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THE MARINE RECORE). f • I A SEA-COAST TELEGRAPH. J'rOfn T/ie Maritime Jltgliltr. It would-bor nnpposcilj ttmt everything concornlnlng telujj;ni|>)i linen would bo quite generally known nt this tlmo, wlion almost everybody lint something to bhv concerning telegrnpli mutters. Yet, strnngu »s it miiy booiii, there is one very linpui tiint telegrnpn lino of which tfow peoulo Jmve lienrd rind of which fewer know anything nbout. This lino Is Jlio Slgnnl Service Sen-Const Teleguiph Line. Ctiiloslty mny bo dlsnp- polntqd nt the title, on the ground thnt (ho lino being n Government one, Its workings mo con lined ejitlicly to ofllolul business nnd It Is not therefore n mutter of grent public Interest. But If cuiloslty, or riithor u luiicl- nblc desire to know somollilng of h grent work will g6 furttiui it will find thnt this lino la of very grent Interest to the people. ' The title, in one sense, explains the pur¬ poses for wlik'h the line was built, but Its usefulness has extended so wldcljUbnt but lfttle Idon onn bo forutcd ot the clnss nnd nmount of work which %.twU1.v performed. Tho lines'begin at Thatcher's Island in Mas¬ sachusetts and end nt Smlthvllle, North Cnrollnn. Tho Thatcher's Island section, composed of two and one-halt miles ot land lino nnd one mile of submarine cnble, extends from Thntchet's Island to Iiockport, Massachusetts. Much difficulty was ex¬ perienced In erecting tho land part of tho lino hore on nccoujit ot the rocky iinture of the country, 'irmly of tho poet holes hnd to be drilled In solid rock. The cable also has been difficult to keep In order on account of tho rocky bottom between Loblally Cove nnd the Island. The constant chntlng of the cable on the rocky bottom causes It to wear out nnd It requires reiiQwnl about every three years. Tho Block Island section ex¬ tends from Nnrrngnnsett pier, Rhode Island, . via Point Judith to Block Island. It Is thirty and one halt miles long—nineteen miles Innd line nnd eleven nnd a half miles subr murine cable. Within the pust two years this cable has been parted twice by severe stonui. The mutt section known no the -Jfaw-Jerncy, exTcml8~tronrSin«ly Hook" to Cape Mny Point, via Bnrnegnt City, Little Egg Harbor and Atlantic City. It Is one hundred and fifty miles in length. There ri thirteen submarine cables In this section, vatjlng In lengih from ono hundred yards to one nnd a hall miles., The portion of this section betweeu Barnegut and Little Egg Harbor is difficult to keep in repair on ac¬ count of the Ion', narrow strip of Band beach which the line doni necessity is built upon. In many plnces during tho preval¬ ence of scveie storms the ocean breakers roll clear over the low points of tho beach until they meet tho wuteis of the sound, and in such cases the poles and wires are swept awny at those, pbluts. The Marylnud.nnd Virginia section is slx- tv-two miles In length and extends Iron) tho- Delnwnre Breakwater to Clllncotenguo via Ocean City, Maryland. There are three submarine cubh'S In this section, varying In length from (He hundred to twelve hundred yards. The Virginia and North Cnrollnn section is three hundred and llfty-two miles In length. There are twelvsfflbmarlne cables on thl8 8ectIonpvuryInghUength from two hundred ynrds to three nnd a half miles. It extends from Norfolk, Vs., via Cnpe Henry, Wnsli Woods, Kitty Hawk, Hatteins, Portsmouth, Cape Lookout, Fort Macon, New River, Sloop Point nnd Wilmington to Smlthvllle and runs through one of the most difficult parts In the United States to maintain n tclegiupb line in. There are many pinfts where the bench Is but from one hundred to three hundred yards wide and the 'elevation only n few Inches nbove sea level, with nothing but ahlftlrg sand ns a foothold for the poles. In the nbove de¬ scribed places tubular iron poles have to be used, ns wooden ones would be floated away. Even when these Iron poles are used the lines are frequently washed down. At these low points It not Infrequently happens that the ocean during the prevalence of so vere storm Helen, i Ises clear over the top of the polcB nnd the Atlantic Ocean nnd Pam¬ lico Sound are temporarily Joined together In one unbiokon "heel of watei for a dis¬ tance of seveial n II s. This Is the extent of the lines at present. <Now lot ub set what kind ol work Is done over them. It is Imrdly neiessary to state that as these lines aie under the control of tho Signal Service, meteorological observa¬ tions lor the Weather Bureau are collected ut the several stations and the lines largely used for meteorological work. But these tolegrnph Hues were built partly on tho rec¬ ommendation of the murine underwriters and years ago when appropriations run short they responded promptly to nny sug¬ gestions from the Chief blguul Officer whether for money or Congressional In¬ fluence. The Sea Coast Telegraph lines of the Signal Service have certainly been ol great Interest to the maritime Interests not only of the United States, but of the entire world. Vessels of all nations have been aided by It In obtaining timely assistance when aslioro or In distress and marine un¬ derwriters have largely profited by Its time¬ ly report* of vessels with valuable ccrgoes being ashore and whloh could not have been saved bad these lines not been In existence. A case In point occurred about two years ago—when an Insurance company In Phila¬ delphia bid |100,000 Insurance on a vessel and liar cargo of sugar. The vessel wont nshoro nonr Ocean City, Maryland, on tho evo of n northeast gale. Sho was. reported as iiBhoro by tho Slgnnl Service obsorvor nt that point, Into In the afternoon. Tho news, wns. Immediately communicated to tho wrecking tugs nt tho Delaware Breakwater, they proceeded to Hie vessel nnd she was hauled oil and taken into a safe harbor be¬ fore eleven o'clock of the same night. It Is certain that had'tho vessel lomnlncd on the reef over nfgt, tho northeast gnlo which prevailed altor midnight would hnvo made a total wreck of lior and the entire cargo Would hnvo been lost. The nbovo Is not ilia only wny In which these telegraph lines hnvo benefitted underwriters and ship-own- ois. Before the linos were built It was not un unusual occurrence, even In fair weather and during daylight, for some shipmasters to run there vessels nshoro for the purpose of defrauding tho underwriters, knowing that their weie no porsons or records to tes¬ tify against them. To-day, however, that soitot lascallty is seldom heard of, or ut least between Sandy Hook, Now Jorsoy and Smlthvllle, North Carolina. The meteoro¬ logical records of the Weather Bureau can now bo rclcrrcd to with the additional evi¬ dence to bo obtained from tho Son Const lino observers. Indeed, the observers are con¬ stantly on the watch and all the news in reference to h recks gntheiod by them Is Im¬ mediately telegraphed to tho Signal Office at Washington. Thonce It Is sent to the As¬ sociated Press offico in Washington and to tho Commercial exchanges in tho great ports directed by them forwarded to un¬ derwriters, fnlpowners, and others interest¬ ed. The fact, however, that the Slgnnl Sor- vlceistbe chief agent in securing and for warding the vnlunblo Information, seldom, If ever appears, nnd yet one of the flint things done In the Washington office when news of a wreck or vessel In distress Is tele¬ graphed is Irnmertiutoly to notify the public, and principally those who can in any way aid the vessel. There Is another Importnnt fenture of this npo ntte L|JIne^vJi!iyLjue£e£Vi!8_flttenuon,uiul this Is Its " repopts of tho movements of vessels near the suctions. For Instance all ves el i pac¬ ing In and out of the Chesapeake Bay by Cape Henry ate reported by the Slgnnl Ser¬ vice observer, nnd nil vyesels passing by the Delnwnre Breakwater, bound to or from tho Delnwnro river are reported bv the ob¬ server stationed at the Breakwater. Mes¬ sages to wrecking vessels, pilot bouts, and steamers pnssing In and out nra delivered from the Breakwater by the Signal Service) dlsplaymnn. Vessels often arrive In sight of Signal Stations on tho cons', Get their International signals and obtain answers at onco concern¬ ing tho probable condition of the weather direct from Washington by tho Sen Const line. It often happens that when cables are out of order wreck messages ore "flagged" across Inlets by the Signal flags, which are read ru»ld|y by these thoroughly drilled Signal Service men. Signal men with kit on back often go aboard n vessel, leaving a comrade on shore to receive the message "flagged" back. The wig-wag be- glne, and belore the master Is aw are of It his message is in the bunds of the Signal man on tho bench .who by this time has tapped the telegrnpTTwIre, attached his In¬ strument, and In a few minutes the message 1b in the bunds of news agents, ship owners, underwriters and friends. Tho Signal Service nnd Life Saving Ser¬ vice are In hearty co-operntion nnd the wires ot the Sea Const Line connect direct with the office of the General Superintendent, of the Life Saving Service in Washington. Through this lino crews from different Life Saving Stations are quickly summoned to¬ gether In case ot necessity. The advantages of this arrangement are so apparent aim It has continued now so long that, us the Chief of the Life Saving Service says, the Signal Service and Its Sea Coast Line have become ■"a valuable, If not an Indispenslblo auxil¬ iary to It, (the Life Saving Service) and shares very materially In tho labors anil re sponslblliticajo the sister service." These two Services form with the Light House Hoard the piuirUiun of our pousts, warning nil of the danger's to bo avoided, nnd rescu¬ ing those who mny hnvo been unfortunate enough to hnve met with nn Inhospltnblo welcome. Instances Innuineiablr, showing what has been done \by the Signal bervito lines in protecting commerce on our coasts from disasters could be cited, but the good work thnt cnu be carried on iu this direc¬ tion Is very evident. "Strikes" are not knowr on the Sea Coast line, the operators being enlisted men and subject to the uitides of wur governing the Signal Corps. Tills, both ns to questions of discipline, good rcrvlce nnd cost Is n mutter which those persons who wish to the Signal Service over to the Interior Department have probably not thovght worth consider¬ ing. Point* of this kind should not be overlooked. Ono which will bear favorably on the question ol the oxpeiise of the Sig¬ nal Service Line, Is a fuel thnt a turlfl of rates for commercial business Is In use on tho Sea Coast Lino nnd tho money thus collected by tho/tllgwil Service la turded over to the Treasury Department In com¬ pliance with the law. This was not the caso formerly. Monay received from private dispatches wiunised In keoping up the lines. It lit alleged that from this source came some of Howgate'a stealings. The. above short skotch will glvo somo Idea of n telegraph lino which all must admit Is among the moat Important In tho country. It Is worked en¬ tirely In tho Interests of the peoplo and Its work is of a chnrncterlhat commends It to tho host wishes of tho-country. In n meas¬ ure self-supporting—for a Inrgo niitnho'r' of messages sent over tlioso wirosnro paid for —yet tho 'Son Const Telegrnpli linos of the Signal Service does work which hns now becon'o u necessity nnd which It would bo very d|flloult, If not Impossible, to hnvo done In any other wny. ENGINEERING AND MECHANICAL. An Improved mill, in which the grnln or other substances are crushed botw een rollers has been patented by Mr. James B. Allfrpe, of Cumberland, Md. This mnchlno Is pro¬ vided with two permanent rollers nnd two revolving roller*, which nro provided with springs, so thnt wlxm any hard liubstai.co is encountered, the rollers will yield nnd save the mill from brenkagc. Mr. Grorgo W. Converse, of Spoknne Fnll", Washington Territory, has obtained n patent for nu Improvement In turbine wnterwhecls of that class In which the water descends In an annulus through chutes which cause It to project obliquely against tho aides of tho Ducket, on which It acts both by, Its Impact nnd Its weight, osonplng from the bottom of the wheel In nn annular stream." ~t. An Improved steam motor Holler, In which steam is generated by employing a large proportionate heating surface, has been pat¬ ented by Mr. Josef Scln lebcr, of Vienna, Austria. A series of tubes depend from the bottom of the boiler Into the furnace, and within these are suspended smaller circulat¬ ing tubes. The object of the series of tubes Is to produce superheated dry steam. An improved Btrnlgjitwny valve has re¬ cently been pntented by Mr. Bartholomew J. Kelley, of Troy, N, Y. This Invention relates to straightway valves for controlling the pnBsngo of water, steam, and other gases or fluids In which opposite gntflB Cr Valve disks are used, which are capable of being raised or lowered and of being foroed apart against their seats. By this construction of independent gates the wear Is distributed all around the surfaces of contact ol the seats. A boiler bob intended to scrape a large surface of it boiler nt once Is the subject of letters patent recently issued to Mr. .James Preston* of New York city. The I oe con¬ sists of two wings pivoted to a block attached to n rod, wborvby the wings can be passed Into the boiler through the hand hole while folded and spread out when within the boil¬ er. This Is .accomplished by diawlng the blpcks towards each other and locking (hem in position by a nut, thus forming an effec¬ tive Instrument lor cleaning tho Inner sur¬ face of boilers. An Improved traction engine,- which Is claimed to be llghterund to have Its weight and strain more equally distributed upon the supporting wheels than any previously con¬ structed, has been patented by Mr. L. E. Bandolier, of Now Ilavon, Ind. In this mn¬ chlno nil four of the wheels are fnnde to act as drivers, and any ono of them mny be driven by Itself indepenlly of the others, to facilitate turning. Tho invention relates al¬ so to improved construction of the wheels, which nro provided with radial spokes, nnd with oblique nnghlar thrust braces, which It Is claimed groutIv Increase their strength. An Improvement relating to balanced slide valves for admitting steam to. the cylinder of steam engines, Ins been patented by Mr. James B. Allfree, of Cumberland, Md. The object of the invention Is to pre¬ vent the thump consequent upon the suddon si uttlng off of the hfoain. '1 be Improved valve Is provided with two valve seats placed parallel with one another, and having two other valves arranged to reofprocate thereon and held together by clnmps it the onds, whloh fix the limit of separation. Springs are provided which retain tho valves In pro¬ per relation to one another, to permit tuelr pproach to each other when unduly pressed. Among tho recent Improvements in dump. i ig scows is the patent of Messrs. John Smith and John P. Rhodes, of Rockvllle Ceqter, N. Y. The body of the scow Is made In two halves which are hinged together nt the upper edges, the receptacle for tho gar¬ bage having inclined shies, so that when the two sections are unlocked tho, weight of the load will press the two sides open and dis¬ charge it into tho water. A locking device Is also provided foi holding tho sections apart while the load Is being discharged, nnd when this Is accomplished the buoyancy of the sections will bring them together again as soon us the lock Is released. Among the recent Inventions in (renting ores, of which Mr. W. H. Howlnnd. of Snu Franclso, Cal., has patented many, Is a new mnchlne for grinding And pulverizing ores. The ore la deposited In the present mnchlno in the center, and when the driver Is rotated the ore Is throv'n out by centrifugal force, nnd by rotating arms. In this wny tho frag¬ ments of oro are ground against oi)o another and against tho serrated surface of tho In¬ ternal wall of the mill, and 'become pulver¬ ized. Water la supplied to the mill for wash¬ ing and separating the ore. In oase the me¬ chanical aotlon Is not sufficient for pulveriz¬ ing the ore, (team la used for heating the water, which facilitates the grinding. Mr. George W, Wilson, of Lnnosborough, Minn., Is tho pntoptee ol n very simple sop-' urntor and purlflor for grain, men), eto. This m noli I no Is provided with a numbor of sieves- whloh are set; In a framo nnd shaken by tho- rookorthnt Is mounted upon a- rotary shaft, the grnln bolng delivered onto these sloves through n spout. In tho spitco nbove these sieves Is arranged, a suction blower lor car¬ rying nwjiy the chaff from tho groin. Suit¬ able slides nro so arranged that they may bo ehnngod according to whether grain, flno- mlddllngs or moal Is to bo purified. An Invention for walking the water wns recently tried on the Delnwnro river. Tho Invention consists of two miniature scows;- made of oedar, squnro nt the ond, nnd slight- - ly hovelled on the under sldu for a short dis- tnnco from eaoh end.-They were flttod with- supports for ench nrm, which nlso nnworadi tho purpose of assisting In preserving nn equilibrium. They wero nlso fitted with' brass rode, whloh wero used as propcllorn, nnd to one wns nttnchotln short rudder, with, n cord rcnohlng to the hand of the pedoBtrl- nn, by whloh the course could In n measure bo regulated. These shoos or floats wero ench seven feet In length nnd fourteen Inches wido nnd one wns nttachod to ench foot. Whon tho adjustments were mndo the mnn stepped Into tho wntor and started/on his Journey. On account of the Very strong title running at tho tlmo vary slow progress was made by him, but he finally succeeded' In accomplishing tho font.' The npparntim used by him Is tho Invention of Professor Rowland, of Sun Frnnc|sco, who claims thnt he succeeded In wnlking across the bay at- that plnce, a distance of three miles. CHAHGES FOR BLANK FORMS. The following Treasury Department de¬ cisions hnve been received In Chicago, audi explain themselves: TjiKASony Departmbkt.—sir: In reply io your letter you ur'e Informed thnt tho de¬ partment holds thnt section 2,648, Reviser? Statutes, nuthnrlma nnllM'tnra nf.-mim .r nnd surveyors of customs on the northern,, nortliwestorn and northeastern frontiers to |teep on sale blnnk trnnlfests nnd clennuiceiy and to charge 10 conts for each blank which they furnish, nnd which shall bo prepuied nnd executed by them. The provision of lnw does not however, prohibit Importers nnd others from furnishing their own blanks,. In which cuflo no charge could, of course, be mnde. You will explain tills to Mr, L. t\ Moreno, nnd inform him thnt the charge made is for the blank, and not for the serv¬ ices of the oiistoms olllcer at • Vanceboro' In, preparing und executing the manifests; and. that If he wishes ho can provide his own. blunk forms, provided they arc In accord¬ ance with the requirements of tho law. The services of the customs officers In executing: the manifests mid clearances are amply pro¬ vided for by the fees fixed by eeotlon 4,382,. Revised Statues. II. P. French, Acting Secrotary. LIGHTS AND WRECKS. Gentlembn: I am In recolpt of your let¬ ter addressed to the Supervising Inspector General of Steam Vessels, and by lilm re¬ ferred to the Secrotury of the Treasury, ln« which you charge that the Deputy Collector of Customs at Manatoe does not enforce the- laws and regulations relating to the display¬ ing of lights on water craft, pnrtlculnr ref¬ erence being mnde to the wreck of tho steuih- shlp Dover, now lying at your harbor, as not being required to display any lights. It appears from n report of the Collector or Customs at Key West, within whose dlstrlot the wreck lies, thnt suld wreck Is plainly- discornablo at a long distance, and that it lies on n sand bar distant over 100 yards from the roadstead or channel, and Is there¬ fore not in the way of passing vessels. Up¬ on this state of facts it would seem that there is no real ground foi a complaint that no light |s displayed on this wreck. But Ir¬ respective of these fuots, I have to state that this department considers It ques¬ tionable whether It has any authority to require lights to be displayed from a wreck. The circular of February 18,1881,. In relation to displaying lights, to which you rofor, and the provisions of lnw on. which It is founded, apply only to wnter craft, navigating or nncbored or moored In or nenr tho chnnnel or fnlrwuy ol nny bny hurbor or river. The question submitted In your letter, whether It Is neocssury for your Vessol, while lying nt anchor In n place which you call a "bit," to display llghu, tho department cannot unswer on the fuels bo- fore It I will add that the collector at—Key West roports that his deputy nt Mnnntce, of whom you make complnint, has recently been In. struetod to oxorclso due diligence in enrry- Ing out the requirements of law relative to the displaying of lights on vessels. . H. F. Fbknoh, Acting Seoretary. ' MOTHER EVE-. Reader, did you ever stop to think thnt Eve hnd no neighbors to gossip with P Ano> what do you suppose they did without Swayno's pills In those dayaf Not to bo wondered at thatthu peoplo got wicked and the Lord had to punish them by Scndlmr down a flood of water. Every family needs a box of Swayno's pills, and take warning, friends, lest something awful may happen to- jou. Only yiHrter of a dollar. Take Ave.