INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1874. cxcvii 



result of this inquiry will doubtless be a recommendation for 

 the universal adoption by the roads in this country of some 

 form of the electrical block signal system, now largely adopt- 

 ed in Europe, and upon some American roads, with the most 

 satisfactory results. 



The Pullman parlor and palace cars, so popular in this 

 country, have met with a very favorable reception abroad, 

 and during the past year have been introduced as an ad- 

 junct to many of the European roads. 



The commercial depression has exerted its influence upon 

 the ship-building interests of the country as upon others. In 

 spite of the unfortunate business outlook, however, the iron 

 ship builders upon the Delaware have had a busy season. 

 Some of the iron steamers launched during the year, the Pa- 

 cific Mail Steamship Company's vessels the City of Peking 

 and City of ToMo, were of the largest size (second only to the 

 Great Eastern), and of most approved construction. Both of 

 these vessels are provided with engines of great power, and 

 will be, if we may judge from their performances upon their 

 trial trips, unequaled for speed by any ocean steamship afloat. 

 Three additional vessels of similar size and pattern are now 

 in course of building at Chester for the same company. The 

 steel torpedo-boat Aerolite, built for the government by 

 Neaftie & Levy, of Philadelphia, is a novelty worthy of rec- 

 ord, and made on her trial trip a few months ago the re- 

 markable speed of twenty-one knots an hour. The aggre- 

 gate tonnage of the thirty or more iron steamships that have 

 been built upon the Delaware within the past two years 

 will exceed sixty-eight thousand tons. It is of interest to 

 record here the conditional sale of the famous Stevens Bat- 

 tery to the United States government, which was effected in 

 the month of November. 



Of incidental interest likewise is the completion at Hull, 

 during the past year, of the swinging saloon steamer design- 

 ed by Bessemer for the Channel passenger traffic, and in- 

 tended to avert the discomforts of sea-sickness by maintain- 

 ing the constant horizontality of the saloon with the aid of 

 hydraulic machinery. The Castalia a double vessel in- 

 tended for the same traffic was launched about the same 

 time. Thus far, however, the efficiency of neither vessel has 

 received a test. 



9* 



