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Bisdesa Sand Vessel Complete Canadian Shipyard at Collingwood Builds Unique Self-Loading and Unloading Steamship for Great Lakes Sand and Gravel Trade . Self-Loading and Self-Unloading Sand and Gravel Steamer, Sand Merchant, on Trials, Sept. 3, 1927, off Collingwood, Ont. SELF-LOADING and _ self-un- .loading sand and gravel steam- ship, christened SAND Mker- CHANT and considered the last word in ships of her class, has just been built and engined by Collingwood Shipyards, Ltd., Collingwood, Ont., ‘Canada, for the Interlake Transporta- ‘tion Co., Ltd., Montreal. .-The :- principal dimensions of the SAND MERCHANT are: Length overall, 259 feet 9 inches; length between perpendiculars, 252. feet; . breadth molded, 43 feet 6 inches; depth molded, 20 feet; deadweight on, canal draft 14 feet, about 2300 tons.. The con- tract was signed on March 12, the keel was laid April 28 and the vessel was delivered ready for sea on Sept. 7, the time for construction being a little over four months. The SAND MERCHANT is of single deck type with sunk forecastle and raised quarter deck. There are six transverse watertight bulkheads. Cargo is carried in two hopper sided holds amidships. Immediately abaft the cargo holds is a room for machinery for operating the after derrick; and forward of the cargo holds is another machinery room containing the cargo pumps and engines for operating the forward derrick. The propelling ma- chinery is in the after end of the ship, and the coal bunkers are abreast of. the boiler room. Water ballast is carried in the forward and after peaks, also in the double bottom: under the cargo spaces and engine and boiler room. Wing spaces in way of cargo holds are also fitted for the carriage of water ballast. Sand and gravel are pumped from the bottom of the lake through 18- inch diameter steel pipes by two 18- inch centrifugal pumps specially con- structed for this purpose. These dis- charge into double steel troughs on each side of vessel, arranged one over the other. By means of various sizes of screens and by cover plates, sand or any desired size of gravel may be screened and discharged into holds, the residue being carried either over the ships side or through spillways through the bottom of the ship. Cargo is discharged by two swinging stiff SELF-LOADING AND SELF-UNLOADING SAND AND GRAVEL STEAMER, SAND YARDS LTD. FOR, THE INTERLAKE TRANSPORTATION CO. LTD.—_TAKEN AUG. 24 BEFORE AND DURING LAUNCHING MARINE REVIEW—October, 1927 MERCHANT, BUILT BY THE COLLINGWOOD -SHIP- 17, 1927—SHOWING THE VESSEL JUST