Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-21
THE STEAMER COLGATE HoYT.

number of wealthy men. including John D.
Rockefeller, as stockholders and practically
unlimited capital at its command. The
work of building more of the odd-shaped
barges, still referred to by the sailors 10
"McDougall's Dreams" steadily continued
Presently the small shipyard at Duluth was
outgrown and transferred across the bay to
West Superior, Wis. where its ca pacity has
been enlarged until there are now eight
''berths," and it will be able when running
at full capacity to turn out one of these
steel barges every two or three weeks.
THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT.
It is over two years since the No. 101
was launched. There are now seven OF the
"whale-backed" barges being towed down
from Lake Superior with ore to the Lake
Erie ports and back again with coal. But
McDougali and his company were not con-
tent with mere barges and a few months
ago the first steel-screw steamer on the Nc
Dougall model slid down the ways at West
Superior, and is now engaged in the same
trade. Five more steel vessels are now
under construction at West Superior, two
steamers and three tow barges, and it is
announced that the company will launch
five steel-screw steamers, besides number
of barges between this and next spring.
All that have been built since the No.
and Captain McDougall states that here
after all vessels built by the company will
be in two classes, the larger with gross Ca
pacity OF 4, 900 and the smaller of 8, 900 tons.
The larger vessels will be 300 feet long and
Al feet beam, and will have larger carry
ing capacity on a 15-foot draft than any
other vessels on the lake. With the launch
OF each new McDougall boat laugh still
goes up among the sailors and conservative
t.lf
but with each new one turned out the laugh
is fainter.
A GREAT SUCCESS.
The two years of practical operation of
the McDougall barges have shown that the
inventors calculations were correct. Not
only are the barges easier to tow but they
have an enormous capacity. 1t has only
been a few weeks since the barge "No. 107'
broke the record, bringing down the largest
cargo of ore ever carried from Lake Super
ior This barge is 2S5 feet over all and Sc
feet beam, vet she carried 3,051 net tons OF
ore, load that would have been remark
able for steamer 800 feet over all and 40
feet beam.
To this barge's carrying capacity and easy
towing quality is added the advantage of low
cost. This steel barge, "No- 1O7," cost
scarcely one-third as much as steels crew
steamer of the capacity of the ordinary type,
and steels crew steamer on the Med ougall
model can be built for less than half the
cost of vessel of like capacity on the old
type. 1t follows that these homely "whale-
backed" craft are moaey-makers and pay
proportiCnately larger dividends than the
handsomer vessels built according to the
old and accepted models.
The first screw steamers of this pattern,
the Colgate Hoyt, a cut of which is shown
herewith, is 280 leet long and 36 feet wide,
and brought down nearly 2, 400 net tons OF
ore on her maiden trip. She differs from
the barges in having the crews quarters
built about the stern turret where the en-
gines are located.
FOR SALT WATER, TOO.
The size of the West Superior shipyard,
which was put in complete working shape d |
lew months ago, at first mystiied and rather |
alarmed some of the vessel men on the |
lakes. With a capacity of "whale- back"
every three weeks. and with the certainty |
that in transporting all bulk freights, such |
as ore, coal and grain, these peculiar craft |
possess decided advantages over the regular |
type Of vessels, there began to be a sugges- |
tion of apprehension that this barge COM |
panv, with the enthusiastic McDougall at |
It's head, would overdo the business and |
ruin freight rates.
But this is dlspelled Tor time, at least, |
and the wide field that the company intends |
to fill with its barges is shown by the |
announcement that the barge mo. |
108," which will soon be launched, |
will be taken down the st. Lawrence to the |
Atlantic, and that at least two or three
others will be sent to salt water in the |
spring. The Barge Company's officials say
there is no reason why the McDougall craft !
should not succeed as we'll in the coastIng
trade, and with minor changes in the trans |
Atlantic trade also. as they have on the |
lakes. And, however much others may
differ with them on this point, it is certain |
the com pany has the capital and facilities |
to thoroughly test the matter.
CUBAN CAPITALISTS INTERESTED.
It is understood that some of these vessels |
will enter the coal trade from Philadelphia |
to New England ports, class of business
fol which they are especially adapted, and |
that, with the further development Of the |
iron mines of Cuba, these vessels are likely |
to be extensively used in transporting |
Cuban ore to this country. The owners Of