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NOVEMBER I, I900. THE MARINE RECORD. NAUTICAL SCHOOL AT. BUFFALO. Buffalo is to have a nautical school. For some months Nautical Expert J. C. P. de Krafft, of the Hydrographic Office in the Prudential Building, has had the matter under consideration, and urged by Lieut. W. J. Wilson, of Chicago, who four years ago established the first school for scientific instruction in the art of navigation, and by the various line managers of Buffalo, he has decided to begin the course on November 15th. Most of the vessel owners of Buffalo are backing Mr. de Ktaff’s venture. Capt. M. M. Drake and Supt. Edwin M. Gaskin, of the Union Dry Dock Co., are interested in the move, and W. C. Farrington, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association; E. T. Evans, manager of the Anchor Line, and Gibson L,. Douglass, of the Western Transit Co., have prom- ised to send their vessel captains, mates and pilots to the school. Following along the same lines adopted by Lieut. Wilson at Chicago, Mr. de Krafft has no doubt of the complete suc- cess of his plans. Mr. de Krafft is a son of the late Rear-Admiral de Krafft of the United States Navy, and at onetime chief of the Govern- ment Hydrographic Office. He has had an extended and varied practical experience, having been for seven years in the Construction Department of the San Francisco yards, and being interested in the building of the Olympia, Oregon and several other government ships. Mr. De Kraft says: ‘‘Navigation is one of the most inter- esting sciences we have, and it surprises one to find how quickly a knowledge of it may be obtained when it is ex- plained in a simple, common-sense way by one who under- stands the theory of the science as well as its practical appli- cation. “The class room is to be furnished with everything re- quired to make the study clear’ and intelligible and all ex- amples explained by blackboard illustrations as well as by the use of nautical instruments, and a thorough knowledge of the latter is to be imparted to the student. “The two great perils to navigation on the Great Lakes are fog and snow. Hence, safe navigation is dependent upon a correct compass, with a knowledge and frequent use, on the part of the master, of the azimuth tables, the precau- tion to take bearings of prominent points, and from them plotting the position frequently on the chart. Also the familiar use of the chart in laying courses and correcting same for variation and deviation. “Lack of the theoretical knowledge of their profession is a drawback to a thoroughly successful work’ on the part of the average lake captain. They can sail a course safely and truly when the usual landmarks are discernible, but when these are obscured by fog or storm the lack of the theoreti- cal principles is readily apparent. i “Special instruction will be given to candidates possessing the necessarry practical experience who desire to take the — examinations of the local board of steamboat inspectors for: masters,. mates and pilots’ licenses. The course of navigation tanght embraces the rudiments of the science and such workings as are given below. The same being necessary for navigating a vessel along the coast or on the Great Lakes, the arithmetic of navigation, the compass and its details, variation and deviation of a compass, different methods: of determining same, compass adjustment, the subject of time, declination, etc,charts and chart construction, plotting positions by: bearings, weatherology, law of storms. “In addition to the above, certain parts of seamanship are taught, such as the log and lead line, rules of the road, and parts of ship.’’ It is the intention of Mr. de Krafft to open the school about the time the vessels begin to lay up at the close of navigation and it will be continued until April rst. ; ror or or THE Navy Department has called for bids for five new battleships and six armored cruisers. The specifications for the battleships call for double-decked turret ships, 435 feet long on'the load water line. The extreme breadth of the water line is to be 76 féet 10 inches and the trial displace- ment ‘about 15,000 tons for the sheathed and coppered vessels and 14,600 tons for those unsheathed. They are desigtied to travel nineteen knots an hour and are to have , 3,590°tons of armor. The cruisers will be 502 feet in length, load’ water line, and 69 feet 6 inches in width. They will have a speed of twenty-two knots an hour. ‘he draft will be twenty-six feet when loaded and twenty-four feet with the ordinary service load. ‘The weight of armor on each Cruiser is to be 2,119 tons, with 100 tons of cellulose backing. naces 48 inches mean diameter. THE NEW STEAMER WACCAMAW. The first of the new steamers of the Atlantic Coast Steam- ship Company, the Waccatmaw, jarrived-at Néw 'Vork' O@to: ber 25. She was built vatythe | Graig, yard \in’Poledo;) Ohio} and is the first of .six steamers-whichi the: "Atlantic! Coast Steamship Company is going toiput, {into service, ‘prineit pally for the lumber trade,on the! Atlantic coast/'| The Wac- camaw is 258 feet long, with a beam of :46feet and ‘drdft! 18 feet 3 inches; is single decked, and arranged in genetal for carrying lumber. Her engines are triple-expansion, direct acting, vertical, with three cylinders arranged fore and aft of 20 inches, 33 inches and 54 inches diameter, and a stroke of 40 inches; crank, thrust and propeller shaft are of wrought iron. Her two boilers are round boilers, Scotch type, each 12 feet 4 inches in diameter by 11 feet 6 inches long, built for a working pressure of 170 pounds per square inch, and each fitted with two Morrison suspension corrugated fur- The tubes are cold-drawn seamless steel 3% inches in diameter. The Georgetown, a sister ship to the Waccamaw, was launched at Buffalo, N. Y., on October 27. The Atlantic Coast Steamship Co., which has a capital of $1,000,000, will carry North Carolina lumber from Georgetown to the northern seaboard cities as far as Boston, the principal office being in New York.—The New York Maritime Register, ——— PSO SO A CURRENT DRIFT. We have received the following communication: Port ROWAN, ONT., Oct. 24th, 1900. : MARINE RECORD, Cleveland.—The enclosed noteI found about midway on Long Point, south shore, and per instruc- tions I forward to you. Found on Tuesday, October 23rd. Cannot say how long it has been on the beach. It may be since September when we had such heavy weather here, and it may be only a short time. I am yours truly, R. E. MATHEWS. P.S. Was enclosed ina pint flask. R. E. M, FRIDAY, AUGUST 31st, I900.—Noon, wind N. N.W., gen- tle breeze and clear weather. Barometer 29.84. Thermom- eter .78. Position of ship at time this bottle was cast adrift, Fairport Harbor, bore by compass S.S.E. Distance fifteen miles. Finder of this note report same to THE MARINE RECORD, at Cleveland. Yours truly, ALTA. Found on Tuesday; Oct. 23, 1900, midway on Long Point. OOOO DE THE UNION DRY DOCK CHANGES HANDS. Edward Gaskin and Lewis Warfield, supported by New York capitalists, have bought of the Erie Railroad Co., the plant of the Union Dry Dock, at Buffalo, and will continue the business under the name of the Union Steamship Co. The ground upon which the land is located has been leased for a term of years. The investment will amount to mote than $1,000,000. The formal transfer will take place as soon as the inventory of the property can be finished. Mr. Gaskin, who has been superintendent of the dock for several years, says that the new company will make a specialty of building first-class steel vessels for lake and ocean service. Nov. 17 is the date setfor the launching of the 4oo-footer now building in the yards, and as soon as she is in the water, work will be begun on alarge steel steamer for the Lehigh Valley Railroad Co. Mr. Gaskin says that the American Ship Building Co., has nothing to do with the deal. - eee Ol SS NOTICE TO MARINERS. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA—NORTHERN LAKES AND RIVERS—MICHIGAN, LIGHT-Housk EstTaBLISHMENT, OFFICE OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE INSPECTOR, 11TH Disv., DETROIT, MIcH., October 31, 1900. J Notice is hereby given that a red, gas buoy showing a fixed red light 10'seconds, eclipse 10 seconds, has been es- tablished to mark the east bank of:the 20 foot channel, Lake St. Clair, Mich., abreast of the stern of the schooner barge Martha. This buoy will be maintained only as long as the wreck of the Martha remains in the channel. Martha in the channel is such that the range line of the Isle aux Peches range lights passes over her stern, and in order that vessels may not be led “on to this wreck by keeping on the range, the Isle aux-Peches range lights will be discon- tinued after this day and until further notice. By order of the Light-House Board: J J. C. WiLson, Commander, U. S. N. Inspector ;rith District. a me a As soon as possible after the close of navigation the Mil- waukee Elevator Co. will have elevators A and E shut down for improvements which will cost $30,000. The engines will be replaced with machinery of greater power, and new and larger boilers substituted. The position of the, LETTERS AT DETROIT MARINE POST OFFICE. 5 Seif November 3: LQ C'S oe To get any of these letters, addressees or their authorized agents will apply at the general delivery window or write to the postmaster at Detroit, calling for ‘‘advertised” matter, giving the date of this list and paying one cent. a Advertised matter is previously held one week a ae delivery. It is-held two weeks before it goes to the D Letter Office at Washington, D. C. ; Anderson Carl E., str. Carlo Larsen Edw., str. Escanaba Bjorklund E. O., 2, str. Lynch Owen Algeria Loughlin Jas., str. Swain Carlson N. P., 2, str. Algeria Martin Nelson Chapman Milford, str. La McDonald Fred. Salle McFadgen J. L., str. Man- Catchin J. P., str. Wilcox hatta : Clooney Michael Noble Andrew, str. Omaha Delaney Jas., str. Carlo Ornstine Geo., 3, str. Sachem Dertsch J. W., str. Rensselaer Pease F. O., str. Presque Isle - Emond Paul, str. Myles Preston J. E., str. Brazil ok, Fleming Maurice Rapholz Jas. J., str. Juo.Owen © Griffiths J. H., str. Farwell Smith N. B., str. Hennepin Hebbert Louis, str. A. P. Surles G. W., str. Granada Wright Smith R. F., str. Gates Hoskin Jos. A. Slutz E. J. Henning Wm., str. Volunteer Stevens Oscar Ingles Robt., str. Vulcan Sloan Robt., str. Orion Jordan W. M., str. Ira Owen Warwick Wm., str. M.' B. Johnson R. W. Orton Joneas James, str. Swain Weeks Jno., str. Tasmania Keishausen Konrad Welch Geo. King Chas., str. Unadilla F. B. DICKERSON, P. M. rr FLOTSAM, JETSAM AND LAGAN. The work of building the new rudder forthe U.S. S. Michigan will take at least a week longer, and then the old craft will sail for Erie, where she is to rest for the winter. - The new rudder is of a design not now common on the lakes and special patterns had to be made, Alex, McLennan, of Colborne, was killed and John Cum- mings, of Port Hope, was badly injured at Kingston, Ont.,’ while scraping the masts of the schooner Maria Annette. The rope, which supported the men, broke, and they were thrown to the deck. A third man escaped injury. & Hingston & Woods, owners of ascow which was sunk opposite Amhertsburg in 1897 by collision with the steamer . Vulcan, brought suit in the United States district court at Utica, N. Y., to recover $8,000 damage to the machinery of the scow. Judge Coxe decided that there was no cause for , action, but Shaw & Cady, attorneys for the Vulcan, -have re- ceived notice of appeal. The steam yacht Penelope, owned by Borden, has received an entire new rebuild from her water line down and is stronger and better than when she was first launched. The ~ work was done in the Oades yards, at Detroit, and is one of the neatest jobs ever turned out. The Penelope is 76 feet long and 13 feet beam. She has been taken to St. Clair and . housed for the winter at Mr. Borden’s summer home. J. C. Gilchrist, of Cleveland, will probably give names of the planets to the fleet of. 5,000-ton steel steamers building for him at different lake yards. Of the eight new vessels, . two will be owned by transportation companies already or- ganized, and which control the Gilchrist wooden vessels. The other six will be owned by a new corporation, the Globe Transportation Company, and. they will be named Mars, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Venus. The two vessels, Loyalty and Liberty, which have been re- cently building at the West Superior ship yards, were: launched Wednesday last. Both of the boats were launched without a hitch. The Liberty and Loyalty are sister boats and were built for the A. B, Wolvin fleet. They will go from the head of the lakes as soon as completed, and will engage in ocean freighting. From here they go direct to.’ New York. The vessels are 265 feet in length and 4o feet beam. The grain movement from the head of the lakes is as light asever, no great demand being seen for tonnage. The same situation, almost, prevails at: Chicago, although the outlook there is brighter for the vessel man than it has been, especially as it has to do with the movement after the rst of November. On that date the new all-rail rates between Chicago and the seaboard will go into effect, which means that the ‘all-rail rate will be about twice what is asked by the combination lake and rail. Theeffect can be none other ° than the enhancing of the lake business following the Ist of . November. Capt. James Davidson announces the completion of the new drydock at his shipyard, West Bay City, Mich. This.) drydock is 435 feet long, 60 feet wide at gate, 100 feet wide on top, and 14% feet deep over sill. It embodies the very latest ideas in engineering skill, and is supplied with the improved machinery of all kinds for doing: work quickly and economically, The pumpsare being adjusted, the work , uf removing the cofferdam will be commenced in a few days, and the new dock will be ready for business November r. The work of rebuilding and enlarging the Bay City dock will be commenced as soon as this dock is opened, so that by the opening of navigation next spring Capt. Davidson will have two dry-docks in operation.