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Bugineering. ON OCE WATER STEAMERS. A correspondent asks for information as to the amount of water and coal consumed by an ocean steamer in crogsing the Atlantic, and whether sea water is used for filling the boilers, Great changes have occurred in ovean steam navigation since the first Cu- nard steamer entered Boston harbor in 1840, by which the quantity of fresh water and coal required on a single voyage has been very much reduced. ‘The introduction of the surface condensing process prevents a waste of steam, Which is now saved for con- tinual service, and thereby greatly reduces the quantity ot water needed. ‘The Cunard steamer Atlas, of 2,393 tons, before leaving port fills her boilers with fresh water, their capacity being from forty to fifty tons, and this quantity is generally sufficient to last through the voyage, but in case it runs short the distilling apparatus on board can make up the deficiency from sea water. For tuel she usually carries about 600 tons of coal, the daily consumption being from thirty-five to forty tons, and the run_ across the ocean re- quires about 400 tons. The Servia, the latest addition to this line, an immense steamer of 7,392 tons, requires about 175 tons per day, while the old Scotia, which was only about one-quarter of the size of the new steamer, consumed from 150 to 175 tons daily. ‘This great saving in coal is owing to the inven- tion of the compound marine engine.—Bos- ton Journal. : —— SAIL AND STEAM. Iron has certainly pushed wood almost off the ocean, but it seems less likely than it did that steam will wholly supersede sails. ‘The first iron sailing’ vessel ever built in this country was launched at the Roach shipyard, at Chester on the Delaware, last week, and it is expected that many others will be con- structed. It is found that there is a growing demand for large sailing vessels in England, and forty-four otf them were built on the Clyde in 1882, twenty more than in 1881. For the transportation of merchandise which does not require quick movement they are more economical than ships driven by steam. ‘Ihe cost of coal to drive a large ship across the Atlantic makes an important item in the expense of transportation, and by avoiding it sailing vessels gain an ad- vantage sufficient to permit them to offer low rates. As iron and steel make much ie and durable ships than wood they. will ultimately be exclusively used for the construction of ships, but as sails are much cheaper tham steam they will always be extensively used tor the transportation of freight whose delivery is not required to be very prompt. THE FISHING TUG HELENE. The fishing tug Helene, which was in port Jast week, was built last winter at Rich- mond, O., by Captain J. W. Averill, Jr. She is 60 feet keel, 71 feet over all, 14 feet beam, 5 feet 7 inches hold. She hasa 14x16 engine and a boiler 10 feet long, 5 feet shell, built of the best Otis steel. Her Real is 8x12 the planking being 24g inch _ stuff. The main keelson is 7x7, bilge keelson, 5x15, 3 inch clamp and shelf piece with ceiling of 2 inch oak. The frames are 6x12 and 17 inches from centre to centre. She is owned by Captain J. W. Averill, Jr., & Co. NIGHT SIGNALING. Vessel owners and marine men generally are becoming greatly interested in the Cor- ton distinguished night signals, which will be used extensively on the lakes this sum- mer. ‘The vessel adopting this code will each burn a combination of diflerent colored lights which will form their distinctive signal. _ It will be of service to them in passing ports, signal stations, or other boats on the water. By burning these signalsa vessel can indicate to which particular line it belongs. The invention is extremly simple, and has ayremarkably good history from away back. The cyclopzedias characterize it as the best in use. Its value as a means of communica- tion in time of disaster is incalculable. Lieutenant Schwatka, the story is told, had provided himself with them for use in his Arctic expedition. While on the coast of Labrador the men were obliged to sleep in snow houses, leaving the dogs oytside. One night the men were awakened by a terrific howling and barking amongst the beasts, and found, on investigating, that a pack of wolves had surrounded them. Schwrtka knew too well the vanity of shooting them; put, after a little reflection, hit upon the device of striking one of the Coston lights. When the red light burst upon them the howling ceased, and the beasts stared in terror at the steady glare; the green light set their heels in activity, and by the time the cartridge had burned to the white light not a woll yas in sight. ‘The signals were also used throughout the civil war, and the cap- ture of Fort Fisher has been attributed to the signal facilities aftorded by this system. ‘The lights can be seen -ten or fifteen miles onthe darkest night, and have been in- corporated into the International Com- mercial Code, which four governments be- sides our own have adopted, viz., France, Italy, Denmark, and Holland. FUEL AND NAUTICAL AND SCIENTIFIC, The schooner Florence Howard is aground at Port Granby. The Chicago seamen’s Union have set the wages for the opening of navigation at $2 per day. Captain McKenzie, of the lighthouse steamer Haze, is in ‘Toledo for the purpose of resetting the stakes in the channel. A rebate in hullinsurance is allowed craft which do not sail until May 1, The ice is piled up thirty and forty feet high around the West Sister and Middle Sts- ter Islands. There is a probability that the rates on coarse freights will be better this year than last. The lighthouse steamer Dahlia is about to supply the fog-horn stations with coal. The lights have been lit at Point Betsy, Tawas Point and other Lake Michigan ports. The wages paid at Detroit for fitting out were $2 per day, and this seems likely to be the rate for the summer. The Anchor Line schooner, Annie Sher- wood, was damaged by fire at Erie to the ex- tent of $2,000. The steamer Arundell was the first boat to reach ‘l'awas and Alpena, The lights on ‘Tawas Point and Charity Island were lighted ‘Tuesday night. It is rumored at’Port Colborne that the canal will be opened May 1. The propeller Flora and Pear! are the first boats to pass Fort Gratiot this season. Efforts are being made to raise the pro peller Depere, of the Goodrich line, which went on the beach at “wo Rivers last fall. Buffalo’ Courier: Smith & Davis Monday bought the late Captain F, N. Jones’ interest —the controlling half—in the schooner Red- wing for $11,000. The propeller City of Concord, with the F. J. Dunford, will engage in the salt trade the same as last season, from shore ports to Toledo. The tugs A. W. Wright, Oneida, Quint y and Hope, have been chartered to tow ves- sels and logs at Duluth ‘They will leave for that port as soon as the Sault Ste. Marie opens. . Captain J. M. Jones has sold his schooner James Ward for W. E. Champin & Son, of Sandusky, to Jeannette W. .Morton and Margaret Hoose for $8,000; also the schooner Elvina to the Chicago lumber company for $9,000. The steambarge Ohio has been re-meas- ured, her new tonnage falling off 250 tons below what she registered under the old system. Soundings have been made at Toledo, and it is has been ascertained that vessels draw- ing fourteen feet of water can passin and out without difficulty. All vessel masters who clear for ports in Saginaw Bay are notified not to interfere with the working of the dredges in that lo- cality. Chicago laborers have adopted the follow- ing schedule.of wages for the coming sea- son: Shoveling hard coal, 14 cents per ton; soft coal, 10 cents per ton; dumping, 4 cents per ton; wheeling 70 cents per hour. In acertain part of Texas, many miles from thé coast lie the remains of a ship, high aud dry in the prairie grass. She is of Spanish build, and supposed to have been driven inland by a tidal wave. An eight-day clock that had been given to the wife of Douglass Ottinger, of Erie, Pa., asa wedding present by her husband, stopped at the very moment she died, and cannot be started again. There was a break in marine cargo rates at Milwaukee Friday—a cut of 10 per cent. ‘The rates for some time past have been 20 cents on the $10U value to Luke Erie ports, but the cargo of the schooner J. B. Merrill was taken at 18 cents, The canal boat owners and commercial association of the State of New York was in- corporated Saturday. The organization is formed for the benefit and reliet of its inem- bers, to recommend reforms in the manage- ment of the canals, and promote or restrict by lawful means legislation affecting their interests. Captain Larsen, of the schooner Maple Leaf of Bayfield, which went ashore last fall, and is now lying at the mouth of the Iron river, was up the other day examining her condition. She is not much damaged and the captain will soon have a crew of men at work raising ber. A new steambarge, being built for Hull & Amindinger will be launched at Benton Har. bor, at 2 o’clock, Saturday. Her dimensions are: Length of keel, 102 feet; breadth of beam, 2414 feet; depth of hold, 9}¢ feet. Her engine, which js 18x20 feet, “as built by Anderson & Coleman, of St. Joseph. Her boiler is 7x14 feet, and her wheel is 7 feet in diameter, with 11 feet lead. The propellers of the Luke Superior Transportation Company, are being fitted out at Buffalo. Itis reported that the ice at the toot of Lake Huron is piled up in bergs and hills, and mountains as far as the eye can reach; that in the distance it looks like clouds, 80 high up does it tower above the surface of the lake. ‘The Chieago Inter Ocean is re- sponsible for the above. In an address before the ‘Toledo branch of the Sailors’ Union President Powers stat- ed that the union now has a membership of about 6,000. and was never ina more flour- ishing condition. He was of the opinion that wages would be $2 a day as soon as navigation opens, Another body from the wreck of the Fol- ger came ashore at Gulf Pond Saturday. It is the body of Nathan “ongston, ‘This is the fifth body recovered from this wreck. There are four more not yet recovered. The father of the young man arrived at Picton on Sunday, and will take the body to Clay- ton, N. Y., for burial.— Detroit Free Press. The lights: are now burning nightly at Charity Point, ‘Tawas Point, and South Manitou. ‘The latter light, which has hith- erto shown a white flash at intervals of ninety seconds, now shows a white flash at intervals of sixty seconds. The first vessel movement at Kingston was made Wednesday morning, when the Folger left her moorings and went to Me- Miglan’s storehouse, Purtsmouth, to load rye for Oswego. It has finally been decided that the pro- peller Saginaw Valley is to run during the coming season, as was first intimated, be- tween Ogdensburg and Chicago. Another route was offered, and some time given to the consideration thereof, bul the determin- ation as noted was finally reached. The Spartan and the Magnet, two of the largest of the Richelieu and On- tario navigation company’s fleet, have beet. charterec for service on the Georgian Bay to run. on a route in connection with a por- tion of the Canadian Pacific. : The wages per month to be paid mariners by the Lehigh Valley ‘Transportation Com- pany this season are as follows First mate... Waiters... The steamer Waite is receiving its annual overhauling, and will be thoroughly reno- vated for the season’s business. Lighthouse keepers now report to the su- perintendent of the service at Buffalo, in- stead of the customs department, and it is not known how soon the light on Water street hill will be lighted. j A dispatch trom Detroit says that the re- cent heavy winds have broken up the ice on Lake St. Clair, and it is floating down the stream in huge masses. It is probable that steamers will be able to cross the lake ina few days. The competition between the insurance companies has reduced the rates of maiine insurance from one to two and one half per cent, below what they were last year. A great deal of hull insurance has been covered at this port, but asthe season has not yet fairly opened, but little is being done in the way of cargoes. The last Congress failed to make an ap- propriation for the maintenance of the United States signal service, and, econ- sequently, all the Lake Ene stations, with the exception of those at Buffalo, Erie, Cleve- land, and ‘Toledo, have been discontinued, ‘The propeller of the Sandusky, Put-in- Bay, Dunkirk, Monroe, and Fairport stations has been turned over to Sergeant Newlir. Buffalo Courier: The tng G. R. Hand madea trip outside Monday. The ice, which had been blown back to the breakwater, was found soft and honycombed, and the tug had little difficulty in forging ahead in it. Lt extends as far as the eye can reacn, but it is probable that a powerful steamer could work through it into open water. Naviga- tion on this lake will likely open this week, and then we may look for grain arrivals from ‘Toledo and Detroit. Supervising Inspector Joseph Cook ix pleasently employed at present aMxing his autograph to 4,000 sheets bearing the revised pilot rules. In order to inspire in the pilots a proper respect for the law, each supervis- ing Inspector’s name must be written on each sheet with his own hand. ‘lo this end, as s00n as the rules are printed, they are boxed up and sent to Baltimore, where the autographic business begins, As soon as the Baltimore man gets his rame on about 1,000 he boxes them up and sends them by express to the next supervising in-pector, and proceeds to affix his signature toan other 1,000 let, which follows the firat as soon as itis ready. Each inspector, as soon as he finishes 1,000 passes them on to the next and the ball is thus kept. rolling until all the signatures are collected.— Detroit Free Press. At Oswego Superintendent Phelps has received an order to build a dock extending east and west along the shore, from the east side of the new harbor trestle to the old stone pier. ‘The dock will be 400 feet long, and will require 20,000 cubic yards of filling. An immence quantity of timber will be used in its construction, There will be a depth of thirteen feet of water in its entire length. The steamboats at Kingston will run as follows this season: ‘The Pierrepont will run to Ganonoque during the first part of the season, then she will attend to the [sland ferry and the Princess Louisa will run down the river, leaving the Cape Vincent trips to the steamer Maud. When the pleasure travel Legins, the Princess and Maud will change routes. ‘Phe Watertown will be held for emergent business. Aside from the ever-important question of freight rates, every one connected with ma- rine matters is just now deeply interested in the opening of the Straits, and from pres- ent indications will not have long to wait. Hundreds of vessels are almost ‘ready to start for eastern ports, and can get under way almost as soon as the welcome news ar- rives, ‘The season, so far as the Straits are concerned is the most backward ot any sea- son for upwards of thirty years. A cireular from the Canadian department of canals and railways says: ‘For the nav- igable season of 1883 vessels will be allowed to pass through the Welland canal without restriction as to movable or fixed bowsprits, other than they have hitherto done; they will, however, 9s heretofore, be held liable as provided for in the canal regulations, for any damages they may do to the bridges or other works.” Vesselmen who thought they would have to “top up” their bowsprits in order to be able to pass through the Wel- land canal will feel much relieved to hear the above. Bids for improving the harbor of Pensau- kee and Cedar river were opened at Milwau- kee last week with the following result: Cedar River, Mich., for 450 linear feet pile pier, Green’s Dredging Company, $9,974; ‘Truman .& Cooper, $10,276; Green. Bay Dredge & Pile Driver Co., $11,332; W. T. Casgrain, $12,846. Pensaukee, for 1,500 lin- ear feet slab pier, F. B. Gardner, $9,155; Green Bay Dredge & Pile Driver Co., $10,- 065; W. ‘I. Casgrain, $12,349, We have just received a letter from L. Katzenrtein & Co., of New York, in which they say ‘We are at. present very busy in supplying our packing for marine engines. We would name a few which we have fur- nished these last few weeks. We repacked the stuffing boxes of piston rods and valves of the steamers Servia and Gallia, of the Cunard Steamship Company. ‘The latter has been running with the same packing three years, Algo for the two new German steam- ers Fulda and Werra and other steamers of the North German Lloyd, also the ‘two new steamers of the Hamburg American Packet Company, Persia and Hammonia, which we fitted up all throngh, from the main engine ° down to the smallest stuffing box on board, and others of freight lines. We also fitted up steamers built by John Roach & Son,- Mergan Iron Works, of this city and Ches- ter, Pa., also the Harlan & Holligsworth Co., Wilmingion, Del.; Hartford Engineer- ing Co., Hartford, Conn., besides a good many tugboats and river steamers and sta- tionary engines. ‘The great United States Marine Hospital off Chicago (in luke view) had a narrow es- cape recently from destruction by fire. Fire ignited in some way on the extreme upper floor in the central part of the building—it is supposed from spontaneous combustion, The fire could not have originated in any other way. It had been burning some time before discovered, for the reason that there was no oneon that floor, and had it got mue more headway the elegant structure—eon- sidered to be one of the finest aud most com- plete United States hospitals in the country —might have been reduced to ruins, Stew- ard Villard, in his rounds, chanced to ascend tothe upper floor, however, in the nick of time. He immediately gave the alarm and all hands were speedily at work. Surgeon Miller wasin the hospital at the time, and under his management and lead the flames were brought under control and finally ex- tinguished, ‘Che hospital has all the neces- sary appliances, always kept in working order, and to this fact and the prompt and energetic action of Surgeon Miller, Steward Villard, and the other attaches, and some inmates is due the saving of He magnificent building and the thousands ot dollars it cost. ‘The damage is only about $500. HOIST THE BANNER. Corrugated Haxall Flour is knocking for admission at every door in the land, and the mistress of each household is crying out: “Eureka! Eureka!’ as the palatable loaves (together with a few small fishes.) come smoking from the oven, Pshaw! Swayne’s Ointment beats everything for the cure of piles and all skin diseases. Millions of peo- ple are being made glad through its use. No “quack” there; it does all that is claimed for it. Try it, ye who suffer, All the lead- ing druggists keep it.