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THE MARINE RECORD What he saw convinced him the center-pier bridges should be removed, the channel dredged out to a uniform depth of at least twenty-one feet, and widened so as to give a clearance of 150 feet in all bridgedraws. Mr. Yerkes does not like the proposition, as it involves the lowering. of the La Salle, : . Washington, and Van Buren street tunnels, through which he runs street cars, and reconstruction of the Lake street bridge, over which his West Side elevated road is operated. But the work thus formulated by Colonel Wilson is al- ready taking shape. The plans and estimates made by the city bridge engineer, under direction of the City Council, provide for the demolition of the bridges now in use at Rush, State, Dearborn, Clark and Wells streets, and the construction of bascule structures in substitution for them. To make these changes will necessitate an expenditure of $705,000, as follows: Rush street, $160,000; State street, _ $175,000; Dearborn street, $90,000; Clark street, $140,000) and Wells street, $140,000. This latter item is for the city’s part of the bridge only. It is to be a double-decked struc- ture, with a roadway on top for the Northwestern ‘‘L,’’ and this company will pay its share of the additional cost thus incurred. Two plans for doing the work have been sug- gested. One is to issue long-time bonds, and with the funds ' thus secured make the changes as rapidly as possible. The other is to make haste slowly by utilizing such appropria- tions as the Council will pass from time to time, and confin- ing the changes to one or two bridges a year. By this latter plan it is urged that serious interruption to traffic caused by a wholesale closing of streets can be avoided. There are fifty-eight bridges on the main river and its branches, representing an original outlay of $3,135,909.87, and aggregating 2.81 miles in length. To replace them all with bascule structures will be the work of years, and in- _ volve an expenditure of many millions of dollars. But this is the end aimed for, and-the authorities say it will be reached. a3 The most expensive bridge in Chicagois-the-“lift™ struc- ture at South Halsted street, in the construction of which $237,180.52 was spent. From this they run down in price as low as $1,500, the average for the big bridges like that in use-at Madisou street being $110,000. é Dredging the river is a job which the federal authorities _. must take charge of. While the first efforts will be directed to securing a depth of twenty-one feet only, provision will be made for a subsequent excavation to twenty-six feet be- low datum, and the city bridge engineer in making his esti- mates for bridge changes has arranged for foundations to the maximum depth. In the past the government has been extremely niggardly in expenditures for river and harbor improvements in Chicago. The total expenditures in the last twenty years at this city foot up $1,247,999, which is in- significant when compared with the work done at other cities. The official figures, covering the twenty years from 1877 to the end of 1896, are: crTy. EXPENDITURE. Wet OUee ceri ee era alone oo e $10,000,000 Galveston (8 8134 5% 2% Li SBS us a Gece eta 6,379,625 Savannah cet 558. ¢ asaas. v TCaay cGt Scand Fae nome ee 4,718,861 (OPPS ig RESSY Ca eee 7 ga a ce 35759543 PUM AGE Aa SiGe ces Vg Spas seems sn woe. 2,439,000 ING We OL ICRUS ee eye aye ee SANT vf ce ha d's 1,515,845 ChigGanies ne Seer Merk ree AP SE ES, 1,247,999 MMS LOM Ach Aah Sa REe TNL, Pee Me aT Atk ate 1,173,250 The work done in this line in Chicago last year by the United States government comprised the removal of 113,328 yards of dredging from the main river and branches at an expense of $13,873.79. During the same period the govern- ment expended $30,568.82 in the dredging out of 295,402 yards from the Calumet river. Owners of dock property along the Chicago river spent in 1896 a total of $45,000 in removing 123,200 yards of obstruction on their own account. << AN AMERICAN-BUILT STEAMYACHT, The magnificent steamyacht for which the Bath Iron Works a few days ago signed a contract is for Col. Oliver H. Payne, N. Y. Y.C., son of the late ex-Senator Henry B. Payne, of Cleveland. The new yacht will be the largest ever built in the United States, and is intended to be in the same class as the Varuna, Mayflower, Nahma and other steamyachts built abroad for American owners. She will be 300 feet long, 35 feet beam and have a draft of about 16 feet. She will be bark rigged. ‘Triple-expansion engines will be supplied, and a single screw. It is required by the terms of the contract, it is said, that she must show a record of speed of 15 knots an hour under natural draft, for a 48 hours’ trial. Her coal carrying capacity will be about 500 tons and work will be begun on the yacht at once, and be carried on - with dispatch. OSWEGO MARINE ENGINEERS. Oswego branch of the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Asso- ciation has elected officers for 1898, as follows: President, P. T. Perkins; vice president, F. I). Axtell; recording secre- tary, James Donovan; financial secretary, Robert Cronley; treasurer and corresponding secretary, Thomas Navagh; conductor, S. T. Axtell; doorkeeper, John Donovan. : a eg MASTERS’ AND PILOTS’ ASSOCIATION. The Grand Harbor American Association Masters and Pilots of steam vessels, will convene in Washington, D. C., on Monday, January 17. Headquarters for representatives will be in the Riggs House. It is expected that at this annual conyention important matters will be brought before the Harbor. ee AS as A PUMPING OUTFIT. The Calvin Company, Garden Island, Ont., have just received a large order of pumps from Seneca Falls, N. Y., for use in their business. Two large steam pumps for wreck- ing purposes costing $6,000 were received a day or two ago. At the present time the Calvin Company haye one of the best wrecking and salvage outfits to be found at any lake port, and their reputation for successful work stands high among vessel owners and underwriters’ agents. — $$ $$$ LSS INSPECTOR OF OARS. There is room for some ridicule and fun at the expense of Representative Wm. Alden Smith, of Michigan, who has in- troduced a bill in Congress to provide for an inspector of boat oars upon all vessels under the flag. The inspector’s duties would be to trot around from port to port, accom- panied by his secretary, and examine all the boat oars on vessels in port, stamping each one that might be found in- effective as ‘‘condemmed.’” The bill provides a salary of $2,500 per year for the inspector of oars and $1,000 per year for his secretary, with expenses. The bill was labeled H. R. 4355 and was referred to the committee on merchant ma- rine and fisheries: “Phe—framer-of-this bill ought to extend his sphere of usefulness. He might provide for the appoint- ment of an examiner of sea cooks, or an inspector of accom- modations for stewardesses on passenger steamers; or a con- noisseur of condiments, to give the public assurance of proper food being supplied on all packets. Any of these or other things would be as good as an inspector of oars, which, by the way, seems to trend slightly upon the province of the inspectors of steam vessels. But if a man who ever has any use for an oar doesn’t know enough about what he wants it for to look out that the article is good and serviceable, then it is his own fault if he is obliged to paddle his boat without oars. There are too many oars in the market nowadays to permit of a single inspector performing his work efficiently. —Marine Journal, New York. Capt. Geo. L. Norton, editor of the Marine Journal, is about right in ridiculing this would-be inspector of oars, When the bill was introduced the RECORD was ashamed to see that it emanated. from a Michigan representative, end thought that the asinine measure would be quietly pigeon- holed. The argus-eyed conductor of the Marine Journal, ever on the lookout for marine legislation, sighted the fool- ish bill and scotcHed it before it had a chance to see day- light. Of course sailors like to use good sound oars, and an easy, supple oar is a pleasure to row with, but not too sup- ple either. Yet, for Congress to give one man $2,500 per year to inspect all the oars in use in the country and an- other $1,000 for an assistant to. see that he inspects them properly, is a little too rich for the times, especially when all the attendant expenses are also to be charged up. Won- der how many oars, material, finish and lasting qualities con- sidered four or five thousand dollars would buy each year anyway. _—_ er OO Ol OS PROF. HARRIS, of Cornell University, speaks highly of the gasoline launch for field work. During the summer he made long voyages along the American coast, and also on inland rivers and canals, in search of geological specimens, For this purpose he found his boat infinitely preferable to a steam launch. Any well-made boat, 30 feet long, witha six horse-power gasoline engine, will, he says, run 800 miles on two barrels of oil at a cost of a little over 1 cent a mile. With a few day’s practice the handling of the engine is mastered, and one can navigate himself, no licensed pilot being required. There is no trouble about a boiler fire and getting up steam, and Prof. Harris thinks lightly of the danger of running a gasoline launch, providing proper care be taken. He thinks it will soon be recognized as one of the best-known means of taking a summer holiday, camp- ing out and collecting naturalist’s specimens. A LAKE SUPERIOR PASSENGER LINE. — .* movement is on foot for the organization of a lake transportation company to do business between Duluth, Superior and Marquette, with every prospect of it taking definite shape in the near future. The Marquette Mining Journal says: Next year promises to be a profitable one in this line, and the recent excursion from Houghton county to Duluth-Superior has certainly given an impetus to copperdom’s trade with that city. The new movement is backed by prominent local and Duluth capitalists familiar with the business, who would undoubtedly make it a success. The plan is to build a steamer with a speed of about 18 miles an hour and have her make semi-weekly trips between Duluth,’Superior and Marquette. Freight would not interfere with the boat making good time and regular trips. Special attention will be given to the pas- senger traffic, and it is believed the boat can be made popular in catering to this trade. That such a movement will meet with much favor there is but littlé doubt, as notwithstanding the many boats plying between these points there are but few that pay attention to the local business, which of late is gaining large proportions, and there is no doubt, that a boat making regular schedule trips would do a profitable business, as well as be of incalculable benefit to the jobbing industries of Duluth- Superior, which are said to be enthusiastic in favor of the proposition. During the regular season the boat would also give a series of popular excursions to the many points of interest on Lake Superior. ————— oO Se HOISTING AND DREDGING ENGINES. J. S. Munpy, of Newark, N. J., manufacturer of hoisting and dredging engines, etc., reports that his orders for hgist- ing machinery during the last three months have been more than double those of the corresponding three months of last year. He finds that the business inquiry has shown a much etter feeling all along the line and thinks that we are on the verge of prosperous times. His works have been run- ning almost full handed on orders, having turned out some large hoisting engines for heavy hoisting and wrecking barges in New York harbor; a 75 tons capacity hoisting engine for the Merritt & Chapman Derrick and Wrecking Co. and a 60 tons capacity hoisting engine for the Hudson River Lighterage Co., and being now engaged on a large engine of about 75 tons capacity for the New York Central & Hudson Riyer Lighterage Co. oo oo A SPEEDY YACHT. i THE 80-foot yacht Ellide, built for E. B. Warren, vice president of the Barber Asphalt Company, from the plans of Charles D. Mosher, says Engineering News, has made the astonishing record of 37.89 miles per hour. She thus beats the Turbinia’s record of 37.7 miles per hour. The Ellide is 80 feet long over all, 8 feet 4 inches beam and 3 feet 6 inches draft. She is of composite construction, with a double mahogany skin, fastened by Tobin bronze bolts, and steel frames and scantlings. Five steel bulkheads divide the hull into six water-tight compartments, and there are in addition a number of copper air tanks. The motive power is a quad- ruple expansion engine, with 9, 13, 18 and 24-inch cylinders and 10-inch stroke. The Mosher boiler is practically that used in the new torpedo launches and in the submarine torpedo boat now building at the Columbian Iron Works in Baltimore.. The speed trial trip mentioned was made on the Hudson river over a mile course measured by the U. S. Coast Survey, and this distance was covered in 1.35 minutes. + ono —__— MILWAUKEE HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS. Milwaukee wants a 20-foot channel so, that the largest carriers can enter that harbor without trouble and wants the government to do the work. The following resolution was adopted by the Milwaukee common council Monday: ‘Whereas, the tendency in shipbuilding is to continually increase in size and carrying capacity; and, : ‘‘Whereas, a large number of steamers experience great difficulty in entering the navigable rivers of our city, while quite a number of these modern structures of gigantic dimensions are unable to enter at all, owing to the fact that our rivers are being dredged to an average depth of only 17 feet; and, : “Whereas, this state of affairs is not only detrimental to the general interest of the city of Milwaukee, but is also injurious to outside interests, notably the marine on the great chain of lakes; and, : mt ‘‘Whereas, deepening the various channels to the required depth of 21 feet would necessitate the expenditure of a sum of money in excess of the ability of the city to raise at this time; and, : ‘Whereas, a number of cities along the lake that were similarly situated regarding their harbors and navigable channels successfully petitioned Congress for an appropria- tion; therefore, : : ; “Resolved, by the common council of the city of Mil-- waukee, that the city attorney and city engineer be and are hereby most respectfully requested to draft a memorial to Congress setting forth and expressing in proper terms the urgent necessity of an appropriation su cient in amount to deepen our waterways to the required depth, and submit same to this council for approval at an early date,”’