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EE E NGINEERINGE $2.00 PER ANNUM SINGLE Copixs 6 Cents “VOL. VI. NO. 37. A FIRE TUG NEEDED. The fact thatthe Toledo fire engine was placed on a scow and made to play on the reat fire Sunday night demonstrated the necessity of afire tug for this city, and it should be the first consideration of the city council to provide one for the protection of property along the river front. Our reliance on the river for water in case of fire is a dan gerous one fcr the reason that the land en- gines cannot secure and hold available posi- tions from whieh to do effective work. How much more availible would be a fire tug, guch as is employed in Chicago to assist in quenching firesin the neighborhood of the iver. SH tug for this purpose should be. built of non-combustible material, and should have plenty of room below decks for the accommo- dation of the erew, who should be ready for duty at all hours, and with her pumps beluw decks she could take her place in close prox- imity to a tire and hold it until the last spark was extinguished. If she had the necessary speed she could be relied upon to get to a fire quite as soon as one of the horse steamers, always. having steam up, the ex- pense of which would be a trifling: consid- eration. In construction she should be pos- sessed of lines that would enable her to turn rapidly ; she should be provided with a sharp iron bow, which would not only be useful in this respect, but would enable her to keep the river open in winter, protect the bridges and prevent the great annual spring losses lo property owners from floods which are sure to occur at that period. (ln estimating the cost of such a tug the council will find that it will not reach the sum neceasary to buy real estvte, build an expensive engine house, procure engines, horses, apparatus, teed, etc., and: would not require any more men for effertive work, and in the-oceasion ofa fire along the river would. be ten-fold more serviceable thin would be a land en- gine, as she would be able to turn a whole broadside of water ou the fire, and if re- quired, pull down, with her grappling irons, an entire building. 11 would be weil if the city authorities would consider this ques- tion and take immediate action toward pro- viding Cleveland with a fire tug of this de- scription. — Cleveland Herald. No need of this great city is more impera- tively demanded than that of a fire tug; an iron fire tug that could be placed in a posi- tion for effective work at 1 moment’s notice, and thus be able at all times to fight the de- structive flames that are ever liable to sweep along our river front. After the great fire in Chicago, which is still freeh in the minds ot Cleveland as well as Chicago citizens, provis- ions were made which placed on the river in that city two or more tugs of this description, which have shown themselves invaluable on many occasions, and if this city had been provided with a fire tug under good manage- ment at the time of the great fire of Sanday hight there is no doubt but that much valu- able property could have been saved from destruction, ‘The city authorities cannot do better than to adopt a measure of this sort for the protection of property,and in so doing 4 non-combustible tug should be the first consideration. Such a tug should contain sufficient rooin below decks for the accommo dation of the firemen, who should always be on hand and ready for duty ; she should also be provided with pumps below decks so that they could be operated in close proximity to the fire, at the same time protecting the men who operated them. She should be possessed oF the necessary speed to get to a firein time to render immediate service, and if occasion required, to remove property from docks when exposed to the danger of being con- ‘umed, She should be built on lines that Would enable her to turn easily, ‘To this end her foretoot should be well rounded up, and she \should be given a sharp bow, which Would enable her to be of service in keeping | the river open in the winter, thereby saving 'o the city the expense annually incurred in the spring of chartering a tug to protect bridges and prevent Gamages to property | oWhers by the annual floods and the ranning | Ot Of the ice. ‘The cost of such a tug would | Probably not equal the cost of real estate on Which to build an engine house together | With the building, to say nothing of the an- nual cost of engines, horses, ‘necessary ap paratug, feed, etc. Such a tug would not re- quire more men tor effective handling than any one of our steam engines and would be tenfold more serviceable in the occasion of a fire on the river and flats than the land en- gines, as she would be able to turn a whole broadside of water on the fire from her pumps, not only that, but provided with grappling irons, she could be made a com- plete hook and ladder company, as she could pull any burning house or lumber pile into the river if necessary. Wecan but urge up- on the authorities to consider this question and give the business interests along the river the protection which a tug of this kind would certainly afford, as soon as possible. —Cleveland Leader. We heartily indorse the above extracts and take the literty of urging upon the city fathers of Cleveland the immediate adoption of the measures advocated therein. [tis well known that all cities of importance are pos- sessed of this auxiliary water aid to the land | fire steamers and as the great datlies say, the requirement of Cleveland for like protection was very imperative on the occasion of the great fire’ on the flats, whereby thous- ands of dollars worth of property was de stroyed beyond any chance of recovery. The peculiar course of the Cuyahoga river on the way to the lake would render an iron tug, such as has béen outlined in.the above ex- tracts, available in case of fire in the river region for manyétilles, and.,not only this, but she could be made eelf-sustaininganll times, as she could engage in legitimaté bus. iness on the river, under the direction of a competent harbor master.. In regard to the annual cost of the proposed fire tug, the owners of the lumber yards, dock owners, mill owners, and others owning property along the river, would eagerly take upon themselves the burden of the support of this enterprise, after first cost had been borne by the city, thereby securing to the city at nominal expense, the aid of this valuable addition to her fire department. While ly- ing at her dock our fire tug could be con- nected with the fire alarm ‘system the same as the engine houses are, and could respond to an alarm of fire with quite as much alac- rity as can the land engines. Everything considered, we think the city of Cleveland could not enter into any improvement that would be more popular, that would give more satisfaction to the great majority ot our citizens, or a matter that would prove more valuable to the good of the whole city than that of placing upon Cuyahoga river a fire tug of capacity sufficient to force her way through ice and put out a fire, however alarming and dangerous in extent, on the banks of the river. es NOTICE TO MARINERS. Notice is hereby given that on and after September 25, 1884, a fixed red light of the fourth order will be shown from the light- house recently erected at Harbor Point, Lit- tle Traverse Bay, Michigan. The appara- tus lights the entire horizon, and the focal plane is forty-one feet above the lake. The light should be seen, in clear weather, from the deck of a vessel ten feet above the lake, twelve and a half statute wiles. ‘The struc- ture isa square red brick tower, with red brick dwelling attached; the lantern is paint- ed white. The approximate position of the lighthouse, as taken from the lake survey charts, is as follows: Latitude, 45° 25. 07 north; longitude, 84° 58% 05‘. west. Mag- netic bearings and distances from prominent objects are as follows: house, W. W.., thirty-one statute miles; South Fox lighthouse, W. three-eighths S., forty-two statute miler; Grand ‘Traverse lighthouse. SW. by W., three-fourths W., thirty-one statute miles. Beaver Island light- | AROUND THE LAKES. CLEVELAND, The iron tug Dexter, of Ashtabula, ar- rived at this port on Monday and went on to Smith’s drydock to have her bottom cleaned and repaired. < The schooner Daniel E. Bailey came into port with a portion of her. maintopmast gone. It was carried away while coming up Lake Michigan recently. ; Some ‘Toledo parties wrote to Local In- spector Fitzpatrick this week to ascertain the best time made by the side wheel steam. er Western Metropolis, which we record as follows: Time from. Buffalo to Toledo 1334 hours; time from Buffalo to Cleveland, nine hours and five’ minutes. ‘The Western Metropolis was 348 feet long and had a powerful beam engine. Mr. 'T. Fitz- patrick was chief engineer. The iron tug Record, launched some time ago at the Globe Iron Shipyard, and fully described by us at the time, is having her boiler and machinery put in, and it is thought she will be ready to have steam up early next week. A movement is on foot to put her in the towing business between Bay ‘City and Buffalo or Tonawanda. In the meantime we think it would be wisdom on the part of the officials of Cleveland to secure this magnificent tug tor the city fire department and for breaking ice irftie sivels as she is especially adapted to that purpose, being built entirely of iron, even to the dveks and pilot house. Asan ice breaker she’ could not have been better adapted, as her well rounded up bows would cause her to run up on the ice and break it through by her own weight. Not only this, it is acknowledged by all that the iron vessels turned out by this Cleveland firm are equal if not superior to any built in the country, and as a home enterprise should 1eceive the business that the city will be compelled to place at an early day. The yacht Cora, recently purchased by Mr. Rhodee in Chicago, is lying inside the breakwater, this city, under charge of Cap. tain Geo Disbrow. ‘The Cora was built in New Haven, Conn, in 1873 at a cost of $16,- 000, for Mr. Barker of Detroit, who was drowned several years since. In 1879 she participated ina regatta at Cleveland and was capsized when near the crib, She has not been here since then, but her name is a familiar one among local yachtmen. She is sixty feet in length over all; eighteen feet beam, and about ten feet deep in the hold. She earries a single spar sixty feet in hight, A new fog bell is to be placed at Poiut Iroquois. The tug Eanny ‘Tuthill took on a new wheel Tuesday. The schooner Rising Star was sold at Uni- ted States Marshal’s sale at Green Bay on Saturday. The custom house on the river was closed on Tuesday, the funeral of Secretary Folger having taken place on that day. The fact that we have been deprived of our usual drydock report by the vacancy of , the dock all week, must be encouraging to vessel owners and masters. It is said that Captain James. Davidson of Bay City, will at once commence building another mammoth barge, to be the consort of the monster steambarge Australasia. Captains George McKay, John Moore and Guyles have been appointed to confer with the United States engineers this afternoon at 3 o’clock, in regard. to breakwater im- provement. Colonels Wilson and McFarland, United States engineers, will make no report on the breakwater question until they returu to Washington. ‘They will take all suggestions that may be offered and submit them to the War Department. Mr. Craig, the well-known shipbuilder at ‘Trenton, is building a murine railway at that with a thirty-foot topmast. Her boom is fifty-six feet in length and gaft thirty-two feet. One particularly noticeable feature is the enormous spread of canvas she can carry when in racing trim. The cabin is commo- dious and will accommodate twelve persons: It is handsomely trimmed with a solid black walnut and tastefully fitted out, On each side are two bunks and lockers that can be nsed as such, Forward are two staterooms six by eight feet, with double berths and toilet facilities. Farther forward is a small forecastie for acrew of three men. ‘The entire boat is fitted out in the most luxurious manner, with every convenience for an ex- tended eruise. Captain George Disbrow, her master has sailed her for four years, and will remain with her at Mr. Rhodes’ re- quest. He is a crack sailor, has sailed and won many araece on Lake Michigan and elsewhere. place. Vessels 200 feet 'ong canbe hauled out on the railWay, and it ide intention of the constructor tomake it the most complete affair on the lakes. A sailor named Benjamin Elis was assault- ed last evening by foot-pads, who were bent on robbery. One of them struck Ellis ase- vere blow on the head, which, rendered him insensiblé, He recovered, however, and re- ceived medical ‘aid at the hands of Dr. Chance and was taken to the marine hospi- tal. The Vessel Owners’ Association met at 12 o’clock this forenoon at the Board of Trade rooms to consider the ‘breakwater matter, and it is probable they will appoint a com- mittee to meet the engineers in the after- noon. A petition will be presented and largely signed, asking the government to make the necessary improvements in the ap- proach to St. Mary’s canal, noted in the REcorD last week. Now that the vessel owners and others have an opportunity to be heard, they should Oppose strenuously any attempt to extend docks «and slips over five hundred feet into the breakwater. We grant that dockroom to the extent of five hundred feet deep along the shore line would improve the present basin, but the loss of one thousand feet would render it much less valuable asa har- bor of refuge than it now is, The recent great fire at this port, wherein millions of feet of lumber shingles, and lath were consumed, is having its effect on lum- ber freights and many of the barges that heretofore waited for an up cargo of coal will now return light in order to transport as much lumber as possible to restock the Cleveland market. Lumber freights are quoted as follows: Kast Saginaw to Buffalo, $1.75; East Saginaw to Ohio, $1.50; Bay City to Buffalo, $1.50; Bay City to Ohio, $1.25, KINGSTON, Forwarders here are laying up many of their barges, the prospects being so bad, It is said that at the present time not a bushel of grain is on route fromthe West for this port.