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_ SHIP BUILDING AND REPAIRS. AN ENLARGED PLANT—WORK AT THE YARDS. - The Chicago Ship Building Co., at South Chicago, are hard at:work on plant extension. The big Minnesota steamship is building alongside the dry-dock, into which she will be launched, and the dock is being extended 50 feet or more, which will make it an immense affair. The work on the steamship and three barges, two of which are for the Rockefeller, and one for the Minne- sota fleet, is not hindered by these operations, and they are being pushed rapidly forward. It has been definitely decided by the Chicago Ship Building Co. to proceed at once with a machine shop, and hereafter they expect to construct: their own en- gines and boilers. This will give their yard some ad- vantages it has not heretofore possessed, and indicates confidence in the signs that ship building is not only a permanent but a steadily growing iudustry. » At the yard of the Cleveland Ship Building Co. the steamier Queen City, for the Zenith Transportation Co., is nearly finished, and Will bé in service by July 1. Some delay has been caused by the non-arrival of one of the two Babcock & Wilcox boilers that are to be fitted in the boat. One arrived all right, and is now in place and ready for testing. ‘The other, which was started at the same time, met with a mishap while transferring at Buffalo, and fell into the mud, where it lay for some days. It was expected to arrive this morning, and will be fitted in at once. The boilers fit very snugly, one on each side of the ship, leaving a roomy stokehold on the between-decks of the ship. ‘The Queen City has several *thwartship bulkheads in her hold, and one fore-and-aft- bulkhead on the line of keel, extending from the spar deck down to the main deck beams. She has no houses on deck; except a small texas, but has comfortable quar- ters below decks, forward and aft. The construction of the water bottom of the Rocke- feller boat at the Cleveland shipyard is about two- thirds completed, although some of the floors are not yet laid: This company has just loaded on the steamer Viking, for shipment to:South Chicago, ithe three boilers for the Minnesota steamship now building there. The engines will be shipped by rail, and will be forwarded in a few days. At the Giobe shipyard the Sir Henry Bessemer, the first of the Rockefeller fleet, is nearing completion, and will be out about July 1. Her sister ship, the Siemens, will probably be launched in about three weeks. ‘The revenue steamer W. Q. Gresham will not be launched for some little time, as Supt. Curr thinks the work will progress more rapidly if she is nearly completed before being placed in the water. Owing to the many delays for which the builders were not responsible, the govern- ment has extended the time for her completion to Sep- tember 1. At the Globe yard are a number of fine lathes,etc.,made by the Prentiss Tool and Supply Co., of New York, and the Ohio Tool and Machine Co., of Kenton, O., which are to constitute a part of the equipment of a machine shop on board the revenue cutter, which will be a great convenience at all times, but would prove invaluable in time of war. Thecutter will be supplied with all con- veniences in equipment, one of the most noticeable being some very nicely adjusted spring chain stoppers, which greatly relieve the strains of cables. L.. P. and J. A. Smith have almost completed the first of their two new steel scows, and it will be launched wiihin a few days. It is a staunch looking craft, and is well calculated to withstand much hard bumping. "At F. W. Wheeler & Co’s yard, West Bay City, the steamer Lagonda, building for Capt. John Mitchell and others of Cleveland, is getting well along. It is ex- pected that she will be launched on the 27th inst., and will be completed during the first week in July. The Rockefeller steamer building at this yard is nearly plated, and laying of the upper-deck stringers has be- gun. A full force of men are at work on her, as wellas on the tow barges building for the same company. The barges are about as far along as the steamer, but as there is less work on them they will be finished before the steamer. Part of the bottom of the new steel car ferry for the F. & P. M. Railroad has been laid, and bending of the topside frames has begun. She will progress rapidly from this time forward and will be out in time to do considerable service during the late months THE MARINE RECORD; ne ene of the season. All the ships, except. the Rockefellers, are building under the inspection of Mr. Robt.. Logan. The Detroit Dry-dock Co. .expect to launch the big steamer Senator, building for the Wolverine Steamship Co., next Saturday afternoon, June 20. ‘The manage- ment have decided to make all launches at this yard private hereafter, as they have been expected to reim- burse a few spectators of previous launches for slight discomforts, the result of their own foolhardiness. The steamer Aragon is practically ready for delivery to her owners. The two steamers building at this yard for the Bessemer Steamship Co., are going forward at a rapid rate, and will probably be completed on contract time. The American Steel Barge Co., at West Superior, have increased the force of men at work on the whale- back steamer and barge now under construction at the yard for the Bessemer Steamship Co. The steamer is 404 feet long, the largest ever built at this yard, and this necessitates lengthening the slip considerably before she can be launched. LAUNCH ES OF THE WEEK. Cart ferity No. 4 of the W. & M. line was launched last Thursday afternoon at the yard of the Craig Shipbuild- ing Co., Toledo. Like her sister barge, launched a few weeks since, she is 317 feet long by 46 feet beam. The barges were launched in practically a finished condition, and the tug S. M. Fischer, built at the same yard for the W. & M. line, got away with them for Lake Mich- igan Tuesday. Nau Bros.’ new tug at Green Bay is receiving her fin- ishing touches. She is pronounced a handsome tug, with plenty of power. She has been christened George D. Nau, in honor of her principal owner. She was launched last week, the steamer C. W. Moore getting ‘her into the water by hauling on her with two 150-foot hawsers. WRECKS AND WRECKING. Another uneventful week has passed, so far as caus- alities are concerned. The two whalebacks which were ashore near Ashland were released uninjured, and the little schooner Kanters, which had been formally aban- doned, was pulled off the reef near Pilot Island by the Escanaba Towing & Wrecking Co., and is now their property. — The death of Diver Colwell, at the wreck of the Cayu- ga, is now laid at the door of men working the air pump, who failed, it is charged, to give him sufficient air. ‘The case may get into the court. The H. A. Root is bound for the old Pewabic, which lies in Lake Huron, off Thunder Bay, with a unique diving car owned by the American Wrecking ‘and Salvage Co., of Milwaukee. The details of the ex pedi- tion, and of the construction of the car, have been kept secret. : ~C. A. Macdonald & Co., of Chicago, will receive bids until July 1, for the steamer Jim Sheriffs, just as she lies at Milwaukee. GENERAL REPAIR WORK. CLEVELAND—The arrival of the Moonlight and Kent just at the beginning of the dull season has been a bonanza for the Cleveland dry-dock Co. Work on the Moonlight has been pushed hard, and she will be in commission in a day or two. She has been given an entire new stem, and new starboard quarter; has been refastened inside and out, given snew planksheer; thoroughly calked inside and out, and has her deck calked. Even more extensiverepairs are in progress on the Kent, and she will will be almost rebuilt. Her jibboom and bowsprit will be taken out, and she will be given a straight stem. Her repairs will include new decks, a number of new deck beams, new cants at both ends, new ceiling, and new keelsons. She will be re- calked and refastened inside and out. The J. H. Wade is still in the Ship Owners’ dry-dock, her bottom repairs not yet completed. The yacht Lib- erty Ware was in dock during the week for readjust- ment of her wheel, and schooner Sandusky for calking. The Northern King was at the Globe Shipyard dur- ing the week for some machine repairs. Cxuicaco.—At Miller Bros’., shipyard the steamer H. W. Williams is in dock for a new wheel and shoe and repairs to stern bearings; the tug L,. B. Johnson to have a leak stopped and stern bearings repaired; the tug Viola and schooner Fanny Neil for some bottom calking; the steamer George Stone for some new keel, new forefoot and repairs to stern bearing; the tug O. B. Green for repairs to stern bearing; the tug Strohn for a new fore- foot, stem and stem iron. 4 DrEtrrRoIt.—The Frontier Iron Works report the work progressing as fast as possible on the new engines for the steamship Merida. One bed plate and several frames are cast, and the builders do not anticipate any difficulty in completing the contract in the time speci- fied—S8 days. S. F. Hodge & Co. have taken a sub-contract for about half the work. Inthe meantime the ship lies at her wharf. All the debris has been cleared away, and two weeks more will see the work of replacing the engines cominence. Captain Ruelle has men tira at work rebuilding the upper-works on the tug C. A. Lorman,and expects to have her out the last of next.week, She was full of sand when found, and it is remarkable that no greater dam- age was done. She was three daysin a heavy gale on the beach off Leavington, in water deep enough to allow every swell to strike her with its full force; yet her hull is practically intact. The Lorman is one of staunchest tugs of her inches afloat. Captain Ruelle expects to have the Lorman ont by the last of next week. The captain’s tug Grace Ruelle broke her crank-pin at Pike Creek on Sunday evening, and his other tugs the: Ja. iy: Miner had to tow her to Detroit. slight, and she was out on Tuesday. The steamer Argonaut is in the Detroit dry-dock for repairs necessitated by the breaking down of her engine, which is being rebuilt at the engine works, The Marquette has received a new Scotch boiler, and is again in commission. ‘The old ferry steamer Hope, now the property of the International Ferry Co., of Buffalo, will run between Black Rock and Victoria, below the international bridge on Niagara River. She was built by the Detroit Dry Dock Co., for the Detroit & Belle Island Ferry Co. in 1870. She was always very fortunate and suffered no accidents, and was sold because she was no longer large enough for ferry ser- vice here. She has been rebuilt from the keel up ata cost cf $9,000 or $10,000, and is pratically a new boat. Wrst Superior.—The John V. Moran received fin- ishing touches and got away last week. Her repairs were the most extensive of any made here this season. The sides were torn off and the between decks were taken out, all were thoroughly renewed. The bill will aggregate nearly $20,000. ‘The Gilbert has taken the Moran’s place in dry-dock. She is undergoing exten- sive repairs. The damage was REPAIR NOTES. The steambarge Alcona, which broke her crank-pin several days ago, left Thursday of last week for Lake Erie ports. It was necessary to make a new pin and other appliances. The work was done at the shop of Hickler Bros. : The schooner Brenton, whose crew was saved by the life-savers at Pelee Island some weeks ago, is receiving repairs at Vermillion. She was severely deans, and will need partial rebuilding. The steamer J. R. Langdon, which touched at the foot of Lake Huron, broke twelve planks, which were re- paired at Milwaukee. Repairs were completed by Sun- day evening. 4 rr oe FOR SALE AT THE RECORD OFFICE. CLEVELAND, O., May 15, 1896. It is a marvel of beauty. Lorrus Cuppy. The above is an extract from one of many letters that refer to Beeson’s Marine Directory, the entire volume of which could not be printed in two issues of this paper. We have secured from the publisher a large number of copies and offer them to our readers at the publisher’s price, $5 per copy, post or express paid. Order while they last. rr rr Directory received. Tur MARINE RECORD’S Directory of Masters and En- gineers fills a long-felt'want, and is an invaluable book for handy and speedy reference regarding those in com- mand of either end of the vessels on the Great Lakes. A large amount of work is necessary in compiling such a book, and it is sure to be very popular with all vessel owners, as well as masters and engineers. THE RECORD is to be complimented in its work, Price 25 cents.