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14 | MARINE REVIEW. -- {Consumption and Production of Pig Iron. Production of pig iron throughout the country continues at an enor- mous rate but consumption has been keeping up with it very well. 5 a Jan. 1 the weekly capacity of furnaces in blast--188 of them-- was 226.60) tons. It is more than probable that the 1,000,000 ton mark in monthly production will be reached during January. How rapidly production ne been expanding, under the stimulus of a growing demand, is shown by the following estimate in the Iron Age of the output monthly during the second half of 1897: July, 710,000 gross tons; August, 796,000; September, 843,000; October, 925,000; November, 960,000, December, 997,000; total 5,221,000. During this same period, from July 1 to Jan. 1, stocks at the furnaces, excluding those belonging to steel plants, have fallen about 275,000 tons. It may be argued that the present tremendous rate of production, close to 12,000,000 tons per annum, is an element of extreme danger. The 'modest increase in stocks in December, say 10,000 tons of anthracite and coke iron, proves that the consumption must be enormous, since Decem- ber usually brings some slackening in the rate of melting iron. We may --even witness further drift in that direction and yet not. have cause for alarm. On the contrary, with the approach of spring we may be forced to face a very different state of affairs, and that is, a scarcity of pig iron in spite of a phenomenal output. As a matter of fact, the furnace capacity now available at present price limits is small. There are not a dozen stacks in the central west which are in condition to produce-economically. There are being carried by common consent as a producing asset a very large number of cripples, whom only the craziest boom can galvanize into life. So long.as a stack is still standing and its. machinery is in place it is carried along in the lists.. Many furnaces which might be rated as fairly modern would need many months*to get into shape, while others-would find it difficult to secure fuel or supplies of ore for a long time. The possibility of a shortage of furnace capacity during the cur- rent year is by no means a visionary dream. It is a contingency which the trade must keep in view. ; ae Fuel Consumpiion of River Steamers. ' Editor Marine Review:--The illustration of the Mississippi river steamer St. Louis, in a, recent issue of the Review, belching out clouds of - smoke containing good fuel, brings to mind the crying need of more eco- -notmical power for river steamers. - sumption--fuel consumption. On each of these large river steamers there are five or six boilers that are forced in order to furnish steam for the most wasteful engine ever invented.. Their powerful exhausts, which can be heard for a mile, put one in mind of a person afflicted with con- The City of St. Louis and steamers of her class require on the round trip from St. Louis to New Orleans, from $2,000 to $2,500 worth of fuel. Lake vessels of the same tonnage on the round trip from Buffalo to Duluth burn only $275 worth of fuel, the dis- tance being one-third more. ; This is simply because lake builders have emerged from the old beaten path and employ modern engines. When such engines are recom- mended and urged upon our steamboat men, they say, "Oh! you are crazy." But there is method in this kind of madness. - Here is an opening for your engine builders to place on' these rivet steamers the kind of engine that reduces the consumption of fuel, increases the carrying _ capacity of the vessel and brings the expenditure for round trip from St. . Louis to New Orleans to a minimum. 'This would lower the rates and _ Two steel boilers are under way for the tue G ment will begin about April 1. _ alty of $75 for every day over that time was to b. increase the traffic, and make times brisk in the sunny south. In the early history, of the compound condensing engines they were introduced on the lower Mississippi before they came into use on the great lakes, They were discarded because it was thought that any fuel-saving machinery would decrease the consumption of cord wood and lower the: price on it. As the cord wood was produced by slave labor it meant a greater loss to slave owners than could be made up by the saving in fuel. Stillwater, Minn., Jan. 8, 1898. ~~ D.M,.SWAIN, Stocks of Grain at Lake Ports. The following table, prepared from reports iof the Chicago board of trade, 'shiows the stocks of wheat and corn in store in regular elevators at the principal points of accumulation on the lakes, Jan. 22,-1898: oe Wheat, bushels. Corn, bushels. PMCaP OM A raat mens one e cteee Je 9,979,000 15,464,000 SeaClear res were ei ih errhp 2,144,000 1,898,000 Mitratiices 2 Ae ns. 132,000 123,000 iene tte en ale ak 107,000 64,000. Moledaeas o.cie ss sis, chs yeaa ~ 246,000 760,000 Biitalo sag: Ie NA Se 1,342,000 2 860,000. 13,950,000 21,169,000 _ As compared with a week ago; the above figures show, a ever points named, a decrease of 932,000 bushels 'of clea anda. eee a 32,000 bushels of corn. On the same date there was afioat at Chicagio 1,229,000 bushels of wheat; 9,983,000 bushels of corn, 132,000 bushels of oats 89,000 bushels of rye and 93,000 bushels of barley; at Buffalo, 559.000 bushels ee heat anid 84,000 bushels of rye; and at Milwaukee 285,000. bushels: of Manager Hammond of the Lake Erj iler W ports business rather quiet, though he reas ie tract. Two 65-ton boilers for the cities of Bo just been finished. They are of the Bellaire p } Buffalo, re- siderable work under con- ston and Cambridge have ae ane are 8 by 34 feet, Wo stiee are under we tug Gee and the new tug - an s dine. A steel boiler is also building for the yacht 'iene ew York harbor. In: the engineering works the - 30 000,000- allon pumps building for Buffalo and Chicago are so far under' way ten ap . A new boiler for the Buffal eee: George R Potter was completed at these works in eight da a me pos stipulated that the boiler was to be completed in twenty days a al one € imposed. It was also provided that the contractors should receive a bonus of $75 a day in tl a) he event of the work being finished ahead of ¢; amounts to $900, ene ae a 'present. The bonus thus earned - Illustrated Block Dictionary. DESCRIPTION OF CUTS IN STAR. G. Side Sister Hook, Double N. Pigtail Hook for Jib . Stiff Swivel Hook. Loose Side Hook. Reverse Shackle. _ Reverse Upset Shackle. Deck Leader. Stiff Front Hook, Coleman Hook. V. New Style Deck Leader. A. Solid Eye. B. Loose Hook. ock, Me C. Loose Front Hook. 11. Side Sister Hook, Single D. Jib Sheet Blocks to Side. Block. E. Jib Sheet Blocks Fore I. Regular Shackle. J. Fiddle Block. K. Ring. L. Loose Swivel Hook. M. Upset Shackle. and Aft. F. Span and Bridle Block Attachment. SAP eOwo s The illustration above gives the names of all different forms of hooks, etc., for blocks. It was furnished by the Boston & Lockport Block Co., Boston, Mass., established in 1810. by this firm shows the price of blocks to have been twice 2s muchas at They have made recently a new pattern block especially for wire rope purposes. Among the specialties they have introduced are star metaline and the five-roller bushing. . Around the Lakes. oe F. W. Wheeler & Co. of West Bay City will build new fore-and-ait compound engines for the tug Traveler of the Smith-Boutell fle t, Bay City. Two new boilers for the same vessel will be built by Wickes Bros. of Saginaw. ae ; A contract has béen let by officials of the Mineral Range Railroad (South Shore system) for a new coal dock at Hancock, Mich., which will be 1,000 feet long and equipped with four hoisting machines capable of unloading about 800 tons. of coal in ten hours. At the annual meeting of the Lakewood, Lake Etie and Lakeland -- transportation companies and Becker Barge Co., held in Cleveland, Jan. 12, directors and officers of 1897 were re-elected--President. Wm. H. Becker, Vice-President Mrs.. Wm. S. Mack, Secretary-Treasurer Wm. H. Mack. A dispatch from Spring Lake, Mich., says that the last known timbers of the old sloop Porcupine, which for over a quarter of a century found their resting place on the shores of Spring lake, have been taken out for their historic value. The Porcupine was one of Oliver H. Perry's fleet in the battle of Lake Erie. a New officers of.Bay City harbor No. 45, Association of Masters and Pilots of Steam Vessels, are as follows: Captain, Joseph. Sauer; first - pilot, Alfred Forrest; second pilot, Henry Bennett; captain's clerk, W. H. Tharp; chaplain, Chas. Brown; starboard quartermaster, James Owen; port quartermaster, Walter Hazen; saloon-deck watchman, Fremont Lute. Two fore-and-aft compound engines, 10 and 20 inches diameter by 12 inches stroke, built by Clough, Witt & Co. of Cleveland from speci- fications drawn -by Walter Miller, have been shipped to the Cleveland- Alaskan Gold Mining & Milling Co. at Ballard, Wash. This is'a com- pany of Cleveland people made up by Murphy & Miller, ship builders, who are now at Ballard constructing a vessel for service on the Yukon. A Chicago telegram announcing the sale of the whaleback passenger steamer Christopher Columbus to: the Goodrich Transportation Co. of Chicago created no surprise. It has been known for some time past that officials of the Goodrich company were negotiating for the purchase of the whaleback. With the Virginia and Columbus competing. for excursiol patronage between Chicago and-+Milwaukee there was no money in the business for either vessel. é S. F. Hodge !& Co. of Detroit will build engines and boilers for the lumber steamer to be constructed by Alex. Anderson of Marine City for the Price Lumber Co. of Fremont, O. Engines will be of the fore-and- aft compound type, 16 and 32 by 26 inches stroke. The boilers will be of marine type, 8% by 18 feet, and constructed to withstand a steam pressure of 130 pounds to the square inch. This vessel, which is built to carry 425,000 feet of lumber on 8% feet draft, will have a ballast tank formed by ~ a bulkhead placed athwartships 16 feet abaft of the stem. 'This is neces- sitated by the trade for which the boat is built, as she will be used to transport lumber from upper Michigan ports to Fremont, 36 miles south of Sandusky. After discharging her lumber cargo the water compart- ment forward will be filled. to work her way down the river from Fremont to Sandusky and the open lake. ¢ F Two Propeller En- $350.00 W.LL BUY gines 12x14, with Slide Valves, Cranks, and all connections com- plete ; three Propeller Wheels, 65 inches in dia- meter: 60 feet of 4-inch Shafting with Couplings and Cranks. H. W. DURAN', Stillwater, Min- nesota. Feb.§15. A catalogue issued in 1820 This will lighten her up aft and enable her . a Fa