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it i at ae 20. MARINE REVIEW. STEAMBOAT RACE OF FORTY YEARS AGO. _ Now that the Erie-Tashmoo face is a thing of the past it might be well to recall another exciting race on the great lakes. Henry W. Inman of Detroit was a wheelman on one of the old Eber Ward steamers, the Ocean, at the time of its celebrated victory over the Empire State abont forty years ago. He wrote the following account of the race for the Detroit News last week: i. : -- Among the larger boats built by the late Capt. Eber B. Ward at 'Marine City was the Ocean for the Detroit and Buffalo north shore line. It was on this boat I was initiated into the duties of a steamboat man. The Ocean was calculated to be not only of fine model and proportions, but to excel all others of. her class on the lakes in speed. At this time the Empire State was the favorite steamboat of Buffalo. She was large and speedy and formed a line by herself between (Cleveland and Buffalo, leaving Buffalo every alternate evening at about the hour one of the north shore boats left for Detroit. It isnot surprising, therefore, that occasional tilts were indulged in, extending oftentimes up the shore 'as far-as' Long Point and beyond, resulting in no permanent decision as to which was the faster boat. } One bright moonlight night we were delayed by waiting for passen- gers at Buffalo until long after the usual hour for leaving. We had seen Our magnificent rival of previous occasions pass by, as we supposed 'on her way out of the harbor, and therefore we little anticipated having a brush with her that night. But as we went down the creek we found the Empire State at the end of the pier, her lines singled up, a full head of steam on, and Capt. Hazzard on the pilot house, with the bell rope in his hand, ready to give orders. As we came along, "Let go!" rang out on the midnight air, and soon the great steamboats were struggling for 'supremacy that would give one or the other a prestige for speed, which in those days was the crowning glory of lake navigation. On this octa- sion, much to our chagrin and disappointment, the Oceatt was badly 'beaten; for as the' Empire State hauled otf on her course toward Cleve- land we were at least ten miles astern. " "We were too deep in the water," said the mate. " "Yes, and with three broken buckets on one of her paddle wheels, exclaimed the engineer. pee ; "And her bottom needs scraping," remarked Capt. Willoughby, as he passed the little group-who were endeavoring to smooth over their 'discomfort at being thus for the third time in as many weeks so badly 'left astern. ' Capt. Ward, then the reigning prince of steamboat men, was. on board and he said: '"'Gentlemen, we may not float as much wood and iron over the bosom of this lake as some other structures," casting his 'eyes toward the cloud of smoke left by our victorious rival, "but I built this boat for speed, combined with staunchness, beauty and comfort. I know her capabilities under proper conditions. I am also alive to the ~keen sense of disappointment and humiliation that creeps into the mind of the sailor when any laurels are plucked from the reputation of his craft under disadvantages beyond his control. In Buffalo I issued a challenge to Capt Hazzard for a fair and final contest with conditions that neither of us shall jeopardize the lives of the traveling public by allowing passen- "gers on board, and that the broom, so tauntingly carried at his mast- head: as emblematic of superiority in point of speed shall remain or revert 'to the victor; that whichever boat is beaten her owner shall acknowl- edge defeat and refrain afterward from indulging in the little tilts that heretofore have resulted in no satisfactory decision in regard to the point at issue. And, now, Capt. Willoughy, whatever time, means or help are needed to put this boat in the best possible conditiof for a victorious termination of the coming race, they are at your disposal.". A person who has never witnessed a race between steamers néarly "equal in speed can form only a meager cOnception of its excitement, it seems, as you stand on the deck, that the very turning of their ponderous wheels is actuated by a sense of what is required of them. The engine, doing its best, very best, struggles to increase its momentum and outdo itself. The furnaces laugh with an exultant roar as they open their fiety mouths and receive the inflammable fuel that is thrown into them. The crew, from the cabin boy and cook to engineer, mate and master, are car- ried away with excitement, hopes and doubts entirely different from any- thing manifested upon other occasions. For the danger is increased a hundredfold. An explosion from excess of steam is one of the possible results, or setting fire to the boat by the extraordinary heat necessary to raise the steam; in fact, a steamboat fitted for such a contest is but a little floating voleano, liable at any moment to belch forth steam, fire and destruction, After we had arrived in Detroit and discharged our freight and pas- sengers, the steamer was placed in dry dock, her bottom was scraped and greased from stem to stern, the broken 'buckets were replaced by new ones, the engine and boilers were overhauled and refitted, and then, after taking on several barrels of rosin and many great sides of greasy bacon, we cast off and made an unusually swift run to Cleveland, the starting point. "We must not be beaten," said Capt. Ward, who was on board. "We are the challengers and it would not 'be pleasant to return without the broom. the Ocean so long has been entitled to carry. . Besides, I have $10,000 at stake, and I would wager boat against boat that the Océan is the fastest steamboat on Lake Erie." 'Capt. Hazzard, master and owner of the Empite State, had been informed of our proceedings, and had put her in the best possible trim for the race. As we approached Cleveland harbor, the Empire State came steaming out majestically, and courteously awaited until we could round to for a fair and even start. The piers and docks were crowded with people, who had come from every part of the city to witness the starting of the two magnificent racers, and as the sun went down over. the western hills their engines were put in motion. Great clouds of smoke came pouring out of their funnels, and fountains of crystal spray began shooting out from their bows as the speed increased, The Ocean was about a length astern at the start, but gradually drew upon her antago- nist, and by the time we were abreast of Fairport, 30 miles distant, it would have been difficult for the keenest eye to detect any advantage by either boat. i _ The night was splendid, Scarcely a ripple disturbed the almost mir- ror-like bosom of the lake. The moon, round and full, was making ' 5 i silvery pathways over the broad 'expanse of water, while soft, fleecy clouds were floating overhead. It was a magnificent passage down the lake, and every one on board, from the little ebony-colored porter to the great, hoarse-voiced mate, was reveling in a spirit of hilarity and excite- ment. At eight bells I was relieved from the wheel, and went down between decks, where a double crew of firemen, stripped to the 'waists ahd grimy with sweat and dirt, were on duty. As now and then the doors of the furnaces opened, showing within their fiery mouths a molten imass of heat which seemed ready to devour the boat itself, the engineer would sing out: "Stoke it to her, boys; give her some rosin, and throw in now and then a chunk of tallow and bacon:" The engine was. doing its very best, shaking the steamer from stem to stern, until it seemed as if the whole great floating fabric would fall in pieces, i Capt. Ward, stolid, yet anxious, stood in the engine room, watching the steam gauge, casting his eyes now and then out the gangway at the other boat, which seemed ranging ahead a little. A boy was sent to the saloon, and soon returned with a pail of something which was passed down into the fire hold. Could it be that they were going to try to raise more steam with spirits? No, it was to fire the throats of that sweat nee? mass of humanity on whom depended the winning or losing of this race. We had put 100 miles or more behind us, when for some reason the Empire State began slowly to drop astern. Had she given up the contest, or had some part of her machinery become disabled? Suddenly the broom was hauled down from her masthead, and then the Ocean became a floating pandemonium, The shore echoed back the shouts and wild huzzas that came from the excited crew. On the hurricane deck of the Ocean there was another scene. The extraordinary heat from all those inflammable articles of fuel had painted the smokestacks a lurid red some 3 ft. above the crown of the deck, and all around stood clerks, cooks, waiters and even our most fastidious chambermaid, with buckets of water, ready to quench the first flames 'on the already crackling woodwork. 'Was there anything particularly at stake, on ail this endangering of human lives? Oh, no, only the value of a few dollars and the prestige gained or lost in the steamboat world. : The Ocean gained rapidly, and when we had placed the 'Empire State at a safe distance astern, our speed was slackened.. The red heat that had crawled up the smokestack slowly receded, and the crew, unmindful of position or station, mingled in a revelry seldom seen on land or water. INITIAL PAYMENT ON THE TURKISH CRUISER MADE. The Turkish government has made its initial payment upon the cruiser which the Cramps of Philadelphia undertook to build for it and work will now proceed upon the warship. The new cruiser. will haye, a length of 240 ft. on the load water line, with a beam of 42 ft., a depth of 30 ft. and with 16 ft. draught of water. This will give her a displacement of 3,250 tons. She will be eqtipped with triple expansion engines and oe water-tube boilers and will be expected to make a speed of 4 knots. sp In armament the vessel will have unusually heavy batteries for cruisers of her class and size. The main battery consists of two 6-in. quick fire guns to be placed one forward and one aft on the middle line of the ship, and protected by armored shields; eight 4 7-10-in, quick fire guns placed as a midship battery and also protected by armored shields. The secondary battery consists of six 47-millimeter rapid-fire guns and six l-pounder rapid-fire machine guns, and these are also to be protected by armored shields, In addition, there are to be 175 magazine rifles for the 'crew. The hull will be protected by the customary protective deck, as will be the machinery. : The entire ship will be lighted by electricity, and there will be four searchlights, two forward and two aft, located on the superstructure and on the military tops. All the ammunition hoists are to be operated by electricity and by separate moto-s. The cruiser is to have two steel masts with military tops, with wooden spars for signaling. In internal fittings the details of construction used in the United States navy will be closely followed. This applies to ventilation, sanitation, and includes space for quarters for officers and crew. The contract calls for the same interpretation of contract clauses as is given to similar clauses for the navy department of the United States, Owners of the Whitney fleet of vessels of Detroit have for years done business with the ore firm of Oglebay, Norton & 'Co., Cleveland. That firm, through the amalgamation of great ore interests in the United States Steel Corporation, has little business now to offer to vessel owners, compared with what they have had in the past. It is not probable that this will always be the case, as Oglebay, Norton & Co. have not by any means gone out of business altogether, but it is quite true that the present condition had much to do with the sale of the Whitney vessels to J.C. Gilchrist of Cleveland. The fleet is a good one and a substantial addition to the very large amount of vessel property already controlled by Mr. Gilchrist, whose purchases of late have been on a scale that would, if kept up, soon place him almost on a level with the Steel Corporation. Included in this latest purchase are the steel steamers D. M. Whitney, E, W. Oglebay and Merida and the wooden steamer (Mecosta. The Joseph Dixon Crucible Co., Jersey City, N. J., has issued:a book devoted to graphite and its uses.- it is beautifully printed and exquisitely illustrated with wash drawings. Every phase of the com- pany's work is gone into in the most entertaining manner. The narra- tive begins in 1827 when Joseph Dixon began to revolutionize the cru- cible business; it continues up to 1901, every year contributing to the evolution of the business. The company will be pleased to send:the book to anyone who is interested in its products. STS Following is an extract of items from the annual repor : Cramp & Sons Ship Building Co. for the year Pe A nen a 1001: Gross earnings, $7,319,000, against $7,791,560 last year: profit over cost of material, labor, etc., $743,000, against $913,000 in 1900; net earnings after general expenses, interest, etc., $291,772, against $536,262 last year: dividends, '$242;000, unchanged; surplus, $49,762, against' $294.29. last year, : [June 8)"