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MARINE: REVIEW. Oey aN ce CLEVELAND, OHIO, THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1892. No. 22. a Elegant Passenger Boatse A great deal has been said of late regarding some of the costly and powerful passenger steamers operated on Lake Erie between Toledo, Cleveland and Buffalo previous to the consolida- tion of railways now making up the LakeShore & Michigan South- ern and other parts of the important Vanderbilt system. The boats were the finest both as to construction of hull and extent of power ever operated on the lakes, as a description of one of them, the Western Metropolis, a picture of which accompanies this article, will show. The Western Metropolis was built in 1856 by Bidwell, Banta & Co.of Buffalo for the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana Railway Company, and was one of a fleet comprising also the steamers Northern Indiana, Southern Mich- igan and Empire State, all beam engine boats and all of the high class referred to, excepting the Empire State, which was of earlier construction. The Western Metropolis was 340 feet over all, 40 feet beam and about 18 feet hold. The wooden hull, supported by over- head arches, was of very fine lines, as shown in the engraving, a nection with the Cleveland, Columbuts, Cincinnati & Indianap- olis and the Erie railways. They were afterward engaged partly in the trade out of Cleveland as the consolidation of railways progressed and finaliy removed entirely from the lake service. The machinery of the Western Metropolis was taken to New York and placed in another boat, also called the Western Met- ropolis, which was afterwards used during the war as a trans- port. The hull was converted into a sail vessel, which was wrecked some years ago near the head of Lake Michigan. Simi- lar disposition was made of the other boats and their machinery. During the first season of service of the steamer Western Metropolis on the lakes she was commanded by A. D. Perkins of Monroe with John Thompson of Buffalo as mate, Thomas Fitzpatrick, then of Buffalo, first engineer, Nicholas Nipper of Buffalo second engineer, and Bartly Logan as steward. Of these officers Capt. Perkins and Second Engineer Nipper are dead. Mr. Thompson has retired to a farm near Buffalo, Stew- ard Logan is still in service about the lakes, and Mr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, to whom we are indebted for information contained OLD-TIME PASSENGER STEAMER WESTERN METROPOLIS. but it is in the powerful machinery used that most interest still attaches. [he Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan as well as the Metropolis could make 20 miles an hour on long runs and might improve upon that record ona short spurt. They were run regularly at 19 miles an hour. The beam engines were built by Merrick & Towne of Philadelphia. The diameters of the cylinders in the Western Metropolis were 76% inches and length of stroke 12 feet. She had two boilers, 12 feet in diam- eter and 30 feet long, built by the Buffalo Steam Engine Com- pany and allowed 55 pounds of steam, although more than 50 pounds was seldom used. The wheels. were of iron, 38 feet in diameter, and could be turned 21% revolutions per minute. The coal consumption was, of course, not less than three tons per hour. Everything that could be used to give comfort and pleasure was made a part of the cabin arrangements. The uwup- holstering was of the finest material and the tapestries of the rarest quality. These boats were at first run between Toledo and Buffalo and had formidable rivals in the Cresent City and Queen of the West, boatsin service between Cleveland and Buffalo in con- in this article, couples some interest in the management of his vessel property with the comforts of a country home at Mentor, near Cleveland. New Boilers for the Michigan. The navy department, Washington, opened bids Friday for two flue fire tube boilers and one steam drum for the U. S. S. Michigan, in service on the lakes. The old boilers in the boat were to be taken in part payment for the new ones. Following are the bids: Name of bidder. Total. For old boiler. Net. Detroit Dry Dock Company............... $11,500 $500 11,000 Cleveland Ship Building Company...... 14,400 500 13,850 Quintard Iron Company, New York.... 19,787 576 19,213 Lake Erie Boiler Works, Buffalo......... 8,650 | 650 8,000 The Cleveland Ship Building Company also made a bid of $13,000 if the boilers were put in by them at Cleveland instead of Erie. The bureau of steam engineering of the department has recommended the acceptance of the Lake Erie Company's bid. Send 20 cents in stamps for Tabulated State- 'ment showing Lake Superior ore production for 1891, and the past 36 years.