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20 is now the shoalest point above Quebec. Gas buoys are hig we provided for different points on the ship channel and will be placed as fast as they can be utilized. The aim of all these improvements will be to enable a ship to run through from Quebec to Montreal without stopping, either by day or night. - "With regard to the establishment of lights in British Colum- bia, I intend to ask the chief engineer of the department to visit that province at an early date, and to learn what additional aids to navigation are urgently required. The different routes to be protected are, first: The route outside Vancouver island on the great circle route to Japan, principally for the safety of the Canadian Pacific railway steamers; second, the inside routes to Ladysmith and other coal shipping centers, for, the protection of the large freight steamers now engaged in carrying coal to United States and other ports, a traffic that is rapidly increasing; and third, the coasting trade of British Columbia, largely increased by the rapid development of lumbering, fishing and mining industries and Yukon trade in all the inlets and inside passages from the boundary line north to Fort Simpson. Then there are two small lights to be provided on Prince Edward island, three in Nova Scotia, one in New Brunswick, and two in the province of Que- bec on the Gaspe coast. In Ontario five new lights have been urgently pressed upon the department on account of the increase of trade, particularly on the north shore of Lake Superior. 'With regard to the portion of this vote to be devoted to tidal survey work, I may say that tide tables are now prepared (annually) from tidal records secured by this survey, for all the more important harbors in eastern Canada, and also for the principal harbors in British Columbia. Tidal differences have also been determined which enable the time of the tide to be known at a number of harbors of secondary importance. "An investigation of the currents was carried on during three seasons, as follows: During 1894 in the Strait of Belle Isle and Cabot strait, the two entrances to the Gulf of St. Law- rence; 1895, the Gaspe current, and the general circulation of the ILE. MARIE. ME BOUCHARD, ISLE. DESLAURIERS. ghihse est? 199 Lighthouse estabsished,/902_ s '2 sO ISLE. STE.TRERES Bs ss CONTRECO, EUR. d Day beacopsito be erected. Lighthouse establishe. i D VARENNE. URVE., 192: LAP RCHERES. a Gas buoy to belgotablished" _/ Saxe Ri Range lights est 1902, I VARENNES. Range lights to be removed fii trom Pte.auxTremé/es. MONTREALagy TONGUEUIL. aoe a Gas buoy to be astablished. Ce a A J A MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. Se Se YAMACHICHE BEND. Gas buoy to ba astabfished. oe BATISCAN. my QO ak : Are of light enlarge a established 1902. re te ST PE gy . [Aug. ar. i the pioneer builder of large schooners, for it was out car the first big five-master (John : Prescott), the first six-master ever attempted (George W. Wells), and the first seven-master. His experience with the Wells convinced him of the value of the six-masted schooner, and the building of the Lawson has confirmed his opinion of the superiority of steel construction. He will naturally wait until he has seen the lat- ter's performance, however, before undertaking another seven- whe keel for the second of the steel car floats being built at the Fore River yard for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad has been jaid and the first frames are already up. The other float is now well under way. The company is about to make a further extension of its plant at Quincy Point, by build- ing a separate anglesmith shop near the present ship tool shop, where the light blacksmithing is now done. The great volume of work in hand at the yard has made it necessary to secure more room in the ship tool house and to increase the anglesmith facili- ties at the same time. The number of boilers to be put into the battleships Rhode Island and New Jersey has been reduced one-half by increasing their size. Instead of twenty-four 17x14xI2 boilers, each of the big vessels will have twelve I19x14x12 boilers. The first of the - hattleship's floor beams are being raised and a cutting, punching and rolling machine has been set up at the head of the ship house so that material can be handled practically at the vessel's sides. The 20-ton stem casting for the Rhode Island is being finished. just under where the ship's bow will rest. A section of track has already been laid on the concrete dock of the new fitting out basin, and the traveling gantry crane will soon be in operation. The work of installing the six boilers in the cruiser Des Moines while she is still on the stocks has begun, a derrick- pole being used to raise and lower them. The yard officials are already making preparations for the construction of the launch- ing ways. CRONDINES. aon PO OINT PLATON. Gas buoy to ba est. f B. RE SIMON. Gas buoy to be established STE. CROIX Back range light propose = 7. ANTOINE. hree lights leading up and down the river. ests 1902. ST. NICHOLAS? Semaphore |moved fr Cap Santé 1902. Proposed improvements in aids to navigation between [ontreal and Quebec. currents in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; 1806, the northeastern arm of the gulf, and the steamship route from Belle isle to Anticosti. "The regions most requiring investigation are:--Around the southeastern coast of Newfoundland, off Cape Race and southern bays; the entrance to the Bay of Fundy; further investigation in several regions within the gulf, and off the outer end of Belle Isle strait. "T am satisfied that this improvement of the St. Iawrence route will give satisfaction to the large shipping interests, and that it will So meet the views of the marine insurance people that we shall get a very largely decreased rate as compared with that in force at the present time. From this comparatively small expen- diture I believe the country will reap great benefits." ANOTHER LARGE STEEL SCHOONER. A six-masted steel schooner--the third and largest six-master ever built, and the first six-master and second schooner ever constructed of steel-- is to be added to the fleet managed by Capt. John G. Crowley, the contract for its building having been signed with the Fore River Ship & Engine Co., Quincy, Mass., just a month after the seven-master Thomas W. Lawson was launched from the same concern's yard. 'The new vessel will be taised on the stocks left vacant by the seven-master. The general construction of the six-master will be similar to the Lawson, except that instead of a double bottom she will have a very deep ballast tank, reaching to her second deck. Her lines, which were drawn by Bowdoin B. Crowninshield, the yacht de- signer, who drew the Lawson's lines also, are quite different from those of the seven-master, however. Her principal dimensions will be: Length, over all 339 ft. 6 in.; length on load water line, 306 ft.; beam, 48 ft.; depth, 29 ft. 9 in.; load draught, 24 ft.; load displacement, 7,700 tons. This will give her a carrying capacity of 5,700 tons. She will have two decks above the hold. The schooner's lower masts will be hollow steel cylinders and she will spread about 36,000 ft. of canvas. 'The contract calls for her completion in the latter part of next May. 'The detail works on plans and specifications is nearly finished and her con- struction will begin immediately. The new six-master will be the twelfth schooner owned wholly or in part by Capt. Crowley and sailed entirely under his management. Like the rest of his fleet she is to be a collier, which indicates the important position this foremost owner of American merchant sailing vessels holds, more particularly in the coastwise trade. Capt. Crowley may VESSEL FOR SUBMARINE DRILLING. A very strange and staunch craft was launched from the yards of G. H. Breyman & Bros., East Boston, last week. It is intended for submarine drilling and blasting in Boston harbor and cost $50,000. It is 80 ft® long and 36 ft. wide, drawing 5%4 ft. of water. It is so strongly built that blasting can be done directly under it without danger of damage to the hull. Pine timber 8 in. thick, with strengthening bulkheads at intervals in the interior enter into the construction. In deepening the harbor, the boat will be taken to the spot for work. 'Two long spuds, or timbers, 24 in. square and 60 ft. long, will then be driven down at either end of the boat till it is a foot above the ordinary float- ing level. In this way the boat will be kept in proper place while the operations are going on. As soon as the boat is in place three long drills will be lowered till the bottom is reached. The engines will be set in operation and holes drilled. Into these holes tubes will be lowered and dynamite rammed down through the tubes into place. With the ramrods still pressing on the dynamite charge the tubes are raised and afterward the rods. By this method the suction of the tubes does not pull up the dynamite. When all the apparatus is raised a switch in an electric battery is closed and by means of a wire and a fuse the charge of dynamite is exploded. The drills are then moved along the deck of the vessel on a track constructed for the purpose and the process repeated until sixteen different holes have been drilled and blasted with the boat in one position. 'The dredging vessel follows the blasting craft and picks up the rocks and ledges which have been loosened. 'The boat will carry a load of 4o tons of coal and 31,000 gallons of water. From 300 to 400 lbs. of dyna- mite will be carried in a small trailing boat. She will be managed by eighteen men, under the command of Capt. Edward W. Watson, who has had experience in this work in the Detroit and St. Lawrence rivers and Buffalo harbor. The navy department will soon call for bids for a huge floating dry dock to accommodate a 16,000-ton battleship to be built in the United States and floated over to the Philippines. This will be one of the largest floating dry docks ever con- structed. The amount available is $1,250,000, and Admiral Endi- cott has about completed the specifications under which the huge structure will be built. The towing of the gigantic steel structire such a distance will be a formidable undertaking. sen sa