PEOGRESS IN MARINE CONSTRUCTION GRACIE. 701 



In comparison with the 1.000 tons of coal consumed daily by the 

 swift liner, the 30 tons of the cargo tramp appears so small that it 

 would seem hardly worth while to attempt to reduce it ; but the one- 

 half pound of oil per brake horsepower-hour of the Diesel engine, 

 together with the saving in weight and space and in time for bunker- 

 ing, is already attracting the attention of the owners of cargo 

 vessels, and the economy of the geared turbine proposition is also 

 being considered. 



In numbers and dimensions there has been a rapid development 

 of vessels built for the carriage of petroleum in bulk. In 1893 

 Lloyd's Register contained the names of 47 vessels engaged in carry- 

 ing oil cargoes, and 17 were in course of construction. The largest 

 on service was the Turho^ 350 feet in length, and capable of carrying 

 5,000 tons of oil in bulk. To-day there are 370 oil vessels on the 

 register, the largest being the San Fraterno^ 530 feet in length, and 

 loading 15,700 tons of oil. 



Vessels specially fitted with refrigerated holds for the carriage of 

 perishable cargoes, such as fruit and meat, have also been greatly 

 developed and improved. 



The steam yacht has passed through structural changes not dis- 

 similar to those which have affected mercantile vessels. Dimensions 

 have generally increased and superstructures have been added. The 

 weather deck is now higher above water, and the principal accommo- 

 dation and public rooms are carried out to the ship's side in place of 

 being confined to a long deckhouse. Turbine propulsion has in 

 many cases been adopted with success in place of reciprocating 

 engines. 



I regret that within the limits of the time at my disposal this 

 evening I can not refer in detail to many other notable changes 

 which have taken place during the past 20 years, such as the disap- 

 pearance of the sailing ship, the wide application of engine power to 

 fishing boats, barges, and other small craft, and the remarkable 

 performances of the hydroplane boat. These would of themselves 

 take up an entire evening. 



With regard to the changes in boiler design and construction, these 

 have been small. The cylindrical boiler has remained almost un- 

 changed in general design during the last 20 years. Boiler shell 

 plating, owing to the higher pressures now adopted, is much heavier, 

 and where weight is a consideration is often of high-tensile steel. 

 Boilers of the water-tube type, which have entirely superseded those 

 of the cylindrical type in warships, have made but little progress in 

 the favor of the average shipowner, and have been adopted only to a 

 \ery limited extent in merchant ships in this country. Recently, 

 however, their great advantages in lightness have secured their adop- 



