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

THE MARINE RECORD. 11 THE LAKE CENSUS BULLETIN. The census bulletin on transportation by water credits the Jakes with 2,784 vessels with total crews o 15,881 men. The estimate allows of less than six men to each vessel, a ridicn— lously low figure when it is considered that the Chicago Jum- ber vessels always carry seven mev,—[The Marine Record. The Inland Lloyds vessel register names about 42 side-wheel steamers, 687 propellers, 857 schooners, and 451 tugs. This is by no means a complete list of bouts on the lakes, as there are a large number which are not entered for insurance atall. The total of the numbers given abuyesis 2,039, about five-sevenths of the number mentioned in the census report, The side- wheelers are all passenger boats, many of which carry as high as forty hands, and for which twenty-five men isalow average. The complement of the ordinary coal and ore freighters is seventeen men, as follows: one captain, two engineers, two mates, two wa'chmen, two wheelsmen, four deck hands, three firemen, and one cook. Besides these, many steamers carry five deck hands and four firemen, besides one oiler. None of them exn get along without at least fifceen men, and a large number are line boats, which find it cheaper to carry a large crew of men to move freight in preference to paying forty cents per man per hour to have it stowed away. There are many passenger propellers carrying in some cases ns high as sixty bands all told. Tiuerefore twenty would be a very low average for the steamers. A captain, two mates, four deck hands, and one cook is the usual number required on a schooner ortow barge. A few get along with six men, but that is the least number, except under extraordinary circumstances, and as even the Chicago lumber hookers have to carry seven men, this number is a good average. Tugs must carry at least four men, and often have day and night crews? Attention is called fo the following results: Eyes | S| ee | Rig. € | $2 | Total. 5 | 396 Ae Sidewheelers . 42} 25 | 1,050 Propellers. 687 | 20 13,740 Consorts and sa 859 aor 6,013 Tugs 451 4 1,804 RoEAnItOLM st vice em ccse Cia -ce ous | 22,607 Deducting the 2,039 boats from the census compilers’ find- ing of 2,784, and there is a remainder of 745. These are al- most entirely lumber ‘hookers’? and small harbor tugs, not considered good risks. Allowing for 500 of the former, with crews of seven men each, and 245 for small craft, with three men each, there are 4,235 men to be added to the grand total of the above table, which gives at least 26,842 as the number employed. If actual figures could be secured there would be 2 showing much larger than is obtained by this calculation on low averages, and a result of from 30,000 to 35,000 as the number given actual employment on the lakes in the season would be found.—[The Cleveland Leader. The marine editor of the Cleveland ‘Leader’ is certainly within the lines in quoting the foregoing estimates, Fully 35,000 persons would be found to be actually engaged in the navigation of the lakes if authentic figures were quoted, From the proceedings uf the thirty-ninth annual meeting of the board of supervising inspectors of steam vessels, 1891, pages 116 to 121, we find. that 8,496 licenses were granted to masters, mates, pilots and engineers. This is considerable more than half the total employ:s as given by the census bureau, and there are surely more men employed than officers; that is to say, even allowing that a percentage of the men re— newing their licenses are not sailing, still there must at least be more than one man for each licensed officer. Further than this there are no licenses required for the large number of sail and towing vessels on the lakes, so that the total of 8,496 licenses does not eyen represent the number of mas- ters and officers sailing on the lakes. As regards total crews. if we tuke the case of the Bradley Line freight steamer out of Cleveland we find 19 hands all told. What a sorry showing this makes for the average of less than six men to each boat. Again, the Buffalo liners usually carry 8 to 10 hands more than the ordinary freight steamers, and the passenger lines even a INCORPORATED 17014. lnsurance Company of North America, CAPITAL, Paid up in Gash, ss s ASSETS, - = Z 3 3 CHARLES PLATT, President. EUGENE L. ELLISON, 2nd Vice-Presider.t. cr Lake Marine Department. ORGANIZED 1881, ‘Michigan Fire and Marine Insurance Co, $ 400,000 CAPITAL, - - ; ASSETS, - - 5 = LOSSES PAID, over - : : DN. WHITNEY, Jr., President. This Company will transact a Hull and Cargo business on the Lakes during the season of 1892. LOSSES PROMPTLY PAID, INSURE IN A STRONG HOME COMPANY. DETROIT, MICH. WILLIAM A, PLATT, Vice-President. TL oD Bi JOHN II. ATWOOD, Assistant Secretary. GEORGE L. McCURDY, Manager, EUGENE HARBECK, Secretary, larger percentage than the liners. Evidently the statistics presented by Mr, Thomas J. Vivian are somewhat at variance with the actual numbers employed sailing on the great lakes, and we earnestly look for a revision of the figures as given in Bulletin 179, [a + oe S00 CANAL AND RIVER. Marie, Micu.—There is no end of fault- find- ing among vessel men on account of the action of the canal officers in building a platform in the lock so as to keep the draft of water no greater than the depth over the sill, Quite recently a heavier sill was placed in the lock, thus diminish- ing the actual draft of water, and to follow up the idea a plat- form has been built, so that if a vessel touches on the sill, she will fetch up solid on the platform and require lightering; whereas, without the platform being built, they might tre- quently pass through, This departure is said to be a small piece of cunning work for which there was no occasion, and the platform ought not to have been built. The ice has probably moved some of the small boulders out into the channel of the river to the east of the “Black Hole” and abreast of Topsail Island, A lighter and derrick, carry— ing a diving outfit, could easily remove all such minor ob- structions, and at a small cost. Whatever the new work may promise for future commerce, the present channels ought to be conserved and the best possible depth of water given to the large tonnage now being kept moving almost on schedule time, Saurr Ser, There are many reasons advanced for the low stage of water experienced, even after a hard winter, Regarding low water at the Saalt Canal Captain Dan Buie, of the Wilson Line pro- peller Wallula, is quoted as follows: “The low stage of water at the lower sill of the Sault lock appears to many as only a temporary annoyance, which will be relieved by June freshets, summer expansion of water, and other such acts of Providence, among which the seven years’ theory of the rise and fall of water on the lakes and river is mentioned. But it can be observed that as the Hay Lake im- provement progresses, the water at the foot of the rapids keeps felling. This can be accounted for from the fact that while the flow of water over the rapide is about the same as acual, there are now two deep water channels carrying off the water from the foot of the rapids, whereas there was only one outlet of any account previous to the digging of the Hay Lake channel. It would appear as though some means should bave been taken to check the flow of water until such time as that channel was completed, the new lock finished, and Topsail Island range deepened. This could be done, and a fairly good Stage of water at the present lock maintained by sinking cribs at the head of Hay Lake channel and keeping them there un- til the new lock is finished and Hay Lake channel ready for business.’’ —___ ED oa LAKE LINE AGEN’ The Chicago Lake Line Agents’ Association held its ennual tmaeeting in the Arbitration room at the Board of Trade on Saturday afternoon, T. I’, Morford, of the Union Line, was re-elected president, and J.C, Evans, of the Anchor Line, secretary, A letter was read from Senator Cullomin reference to Con- gressman Durborow’s resolution repealing the act passed by the last Congress, giving the Secretary of War discretionary power to lease the government pier at the mouth of the river for business purposes, A committee was appointed, which will draw up the formal objection to a leasing of the govern— ment piers for any purpose whatever, The association also adopted a memorial to the Chicago members of Congress, asking them to vote against the bill authorizing a bridge across the St. Lawrence, near Brock ville and Morristown. ‘his was immediately telegraphed to the Chicago Congressmen and the Illinois Senators. <> The steamer Ossifrage, which was rebuilt last winter, has had her name changed to the James Smith, $3,0C0,0 0.00 A 9,273,220.00 R, See’y & Treas. , with the charter. CHICAGO ILLS: J. D. JONES, Prest. 900,000 1,500,000 W. I, BARRISS, President. C, E. BURKE, to do business, W. H. H. MOORE, Vice-Prest. THOS FITZPATRICK, Would be pleased to meet or correspond with any one whose present Banking relations are i i : te not entirely satisfacto:y, or who, for any reason, propose to open a new accoun We promise to make every effort to make our Bank a safe, agreeable and profitable place THE “SERVE” BOILER TUBE. While much credit is due to inventors for their ingenuity in, devising important departures in practice in all industries, yet probably still greater credit should frequently be assigned to those parties who perseveringly work for their practical and absolutely succersful adoption, The “Engineer” says: ‘In no instance do we believe this to be so apparent as in the case of the “Serve” tube, which our readers are aware has in its interior a number of ribs. It has always been evident that to obtain the highest effici- eucy in any desired direction, the whole of the circumstances must be kept in view. Thistruism was not overlooked by the patentees, and it is gratifying to find that they have been able to work out what are suitable and what are unsuitable condi- tions for the “Serve ’ tubes. Following up this experience, they have decided not to offer to supply the ‘Serve’? tubes until they have satisfied themselyes that the conditions under which they will be worked are suited tc their characteristics, The most unfavorable conditions would be low natural draft and very smoky coal. Small steamships with short funnels are therefore unable to avail themselves of the “Serye’” tubes, Large steamships with high funnels, or with induced or forced draught, are suitable for the adoption of the “Serve” tube, even when they burn smoky coal. At a moderate rate, indne- ed draught will keep the tubes cleaner than forced dranght. Ata rate of combustion of 30 Ib, or more per square foot of grate surface per hour it is of no importance, go far as the tube is concerned, whether induced or forced draught, smoky or smokeless coal, be used. For natural draught a height of funnel of 65 feet is deemed necessary by the manufacturers of the “‘Serve”’ tubes for Welsh or equivalent quantity of steam coal, and for smoky coal a funnel 75 feet in height. When these conditions are offered, Mesars. John Brown & Co, are prepared to guarantee that the ‘Serve’? tubes will give no trouble in use, and they will insure a minimum advantage, with cold air feed, of 10 per cent. increased evaporation, or cf a corresdonding economy of fuel as may be preferred, and somewhat less when hot air is supplied to the furnaces. In re-tubing boilers of steamers complying with the above con- ditions, by substituting the ‘Serve’ for plain tubes, at least 10 per cent. of coal will be saved by keeping the neight of fun- uel or rate of artificial draught—cold sir feed—the same. If the funnel be heightened 10 feet to 15 feet or the cold ir feed draught be increased, so as to burn the same quantity of coal as previously with the plain tubes, at least 10 per cent. in- crease in the evaporation will be produced by the same con- sumption of coal. Although 10 per cent. is all that is guaranteed, greater economy will be obtained with cold air feed, even ata draught of 7-16 in. vacuum atthe base of the funnel when Welsh coal is used, or at a draught of 12in. vacuum with inferior coal, and at a draught of 3-4in. vacuum 15 per cent. increase in the evaporation is obtainable, In new boilers, “Serve’’ tubes of slightly larger diameter than the plain ones which would otherwise be used, would make it unnecessary to increase the height of funnel to obtain the advantage in the shape of extra evaporation, The larger diameter would restore the tube area for the passage of the gases to that of the plain ones, and consequently the draught. The above figures are based on many experiments of yaried duration, and are well worthy of consideration by all steum- ship owners, marine and locomotive superintendent engineers. Ifu higher speed be required by competitors for the biue ribbon of the Atlantic, increased steam evaporation by one- fifth is obtainable without increasing the size of the boilers or burning additional fuel. Again, if increased carrying capa- bility be the desideratum, ei:her of cargo in mercantile steam- ers, or of bunker coul in cruisers and battleships, these bene~ fits are obtainable. As we have already indicated, great care has been ‘taken in arriving at the above figures, and we see no reason to doubt that Messrs. John Brown & Co’s cone!usions are warranted by the facts—and there is every likelihood, as the outcome of the experience obtained at such great outlay, that further benefits will accrue to steam users. At present we can only indicate the nature of this new departure in boiler engineering, viz., the developement of x combination of a high rate of mduced draught and hot air feed. It has been patented by Messrs. John Brown & Co, and will be at work more extensively than at present before many months elapse. . no a + ca The new Two Harbors ore docks, said to be the finest oa the Lakes, will be ready for business next week, MARINE AND INLAND INSURANCE. ATLANTIC MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, (ORGANIZED 1842.) Insures against Marine and Inland Transportation Risks and will issue Policies making Loss Payable in England, Assets over $10,600,000 for the Security of its Policies. The profits of the Company revert to the assured, and are divided annually upon the premiums terminated during the year; thereby reducing the cost of insurance. : idends, certificates are issued bearing interest until ordered to be redeemed, in accordance Office, 51 Wall Street, NEW YORK. For such diy- A. A, RAVEN, 2nd Vice-Prest. J. H. CHAPMAN, Secy. CAPITAL $300,000. The Marine Bank Company, Incorporated in 1891 under State Law. : Successors to E. B. HALE & CO., established in 1852. CLEVELAND, OHIO. DIRECTORS: Il. C. RANNEY, Vice-President, THOS, I. WHITE, W. B. HALE, Cashier. - MARTYN BONNELL