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June, 1910 ' over one side, while the discharge pipe The cast iron base plate is fastened to two 12 x 12-in. tim- bers, lying across the deck, these tim- brs in turn being bolted to four 8-x 12-in. stringers fim ore and ait. lying lengthwise below the deck, thus anchoring the machine to two lines of deck beams. pump sets on pump, . the The priming one side of the miain electrical apparatus and switchboard on the other, both being on the same side of the longitudinal center line of the barge as the main motor. In this manner the weight of the pipes and the action of the suction is counter- balanced. A light shed protects all ma- chinery and the operator from rain and sunshine. The barge has to carry the déad and live loads indicated in the following table. The displacement, light, is, therefore, 3,678 cu. ft. and loaded, 4,624 ca ft, making the draught of the barge, light, Zit, 9 im: and: Joaded, 3. i 5 aa TABLE OF LIVE AND DEAD LOADS. Pounds. osleccus yd. concrete.) 206,900 Steel -reinforcement:..5.3.-...0. 2 22,600 Pump, with: base: plate, etc...5...3.- 29,600 Motor. 22.9. Uae ee ee 12,800 Priming pump; with motor 7... 0°: 1,300 Electrical apparatus -.,.......... 5,000 Mooring bits, house, 12 ft. of 20-in. suction pipe with foot valve, 30 ft. of 20-in. discharge pipe and water im "pipes and: pump 4.7.5. .¢)...... 10,300 288,500 Cement, sand and rock are the same high-grade materials that are furnished for the locks, the cement used being Atlas. Portland. For the shell, concrete is mixed in the proportion of 1 cement to 2 sand; members in the proportion 1 cement to 2 sand to 4 rock. All mixing is done by hand. The reinforcement consists of corru- gated square bars with high elastic limit, manufactured by the Corrugated Bar Co.; annealed wire No. 12 is used for tying, and the wire cloth is made by the Clinton Wire Cloth Co. How the Barges are Built. The barges are being built, one at a time, and launched on the west bank of the --nal at the place where the lower chamber of the Miraflores lock will be located. This locality is acces- sible by a spur track. A platform was built on cribbing with enough height underneath for men to work and to build the ways fe> launch- ing. On this platform sheets of wire cloth are laid crosswise and bent up so as to extend the total height of the side walls. The sheets are 36 in. wide and are securely tied together where they butt in the length direction of the for the deck and interior TAE MaRINE REVIEW barge. On this wire cloth are tied the bars that form. the reinforcement of the bottom. The cross bars are made up of one piece 14 ft. and one 22 ft. long, spliced by overlapping 1 ft. the splice verng alternately' under the port and starboard length girder. Five ft. at each end of these bars are bent up and form the reinforcement of the sides. The longitudinal bars consist of 21-ft. pieces, spliced at every second cross beam by overlapping 1 ft.; the splices are stag- gered. At the ends of the barge these bars are bent up to conform to the out- line of the rakes. The arrangement of the. longitudinal bars in the side walls is similar. At the center lines of all beams stirrups are hooked to the main bars; they are 5/l6-in. rods, spaced 9 in. centers for the longitudinals and 12 in. for the cross beams. How the Shell is Formed. The concrete shell is formed by plas- tering the steel skeleton. For that pur- pose the reinforcement is suspended on wooden beams, sections 10 x 24 ft. at a time, and the sheeting of the platform is removed. 'The plaster can be applied from the outside and pressed well into the wire mesh. As soon as the initial set takes place a high finish is given to the lower face, and finally, the support- ing platform is put back in place. The progress is so arratiged that a days work ends under a line of cross beams and takes in the whole width of the bottom. After this first coating, about 14 in. thick, has set for three days, the plastering of the inside is started. Here the joint between two days' work. is located half way between two lines of cross beams. The plastering of the sides is performed in a similar manner. To make the mortar set faster, thereby fa- cilitating the plastering, and to produce a denser mixture, one-quarter of the cement has been replaced by lime. Next the forms for floor beams are erected, and the steel for floor beams, posts, knee braces and bulkheads placed. This done, the floor beams can be con- creted. Then the forms for posts, bulk- heads, deck beams and deck slabs are put up, the beam and slab reinforcement laid and tied. The longitudinal bars in the deck are 21 ft. long, and have their splices arranged like the bars in the floor; the cross bars are 26 ft. long and have 14 in. at each end bent down into the side wall. In laying concrete a day's work is stopped for the beams, in the middle of a span, and for the slabs, at the center line of a beam. All forms were built in sections, the pieces being small enough to pass through the hatches, and the same forms will be used for all three barges. From 281 the start, concrete was protected by heavy carivas against the hot sun, and was kept moist by sprinkling with a hose. Work on the first barge was begun Feb. 18, 1910, and was completed on April 8, 1910. Eleven days afterwards, on April 19, 1910, she was launched successfully, the launching being done sidewise. Immediately after the ways were cleared, work on the second barge was commenced; but the latter will dif- fer somewhat from the first, as several changes have been made in the design, based on experience gained. Most of these changes tend to lighten the boat and are incorporated in the foregoing description. PRACTICAL RESULTS OF THE MONITORIA. Sume practical results of the work- ing of the Monitoria which was illus- trated and described in a recent issue of Tur Marine Review are now avail- able. She has been through some very rough weather in the voyages she has made, and has proved herself to be a splendid and seaworthy vessel in every respect. Comparing voyages, under the same weather conditions, with similar vessels of the ordinary type and the same dimensions, it is found that the latter have steamed 734 knots an hour and burnt 15 tons of coal, whereas the Monitoria has carried about 100 tons more cargo, Owing to her patent construction, and steamed 7*$ knots with a coal consumption of only 10 to {1 tons, In smooth sea, during these voyages the Monitoria did 834 knots with a coal consumption under 11 tons. This is a remarkable improvement upon the ordinary" plain ship, considering the Monitoria has a, greater displacement. It is clear, as the naval architect for the Monitor corporation, Arthur H. Haver, has pointed out, that the corrugations along the vessel's sides bring a better. supply of water to the propeller, free from eddies, and reduce the amplitude of the waves, and send them more swiftly past the ship, reducing also the height of the bow and _ stern waves. There is another remarkable and important result from the adop- tion of the Monitor patent of construc-_ tion, namely, an entire absence of vibration on board the Monitoria, and what this would mean in point of comfort to passengers upon ocean _ liners is something that the owners of such vessels would do well to con- cider. Pr Me A gentleman who went in the Monitoria to the Baltic in April wrote the owners from Copenhagen as fol-