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te 6 | MARINE REVIEW. Marine Relics at the National Museum. Special Correspondence to. the MARINE REVIEW. WASHINGTON, D. C., April 15.--Every reader of the MARINE REVIEW? when he visits Washington, should not fail to visit the National Museum and see the department devoted to boats. Nowhere in the country can one obtain so good an idea of marine carriers as here. The various evo- lutions through which boats have passed are here shown in interesting object lessons. There are boats of bark, boats made out of skins of animals, with bone and bamboo ribs ; there are dugouts, smooth bottom- ed, clinker built, flat, sharp, and perfectly round boats that resemble tubs. There is a flat-bottomed Mississippi steamboat, made familiar to most readers by Mark Twain, with its fancy ginger-bread work, which looks for the world like a floating house, In striking contrast are the full-rigged and polished ocean ships and yachts and beautiful models of war ships. A bust of Robert Fulton com- mands the respectful attention of all visitors, and near it is an object of interest to all engineers. Here, with a coat of black paint on it, to check the tooth of time, which has gnawed it almost through,is a tubular boiler, patented by John Stevens, in the United States, in 1803, and in England in 1805. In his English patent specification, Mr. Stevens begining with "Whereas, His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by his letters patent, bearing date at Westminster, the thirty-first day of May, in the forty-fifth year of his reign," says, further on: "In the boiler I am about to describe, I apprehend the improvement is carried to the utmost extent of which the principle is capable." In describing, he continues: "' Suppose a plate of brass of one foot square, in which a number of holes are perforated ; into each of which holes is fixed one end of a copper tube of about an inch diameter and two feet long,and the other end of this tube inserted in like manner into a similar piece of brass, the tubes, to insure their tightness, to be cast in the plates. These plates are to be enclosed at each end of the pipes by a strong cap of cast iron or brass, so as to leave a space of an inch or two between the plates or ends of the pipes and the cast iron cap at each end; the caps at each end are are to be fastened by screw-bolts passing through them into the plates. The necessary supply of water is to be injected by means of a forcing pump into the cap at one end and through a tube inserted into the cap at the other end, the steam is to be conveyed to the cylinder of the steam engine; the whole is then to be encircled by brickwork or masonry in the usual manner, horizontally or perpendicularly." The first patents in America were to Reade, Fitch, Rumsey and Stevens, in August, 1791. Reade's was for a portable furnace tubular boiler; Fitch's was for driving a vessel by water in at the bow and forcing it out at the stern. Rumsey's and Stevens' patents was much the same as Fitch's. A graceful action in recognition of an inventor was performed by the Senate recently. In the midst of an animated debate on an important measure, Senator Hoar asked unanimous consent that Dr. Joseph Francis be admitted to the floor of the Senate. He spoke of the old gentleman as one who had received the thanks of Congress as the inventor of the life- saving car, as being ninety-one years old, and as having marched in 1812 with a company to the defence of the sea-coast, he being then a lad of twelve years. Unanimous consent being given, Senator Hoar stepped to one of the doors and immediately reappeared in company with Dr. Francis. Effect of Canada's Canal Laws. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. KINGSTON, ONT., April 15.--Immediately after it was annonnced that the government had decided to allow the rebate on grain transhipped at Ogdensburg the Montreal Transportation Company, whose menibers used all their influence in bringing about the result, concluded to lay the keel of a new 50,000 bushel barge for lake service. Work will be begun as soon as the necessary timber is secured. It is understood that Mr. Blaine's refusal to negotiate a treaty with Canada except from an Ameri- can standpoint had considerable to do with the government's decision. It is beyond a doubt, however, that the reciprocity in wrecking bill will pass, as to have reciprocity in that respect requires no new legislation by the United States. Sucha bill has been on its statute books for ten years, and it will be signed by the president and become a law just as soon as the Canadian bill is passed. Men are now at work erecting range lights in the harbor. This will be good news for miariners, as many captains did not like to come here fearing the shoals. Cautious ones lay outside all night and will only at- tempt an entrance in daylight. The government has also granted another installment towards removing the shoals in the harbor and work will be begun as soon as possible. The new steamer North King, which plies between Port Hope and Charlotte, had several changes made on her during the winter. She will be faster than ever and her interior much finer than last year. She will be commanded by Capt. H. Nicholson, av experienced mariner. The new $150,000 steamer being built at New York for the Mail Line The principle of ' is about finished. N. Connolly, one of the directors of the company, 1s now in that city seeing the finishing touches put on. She is said to be magnificent. The mail steamers will not start until May. Since the talk about excluding alien sailors from American vessels has been revived, many sailors who find employment on American hot- toms have resurrected old naturalization papers, which they intend car- rying about with them during the season. In fact, cases have come under the notice of the American consul in which sailors have in their posses- sion the naturilization papers of both countries. These therefore will have no difficulty in evading any law. It is intimated that the government may hold an investigation into the manner in which the Galops rapid channel was deepened at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is claimed that the contract called for 17 feet of water. Such a depth is not there. Not long since a tug drawing 6 feet struck heavily. The engineers, without a doubt, should be asked to report. Nine feet of water existed before the the work was begun. Appointments of Masters and Engineers. AMERICAN STEEL BARGE COMPANY, WEST SUPERIOR, WIs.: Steam- ers--Colgate Hoyt, Capt. W. H. Kelly, Engineer Gilbert Newton. A.D. Thomson, Capt. A. P. Chambers, Engineer Earnest Sampson; E. B. Bart- lett, Capt. S. P. Goodale, Engineer Albert Edgar; Thomas Wilson, Capt. John McArthur, Engineer J. E. McSweeny; Samuel Mather, Capt. J. H. Smith, Engineer Brown; James B. Colgate, Capt. W. W. Smith, Engineer R. S. Blauvelt. Barges--tro1, Capt. B.S. Jones; 102, Capt. E. Peabody; 103, Capt. R. W. Hayes; 104, Capt. Thomas A. Green; 105, Capt. James Barr; 107, Capt. William S. Hoag; 109, Capt. John Gillies; 111, Capt. E. Emanuelson; 115, Capt. Thomas Tobin; 116, Capt. Gus EH. Atkinson; rir Capt. Wilber Holdridge; 118, Capt. James Leahy. WESTERN TRANSIT COMPANY, BUFFALO, N. Y.: Capt. A. J. McDonald, Engineer M. J. Laney; Arabia, Capt. Patrick Shea, Engineer Patrick Welch; Badger State, Capt. James Kennedy, Engineer J. W. Brooks; Boston, Capt. Donald Gillies, Engineer S. B. Muirhead; Buffalo, Capt. Dugald Buie, Engineer William McNulty; Chicago, Capt. F. J. McCabe, Engineer F. A. Miller; Commodore, Capt. R. D. Gardner, Engineer Moses Trouton; Empire State, Capt. John Cassin, Engineer George Hale; Harlem, Capt. Frank Williams, Engineer J. N. Gregory; Hudson, Valentine Jones, Engineer Henry Hess; Idaho, Capt. G. W. Bryce, Engineer James Anderson; McCormick, (steam lighter at Chicago), Capt. M. A. Huntley, Engineer L. F. Monroe; Milwaukee, Capt. Michael Folan, Engineer L. G. Gebhard; Montana, Capt. Alva Shaver, Engineer William Tibby; Syracuse, Capt. J. H. Dissett, Engineer G. W. Phillipe; Vanderbilt, Capt. Robert Murray, Engineer Fred Hale. . LEHIGH VALLEY TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, BUFFALO, N. Y-.: (Appointments unofficial.) Steamers -- Saranac, Capt. J. M. Todd; Tuscarora, Capt. John Johnson; E. P. Wilbur, Capt. J. A. Brown; Tacoma, Capt. James Todd; Oceanica, Capt. W. A. Ashley; H. H. Packer, Capt. William Williams ; Fred. Mercer, Capt. T. Rahill; Seneca, Capt. Thomas Burton; R. A. Packer, Capt. A. J. Talbott ; Cayuga, Capt. P. Riley. VANDALIA RAILWAY LINE, WEST BAy City, MICH.: Steamers--Soo City, Capt. Bryon Armstrong, Engineer Thomas Reese ; Minnie M., Capt. James Mondon, Engineer Adolph LaFranier ; Lora, Capt. M. J. Driscoll, Engineer M. King; Ossifrage, Capt. A. G. Aldrich, Engineer Louis Gelinas. GRUMMOND'S MACKINAC LINE, DETROIT, MICH.: Steamers--Depere, Capt. Thomas Meikleham, Engineer John Bloom; Flora, Capt. K. Fin- layson, Engineer William Campbell; Atlantic, Capt. J. R. Jones, Engineer John Johnson. Appointment of Local Inspectors. In the Senate a few days ago there was presented a letter from Secretary Foster, entitled Senate executive document No. 71, on the subject of appointments of local inspectors of steam vessels. The letter carries with it a copy of a bill, which failed of passage in the last Congress, providing for the appointment of local inspectors by the supervising inspector of the district, instead of a board made up of the supervising inspector, district judge and collector of customs. The secretary recommends the passage of the bill on the claim that when vacancies occurin fhe local boards the district judge as a rule declines or fails to take part in the appointment, the result of which is often a disagree- ment as to candidates between the supervising inspector and the collector. It will make little difference to the shipping interests whether this bill is passed or not, as in any event the appoint- ments will be controlled, as they are now in most cases, by Con- gressmen or Senators. 'There is a disposition to be rid of poli- tics in the steamboat inspection serviee, however, and some day the politicians will hear from a powerful lake influence on the subject. Steamers--Albany, \