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286 The salvage of the Yucatan was ac- complished by Capt. J. E. Pharo and his wrecking crew after nearly four months of difficult and disagreeable work, hindered constantly by icebergs, which also endangered the lives of the divers and salvage crew. The salvage company contracted to raise the Yucatan TAE Marine REVIEW taken to Portland for permanent re- pairs. The insurance on the Yucatan was about $250,000, of which $75,000 is on disbursements. With a salvage item. of $35,000 and $89,000 for repairs and inci- dental charges with new equipment at some $60,000 and a credit item of some S. S. Yucatan BerorE SHE Was WRECKED. on a "no float, no pay" basis, $35,000 to be paid on delivery of the wreck. On docking, it was found that 30 plates in the bottom and aft were dam- aged and must be replaced. About 30 ft. of the forefoot -was carried away and the upper deck aft was badly dam- aged, as already noted: The boilers and machinery were intact. Tenders for the repair of the Yucatan were submitted by all of the large shipbuild- ing firms on the Pacific coast as fol- lows: $16,000 on old insurance, the underwrit- ers save some $16,000. The salving of the Yucatan is regard- ed by shipping men as one of the most difficult pieces of work that has been accomplished in this line on the Pacific coast in a long time. The Yucatan is a steamer of 3,535 tons gross, 2,317 tons registered tonnage, similar to the North- westérn, which was salved by the Brit- ish Columbia Salvage Co. from Latouche tslamd' «(She is 330.5 ft. long and 43.2 ft. beam and 22.3 ft. deep, and was con- Firm. Place. Amount. Days. Winton rom VWorksee 8. eis cc oes Sage branowsco.: cos sb ee: $170,000 175 United Engineering Works....,......:.: Dan MraneciscO.6 6. 6. lee ee cs 153,000 150 Moone Iron Works ccs... eo cee sk cee San-Mrancisco:...... ee cie 122,500 150 Var. Marine Ry. Cos... ae eh WHCTOLIA a oe ls oso ea. 125,000 130 Moran Ship Building Co.......2........ CALC si Pe. one ses -+ 120,000 150 NMyaligee. G2. JenkinS 24 6465-6 set a ot Pe) CALLIO odes cies ok oc cs we ce +-.183;250) 125 Hefferman Ship Building Co........... pe CAG, aero aks ees Ges 119,460 7 mos. Willamette Steel & Iron Works......... Rortland,. v.55, ese 89,000 140 _ The bids for the repair of the Yuca- ' tan are interesting as the lowest, that of the Willamette Steel & Iron Works is over $20,000 lower than the next higher bidder and less than one-half that of the highest bidder. The effect of the eight-hour day is apparent in the bids of the San Francisco firms, as labor makes the cost of ship repairing there the highest of any port on the Pacific coast. The bid of the Willamette Iron & Steel Works will probably be accepted and after~ temporary -repairs~ have» been - made at Esquimalt, the Yucatan will be verted into a private yacht in the spring of 1909 and used for a pleasure excur- sion through Alaska during the summer by George W. Perkins and party from New York. In the fall of 1909, she was reconverted into a passenger steam- ship. THE NEW CHIEF OF ENGIN- EERS, U. S. ARMY. As interest is increasing in the im- provement of rivers and harbors, so interest is being awakened in the man ~whodirectsthe»-work:* Only a few years ago, little attention was paid to July, 1910 the office of Chief of Engineers, a)- though millions of dollars were ex. pended annually under the direction of its chief. It is doubtful if half the inland navigators knew the name of the man who took final action on the pleas for the improvements which benefited them. On June 11, Gen. W. L. Mar- shall surrendered the reins of Chief of Engineers to Gen. William H. Bixby, a man particularly well fitted for the office--few officers are so well equipped. Gen. Bixby has had a wide experience as an engineer officer. He has been connected with some of the most im- portant river and harbor improvements in this country and has seen similar improvements in Europe. He has had charge of work on the Atlantic coast, having been stationed at Wilmington, N. C., and at Newport, R. I. He is, no doubt, better informed on the improve- ments of the Ohio river from source to mouth than any other engineer officer in the service today. Gen. Bixby was connected with the Ohio river from Oct. 6, 1897, to Jan. 15, 1902, and has since been a member of boards to consider proposed improvements for that river. For several years he had charge of the improvements of the Ohio for its entire length and also of many of its trib- utaries. He made frequent trips over the river and has been over its principal tributaries, so that he knows the condi- tions first hand. He is also well ac- quainted with the conditions on the Great Lakes, having been stationed at Detroit and Chicago. Gen. Bixby will, no doubt, be welcomed as Chief of. En- gineers by most of the lake navigators, because he is familiar with their needs. His last work in the field was on the Mississippi, he having been president of the Mississippi River Commission. Gen. Bixby was selected as the en- gineer expert and accompanied the spe- cial congressional commission on an in- spection tour of the principal water- ways of Europe. Some years ago, he was representative of the United States Army to the French Army maneuvers. As will be seen from the above, Gen. Bixby is particularly well fitted by ex- perience for the office of Chief of En- gineers. But more than that, he is a man of liberal ideas; he is progressive; he is quick to discern and appreciates good work. He wants details. The British admiralty have placed a contract with Messrs. Yarrow & Co., of Glasgow, for two torpedo boat de- stroyers of a special type, involving many new features. In these vessels the constructors have been allowed to have a perfectly free hand in the de- sign of the machinery, and _ conse- quently the trials of these destroyers will be awaited with considerable*in- terest.