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54 it possesses a certain degree of elasticity, and even should the blow be sufficiently violent as to damage the fabric, the in- jury is purely local in character. The system of construction is very simple. The keel is laid in the usual manner, the iron rod reinforcement be- ing anchored to the armoring of the former, and being brought up the sides of the hull in conformity with the de- sired lines of the craft. The iron rod generally used has a diameter of about 0.4 in. The expanded metal, which THE MARINE Review Hitherto wooden boats have been strung across the waterway, the deck planking, built in sections, being laid transversely across them. When a vessel desires to pass in. either direction, the necessary opening is made by withdrawing a cer- tain number of boats together with the bridge decking clear out of the way, thus leaving an uninterrupted channel, the bridge being reformed merely by rowing the boats into their normal position. The boats are of peculiar design, having sharp-pointed rising ends. In such rein- THE BARGE "LIGURIA" IN COURSE OF CONSTRUCTION ON A FLOATING PONTOON. has a mesh of about 0.2 inch, is stretched between the vertical supports, to which it is attached by suitable metal clips. The concrete is then applied to the skeleton fabric in layers inside and out equally, the thickness of this sheathing varying according to the dimensions of the craft. It will thus be realized that building can be carried out very cheaply, while it also does not call for such highly skilled labor as ordinary ship building. The cement work completed, the outer surface is sub- jected to a thorough cleaning to give the requisite polished, marble-like appear- ance. The system has been utilized for the peculiarly shaped boats which serve to support the decks of the quaint floating bridges to be found on the River Po. BUILT OF REIN FORCED CONCRETE. forced concrete the same general lines are preserved, only the ends are made blunter, a greater midship beam is pro- vided, while they have perfectly flat bot- toms, forming a kind of pontoon. Each boat is 45 ft. in length, with a beam of 12 ft: and a depth of 3.6 ft. So satis- factory have the craft proved in service, the absence of repairs being a pre-emi- nently distinguishing feature, that the wooden boats for these quaint floating bridges are being superseded by the re- inforced concrete craft as rapidly as pos- sible, over one hundred having already been built for this service. A few months ago the Italian govern- ment, whose engineers had reported fav- orably upon this system of construction, contracted with the Gabellini Company for the construction of a special type of 100-ton cargo boat which should be syit- able to their requirements, for the pur- pose of submitting the principle to a ser- ies of exacting tests to determine practi- cability, efficiency, stability, and sea- worthiness. The boat was built at the floating shipyard of the company on the Tiber at Rome. The boat has an over- all length of 51 ft., with a beam of 16 ft, and a depth of 7.5 ft., the draft without cargo being 3 ft. The type adopted is pointed fore and aft with a single clear THE BOAT IN THE FOREGROUND IS ONE OF THE FIRST BOATS hold. In outward appearance it differs slightly from the "Liguria." The hull has a double shell, the intervening space being subdivided into a number of water- tight compartments, each complete in it- self, while the outer shell above the waterline, where it is subject to the greatest possible damage from collision with other objects, such as quays, piers, and other vessels, is especially strength ened, so that in the event of one or more compartments being pierced, the craft will still remain afloat. Upon completion this freighter was towed to the military harbor at Spezia, where it was subjected to a severe series of tests by the military department. These proving completely satisfactory, the government ordered four similar