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March, 1925 In June, 1912, congress passed a bill providing for the building of a 6-foot channel in the Missouri river from its mouth to Kansas City at an estimated cost of $20,000,000, with the declared in- tention of completing the work within 10 years. Apparently it was the plan of congress that these four projects should be completed at the same time. The lat- ter is about 40 per cent completed, with the time limit also having expired two years ago. A total of $174,000,000 has been spent upon these four river projects, and as President Smith, of the Mississippi Val- ley association, pointed out, “this vast amount of money will remain an idle, wasteful and almost useless expenditure until their improvement is completed.” A total of $73,000,000 was sought in congress last year for the four projects, which, it was claimed, would have put them in operation in five years. This amount was asked in the rivers and har- bors bill introduced by Representative Cleveland A. Newton, of Missouri. The amount expended on Ohio river work in MARINE REVIEW the fiscal year ended June 30, last, was $5,904,824. The amount alloted this project in the fiscal year was $7,545,400. How the Ohio river project itself will fare in the rivers and harbors legislative hodge-podge this year remains to be seen. Considerable shall depend also upon how the money is apportioned for the different projects. Must Use Our Rivers It is estimated that the traffic of the country has increased 60 to 70 per cent in the last 10 years. It must be apparent that the nation has insufficient transpor- tation facilities to satisfy the reasonable demand of the public, notwithstanding efforts toward increasingly economical operation by the railroads. With indus- try producing at its maximum, the rail facilities will find demand too great to be met. Testimony before the house rivers and harbors committee by A. B. Shepherd, who represented the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. and the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, indicated that the Jones a 85 & Laughlin company intends to expand its river shipping facilities with the end of the Ohio river improvement in sight. The Carnegie Steel Co. is making sim- lar extensive plans for barge and tow construction. A saving of $2 to $3 a ton over all-rail freights is effected in present shipments from Pittsburgh to Memphis by river and rail routes. The Jones & Laughlin company has been making use of the upper Ohio and Mo- nongahela rivers for shipping since 1853. This company has 10 open barges, cost- ings about $13,500 each; five closed ones, casting $18,400 each; nine steamboats; six harbor barges; 176 barges which have been used indiscriminately on the Monongahela and Ohio rivers; eight large towboats, and another being built now. Improvement of river terminal fa- cilities will be developed, according to plans, as the river project nears comple- tion. Government engineers estimate that with no reductions in appropria- tions requested the work can be com- pleted within three to five years. This work should progress without let up. Severe Trial for Ou Engined Tug HE Grace, a new oil engined tug I shown in the accompanying illus- tration has recently been added to the harbor facilities, at New York, of the Grace Line. Designed for general harbor use, in docking ships, shifting lighters and barges this tug was built by the Spedden Shipbuilding Co., Baltimore. She is of steel construction, 76 feet in length overall, 72 feet 9 inches long on the load water line, 19 feet in beam, nine feet nine inches in molded depth and eight feet in draft. The maximum speed, determined on a measured course, is 114 miles. For propelling machinery she has an Ingersoll-Rand oil engine of 320 rated horsepower, directly connected to the propeller. The engine is of the six cylinder solid injection type, especially suitable for tugs. In lines and outward appearance the GRACE. is very much like any steam tug of her class. Comfortable accommoda- tions have been fitted for a total crew of five men, the captain, engineer, oiler and two deck hands. After completion in Baltimore at the. end of December last she proceeded on her voyage to New York, through the Delaware and Chesapeake canal. For 50 miles before reaching the eastern outlet she was forced to make her way through ice of a maximum thickness in places of seven inches. Cold and heavy weather was encountered on the remaining part of the voyage down the Delaware and coast- wise to New York, where she arrived NEW OIL ENGINED TUG “GRACE” IN NEW YORK HARBOR covered with ice, after a passage from Baltimore of 32% hours duration. This trip afforded an unusually severe test of the strength of hull, the reliability of the machinery and general seaworthiness. In her regular service it has been found according to report that the Grace maneuvers with flexibility and responds promptly to every signal. The steering gear is driven by a reversible air motor controlled by a lever from the bridge which opens and closes a compressed air throttle and gives the desired direction of helm. All ships of the Matson Navigation Co.’s fleet which were laid up during the dull season in sugar movements from Hawaii to San Francisco will go back in- ———— to service this month with the excep- tion of the ENrerprise. The. ships which were laid up during the winter included the MANULANI, Maxkik1, MAUNA ALA and ANNIE JoHNson. All of them are. now needed to handle the Hawaiian sugar crop which during 1925 should exceed or equal the 1924 crop of more than 700,- 000 tons. During the summer months the Matson fleet of 14 ships also handles capacity cargoes of canned pineapples, the 1925 Hawaiian crop of which should 1un close to 7,000,000 cases. The Pennsylvania’ railroad has awarded to Heyl & Patterson, Inc., New York and Pittsburgh, the contract for the new 120-ton car dumper which is to be erected at Sandusky, O.