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and engines, the saving in the cost of . coal would be not less than $1,000,000 per annum, or what would be of far greater importance, the distances trav- ersed by each ship without coaling would be more than doubled." That the great savings made with the gas engine are not laboratory re- sults, the following practical applica- tion will show: An illustration of the economies possible through the use of a gas en- gine driven pumping unit, when re- placing steam, is the Poughkeepsie CN...Y.).. pumping... plant; rebuilt yin 1905, with a 10-in. centrifugal pump, belted to a 35-H. P. gas engine, taking fuel from a Wood suction producer. Let the 1905 annual report of the board ef public works speak for itself in regard to this: x "Tn the three. -months,> January, February and March of this year, the steam plant pumpit.g to filters used 223.59 tons of coal for 199.7 millions of gallons of water filtered, equal to 1.12 tons per million gallons. In the five months, July to November, in- clusive, the gas plant used 78.16 tons for 317.8 million gallons filtered, equal to 0.24 ton per million gallons--a sav- ing of 0.88 ton per million gallons. As an average of 63.5 millions of gal- lons were filtered per month, the dif- ference in favor of the gas plant was 55.88 tons per month, costing in the ered $3.26 per ton or "$18216 per - month." The total cost of this plant--gas en- gine, producer, pump, foundations. piping, etc--was $3,940. It will, therefore, be seen that the coal saving alone paid for the entire plant in 22 months! A similar result to this is found in numerous plants now in_ successful operation throughout the United States and Europe. It must not be assumed that coal is the only fuel from which we may. obtain a gas. Wood coal producers are in use in Mexico, where they give most satisfactory results. Gas can be made from petroleum, straw and charcoal that gives excellent results in gas engines. About 2% lb. of dry wood will produce about the same value in gas as 1 lb. of coal. The development of the gas engine has progressed much farther in America than in Europe in the marine types. The Standard Co. has built engines of 500 H. P., one in the Schooner Northland, of 4,000 tons ca- Pacity, and one. in the excursion fish- ing boat Arion, which has a speed of 18 miles an hour. A 350-H. P. engine has just been "TAE Marine REvIEw sent to France and four engines have been tested and given remarkable re- sults for the Austrian navy. Japan thas two engines of (350 H.2P each in submarines. Russia has 7,000 H. P. of American engines in torpedo boats. The revenue cutter service fleet of vessels inaugurated 'by the United States for San Domingo have gas en- gines. The gas engine is the logical means for generating power for marine uses in the future, and from the steps al- ready taken to equip vessels of dif- ferent classes, it is only a question of time before the suction gas producer is universally adopted for both land and sea. ® DELAYS PREVENT GRAIN EX- PORTS. New York = steaniship interests were somewhat surprised to learn recently from Special Agent Davis, who is in Europe investigating ship- ping conditions, that Hamburg is re- ceiving large quantities of wheat and feeding stuffs from the republic of Argentina, and that this is the direct result of the delays experienced in receiving 'these cargoes froma the United States. He says: "The official statistics of the port of Hamburg, which have just been published for the year 1907, present some features of interest especially to millers of wheat, rice and corn. A few of the more important items of grain, flour and animal feeding stuffs imported via Hamburg are given be- low with the figures, showing increase or decrease, as compared with 1906. The table is. in units -of , 100: kilos (220.47 lbs. each, or 'doppelzentner,' as the unit is termed). "The influence of the local flour- milling industry on the wheat imports may be observed in the rather 1e- markable increase for 1907 of 3,383,- 464 doppelzentners of wheat, equal to 12,406,034 bush. That this increased import of wheat was not due to any considerable shortage of 'home sup- plies is evidenced by the fact that the receipts of wheat at Hamburg from the interior by river, canal and rail in 1907 were only 400,000 bush. - less than in 1906.. More than three- fourths of all the wheat imported came from the United States and Ar- gentina, the former supplying 10,830,- 000. and the latter 10,325,000 bush. of the 27,600,000 bush. imported. The money paid for the American wheat ded that paid for the Argentine product, as shown by the statistical report, by 6,210,960 marks, equal to $1,490,000, although the quantity was excee 15 only 505,000 bush. in excess. The Hamburg miller or importer paid on the average $1.01 per bush. for Amer- ican wheat, as against 91 cents per bush. for Argentine. Russia furnish- ed 2,712,000 bush. of Hamburg's im- ports, Roumania 1,740,000 bush. and the United States Pacific coast 827,- 000 bush., while Australia sent 670,000 bush. Shipments from other coun- tries were unimportant. Canadian wheat, like all other Canadian prod- ucts in German trade, cut but a small figure in Hamburg imports, Canada's total contribution in 1907 being but 15,500 'bush. and none in 1906. ARGENTINA'S LEAD. "Argentina is so far in the lead in shipments of feeding stuffs and offals into Germany, as shown by the pub- lished Hamburg imports for 1907, that I have made some extended inquiries into the reasons therefor. The fact that the exporting in Argentina is in a few hands, and that the largest wheat exporting 'house there is thought to be interested in the oper- ation of the largest mills, tends to centralize the business and to offer exceptional opportunities fon distri- bution at this end. The financial con- nections of Argentina's wheat ex- porters are well. known to be very strong, as indeed they must be to handle the large volume of exports going from that country. The ship- pers of mill feeds there sell on sea- board bill of lading and guarantee full outturn and sound delivery at destination. These terms are attract- ive to buyers as against American c. i. £. terms, which buyers claim do not fully protect them against un- soundness on arrival. However, it should be noted here that once there is accomplished the necessary reform in transportation' from the United States to Europe, by which needless delays are avoided, the preference now given to Argentina by the guar- anteed arrival terms will. be of com- paratively little importance. The pos- sible time from the United States to Hamburg is so much less than from Argentina that once reliable sched- ules are effected American exporters will regain the preference naturally theirs for various reasons. EFFECT OF SHIPPING DELAYS. "The importance of getting ship- ments off on contract time and the avoidance of delays is especially felt by those buyers engaged in distribu-. tion to interior German points as the winter season approaches. So much ig sent out by canal and river that contracts fon stch delivery cannot be shifted to rail delivery without great