The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-11-07
ITS a TEN STRIKE!
The Largest Ship Eard on the Conti-
neat Secured for Superior
A Dry Dock Five Hundred Feet Long
To be Built as Soon as Possible,
NO FLEES on THE l.. & Il. L. co.
Evening Telegram of Tuesday.

| Evening Telegram of Tuesday.
One of the most important trans
actions made in the industrial growth
| of Superior was completed today when
Capt. McDougall aud Manager Fan
ming, of the Land and River Improve
ment company, finished the deal which
assures to this city the greatest dry
dock on the chain of lakes.
i Capt. McDougall was feeling in ex
cellent spirits when called upon by an
Evening Telegram reporter in search
Of particulars concerning the new en-
terprise. The general manager of the
American Steel Barge Company and
4 inventor of the whaleback type of yes
sci, certainly is man whom every cit
/ izen of Superior could with perfect
propriesy accost and congratulate for
his enterprise and loyal efforts in the
matter of securing to Superior the
great dry dock. The property acquired
from the Land Company through Man
ager W. r. Tanning, extends east from
the present plant along Towards
! Pocket to Cypress avenue, and the dry
dock will be situated between Fisher
and the above mentioned avenue, tax
ing up the better part of three blocks.
The dry docks viii cost S;250,0O0. Be
/ tween this new Improvement and the
present plant viii be situated the dock
which will be built especially to accom-
modate the new passenger steamer
during construction. Concerning the
new features of important and general
work that will be pushed BY the Amer
lean Steel Barge Company in Superior
this winter, Capt. McDougall made
the following statement:
To-day the American Steel Barge
Company have closed deal with the
Land and River Improvement Compa-
ny Of West Superior, for Il piece of
land adjoining their present location
TO put III the largest dry dock on the
whole chain of Lakes if not III the Unit
ed States. This dock viii be large
enough to accommodate the Whaleback
passenger steamer that they are build
ing for the Worli'S Fair as no other
dock in the Lake country could take
care of her i'll case of accident. This
dock will be 500 feet long, 100 feet wide
and 20 feet deep. Work Will be com
menced on this enormous construction
tomorrow morning and Will be follow
ed up with hundreds OF men during all
favorable weather until completed.
The great feet the company owns
and the growing demand on Lake SD
periOr for y dry dock neceSSitateS the
earliest possible completion, and it is
the plan to have it finished before the
first of August next, earlier If possible.
There is no dock nearer this point than
Port Huron-700 miles away-and this
dock is to be very complete affair,
and connected with such an establish
ment as the American Steel Barge
Company the most extensive repairs to
a ship can be done as quick or quicker
than any place else IN the United
States. 1t is safe to say that no other
dock VIII be built on Lake Superior for
many years to come. This dock will
be able to take care of two large lake
5: Gamers or vessels at once. 1t Will
have enormous pumping capacity, tho
the size of the machinery is not deci-
iied on yet.
Mr.. Geo. Z. Hartman, the engineer
who hult the docks for the Cleveland
Vessel Owners Association, has been
engaged to design and Superintcnd the
: construction of this great dock. 1t is
estimated that 10000 piles and 2,0oo,-
go feet Of lumber VIII be used III the
construction Of the dock, besides the
iron, stone and other material. 1t will
, be located in a very convenient place
, on Towards Pocket, and the place Sc
lected for it is doubtless the best l0ca-
ton at the head of the lakes. Exten-
Sivn bOringS have been made which IN
dictate that the soil is of character
, well adapted fer the purpose. This add
dition to the American Steel Barge
Company's plant, making frontage
of over half a mile long on the bay or
equal to the two largest ship building
plants on the continent. and this whit
er fully 1900 men will be employed
within their own enclosures.
This company practically control the
the iron ore in the ground, and from
there It is converted into ships. They
own the mines in the GOgebic country
and the relations that exist with the
railroads and with the mills that
manufacture the steel plates and
angles makes one continuous combina-
ton.
The class of labor that is located
about this institution is mostly from
the north of Europe, English, Scotch
and Irish, but the greater per cent
being Scandinavians. The latter class
predominant in numbers and are adept
in picking up the trade. This COM
pany, assisted by the Land company
and the people of West Superior. are
making every effort to get them cheap
homes and comfortable quarters,
thereby making a harmony that sell
dom exists in enterprises OF this char
acter.
The company, although in operation
only a little over two years, on the
opening of navigation in '92 will be
able to move 100000 tons in one dl-
rection, by lake, besides what they are
adding to their salt water fleet. Here
tofore the steamers and craft built by
the company were made of a length to
suit the Welland canal-about 5000
tons capacity-but now they are com
mencing to build vessels of such a
length that they Will have to be cut in
two to go to sea, which makes their
limit up to 5000 tons capacity. Owing
, to the cheap material and labor at this
point, ships built by this company can
stand the cutting in two and extra eX-
, pense of putting together at Montreal
or Quebec over the high price at the
Atlantic coast shipyards-
The plate and angle mills connected
with the Steel Barge company and
close by their mills VIII be turning
out materials for all classes of ships
within thirty days, and iron ore that Is
within seventy miles of this yard will
be converted into ships by the opening
, of navigation.
THE wHALEBACK PASSENGER BOAT.
In the model room of the American
Steel Barge company the writer was
allowed to see the most complete thing
i'll the shape of q model he ever saw.
1t is true and exact model, made to
q scale on which skilled Workmen have