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'002 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. ST. JOHN IN THE FIGHT. A dispatch from St. John, N. B., dealing with the proposed Canadian fast steamship service, says: "People in this city are watching with keen interest the announcement of the Canadian Pacific Railway Co.'s plans for a steamship service, for there is a strong belief that the matter is of more vital interest to St. John than any other Canadian port. Apparently Halifax will be the terminus of the fast boats if the government agrees to pay the enormous subsidy asked to secure them, but the St. John board of trade is not going to let Halifax get this without putting up a fight. It is the freight ser- vice, however, that is counted on for this port. It is taken for granted that these boats, which will be put on whether or not the company gets the fast line contract, will run to St. John in winter, and there is a growing belief that they will come here in summer as well. St. John, as is well known, is the winter out- let of the Canadian Pacific, and while the conipany might prefer to send its summer cargoes to Montreal or Quebec, the increased cost of insurance in the St. Lawrence, will, it is thought, induce them to fix upon St. John as the summer and winter port of their freight line. This will, of course, mean much to St. John, for it will greatly increase the business through the port. 'To accommodate the new service inportant extensions to the harbor facilities will be necessary, and it is anticipated that the govern- ment at the coming session of parliament will ask authority to spend something to help along the work here. The improve- ments already provided, costing nearly $1,000,000, were paid for by the city and give accommodation to five large ocean steamers. An extension of the works on the plans of the city engineer can easily be made giving eleven more berths. It is thought that the Canadian Pacific will build the necessary wharves and ware- houses of the Dominion government will do the dredging, which is pretty extensive, and will necessitate an. expenditure of proba- bly well on to $2,000,000. With these facilities provided St. John will have fifteen or sixteen good deep water berths for the shipment of through merchandise; an equipment that will enable the Canadian Pacific and other Canadian roads to handle | all the business they can send here, and will permit them to keep pace with any development the west may make. Another Cana- dian Pacific steamship project about which little has been heard, but which it is thought likely to be launched, is a line from this port to Havana, there to connect with the railway interests con- trolled in Cuba by: Sir William C. Van Horne. This, it is an- ticipated, will open up a valuable market to Canadian manufac- turers and producers, and give an opportunity to bring to Can- ada the products of Cuba." ofA Cabins and Staterooms of modern vessels, especially those in the passenger service, should dem- onstrate the supreme possibilities of the wood finisher's art. This demands a special varnish, however, as atmospheric conditions are more destructive to varnish afloat than ashore and the ordinary article is of but little use. The varnish best adapted to with- stand the deleterious influences of wind, wave and weather is «"«'BERRY BROTHERS' SPAR VARNISH." Further particulars and a unique marine puzzle sent free for the asking. Write us. Berry Brothers, Limited, Varnish Manufacturers, NEW YORK BOSTON PHILADELPHIA BALTIMORE CHICAGO CINCINNATI ST. LOUIS SAN FRANCISCO Factory and Main Office, DETROIT. OR Rea = te Ret te Rta tePrstee tte, te tate protraprta tebrttntudrtutraDadudpudctudadads til, DISPUTE ABOUT ARMORED CRUISERS. Two of the most powerful armored cruisers yet designed for the United States navy are the subject of wide difference of opinion among members of the naval board of construction. The contention relates to the amount of horse power that should be provided to develop the required speed of 22 knots. Rear Admiral George W. Melville has taken the position that the vessels should not have the narrow margin of power to pro- duce the required speed insisted upon by Chief Constructor Bowles. The members of the board have taken:sides and the dispute promises to delay the soliciting of bids for these vessels. The disagreement in the board is over the weights of ma- chinery, the chief constructor urging that the horse power be reduced, while Admiral Melville stands out for heavy machin- ery and plenty of steam power. The designs call for ships of at least 22 knots' speed, and under the usual rule-cf the engineer- ing department sufficient margin would be allowed to develop a speed of 23 knots, or even more. In allowing this margin Ad- miral Melville points out that there have been few warships built the speed of which did not exceed that required under contract, and in some instances by nearly two knots. | This has given the American navy the speediest vessels for type, class and displacement afloat, and, therefore, the best, with equal protection and armor considered. Admiral Bowles bases his contention upon trials made in the experimental tank at the navyyard in Washington with dif- ferent models approximating the lines of the proposed ships, in which he says 22 knots may be secured with less power than Admiral Melville insists upon. The latter says that the models were tried without bilge keels, in smooth water, and no allow- ances made for heavy seas or head winds and other sea condi- tions, which must be considered in designing engines for certain required speeds. aioe, The argument has been made before the board that the ten- dency abroad is not to increase the speed of ships and not to sacrifice other important factors to secure high speed. Admiral Melville, however, shows that a British armored cruiser recently made 24 knots and that the finest of the United States ships of this class should not fall below this speed. 'This is the first time that so serious a disagreement has occurred in the board on the question of speed, the tendency heretofore having been to give ships the highest possible speed for vessels of their class. Ad- miral Melville believes the navy would be retrograding to build the new armored cruisers with barely sufficient horse power to develop the required speed under the most favorable conditions. When the board finally reaches its decision bids will be asked for the two ships, each cf which will represent when in com- mission an expenditure of about $6,000,000. The Townsend & Downey Ship Building & Repair Co., Shooter's Island, N. Y., has well under way the two steel tanl: barges for the Standard Oil Co. These barges are 360 ft. in length, each. The large tug boat for the Cornell Towboat Co. is in frame. 'The company has also well along a doubte-ended screw ferry boat for its own account. 'The work upon the vessel for the lighthouse board is progressing favorably. oy--6 muy Pneumatic MW Ly, Tr LOAN ' D ools Jor all purposes. Made right, e Priced right. Wri'e for Catalogs. The Q & C Co., CHICAGO. Western Union Bldg. NEW YORK, 114 Liberty Street. ht i i i i i i i i tl ln A li a a a i i i i a i i i i i te i hehe eee ee eee ge gg gg gg gg 'Seaboard Steel Castings" A Guarantee of Quality. Open Hearth Steel Castings of the Highest Grade for Locomotive, General Machinery and Shipbuild- ing Work. Subject to U. S. Government, Lloyds, Railroad and Other Highest Requirements. Seaboard Steel Casting Co., Chester, Pa. 33 Sis a= he vga nae