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8 THE MARINE RECORD. ANOTHER EASTERN SHIPBUILDING PLANT. A Philadelphia dispatch states that a company witha capital of at least $3,000,000 is being organized to build an- other shipbuilding plant on the Delaware river. The pro- moters of the company claim that $2,600,000 has already been subscribed and that they have optioned a plot of ground at Chester, Pa., where itis proposed toerect theplant. One of the leading factors in the new concern is State Senator W. C. Sproul, of Delaware county, a son-in-law of the late John Roach, who represents the largest investors. Interested deeply in the company, and, in fact, one of the principal capitalists in it, is a man who is one of the officials of the Bath Iron Works, at Bath, Me., but whose name is withheld at this time. It is said the formation of this new concern will mean the consolidation, or at least the working in harmony, of the Wetherill Engine Building Co., and the plate and steel industries of Chester, Pa. plain bilge keel—merely skin friction. As soon, however, as the vessel: rolls the pressure of the water itself, impinging upon the fins broadside on or at right angles to their length, springs all of the fins out and thus deflects the water aft, by reaction forcing the vessel ahead. It is an application of the turbine idea, He has tested the plan with a small boat on Lake Pontchartrain, where the waves are not powerful, and when running with the wind abeam, on which course it is obvious that no force whatever outside of the work of the fins could be driving the boat ahead, the speed was about three miles an hour. The fact that’a vessel equipped with this apparatus may be headed in any direction, irrespective of the direction of the wind, makes it particularly advantageous, in Capt. Watters’ opin- ion, for a vessel so equipped will trevel directly against the wind and thus may be worked off a lee shore—where nine- tenths or more of ail sailing ships come to grief. MONTHLY SHIPBUILDING RETURNS. OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIOMER OF NAVIGATION, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, } WASHINGTON, D. C., May 31, 1901. The Bureau of Navigation reports 143 vessels of 49,657 gross tons were built in the United States and officially num- bered during the month of May, 1901, as follows: WOOD. STEEL. TOTAL. SAIL, STEAM SAIL. STEAM No Gross. No. Gro s. No. Gross. No Gross. No Gross. Atlantic and Gulf.....-.......... 53 4,775 22 1,053 2 308 II 18,505 88 24,641 J2fsych Ue ka aie NERA HIS I PA 5 2,618 14 D7 SO eel Ne cpealinenu meets if 1,554 20 5,922 Great Aes... oc. ce sien ee tne cs ess I 8 5) OBE Mei cones liatein sek cclass 8 17,403 16 18,114 Western Rivers............... as 7 137 12 BAe ee eee celtics feeds onise 19 980 MOLI ics cate ke rs a wale ances 66 7,538 55 4,349 2 | 308 20 37,462 || 143 49,657 The largest steel steam vessels included in these figures are: , NAME. GROSS TONS. WHERE BUILT. OWNER. MONG ara sit cia set tatisg TOON: sales Sales cals s wns 4.605 Newport News, Va. Southern Pacific Co. JL pg cami! is ei a i Again Poni A er arene 4,417 Sparrows Point, Md. Maryland Steel Co. IMPORTER yinass 2) sila Oi rule ties yale sien etd tle 3 4,702 Philadelphia, Pa. N. Y. & Cuba Mail S. S. Co. PNPA CHER Stitt tie dike « Ge Gi BS at Ries c\s 4 3,378 fe as Clyde S. S. Co. ; EMEA aes casts Dela via genet Rchsia)b is reie sts ce ov <ce 3,748 Wyandotte, Mich. Detroit Ship Building Co. 1 LEDECACS) ole) Coke sh me ee Rams Seen a Mt ore 3,871 W. Bay City, Mich. American Ship Bldg. Co. IES (OVE @) SRT ball Serials aie gain aan: ore ye urs Fare Fear 4,499 Buffalo, N. Y. Buffalo Dry Dock Co. The foregoing figures do not include craft without motive power of theirown. From other sources than construc- tion 2 vessels of RIG. SCALAR AD ess. ca hiecclu ie «revi = aie sue Teepe fos pin eiaio’edeiensis BAT RCM: 55. 2, <inleie'n © <cis) eine tgsns leein |g ve misses 4 e)eje%) oe Spnie s Built May, 1900, 46,534. gross tons were added to the merchant fleet, the principal ones being: NAME. GROSS TONS. WHY OFFICIALLY NUMBERED. Balclutha 1689 (?) Act Congress. J. C. Pfluger. 1062 a oe ELEVEN MONTHS’ SHIPBUILDING RETURNS. : - The Bureau of Navigation reports 1,024 vessels of 359,789 gross tons were built in the United States and officially numbered during eleven months ending May 31, 1901, as follows: WOOD. STEEL TOTAL. SAIL STEAM. SAIL STEAM. No. Gross, ' No. Gross. No. Gross. No Gros3. No. Gross. Atlantie and Gulf,............... 414 | 69,001 175 10,314 9 10,320 42 80,250 640 | 169,885 PACINOnS: ee coms tae «Cael earanes t 50 | 23 991 Ole IO, OAA AN ctve si atal> eieceonveraie € 6 7,607 135 | 41,642 Great. Lakes og! tts Sgiscivd aia s Rate toe 6 116 40 4,824 5 11,236 42 121,757 93! 137,933 Western Rivers .................. 57 1,054 | 98 Beran |e cries casual ethene [ 562 156| 10,329 OTA ees gees Syne Me bieckt bce < 527 | 94,162 392 | 33,895 14 | 21,556 gI 210,176 || 1,024 | 359,789 During corresponding eleven months, ended May 31, 1900, sail and steam vessels of 264,929 gross tons were built and officially numbered. A NONSUCH AGAIN. We are this week told by one of our valued exchanges that, for years engineers have bemoaned the great loss of physical energy the ocean’s waves and currents have present- ed, and many have been the efforts to so control them as to make them subservient to the uses of mankind. At last Capt. John S. Watters, a graduate of the naval academy at Annapolis, thinks he has solved the problem. Capt. Watters is at present a resident of New Orleans, and claims that his invention can be applied to any vessel with little expense. He would substitute for the solid bilge keel one which would contain square apertures, and in each aperture firmly secure by its forward end a fin made of laminated spring material, preferably steel ona steel ship and brass on a wooden or coppered vessel. These fins fill up the apertures almost completely, and when the ship is steady offer very little, if ELECTRICITY FOR CANAL TRANSPORTATION. An Ohio canal proposes to do away entirely with the old mule system, and substitute an electric system. Small electric locomotives or haulers will be operated along tracks that are constructed along the tow-path. With the electric system it is expected to tow from 1 to 6 canal boats, require- ing two men only for the entire fleet. At the present time it takes several days for a boat to pass from Toledo to Cin- cinnati, whereas, it is estimated that, by an electric system, they can be propelled that distance in twenty-four hours. eee ee “MANNING’S Yacht Register’? for 1901 has been issued. Part first, as usual, contains a list of the recognized yacht clubs of the United States and British provinces, and a list of officers and addresses of the secretaries of the clubs, names of yachts, dimensions, etc. JUNE 6, Igol. a eee emer vecieniarenierteecinmomse eee any more resistance to headway than such as is due toa RESTORATION OF AN ENGINEERS’ CANCELLED LICENSE. APPEAL TO THE SUPERVISING INSPECTOR—DECISION OF LOCAL, INSPECTORS MODIFIED-—-A THREE MONTHS’ SUSPENSION IN PILACE OF A TOTAL REVOCA- TION OF LICENSE. _. STEAMBOAT INSPECTION SERVICE, OFFICE OF SUPERVISING-INSPECTOR FIRST DISTRICT, Port oF SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., May 13th, 1901. (CONTINUED FROM ISSUE MAY 30.) If it be true that Captain Ward gave Captain Jordan direc- tions to ‘‘Let her go,’”’ during the fog, where, at that time, the ship’s position was known, and where she could again have safely anchored, he must have done soin the full be- lief that the pilot’s superior knowledge as to the waters thereabout would enable him at that time, and under the existing conditions, to take the ship safely through the Golden Gate—a distance of three or four miles, even though it was foggy and dark. Jordan was then, and had been from the time he boarded the ship the previous day, right- fully in charge of the navigation of the ship; hence, was not” obliged to obey the orders of Captain Ward, who could have relieved him, if he chose, and taken charge of the naviga- tion of the vessel if he desired to take so grave a responsibil- ity, but he did not do it; therefore, in my judgment, when the pilot proceeded, without remonstrance, to leave a safe anchorage to enter the harbor during a fog and darkness, he did so on his own responsibility. The tide was half ebb, run- ning three miles per hour when the ship left her anchorage, and must have gradually increased to five or six miles be- tween Fort and Lime Points, owing to the narrowing of the channel and the then heavy freshets in the rivers. Accord- ing to the pilot the ebb tide on that occasion and on the next day ran across from Point Cavallo about aS. by W. course toward Fort Point. The ebb tide does undoubtedly run across the channel there, at times 15°, but the question in my mind is: was it that that cut the ship to the southward and on to the reef or was it the courses steered by Pilot Jor. dan as testified to by Mr. Coghlan? At all events the pilot was in no way justified in leaving asafe anchorage as he did, and penetrating a dense fog during the prevailing dark- ness of night. Therefore, with all due respect to the Pilot Commission which acquitted him, I am of the opinion that to the unskill- fulness of the pilot may be attributed that disaster. Ship- masters frequently bring their ships safely through the Golden Gate under similar conditions, and are applauded for it by their passengers, but it is a dangerous proceeding, especially so in a large vessel like the City of Rio de Janeiro. Second Assistant Engineer Brady, in charge of the engi- neers’ watch after four o’clock, was just as competent to perform h’s duty on that occasion as he had been during any of the innumerable watches he had charge of during two or three years’ service on the City of Riode Janeiro. He was undoubtedly prepared to inerease or diminish the speed of that vessel at the will of the pilot, who testified that the ship had made her estimated distance at the time she struck, but she was about half a mile to the southward of her anticipated position when she received her ‘fatal wounds. Brady had ample notice to prepare for going ahead and announced his readiness for doing so before the anchor was lifted. Assuming that at first his fires werea little ‘‘g.een,’’ they could not remain so for more than ten of the fifty minutes that elapsed between the time the ship started ahead and the time she struck. Therefore, he undoubtedly had ample steam to proceed, as he did, at half speed as directed from the bridge. The appellant, Herlihy, when giving his testimony, showed that he had been well coached, and evaded many of the pertinent questions put to him by the Ccurt as to his conduct on that occasion, stating what he was accustomed to do on leaving and entering twenty-four other ports on the voyage, and contending that the off watches were not required in the engine room at their stations until they got - the “stand-by” signal from the bridge when the ship was about to anchor, He testified that he was awakened by the moving of the ; engines when they were set in motion about the time the anchor was being hove up, and he then got out of bed, where he had apparently been for five hours between blank- . ets, and in his pajan.~s, instead of lying down in his cloth- ing, to be ready toenter the engine room at a moment’s notice. After getting up, he went out on the hurricane deck, and saw that it was very dark and thick, and returned to his room and opened the door leading into the engine room,and ,