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OCAL PILOTS MAY BE ENGAGED. | the past decade the pilots of the United States we had a grievance against the Navy Department. n 1881 Secretary Hunt issued regulations restrict- of pilots on naval vessels to extraordinary arely if ever, nowadays engages the service of a pilot thout first securing special permission from the Sec- u » retary ofthe Navy. In many instances, they will take the most hazardous risks rather than ask for a pilot for fear that the request will be refused or that their repu- tation as navigators will be injured in the estimation of the authorities. The Pilots’ Association of New York, is considered to have won a signal victory in the issu- ance of the following order : Navy DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 1892. l GENERAL ORDER No. 400. Employment of Pilots. \ All existing orders and regulations restricting the employment of pilots by commanding officers of vessels of war are hereby revoked. Commanding officers will employ pilots whenever in their judgment such employ- ment is necessary. : B. F. Tracy, Secretary of the Navy. "This will be cheerful news to pilots in all maritime cities, and especially in New York and the east, where nayal vessels are constantly moving in and out of dan- gerous places. It means considerable additional em- ployment for them. Naval officers will also be pleased with the Secretary’s new order. They are now permitted to use their own jndgment as to occasions when pilots are necessary. While pride of profession may induce some command- ers to navigate their own ships in and ont of dangerous harbors, the majority will doubtless be only too glad to escape the responsibility for accidents which are liable to happen even with expert pilots aboard. $$ $$ SUBMARINE EARTHQUAKES. The directories or guides of the several oceans, and other works published expressly for the use of ship- masters, abound with instances of well-defined and authentic accounts of submarine earth-quakes having been experienced while at sea, notably in the torrid zone, Novelists are pleased to sink or create an island especially in the South seas at the most opportune time for their yarn to spin out well. Of late years, however, there has not been the experi- ences recorded which earlier navigators were prone to meet with, though now the same characteristics recorded of other submarine shocks is found well away in the North Pacific. It appears that the schooner Dora Sie- ward, H. S. Sieward, master, while on a voyage from Copper Harbor to Seattle, Wash., in a position north of Athka Island, was suddenly lifted as if a whale had struck her keel. Falling again into the trough of the sea she experienced a succession of shocks which cast every- thing loose about the decks, the men being unable to keep their footing. The weather was clear, and the surface of the sea betrayed no evidence of the subaque- ous eruption which was taking place. The vessel sped along on her course for fully a minute, and when she had covered 500 yards, and after being shaken from stem to stern, the eruption ceased. The mate at the wheel said the spokes appeared to be so many electric batteries from which strong shocks tingled through his body till he could hardly keep his position. ‘There can be no doubt of the authénticity of the fore- going, although some of the similar events recorded by early navigators were no doubt due to their vessels grating over coral reefs and other submarine obstruc- tions not plotted on the charts, on account of undeyel- oped surveys, or in latitudes where the bottom had never been surveyed at all. ee MODELS OF CHINESE VESSELS. Models of Chinese junks and vessels of various types have been shipped to Chicago by Edwin Bedloe, United States Consul at Amoy, China. These boats comprise almost all varieties, both ancient and modern, known to that country. As the Chinese have entirely different ideas of ship-building from the other nations of the world, this exhibit will be strikingly novel. ‘The orig- inals have been carefully followed, all of the peculiarities of the strange crafts of the Mongolians being faith- fully produced. The boats are gaudily painted and decorated with huge eyes on either side of the bow, which, according to the maritime superstitions of the country, enable the boats to see. There are eighteen boats coming, including specimens of the sanpan, or small row-boat used in Central China, and the sanpan of Amoy and Formosa, used on the sea coast. Tokian fishing boats; tek-pai, a bamboo passenger raft used in heavy surf; fishing raft, also used in surf. Passen- ger junk of Chian-Chin. Junk of Tong Wah, which are the fastest boats in Chinese waters. Mandarin war ‘and nayal officers have been taken to task so many — times for employing pilots that a commanding officer ~ ‘THE MaRINE RECORD. junk, freight junk of North China; water boat, from which steamers are supplied with fresh water; mus- sionary and Mandarin house boats, Mandarin revenue cruiser, several different kinds of rafts, and other curious craft. en MISSIONARY SERVICE AFLOAT. An interesting form of religious work is that which has been carried on by Madison Edwards and his steam launch Helen May in Vineyard Sound and its vicinity. For some years Mri Edwards has steamed about in his boat visiting eachiyear about 1,100 vessels, and throw- ing aboard each bundles of good reading matter. He has been under regular commission from the Boston Seamen’s Friend Society, and, besides the work des- cribed, has been in many other ways the sailor’s friend. Recently a new missionary steam launch for Mr. Kd- wards’s use was launched—a second Helen May. ‘This launch, which has been made possible by gifts of friends, is 33 feet long, 744 feet beam, and 3 feet 9 inches deep. Besides steam power, she is rigged to carry sail when desired. The boat was dedicated with religious and musical exercises. A gospel barge, the gift of a wealthy New Yorker to Bishop Walker of the Episcopal Church of North Dakota, is to be launched at Bismarck soon. She is to be called the Missouri Missioner and used for Christian work in towns and camps along the Mis- souri for a distance of more than 500 miles. re a ee THE DOMINION ESTABLISHES TIDAL GAUGES, Officers of the’ Marine Department, under the superin- tendence of Mr. C. Carpmael, director of the meteoro- logical service of Canada, are at present engaged in placing the tidal gauges at different points in the maritime provinces. The objects of tidal observations are two: First, to make it possible to predict the time and height of high and low water on any day and at any time; second, to connect therewith observations of tidal currents. It is this second object which has recently mostly attracted the attention of those inter- ested in shipping within the Dominion. Many ships have run ashore and been wrecked in the darkness, when the officers had supposed themselves far from shore. It has been improperly assumed that tidal cur- rents are always connected with the direction and force of the wind, and defy prediction. While this is true of surface currents, there is reason to suppose that by far the greater part of these irregularities are truly tidal, and their laws may be ascertained by a proper system of observation. A tidal observation station will be established at several prominent positions on the coast line. Sir William Thompson’s self-recording machan- ism will be used, as well as eye observation gauges specially designed by Mr. Carpmael. Meteorological observations will also be made in connection with the service. $< + STILL HOLDING HER RECORD, On the last trip upto Duluth, Capt. Zealand, of the RB. C. Pope, is quoted by the Duluth Daily News as saying: ‘The Canadian Pacific railway steamer Alberta has been laying for us all the season, and we got together this trip up. We locked at the Soo together and we beat her to White Fish Point by thirteen minutes. A few weeks ago we wiped out the Manitoba, and the Canadian Pacific people have been bragging ever since, that, as the Alberta could run a mile an hour faster than her, that the Pope would not be init. You say the Gil- bert is anxious to meet us? Well, we’ve passed her twice, and are ready to give her a whirl any time. The Pope’s time from the Soo was just twenty-eight hours, and half the time she was working under check on ac- count of the heavy sea. The Gilbert’s best time was thirty hours. The Pope has met and passed all the fast boats on the lakes now but the Weed and the Chemung.”’ The machinery and the men who drive it are justly en- titled to a full credit for this handsome showing. The E. C. Pope is skillfully handled and holds her record bravely, but she don’t want to lay herself alongside of the Owego or boats of that ilk. a AN INNOVATION IN IRON AND STEEL SHIP- BUILDING. That the old way is not always the best, is evidenced from the following, which we find under “Ship-building Notes” in the columns of our London contemporary, Fairplay: “Ship-builders are, for the most part, asomewhat con- servative class, not given to rushing headlong into new departures. Any innovation on ordinary practice is usually very wisely received in a most cautious and critical spirit; so when, about eight or nine years ago, certain ship-builders on the north-east coast boldly left the beaten track and adopted overlapped butts on the shell instead of the ordinary edge and edge flush butt and buttstrap,- many ship-builders and ship-owners looked on with feelings of horror and disgust. Experi- ence 4as, however, shown that the overlapped joint, though less sightly than the flush butt, is much stronger and more efficient, this being more especially the case in oil-carrying vessels and in very large steamers. Builder after builder and owner after owner have gr ually set their prejudices aside and adopted the ni style, until we find even the Cunard monster, the C pania, built with the greater part of her shell fitted this principle. Within the last year or two an impro form of the overlapped joint has been introduced b Mr. Wilson, of the firm of Harland & Wolff, Limited, Belfast. By this method the shell plates are scarphed at the corners for the width of the seam, thus dispens- ing with the objectionable tapered packing in the seams at the overlaps, and it forms a much fairer and more sightly seam, and surface offering less frictional resist. ance. This system is being extensively adopted in pas- senger and cargo boats and in oil steamers, for the lat- ter of which it appears to possess special avantages.”” a NOTES. 2 All the great naval powers and many of the smaller ones to whom invitations were sent by the State De- partment to participate in the naval display at New York next April have accepted the invitation and have signified their intention to send some of théir latest - constructed vessels to take part in the exercises. The American Ship Windlass Co., of Providence, R. I., have now in full operation the addition to their works, ‘ and although their improved facilities greatly enlarge their capacity for turning out work, they are still as crowded with orders as ever. The schooner Oulina has arrived at Boston from Labrador with a colony of Esquimaux for the World’s Fair. The colony consists of twelve families, compris- ing fifty seven souls, ranging in age from six months to fifty-six years. They have all their paraphernalia with them, including 24 dogs. Captains Samuels and Norton, of the Marine / urnal, will have the iron steamboat Perseus in the naval parade, to take place at New York, October 11, for the accommo- dation of about 500 guests who may desire to take part in and witness the great naval pageant and marine dis- play. The boat’s capacity is about 1,200; the tickets will be limited to 500. bet The South Brooklyn Steam Engine Works have — recently improved their facilities, so that they are pre- pared to furnish condensers at short notice, of the best workmanship, for marine and stationary engines. They have recently secured the services of an engineer who has had experience in modern steamships, who will attend to the details of the condenser work, and will undertake their adjustment, if desired by patrons.— 7he Engineer. Capt. Alex McDougall is out with a card challenging stability of construction and offering. $1,000 even odds — in proving the whalebacks the staunchest vessel. A rather libelous article published in a daily paper from an interview with a stockholder in a competitive ship- yard is the cause of the stand which Capt. McDougall has taken in this direction. It is suggested that compe- tent and disinterested nayal architects be named as the adjudicators. The word is now, without intending to be slangy, ‘‘put up or shut up.” There is considerable rivalry between THE MARINE. RECORD and Svaéoard to see which can present the most striking features to their readers. The last issue of THE RECORD says: ‘We have scarcely had time to receive the congratulations of our friends before along comes Seaéoard under the same press of canvas (or paper) and gives us a close hug to the weather shore, so that now we have to lighten the forms by throwing overboard even our column rules in an attempt to make another dash to windward.’’—7he Detroit Evening News, Messrs. Harland & Wolff have been commissioned by \ the White Star Line to build a large new transatlantic steamer for them. She is to be called the Gigantic, and is to beat the record. She will be 700 feet long by 65 feet 712 inches beam, of 45,000 horse-power, and to steam 22 knots from port to port. It is rumored that the boat will attain a maximum speed of 27 knots, and cross the Atlantic in 4% days. She will have three screws; two of them will be fitted similar to those on the Majestic; the third screw will be central and similar in position to the single screw on board an ordinary steamer. The Gigantic will not be commenced till next year, and it is expected that she will be ready for sea in April, 1894, : ‘The vessel owners of the Great Lakes will score a great triumph when they secure the reinstatement of Col, Ludlow at the head of the lighthouse board at De- 2 troit. He and Commander Hyerman were both knocked out by the Poe influence because they followed the wishes of the vesselmen in lighting St. Mary’s River. After a hard fight before Secretary Foster, Col. Lud- low was determined by him to be in the right and Col. — Poe decidedly in the wrong. Col. Poe should now re- sign.—/nland Ocean, Superior, Wis. ‘The foregoing is all wrong in so far as it relates to Col. O. M. Poe, as we have it on the very best authority that Col. Ludlow has a warm friend and supporter in the person of Col. O. M. Poe, furthermore, the contention at present existing is between the Washington officials and the suspended of. ficers and not as our contemporary seems to sugges st —Ep. ,