New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-28
FECTIYE MODELS.

Superior ore business and the growing pcrfection OF
the systems OF railways which converge at Inc h'au
Of that great lake. In October alone, ll3o soeam-
ships 305 sail vessels and II RATS passed through the
Sault. The aggregate tonnage was 1,43c,5}3 or
% 900 tons more than that OF the same month last
year. The total for this year Will reach nearly
II 100000 TONS while the best season yet seen oy
the canal gave total OF but 100000. during &c
tober the volume was at the rate OF neary 2,oD
tons for every hour day and night in the whole
month. To put It in stu more Impressive way 3o'
barrels Of -four or 1 coo bushels 81 wheat on an
average passed through this great canal every mimic
Of the month. and the daily volume CT traffic would
fill $500 freight cars or 90 large trains.
The increase I'm the ore shipments has no more
than kept pace with that Of coal BY November
more coal had been shipped from Buffalo ~ 10000
tons than during al Of last year. The total ior &c
tobcr was the greatest for any month In Buiialos
History reaching 54G5o3 TONS and the t1tal fr m
that one port for the season viii exceed 2,'o)
TONS When the 100000 tons shipped from CleVe'
land and the large shipments fr IN Iol do, Ashtibua
md smaller Ohio ports added 70 Bufials toal tAe
whole becomes volume OF fucl almost ncomprchensi-
HE In amount unless reduced to the familiar form Il
carloads II would nj 100000 large fat cars and re-
qulre about 10000 engines to haul Ii.
As a natural result OF this Increasing commerce,
sbipluildne IS maintaining steady pace on the lakes
shIps TO the value OF - 100000, having carrying
capaclty OF over Gs0OO tons, the ability TO move
100000 tons in n season, are now uffer contract
I'm lake yards When II Is remembered that all con-
sentative ship owners five years ago were predicting
ovcrbuding and disaster. and that the BUILDING mas
kept rght on, and IS larger this winter thah since
1seogo the recent growth Of lake commerce appears
I'm another light. The most remarkable feature Oh
,hi, winters building at lake yaris Is the number oil
passenger steamers contracted for Both the Globe
Iron Works Company OF this city, and the Detroit
Dry Dock Company, Of Detroit, two or inc Lrses'
,,rd an fine lakes arc crowded with passenger work.
while McDouslls yard at West superior, the Chicago
Sblpi ding Company and the Canadian yards AT HAM
ton md Kingston have contracts for steel passeh-
cor steamer each. The Worlds Fair has suhua'eu
mis- building but It would have been large anyway
tn. two largest fastest and most expensive boats
ever contracted for on the lakes would have bech
built II the Fair had never been held Ihese are oe
two fine steel vessels under contract at the Globe
Work, here for James j. I'LL. president OF the Great
Northern Railroad. Thcy will cost Sjooooo 'ach'
h, 80 feet in length by A feet beam and have
maximum speed of 20 miles an hofr. II Is expected
IN schedule them to run between Buffalo and Dulth
in gf,y hours rs the lake connection between the
pcadinc lines on the East and the Manitoba In the
northwest They will be beyond I'll question 'he
finest boats that noaed on the lakes
Lake shipbulldcrs viii in all likelihood have 10 con-
slider another problem this winter ana that an I'M
rlc,sont one so much has been said In praise OF
l,l. models that It IS hard ID crcise ut this late
ilv but the truth f. that small alarm mas Oceh
created I'm vessel circles by the two t"ribe uiss'rS
which will long make this season memoraOo' O"neI'
bay, heretofore felt that nothing but broken smart
uaar a rocky shore collision couid lApcrlI inc
stool boats Int the loss Of tho Western Reserve
with Fhlllo Miuch, her owner, AMI MS lahhl o'
ioard I'm ptcmbcr on Lake superior and the deStruc-
,i,, ~ hor sister ship, the ". II. Gnchcr. on Lake
Nch,ln In the storm Of october 2s without single
man Of her crew Of nineteen being lett 10 tel 'le
tale, shocked owners and the pubic alhe DeSohu 'N-
press lon The two vessels were on the same H'oei'
both from the yard Of the Cleveland shpDuiFhS Com
many and less tan three years old and botn Esteemed
stauch vet both went down from the results OF
storm. and but on, man OF the forty five on the tw)
vessels c,rlp,d 70 give any Lint OF the cause n
-,onao on the Western Reserve saved himself after
the most terrible experience ana tesuheu 'n'' t"c
vessel broke in two I'm storm that wls not more
severe than has been wcatter,d dozens OF umeS D!
wooden vessels. She Hight, ana the weight Oh
her how thrust out Of the water rs she rose on the
,, in 81 bc,l son WIS too much for her weak upper
.buu The Gllchcr however. was loaded, and so was
held down in the water, yet she met fate In all
probability the same that suffered BY the western
Reserve.
These facts have caused great amount OF discussion
among v,~sclOwucrs, and II seems entirely P'oo'Di'
that the insurance. men Will take such acuoh ul's
vlntc. rs will compel a Strengthening Of some Steel
model rs the TWO that fotndend are among the mum
s.r Tho trouble seems to be in The weak upper hli
The model most I'm the lakes has heavy water
bottom This has been strengthened from time ID tlhe
o stand the strain Of the traffic and the careessness
OF dockmcn IN loading and unloading. Wh"h steer
shell has anywhere from 1000 10 5000 Tons Vi ore
incurred into It from high docks in one. two or three
hours, as IS often the case, the pounding on The bottom
* necessarily somewhat severe IL Is not an unusual
Thing at the Escanaba docks 10 empty pocket con
tanning l25 tens OF orc more into one lhtch 81
boat In five minutes. During the present summer the
Manhattan on one tip loaded 200 tons OF ore In
orty-iive minutes and the kaliyusa 2.l2o tons In an
hour while the great Mariana took on 42lo tons In
barely three ho:,; and half and the Maryland has
lccn known TO load 3 or tons IN three hours. such
records however. not dangerous as they seem.
for they are possible only whore all the seven or eight
matches Of vessel can be used at once. 1t Is where
a vessel Is uncvcly loaded, one hatch at time. that
the danger Is greatest. The principle apples to
unloading. Dockmcn are frequently reckless. Cases
are not rare when the cargo has beer removed from The
centre Of Il vcssd while that IN bow and stern
The bow has mt other times been
loaded before any Of the cargo has been removed from
the stern. and vice versa. The serious strains
slt!ng from such handling likely to produce weak
ness in any ship. however well built.
I'm the case OF vessels most under suspicion the
striving after heavy carriers Is responsible for weak
ness OF the upper hull. Large capacity Hight draft
Is essential to under lake conditions, and the
temptation to make the huls too Hight has been great
The water Nttom renders the lower null sianch, bat
too much dependence IS put upon this in cases.
and not heavy enough frames and plates used.
This Is often tie fault Of owner quite much more
than builder. The plans for strengthening far
favoraby received include the putting IN Of double
plates with butt-straps inside and In the upper
or shear stTakes the sides. THIS is I'm the vessels
under construction. OF which there twelve OF the
Gilchcr type. The first signs OF weakness appear In
the boats thus far complained OF the middle OF
the boat. at the second hatch forward from the
boiler house. The whole weakness in the upper hull
Is largely due TO the cutting out Of eight nine matches
In the deck and the Gghcnng Of The sides is TO
this. In a word, the plans generally looked
up with favor are simply th" building of the upper
hun as stanChly the lower has long been.
The new look ut the saultc promises u be com
pctcd mono too soon. The growth OF the traffic from
AXE SupcriOr will doubtless be grcuter