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Almy’s Patent Sectional WATER TUBE BOILERS. THE MARINE RECORD. JULY 13, 1899. Pintsch Gas Lighted Buoys. Adopted by the English, German, French, Russian, Italian, and United States Light-House Departments for channel NOW USED IN 21 Passenger Boats from 70 to 160 ft. long. 61 Steam Yachts from 50 to 180 ft. long. U. S. TORPEDO BOAT “STILETTO.” Numerous freight and fishing steamers, launches and stationary boilers are giving most excellent results. ALMY WATER TUBE BOILER CO., 178-184 Allens Ave., near Rhodes St., PROVIDENCE, R. I. TRAFFIC THROUGH THE ST. MARY’S FALLS CANALS. The statistics of traffic through the St. Mary’s Falls Canals (United States and Canadian), are becoming of more direct value to commerce and transportation interests each month, and the canal officials are to be given due credit for their accuracy in compiling same. In glancing over the figures regarding coal, it is found that the hard coal shippers have sent through to Lake Su- perior points, 68,695 tons of anthracite more than was ship- ped in June of last year, while the movement in’ soft coal shows nearly 100,000 tons less, or, accurately, 96,293 tons less of bituminous coal has been sent to Lake Superior dur- ing June than in the corresponding month last season, this amount would furnish thirty-two cargoes of 3,000 tons each if the June shipments of last season had been kept up. The figures on iron ore are perhaps the most expressive, as we find that the June shipments this year exceeded that of last season by 1,400,328 tons. These figures are large, al- though it was widely known that iron ore shipments were vastly in excess of last season’s at this time. In grain other than wheat, the excess for last month ‘amounted to 1,287,624 bushels, and in wheat to 3,264,061 _ bushels, so that it can be plainly seen that the all-grain shipments have been, to say the least. accelerated. STATISTICAL REPORT OF LAKE +> COMMERCE. THROUGH CANALS AT SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN AND ONTARIO, FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE, 1899, EAST BOUND. lhe) Canadian ITEMS. Canal. Canal. Total. Copper, net toms................644. 14,500 802 15,302 NGPA DUSHEIS seysints apace scs tees teal 2,606,509 531,595 3,138, 104 Building stone, net tons............ SOS Mi sus ead evens 350 WOME PDALTCIS chad ce eeeeerc os cites 677,490 149,633 827,123 Iron ore, net tons....... 2,073,094 225,187 2.298, 281 Iron, pix, net tons.... 5,712 890 6,602 Lumber, M. ft. B. M.. 156,373 1,115 157,488 Silver ore, net tons... Bedale seca Sorab seared ous wodw eed, saved aie abate SAE Wheat bushels. ct ese ones 3,757)473 1,497,830 53 255,303 Unelassified freight, net tons....... 13,529 6,325 19,854 Passengers, number................ 1,582 1,166 2,748 WEST BOUND. U.S. Canadian ITEMS. Canal. Canal, Total Coal (hard), net toms,......./....... 104,865 23,665 128,530 Coal (soft), net toms................. 323,225 55,801 379,026 CLICUS pe G AG]: ton 2) 12 Fala aal ah ae otear Me A IRS He Ga HVS ee A ban NE eT Grain DUSUCIS HS Nut crstaeun cose. le kanedsly cone 5,500 5,500 Manufactured iron, net tons........ BU QE 2 Na ch See 21,252 YAS a eb std ye line a isin bins Danaea 49,322 8,500 57,822 Unclassified freight. net tons...... 42,774 4,714 47,488 Passengers, number................ 2,278 983 3,261 Bast bound treight;net tous... oN ae 2,916,015 West. pound freight; net: tons: 4 ase acd oh 585,003 SEORM iiiscn sek aoe ishespicteirrabtie ne ite oy eee AN hey oes oes 3,501,018 Total craft through United States canal.................. 2,309 Total craft through Canadian canal....................... 559 1 Bae 2,868 Total registered tonnage through U. S. canal......... 2,698,558 Total registered tonnage through Canadian eanal.,.. 400,949 ——— 3,099,507 The corresponding totals between June 1898 and the fig- ures given above, show that 598,834 tons came forward, east- bound, last month, in excess of that carried during the pre- vious June, but there was a decrease of west-bound ship- ments amounting to 47,281-tens, which shows that there was a decrease in all other shipments east, but, reducing the dis- parity, as shown in the June movement of iron ore, and an increase on other carriage, besides soft coal, which as we have said, lacked nearly 100,000 tons of the quantity sent forward last year. The combined totals of east and west-bound cargoes, show an increase for this year of 551,553 net tons, all, and more, of which was east-bound. The total number of craft locked through the canals in June 1899,.was 2,868, showing an increase of 300 over last year, and an increase in the total registered tonnage of 475,524 tons. ARCHITECTURAL AND STRUCTURAL STEEL DRAFTSMAN. Navy DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C. The United States Civil Service Commission announces that on August 15, 16,17, 1899, examination will be held in any city in the United States where the Commission has a board of examiners, to establish an eligible register for the position of Architectural and Structural Steel Drafts- man, Navy Department. From the eligibles resulting from this examination cer- tification will be made to the position of Architectural Draftsman Proficient in Structural Steel Work as applied to Architectural Constructions in the Bureau of Yards and Docks, Navy Department. Persons desiring to compete should at once apply to the United States Civil Service Commission, Washington, D. C., for application blanks (Forms 304 and 375,) which should be properly executed and promptly forwarded to the Commission, at Washington, D. C. oo oo or LIQUID FUEL. Whether carboniferous fuel has any geol. gical relation to oil fuel isnot proved. The theories in regard to the chem- ical origin of coal and oil are not dissimilar, and although much evidence has been given in favor of an organic origin of petroleum, opinions differ so much on the point that it is impossible to come to any definite conclusion; certain it is that both coal and oil are sources of energy, and that both require the application of heat to set that energy at work. And, looking dt the question in a popular man- ner, it almost looks as though nature, foreseeing the vast and increasing drain which would be made upon the coal deposits of the world, had supplemented these by a limitless supply of petroleum—a servant more efficient, more man- ageable, and more portable than the fuel which the last few centuries have come to regard as the life of industry. Two facts are clearly apparent. The coal resources of the world, at any rate from a commercial point of view, are diminishing. The oil supply the world over is increasing with a marvelous rapidity. Country after country, district after district is being exploited for oil, andthe more one seeks the more one finds. It is the coming source of power; one might almost be led to say that the next age would be the age of oil. Russia and the United States still yield in- creasing quantities, Roumania, Galicia, on the Continent; Assam, Burmah, Borneo, Java, in the Orient; and Africa and Canada, are likewise prolific in this direction, while in lands unmentioned signs are not wanting that oilis lying beneath the surface, merely waiting for an outlet to be pro- vided. “ This, says the Petroleum Review, is not vain imag- ining; the statements are actual fact, and should do some- thing towards reassuring those who look with some appre- hension to the future in regard to fuel requirements, and harbor lighting, Over 800 gas buoys and gas beacons in service, Burn Continuously from 80 to 365 days and nights without atten- tion, and can be seen a distance of six miles. Controlled by = THE SAFETY CAR HEATING AND LIGHTING Co. 160 Broadway, New York City. POWER FROM THE RISEAND FALL OF THE TIDES. William Reed, who for the last year has been perfecting a contrivance intended to utilize the power in the rise and fall of the tides, has just received letters patent for his in- vention from the Governments of the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan. Mr. Reed’s contrivance—a rising and falling pier—has interested some scientific men and many inventors who have made a special study of the problem which he believes he has solved, and its usefulness as a motive power will be tested at an early day. Inventors have heretofore found a great stumbling- block to success in the interval, usually about an hour, at the turning of the tide, when the power assumed to have been furnished becomes inoperative. All previous plans, there- fore, have been attempts to control the tides only for a shor period of time; and this and other difficulties have made them failures from the start. ee Mr. Reed believes he has successfully overcome this part of the work, in fact, the interim, he claims, is the very period | of time when his floating pier operates to the best advantage He says that his contrivance will keep continuously at work twenty-four hours a day. This pier or boat is to be built in two compartments; one which resembles anim- mense scow, is the ‘boat proper, but directly upon this, with an altitude precisely as high as the tide in the locality in which the boat is built, is to be superimposed a tank, which is to be filled with water and emptied as occasion de- mands. A place upon the coast is to be selected, either where there is a creek or small river near by, or where one can be artificially built. Where this creek runs into th ocean, a dam is to be built, against which one sideof the rec tangular dock is to be conveniently placed. Atthe opposite side is to be built another reservoir. é Inasmuch as the pier is buoyant, there is, of course, no difficulty in making it rise or fall with the tide. Mr. Reed’s ingenuity has been in continuing, as he claims, this rise and fall when the tide itself is stationary; and for this purpose h uses the superimposed tank and creek. At dead low tide when the boat would naturally be at a standstill, the wate: in the creek, which has been dammed up, is emptied by opening thegate, and flows intothe tank. Of course, th weight of the water causes the boat to continue to sink and, as the water flows in to the height of a full tide in th course of an hour, the downward passage of the boat is very rapid. At the end of this period, the tide again has influ ence, and the dock with its cargo of water, rises to its full height in the usual time. As soonas the natural rise is ov: the gates are now to be unlocked, and the water permitt to flow into the reservoir. Asthe water flows out, the pie is relieved and continues to rise, the speed being increased for reasons already made plain. By the time all the wate has run out, the natural tide begins to fall again, and the operation is repeated. It will, therefore, be seen that the boat, if it fulfills the expectations entertained of it, will rise. and fall just twice as high as the tide. : The power thus generated is utilized by a huge lever. shaft of steel is sunk directly through the boat into th ocean bed. Upon this is swung the lever, one end of which i made fast to the boat itself. ‘Thus every motion of the b will affect the lever, which rises and falls responsive tot rise and fall of the dock. One end of the lever is provid i with a sectionfof/ immense cog-wheel, which, in turn, co a