The Locomotive - Lighthouse Survival Blog

104 THE LOCOMOTIVE. [July,
" The amount of American sheet-iron and steel made into articles and wares tinned
or terne during the quarter, as shown by the sworn statements of manufacturers received
to date, was 2,245,506 pounds, and for the previous quarter 898,233 pounds. This
makes the total production for the last quarter, within the meaning of the law, 22,001,997
pounds, against 11,850,958 pounds produced during the quarter ending September 30,
1892, and shows a total production for the six months ending December 31, 1892, includ-
ing the products from American sheet-iron and steel tinned of 33,852,955 pounds.
'
' The production of tin and terne plates proper during the first six months of the
present fiscal year was 30,709,216 pounds, against 2,236,743 pounds produced during the
corresponding period of the previous year, the ratio of increase having been nearly as 1
to 14. The production of the last fiscal year was 13,646,719 pounds, which is consider-
ably less than one-half the production during the first six months of the present year.
" Of the production of 19,756,491 pounds of tin and terne plates proper during the
past quarter, 8.043,449 pounds, or more than 40 per cent., were made from American
black plates, against 5,920,082 pounds used during the previous quarter. The con-
sumption of American plates in the production of tin and terne plates proper during the
first six months of the present fiscal year was 13,963,531 pounds, or 316,812 pounds
more than the total product of tin and terne plates proper during the first year that the
law became operative. The consumption of American plates for the same purpose dur-
ing the first six months of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, was 1,986,208 pounds,
the ratio of increase for the corresponding period of the present fiscal year having been
as 1 to 7. The total consumption of American plates, including articles made from
sheet-iron or steel and tinned, during the first six months of the last fiscal year was
4,474,755 pounds, and for the first six months of the present fiscal year 17,107,270
pounds.
" Of the 32 firms who sulmiitted their sworn returns for the quarter, nine made and
used their own black plates exclusively, four others used only American plates, nine used
both American and foreign plates, and ten used only foreign plates. The American
jjlates are generally jiTeferred by manufacturers to the foreign."
The fearful accident to the British war-ship Victoria in the ^Mediterranean sea hai
been fully described in the daily papers, and we can add little to their reports except an
expression of sympathy for the friends of the 370 men that lost their lives. An eye-
witness of the disaster says, "The sight as the vessel finally sank was most thrilling.
The enormous twin screws were whirling rapidly in the air, in the absence of any resist-
ance, going at a tremendous rate; and although the sea around the vessel had become at
the moment comparatively calm, when the hull settled so that the blades of the screws
struck the water, an enormous cloud of spray shot into the air, and in another second,
with a sound that appeared to be a giant gurgle, the vessel passed out of sight, and the
water for 200 feet in every direction foamed and hissed and rushed towards the maelstrom
that circled over the grave of the Victoria. The waters were still agitated when two
muffled sounds from below and a heaving of the water showed that the boilers had
exploded [?] beneath the surface, and then in a few moments the sea became calm, and
there was nothing but some floating debris to mark the spot."
The Report for 1892 of the Hannover Verein zur Ueherwadutng der Bampfkesael is at
hand. "We desire also to acknowledge the Iteport for 1892 of chief Engineer Sinigaglia,
of the Naples Associazione fra gli utenti di caldaie a vapore.