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

‘ OCTOBER 25, 1900. THE MARINE RECORD. AN EMERGENCY BOAT. (ILLUSTRATED). Capt. D. S. Webster, 33 Metropolitan Block, Chicago, has invented and patented the boat herewith illustrated. om? ‘The'patent on this boat has been allowed and letters patent Ae will’soon issue from the patent office. A short description Swill ‘aid our readers to understand the illustrations. The a boat is constructed principally of canvas cemented together in two, three or four ply thickness, by a rubber cement, in j/a similar manner to what is known as canvas and rubber fs hose. -\ The Air Floats (1) ‘are inflated with an air pump when ‘required for use. These floats are fourin number and are joined together by bands constructed of material of the same “composition as the floats. When used at sea, fresh water is carried within the floatsin flexible reservoirs. These water reservoirs when compressed by the air pressure that inflates the Air Floats (1) will discharge their contents through the Faucet,{(17) see Figure 2. Any kind of liquid, such as stimulants for an emergency, can be carried within the reservoir. To strengthen and give stability fore and aft, sister keel- sons, (2) are used. They are constructed of galvanized iron and made in a form as to fit between two adjacent air floats, their top surface making a part of the boat’sdeck. They are hollow and provisions can be stowed within by removing the hand hole plates, (7). The frame work, (3) is constructed of wood and is secured to the sister keelsons, (2), by bolts and nuts, which will‘allow of the boat being readily taken apart, deflated and stowed away in a‘comparatively small space. Itis thought this feature in the construction will make the boat very acceptable to yachtsmen‘and hunters, and to all others where economy, in det spacé is consid- ered an object. The valve stem (10) is used to attach the air pump when the air floats are being inflated. The boat is shown in per- Spective in Fig. 1 and is provided with mast, sail and rudder ready for sea. She has also bulwarks which are constructed of canvas placed upon'an iron frame. They are hinged to the frame-work (3) and can be lowered upon the deck when notinuse. When in use they are secured by lacing at the corners. Itis intended that the boat shall be lowered from the davits with falls in the usual way when required for use. The boat is provided with life-lines-and floats. ‘It can be _ Propelled by oars or sails, and can be carried on board ship inflated, ready for use, or deflated. When in the latter con- dition it requires but one-half of the storage space usually Occupied by similar constructed life-saving apparatus. When deflated it can be readily taken apart, stopped up and stowed -ina small space between decks. ——— i. _ ENGINEER Charles Kimball, assistant lightkeeper at e€nominee, has been promoted to be the first assistant at icago. He will be succeeded on November 1 by Guy Stevenson, now keeper of the South Manitou lighthouse. BUFFALO HARBOR’S IMMEDIATE NEED. While much is expected for Buffalo as a manufacturing center in the near future, her commercial importance should be assiduously fostered, and if possible perpetuated. One of the greatest ports of the world as measured by the tonnage which annually goes in and out, this position of eminence may be maintained against all competition if our citizens are true to Buffalo’s interests andtheirown. As the gateway of the grand water route between the West and the Kast, the city has been wonderfully favored by nature, and in the past has held its supremacy without especial effort. Condi- tions have, however, within a comparatively brief time widely changed. Human art and industry have been re- quired in the later years to supplement the work of nature by improving and deepening channels all the way from Lake Superior to Niagara river, in order to accommodate the growth of ships to meet the vastly increased demands of commerce. Many of these vessels are of ten times the aver- age tonnage of the lake craft of twenty-five years ago, ne- cessitating deeper water in all channels and harbors, and in- creased harbor room and dockage. Much has already been done here. In time we shall have an outer harbor of almost incomparable excellence, with long stretches of piers for vessels of every class; but that day is yet so distant that unless our narrow Buffalo river and Blackwell canal are kept navigable for the largest hulls, business will with difficulty be retained on the water route. Serious complaints are made of the insufficiency of depth. Vessels daily ground, and the larger ones cannot approach some of the wharves. This kind of evil can be averted, and should be without any delay. The dredging will cost con- siderable, but the city must do its share to supplement the liberal amount of work done and being done by the State and: Nation to better our harbor facilities. The situation has been represented to the Common Council in its full ser- iousness. That body should promptly act.—Buffalo Courier. i OD AY arecent special meeting of the stockholders of the Galveston Wharf Co., there was a good representation, over 17,000 shares out of alittle more than 20,000 shares being represented. The proposition to borrow $400,000 for four years atarate not exceeding 6 per cent. the money to be used in the rehabilitation of the property, was carried unan- imously. The proposition carries with it a time limit of four years, and is to be paid at the rate of $100,000 annually. rr oo oo Mr. JoHN W. GUIDER, who has earned a reputation by superintending the floating of twelve sunken vessels for the Russian Government during recent years, and his successful wrecking operations on the coast and lakes, has undertaken the work of raising the steamer Macedonia, which was sunk by collision off Seabright, N. J., some time ago. Several unsuccessful effort have been made to raise her, but Mr. Guideris very sanguine of floating her. A wrecking tug was at work on the sunken steamer on Oct. II. SM oe eeemeeeeeeeeeeemeeeameaeemmaaaeaaanaammaaaaeammaemaeaaeenameeaeeaeeem ee — = ts = — r9 w ABOUT YACHTS AND ENGINES. _ John HE. Thropp & Sons Co., Trenton, New. Jersey, build- ers of speed and pleasure yachts, marine, compound and triple-expansion engines, bdilers, condensers, propeller wheels, shafts, and all in connection with fancy tonnage, have just issued a new illustrated catalogue. The construction of steam yachts is likened somewhat to a watch, inasmuch to get the necessary running qualities one must have the best materials in the market, and the © highest workmanship attainable; to this end the firm of John FE. Thropp & Sons Co. Have bent their’ energies. The firm has its works most favorably situated fot con- structing and equipping all classes of steam’ yachts and ves- sels of the lighter draught, such as towboats, yachts, etc. Its brass and iron foundries, together with a most modern machine and boiler shop, make it possible to turn out the very best work in a very short time. To go into more detail would take up ‘much space es, time; but itis sufficient to add. that the name of John EB. Thropp & Sons Co. on any of its products is a 1 sufficient guarantee for its superiority. a a ar TE Tre oe sony! THE AGE OF OYSTERS. The oyster, at the commencement of its career, is so smal] that two millions would only: occupy a square inch, says the Fishing Gazette. In six months each individual oyster ig large enough to cover a quarter, and in twelve months a half dollar. The oyster is its own architect, vand the shell grows. as the fish inside grows, being never too'small: It also bears its age upon its back, and it is easy to tell the age of an oyster by looking at its shell, as ee of horses by looking at their teeth. Everyone who has handled an oyster shell must have no- ticed the successive layers overlapping each other. These are technically termed ‘‘shots,’’ and each one marks a year’s \ growth, so that by counting them the age of the oyster can be determined. ~ Up to the time of its maturity—that is, when four ° years of age—the shots are regular and successive, but after that time they aceiiie irregular, and are piled one’upon another so that the shell grows bulky and thickened. Fossil oysters have been seen of which each shell was nine inches thick, whence they may be guessed to be more than nine hundred years old. One million to two million oysters are produced by a single parent, and their scarcity may be accounted for by the fact that man is not the only oyster-eating animal. The starfish loves the oyster and preys. upon it unceasingly. A variety of whelk is also very fond of young oysters, to get at which it bores right through the shell and sucks the fish up through the hole thus made. —_—— DS THE PANAMA CANAL PROJECT. In an interview this week Gen. Abbott, chief engineer of the Panama Canal Co., spoke as follows: ‘‘The Panama Canal Co., is waiting for the recommendation of the Walker commission to Congress and for the action of that body. I believe that the decision will be in favor of the Panama canal as being feasible, economical and giving better results, Ifthe decision is against the Panama canal, the company will’ nevertheless go on building it. _ I believe that if both the Panama and Nicaragua canals are built, nine-tenths of the vessels will choose the. Panama canal as being the better. What the Walker commission heardin Paris was a revelation to them. Already between three and four million cubic yards have been taken out down there and two-fifths of the work has been done.”’