The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THE MARINE RECORD. the oldest captains on the lakes, having spent nearly forty- five yars on Lake Huron, nearly all of which time he ommanded his own: vessels. He was well and favor- bly known throughout the entire state. The last ten years of his busy life were spent at home owing to his cs health and advanced age. The deceased was the father of nineteen children, thirteen of whom survive him. _ In'tracing out the career of the old ship Vanderbilt, the American Shipbuilder says that she is ending her days as _a coal hulk. She was sold, just as if she had not been the _ personal property of the martyred President, for $42,000, to the Cummings brothers. They changed her name to the Three Brothers, took out all her machinery, which they sold for more than they had paid for the entire ves- sel, and made a sailing ship of her. She was loaded with grain, and of all the swift ships that in those days lay in San Francisco bay there was not one that could keep pace with her to European ports. She made many trips, and at last was sold to the British government to. which she still belongs, and Com. Vanderbilt’s million-dollar _ gift to President Lincoln is ending her varied career un- der the Union Jack as a coal hulk at Malta. es The steel stern frame and brackets for the new White _ Star liner are the largest ever produced in England. The ~ stern frame is in one piece, and as a casting weighs 41 tons, and when completely machined and ready for erection will weigh 35 tons. Its height is 53 feet by 24 feet 3 inches over the keel-piece, the section of the post being 21 inches by 11 inches. Attached to this frame are the after brackets, a huge casting also in one piece, which will weigh 55 tons as it leaves the foundry, and 45 tons when machined and erected in position. The height of the flanged portion of the bracket-sthat which is attached to the frame of the ship—is 26 feet, whilst the width from center to center of the bosses is 23 feet, the bosses themselves being 4 feet 3 inches in diameter, by 5 feet 7 inches deep. The for- ward brackets, which are entirely built within the plating of the vessel, will weigh 30 tons when machined and erected. As evidence of the longevity of iron ships we take from the Shipping World, London, the following: “I see, in the latest shipping register, the statement that the steamer -Zingari has been ‘sold for breaking up,’ and is thus re- moved from the register. The Zingari was one of the earliest iron steamships built on the Tyne, by the old firm of the Smiths. She dates back to 1854. She was owned for some time by the West Hartlepool Steam Navi- gation Co.; then, after a few years, I found her hailing under the Tyne Steam Shipping Co.’s flag; then she be- came a coasting collier, and now at the age of 43, after good service, she is to be ‘broken up.’ They used good iron and built good steamers in the early days of iron shipbuilding in the north.” This, too, in the salt water trade where iron is subject to such great corrosion un- less thoroughly protected from the action of sea water. From the above showing it will be a handful of decades yet before any lake built iron or steel vessels engaged in the domestic trade will be broken up on account of their ewaring out. oO oo PEARY’S POLAR EXPEDITION. Lieut. Peary, who has received five years’ leave of ab- ‘sence from the navy department, in an interview outlined his plans for his proposed Arctic expedition. On July 8 he will start north on the preliminary journey, the sole object of which will be to make arrangements for the final trip, which will begin in July, 1808. Lieut. Peary will first ‘pick out a ship for the preliminary voyage. He will se- lect one of the St. John’s sealers and have it ready to leave ‘Boston’ between July 5 and July 8. At Boston the sealer “will take on board a store of supplies. Lieut. Peary will be accompanied by two or more scientific parties, which will go north with him to some point near Melville Bay. One of the parties will be conducted by Prof. C. H. Bar- ton, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An- other will be led by Prof. C. H. Hitchcock, of Dartmouth, and a number of Yale scientists will probably organize a third party. These scientists will work independently of Lieut. Peary and will simply be passengers with him. The results of their studies will in no way concern his af- fairs. Lieut. Peary’s object in his preliminary trip will be to communicate with a colony of Eskimos at Whale Sound, who are known as the Arctic Highlanders. Mr. Peary has lived with these people and gained their entire confi- dence and affection. When he left Whale Sound, he says, he was acquainted with every man, woman and child in the colony. He has the utmost confidence in the people, and he says they will do anything for him within their ‘power. He will pick out six or eight of the most intelli- gent young men in the colony and prepare them to take their families north with them and establish another col- ony which a year later will be his base of supplies. At this village, which they will found, they will work through- out the year collecting meat, furs, bearskins to be made into boots, sledges and other supplies and collecting and ne ‘i first boats to leave that port. Capt. Trudo. was one of training a pack of the best Eskimo dogs obtainable. Lieut. Peary says he could utilize the entire tribe in his work if it were necessary. He will have his men arrange affairs so that when he sees them in the summer of ’98 they will be ready to move north with him at a day’s notice. Lieut. Peary will be accompanied on this summer’s trip by his wife anid his three-year-old daughter, but on the main expedition Mrs. Peary and the child will remain in this country. The journey this summer will be from Bos- ton to Sidney, then to Cape Breton, where the ship will take on coal, through the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Belle Isle, and up the Labrador coast to the mouth of Hudson’s Strait, then to Resolution Island and across to the south Greenland coast to Melville Bay, and, finally, to Whale Sound, which will be reached in the latter part of July. The return will be made in September. Lieut. Peary is enthusiastic over the plans of his trip, and is looking forward to his five years’ work with the greatest pleasure. OE TO TEST MODELS. The experimental tank to be built at the Washington Navy Yard will be the largest of its kind in the country, and the largest under cover. Its dimensions closely ap- proach those of the big dry docks, and the depth will be great enough to float any of the smaller cruisers. It will be covered on all sides, and the water supplied from the Potomac or the Washington reservoir. The tank is to be 500 feet long and 50 feet wide. Inside, the water space will be 475 by 43 feet, with a depth of 14 feet. Running across, close to the water, will be a carriage, upon which there will be attached a dynamometer to register the re- sistance due to towing a model through the basin. Models, varying in length from 10 to 20 feet, of every new ship to be built will be attached to this machinery and drawn through the water. The wave motion will be observed, and the resistance it offers will be taken account of. The models will be of plain design, being constructed simply to represent closely the actual lines of the ship it is pro- posed to build. Through these experiments it is believed that the plans of the proposed vessels can be improved and valuable advance information obtained for utilization in' the general work of construction. oo LAKE FREIGHT REPORT. Although there is but a slight improvement in the rate of freight quoted there has been a decided advance this week in’ the volume of business, or rather in the transportation of cargoes, as evidenced by a number of vessels taking during the past few days their first cargoes for the season. The slight advance spoken of is that of $ cent on corn out of Chicago, but it was hard pulling for the brokers to secure even this advance, yet when it is considered that even the one-cent rate was shaded a week ago the advance is more significant. Ore rates remain stationary at 50 cents from Marquette or the head of Lake Superior, and the old 4o-cent rate from Escanaba to Lake Erie ports, though even at these figures chartering has not been what could be called brisk during the week. Coal cargoes from Lake Erie ports to the head of the lakes and Lake Michigan ports are still quoted at 20 cents to all leading ports with 5 to 15 cents for small light draft harbors and to Georgian Bay. There is on the whole a rather. better outlook for the future and it need not be said that there is ample room for improvement. The miserably low freights offered and ruling has been almost enough to discourage even the most sanguine, but it is now hoped that business will brighten up and that fair living freights may be obtained in’ the near future. oo oi LAUNCH OF THE STEEL STEAMER EMPIRE CITY. : The steel steamer Empire City, built by the Cleveland Ship Building Co., to the order of the Zenith Transit Co., of Duluth, Minn., Capt. A. B. Wolvin, president and general manager, was successfully launched on Saturday, the 19th inst. The weather was all that could be desired at the time of the launch and a large niumber of people were in at- tendance. Superintendant of the Shipyard Mr. Thomas Bristow was punctual, the officers of the company and guests were on the launching platform and at the proper moment Mrs. James C’ Wallace, wife of the vice presi- dent and manager of the company, gracefully performed the all important christening ceremony and the launch was pronounced a complete success. The general dimensions of the Empire City are 426 feet over all, 406 keel, 48 beam and 28 feet deep. She has been built on what is now known as the channel. bar system of construction with material throughout, of Car- negie Steel Co.’s open hearth steel. The water bottom is five feet deep and is estimated to carry from 2,000 to 2,500 tons of water ballast, a fairly good ballast trim, even for large ocean carriers, while she has twelve hatchways there are no laid ’tween decks, but the main hold of the vessel is divided into four separate compartments, by steel bulkheads, thus insuring safety against collision. The ordinary style of deck house, strongly built of steel, is located forward and the crew space is aft and below the main or spar deck. This is a new departure, and one which the builders believe is going to be quite an innovation, as there will be no after house to’ catch the wind so as to retard the speed, or require to be re- placed after a few years’ service. The cabins will be handsomely finished in quarter sawed oak. The Empire City will have three pole spars, steam windlass and cap- stan in connection therewith, also steam capstan aft and two steam capstans amidships, all furnished by the American Ship Windlass Co., Providence, R. I. The Williamson Bros.’ steam steerer, and the builders’ steam deck winches. She will be lighted throughout with elec- tricity, having two distinct and separate plants, consist- ing of vertical direct connected engines and generators. Her engines are of the vertical quadruple expansion type, h. p. cylinder 17 inches, first int 26 inches, 2d int 39 inches and 1. p. 60 inches by 40 irtches stroke. Boilers— 2 Babcock & Wilcox water tube, allowed a working -press- ure of 250 pounds steam to the square inch and reduced at the engines to 200 pounds—all of the pumps are inde- pendent and separate from the main en'gines. A thorough system of ventilation for firehold, engine rooms and officers’ quarters is assured by the introduc- tion of fans manufactured by the Buffalo Forge Co., and as furnished to a number of high-classed lake-built steam- ers, and it is thought that the foregoing power and equipment will drive the new steamer on the most eco- nomical basis at a rate of 12 miles an hour when she is loaded. ; Her estimated carrying capacity is 5,000 gross tons on | a mean draft of 16 feet and the completion of the vessel is so well along that unless the non-arrival of the boilers from the makers’ works in New York detains the builders from fully completing the new steamer, she will be ready for work in about two weeks. Mr. Robert Logan, Cleveland, superintended the con- struction of the steamer for her owners. Capt. Ralph Lyon has been appointed master with Mr. Joseph Hays, chief engineer. —— OO EASTERN FREIGHT REPORT. The usual weekly freigh report furnished the Marine Record by Messrs. Funch, Edye & Co., New York, states as follows. Fixtures for grain during the week under review have been unimportant as regards full cargoes to Cork f. 0. b., and the engagements made of larger boats to take the berth with part cargo of grain show a slight decline in rates. Charterers’ views at the moment for former description of tonnage are 2s 44d for prompt ship- ment, 2s 6d for July, 2s 9d for August, 3s@3s 14d for Sep- tember from customary range of ports, whereas owners generally are holding for about 3d better rates. Whilst owners have prospective falling off of tonnage bound this way in their favor, it is still a question whether pres- ent light demand for tonnage until well into August will not prove a full offset until that period..Deals and timber continue to supply an outlet for a considerable portion of the steamers unwilling to face the wretched grain and general cargo freights obtainable, and rates in the Pro- vinces as well as in the Gulf ports continue to hold up comparatively well, after having latterly undergone some decline in rates. There is no particular change in our market for sail- ing vessels, which continues firm under light offerings of tornage, whilst rates show no important fluctuations. As anticipated in our last, there is slightly more activity in the lumber trade from the Gulf to South America, and we have hopes of seeing livelier times in the near future. There is also a fair demand for deals from the Provinces and for timber from the Gulf to Europe, but rates con- tinue generally unchanged. Several further vessels have beer chartered for case oil to the far East at full former rates, and, as the demand continues fair and offerings slight, we do not foresee any speedy reaction. In other lines nothing of special interest has transpired.