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NOVEMBER 23, 1899. THE MARINE RECORD ANNUAL MEETING OF NAVAL ARCHITECTS. The seventh general meeting of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers which began in the library of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, on Thursday last, as duly announced in these columns, was attended by more than too experts in the art of marine construction and engineering from all parts of the country. The topics considered were of greater interest than those discussed during the six previous gatherings of the organization, and owing principally to the work done by the navy during the late war with Spain the warship and her construction were features of the discussion. Among the members of the society present were George W. Dickie, manager of the Union Iron Works at San Fran- cisco, who superintended the construction of the battleship Oregon; W. I. Babeock, of Chicago; Capt. Ottley, British Navy; Capt. Von Paschwitz, German Navy; Col. E. A. Stevens, Lieut. Lewis Nixon, U. S. N.; Mr. Horace See; Naval Constructors W. lL. Copps, Francis T. Bowles, J. J. Woodward, and W. J. Baxter; W. M. McFarland, W. P. Stephens, M. Dougherty, electrical experts for the Cramps’ Ship Building Co.; John Hyslop, official measurer of the New York Yacht Club, and Capt. Randall, of the steamship St. Louis. In the absence of President A. Griscom, Rear Admiral Bunce, U.S. N., retired, presided. The president’s address called attention to the work of the society and its influence on naval architecture. After it was read the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Clement A. Griscom; first vice president, W. T. Sampson; vice presidents, Francis M. Bunce, Charles H. Cramp, Frank I. Fernald, Philip Hichborn, Charles H. Loring, George W. Mellville, George W. Quintard, Irving M. Scott, Edwin S. Stevens; secretary and treasurer, Evan cis T. Bowles. The most interesting essay of the day, from the point of view of a layman, was that entitled ‘‘Suggestions as to im- proved Appliances for Launching Ships’ Boats,’’ read by John Hyslop. The subject is a serious one for the consid- eration of all who go down to the sea in ships, and Mr. Hyslop spoke from actual experience. He was one of those saved from the wreck of the liner Mohegan scarcely more than a year ago. He called particular attention to the diffi- culty of launching boats in rough water and in darkness. He said in part: “Tt is a characteristic of the present time which forces itself upon the attention and into the recognition of the least observed, that the most marvelous productions are simply in line with expectancy, and scarcely any longer excite wonder or admiration. The question has no doubt occurred ere this to the mind of many, wherein is the difficulty? And some may say, ‘I have seen boats put afloat from a ship’s deck within three minutes from the time when the order was given.’ This is quite true where all conditions are favorable—where it is daylight and every- thing is in plain view, where the ship is neither-rolling nor listed to starboard or port, where, perhaps, only one boat has to be launched, and this one handled exclusively by sailors; but the impression gained by any such experience is apt to be misleading, and it has, I feel assured, misled many who have an interest in such matters. ‘Where it is expected that heavy boats will have to be used with any frequency at sea, it is, I think, safe to say, that no reliable means of launching them is in vogue. It would be regarded as a novelty to see a whale ship fitted with special davits. While it is not to be expected that At- lantic liners shall be fitted with whaleship’s davits, it ap- pears both interesting and instructive to inquire how far it is practical to carry ship’s boats inside the lines of a ship’s sides, and yet at all times outside the davits; and also to inquire if any better means can be used to operate and con- trol the present common form of davit. “To my mind a form of davit that will permit the boat’s being kept inboard but yet is always outside the davits is what is needed, and gravity alone will carry the boat out- ward, ready for lowering, when the ship is on an even keel or only moderately listed, and when more extremely listed any force used to overcome this is more easily and much more effectively applied.”’ Mr. Hyslop illustrated his idea with a model that worked well and quoted examples of boats on one of the Atlantic liners where such a system was used with excellent results. Capt. James R. Raymond, inventor of an automatic ap- pliance for lowering boats that has been adopted by the Navy, Revenue Marine, and Army Transport Service, com- mented on Mr. Hyslop’s paper, and Capt. Randall, of the St. Louis, also spoke on the subject. He said that saving life was of paramount importance, and he believed that the best appliances to that end should be made a part of the equipment of every ship. A paper on coaling vessels at sea was read by Spencer Miller. He discussed Lieut. Bell’s plan for coaling the royal squadron in the open sea by boxes that traveled on a line from collier to war vessel. Mr. Miller also spoke of the difficulty experienced in coaling our ships during the late war with Spain, and quoted experiences in the navies of other nations. He suggested a scheme for coaling at sea that was the outcome of some personal experiments that apparently possessed merit, and which isin use at present on some merchant vessels. The subject of Engineer-in-Chief George W. Melville, United States Navy, which followed, was read by Mr. McFarlane. It was on the ‘‘Causes for the Adoption of Water-Tube Boilers in the United States Navy.’? The En- gineer-in-Chief says, in part : “The fact that water-tube boilers raise steam quickly is of the greatest advantage. I have stated elsewhere{that I con- sider the battle of Santiago to have developed the necessity of the use of water-tube boilers whether it taught us any- thing else or not. It would have been of the greatest ad- vantage to have had, during the blockade of Santiago, boilers capable of raising steam in less than half.an hour. Coal need not have been used to keep all the boilers under steam all the time. The Massachusetts might have shared in the glories of the fight if she had been fitted with water- tube boilers. The Indiana would have kept up with the Oregon and Texas. The New York would have developed at least three knots more speed and the navy would have been spared a controversy. I think the Colon would not have gotten as far away as she did. But we did not have the water-tube boilers.”’ Messrs. See, Dickie, Pratt, and others participated in the discussion on the paper, and F. I,, Du Bosque, assistant engineer of the floating equipment of the Pennsylvania Railroad, presented some interesting data as to the work of water-tube boilers on ferry boats. Naval Constructor J. J. Woodward, of the Norfolk Navy Yard, also spoke in favor of the march of progress as exem- plified by the tubular boilers as compared to the Scotch type. “The electric plants of the battleships Kearsarge and Kentucky,’’ by Naval Constructor Woodward, which fol- lowed Mr. Hyslop’s paper was an exhaustive recapitulation of the work that has been done on the two latest war vessels in the American Navy, and was illustrated by a score of diagrams and drawings. It was commented upon by several of the naval officers present. George W. Dickie read a paper on ‘The Increasing Com- plications in Warships and how Simpler Arrangements Might be Adopted.”’ Mr. Dickie is an authority on the subject. He said: ‘“‘The subject of this paper has occurred to my mind every time I have been asked to contribute anything to the tran- sactions of this and kindred societies. During the past two or three years I have had occasion to refer to it several times, while presenting other subjects, but have never felt bold enough or skillful enough to undertake the task of showing the possibility of a much simpler arrangement of means for performing all the varied and complicated functions that must be performed by mechanical apparatus on board a modern warship. He compared the weight of the boilers and machinery of the battleship Wisconsin with those in a steamer in the merchant marine, and also spoke at length on the system of drainage that is in vogue on the greater number of war vessels, the pumps used, and the varied manner in which they are abused. He then outlined an ideal arrangement, which would do away with some forty pipes that are con- nected with as many pumps on an up-to-date ship. en EEE GENERAL OTIS is quoted by a correspondent as speaking highly of Admiral Watson’s work. He said it would be im- possible for the entire American Navy to guard the whole of the Philippine coast, which covers 5,000 miles, but the naval force now here was doing superb work. The gunboat Helena alone on arecent cruise destroyed nineteen insurgent vessels. At the present time there is the closest co-operation between General Otis and Admiral Watson,—The Army and Navy Journal, New York, LITERARY NOTICES. “‘A Green Mariner,’’ by Howard Ireland, is the title of a s new book reciting a landman’s log of a deep sea voyage. The J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., are the publishers. The Cosmo politan for November is an unusually fine num ~ ber. Among its list of contents will be found an interesting — article entitled ‘‘In the Engine Room of a Warship,”’ by H. Webster, Commander, U.S. N. It is fully illustrated with | reproductions of photographs. “‘The Shellbacks,’’ by Alex. J. Boyd, just published cee Brentano’s, Union Square, New York, is a story of sealife — before the mast on an American ship in the sixties. It is edited by Archie Campbell, with an introduction by Morgan _ Robertson, the latter gentleman expatiating upon the des- potic cruelty which he alleges has always characterized and been typical of the officers of American sailing ships. Up to Noy. Ist, the enormous number of three million copies of ‘‘Black Beauty,’”’ by A. Sewall, have been sold. Pe The book, a correspondent suggests, should be placed in — the library of every American merchant ship and war vessel, as it teaches kindness and mercy to the weak and helpless, The publisher is Geo. T. Angell, 19 Milk St., Boston, Mass. — The price of this remarkable book is $1, bound in cloth, or © Io cents in paper cover. ‘ Key to Engines and Engine Running, being a treatise up- on the management of steam engines and boilers for the use _ of those who desire to pass an examination to take charge of _ an engine or boiler, by Joshua Rose, M. E., published by D. Van Nostrand Co., 23 Murray and 27 Warren Sts., New York. New edition price $2.50. This work, 8by 5% inches, con- — taining 400 pages with illustrations, is a valuable one. In the preparation of the volume the author has aimed tocon- fine ifs contents to matters pertaining strictly to the engine room, and to present each subject so that the student could readily understand it without the aid of a teacher. Consid- eration has also been given, not only to the importance of the matter, but also to the difficulty that many are apt to « : encounter by reason of a limited education. The volume should be in the hands of those entrusted with the running of engines and the care of boilers, as the valuable informa- tion contained therein is worth many times the price of the | work. ' In Mr. George Gibb’s third sketch of ‘‘Great Naval Battles” in the November New Lippincott, he sums up the — A last victory of ‘‘Old Ironsides’’ and relates the following in- © cident, in which the gallant Stewart rises to the occasion ~ superbly: ‘‘It was a wonderful battle. In a fight between ~ one sailing ship and two the odds were fourfold on the side of the majority. For it was deemed next to impossible to rake without being doubly raked in return. This obvious disadvantage was turned by Stewart to his own account by - what critics throughout the world consider to be the finest manceuvring ever known in an American ship in action, He fought both his broadsides alternately, and luffed, wore, or backed his great vessel as though she had been a pleasure boat. Neither of his adversaries succeeded in delivering © one telling raking broadside. She seemed to be playing with them, and skilfully presented her reloaded guns to each vessel as it attempted to get her at a disadvantage. The larger vessel was discovered to be the Cyane, 32, Capt. Gordon Falcov, and the smaller one the sloop-of-war — Levant, 21, Capt. George Douglass. The Constitution had — fifty-one guns, while the Englishmen had fifty-five; of the Constitution’s crew but four were killed and ten wounded. On the Cyane and Levant thirty-five were killed and forty-two were wounded. After the battle, while the two English captains were seated in Steward’s cabin dining with the victor, a discussion arose between them in regard to the part each had borne in the battle, while Stewart listened composedly. Their words became warmer and warmer, and each accused the other in plain terms of having been re-— sponsible for the loss of the vessels. At a point when it seemed as though the bitterness of their remarks bade fair © to result in blows, Stewart arose and said dryly, ‘Gentle- men, there is no use getting warm about it; it would have been all the same, whatever you might have done. If you doubt that, I will put you all on board again, and we can try it over.’ The invitation was declined in silence. For | this gallant action Congress awarded Stewart a sword and a gold medal, and ‘Old Ironsides’ soon after the war was over was temporarily put out of commission. Her day of fighting was over. But years after, refitted and remodeled, she served her country in peace as gracefully as she had served it gloriously in war.”’