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September, 1914 the Toledo Bridge & Crane Co. of Toledo, Ohio, and the erection to the Central American Construction Co., Limited, of Colon. After the latter cor- poration was placed in the hands of a receiver, in March, 1914, the Penn Bridge Co.madea second contract for the erection with Mr. J. O. Childers, of the Childers Construction Co., of Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Childers was once a super- intendent for the Penn Co., and was field superintendent for the McClintic- Marshall Construction Co. in its work on the Canal, principally in the erec- tion of the lock gates. He arrived on the Isthmus to take charge of the work at Darien about the middle of April. «His present force consists of 12 white men and 13 West Indian negroes. Forces of the supply department, numbering one gold and about 50 sil- ver employes, are engaged in finishing the grading and filling about the con- crete footings for the towers, and in the erection of a concrete operating building, one story in height and 26 by 50 feet in plan. They have completed a one-story concrete power house, quarters for the operators, and a cottage for the chief electrician. The navy department has a chief electrician on the grounds, supervising eight silver employes in handling miscellaneous materials and stores, Orbita for Panama Canal Service On Tuesday, July 7, the large, triple screw mail and passenger steamer Orbita, built to the order of The Pacific Steam Navigation Co., Liverpool, was launched at Belfast by Harland & Wolff Ltd. The new vessel is 569 feet 3 inches in length over all, 67-foot beam, and will have a gross tonnage of about 15,500 tons, and has been designed specially for The Pacific Company's service to the east and west coast of South America, having, besides extensive pas- senger accommodation, very large ca- pacity for cargo, the arrangements for which are of the most approved char- acter, The vessel is very strongly con- structed with double bottom throughout, ten watertight bulkheads and _ seven steel decks. The Orbita will have accommodation for, in all, over 1,100 _ Passengers--first second, intermediate and third class. The first class dining saloon, on the main deck, extends the full breadth of the vessel. It is framed and panelled, and finished in white and gold. This Saloon will seat 197 persons. The first class smokeroom, situated on the promenade deck, is panelled in Oak in the style of the Jacobean period. It has a raised roof over the centre, THE MARINE REVIEW and is fitted with a handsome coal fireplace. Two handsome paintings also will adorn this apartment. The first class verandah, also on the promenade deck, is finished in trellis work, and furnished with tables, chairs, GIG, The first class lounge, on the promen- ade deck, is framed and panelled in satinwood. The furniture is mahogany; the room being furnished with small tables, chairs, settees and writing tables, and a motor water fountain will be arranged in the middle of the room. There is an admirably equipped gym- nasium and a children's playroom; and an enquiry office, shop, barber's shop, armory room and dark room. The Orbita will also be equipped with an up-to-date laundry. The first class staterooms are ar- ranged on the shade and awning decks, and are all fitted with comfortable bed- steads. Each room has open washbasin, wardrobe, etc., with an easy chair. A number of the staterooms are intercom- municating. On the awning deck, the sleeping rooms are arranged on the tandem principle, giving natural light and ventilation to all rooms. There are also rooms for passengers' servants, suitably furnished. Separate rooms are allotted on the awning deck for the British doctor, Spanish doctor and surgeon. The second class dining saloon is on the main deck and extends the full width of the 'ship, "It swill- seat' 20/7 persons. The room is framed and panelled, and finished in white, relieved with gold, the dado and furniture being of oak. oS The second class smokeroom, at the after end of the promenade deck, is framed and panelled in oak, with choice dark green upholstery. The second class verandah, on the shade deck, is finished in enamel white. The second class lounge is also on the shade deck, framed and panelled in sycamore, with mahogany dado, the fur- niture being mahogany and the uphol- stery green moquette. The second class staterooms generally are treated in a similar manner to the first class, with folding iron beds. The intermediate accommodation con- sists of dining saloon, to seat 122 per- sons, general room and _ staterooms, suitably furnished and in good positions in the ship, and this class will be very comfortable. The third class accommodation is also of a superior character, and all ar- ranged to pass the requirements of the board of trade and Spanish law. The refrigerating plant is of the hori- zontal duplex marine type, with surface condenser. 35k The steering gear is of Harland & Wolff's latest type. There are 12 cargo and warping winches and four electric boat winches, besides capstan and steam windlass. The steamer will be equipped with a sufficient number of lifeboats to ac- commodate all persons on board. Needless to say, the vessel has com- plete installation of electric light, and is also fitted with wireless telegraphy' and submarine signalling, together with combined semaphore and Morse sig- nalling appliances. As already mentioned, the Orbita is a. triple screw steamer, having a combina--- tion of reciprocating engines and fow pressure turbines. She will have two steel pole masts, fore and aft,. schooner rigged. The vessel and machinery are being built to the highest requirements ot Lioyd's: for: 100, Ady class, Another mail steamer, similar to the Orbita, is now being built for the com- pany, and will be named the Orca. A special feature of the Orbita will be the large number of single berth cabins for passengers, and in the first class the remainder of the sleeping rooms will have only two bedsteads in them, though a few of the cabins will be fitted with an upper berth for the accommodation of families. In the second class no sleeping cabin will be fitted with more than three berths, many of the rooms having only one or two berths in them. During construction the vessel has been under the survey of © Capt. 'Drummond, 'the Pacific -Co's marine superintendent, and Mr. H._ Forbes, superintendent engineer. Capt. Drum- mond and Capt. Lawrenson, local in- spector, represented the owners at the launch. Submarine Intership Communica- | tion Experiments recently made by the Submarine Signal Co., of Boston, with the Fessenden submarine telegraph oscillator seemed to indicate' that through its use ships may warn each other of their approach in © thick weather and determine their relative positions and communicate in the Morse code. ' In a recent test the Boston lightship was enabled to pick up messages from.a collier approach- ing from Cape Cod at a distance of 13 miles. Prof. Fessenden has been working for some time on the prob- lem of submarine intership communi- cation. The device is about 20% inches in diameter by 15 inches' thick and weighs 850 pounds. It is com- posed of a heavy ring magnet built in two parts, the magnet being ener- gized by an electric coil which pro-