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March, 1885 HE MARINE engineer who boosts a manufacturer's appliance in lieu of certain considerations may still exist in this year, 1925, but it would be difficult to conceive of such bubbling refreshing frankness about it as shown by this correspondent of 40 years ago. He said in his letter, “I am so tangled up with business that I hardly know where to look or what to do. Yet I ought to be contended for I am making money fast. I have just put a patent firing machine on my boilers, and the man that owns it has made me a present of fifty dollars to say the patent is all right. It did very good work when we first put it on so I see no danger in indorsing it. * ok x * -* We learn that the proposed canal treaty between the United States and Nicaragua was unanimously passed by the Nicaraguan senate. In view of the great volume and rapid growth of buss- ness through the Panama canal, the sig- nificance of this historic act may be greatly enhanced in the near future, when the question of a second canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific comes up for serious consideration. * * * The interesting fact was noted that Montauk Point light, Long Island, was erected in 1796, that it was built of granite, and that it stood on a bluff 60 feet above the beach, and that its light was visible 36 miles. Another ‘curious circumstances, it was presented to the United States by France. March, 1895 HE TWIN screw steamer City oF LowELL, then the latest and the most ‘notable addition to the fleet of Long Island sound palace steamers, was _il- “lustrated and very completely described. “We learn that she was designed by A. Cary Smith of New York, to excel in power, speed, capacity and elegance any screw boat on the American coasts. She made the fastest trip ever made on Long Island sound, up to that time, go- ing from New York to New London, From the Old Log Book Stray Items About the Great Lakes, Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts and Inland Rivers from MARINE REVIEW Files of 10, 20, 30 and 40 Years Ago a distance of 122 statute miles, in five hours and 32 minutes, an average of 22.04 statute miles per hour. During a part of the run she reached 23.4 miles per hour. ee ae” For anyone wanting more complete information about this interesting ves- sel we refer them to the March 7, 1895, issue of Marine Review. * * x We find the important announcement that the St. Louis, then nearing com- pletion at Wm. Cramp & Sons S. & E. Co. and first of the American Line ships built in the country, was booked to leave on her maiden voyage from New York to Southampton on June 5, in command of Capt. William G. Randle, formerly commander of the Paris. What great hopes then, that this would prove to be the inauguration of an era of American-built and manned ships of the finest type in the trans-Atlantic serv- ice. But the momentum was lost and the St. Louis and her sister ship, the St. PAuL, served to continue alone to represent the American merchant marine in this trade until the war. Today we do not have a single first line passenger ship crossing the Atlantic, that was built in the United States. * * * The official opening of the Kiel canal for June was noted with an in- teresting and complete description of the canal and its construction, and with passing mention of the strategic value, in case of war. ‘ March, 1905 SEA LEVEL canal. ‘through the Isthmus of Panama was rec- ommended by the engineering com- mittee of the Isthmian canal commis- sion. The committee estimated that a sea level canal could be constructed in from 10 to 12 years from that time, and at an estimated cost of $230,500,000. Nothing came of this, the canal was, ot course, built with locks. * ok x It still remains an open question whether or not it would have been feasible to construct a sea level canal. a The terrible destruction of life in the burning of the Long Island sound steamer 102 General Slocum, had an immediate and direct effect in greatly strengthening the rules and regulations and supervision of the U. S. steamboat inspection service. The revised rules and regulations where they differed from or were in addition to the existing rules were recorded in full. * * * Disasters at sea are milestones on the long road leading to the adoption of efficient safeguards for the protec- tion of life and property. a ee Sir William White, the famous Brit- ish naval constructor, discussed at some length the history of the development of the ships of the Cunard Line, lead- ing up to the two mew 25-knot tur- bine steamers then building. These two vessels were destined to become per- haps the two most noted merchant ships in all the history of the world, for they were the LusiTanta and the Maure- TANIA, the fastest ships ever built. Financial assistance was given to the Cunard Line, a private company by the British government in the building of these superb ships) WHY? Because it was considered in the public in- terest. How about our own govern- ment doing something like this instead of wasting money on shipping board operation. March, 1915 N THESE dull times. for ship- builders it may or may not be pleasant to recall that in March, 1915, according to the Marine Review for that month the coast shipyards had a splendid construction program, and enough to keep them busy throughout the year. However, no one then seemed to realize that within three years the greatest shipbuilding pro- gram ever undertaken by any nation would be under way. * es * : The effect of the war in Europe had even at this time greatly stimu- lated the demand for ships. x * oe On the other hand shipbuilding on the Great Lakes was at that time at a lower ebb than it had been for years, not a single bulk freighter was under construction,