The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-08-15
LAUNCHING.

The whaleback John Ericsson,
which has just been finished at the
barge works, made a trial trip Tuesday
afternoon, and on Wednesday at five
o clock her consort the Alexander
itolley was launched. This boat will be
finished as rapidly as possible and both
Will be used in the ore shipment bust
ness by the Bcsscmer :. : Co. The
Ericsson Is one of the finest and most
complete boats ever turned out of our
yards, and the officers apartments and
dining room furnishings are fine Logue
4 Whitney put in the furniture, Light
body x Co, the drlperies and Neil &
Co. the plumbing. Thus we may all
feel 4 pardonable pride in the fact that
rs far as possible home institutions have
been patronized not only in the CON
struction but general equipment of the
Ericsson.
The IIo!ley IS one of the finest barges
on the lakes and has the greatest carry
ing capacity, it is claimed, of any ofthe
modern lake carriers. She is $40 feet
in length, by IS feet beam and % feet
depth of hold. She is fitted with a
four-fOot water bottom for use in com
ing up the lakes ightand ii has a capac-
lily Of 100 tons of water Between
decks the height is 9 feet. Throughout
the Bulb angle system Of construction
III used as in the last vessel turned out
by the American Steel Barge Company.
She is fitted with between deck beams,
bnt has no laId between decks except
at the ends. The IIollcy has twelve
center line cargo matches each II feet
by feet 9 inches in size, and they are
twenty-fOur feet apart. For the especial
purpose Of taking ore she is equipped
with eleven matches on the port side
only, and they are also p feet apart,
each being feet by , feet 9 inches in
size. Two turrets rise out of the vessels
hull. The after one contains the quar-
ters of the officers and the cabin accom-
modati0ns while in the forward turret
are the entrance to the crew 5 quarters
III the forecastle, the steam Windlass,
etc. The crew are quartered over the
fore-pcak tank. The ship has com
plete electric lighting apparatus, which
lights the holds, cabins, pumProom and
deck. The deck has number Of cleo
trio lights for facilitating work at night
The ballast pump with which the water
bottom tanks are cmpticd is of the
IIuLhes make. The steam steering APP
paratus located in the fOrcpart Of the
ship is Of the Williamson Brothers
make, while the three steam capstans
come from the Bath Iron Works, Bath,
Maine. Upon the deck are masts for
signaling purposes and shorter poles
for supporting the electric lights. The
Holley as soon SIS she goes into commits
sion will take larger cargo than the
John Ericsson and it is claimed will be
the largest cargo carrier yet atloat. She
is ~ feet shorter than the Ericsson. but
the fast that her machinery is very COM
pact ard takes very little space inside
the hold gives her carrying capacity
of $50 gross tons greater than the Fries
son. This $50 tons means nearly 5000
bushels Of wheat and the Holley will
take on upon the draft of H. feet of
water at the 500, $50 gross tons of iron
ore, or about $4,000 bushels of wheat.
She Is, of course, like other vessels
turned out by the American Steel Barge
Company, designed to take advantage
of the deeper channels when that pro-
Jet is realized and on 20 feet Of water
can take an enormous cargo. She is
painted in black, red and cream, ac-
cording to the colors adopted by her
owners, the Bessemer Steamship Com
pany, and IS of the latest construction
in every particular