. The barge William Grandy is receiving new rudder stack, and other minor repairs. The engines are being taken out of the steamer Min- eral Rock. No doubt she will be converted into a tow barge or sold as she is. KENDALL. . Burrato.—The new boiler of the steamer Rube Rich- ards will be shipped as soon as the weather is warm enough to test it outside. The Queen of the West is now far advanced in her extensive repair work. Besides the new engine she has a new shaft, which is set about eitht inches higher than the old one was. MILWAUKEE.—The steamer Maryland finished repairs at the south yard dry-dock Monday morning and was . followed by the steamer Indiana, for lining up her stern bearings. The George H. Dyer then entered the dock to have a touch and go damage repaired. A calk- ing gang at work on the R.R, Rhodes. The schooner La Petite was towed to the south yard this week, and will receive new stringers, stanchions and rail. Detroit.—The big repair job on the Eddy was com- pleted Monday. The steambarge Gettysburg followed her in the dock and will get a new rudder stock and THE MarRiInE RECORD. pintle, besides a general overhauling. The tug Wales is getting some new deck, rail and tow posts. ALPENA.—Five new spars were placed in the barge Sam Flint last week. The Flint has ‘been dry-docked and recalked, and has been given new. deck-beams and deck. Ship carpenters are at work on the schooner J. B. Kitchen. Her false bottom will be removed, giving her more room in the hold, and repairs will be made where necessary, including calking. CLEVELAND.—The steamer Hesper is in the Cleveland dry-dock for refastening and recalking. The Rival was also in dock this week for calking. The Golden Age and Cleveland Dredge Co.’s dredge left the Ship Owners’ dock to-day (Thursday) and the J.C. Lockwood goes in for bottom calking and the C. B. Lockwood to stop a leak. STURGEON BAy.—The work of taking out the big wooden arches in the Fountain City will soon begin. Among other improvements contemplated is the putting in of hog arches to strengthen and straighten out her after body. The Kate Hinchman’s contemplated re- build has not begun and will probably be postponed till next season. Work onthe rebuild of the schooner H. C. Winslow is making good progress. Eleven new frames and 11 new plank, from the covering board down are being put in on the starboard bow, and a like number will be put in on the port bow. She will have new quarters, knees, deck, deck-beams, etc.; white pine 3x8 inches will be used for decking. Hog chains will be put in to raise her after body. REPAIR NOTES. The steamer Vulcan is getting a new stack at Lorain. Wheeler & Co.’s shipyard pay roll now numbers 1,200 men. The schooner J. S. Richards is to receive a new spar, new ceiling, and other work. Henry Burger, Jr., of Manitowoc, is building two large fish boats—one for Two Rivers people and the other for parties at Clay Banks, Wis. W. Welter, of Sturgeon Bay, is delivering to Reiboldt & Wolter 400 piles for use in constructing the piers nec- essary for the manipulation of the floating dry-dock. EE EE De REPORTS FROM THE ICE. Spectal Correspondence to The Marine Record. ; Port Huron, March 24. The heavy southwest wind of Saturday had no effect on moving the ice. It blew a gale, but the wind shifted to the north and blew harder than ever. It froze hard last night. The opening will be a late oneif the north- erly winds continue. Very few boats are fitting out, and no general movement in this direction will be seen before April 1. KENDALL MARINE REPORTING Co. Teams can be driven across Georgian Bay, a distance © of 50 miles, on ice from one to two feet thick. Thunder Bay is reported as most clear of ice. A circular letter from Harvey’s Marine Bureau says: “Capt. John Hicks, the dredge contractor, who has just -returned from’ the Encampment, reports the water at that point eight inches lower than at this date last ‘sea- son. ‘The weather continues cold and ice remains solid, making every day. On account of the unusually open winter there will probably be a late opening this spring, the ice in Mud Lake being very thick, more of it having made in March than any other month this year.”’ The steamers Sterling and Douglas are tayiis: to make short trips out of Toledo. It is the opinion at Pelee Island that the ice will not go out for at least two weeks. The Shenango ferry boats Nos. 1 ana 2, are toscther in the ice on the north shore of the peninsula off Erie. They are not aground, as reported, but are awaiting a. southerly wind. Capt. John Nolan, keeper of Gull Rock Light, writes the REcorD as follows: ‘‘Theice here at Copper Har- bor is 18 inches thick, with no water in sight at present. We had a cold snap here for two weeks. the thermome- ter being down to0 and 6° below. The water in the harbor is about one foot lower than last fall. Capt: Robert Hornbrook, of Evansville, Ind., after a thorough test of superior graphite paint on the canvas roof of the steamer Moran, writes under date of March 19, 1896: ‘‘The paint used has given me _ the best of sat- isfaction. It stands wear and weather better than any- thing I have ever used on any of my roofs.”’ GORRESPONDENGE, 4a-We do not hold ourselves responsible in any way for tia. views: or opinions expressed by our correspondents.’ It is: our “desire that all cides of any question affecting the interests or welfare of the lake ma- rine should be fairly represented in Tue Marine Recorp. THE FUTURE OF LAKE PILOTAGE. To the Editor of The Marine Record: In your last week’s issue appeared an editorial under the heading of ‘‘Keep Up with the Procession.’”? Such remarks I think very timely, and should set our older lake pilots to thinking and acting in order to brighten themselves up and become masters of their calling. If not, as you say, the younger men will take their place. The old saying is true, that it is hard to get old dogs to learn new tricks; but their are some exceptions, and if the older men want to be “‘in it” in a couple of years, they must keep up with the times. It is not every young man who keeps up with the procession; in fact very few, asarule, compared with the number of them who are following the lakes; but the greater number of those who have to advance on their merit and have no one to help them, are the ones in whose ranks we find the few who are studying to be masters of their calling. Not until there is a necessity for a pilot to be master of his business to obtain a license will either old or young make any effort to obtain the necessary knowledge, and that will not occur until the inspection service has ex- aminers who are possessed of the necessary know- ledge themselves, which they do not at the present time - have, with hardly an exception. So withthe blind ex- amining the blind, what is to be expected? We have one or two examiners on: the-lakes_who are up in their business as regards the rules of the road:and the piloting of the lakes; but with the advent of metal: boats the technical knowledge a person should be. pos- sessed of to sail one successfully is not possessed by: any inspector on the whole chain of lakes, that is, if oné®: would judge by examinations they put candidates through, though I know of but one who asks any ques- tions regarding variation or diviation or its application | or how to find it. | have a knowledge.of whatthe exain- ‘ inations are as conducted by most of ourfinspectors and: I know that no two of the examinations are alike, for: how can we expect them to be alike or up: to. the mark when the inspectors are appointed not because of their . ability but because of their political influence. We have inspectors some of whom-neyer did anything else but-run harbor tugs. Are these men competent. to | examine candidates for pilots to Buffalo’or to Ogdens= ° burg or the intervening waters, some of which they’ have never seen? impossible for them to do their duties properly. Your paper informs us that there is a bill before Con-' gress to perpetuate such men in office during good: be- havior. Would it not be better if there was an officer of the Naval or Revenue service attached to the office of" But such power they have, and it is the supervising inspector general whose duty it. would® be to go to each of the different lake ports and get two masters who should be recommended by the Masters” association andtwo pilots who should be recommended ~ by the Pilots’ association, the four to form a-board to be presided over by the Naval or Revenue officer from the Supervising Inspector General’s office, said board to ex- amine the inspectors and find out if:they are: competent. 2°“ men, and if found incompetent then to examine 'aspir ~ ‘' _ants, and place in the positions of inspectors, mén on! tae their merit and then will be the time to make their ‘posi / °"* : tions permanent during good behavior, instead of ‘mak- ing positions permanent regardless of their ability or iaability of the occupants. Then after the inspectors are permanently established let this office see that the examinations are kept up with the times and that the inspectors are also keeping up. ~ and also see that all candidates aré tréated with fair~ ness and equally the same in one place. as in another. Let the Naval or Revenue officer who may be attached” ° to the Supervising Inspector General’s office and Say per- haps three or four times a year to the different inspec- tion offices for say a dozen or soof the written examina- tions of the different candidates who had been examined — by the different local inspectors at the different ports ¢xamined sent to headquarters. Such a system would cause the inspectors to make a -- fair and sufficiently strict examination so that only a selecting the names haphazard from the scold of those wish 7 #