to Alaska under Act of Congress of May 26, 1900. This system connects Fort St. Michael, on the south shore of Norton Sound, with Fort Davis and Nome City, on the north shore; and, running easterly from St. Michael to the valley of the Yukon, passes up that valley to Fort Gibbon and Rampart. From Fort Gibbon it passes up the Tanana and Good Pasture to Fort Egbert and Eagle City, and thence southerly across the divide through the Copper river country to Valdes. A separate cable, 120 miles long, connects Skagway, at the head of Lynn Canal, with Juneau. Thus there. is cable communication between Seattle, Skagway, and Juneau; and in northwestern Alaska there is a complete cable system connecting all important points with Valdes, on the southern coast. There is, however, no connection between Valdes and Sitka.

Though the Alaskan cable system is very important as it stands, its value would be quadrupled by the construction. of a line to Valdes. Not only would it be of importance with Alaska itself in mind, but also with the growing commerce following the line of the northern route to the Orient. Soon ports on the Aleutian islands, and on the southern coast of Alaska, will become enriched from this new commerce and will grow rapidly in population and wealth. Somewhere on the southern Alaskan coast a great commercial city is bound to arise. This will result from the development of the interior of Alaska, as well as through our increasing Pacific commerce. sential to this development is a thorough telegraph and cable system enabling all

Alaska to talk with all the world.

Es

which furnishes an unfailing supply of fresh water. After being pumped up, the water is driven through a 14-inch main nearly two miles long, to a large reservoir located near the center of the Park, from which it is distributed through pipes.

The round, wooden tower is about 120 feet high, and nearly 50 feet in diameter at the base, gradually tapering upward. Near the top, the arms or "blades" are attached by massive iron fastenings. These four giant arms describe a circle of over 160 feet, each wing being 82 feet long. The tower is so constructed that the huge wheel can be adjusted to any point of the compass, according to the direction of the wind.

At the top and bottom are beveled gears through which the power developed by the revolving wheel is utilized for driving the powerful pumps. The power, of course, varies with the force

of the wind; but the maximum strength developed is about 200 indicated horsepower, which is ample for driving the pumps at good speed. During the dry season it is necessary to keep the mill constantly pumping, to maintain the supply. During very heavy gales of wind, the mill is temporarily closed down.

San Pedro Breakwater

PERHAPS the most gigantic enter

prise ever undertaken by the general Government on the Pacific Coast, is now in active progress at San Pedro, on the southern seaboard of California. The purpose of the Government is to make San Pedro Bay a safe harbor at all times, which it has heretofore been only during calm weather.

To this end the sum of $3,000,000 has been appropriated by Congress. This means the construction of a sea wall beginning at a point two-thirds of a mile off Point Firmin, and extending outward a long distance.

This wall is to be 14 feet above sealevel at low tide; it is to be six and fourtenths feet high, 190 feet wide at the base, and 20 feet across at the top. The bottom is of very rough rock, while the top is to have a superstructure of well-. smoothed rocks, laid regularly but without mortar.

In constructing this gigantic breakwater, it was necessary to build out an immensely long trestle, on which a railroad track was laid. This double-track

trestle has been gradually extended until to-day it juts out seaward nearly two miles. Rocks have been dumped from the cars for that entire distance, and still the work progresses.

A large pile-driver is the advance guard of the work. Along the trestle at intervals are giant cranes, by which the great ragged rocks are picked up and dropped at the proper places. These rocks weigh from eight to ten tons each. During the past year, 1,609,369 tons of rock have been placed along the great sea wall, on the substructure and superstructure.

Another vast improvement is being made to San Pedro Bay itself. The plan is to increase the depth of the present inner harbor to 25 feet at low tide, and materially enlarge the area. The estimated cost of this additional work is $2,000,000. When it is completed, the bay will have a channel 400 feet wide and a mile long. At the upper end, the inner two-thirds of a mile will be dredged to a mean depth of thirty feet, to enable vessels to turn about. The inner harbor, when dredged and widened, will have an area of about 1,200 acres-sufficient space for the navies of the world to ride at anchor in safety.

The San Pedro harbor improvements exceed in magnitude and cost the great canal and locks at the Cascades of the upper Columbia, or the immense jetty at the mouth of that river, both of which were completed some years ago.

San Pedro lies about 400 miles south of San Francisco by sea. Between the two ports there is no adequate harbor of

safety. The improvements now in progress at the former point are of vast importance to the shipping interests of the entire Pacific Coast.

American Engines in

Northern Japan THE principal coal mines worked in the

Japanese empire are located on the island of Yezo lying to the north of Nippon, the principal island of the Japanese group. It is an interesting fact that the mines are lighted by electric lamps made in the United States, and the current for lighting and power is generated by American dynamos. The mines are connected with the seacoast by a railroad laid out by American engineers

and provided with American-made rails. In the principal mines, however, the cars of coal from the chambers are hauled to the mine elevators by compressed air, used by American locomotives also. The photograph here reproduced (Fig. 1) shows a type of one of these engines employed at the Yubari group of mines. It was manufactured in Pittsburg especially for the industry referred to, and has been in service several years. The Japanese also employ some American engines on the steam railway which connects the mines with the shipping ports. As will be seen (Fig. 2), these are of the eight-driver type. They weigh about forty tons, including the water tank, carried beside the boiler, and were built especially to develop tractive force as they are in service on heavy grades.

Putnam. in the American Machinist, to have a scratch on the tailstock spindle

BA

FINDING CENTER OF SHAFT.

and also on the front of the headstock, just the height of the center.

World's Largest Pulley

TWO

VO HUNDRED and forty inches in diameter, 50 inches face, and mounted on a 12-inch shaft, a gigantic pulley-the largest ever constructed-which was exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair by the Reeves Pulley Company proved one of the most attractive sights to machinists at the big show. The weight of the great wheel is more than 12,000 pounds. To build it, required the constant work of four men for thirty days. The pulley is soon to be put in regular service by the Reeves Company at Columbus, Ohio.

Finding Center of Shaft

THE HE height of the center of a large shaft can easily be found by the simple method shown in the illustration, without turning the shaft half way round, as is usually done. Apply the combination square to the side of the shaft, as shown; and bring both ends of the blade, A and B, to the same height by the surface gauge, and this will be the height of the center. This method can be used when the shaft is over the lathe centers, if a parallel piece or other level support is provided for the surface gauge. will be found convenient, says C. W.

It

LARGEST PULLEY IN THE WORLD.

This immense wheel is built of Southern Indiana oak boards. It is made in halves, the arms being constructed of boards separated from one another by rim segments, between which they pass and form a portion of the rim.

Automatic Ship Log

SHOWING at all times the exact speed of the vessel, and permanently recording this speed, together with the time and date of the record chart, a new ship log that has been made in Cleveland,

NICHOLSON SHIP LOG.

Showing Complete Automatically Registering

Apparatus.

Ohio, is a radical departure from all other types of nautical measuring devices. It is called the "Nicholson" ship log in honor of its inventor. In addition to giving the mileage sailed, the log shows on a dial the speed per hour, and records this speed on a paper record chart for every minute of the trip. These records can be dated and filed away for future reference; and, should any accident or controversy occur, they would furnish incontestable evidence. The device is entirely automatic, and requires little attention save the daily winding of the clock and changing of the paper record. When the log's record chart is turned in to the steamship manager, he can see at a glance the entire performance of the ship while she was under way.

The complete registering apparatus is shown in the accompanying illustration. (Fig. 1). The clock is placed at the top of the frame and works in conjunction with the speed dial, regulating the counter and record drum. The pointer on the dial to the left is operated by the speed of the vessel, and indicates the miles or knots per hour the vessel is moving. It is so sensitive that the slightest variations of speed are instantly shown. When the pointer completes a revolution, a figure is turned in the counter located between the dials. The drum carrying the paper blank form, is operated by the clock placed above the indicator dials, and shows a complete record of the speed for 24 hours, the hours being laid off vertically and the miles horizontally.

A simpler form of log, designed for use on rivers and harbors, has no counter attached, the distances traveled being always known.