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10 THE MARINE RECORD. OCTOBER II, Ig ESTABLISHED 1878. Published Every Thursday by THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Incorporated. C. E. RUSKIN, 2 J : : Manager. CAPT. JOHN SWAINSON, - - - Editor. CLEVELAND, CHICAGO, Royal Insurance Building. Western Reserve Building. SUBSCRIPTION. One Copy, one year, postage paid, - - $2.00 One Copy, one year, to foreign countries, —- = $3.00 Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING. Rates given on application. All communications should be addressed to the Cleveland office, THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Western Reserve Building, Cleveland, O. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. No attention is paid to anonymous communications, but the wishes of contributors as to the use of their names will be scrupulously regarded, é : CLEVELAND, O., OCTOBER 11, 1900. ee ——————— ANOTHER COAST STEAMER. The closing of the contract between the Detroit Ship Building Co. and H. T. Morley this week for an ocean-going steamship, opens up a new possibility in the shipbuilding business of the lakes. For some time contracts have been discussed, and some have been closed, for the construction of steamers adapted for a combination trade between lake ports and the Atlantic coast. The launching of the Wolvin boats in Lorain, the Paraguay, three weeks ago, and the Asuncion last week, placed the first of a fleet. of coasters afloat, but there is a difference between these steamers and the newly contracted Morley boat. The Wolvin fleet, which will consist of four steamers and four tows, is modeled after the lake craft with machinery aft, the only distinguishable difference in the general lines being the placing of a bridge aft of the foremast instead of above the forecastle. The necessary protection to the hull and machinery from the salt water is furnished. The coal bunkers are forward of the engines, about where they are placed in the regular lake boat. This makes the steamer roomier, but there is the criticism of ocean men that it is impossible to maintain sufficient trim on a long journey to make the boats practical. The Wolvin boats have six hatchways of the narrow type of the lake vessel. Bag Be The Morley steamer is to be built forsea service, with heavier plate and the stem and stern pieces of a construction which is considered, under the English Lloyds, more rigid than the construction of the inland seas. Her cargo hatches will number two forward and two aft, all being the big style of hatchway adopted in ocean freighters. Her holds will be constructed for bulk freight only. She will be 260 feet over all, 4o feet beam and 263% feet depth of mold. Her engines will be triple expansion, with seventeen 27%, and 46-inch cylinders and a 36-inch stroke. . Her boilers*will ‘be Scotch type, 13% feet diameter, 12 feet long and. will work under a pressure of 165 pounds. She will be’ fitted with the Howden hot draft system. The ‘‘donkey”’ boiler will be 7% feet diameter and 10 feet long. It is estimated. that the boat will carry 3,000 gross tons with a depth of 20-feet, and make 10 miles loaded and 12 miles light. HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE NOTES. : —CAUTION as TO LicHTs.—Capt. B. F. Howard, of the steamer Bon Voyage, reports that the lights at the Lake Su- _ range lead on the eastern extremity of ‘the western break- water, now nearly finished. ‘ itnost: successful, in experimenting with liquid fuel. LAKE SUPERIOR--PORTAGE LAKE SHIP CANAL ENTRANCE perior entrance to the Portage Lake ship canal when’ in’ The lantern which is' supposed to be shown from the end | of thisstructure by the contractor can not be depended on, especially in stormy weather, therefore great caution is nec- essary when entering this port at night. LAKE SUPERIOR—-MICHIGAN—-GRAND PorTAL DE- STROVED.—Information has been received that Grand Portal collapsed during a northeast gale September 17, 1900. LAKE MicHIGAN—RACINE REEF BEACON LicHT—IN- CREASED HEIGHT.—Between October 1 and October Io, 1900, the light shown on the structure on Racine reef, near the en- trance to Racine harbor, western side of Lake Michigan, will be raised 20 feet by the addition to the structure ofa light, pyramidal, skeleton frame, The focal plane of the light will then be 57 feet above mean lake level. No other change will be made. LAKE MICHIGAN—STRAIT OF MACKINAC—SURYEYING TRiIpopS CARRIED AWAY.—With reference to Notice to Mariners No. 37 (1021) of 1900 and previous Notice, Lieut. Commander W. Winder, commanding the U.S. S. Michigan, reports under date of September 21, 1900, that the two float- ing tripods used in the survey of Grays Reef passage have been carried away by recent gales and will not be replaced. LAKE ERIE—DANGEROUS FLOATING WRECKAGE WEST- WARD OF LONG Porn?t.—Capt. Norman McGuire, of the ’ steamer Avon, reports that the night of September 25, 1900, westward of Long Point, he passed a large floating piece of wreckage about 35 or 4o feet long, and about 15 feet wide, composed of heavy timbers of about 12 by 12 inches, which was apparently the end of a dock. This obstruction was directly in the path of vessels running from point Pelee to Buffalo, and on the following bearings: Long Point East lighthouse N. 65° E. true(E. N. E. E’ly mag.), distant 25;%; (2934) miles. Long Point West lighthouse N. 21° E. true (N. N. E. % E. EH’ ly mag.). Port Burwell lighthouse N. 32° W. true (N. N. W. %W. W’ly mag.), distant 193/ (2234) miles. Mariners are warned accordingly. ———$—$—$——————— FOR COAST AND LAKE TRADE. ‘The American Ship Building Co., now has 23 vessels un- der contract. to come out next season. They are all freighters except the big car ferry steamer which will be built for the Pere Marquette Railway Co. In addition to the vessels that will be turned out at the yards of the American Ship Building Co., five other freighters will be built at lake yards and come out next season. Three of them are of the Welland canalsize. 2 The Jenks Ship Building Co., of Port Huron is building a steamer on its own account; the Craig Ship: Building Co., of Toledo is at work on.a steamer to be a duplicate of the Tam- pico forthe Hawgoods, and Mr. Crosthwaite of Buffalo is having a steamer for the coast built.at his port. The Union Dry Dock Co., of Buffalo has two package freighters to get out for next season. : The list of the new vessels is a large one, but if present plans are carried out almost as many boats boats will go to the coast between now and next May. Arrangements have been practically made to send 16 down, and other owners are figuring on taking a chance on the coast, and the list will probably be swelled before the close of the season. Among the vessels that are almost sure to go down to the coast are the four Counselmen steamers, two steamers and two consorts for A. B. Wolvin and others; steamers Tampico and Eureka of the Hawgood fleet; two Crosthwaite steamers, whaleback steamer A. D. Thompson, and two consorts, and the new steamer ordered by Morley at Detroit. Moreof the whalebacks may be sent down. In addition to the vessels named nine other boats of the fleet can go through the canal if considered desirable to so place them. OOO LIQUID FUEL. The great advantages to: be derived by the use of liquid fuel have caused the principal maritime powers to continue their experiments in its use, both in their navies and: mer- chant marine. For military reasons some of the powers have been less enthusiastic than others, while some have been satisfied to await results. Russia has been the most energetic, and apparently, the She is interested beyond the immediate advantages of the success ‘of these experiments, owing to her great supply of oil and scarcity of coal. c Its usé has increased to such an extent in that country during the last few years as to cause a great rise in price, and the demand is increasing more rapidly than the production. In an article written by Mr. N. Cherkassoy on petroleum f < 4 , direct pipe lines and the Baltic fleet by depots at suitable » fuel for the volunteer fleet and Russian navy, he suggests, owing to the great demand for liquid fuel, that 10 per cent, be deducted annually by the Russian government, by way. of impost, to secure a supply for the navy. Owing to the use of this fuel by the steamers on the Caspian (about 200) - and those on the Volga (about 1,000), as well as most of the Russian railways and works so situated as to be able tois use it, the total consumption has reached 4,840,000 tons per!s. pat ot Dae Mr. Cherkassov gives the following methods for supply= ing the fleets: ‘Phe Black sea fleet could be supplied: b: places along the Volga, which could be supplied by water carriage from the Caucasus, and from which oil could be supplied to St. Petersburg and to the Baltic ports by rail or water carriage.’’ This would make Russia independent of other countries for fuel supply for her fleet. : The components of the crude petroleum of the Caucasus, generally called raw naphtha, is given as 86.87 per cent. carbon, 12.19 per cent. hydrogen, 0.87 per cent. oxygen, and 0.06 per cent. sulphur, besides small quantities of oxide of iron, alumina, lime, copper, and traces of silver and gold. ~ Astaki is the residue remaining (60 to 65 per cent.) in the distillation of the crude naphtha after separating from it the kerosene (30 to 35 per cent.) and benzine (4 to 5 percent.), and this astaki forms the ordinary liquid fuel. ; aL The great advantages in the use of liquid fuel in the navy are the facility of handling and transportation, absence of smoke, facility of managing the fires, and quickness with which steam can be raised and controlled. The use of liquid fuel, with its facility of handling and transportation, was often referred to by our officers during the late war as one otf the possibilities of the future. The strain upon the officers and men was intense when coaling alongside colliers at sea. Batteries had to be run in on many ships, and in some cases guns dismounted, to clear the colliers. Frequently holes were made in them by the — motion of the vessels coaling alongside, and guns were in great danger of being knocked off their carriages and thrown out of action. ; Liquid fuel can be supplied with a very high flashing point and can be considered as safe as coal for transportation, © ~ the temperature of ignition depending upon the complete- ness of distillation. Tie PITTSBURG TO LIVERPOOL. : A recent dispatch from Pittsburg reads as follows: ©" Having built his own steamships and railroad to carry ore © ~ from the Great Lakes to his mills Andrew Carnegie:will ~ have his own steamships to carry the finished product from ~~ Pittsburg to the markets of the world. The Carnegie com- pany will open a new trans-Atlantic freight route on Nov. 5 ° between this city and Liverpool with the lakes and the Wel- land canal. If it is a success a smash in freight rates by the great trunk lines may be expected. The Carnegie company is now working on the first ship- ? ment via the new route. It will be 4,009 tons of steel for ~ Liverpool, After being loaded on cars at the Carnegie mills the stuff will be shipped via Pittsburg, Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad, built by Carnegie to Conneaut Harbor on Lake Erie, 103 miles. This is the only rail haul on the route: At Conneaut the steel will be loaded into the Wenke, Har. vey, Leafield, Paliki and Theano, these being the names’ of the chartered ships. ‘ With additional cargo loaded in barges which will be towed to Montreal the ships will sail from Conneaut to Port Colborne, across Lake Erie at the entrance to the Welland’ canal, 75 miles. From Port Colborne to the other end of the canal at Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario is 27 miles and from there across Lake Ontario to Kingston is 130 miles more. At Kingston the ships will enter the St. Lawrence river and St. Lawrence canals and steam to Montreal, 170 miles, where additional cargo carried in barges will be load- ed into the holds of the ships.. The latter will then go to oe Quebec, 160 miles, and from Quebec through the Belle Isle Straits across the Atlantic Ocean to Liverpool, 2,502 miles. The total distance from Pittsburg to Liverpool via this route is 3,267 miles. Via New York itis 3,425 miles. It now costs $7.50 per ton to shipa ton of steel billets from Pittsburg to Liverpool, Via the new route this will be re- duced and the Pittsburg company will then be in a position to underbid the world. _ NN OO THE French Minister of the Marine, by way of experi- ment, has given an order to the Forges et Chantiers dela Mediterranee for a 90-ton torpedo boat with turbine engines. The construction will be actively pushed along in the shops of this company, at Graville, near Havre. ;