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me : fact = . 134 of A. P. Rankin, chief engineer, J. E. Thiell, advertising manager, and C. C. West, general manager. The rear half of this floor is given over. to the drafting room, except for in- dividual offices opening from it for the engineer of the boiler department 'and the engineer of the hull depart- ment. Modern lavatory facilities are also provided from this room. The lighting is entirely on the in- direct principle and special provision is made for ample illumination on dark days and through the winter. Repairs on Naval Vessels ~ : No request is being made of con- gress this year by the navy department for authority to repair and overhaul naval vessels where the cost of the. works exceeds the 20 per cent limit of the original cost of the vessel as now prescribed by law. Usually this class of work amounts to something like $6,000,000 in the course of a year. Much of the work has been due to alterations on ships, instead of re- pairs, and the experts say that if there are no alterations made there should be no difficulty in keeping the cost within the 20 per cent limitation. For some time the navy department has been seeking to have repealed cer- tain requirements of law adopted as long ago as 1861, that fhake necessary the resort to the formality of a board of officers and a report therefrom before making certain repairs on ships. At the time these laws were enacted naval vessels were constructed of wood, sails were the principa¥ means of pro- pulsion, and the intricate electrical ap- paratus now in use for various auxil- lary purposes on board ships did not exist. The largest of the vessels had a displacement of 5,200 tons, and as a whole they were simple and inex- pensive structures, compared with mod- ern ships of war of intricate construc- tion, great displacement and powerful armament. In comparison with the cost of the ships of 1861 and expendi-. 'ture of $3,000. to hulls and spars, or $1,000 for repairs to sails and rigging, was a considerable item, while these sums are inconsequential 'compared. with the cost of a modern battleship or armored cruiser and its rigging. According to the present practice, when extensive repairs are under con- sideration, the matter is submitted to 'the general board of survey and the commander-in-chief of the fleet or the commandant of the navy yard, their recommendations are forwarded -to the navy department bureaus concerned, and finally all questions involved are passed on by the secretary of the navy. In many cases it is highly inexpedient THE MARINE REVIEW to select inspection boards as an ini- tial step in going through all this for- mality and the navy department be- lieves that the present requirements -should be repealed, so that more ex- peditious methods may be adopted. Put in a Busy Winter The Great Lakes Engineering Works, Detroit, has been very busy both at its Ecorse and ~~ Ashtabula plants. Among the more important work that it is doing' at the Ecorse plant is the reconstruction of the bulk freighter Colonel- on the arch girder system with the consequent removal of hold beams and stanchions. Her hatches are also being increased in size and fitted with steel covers. The 'steamer E. M. Peck is being shortened "O-1t. andthe hull reconstructed on -account: of explosion damage. The Bethlehem and Seneca are getting new boilers and air heaters. The passenger steamer North American is undergo- ing a number of alterations to cabins and repairs to bottom damage. Oth- er vessels undergoing general repairs at Ecorse are the Rhoda Emily Acad- ian, William J. Filbert, Thomas Lynch, ' PP. A? B. Widener and Harvester. The vessels at the Ashtabula plant are the Presque Isle, which is having new . coal bunkers, the Empire City, new tank top, Superior City, bilge ceiling repairs, and the Edenborn, Peter White, Mullen and Hoover & Mason, general repairs. The Erie and Amer- ican are having single rudders taken out and replaced with double rudders. The fw Canuthers Hatches The St. Lawrence & Chicago Steam Navigation Co.'s new steamer, build- ing at the yard of the Collingwood Ship Building Co., Collingwood, Ont., to replace the steamer James Cur- ruthers, lost in the November storm, will be one of the staunchest bulk freighters on the lakes. Great care is .being exercised in making ' the hatches absolutely secure. The hatches will be spaced 24 ft. centers instead of 12 ft. centers, with openings 10 ft. 6 in. in a fore and aft direction. Four- in. spruce hatch covers will be sub- stituted in place of the telescopic steel covers.. These covers will be fitted (salt water style) inside of Tyzacks patent hatch rest bar and will be supported underneath with portable: steel strongbacks, fitted both fore and aft and athwartships. The hatch cov- ers will be fastened with Mulholland's patent hatch fastener, which has proved its enormous gripping power on numerous occasions. April, 1914 Activities of Cox & Stevens The tow boats Mary F. Scully, Thomas J. Scully, John Scully anq Coastwise, belonging to the Scully Transportation Co., all being ocean-_ going vessels, have been chartered by Cox & Stevens to the regatta com- mittee of the New York Yacht Club for use in connection with the races for the America's cup. The 100-ft. passenger propeller Patchogue, which was designed by 'Cox & Stevens, has been sold by them for the Patchogue & Water Island Navigation Co, to the Boston, Na- hant & Pines Steamboat Co., of Bos- ton. This vessel will leave Patchogue about May, 1 for her new home port. The contract for completing the tug Maycliff, designed by Cox & Stevens for the Undercliff Terminal & Ware- house Co., construction of which ves- sel was commenced at the yard of J. H. Dialogue & Son, of Camden, N. J., has been awarded to the Staten Island Shipbuilding Co. This vessel has just arrived at Staten Island and is being: rapidly pushed to completion. May- cliff will be. one of 'the largest and most powerful harbor tugs. Her di- mensions are: breadth, 26 ft. 6 in.; depth 13 ft. 6 in, her engines being 19 in. and 42 in. by 30 in. and being fitted with Scotch boiler, 16 ft. by 11 ft. The same firm have turned over for. Manuel Idera for export, a twin screw passenger boat from their designs, 72 x 13 x 3 ft. 6 in, fitted with two 100- h. p. Craig motors arranged to ope- rate either with gasoline or alcohol. This vessel has unusual speed, namely, 15 miles, and gave very satisfactory results on trial. Extremely high waves recently broke heavy plate glass in the lantern --which is 130 ft. above high tide level--of the Tillamook Rock light station, off the coast of Oregon, ac- cording to an official report from the lighthouse keeper, who recorded the highest waves that had occurred in the 12 years of his service there. The gale had raged for more than 14 hours and a maximum wind velocity of 84 miles per hour was indicated. The steamers of the White Star Line, Detroit, are undergoing the usual spring fit-out. The steamer Tashmoo has received a new Byerlyte flooring covering her entire main deck. This flooring, which has an asphalt base, is becoming very popular on the lakes. The main saloon of the City of To- ledo will receive a new carpet. Length. 11): SEE ae eens leet Oa cet eR a SN er hae aR se Cunt.