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PNET MARINE REVIEW. © | a3 Criticism on Lake Ship Building. In an article printed by an eastern marine paper that is mak- ing strenuous efforts to gain a foothold on the lakes, Fred A. Ballin, naval architect and manager of the Detroit .Boat Works, makes . some very sweeping charges against the builders of the Western Reserve and W. H. Gilcher, and arraigns the builders of a boat that struck a rock in the Detroit river last fall for their style of water bottom construction. Comparison between the practice of builders of steel vessels on the lakes is made with the Detroit Dry Dock Company, with great discredit to the former and commenda- tion to the latter. That the Detroit Dry Dock Company has a most rigid practice of testing all material that goes into their ves- sels is well known, but whether these damaging statements as to practice of other ship building companies. on the lakes will stand unrefuted remains to be seen. The use of the personal pronoun 'we' when speaking of the Detroit Dry Dock Company, would indicate that the article emanated from that company, but con- sidering the conservative attitude of that well managed concern immediately after the accidents noted, this hardly seems probable. The article is carefully written, which would indicate that it is certainly not the product of an erratic interview. Following are some of the more important statements in the article: "When the Western Reserve broke in two, the public hada right to be distrustful of these huge steel freighters, but the second accident, instead of decreasing this distrust, ought to have pro- duced the contrary effect and restored the confidence of both owners-and underwriters in steel ships, inasmuch as the accidents ~ happening to szster ships shows that these particular ships must have had some specific defect not common to others of the same class. If not, why did such boats as the wooden ship John F. asks for open hearth steel of 25 per cent. reduction, a restriction in sulphur or phosphorus, a reduction of not less than 45 per cent., and actualj weight of not less than 2% per cent. be- low the theoretical, put up with the many delays incurred bysuch rigid inspection, which oftentimes results in the rejection of whole - carloads, and paid $46 for every ton. No wonder they couldn't compete. In a large steamer of 320 feet water line and about 1,200 tons of material, the difference in the cost amounts to $12,000, a neat little. fortune to save, if owners are satisfied and underwriters acquiesce. What is said in reference to material for plates and angles applies as well for rivets. Only one shipyard on the lakes uses steel rivets (!!); all others use zvon. * * * * Considering that in a 300 foot hull about 80 tons of rivets are used, and that the difference in cost of material is about the same asin plates, it is safe to estimate that such a hull costs about $3,000 more fastened with steel rivets than with iron rivets. 'Two ships, built by differeht firms struck bottom in the De- troit river this fall and an opportunity was offered to make some instructive observations and comparisons. The one boat, being built of first-class material, did not show a single break in any plate. The plates were buckled and contorted, stretching the rivets in their holes without tearing them, but the injury at no point went over eight inches in a vertical direction, leaving the inner bottom untouched. No cargo was wetted and the damage was repaired in a few days. The water bottom was built after the so-called cellular or bracket system approved and practiced by most European builders. The other ship taught a lesson. Her plates were broken wherever she struck, at many places into small three-cornered pieces like splintered glass; the rivets were without heads or sheered off and the inner bottom was pierced in many _ ANN ARBOR NO. I, CAR FERRY. | bare Eddy, which first reported the accident of the Gilcher, passing only a few hours behind her, or the line steamer Albany, which only has a constructional depth of 17% feet, outlive the same storms? * * * * An assertion was printed from the same authority that both steamers were the best the company had ever built, and that they were second to none on the lakes. This claim stands unrefuted as yet, and would probably remain so, if it was not in the interest of lake ship builders in general to sub- ject the same to a thorough ventilation. A sense of etiquette for- bids such builders as the Detroit Dry Dock Company to become their own champion, and so far comments and criticism have emanated only from owners and news- paper men, whose judgment may be valuable in their calling, but who lack the complete knowledge of marine architecture. I held the position of head draftsman for the De- troit Dry Dock Company for nearly ten years, and remember the first steel boats built of Bessemer steel made and tested according to Lloyds requirements, and also remember that for a time we seriously considered the probability of returning to iron for material, for the reason that it was almost impossible to get a homogenous stock of steel, even in the same plate. We had laboratory tests made of every sheet, and even then found that plates and angles would crack in handling, heating or punching. We then (nearly seven years ago) came to the conclusion that steel made to stand Lloyds tests was unfit for ship building. "While most ship yards, some of which turned out as many as a boat every month, took for material doxa fide anything the mills were willing to designate as Lloyds test ship steel, made by by the Bessemer process, without restriction- in sulphur or phosphorus, paying for the same only $36.00 per ton, this one yard employs the services of inspectors and chemists, places. 'The cargo was practically spoiled and lost. 'This water- | bottom was built after a less costly system, an ordinary solid floor- plate construction with longitudinal solid keelsons on top of them --a system abandoned in England nearly eighteen years ago. It would doubtless be of interest to vessel owners as well as to underwriters to inspect a piece of plate taken from the first of the above mentioned ships after the accident, and then take a look at the other vessel which is now undergoing repairs. Such a trip would greatly add to their instruction and assist them to discover some of the causes why steel boats founder." Ann Arbor Car Ferries. The engraving herewith shows the car ferry Ann Arbor No. I, now in service between Kewaunee and Frankfort, in connec- tion with the Toledo, Ann Arbor and Northern Michigan Rail- way Company. Ann Arbor No. 2is a duplicate of No. 1. Either will carry twenty-four loaded freight cars at a speed of about 12 miles an hour. 'The dimensions are 267 feet over all, 52 feet beam and 18% feet deep. The three engines were built by S. F. Hodge & Co., Detroit, Mich., and are horizontal com- pound, 20 by 40 inches, having 36 inches stroke, and each de- veloping 610 horse power at 86 revolutions. One engine oper- ates a screw at the bow, used for breaking ice, and the other two turn the twin screws at the stern. Steam is supplied at 125 pounds pressure by three fire box boilers, two of which are 15 by 10% feet and one 15 by 6% feet. The hulls were built by the Craig Ship Building Company. The engraving is repro- duced trom the Engineer, New York. 'The boats no doubt suit the trade for which they were built, but if they are to be pitted against the new Canadian revenue cutters as provisional war ships, in accordance with the stories of sensational newspaper writérs, Canadians need not lay awake nights.