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SHIP BUILDING AND REPAIRS. LAUNCHES OF THE WEEK. _ Str WILLIAM FarrBarrN.—The fourth steamship: of the new fleet of the Bessemer Steamship Co. was lJaunched at 2:30 o’clock last Saturday afternoon, August 1, at the Wyandotte yard of the Detroit Dry- Dock Co. She is the largest steamer yet launched, having an over-all length of 438 feet, with 414 feet be- tween perpendiculars, 4534 f et beam, and 28. feet molded depth. She is built on the channel system and in quality of material and general arrangement of quarters is the same as* other ships of the fleet. Her engine is triple-expansion, 24, 38 and 64 by 42 inches, and she will have two boilers, 14% by 11% feet, tested tv 165 pounds working pressure, and equ'pped with the Howden draft. Her wheel is 14 feet in diameter. Her water bottom is subdivided in thé tsual manner into - eight compartments. The Fairbairn will be ready for _ sea in a month, and it is expected that her sister ship, the Robert Fulton, will be launched in two weeks. Almost everything abotit the Fairbairn is of steel, so that she may be considered fire-proof. Her shapes, if laid out in astraight line, would stretch 17 miles and 4rods, and her plates would measure-7 miles 38 rods. There were 415,503 rivets driven into her hull. RaMApPO.—The new steamship building by the Union _Dry-dock Co., of Buffalo, for the Union Steamboat Co., was launched last Saturday afternoon, August 1. She is the largest boat ever built at that port, although she is not quite so long as the Oswego.and Chemung, of the same fleet, she exceeds thetn in both beam and depth, The Ramapo is built on the channel system, and has a 54-inch water bottom, and the hold is divided into nine water-tight compartment. Her over-all length is 340 feet, and on deck 336 feet, with 319 feet between perpendiculars, 44 feet beam, and 27 feet 3 inches depth. She has 4 feet sheer forward and 2% feet aft, which will give her the ‘‘straight back”’ oy pearance. One feature of the Ramapo, which was named in honor of a New York way station on the Erie Railroad, is the absence of woodwork-on the hull. She has a full spar and main deck of steel, without wooden sheathing, and rails, fenders, and ceilings in the hold are entirely of metal. She is expected to carry 6,000 tons on 16 feet | draft, and is fitted with gangways for handling package freight. , The engines were built by the King Iron Works, of Buffalo, and are of the usual triplex type, with cylinders 23, 384, and 64 inches in diameter by 42 inches stroke of piston. ‘The four boilers were built by the Lake Erie Boiler Works, of Buffalo. Hach is 11% by 13 feet, with two 44-inch furnaces, and al- lowed a working pressure of 175 pounds. She is ex- pected to make 14 miles per hour, loaded. The water ballast is handled by means of two 8 by 14 by 16-inch pumps. The Ramapo is equipped between decks with a double-cylinder vertical hoisting engine, 10 by 12 inches. The line shafting from this engine operates double drums for eight hatches. She is fitted with a steam steering gear of the latest pattern from William- son Bros., Philadelphia. Her windlass equipment is furnished by the American Ship Windlass Co., of Provi- dence, R. I., and consists of capstans and windlass. The electric light plant consists of a vertical double- acting 6 by 6-inch engine, directly coupled to an auto- matic dynamo of power sufficient to sustain 150 16- candle-power lamps. The houses for the crew are located on the spar deck. The captain, mates, wheelsmen, and lookouts will be located forward; deck hands and firemen, amidships; and engineers, oilers and steward’s crew, aft. The quarters will be heated throughout by steam. bs ' , - Cuicaco.—At Miller Bros.’ shipyard the tug Sauga- tuck, of St. Ignace, isin dock to have a leak stopped around the stern-pipe, repairs to stern bearing, and some calking; the tug Wm. L. Ewing to have a leak stopped, a new piece of bottom plank, and some calking; the tug J. H. Hackley for repairs to shoe and a new wheel; the steamer Bon Ami for repairs to stern bear- ing; the tug Charmer to have leaks stopped. Atthe Chicago Ship Building Co.’s shipyard the steamer Marina was in dock and received seven new THE, MARINE RECORD. steel plates on her bottom... The steamer City of Racine was in for repairs to her rudder. and shoe. At the Independent Tug Line’s floating dry-dock the tug R. Prindiville was in for recalking all over, and one of Fitzsimmons &,Connell’s, lighters for a thorough overhauling and part rebuild. . The tug Crosby is at Dunham’s dock having her. cyl- inder bored by Robert Tarrant. 0 THE ENGINEER’S SERVICES. — ‘To the Editor of The Marine Record: Your attention is invited to the following clipping from the Detroit Free Press of late date, which follows the announcement that Manager lL. M. Bowers, of the Bessemer Steamship Co., will pay a bonus of $100 to $500 to the master whose record for good work during the season: Of coursé it is understood that the “good work’’ con- sists in driving the boat for all there isin her, in as- sisting, so faras their powers go, in giving her quick dispatch in port, in putting her through all sorts of weather, that she may lose no time in going from port to port, and in keeping her out of harm’s way. ‘This is all that can be expected of a master, and indeed the general scarcity of the ability to do allthis is what in- dices Manager Bowers to offer the prizes. -For the season of eight. months $2,000 is a princely sum, com- pared with the salaries paid ashore t _men of much greater brain ability thanit takes to manage a lake steamer. When the Mutual Line had been in existence a couple of years it was tmderstood that Capt. William Cummings, the senior master, besides being given com- mand of the newest boat, was paid a commission on all trips above a certain number for the season, this num- ber having been figured out by the experts who built the boat, and who knew just about what she could do. To make this commission, which it is stated amounted in one season to $2,200, Cummings summoned all his nervé and ran his boat night and day, Sunday and week day, in storm and in calm, through fog, through snow, through ice, all the timeé avoiding collision with other vessels and with rocks and shoals. The reward for all his labor and care was considerably more than is paid to the average master. Iwould like to ask Manager Bowers what the cap- tains of his ships do that they drive their ships from port to port with such speed, and drive them through storms and bad weather. Are they sail boats or steam- ships? In the latter case, I always thought, and in fact I know, that the driving part of asteamship lies with the engineer. me According to this theory the captain is the only inan on the ship. I suppose, taking this theory, in case one of the flyers, the North Land or North West, becoming disabled in her engines, the four masters that they carry would put on their overalls, rush to the engine- room, drive the engineers to the deck or bridge and re- pair the damage, then after giving them a good calling down would allow them to return to look after the cap- tain’s and his three masters’ work (nit). While there is no doubt but the captains can at times hasten the load- ing and unloading of his ship, there are many times he can do nothing, as the stevedores have full charge. Again, I would like to ask of what use a captain is toa ship like our modern steamships with pole spars with her engine disabled? ‘There are few deck hands on the lakes to-day that could not give a line to a passing steamer or a tug, or bring her to port. A MARINE ENGINEER. Steady readers of THE RECORD understand fully that it has been the aim of this paper to hold to view, as much as possible, the claims and merits of the engineer, who is becoming almost with each year a more impor- tant person on the ship. It is necessary, in the first place, to correct ‘‘Marine Engineer’s” impression with regard to the article which we regret being unable to reprint in full for lack of space. The article is in the nature of' comment and reminiscent gossip on the part of the Free Press, and not of Mr. Bowers. So the ideas with which fault is found should not be attributed to him entirely. In the first place, the meaning of the phrase “good work,’’ as here given, has been slightly misinterpreted by the Free Press, the practices here cited and con- demned being almost entirely absolete. Time was, when it was considered on the lakes that a steel ship was invulnerable unless she should encounter a fellow with great force; but the sad loss of a few of the largest dispelled that notion. Masters of some lines were. ex- pected to bring their steamers around ona schedule time, not for entering and leaving alone, but for reach- eens senrseraraeepeseenprepspssenpesegyroreiesmnrestenenesnnsitinssanspesouivoesensssa-ousiniohinosmmmmnnmniananassateasnuaes ing certain, points on the way, and if a shipiwas re- ported as passing the Sault or the: rivers at. acertain time, which showed her tobe some hours late, the mas- ter was held accountable for the delay, no matter what the weather. © Now all thisshas changed ; it was against nature that such a system should obtain for any length of time without bad results. ‘‘Good work’? means many other things, although taking advantage of every odd minute that may be used in saving time, is one of the points most appreciated. Buta master is not expected to race his boat up and down the lakes, causing the consump- tion of twice the usual amount of fuel in order to save time. The master has many opportunities to hnstle things along, especially during his stay in port. Another requisite is economy in purchasing supplies for the boat, tact in keeping the crew contented and willing to remain with the boat through the season, care in navi- gation, so as to prevent accidents and keep the boats out of the dry-docks and repair yards—in fact there are a hundred ways in which it is advisable to turn the cap- tain’s interests in the same direction as those of the owners. ‘hiss not a new idea, but has been followed for years. The practice most popular with owners of large freighters is to have the master take a small in- terest in the ship which he sails, and this has proved most efficacious. At the same time, while the master’s scope is perhaps wider, as it allows the bringing into play his varied faculties—what is true of the captain is equally true of the engineer, although, perhaps, not to the same extent, when expressed in dollars and cents. Any incentive of- fered to iusure additional care of machinery, neatness of engine room, economy in the use of fuel and lubricants, with prompt action in cases where repair work becomes necessaty—any incentive offered to secure this is money well expended. No man is quicker to perceive all this, and while the-competitive system is hardly perfected so’ as to be in running order yet, the engineers of the Bes- semer fleet may feel assured that any extra diligence and care shown inthe management of the machinery department will soon be detected and suitable evidence of appreciation given. —aa 22 -A RUMORED CAR FERRY PROJECT. There are indications that Columbus, Sandusky & Hocking Railroad has been negotating for the construc- tion or charter of car ferry barges, with a view to wid- ning its territory. Arrangements were begun by somebody with W. & M. Railroad, by which the new car ferry and tug built recently at the Craigs. Shipyard, Toledo, were to ply between Sandusky and Lake Michi- gan, but the plan does not seem to have been followed up by any movement of the boats in that direction. ED a FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. The Tilden mine, employing 600 men, has shut down completely, and the Newport mine has reduced its force from 300 to 50 men. Andrew Barber, of Chicago, fell overboard from’ the schooner C. P. Minch, on lower Lake Huron Tuesday, and was drowned: Deputy U. S. Marshel Shannon sold Sonora for $260 at Toledo, Monday. lain, of Detroit, bid her in. ~Capt. John Griffin, of the steamer City of Louis- ville, is confined to his bed as the result of a murderous attact upon him at the Milwaukee docks, by a discharg- ed member of the crew. T. EK. Martin, Manager of the Canadian Pacific Rail- way’s terminals at Prescott, Ont., announces that the capacity of company’s elevator there will be Pon blees work to begin at once. Capt. Thomas K. Harbottle in command of the steam- er Havana, died at Houghton, Mich., Monday morning, after an illness of only three days with Appendicicitis. He was born at Hamilton, Ont., in 1857, and was un- married. He was a prominent member of the Ship Masters Association and of the Masonic Fraternity. ~All owners of grain elevators at Superior have given notice to their employes to quit work. These elevators have a capacity of 12,700,C00 bushels of grain, and the action is the result of the attempt of the Superior Board of Trade to oust the Minnesota grain inspection there and enforce a new Wisconsin system. All grain hereto- fore inspected in Superior will be inspected in Duluth and Sandstone, Minn. — the barge C. A. Chamber-