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8 MARINE REVIEW. tension the deck would oppose the strain whenever it came to a straight line. The deck plating is of considerable importance 1n checking a twisting strain. There is a tendency in vessels' hatches to change form. Ina case noted recently, two vessels, one with a sheer and the other with a straight deck, were fractured, and the former more so than the latter, showing that the sheer is of no consideration when a vessel is under tension. Various methods could be introduced in upholding lost-area, but it is most important to resist twisting and the best practice is to double the stringer in some way. The Schlesinger Failure. Rumors about the failures precipitated by Ferdinand Schles- inger have caused considerable interest in iron mining and ves- sel circles during the past few days, but none of them will bear repitition, as they are not authoritive statements. It is about certain that Mr. Schlesinger will no longer control the operations of some of the big corporations with which he has been con- nected, but losses otherwise will be confined almost entirely to Milwaukee people who are involved. Since the reorganization of the Chapin Mining Company some time ago, its affairs have been conducted by an executive committee from the directory, and not by Mr. Schlesinger. About the most amusing thing that has appeared in print for many a day was Ferdinand Schlesinger's remark to a Mil- waukee interviewer, that Judge Stevenson Burke of Cleveland was "a man well along in years, who was hardly responsible for what he might say." 'The redoundable Ferdinand was, from all accounts, not very well acquainted with the silent partner in the firm of Corrigan, Ives & Co. previous to encountering his latest stroke of financial paralysis, and on this account may be excused for thinking that a few flies on the illustrious old financial hero needed brushing off, but his mind was undoubtedly relieved of such a feeling when he met the judge in Milwaukee a day or two ago. Badly Damaged Bilges. It is probable that at the next meeting of the Cleveland managers of the Lake Carriers' Association a committee will be appointed to consult Gen. Poe regarding the rock dredging work on the lower edges of the St. Mary's Falls canal. Several wooden vessels that are engaged in the Lake Superior trade have shown, upon being docked of late, serious injury in the bilges, and the captains say that such damage is sustained in the canal at times when they are run close up to the timber work on the sides, or tied up in the canal awaiting their turns to lock through. It is thought that on either side of the bottom of the canal, where a right-angular cut of the rock might be expected, the contractors may have been a little too careful in their anxiety not to undermine the important timbering and other work which extends some distance below the water line, and they have, accordingly, left an obstruction that is injuring the bilges of vessels coming in contact with it. Gen. Poe will be asked to give the matter his attention. Hollow Shafts for Steamships. A noint not generally known in connection with the machin- ery of modern steamships is that all the shafting is hollow. Af- ter the shafts have been forged solid, a core, sometimes 6 or 8 inches in diameter, is bored out from the center, leaving a safe amount of metal in annular form for the work required. 'The reason for this is that a hollow shaft is really stronger as well as lighter than a solid one, and also that the core of a solid shaft often embodies impurities and incipient cracks which may radiate to the surface after long use and cause disaster. 'The same idea of hollowing out is carried through the entire system, even the crank pins being bored. The rule is now for8 to 10 horse power to each ton of machinery, including boilers and all appurtenances.--American Shipbuilder. ; Effect of Dynamos on Ships' Compasses. Shipping authorities in England are discussing the advisa- _ bility of formulating rules to govern the location of dynamos aboard vessels, on account of their effect on compasses. _ Mr. Frank E. Fisher of the Fisher Electric Company of Detroit, a concern that has installed most of the lighting plants on lake vessels, says that no difficulty in this regard is encountered on the lakes, as the engines and dynamos are usually placed in the engine room, which is in nearly all cases located aft in lake ves- sels and is full 250 feet from the compasses. This distance is more than enough to overcome magnetic effect. On war ships, however, the dynamos are usually placed forward and in some instances almost directly under the pilot house, where, of course, they will effect compasses. 'The practice in the United States navy now is to require the use of iron-clad machines that will not deflect a horizontal force instrument a distance of 15 feet. Stocks of Grain at Lake Ports. The following table, prepared from reports of the Chicago board of trade, shows the stocks of wheat and corn in store at the principal points of accumulation on the lakes on July 22, me : Wheat, bu. Corn, bu. Clea Ones) -.-cene cece: 19,269,000 1,948,000 OTN eeete eet cee er AkQB2,000 9 oe seeno ene IMisliwiatiGe soos. ncsreseslesioraece 1,175,000 500 Detroit arcs ees se oss 773,000 2,000 EOUEU Oe ee est nee 1,427,000 139,000 IBYEUG Yor accede qhacsegoseee socud: 1,854,000 195,000 Gone) aki aicc oe gendan 29,430,000 2,284,500 At the puints named there is a net decrease for the week of 152,500 bushels of wheat and 640,000 bushels of corn. In General. Government and mercantile contracts at the Cramps yard, Philadelphia, aggregate about 125,000 tons of displacement and will utilize 90,000 tons of steel and employ upwards of 5,000 men. Three new torpedo boats have been ordered by the British naval authorities. They are to be 140 feet long by 14 feet 6 inches beam, and to have a guaranteed speed of 27 knots, which is equal to a little over 31 miles per hour. Relative Importance of Principal British Ports. For the purpose of comparison it is often desirable to know the extent of tonnage frequenting the principal ports of the United Kingdom. This infor- mation is officially given in the Blue Book, recently issued, and covering 1892. London takes first place, so far as arrivals are concerned, the tonnage being about 15 per cent. of the total for the kingdom. But Liverpool leads in depar- tures, with a total forming rather over 10 per cent. of the whole. Were for- eign bound tonnage only to be considered, however, London would take first place by nearly a million tons. In arrivals Liverpool is second, with nearly 10 per cent. The principal English ports stand in the following order : Tons arriving. Tons leaving, London meats eRCnaIN ata Sane e ae eee sean en cane 13,564,644 8,205,326 WIV OR ABM ete csciet i> ncléccsesh sackdgsices 8,570,099 8,415,424 RY ALO OMEN Sseteweke ti aschaececehgcrevsaceccse: 7,361,711 7,385,116 Mn eect ta ta ncends caches ccs sseed) cdi ons 7,106,182 7,290,264 ARMM nce cte cee ta ce: acy sone sok cas clas oder sss 2,667 392 2,638,194 SUMMONING inet gsismaditeres ciclo: 2,102,365 2,058,798 The tonnage of arriving vessels in all parts of the United Kingdom was 67,125,000 tons and that of departing vessels 61,750,000 tons. A New Sensation on the Atlantic. , Fairplay of London has several times of late referred to excessive vibra- tion in the big Cunard liner Campania, and in its last issue prints the follow- ing under the heading 'A New Sensation on the Atlantic :" Oh, what is this sensation which fairly licks creation ; is this a switchback railway a-la-mer? If this be an illustration of what is called vibration, then something else in future I'll prefer. . You sit down to a collation, and make quite a demonstration by yout efforts to dispose of it you know; you suppress an exclamation as you wonder what relation there can be betwixt your palate and your toe. i - In all structural formations there must needs be limitations, in spite of all professors have to say; butif such transformations are all caused by vibrations, then I fear that some one's just a bit astray,