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Cargo Cranes Prove Successful Details of Freight Handling Devices on Unique Vessels Owned by Steel Corporation—T his Loading Rig Has Made Big Savings Possible ae freight motorships STEELVEN- por and STEELMoToR built by the Federal Shipbuilding Co. for the United States Steel Products Co. have now been in constant and successful op- eration by the Isthmian Steamship Line for one and one-half years. During the open season on the Great Lakes, they are engaged in carrying steel products from lake ports such as Chicago and Lo- rain, O.,to Montreal with return cargoes of paper. In the winter months and early spring, these vessels are in service be- tween gulf ports such as Mobile, Ala., and Galveston, Tex., where sulphur and steel products are among the commodities carried, Built for service on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence, as well as ocean coastwise or gulf, they represent a new and interesting type of vessel. This adaptability for both ocean and _ lakes, necessarily limited the size to allow pass- age of the Welland and St. Lawrence canals connecting Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river with the other lakes. Complete particulars of hull and ma- chinery are given in Marine Review for Cctober, 1923, and June, 1924. For con- venience some of the principal character- istics are repeated below: Hull Particulars Length overall ft. 4a 258 31% Length “bet: “petps; ff ia 250 Beam tis ea ee 42 9 Dept, fin 20 Load dratt” ttavin <a o3 Ga ae 16 Dwt: capacity, tons’. 5 Oe ee Pw ES Speed in Knots co ae ee 814 Main engin oie. .47 a RS 1 McIntosh & Seymour diesel Type, cycle 4.7 or ee 4 No, -cylindete oo). 6 Ize, INCH Geo ee ae X oe Brake: horsepower 9352 2440 3. 750: At the time of completion in June, 1923, attention was called to an _inter- esting departure from the usual prac- tice for handling cargo. Instead of in- dividual winches grouped on the deck be- tween hatches in conjunction with booms stepped on masts, or derrick posts, each of the two hatches is served by a 5- ton, 3-motor, variable radius, revolving crane mounted on a fixed base. Nat- uarlly, such a radical innovation. was looked upon with some degree of scep ticism as to its success in practical serv- ice, and at the time no assurance worth while, except the conviction of the men who recommended the use of cranes in- stead of the customary winches, could be given to offset these doubts. The excel- lent results obtained in handling cargo during continuous and active service for the past 18 months, however, has fully justified the choice made for this par- ticular type of vessel and trade. In fact, the results have been surprisingly satis- factory. Through the courtesy of B. Meurk, superintending engineer of the Isthmian Line, it is possible to give some figures on cargo handled. It will be interesting to note the performance of one of these vessels since going into commission, she left New York, June 28, 1923, for Mont- real, then via the St. Lawrence to the lakes with cargo from each port, then seven voyages on the lakes and the St. Lawrence, carrying steel products and paper. Leaving Montreal on Nov. 25, 1923, she went to New York and the FIG. 1—GREAT LAKES-OCEAN MOTORSHIP STEELV ENDOR WITH HER TWO 5-TON UNLOADING CRANES 57