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| 24 MARINE REVIEW. [August 1 : do not touch the West or South African ports; but a separate Indian ocean service includes Madagascar and the East African ports as far south as Natal. The North German Lloyd Co. has a mail service between Bremen, China, Japan and Australia, calling at Naples The Austrian Lloyd vessels "run" between Trieste and Bombay, through the Suez canal. The steamships of the Italian General Navigation Co. (United Florio & Rubattino Companies) also take the Suez route from Genoa and Naples to Bombay. The name of Suez occurs frequently in the story of ocean liners. The opening of the canal in 1869 has so greatly diverted the traffic to the east that the proportion of voyages through the canal to those around the Cape is now about as 105 to 60. The duration of the journey to India is, by this change, shortened by about one-third. Since 1886 the canal has been opened for night passages to steamers equipped with electric light. In 1871 the total number of ships which went through the canal was 765, their net tonnage being 761,467 tons; in 1897 the number of ships had in- creased to 2,986, and the net tonnage to 7,899,373. In 1875, 84,446 passen- gers traveled by the canal; in 1897, 191,215. Although the ships of all nations are to be seen at Suez, British vessels, of course, predominate, contributing 70 per cent of the tolls, in spite of a reduction for the time-- being as a result of the war in South Africa. CHOICE OF ROUTES TO THE FAR BAST. Within living memory the only desirable route to the far east was that which went eastwards, the alternative being the western voyage around the horn--a terror to sailing craft. But now there is choice of several western routes across this continent, and these absorb a large and increasing volume of the trade. Some of the greatest of the mammoth railroads have become linked with the orient by fleets of steamers. One of these is the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific, the route of which passes through Utah to San Francisco, from which city there is a choice of steamers to Asia. The Great Northern railroad also is about to start giant ships in the China and Japan service with every prospect of success. The Canadian Pacific railway is the "all British" route. It stretches for 2,900 miles across the continent from Halifax, N. S., to Vancouver, B. C. This railroad owns the three vessels of the Empress line, which cross every three weeks between Vancouver and the ports of China and Japan, carrying those European mails which go to the east through Can- ada. By the Empress line one may travel the 10,038 miles which separate . Hong Kong from Liverpool with only two changes. There is choice of a _ dozen lines of steamers across the Atlantic by which the traveler can land at New York or at a Canadian port. About eight days will cover the 2.830 miles from Liverpool to Montreal and five days the 2,905 miles of Canadian Pacific railway between Montreal and Vancouver. Fourteen days are required for the 4,300 miles of ocean between Vancouver and Yokohama. Thus, twenty-seven days only separate England and Japan. The ocean voyage of 4,300 miles between Vancouver and Yokohama crosses the 180th meridian about midway in the ocean, and "'antipodes day" is said to mark the highest northward position of the ships in the great curve which they describe from port to port. Nowhere is the lone- liness of the ocean more evident than in the vast Pacific. There are very few passing sails; no icebergs break the monotony of the voyage. The only excitement is derived from the chance of a typhoun in August or September, but no storm on the sea endangers the big ships. Life on these steamers is marked by strong contrast with that on the Atlantic vessels. The influence of the orient is felt. The passengers are usually eastern merchants, old travelers who are familiar with the trip, and who take life leisurely; wealthy Japanese and Chinese, and also dealers in tea, silks and opium; pearl merchants and teak dealers. In addition, planters, from Siam, Java and the East Indian archipelago are fairly numerous. | Missionaries and the representatives of the great European commercial houses are, of course, very much in evidence. Lastly, "globe trotters" in search of health, amusement or knowledge, are generally present, and the much-traveled folks are in the habit of regarding them with good-hu- mored toleration. The waiters upon these ships are Chinamen, who wear blue blouses and caps; they glide about silently, and answer to the call of "boy" or the clapping of hands. Lunch in the middle of the day is known as "tiffin." All this savors of the somewhat slow east, but the west asserts itself on the mechanical side. Electric fans cool the air, the electric light is present in abundance, and the highest resources of sci- entific engineering wait on the safety of the ship and the comfort of the passengers. What is known as "Asiatic steerage" is a separate class on the Pa- cific steamers, being retained exclusively for Chinese, Japanese and such other persons as indulge in opium smoking; it is open to men only. The bones of Chinese who have died in this country or in Canada are often a part of ship's cargo, and if a Chinaman should die aboard it is stipulated that he shall not be buried at sea, but shall be embalmed and taken to his own land. (To be continued.) TYPE OF SHALLOW DRAUGHT GUNBOAT. Messrs. Yarrow & Co. of Poplar, England, have just constructed for the British admiralty two shallow draught gunboats of a type adapted for the navigation of crooked and shallow rivers--a type such as the United States government will later need for the Philippines. As the vessels are distinct from anything afloat considerable interest is manifested in them. These vessels are named the Teal and the Moorhen. They are each 160 ft. long and 24 ft. 6 in. wide. The hull is composed entirely of galvanized steel, and is subdivided into twelve water-tight compartments. The main deck is of steel, and is covered with corticene. The upper deck, or bat- tery deck, extends for about half the length of the vessel. Above this is the awning deck, from which are swung the hammocks for the accom- modation of the troops. Protection is afforded at the sides of the vessel by chrome steel plates, by Messrs. Cammell & Co. These are of suffi- cient thickness to resist rifle-fire point-blank at close quarters. This armor protects the machinery and cabins; chrome steel plates form the bulwarks round the battery deck. Forward, on the battery deck, there is a conning tower, which is also rifle-proof. The duty for which these vessels were designed was to obtain a speed of 18 knots, equivalent to about 15 statute miles an hour, when carrying a load of 40 tons on a draught not exceeding 2 ft. 3in. All the machinery and fighting spaces were to be protected by rifle-proof plating, and the fuel to be used was wood only. The system of propulsion adopted by Messrs. Yarrow in this case was that of twin screws, revolving in tunnels of a special design. There are two sets of compound surface-condensing engines with a speed of about 300 revolutions per minute. There are two seen water tube boilers, of the usual straight tube type made by this rm. The space available in these little vessels has been skilfully utilized for the accommodation of officers and crew. The former are berthed in well- fitted cabins between the main and battery decks; the armor protection being loopholed for rifle fire. Forward, there is a cabin divided to form a ward-room and commander's cabin; this is fitted for three officers. Aft of this there is a cabin which will accommodate eight petty officers. The arrangements for the crew are made for natives, and there is a speci- ally-fitted sick bay. The magazines are placed below, ammunition hoists passing through the cabins, so that there is direct communication, under cover and protected from shot by the cabin plating, between the magazine and the battery deck. ; : The vessels have square sterns, and in order to insure quick maneu- vering powers--very necessary when navigating crooked rivers, often full of shallows--there are four rudders, which can be actuated either by steam or hand gear. There is a fan in the stokehold, for forced-draft purposes. This was not in operation during the official trial, to which reference will be presently made, but is intended to be used under excep- oo CICUMSTSHCSS, when only wood of an inferior character is available | or fuel. It will be seen, from what has been said, that Messrs. Yarrow, in accepting this contract, had a somewhat difficult problem to solve before attaining success. The firm has had, however, considerable experience in steamers of this class, and for many years past has been remarkebly suc- cessful in securing high speed on very light draught, with vessels built in floatable sections for easy transport. The latter system of construction was introduced by Messrs. Yarrow & Co. about eighteen years ago, by means of a stern wheeler, Le Stanley, built to the order of the king of the Belgians for the exploration of the Congo river. The floatable section system offers notable advantages in vessels intended for new countries, as it obviates the old method of sending the hull out in parts, to be riveted up where skilled labor is nearly sure to be difficult to obtain, and where launching may be a tedious and prolonged operation. By placing the twin screws in tunnels of a special design, a large diameter of pro- peller is made possible, without the tips of the blades passing as they revolve below the bottom of the hull; and thus the screws are not liable to be damaged if the boat runs on to a sand bank. Moreover, they can be brought nearer the surface of the water without losing efficiency by drawing down air; and, indeed, the result of the trial shows a good pro- pulsive result. With this system, too, the propellers are very accessible. Doors are placed at the crown of the tunnels, which rise above the level of the surrounding water, and by removing these the screws can_be examined or removed without difficulty, while the vessel is afloat. The advantage of carrying out these operations without docking the boat or putting her ashore will be apparent, specially in a new country. It will be remembered that two shallow-draught gunboats, the Shiekh and the Sultan, were built about four years ago to the order of the Egyptian government for service on the Nile, where they played an important part in the operations against Khartoum. The Teal was launched recently with steam up, and at once made a run down the es for a preliminary trial. A few days later the official trial was made. _ From the naval architect's point of view, the trials are exceedingly interesting. The high speed and light draught, the considerable load of , 40 tons, and the large area protected against rifle fire, are all matters oi ' great importance. From the engineering point of view, also, the per- formance of the boiler is worthy of attention, and shows how well the Yarrow class of steam generator can be operated without forced draft. It is not only to the designer of warlike craft that these clever boats will appeal. They are, perhaps, of even more interest to trades engaged in opening up new markets for British manufacturers in distant lands. INGENIOUS LIFE SAVING APPARATUS. Mr. W. Shermuly of Poplar, England, has invented a life saving apparatus of more than ordinary utility. It is a combination line box and rocket stand which it is proposed should be carried on ships of all kinds. It is clear that in nine cases out of ten ships are wrecked by being driven on a lee shore, and all attempts to throw a line to them from the land will be more or less violently opposed by the wind. If, on the con- trary, the rocket is discharged from the ship it will be helped by the wind, and the line is certain to reach the shore. Obvious as all this is it seems to be certain that vessels do not carry rocket rescue apparatus. _._ The Shermuly apparatus is very simple. The line, 400 yards long with a breaking strain of 554 Ibs., in superposed layers, is coiled around specially arranged pins, and forms a compact mass contained in a box 16 in. by 16 in. by 6 in. Upon the box is a support for the rocket holder which latter is mounted on a stem or standard with a ball-and-socket connection, permitting adjustment to, and clamping at any angles of ele- vation and deflection--the whole forming a self-contained rigid combina- tion for a stationary or steady platform, with an important provision for maintaining the proper elevation when the ship is rolling The rocket holder may be clamped to the deck rail or bridge rail, Easily carried b one man, the complete apparatus may be taken aloft or other part of the ship, and the rocket fired thence. It can b i 5 i eee € conveniently stowed in the A British admiralty chart, Midland section of G i ri sent, postpaid, to any address for $1.25; regular price 'SL. a ao 3x4 ft. The Marine Review Pub. Co., Perry-Payne building, Cleveland Chart of the whole bay on one sheet at the same price. : The Marine Iron Works, station A, Chicago. h j i 2 48-page catalogue descriptive of their product, which they will send (eae on receipt of request. A separate pamphlet issued by the same company. devoted especially to "River Navigation" (shallow water stern ab f boats), will also be included if asked for. e -