The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

. to 9500 tons as indicated, by fining the lines in order to get the increased speed, we have a season capacity in 32 trips of 304,000 tons as against the 330,000 with the 11,000-ton ship for 30 trips, a reduction of 24,000 tons, against which Mr. Sadtler hope- fully promises a fuel reduction of 1930 tons. No operator will feel any interest in this showing which in- volves a direct loss in earnings of around $10,500 instead of a gain even with the better economy assumed, to say nothing of the added invest- ment in the power plant. It.is of interest also to consider the estimated relative carrying capacity which involves a loss of 1500 tons per trip. The difference in displace- ment between a block coefficient of 0.88 for the specified ship and the 0.875 — for the proposed ship, on a draft of 18 feet 6 inches, 842 long tons, the difference between this figure and 1500 tons, or 658 long tons, must therefore reside in added machinery weights. The finer hull certainly weighs no more than the full; it is not in fuel because the average fuel per trip is estimated at about 85 tons less than for the full ship. Since approximately half of this saving should be available for increased cargo weight the difference to be ac- counted for becomes about 690 tons. The total machinery weights of the specified ship with water in boilers is of the order of 425 to 450 tons, therefore the machinery weights of the proposed ship would be of the order of 1100 to 1150 tons, which is of course absurd. The gain in speed, even with the finer block and higher power may be safely called highly optimistic. What- ever else may be lacking in data with regard to ship operation, figures as to indicated horsepower displacement and speed are not. They exist in abundance and have been repeatedly checked and compared and it can be said with perfect confidence that 2700 indicated horsepower will not produce 12.98 miles with the proposed ship, on:a load draft corresponding to the 11,000-ton cargo of the specified ship. With most favorable conditions, in deep water and with perfect steer- ing it might produce 12.6 real miles, not the log miles or conversation miles on which unfortunately too many as- sumptions and assertions are grounded. Even then it will be found that the propulsive coefficient is exceedingly high; so high that it is frequently disputed by those unfamiliar with the lake bulk freighter. Similarly with regard to the fuel costs. The figure used for the speci- fied ship is manifestly that for all 50 purposes; it corresponds too closely with other data to be anything else. Mr. Sadtler then builds up an esti- mated saving which is based on power for propulsion only. It would be a new thing to find auxiliary consump- tion with turbines to be any less than with reciprocating engines, so that applying an average correction for this, the estimated saving, also cor- rected for actual number of trips and loss of cargo capacity, finally dis- appears altogether. Considering the magnitude of the problem and its costs the dearth of accurate information is almost in- comprehensible. The cost of fuel for the lake fleet is of course little more than a guess, but, exclusive of wooden tonnage, carferries, tugs and nondescripts, and short-run passenger vessels, the yearly fuel bill runs to several million tons. It is to be noted that over 30 years since a well known engineer in referring to observations regarding a certain ship drew atten- tion to the necessity of economy with fuel costing $2.25 per ton! Saving in Fuel Bill Possible It is perfectly safe to say that of the total fuel bill 10 per cent could be saved without impeding in any way the general cargo movement. It is equally safe to say that, regarding the fleet as a whole, whatever ex- pense it might be necessary to incur to effect such a result would be ex- tinguished within a year or two. The first essential is of course ac- curate information which is, prac- tically, nonexistent. Figures as to fuel per mile, which seem to satisfy so many, are, for the purpose sug- gested, as valuable as a last year’s bird’s nest. Such figures are only in- teresting from an engineering stand- point when they apply to exactly sim- ilar ships, in exactly the same trim, at exactly the same speed, over the same course, in comparable weather and with perfect steering. Such con- ditions are not impossible with proper co-operation except perhaps the last, but even this can be approximated by selection. The creation of a fund which would provide for the collection of such information and assessed against each ship on a power or tonnage basis, would be easy in any fleet of fair proportions, and if the work is intel- ligently done and applied the returns would be manifold. The Kearfott Engineering Co. form- erly located at 95 Liberty street New York recently moved to new offices in the Roebling building 117 Liberty street. The new telephone numbers are Cortlandt 7580 and 7581. MARINE REVIEW—May, 1927 Opening of Navigation The Cleveland and Buffalo Transit Co., Cleveland, opened navigation be- tween Cleveland and _ Buffalo’ on April 14. Canada Steamship Lines Inaugurate New Line ‘That the business men of eastern Canada are doing an ever increasing business in the prairie regions west of the Great Lakes, is evidenced by the announcement of the Canada Steam- ship lines, that it will this year in- augurate a direct package freight service from Montreal to the head of the lakes. General merchandise, in- eluding goods arriving at Montreal from the United Kingdom and Con- tinental ports will be carried. This new service will give weekly sailings from Montreal and will be in addition to the service now oper- ated from Toronto and Hamilton to the Canadian head of the lakes. Due to the fact that only one call, a short stop at the Soo is to be made, the running time from Montreal will be shortened by three days. The Canada Steamship lines has for some time recognized the necessity of giving the consignees and shippers the best possible water transportation and with this end in view, four mod- ern steel steamers have been con- structed for this service during the past two years. These vessels are fitted with ’tween decks, which allow the most careful handling of package freight. Nine modern steel steamers. will be in the service to the head of the lakes at the opening of navigation. About the middle of August the serv- ice will be augmented by two new ships which are now under construc- tion at the plant of the Midland Ship- building Co. The addition of these two ships will allow two sailings each week from each terminus. Appoint Traffic Manager Eugene E. O’Donnell, vice president and general manager of C. H. Sprague & Son Ine. recently announced that Percy L. Stuart has been appointed New England traffic manager for the American Republics line, operating a fleet of 12 modern freight steamers between Boston, New York, Philadel- phia, Baltimore, Norfolk, Savannah and Jacksonville to the east coast of South America, the operating man- agement of which has been allocated to this company by the United States shipping board.