The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-07

| and New York are not more adapted in
| their way as auxliaries to the navy than
| is this vessel. AS passenger vessels they
| are not more finely fitted up.
/, When the Northland shall appear next
| summer the defense of American property
| on the lakes, from the standpoint of STRAIT
| egg, will be in a satisfactory position If
one of these vessels should be stationed
in Lake Superior and another in the lower
lakes, American cities their borders
would be safe from attack practically
The naval experts say it would be neces-
sary to keep one in Lake Superior because
| the locks at the 500 might be destroyed
| and, if the vessel of defense were below
the cities in Minnesota and Wisconsin
would be at the mercy Of Canadian vessels
that might be in hiding on Superior A
second flyer such as the Northwest if sta
toned in Lake Huron would be available
for use not only at Chicago and on Lake
Mlchlgan, but in Lakes Huron or Erie, and
within few days would sweep the entire
body of water of the enemy. Sharp dashes
could be made here and there and an enc
my put to flight Knowing also the places
where Canadian vessels could be construct
ed a sharp watch could be kept for them.
With a station in Lake Huron Georgian
Bay could be watched for hostile craft
The English government is dredging the
channels from Lake Erie into the Detroit
river ana the American government has
made new channel in the 500" These
improvements, in addition to the locks at
the $780, simplify the military situation
and makes available the almost instant use
OF the two fast steamships which the
Northern Company will have in commission
next Year
The average man-of-war has the Scotch
boilers; that is, boilers in which the fire
is in the tubes. The boilers of the North
west are the first extensive trials of the
system in this country of making steam
with the water instead of the fire in the
tubes. The average pressure on the ordi-
nary vessels is 100 pounds to the square inch.
By the NorthWeStS system the pressure
is 266 pot nds, and possibly one-third more
The Northwest makes about 100 revolutions
of her prOpelerS minute but with this
power of steam she could do much more
If such an increase of boiler pressure could
be obtained on war vessels, it is proba BILE
| that their speed could be increased from
one to three knots and that is why the ma
Wy department watched the performance of
the Northwest with special interest all sum-
mer. Now that lake navigation is practi-
cally closed and the Northwest has been
Withdrawn until next summer. the naval
officials will probably give exhaustive treat
ment to the analysis of the data secured
this summer on the Northwest, and the re-
suit may mean a revolution of the boiler
systems in marine engineering. 1t is known
that the officials Of the Northern Company
are satisfied that with a change Of pitch in
the screws of their vessel and the more
complete testing of some of the smaller
bits of machinery connected with steam
production and immediate use of the steam.
they will get fully 25 miles an hour speed
from her. This year she was not allowed to
do her best, because in the hurry of mt
ting her in commission some of the smaller
parts were not tested to their full capacity
and therefore it was necessary to restrain
! the full use Of her marvellous power The
engineers who watched her performances
were satisfied that she demonstrated the
superiority of this system of boilers on
ships, and that in a short time they would
appear on many OCEAN going craft adding
thereby a knot or two an hour to any era Fl
that might use them. The boilers are said
to be more easily cleaned than the old boil
ers and the time for getting up steam is
extremely short. In the Northwest there
are % boilers IS furnaces and the Goa
consumption averages only about 125 tons a
day.
There is much to be learned from Ship
ping on the lakes. The system of triple ex-
pansion of steam is said to have been put
first in active use there. The owners are
also alive to the necessity of securing every
practical improvement in navigation. There
| is not a freghter of any size on the lakes
which does not have an electric plant in
| full operation. Few of the tramp steamers
that come into seaboard harbors are equip
ped with electric plants This is supposed
to be luxury and used only on "liners'
To show the Importance of lake naviga-
| ton and the need of protecting it as well
as the cities on the lakes these figures have
been compiled by the government: Number
of American vessels of all kinds in 1893 on
| the lakes, 3,761, gross tonnage, 1261,O The
| tonnage built during the last five years is
All 1872 To show the Importance of guarding
the $500 canal these figures are given
Number of vessels passing through the
800" in 1S93 r. COS; Suez canal in 1888, 3.341 ;
total tonnage of the $500 in 1898. 9Sl9. 754;