Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-10-09

rarely exceed 200 miles. These lie out
side the doldrums, or calm belt, fire.
quently interrupted by storms. Mex
to these on the north, is the north-eas
trade winds, and on the south, thu
southeast trades, below which is thu
southern region of north-westerly cur
rent, while above the northern belt o.
the northeast trades is the belt o.
westerly currents.
It is thus seen that steamers witt
hosting screws, may run most of the
distance between either Panama and
San Francisco, and the Pacific Islands
and coasts of Eastern Asia, without the
use of steam, making equal, or even
better average time if they steam only
over the belts of variable light winds
and Gains, for the northern and south
ern currents of prevailing Winds; and
the trade winds" north and south of
the equator are drawing" winds,
which can be available on almost any
of the trading courses of the Pacific
Ocean for an average speed of fifteen
knots. 1t follows, that there is even O
better kind of ship, than the iron screw
steamer for the Pacific. 1t is the "Com-
posite ship" having an iron frame,
with outside and inside plankings of
wood. If the frame and its connecting
diagonals, sheer, and bilge-strakes
and beams, are of the proper homoge-
nous iron, such ship will have the fol-
lowing advantages over wood, namely:
list. 1t will last from so to 100 per cent.
longer, and will always class 40 per cent. bet
Cd. 1t will store II 2-1O more dead weight.
Sd. 1t will store II $40 more of cubic
measured cargo.
4th. 1t will cost about $50 per ton less than
ranged building yard, making its own iron
from the ores, as proposed to Congress and
repoted upon favorably, and as shown in
House report 345 of LIST session of 43d Con-
gress.
The company undertaking this enter
prise offered to establish depot for
these iron frames at the Bay of San
Francisco, and supply them to all ship
builders of the west coast at five per
cent. advance upon net cost. Unfortun-
ately for California, Oregon and Wash
ington Territory, this bill was not acted
upon. The information relative to Com
posite ships is taken from one of the
papers relating to this proposal; and it
was added further therein, that steam
towing launch not larger than the
usual "long boat" of any ship in pro-
portion to her size, could tow her
through the light and battling winds,
and Gains, at from four to six miles an
hour; and when in the trades she
would make from fifteen to eighteen
knots, thus making better time to China
or to Liverpool, or to New York, than
the usual time of steamers, while her
expenses being light, grain could be
carried at from $12 to SIS per ton.
The advantages to the west coast from
this class of vessels would be almost
inestimable, and with an established
facility for obtaining the iron frames,
we could produce them from our frs
and other woods of better quality
than in any other part of the globe.
And with them, we could probably in q
brief time absorb the most valuable of
Pacific carrying trade and commerce,
commerce which, according to the
latest attai2abls returns, amounted an
nually to about $1,765, 474, 794, or
nearly double the annual commerce of
the United States.
We shall resume consideration of the
subject in our next issue.
OPPosTIoN.--The steamer Farorite is