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toon MARINE REVIEW. 25 nor more than $20 in the first 198 miles, nor more than $40 on the whole journey of 668 miles.' The orderly departs with the three purses, and after an absence of several days presents himself, ragged and unkempt, but with a jaunty and confiding air, and reports to the general: ""Sir, when I found myself comfortably seated on the train I opened your instructions and carefully read them, and found that your directions naturally seemed to imply that I could spend $13 from No. 1 purse during the first eighty-eight miles of my journey and $7 from No. 2 purse between the 88th and 198th miles; $9 from No. 8 purse between the 198th and 368th miles, and nothing whatever between the 368th and the 668th miles; I opened the purses and spent the money as your directions seemed to im- ply, but, of course, could only go 368 miles on my journey, and I had to get off the train and walk back to your headquarters.' ; "The application of this story to 'Capt. Lemley's opinion is found in the substitution of 'officers' for 'miles,' the three grades of applicants for retirement for the 'purses' and 'vacancies' for 'dollars.' " The general objection to the position of the department and Capt. Lemley is that their rulings have failed to give effect to all the provisions of the vacancy clause. Their critics hold that as applied the law not only defeats its own purpose, but cannot be carried out as it was written on the statute books. It is impossible, naval officers say, to make forty vacancies in any one year above the grade of junior lieutenant unless there are nine natural vacancies 'resignations, deaths, etc.) in the grade of lieutenant, and this will hardly occur. YALE SUBMARINE ARC LAMP. Brief reference has been made several times in these columns to the Yale lamp and its possibilities for all manner of submarine work. Illus- trations of the lamp with further information regarding its operation have been received from the manufacturers, the Naval Electric Co., No. 95 Liberty street, New York city. It is an electric arc lamp, such as is used for street lighting, but so enclosed and adjusted that it may be sub- merged and used for giving light to divers in their work. Heretofore divers have been com- pelled to work in the dark, or by the aid of a comparatively dim incandescent lamp, such as is used in interior house lighting. By this lamp the whole method is changed. The diver may work in water as clear as artificial light can make it. Incandescent lamps have been tried for subma- rine lighting but they have proved wholly unsatis- factory, being at the most only 150 candle power. At the time of the explosion of the Maine the inventors of this lamp began investigations in the laboratories of Yale, which led ultimately to the construction of arc lamps of 2,000 candle power for submarine lighting. Several other inventors at- tempted to accomplish this result but failéd. They had fed air to the lamp and removed the gases from the arc by means of rubber tubes leading to the surface. These tubes, together with the electric cable made the whole outfit too cum- bersome and was discarded by divers and wreck- ing companies. The inventors of this lamp went about their investigations upon a new principle and as a result they have evolved a lamp neat and light in its construction and one that seems to meet all requirements for submarine work. No air tubes are used. The diving outfit consists, besides the lamp, of a portable water- proof cable and of a switch for regulating and throwing the current on and off. The lamp itself consists of an upper mechanism chamber solenoid and other mechanism. The lower chamber is en- closed by a glass globe, which is hermetically sealed to the upper chamber by rubber gaskets. Inside the lower chamber is placed an inner globe and the carbon. The lamp is 22 in. over all and is encircled by a handle 9 in, in diameter. The metal parts are gun inetal. The glass globes are designed to withstand a pressure of 500 Ibs., insuring safety at a depth of approximately 1,000 ft. The greatest depth to which any diver has descended is reported to be 204 ft. The feeder cable is led into the mechanism chamber through a rubber-packed stuffing-box, and when immersed the lamp is absolutely water- tight. The lamp is, of course, also suitable for use as a portable marine arc lamp for lighting ships, wharves, docks, bunkers, etc. Special precautions are taken to make the lamp safe for use in places where ex- plosive gases are liable to be found. The lamp is built for rough handling. It is meeting with a hearty reception from lead- ing wrecking companies, submarine divers and others engaged in marine work. Under many conditions this device will save dry-docking as it will serve for in- spection and cleaning of sea-cocks, for the clearing and repair of propellers, etc. It will burn 10 to 20 hours on one set of car- bons. To re-carbon the lamp the globe is removed by loosening thumb screws which hold the globe in place against the gaskets. The lamp may be used wher- ever there is an electric current, either from storage battery or from a dynamo. Experiments are soon to be made leading to its adoption for service in pearl fishing, sponge fishing and submarine photography. But the greatest field for the lamp is in ship yards, around dry docks, in navy yards, aboard vessels of the merchant marine and vessels of war. A representative of the Russian government who made a special test of the lamp recommends its adoption on ocean steamers as an added pre- caution to the safety of crew and passengers. Any injury to the hold of the vessel, he says, may by the use of this lamp be examined almost as if the vessel were in dry dock. Other uses for the lamp to which attention is directed are the placing and recovering of submarine mines and explo- sives, examining wrecks with the use of Holland or Lake submarine boats, the building of coffer dams, etc. _ : A report from a board specially appointed by the 'Russian navy to ex- amine the lamp is as follows: 'The board after thorough examination of the Yale submarine arc lamp and after many tests in different depths down to 17 fathoms (102 ft.), unanimously expresses the opinion that the con- struction of the lamp is very simple, ingenious and fit for the purpose. The lamp worked in all depths without any refusal and very accurately, giving a light fully sufficient for diver work. The construction of all parts of the lamp is very strong. The board recommends the Yale sub- marine arc lamp for use in connection with all diver work performed in deep water or at night." This report is signed by Commander Cononoff, Lieut. Nebolsin, Dr. Esipoff and Lieut. Von-Shoultz. An effort is being made to have the lamp adopted for all vessels of the United States navy. Negotiations with the same end in view are also under way with the British admiralty. The lamp has been used for some time past by the Merritt-Chapman Derrick '& Wrecking Co. of New Yo... city, who pronounce it the greatest aid to submarine investigations that has been brought out since the invention of the diving uniform. This company some time ago conducted a series of practical tests of the lamp in all depths down to 110 ft. and immediately pronounced it a most valuable aid in their work. : j It is expected that the lamp will be very extensively used in the sponge fishing industry. There are today some 310 vessels, with more than 2,000 men, employed in this industry about the coast of Florida. As it takes at least a year for a sponge to grow to a moderate size, and the grounds are fished over several times every twelve months, the large sponges have all been removed from the available portions of the ocean's bed, and the large fleet of fishing vessels keep the product limited to sponges of small value. The United States fish commission has recently taken steps to stop this wholesale destruction of the young sponges on those submarine plateaus which are now accessible, and to regulate the industry. The operation of collecting the sponges is very simple, the fisher spearing with a long pole all those which he can see by the aid of a water glass. The depth of water, therefore, in which they can be obtained is limited by the distance penetrated by the light. If this distance could be increased, large areas would immediately be opened up where sponges have been growing unmolested for years, and the production would not only be greatly in- creased but the quality of the sponges would probably be equal to the best to be found in the world. Experiments on this score are soon to be made with the Yale, and if successful, the application of the lamp to this important industry will undoubtedly follow. ' The Naval Electric Co., 95 Liberty street, New York, are the owners of basic patents covering all forms of submarine lighting by means of are lamps and are manufacturing a large line of these lamps. The lamp is also patented in the principal countries of the world by this company. The Pencoyd plant of the American Bridge Co. shipped during March, 7,339 tons. This is very probably the largest shipment ever made by any bridge shop in the world. : ©