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TAE MARINE REVIEW 29 The governor is of the Peach type, all working parts running in a bath of oil in a case. The steam from the main engine, as well as from the auxiliary engines used in connection with it, is condensed in a large independent surface condenser, having 435 sq. ft. of cooling surface, the condenser being made in accordance with the latest admiralty practice, and pro- vided with the usual admiralty fittings. An independent vertical air pump of the "Simplex" type, with steam cyl- inder 6 in, in diameter, pump 12 in. in diameter, and stroke 9 in., is fitted, to work in conjunction with the condenser. We are informed that this pump worked in a satisfactory manner throughout the series of trials, and maintained a high vacuum. <A drawing of it appears herewith. From this it will be seen that the steam cylinder 1s of the or- dinary three-po-ted type, with a flat valve face, on which works an ordinary slide valve of the usual D class. This has been adopted in preference to the cylindrical slide valve so frequently used, as it can be refaced many times before needing replacement, and this can be done by any engine fitter without special knowledge. The slide valve engages with, and is arranged to be operated by, a shuttle valve of the usual type working in small cylinders at each end of the valve chest. The shuttle valve, and by its means the slide valve, is operated positively through the medium of the valve spindle, worked by the levers at- tached to the piston-rod crosshead. At each end of the shuttle valve are small ports, so arranged that at a certain period of its travel these are brought opposite to cor- responding ports in the valve chest, the effect being that one end of the valve is put in communication with the steam from the boiler and the opposite end is opened to exhaust. This causes the shuttle valve, and with it the slide valve, to complete the remainder of its travel by means of the steam pressure at one end, independently of the valve spindle, there being sufficient 'slack or play left to permit of this. As the slide valve completes its travel independently of the valve spindle, it has not to work the latter through its stuffing-box, and hence no tightening of the gland affects it. Instead of the shuttle valve being directly attached to the main slide, it operates the latter by means of a forked sleeve-piece, which can be put on or withdrawn by removing the valve chest cover. When this is -taken off, the shuttle and slide valves are entirely disconnected from one another, the shuttle valve can be taken out through the end of the valve chest, and the slide valve through the slide. Thus, by means of this sleeve-piece, the whole of the valve gear can be taken out and replaced without breaking the joint between the valve chest and steam cylinder, and without disconnecting any pipes. For circulating the water through the condenser, a centrifugal circulating pump driven by ifs own steam engine is fitted, the engine cylinder being 4 in. in diameter by 3 in. stroke, and as at low tides the lift is too high for this circulating pump, a direct double- acting reciprocating pump is also supplied. This pump is of the "Duplex" type fitted with Mumford and Anthony's patented valveless steam cylinders, the diameter of the cylinders being 8 in., pump barrels 8 in., and stroke 8 in. Arrangements are made for measuring the steam con- sumption of the main engine, as well as that of the auxiliary engines, and also of a Parsons' steam turbine which has been fitted for instructional purposes, and the exhaust of which leads into the condenser of the main engine above described by means of the usual measuring tanks. The order for the whole of the above installation was placed with A. G. Mumford, Limited, Colchester, and the contract time allowed for delivery of the above in- stallation, including fixing and erection at Dartmouth, supplying and fixing all the necessary piping, etc., for con- necting up to the boilers, turbine, etc., was five and a half months. SMART PIECE OF REPAIR WORK. An exceptionally smart piece of repair work was recently accomplished at Sunderland. The steamer Gresham of 6,000 tons. arrived with a breakdown in her engine room, which necessitated the removal of the whole of. her' engines and _ bedplates. The vessel arrived on Thursday, Dec. 21 and the work of lifting out the machinery was commenced on the Saturday morning following, and by noon it was all on the quay, and the work of fitting the new portion was begun. The job. was resumed on Sunday midnight and by Tuesday morning the repairs were completed and the engines were erected in the shop. They were afterwards taken down and at noon of that day the bedplate was lowered into the ship and secured, and by 5 p. m. the engines were all in position. By 9 the following morning (Wednesday) the engines were tried under steam and the ship declared ready for sea, the steamer moving the next day for coaling purposes and sailing on Friday for an American port. The total time occupied by the engineers (Messrs. John Dickinson & Sons and Messrs. J. L. Thompson & Sons) in lifting out the machinery, fitting the new portion, erecting in shop, dismantling, replacing on board and coupling up from the time the repairs were commenced until the vessel was under steam, was only 73 hours, without allowing for meal hours,--a most creditable performance. FLOATING DRY DOCK AT NEW ORLEANS. The port of New Orleans is now equipped with a capacious floating dry dock for merchant work. With the exception of the government dock at Algiers which could take only one merchant job occasionally, there is no adequate facility - at New Orleans for the repair of vessels. Messrs. Wood- ward, Wight & Co., Ltd., Mr. Norris Stern and Mr. George A. Hero, started a year ago to remedy this deficiency by the construction of a dock capable of lifting 5,000 tons dead- weight and able to take in ships 375 ft. long. The dock was built at Orange, Texas, under the personal supervision of Walter Thompson, one of the most capable dock men in the United States. -The new dock has been handled at Algiers. It is the purpose of the New Orleans Dry Dock - & Ship Building Co., the owners, to build a smaller dock of 1,200 tons capacity and also to establish launching ways. STEEL BARGES FOR RIVER TRAFFIC. _ The American Bridge Co. has closed a contract with the -American Steel & Wire Co. for the construction of tem steel barges for use in Pittsburg harbor and in hauling coal from the mines along the Monongahela river to the company's plants at Rankin and Shoenberger Mills. This order is very gratifying inasmuch as it proves conclusively that the ten barges built for this company last year have been satisfactory. The Ameérican Bridge Co. is now building at Ambridge the ten barges for the American Steel & Wire Co., two rec- tangular hulls, 30 by 130 ft., for five yard dipper dredges to be used on Panama canal work and a steamboat hull for James Rees & Sons, who have the contract to build a Mississippi river packet. The Panama hulls will be built at Ambridge plant, together with the Ohio river boats and after being fitted will be taken apart and' shipped in "broken down" shape to the isthmus. Last year the Ambridge plant of the bridge company turned out seventeen hulls, ten of which were coal boats for the American Stecl & Wire Co. It is announced that the -final plans and specifications for the new Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co.'s steamer will be submitted to the lake ship builders early in March.