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THE MARINE RECORD. CLEVELAND HARBOR. While it is well to have the inner harbor improved, wid- ened, dredged, etc., it will still remain a crooked, narrow cretk and, obstructed as it is with a total of twenty-six bridges, it is certain that it will not meet the growing de- mands of commerce within the next few years, in fact, the pressure is being already felt, although considerable im- provements were made last year and at the present time a contract has been let for removing old docks and dredg- ing between Main and Superior street viaduct, making the channel 86 feet wider for a distance of 400 feet and an average of 60 feet wider for a distance of 480 feet. This will give an average width of channel of 275 feet, in com- parison with 180 feet in the narrowest place at present. The cost of this work is estimated at $15,000. The con- tract has also been let for building new docks. between Main street bridge and the viaduct, a distance of 880 feet at a cost of $15,500. The dock line was also recently es- tablished and arrangements made to widen the river an average of 40 feet for 800 feet west of the upper Seneca street bridge. Work on these improvements will be pushed as rapidly as possible during the next few months. Plans have also been made for widening the upper por- tion of the river and will be advanced during the year. ‘The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Co. Fe) = = ae hae eee = WA 3 md oh ‘ 7) 9 is) Oy se = & asia “a Ns %y 5 aN fe uy be maintained as opposed to the present depth of about fifteen feet in most parts of the river. There is or can be no adequate idea of the expansion of trade and lake commerce within the next decade, and it is not a whit too early to begin improvements looking towards permanent facilities for the handling of a large lake commerce. The lake shipments of ore amounted to less than a million tons twenty years ago or in 1876, in 1895 there was shipped from the mines bordering on Lake Superior 10,429,037 gross tons, and who is to say that this past increase of over 1,000 per cent will not be more than duplicated in the next similar period, especially when so significant a fact can be recorded as the Oliver mine, a Carnegie property, on the Mesabi range mining 10,750 tons of ore in one day and during July last mining and shipping 180,000 tons, with such vast strides being made in the ore trade there is also an immense increase in coal, lumber and cereals not to mention manufactured products. The Federal government has protected the required territory, by constructing and keeping in repair a good breakwater, it is now the province of the municipality to take advantage of this liberal outlay and build) such wharves, docks and piers along the lake front as will make Cleveland one of the cheapest, deepest and most convenient ports on the lakes, and, being entitled to such 0 eo ges B io fiomnSe ofinghbir aiatie, Pgfors DEPTH 22° FELT: has commenced work on opening the old river bed, mak- ing an opening 100 feet wide into Lake Erie, giving a 60-foot waterway and a 4o-foot street, the latter to be properly docked. The company is also constructing a winding place for vessels 350 feet long and 150 feet wide, to be docked and dredged. Land is also furnished by the company to the city enabling improvements to be made at the mouth of the river, making it twice as wide as at present. All of these improvements are being made by the railroad company at no expense to the city in consideration of a modification of the contract entered into years ago, by which modification the company is per- mitted to build a steel bridge at the head of the old river bed and perpetually maintain it instead of building a swing bridge as originally provided by said contract. These improvements for the river are in every way com- mendable, but there are those who believe that with the protection of a breakwater such as Cleveland now has, the lake front should be utilized according to the plan in our illustration, reproduced from a pamphlet on this subject by C. E. Bolton, M. A., entitled ‘A few civic problems of Greater Cleveland.” By moving out the harbor: line as in the plan, an average depth of twenty-two feet could BOULEVARD Addition to Lake View Fark Present Lake View Park S Nay PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT AT CLEVELAND HARBOR. a reputation will do much towards making it the leading shipping port. It should be borne in mind, however, that this problem is a purely local one and that no financial or other aid can be expected from the general government in further developing harbor facilities. OFFICIAL TRIAL OF THE U. S. S. ANNAPOLIS. The trial of the Annapolis, the first finished of the six composite gunboats ordered by the government in the early part of 1896, took place on Long Island Sound, April 22, last. The Annapolis was constructed at the Crescent shipyard, Lewis Nixon, manager, Elizabethport, N. J., and although her contract was the last given out she was the first boat finished. This vessel is 204 feet long, 36 feet wide, 22 feet 3 1-2 inches deep, and of 1,000 tons displacement on a draught of 12 feet. This is the first vessel of large type in the United States Navy, to be equipped with all water tube boilers, the Bureau of Steam Engineering heretofore preferring the use of water tube boilers in connection with those of the Scotch or tank type. After repeated investi- gations and at the request of the constructors, Babcock & Wilcox all forged steel boilers were adopted for both the Annapolis and Marietta. : This type of boiler is now so well known that it will be unnecessary to enter into its description other than to say that all the tubes are straight and placed on an angle of ' inch and 4o by 28 inch stroke. f FLAN «FOR AN , CH/PL RAO a ES S BS K aK XS NS rf G BREAKWATER a _ Lin fetid * - ya sn se 1 13 degrees with the horizontal, the tubes are expanded at their ends into forged steel headers, which are provided with openings opposite the end of each tube througt which a thorough examination of the tubes can be mac and the tubes cleaned and renewed. . By means of a steam jet inserted between the headers all soot deposits can’ removed from the exterior of the tubes. Surmounting t' sections of tubes is a steam and water drum 42 inch diame- ter and 10 feet long; all openings leading into and out of drum are 4 inch in diameter, insuring an absolutely f citcttlation of steam and water and a steady water lin Steam to 200 pounds pressure can be raised from col water in half an hour, this being a most important feature in boilers for a warship. The steam supplied to the en-— gines was absolutely dry, not a drop of water being found. in the separator at the end of trial. fhe The Babcock & Wilcox boilers in the Annapolis are built for a working pressure of 250 pounds to the square inch, there being. two in number supplying steam to a triple expansion engine having cylinders 15 inch, 24 1-2. The specifications for the - boilers called for a total of 3,600 square feet of heating sur- face and 94 square feet of grate, giving a ratio of 38 to I, the contract speed to be 12 knots and indicated horse — power 800. From the performance of the boilers on the — builder’s trial it was shown over 900 I. H. P. could be developed under natural draft, although the funnel is very short. On the official trial forced draft in the ash pit was used, each boiler being supplied by air from independent Sturtevant fans, the average air pressure in the ash pit being limited to one inch of water. CLEVELAND, OHTO. ©. LONG 64 = WIDE . Sa The maximum indicated horse power developed by the. main engine was 1400, the average being: 1320, at 147 rev- olutions per minute. The collective indicated horse power — will average about 1360. The maximum speed was 14.2 knots and the minimum 12.7. This low figure occurred — through the pilot losing sight of the Leyden’s cutter on the first six mile leg of the return course. _ John Patterson, Cramp’s veteran engineer, was aboard as a guest. He declined to be a guest and turned up in the erigine room in overalls before the trial was fairly started. — His great ambition was to get up fire enough to burn the paint off the smoke stack. The new water-tube boilers foiled him. The combustion in them was so complete that the smoke stack refused to become hot, whereat Patter- son, who had seen thirteen trial trips, beginning with th Vesuvius in 1889, marveled, but was satisfied. When the end of the “four hours at full speed” test was reached the helm was put hard to port and to starboard without reducing speed, and the little vessel made circles with a diameter of 400 feet. In turning she heeled: only 3.5 degrees. Before leaving the Annapolis, Commodore Dewey said that he was going to send this telegram to the Secretary of the Navy: “Annapolis trial most satisfactory. Speed 13.43 knots.” : “Tt is not customary and hardly proper,” said the Com- modore, “to use adjectives in such dispatches; but really this time it cannot be helped. She deserved them.” - — »