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MARINE REVIEKW. They are Well Known to the Marine Trade. R. L. Ireland, Globe Iron Works Co., Cleveland. Geo. H. Clowes, Randolph & Clowes, Waterbury, Conn. James Inglis, American Blower Co., Detroit. Turn the Erie Canal over to the Government. The United States now controls and maintains a great free waterway system extending from Duluth and Chicago to Buffalo, and from Albany to tidewater at New York. Why should it not undertake the maintenance . and improvement of the remaining link in this system, from Buffalo to Albany? The fact is that the Erie canal benefits the grain growers of the northwest much more than it benefits the people of New York. A large -part of New England is as much benefited by the Erie canal as is the state of New York. The lake cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland and many others would derive more benefit from an improved Erie canal than most of the cities of New York. Let us see what the Erie canal will cost the taxpayers of New York every year, if the additional $7,000,000 appro- priation is voted. The account will stand about as follows: Operating expenses and maintenance, say.............:. $750,000 Interest on $9,000,000 bonds already authorized.......... 270,000 Interest on £7,000,000 bonds additional.................. - 210,000 $1,230,000 About a million and a quarter a year from the taxpayers of New York! But that is not all. It has been explicitly stated that in making this ex- penditure 'of $16,000,000 the work has been "pared down" as much as possible; there is other necessary work, rebuilding of structures, improved appliances for towing, handling boats in locks, etc., which are pretty sure to be found necessary in the near future, even if the $7,000,000 additional is voted. Besides this, money must be raised to pay off the principal of the bonds, if they are not to be made a perpetual burden upon the state. Now let us compare these figures of expenditure with the transpor- tation actually effected by the canal. Suppose we take the -canal traffic to be hoped for when the 9-foot improvement is completed at 5,000,000 tons pe1 annum, and estimate 200 miles as the average haul per ton on the canal. We then have a total of 1,000,000,000 ton-miles of transportation furnished. But the annual cost of the canal to the taxpayers of the stat, 'we have seen above, is about $1,250,000; hence, the taxpayers of the state will have to pay about 1% mills per ton per mile for all the freight on the canals. The present canal' freight rate averages about 3 cents per busael from Buffalo to New York, or about 1 1-5 mills per ton mile. In other words, if the traffic on the canal when deepened to 9 feet averages 5,000,009 tons per annum, the taxpayers of the state will be paying about as muca in the cost of keeping up the canal and the fixed charges upon it, as the boatmen receive for freight at the present time. These figures certainly furnish food for thought by the taxpayers of New York. They seem to us to prove conclusively that if the Erie canal is to be worth what it has cost, and worth the valuable real estate which it occupies, if it is to compensate the public for the obstruction which it creates in roads, railways and streets, and the draft that it makes upon the water supplies of the state, it must in some way be made ro carry a trafitc of much greater volume than it has had at any time in its history. » But it is, we take it, out of the question for the state of New York to under- take any more radical improvement in this canal than that which it has now under way. The most it can do (and, as we have said above, it is doubtful whether it will do even that), is to complete the work it has already begun. The United States, on the other hand, could and we believe, would, undertake the radical enlargement of the canal, if the state of New York were to signify its willingness to turn it over on condition that at least the present improvements should be completed.--Engineerinyg News. The contract for two passenger and freight steamers recently closed by the Cramps of Philadelphia with the New York & Cuba Mail Steam- ship Co., is among the most important announcements 1n the sh'p building line from the coast.. They will be 5000-ton, twin-screw steamers of 16 knots speed, admirably adapted to the Cuban and Mexican trade. The length of the vessels will be 360 feet, beam 50 feet and depth, 32.2 feet with a draught of 20 feet. Each will have two triple expansion engines and four boilers, and a coal capacity for the continuous steam'ng of 5,000 miles. They will have water bottoms from stem to stern and a large num- ber of transverse bulkheads for strength and security. The most ancient light-house in the United States is that of Little Brewster island, in the port of Boston, erected in 1716; the most powerful, not only in America, but in all the world, is the Fire island light-house, constructed a few years ago at the entrance to New York harbor, the intensity of which is equal to 123 millions' of candles. 'violent in a seaway. Trade Notes. Frank S. Manton is now agent and president of the American Ship Windlass Co. of Providence, R. I. \ Geo. R. Remington is secretary and treasurer of the company. caw Th eee ' A note in one of the Newark (N. J.) papers directs attention to a dividend of 10 per cent. declared by the Foster Engineering Co. out of net earnings during 1897. . One of the neatest marine calendars published this year has been received from H. Bloomsburg & Co., Newport News, Va., manufacturers of circulating apparatus. The illustrations of twenty-four well-known steamers are shown on a pad of six leaves, similar to the date pad. Mr. William C. Bullitt has been admitted to an interest in the firin of Castner & Curran, general agents for the Pocahontas Coal Co, end the business will hereafter be transacted under the name of Castner, Curran & Bullitt. ne Wolff & Zwicker of Portland, Ore., were the lowest bidders. fan the . construction of the coast survey steamer Klondyke, for which bids were opened at Washington, a few days ago. Their bid on government speci- fications was $135,000. They agree to complete the vessel in twelve months from date of contract. An alternate bid of $125,000 was submitted with provision for change of material. W. E. Woodall & Co. of Balti- more and the Union Iron Works of San Franciseo both asked $185,000 for constructing the vessel, the San Francisco company agreeing to com- -- plete the work Oct. 1, 1898, and the Baltimore company fixing Feb. 1, 1899, as the date of completion. matter of special importance. At the works of the Gas Engine & Power Co., Morris Heights, New -- York, two steel steam yachts, each 103 feet over al, are under construction for yachtsmen whose names are reserved. Considerable interest is attached to these steamers for the reason that the only difference is in the interiors. One of the vessels has the owner's quarters aft. These are two large staterooms opening into each other, with folding doors. the owner's quarters forward, also the two staterooms for guests and the main saloon. This is peculiar. The galley and the quarters for the crew are aft. No explanation is given as to why the owner should prefer to sleep and live in the bow of the ship, where the motion is apt to be rather Probably crews would not object to change"places in all the pleasure fleet. sh Bila ee Torpedo boat No. 15 was launched on the 10th inst. at the Herreshoff yard, Bristol, R. I. No. 16 is reported as nearly ready, while No. 14, which will be larger than the others, is about half completed. Torpedo boat No. 15 is 100 feet long, and s designed for a speed of 20 knots. All of these vessels are to be fitted with complete outfits of Blake pumps. A note from James Howden & Co., owners of patents on the Howden system of hot draft, announces that when contracts now in hand are com- pleted, the system will have been app'ied to bo lers throwghotrt the worl J supplying steam for 1,640,700 horse-power, the total number of installations being 655, and the power of some of these instal'ations being as high as 30,000. A pamphlet recently issued by James Howden & Co.--copies of which may be had from the Dry Dock Engine Works, Detroit--gives the names of all ships fitted with this draft. _ Burr Kellogg Field, vice-president of the Berlin Tron Bridge Co., hae 'died suddenly at his home in Berlin, Conn., on the 13th inst. " He was a graduate of the Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, and his first engineering work was in connection with the laying out and building of the Northern Pacific Ry. He was also sure irtendent of bridges in the city of Philadelphia before accepting a position with the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. reputation which the Berlin Iron Bridge Co., enjoys, and his death 's a severe loss to his associates, who speak of him as a true friend to his fellow men and an indefatigable worker, not only for the company which he had so faithfully served, but in everything he undertook. : a The Superior Charcoal Iron Co., a pool that has sold since April 1, 1897, the output of eight producers of Lake Superior charcoal iron, was dissolved last week. It is succeeded by the Superior Charcoal Iron Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich., with Wm. G. Mather of Cleveland, who was president of the Detroit company, as its president. The new company will sell the product of the Pioneer Furnace, Gladstone, Mich.; the Elk Rapids Furnace, Elk Rapids, Mich., and the Antrim Furnace, Mancelona, Mich. The five companies whose withdrawal led to the dissolution of. the original organization are the Ashland Iron & Steel Co., Hinkle Fur- nace, Ashland, Wis.; Gaylord Iron Co., Gaylord Furnace, Detroit; Spring Lake Iron Co., Spring Lake Furnace, Fruitport, Mich.; Peninsular Iron Co:, Peninsular Furnace, Detroit, and Union Iron Co., Union Furnace, Detroit. The Smith portable telephone is coming into general use as a means of communication between bridge, engine room and other parts of steamers. Capt. J. S. McNeil of the Thos. Cranage writes of it as follows: "Having used your telephone system throughout the past season, I have come to look upon the instruments as indispensable and would dislike very much to be without them in the future. Since you added the improved switch we have found them entirely reliable at all times, and in all kinds of weather. I am in constant communication with my engineer and other officers of the boat, both from my room and on pilot house. Without hesitation I would recommend them for any and all steam vessels as a great convenience, especially while going through the rivers, in port, and anywhere in close quarters, being far ahead of the speaking tubes now in use, which I have always found unsatisfactory. Your telephones have proved to be a great deal more convenient, reliable and satisfactory. The -- officers of the boat join me in these statements." These instruments are manufactured by the Smith Portable Telephone Co., 54 No. Clinton - street, Chicago. . New York officials of the Hamburg-American line confirm the report es that the company has contracted with the Vulcan Ship Building Co,/of Stettin, Germany, for a fourth sister ship of the Pennsylvania of 14,0 tons gross register and 23,500 tons displacement. It is also reported t the company has contracted for two other steamers of 10,000 tons each Early completion of the vessel is a The other has ~ Mr. Field had no small part in building up the enviabe -- ae a os