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ES Rt, POM he nT Pee AN en) Opn ree Teh aa re ee eh it) os a ARE gt A es THE MARINE RECORD. i ae ELECTRIC ICE CRUSHER. A new plan for reaching the North Pole has just been conceived. ' That point, surrounded by mystery, is to be reached by means of an~electric ice destroyer, attached to the prow of:a steam. vessel. 150 feet long. The originator of the idea is Mr. Warrington Baden-Powell, elder brother of Sir.George Baden-Powell, M. P. and Major Baden- Powell, who led the pioneers.in the late Ashantee expedi- tion. An expedition is now being planned, but whether — it -will travel under British or American auspices has not been decided. The peculiar craft by which it is believed the success for which millions of money have been spent and many lives sacrificed will be achieved, and is to be like nothing ever constructed; in its entirety resembles in.a degree the ocean whaleback, «The deck ‘covering is of steel, studded with heavy rivets, the whole specially drawn and welded with the idea of withstanding extreme temperature, the sort that is naturally expected to exist in the vicinity of the pole.. ‘This is about the only resemblance, so far as any striking feature is concerned, to any other craft which was’ ever platined. In fact it is noticeable for the many radical changes and departures from all previous theories of marine architecture. in zt HREE NEW COMPOSITE LIGHT VESSELS. Besides the two new tenders mentioned on the opposite page, the Light-House Board ask for bids on the construc- tion of three fully equipped light-ships of composite build and chiefly according to the rules of the American Ship- masters’ Association. These vessels are to be placed as follows: San Francis- co bar, Diamond Shoals, Cape Hatteras, and at Fire Island entrance to New York bay. Dimensions.—Length between perpendiculars on sixth water line, 112 feet; beam, molded, 28 feet 6 inches; depth of hold from top of keel to top of spar-deck beam on frame 33, 22 feet 1%4 inches. For the construction of these boats a_total of $240,000 has been appropriated, which, with the sum granted to build the two tenders, makes an aggregate amount of $390,000, which the Light-House Board will ex- pend on the new contracts. The frames of these light-vessels are to be of steel with steel plate keel, steel bilge strake, and steel sheer strake; wood planking from the keel up to the sheer line at the main deck, and from that point up to the spar deck to be steel plate. Frames, floors, keelsons, stringers, beams, sheer strake, bilge strake, strapping, keel plate, etc., are to be of steel; stem, sternpost, rudderpost, rudder, false fo) games FEEH ot 5 wigan “eer oF ee eas ; : Nae Qheky 3 SAND) Ti Be Tse RIVER POSTAL) DELIVERY.) 9) 2 The mail service on Detroit ‘fiver hahdféd"175,850 pieces of mail during the past season: “This service of delivering mail to vessels is a skilled one, réquiring gréat éxperience and dexterity, and the fact that tens of thousands of létters have been delivered without a mishap shows most credit- ably for the marine reporters and mail catriers. The fol- lowing report shows the receipt of letters from the main office, together with telegrams,: specials’ and ‘registered matter, for the season beginning April 16, and ending De- cember 16: ue Dee ae Letters, 137,798; telegrams, 181; specials, 48; registers, 59; total pieces, 188,086. 13 eo eae Cpe Receipts from boats aggregated: as follows: Letters, 37,303; telegrams, 442; ‘specials, 19:’ total, 37,7642 °° «°° The‘total receipts from both sources by months ig given as follows: Letters—April, 3,917; May, 19,508; June, 26,736; July, 28,953; August, 26,973; September, 23,147: October, 22,403; November, 20,951; December,: 2,513; to: tal, 175,101; telegrams, 623; specials, 67; registers, 59; total, 175,850 pieces. Mail was delivered as follows during the season: Letters—April, 1,600; May, 13,994; June, 19,876; July, 21,639; August, 19,549; September, 17,865; October, epee Sea Aico Office oF the Light Homse Board, October 1896. ‘At the apex of the bow is a curious screw, not unlike a series of circular saws. This ice destroyer, for that is what it really is, constitutes the means for forcing a pass- age through ice floes, which never could be accomplished continuously and successfully except by some such means. As the ship lies in the water, this screw saw is observed as projecting several feet, and partially out of the water. In appearance this curious contrivance resembles more than anything else, a -huge screw. As stated, it has teeth like a saw cut in the edges of its thread. The shaft, or center of this’ screw, is a massive affair of steel, pointed at one end; 80°that it may be operated as a ram. It is the idea ofthe inventor to send the craft ahead at an ice pack or floe tindér a full head ‘of steam, with the propeller at’ the’ stern and ‘the*screw at -the-bow, both working to- gether, although’ one receives its power from an electric engine, whilé-the power of the other ‘comes from an engine driven by “steani. © The ‘rapidly revolving sctew and ram combined will first crash into the ice impelled by a power that is tremendous, when the size’ of the craft is considered, then it will saw and bore its way through the pack or floe, throwing the ice upward and backward. Fire destroyed the publishing house which prints the Marine Record on Thursdays. The paper was put ready | to go to press. It will rise from its ashes somewhat be- hind time, but as good as ever.—Cleveland Leader. PLAN OF THREE NEW LIGHT SHIPS. keel, shoe, sheathing, gripe or stern and bilge keels to be of seasoned white oak; keel, planking and dead wood to be of seasoned long-leaf Georgia or Florida pine. Fasten- ings in plank, keel, and deadwood to be of galvanized iron; in the wood sheathing, composition spikes. The metal sheathing to be 26, 28 and 30-ounce metal, double- punched. The outfit is to include a steam windlass, steam hoister, three anchors, steam heating apparatus and well- arranged quarters for crew that will involve quite an out- lay in the general equipment. The main engine will be of the vertical inverted, surface-condensing type, with a single cylinder. All its parts must be proportioned to re- sist the strains due to a maximum working steam pressure of 100 pounds per square inch and 150 revolutions per minute for any duration of service. The steam cylinder: will be 20 inches diameter) with 22 inches stroke of piston. The électric lighting plant, which will include two of the’ General Electric Co.’s marine sets, with 5 by 4-inch double cylinder General Electric Co. engine, will be an import- ant item of expense in each of these vessels. The U. S. S. Michigan, now in service on Lake Erie, is 163 feet 3 inches between perpendiculars, 27 feet 1% inches beam, and of 9 feet mean draft. She was built at Erie, Pa. in 1844 and'is-an iron-paddle-wheel boat, barkentine rigged, 365 h. p., ten and a half knots speed, with a bunker coal carrying capacity of 125 tons. 17,693; November, 16,772; December, 2,085; total, 131,073; telegrams, 181; specials, 48; registers, 59; total mail de-' livered, 131,361 pieces; mail forwarded, 3,776; mail re- turned, 2,949; total, 6,725 pieces. i] ee 3 Number of vessel passages—Day, 11,215; night, 8;172;° total, 19,387; average. number of pieces handled: foreach: boat, 9; stamps old at. station during season of- 1896,. $175.30; mail received from main.-office and boats, June 19. to December 16, 1895, 46,994 pieces; mail received from ° main office and © boats, April 16 to December 16, 1896, 175,850 pieces, an increase in 1896 over 1895 of 128,856" pieces, 5 i ANNUAL MEBTING. fis Mr...George. L.. Quayle, manager. and secretary, . an= nounces that the annual meeting of the stockholders .of,. the Ship Owners’ Dry Dock Co. will be held “on Tuesday, January 12, 1897, at 2-p..m., in room 520, Perry-Payne building, for the purpose of electing a. board of directors for the ensuing year, and for the transaction of such other business as may come before the meeting. A SEASON RECORD. Sah phlhes General Manager David Carter of the D. & C. Steam Navigation Co. said Tuesday night at a banquet on board . the steamer City of Detroit, at Detroit, that the boats, . composing that ‘line had traveled 150,000. miles dering. ‘the last season. He also said: that-his-company had--net lost ~ a life for which it could have been held responsible for twenty-nine years.