24 INLAND NAVIGATION AND BARGE CONSTRUCTION 



engines burning breeze coke, which brought the cost down to i/io cent per horse- 

 power per hour. Plate i6 illustrates the construction of these barges. 



From this experience, and the later experience of sending these boats up on 

 the Red River and from New Orleans to St. Paul and back, I have based my de- 

 cision for the construction of the barges for the Inland Navigation Company, a 

 company recently organized under the State laws of Delaware, capitalized at 

 $9,000,000, and of which I have the pleasure of being president. The barges will 

 be divided into two classes, speedy and slow. The speedy barges will be 310 feet 

 long and 56 feet wide, 9 feet deep, with a draught of 7 feet, propelled by four 

 600-horse-power engines, estimated to give a speed of 20 miles in slack water — 

 22 miles downstream and 173^^ miles upstream. The others, of which the first now 

 nears completion, will be 240 feet long, 42 feet wide, capable of carrying 1,500 

 tons on a draught of 7 feet, and able to carry 500 tons on a draught of 3J/2 feet. 

 Plate 21 shows the general arrangement of this type of barge. 



The barge is all steel and the hold is divided into five compartments by means 

 of four watertight bulkheads. It is propelled by means of four internal-combus- 

 tion, fuel-oil, four-cycle, three-cylinder 80 brake horse-power engines built by 

 Fairbanks, Morse & Co., each operating one propeller. The barge is further 

 equipped with duplicate electric power plant, and has absolutely no fire on board, 

 the heating and cooking being done by electricity. It is also equipped with a large 

 number of electric lights and three powerful searchlights, giving a total of 18,000 

 candle-power, the largest one being of 9,000 candle-power, all pilot-house control. 



The bow and stern are each provided with 4-horse-power electric winches ; the 

 steering is done by electricity; the pilot-house is completely equipped with all mod- 

 ern appliances, mechanical telegraph, house telephones and spider telephone system, 

 and a navigation telephone system. Two 5-inch centrifugal pumps, electrically op- 

 erated, can quickly drain the barge and the ballast tanks. 



The barge is further equipped with two refrigerating plants, one for the crew, 

 and one for the cargo capable of maintaining a temperature of 35 degrees for a 

 cargo of 6,000 cubic feet. The cargo space is covered by a waterproof steel cargo 

 box, which is straddled by an electric traveling Gantry crane capable of extending 

 a boom outward on either side for a distance of 70 feet and then lift one ton. 



Finally, the barge is equipped with a 15-mile launch, a skiff, and life raft. 



This brief description of our first barge will give you an idea with what equip- 

 ment we will attempt to revive inland navigation. 



There are, of course, many different problems connected with the success of 

 the Inland Navigation Company, which problems you will find treated in a more 

 detailed manner in an article written by me and published by the American Society 

 of Civil Engineers in their Proceedings of August. 



