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VOL. XXIV, No. 17. —_ [sna raanss ——— = ree — ESTABLISHED 1878. CLEVELAND -- APRIL 25, 1901 -- CHICAGO. $2.00 Per Year. 5c. Single Copy THE CHICAGO DRAINAGE CANAL. Commercial organizations of Chicago are finally becoming aware of the danger threatened to that port by the swift current in Chicago river resulting from the drainage canal. The marine interests sounded the warning last season. ‘Many vessels were damaged in attempting to pass the nar- row draws, and strong probability of the reduction of com- merce by the refusal of boats to enter the river, unless con- ditions were improved, became apparent. Business men of Chicago, quick to grasp the situation, have appealed to the Secretary of War for assistance in supporting the vast com- merce floated on this important waterway, and the following has been sent to Hon. Elihu Root, by the Chicago Commer- cial Association : “The various interests, as manufacturers, shipping, rail- ways, grain, lumber, coal, elevators and the like, doing business in and along the Chicago river and its south branch, Have been put to serious cost and loss, by reason of the large volume of water allowed to flow through the river much of the time since the board of trustees of the sanitary district of Chicago have turned the water through the drainage canal of the district. The flow of water at times has exceeded 350,000 cubic feet of water per minute, causing so strong a current that the navigation of the river has been made so hazardous as greatly to curtail business, to the serious dam- age of all interests. “The current has been found to be nearly three miles per hour at times, a speed that is not consistent with safe navi- gation of the river under the existing conditions, as has been proved beyond question, and it is the opinion of this associ- ation, which is composed of representative men in business, banking and professional pursuits, who are deeply interested in the welfare of Chicago, its interests, our great inland ma- rine, and the interests of the Middle West and the North- west, that until further improvements are made in the Chi- cago river, a maximum current of more than one and one- quarter miles per hour,should not longer be permitted in the river. “Therefore, the Chicago Commercial Association respect- fully petitions that you take the proper steps to cause the board of trustees to maintain a flow of water through the Chicago river of not more than 200,000 cubic feet of water per minute.’’ _ The petition has been granted and measures taken to see that the reduction of one-third of the volume of flow will have the effect of rendering the Chicago river again naviga- ble for craft under ordinary conditions. oO So IMMENSE SISTER SHIPS. The new White Star liner Celtic, recently launched from the yard of Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Ireland, is not as has been stated in the press reports, the largest vessel in the world, built or building. The Eastern Shipbuilding Co. of New London, Conn., is now constructing in its new yard on the east bank of the Thames river, two steamers which will have a greater tonnage and displacement than the Celtic. These large vessels are being built for the Great Northern Steamship Co., of which James J. Hill is president, and will ply between’ Seattle and the Orient, their route being proba- bly by way of Yokohama and Hong Kong to Manila, a jour- ney of about 6,500 miles. The Great Northern Steamships are much deeper and ful- ler then the Celtic. They will have a tonnage of 21,000 and a load displacement of 38,400 tons, against 36,7co tons ex- treme load displacement of the Celtic. The American-built vessels are of much the same type as the White Star liner, “but will carry first, second and third class passengers be- ‘sides a large number in steerage. Their passenger capacity will be quite equal to that of the Celtic and their coal and cargo capacity will be slightly larger. NEW ICE-BREAKING CAR FERRY FOR THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY. The Trans-Siberian Railway has recently put into service on Lake Baikal, in Siberia, a new ice-breaking car ferry built in the shops of the Russian government near Irkoutsk, with the exception of the steam engines which were im- ported from England. Otherwise the vessel was built en- tirely of Russian material and by Russian labor. The length of the vessel is 290 feet, beam 57 feet, draught 18 feet forward and 20 feet aft, and speedis 13 milesan hour. Two engines are placed in the stern and are separated by a longi- tudinal water-tight bulkhead; they work the stern propellers of the ice-breaker. An engine in the fore past of the vessel serves to work the fore screw which breaks the ice. The ice breaker contains ballast distributed in different tanks between the double bottom of the ship, holding 580 tons of water. The new vessel carries 25 loaded cars placed on three tracks on the main deck, while the cabins of the upper deck accommodate about 150 passengers. The vesselis supposed to break ice 4 feet thick. Work on the circuit railway around Lake Baikal is being carried on at good speed, though it is not expected that this part of the Trans-Siberian railway will be completed before the beginning of 1903. In the meantime the ice-breakers have to carry the passengers and freight across the lake. ——$ $$ $____—————— Or GEORGIAN BAY TO MONTREAL. “Not content with deepening the St. Lawrence canals to 14 feet, so that vessels of that draught can now go through from Lake Superior to Montreal and tidewater,’? the New York Commercial Advertiser observes: ‘‘Canada is about to begin a 20-foot waterway from Georgian Bay to Montreal, a distance of 330 miles utilizing the Ottawa river for part of the distance and making a short cut which is expected to divert a large part of the American grain trade to that route. The scheme is the outcome of a conviction that the 14-foot waterway of the St. Lawrence canals is nothing more than provisional, and that the future of the grain trade is with vessels of heavy draught. Ten years ago the Georgian Bay route was looked upon as visionary.”’ —$?_ OS NIAGARA AT NIGHT. The searchlights to be used in the illumination of the Falls of Niagara will probably be operated from. the Cana- dian side of the river. It is from that side of the stream that the lights will give best service, for there the full views of both falls are obtainable. The Horseshoe or Canadian Falls turns its face toward that shore, while the American Fall faces it full. Therefore light directed from Canada will fall upon both falls and portray them in all their splendor. From the vicinity of the Michigan Central’s Falls View sta- tion one may get a grand view of the falls, upper river and rapids, and the gorge. This point is back of and above the falls, and affords many advantages which will go toward making the operations of the searchlights a success. Tests recently made demonstrated very clearly that a grand new night spectacle could thus be created at Niagara, and this wonderful waterfall, the greatest in the world, could be shown to advantage and inits true coloring under bright beams of the projectors. That the Falls of Niagara are to be thus illumined will be joyous news forall who expect to visit the Pan-American Exposition and Niagara, for it will afford them an addition- al source of pleasure, and they will be able to view the falls by night as wellas by day. Niagara is ever beautiful, but this searchlight illumination will be a feature thoroughly new, and even those who have been so fortunate as to j2ur- ney to Niagara year after year will find in the effects some- thing thoroughly new and delightful. THE CONVERSION OF OLD MARINE ENGINES. An interesting instance of what can be done by marine en- gineers in the way of bringing old and non-economical ma- rine propelling machinery up-to-date, and thus enabling an old steamer to compete under equal conditions in cost of working, with: ships of more recent construction, is exem- plified in the case of the steamer Trobay, says the Engineer’s Gazette, London. The original machinery was built 18 years ago, and consisted of the ordinary compound, two-crank en- gines, having cylinders 31 and 58 inches diameter by 36 inch stroke, with two boilers working at 80 lbs. pressure, and consuming 25 to 30 percent. more fuel than in the case of similar-powered vessels having the advantage of the latest developments in steam propulsion. The owner determined tohave the Torbay’s machinery converted into the more efficient and economical three-crank, triple-expansion sys- tem. In place of the compound cylinders, three complete new cylinders have been fitted, 17in., 28 in. and 46 in. dia- meter respectively, which, together with new rods, valve gear, and crank for the additional engine, and substituting in place of the old, a new eduction pipe carrying the guide for extra piston rod crosshead, are practically the only addi- tions made to the original machinery. The two old boilers have been replaced by one large steel boiler constructed for a working pressure of 160 lbs. per square inch, and the capac- ity of the vessel has been increased by about 180 tons, At a fully loaded trial trip on the Tyne on the measured mile it was found that the speed attained was half a knot in ex- cess of that attained when/fitted with ordinary compound en- gines, while the consumption of fuel was considerably re- duced. THE NEW STEEL STEAMER KENNEBEC. The new steel steamer Kennebec, built by the Jenks Ship Building Co., Port Huron, to the order of F. B. and F. P. Chesborough, Bay City, Mich., is now being equipped with all modern appliances to facilitate the handling of ship and cargo including an electric light installation. The general hull dimensions of the Kennebec are: 257 feet over all, 43 feet beam and 2634 feet moldeddepth. En- gines, triple-expansion, diameter of cylinders 17%, 28 and 47 inches, with a stroke of 40 inches. Boilers, Scotch type, 12x12% feet. : Her builders also furnished the engines and boilers, and they are being complimented on the fine appearance of the hull as well as the first-class workmanship seen throughout the entire construction and equipment. A somewhat unique departure was made at the christen- ing of the Kennebec, for, instead of the customary and time- honored bottle ‘of wine being broken over her bow, the handsome candidate for lake favors was presented with a small conservatory of the choicest of choice flowers by her fair christener, Mrs. R. E. Bousfield, of Bay City. Capt. Charles Haight has been given charge of the Ken- nebec, and is now superintending her fitting out at the yards of the builders, the Jenks Ship Building Co., Port Huron, Mich. OO OD OS Says the Brooklyn Citizen: ‘I'he bill introduced by As- semblyman Leggett, of Niagara, to incorporate The Lower River Power and Water Co., of Niagara, fully supports the suggestion of the Citizen that a mistake was made when au- thorization was given some years ago to a company which is now drawing water from the river above the Falls by means of a tunnel, to do so; because whatever quantity is taken in that way diminishes to that extent the quantity that goes over the Falls, and as Canada has been asked to empower a company to do the same thing on her side, and many others may be established hereafter on both sides, the Falls may be ultimately ruined.’’