6 THE MARINE RECORD. TBBA8URY DEPARTMENT RULINGS. Among tho now rulings or tho Trenmiry DopgrtmoritiUo tho following, which will bo of Interest to nil mnrlno people! , EtnlDITINO HAnmfc documents, Tiuusuny Dwaiitmeni, Washington— Sir: A letter ndilrcsattl by Inopoeter B. W. Woodward, OAyour port, toSpcrhilfAgent A. M. Bnrnoa, line been by tho IntteHolllccr referred totlilnofllcoforniiawcr. Mr. Wood¬ ward Inquires whether the hintfl or first olll. , cor of a vessel In ohnrgu during the tempo- . ry absonoo of the master Is responsible for the exhibition of the vessel's enrollment unci license. You will pleiise ndvlse Mr Wood¬ ward that the obligation to exhibit these documents nrlsos under section 4,330, Re¬ vised Statutes, and Is by statute made a per¬ sonal requirement on the part of the muster, and the iennlty Is Incurred by l.lm person¬ ally. Whether the vessel can be lioldeifon „neoount ul such dellnqulney of the master tor a penalty of (100 bIuco tho passage ol the act of Feb, 8th, 1881 (tee decision No 4,772 of the svnopsls lor 1881), has not been Ju¬ dicially decided. But at all events the full- pro Of the mate, or first officer to exhibit these papers would not subject tho master to the penaltv mentioned In Section 4,330, Revised Statutes, and, ot couise, In such a caBO would not make rlie penult} a lien on the vessel. A peivonal requirement on the master for the delivery of the papers Is a condition precedent to accruing of the tinea To the Collector of Customs, Biiflnlo. CRAFT EX01U81VEI V ON BTATK WATKI18. Sin ' In a communication to this depart¬ ment you inquire whether the witters of the > Illinois river, between La Salle and Henry, can be properly regardetLos- marine waters, the vessels plyliig, therein being subject to toll from whichever terminus they enter. You are intoruicd that vessels navigating the waters described, and confined exclu¬ sively to them, would not be required by sections 4,310, 4,320, and 4,371 or the Re¬ vised Statutes of the United States to take out enrollments or marine licenses. Waters connected wlt.h "navigable waters ol the United Statop,....." ' under State jurlsdh(Inn, so thiit vessels nav¬ igating them can be subjected to toll under Mate laws, cannot be considered murine wa¬ ters for the purposesofeiirollmentand license described. Your Inquiry in regard to the liability of Iti umboats to the Inspection laws of tluj United States, when navigating the Illinois and Michigan canal anil a certain portion of tlid Illinois river, will be the sub¬ ject of further communication, To George H. Locey, Esq,, LaSalle, III. SALES FOR DEBT SO HOT NATIONALIZE. Sis: In a communication to Ails depart¬ ment of the 0th Inst., you Inquire In what manner a Canadian vessel sold by a United States Marshal under a decree In admljalty for seaman's wages, nnd purchased by an American citizen can be nationalized nnd re¬ ceive a register of the United States. You are Informed that no foreign vessel sold under a decree of a United States court can receive a register unless she be con¬ demned as prize, or be adjudged forfeited tor it breach of the laws of the United States (See section 4,132 of tho revised Statutes.) Sales of foreign vessels under decrees-of United Stiite> District courts in suits entered by private parties (In what are known as "instance" causes) do not nationalize such vessels and give them title to roglstry. To H. C.^Benedict, Esq., Oswego, N. Y. .e: and to forward a certified statement for n ro¬ tund of tho excess, Vory respectfully, , H. F. French, Acting Secretary. To collector of Cuatontp, Chicago. liens fob nmtiaiiT. TltdASDRY DBriAllTMBNlT WASHINGTON.— Gentlkmrn: This department duly received your letter requesting that you bo paid cer¬ tain freight, far tho owners of tho steamship Raetn, from tho prodoods of tho tale by tho. collector of customs nt Boston, as unclaimed, of forty-one boxen of green fruit, conveyed lp her from Palermo to that port. Tho and' iter declined to pay the amount for tho rea¬ son that you "neglected to place a lien upon tno fruit for freight nt the proper time." Section 10 of the act approved Juno 10th, 1880, provides for the retention of Imported' goods by a collector, If proof to his satisfac¬ tion shall be produced that the freight (here¬ on has not been paid or scoured, and if he shall bexluly notified In writing ol the ex¬ istence of a IJon inr freight (hereon; and ar¬ ticle 708 of (heRegulattoftsof 1874 sets forth the form for such notice. The statute con . templates the acceptance of such notlcoonlr boforotho dell\ery ot the rqerchandlso to which It relates. The slllo of goods as un claimed Is equivalent to their delivery, nnd tho department holds that after such rale no Hen affecting them can be filed, and that, in tho absence of a notice of a lien given as con¬ templated ty the regulations, the net pro¬ ceeds remaining unclaimed at tlio expiration ot ten days after the sale of tho goods must bo deposited in the treasury without any de¬ duction for freight. I am constrained, therefore, to deny your application. Very respectfully, 41. F. French, Acting Secretary. SHIP RAILWAY ACROSS THE AMER¬ ICAN ISTHMUS. About two weeks ago a correspondent of the Philadelphia PreBB had un interesting convorsatlnn-wlth Captain Eads, the emi¬ nent engineer, tho builder of the St. Louis bridge across the Mississippi and of the Jet¬ ties at tho mouth of that r'ver. Captain Ends ......«,../,.. „...„..,.,. ..mjj.Intimated that he considered-all attempts to but piacllcally nnd legatfy get Congress to guarantee 0 per cen( inter- - •■ ' est on $50,000,000 capital stock of the pro¬ posed Tehauntepec Ship Railway Company as now useless, but said [hat If he lived five years Iougnrthe railway will surely be built. He expects to enlist English capital, and thinks the tlmn will come "when Americans will regret that Congress did not accept my (his) proposition." The Isthmus of Tchnun- tepeo is 1,200 miles north, on an air line, from the Isthmus of Panama, and the pro¬ posed route aciosslt is 160 miles long. Four surveying parties have gone entirely ovei the ground. This was necessary, as by the terms ot the concession work was to have been begun prior to Mav, 1883. Ten years were allowed In which to completo the rail¬ way, and Ciiulaln Eads thinks the work can be completed In tour years when once begun. There Is verv little grade to overcome—the heavier! being Mfty-thiee feet to the mile. ■ As to the Impracticability of liftings large TA.CUT LICENSES. Inasmuch as the regulation embraced In department1 circular No. 21, of March 10, 1883, forbidding tho issue of HceuseB to yachts or pleasure vessels lqss than five tons, unless under Instructions from the depart¬ ment, Is frequently construed as an abBohuc prohibition against tho Isbuo of yacht licenses to pleasure vessels of the burden described, and as an Inspection fee ot (29 1b thus en¬ tailed on steam pleasure vessels by virtue of section 4,458, Revised Statutes, tho depart ment hereby withdraws the restriction and / authorizes the issue of yacht licenses to evory yacht or pleasure veesel that, In re¬ spect of Its qualifications for yacht licenses, Bliall fall within the limits of the actot MarcK.t, 1883, embodied In the above men tluned circular. To Collectors of Customs. COBBLE-STONES— DUTY ON. Sin' The Department Is In receipt of your letter, submitting the appeal, (7,525 h) of Mr. R. J. McKeone from your assessment of duty at tho rate of $1 per ton on certain cobblestones, Imported by him por schooner Dot on the 0th, ult. The stones in question, it appeals, are of Irregular Bhupes and sizes, nnd In the same condition as when taken from the shore of the lake, and they are classified tor duty under the provision In schedule N, act of March 3,1883 (T. I., now, 487), for "nones, manufactured or undressed freestone, granite, sandstone, and all build¬ ing or monumental stone." As cobble-stonos are not specified In said provision of law, and are not building or or¬ namental stone, Hie pitragianh oiled Is not applicable to thorn, and the depaitnient Is of oplillon that they are propoTryttHble fo duty at the rate q/lQ per cent advalorem. In ac¬ cordance w Itli Its de'clsiun of the-Oth lust, cm certain runble limestone, (a copy of Which is herewith enclcsed.) You are .therefore ..... authorized to readjust tlio entry at that rate, I awje, ship out of the water andcairyingithi a car, It Is related that vessels of the largest ton¬ nage, loaded, can be taken from tho water and carried upon railways, at d that it Is done frequently at Liverpool, Malta, Bom¬ bay aud other ports, The conditions being the same, the journey can, of course, be pro¬ longed. In exLlaining the details of a jour¬ ney of a ship on land, thocaptulu stated that a very simple arrangement qf supports un¬ der the ship enables the weight to be dis¬ tributed equally upon all of the wheels. The wheels will be sufficient in number to reduce the Ipml upon each to considerably less than that Imposed by the driving Wheels of some of the locomotives now in use. As the, railway »111 be practically straight, the wheels can be placed much closei together than In tho ordinary railway trains, and as tho speed will be limited lo ten m les per hour smaller wheels can be used. Where it Is necessary to change tlio iliroctldh of the road turn-tables will be used, on which the ship aud locomotives can he uirned to avoid curves. Only two such turn-tables will be needod. The railway will bo built to accommodate the largest ships now employed between England nnd the .North Pacific coast. Four tracks are included In the plan, and for a loaded ship of 0,000'tons, the car will be 400 feet long, will weigh 000 tous, and have 140 wheels, 20 inches In dlicmeter, on each roll. Incldentillylt was thrown out that propo¬ sitions have come to Mr. Eads from England to know his ttrms for building a ship rail¬ way across tho Isthmus of Suez. Ho says It would cost from $25,000,000 to $30,000,000, while the Suez Canal cost $100,000,000. RATHER HARD ON THE OLD MAN. A young lady residing-In suborder town remarked, In regard to her father's snoring, that "the neighbors ill set their washtubs out, thinking a thunder shower was coming on." And sensible people who are afflicted with itclilng piles, and humors of evory name and nature, procure a box of Hwayne's ointment and bring about a speedy cure. Why fret, soiatcli and suitor for j ears, when fifty cents' worth ol tho abovo Invaluable preparation will make von fool as rich as a, Jow and happy oa a i lam at hlith water BATTLE WITH A MARINE MONSrER, A woll-authontlcated fact Is related by Lloutcimpt Bayer, of tho French navy. M. Sabln Becrtholot nlso road a paper on It be foro tho Aoadomlc-des Scloncos. Llcutonnnt Bayer's ship was between Taneriflo and Ma< delrawhcu alio fell In with a gigantic "car maany," not loss, according to tho account, than fifty feet long, without reckoning i(s formidable arms covered with suckors, nnd about twenty foot in circumference nt tho largest part, the head terminating In many arms of enormous size, tho other extremity terminating in two fleshy lobes or. tins ol grent size, tho weight of tho whole being estimated nt 4,000 pounds. The flesh was soft, glutinous, and of reddish brick color. Tho commandant wishing, In tho Intorost of science to secure the monster, actually engaged It In battle. Numerous shots were aimed at it but the balls traversed Its flaccid fflntlnoua mass without causing It any vital njury. But after ono of tficne attacks,• the waves wore obsorvod to ho covered with foam nnd blood, and/ singular to rotate, a strong odor of musk was Inhaled by the lookers on. The musket shots'not having produced tho deMied results, harpoons wero employed, but they took no hold on the son, Impalpable flosh ol tho marine monster. When It escaped from the harpoon It dived under tho Bhlp and, came upon tlio other side. They succeoddd at last in getting a harpoon to take and In passing a bow lino around the posterior part of the animal. But when they attempted to hoist It out of (ho wa(er, the rope penetrated deeply Into tlio fleBh and separated It into two parts— the head with the arms and tentacles, diop- plug Intp the sea nnd making off, while the 11ns ant] posterloi parts were brought on board nnd found to weigh over forty poundB. OUR SHIPPING INTERESTS. The report of the especial committee on the revival of tho shipping Inteiests of the United States, came up Wednesday on Change under (lie rules. The matter had been reported on twice—onco by the Board of Directors—both reports being substanti¬ ally to the same effect. Secretary Laugson read the resolution which It contained. E. P. Bacon moved that the resolution be laid upon the (able, bur Ills motion dra not re¬ ceive a second. A motion for the adoption of the resolution was then made and seconded and declared cm ried. After President Eliot had announced the result, Mr. Bacon called for a division of the house, but being In¬ formed that it was too late tor that, and that the only step remained, If ho was not satis¬ fied, wns to appeal Iron) the decision of the chair, he said that he did not wish to appeal. By the action which it has taken 'the Mil¬ waukee Chamber of Commerce pronounces Itself bb opposed to the scheme for the revival of the mercantile marine or the United States, which -was recommended by the Na¬ tional Board of Trade at the hist session.— Inter Ocean. FAST STEAMERS. Tho feverish desire to shorton tho tlmo of North Atlnutlo voyagos Is having a wonder¬ ful effect In developing tlio fast screw steam- or. Many persons would claim It ns a most ovUtniUiylng effect .and ono illustrating tho f-| great progressiva spirit of tho age. But Tho xraves of those wo navo loved and lost UlstrflBfj and console us,—Amene JIous- \J ENGINEERING AND MECHANICAL. Mr W. Livingston Fisher, of Bay City, Mich., has received a patent on Improve¬ ments In automatLally acting car couplings efliployiug the ordinary link and pin for con¬ necting the cars. This Improvemert Is so very slmplo, aud may be so readily applied to -iirs already provided with the old style of coupling, that It recommends Itself. MeBsrs. O. II. P, Cornelius and G. H. Tur¬ ner, of Turner, 'Oregon, have Invented a dredging device Intended to remove deposits of silt nnd sand In rivers by foretrg against them a strong ourtentof water, loosening them nnd driving them Into tho force of the natural current. 1 he apparatus Is attached to a suitable boat having a Cavity in Its bot¬ tom In which is a trunk containing a turblho wheel, and having a hinged discharge pipe that may be moved vertically and latterally to discharge the water at any angle des'red ,JAii improved balance side valve is patent¬ ed b\ Mr. John J. De Lancoy, of Blnghaui- ton, N Y , the object ol which Is.tlio bal¬ ancing the steam pressure anil tho conduct¬ ing of the Btcam (fiat may leak past the outer edges of the balance plate, to the exhaust countersinks and grooves are provided for the admission of oil and steam between tho face plate and balance plate, insuring thor¬ ough liibilcatlon. Mr. Riley Doty, of Leonardaburg, O., has patented an Improvement in steam engine valves, by wliieh he claims to allow provis¬ ion for cutting oft the Inlet steam at any point of the stYoko, and opening tho oxhaust until tho piston In the cylinder lias reached tlio end of the cylinder. The device allows tho cut-ott at any point ol tho stroke, and- tlio adjustment of tho exhaust at any point Independent of the Inlet- Mr. Alexander M. Dye, of Minneapolis, Minn., has patented a personal. Are escape that may be carried In tho vallsjs or trunk, «nd afford means ot escape from hotel or any other building, by moans of a window. It is a rope ot miinilla, cotton or hemp, furnished with a Buddie strap add Btlrrup, and a grooved attachment through which tho rope Easses In curves, the passage being governed y the weight of the descending passenger or his or her action of the feet.—Scientific Amu tatn. this view must be taken with certain limits- lions,) Rapid steaming Is very /much to bo- Idoslred and any progress In this direction which holds Its own and is placed upon « basis which looks only to further permnnont Improvement cannot but be of uiftafirsa) benefit. But If speed In obtained nt tho sacrifice of averythlng else It Is nelthor a benefit, nor can It be permanently main¬ tained. Thoro Is very little gained for navi¬ gation nnd commerce If out of thousands nnd thousands of steamers but twoior three can mako extraordinary passages^ The object to bo attained Is to sooure great speed for the majority of Vessels. Now the questions, Are these fast.steamers a success? Do they comblno with their wonderful spe6d nil the best rcquii onionts of it comfoftab|o, sea¬ worthy and Investment paying steamer? are becoming;.prominent.' These questions, .ns far as we can gather, have not yot been eatlsfncurlly answered. Rival line*, jealous of each other'B successes, spurred on by public applause, engei to secure what they consider the best trade, build steamer after steamer with no object In view apparently but to secure one capable of making faster passages than any yet launched. Enormous size anq grent speed nro the chief objects. The steamer possessing these requisites Is the Idol of the public, the pride of her own- f^j The owner of the white elephant In- ged In pleasant dreams for a short space. Even the Great Eastern, It tins been Bald, gave pleasure to her possessors for a brief period. Taking Into account the enormous cost of these Dig fast steamers, the great expense of keeping them in commission, and the absolute necessity of full freight and passen¬ ger lists on the round trlp-and at fair rates fif order to bring in anything like the iiuiuun*- needed to pny maintenance and Interest ex¬ penses, It Is only too obvious thntlhe profit, if any Is smn'l. Theae favorable condliloiw are not always found. Full passenger and) freight lists, fair rates nnd steady business mnke a combination which shipowners most earnestly prey foi, but do not always obtain. Jl'wo or thrco of these phenomenally fast but most expensive steameis maybe run with poflt, for n certain class of wealthy people will patronize them. But will the ocean Bteam pasBenger service be made up of such boats? It has been repeatedly nssertcd that not one ot the greet Inst boats pays her ex¬ penses, that the lines owning these boats maintain them by the returns from the smaller and slower, but less expensive boats. If-thls Is true, then rapid steaming is carried too far and Is beyond tlio natural demand. There is another phase of this question which also requires consideration. It Ib su¬ perior even to that of espouse. _ It Is that of security, of comfort. If these a're sacrificed tu tho object of speed then speed must be put aside. Sa'ety Is the object to be obtained over and above all -others. Fast steamers with engines of extraordinary horse-power, hulls with little or no Initial stability, with very narrow beam, do not promise much In the- way of seaworthiness. Progress In rapid steaming at the expense of safety and comfort la apparent and not real. Good BeaboatS should always be the first consideration, speed secondary. Ordinary vessels built on tills principle will do more townrds making Bteamers of seventeen unci eighteon, and even twenty knots common, tlmn will fast vessels making twenty-two knots at a sacrifice of of everything which makes u passenger or frelgnt-sicaiilterh success. Shipbuilders and shipowners hi their eagerness to attain greater speed for their steamers should not lorgct the old motto o(,jfstma le.nte.-Man- time Reytiter Tho king-becoming graces—devotion, pa¬ tience, courage, fortitude.— Shakispeure. THE AMERICAN NAVY. The American Protection will publish u Htatemcnt bj John Roach relative to tho history of the American navv and merchant marine, In response'to questions put lilm by the Senate Committee on Education and Labor. It shows in the detail naval ex¬ penditures since 1800, and gives a summary of all haval contracts with American ship¬ builders. Mr. Roach claims Ins figures are all nearly collected from official European mid American records never published, and that they established responsibility of Eng¬ land for tho falsification of Secretary Seward's prophecy of tlio spoedy suppression Of the rebellion. He gives a list of twenty- throe Engl.sh blockade-runnors captured In tho early part of tho war which wore loaded with munitions of war to tho value of $0,000,- 000. The navy Improvised during the war ooit $84,000,000, and tlio materials and ves¬ sels were sold for $30 000,000, leaving the net co«tot (ho war navy atnbout $47,000,000. In eighteen years since the war the Unltevj States spent lor now naval vessels only $J,- 000,000, while England spent $150,000,000; Franco, $88,000,000, RuBSin $35,000,000, Italy, $32,000,000, Germany. $J7,000,(X0, Turkey, $17,000,000, Brazil, $10,000,000, and Chill, $7,000,000—nil foi Ironclads—In all over $400,000\000 expended by naval and commercial rivals, Mr. Roaoii gives a llet of all the American contracts, and Bays the now cralsers will be finished promptly nnd chenply.