It is now over ten years since Mr. Kawasaki made his first efforts towards the construction of small craft to ply in the harbour at what is now known as the Kawasaki Dockyard, and two years have by since the present Company under took to further develop what was then a successful and progressive business. A representative of this journal who paid a visit to the Dockyard was much interested by what he saw. On the principal slip, which is nearly three hundred feet long, and which could be lengthened to any waking the pie into a cast of some great tion a caro and passenger steamer, the extent, there is now in course of construc-showman—Buffalo Bill, or Dr. Talmszo, or lines of which were laid down in May Richard Croker, or Uncle Sam himself. Buffalo Bill ix the public character ut North: Platte. It is as acemmnulately proud of him as the seven places in the eastern Mediterranean are that clam to be the birthplace of Homer. When Buffalo But came home after his first great European scoop,' he simply oozed genersity. Anybody could yet drunk four times over at the Colonel's expense. The damage caused by the jubilant cowboys Aiding on their broncos into saloons and ast, and which will be ready for launching early in October. This vessel, built of steel, will be afloat' in the harbour in. less time than it took to construct and put in the stream'the Condor, which gained such signal fame xt Alexandria, the reason being that appliances have 50 much improved of late years. One has only to board the improvised docks to appreciate with what rapidity the work is being carried on, and to watch the shipwrights, rivetters, and others. you imagine you. were on.the Tyne or the Clyde." The vessel is to be.a light-draught twin-scrow steamer, drawing about 6 feet, so as to enable her to thread the shallow channels of the Yangtze and other rivers on the Chinese coast. She is to be 230 "feet long, 40 feet wide, with a depth of hold up to her main deck of 10 feet, and to her upper deck of 18 feet. She is to be fitted witha hurricane deck, and is to have the most modern improvements in cabin accommodation. There will be''8 cabins reserved for Europeans; the same number for the Ist-class 'Chinese " passengers; a similar number. for Chinese second-class passengers, and 260 steerage. Her engines are to be triple expansion of 1,000 horse-electric light on the most modern' style. power, and she is to be fitted oP with the The cost is estimated at 240,000 yen.
By the side of this vessel there are two other boats nearing completion adapted for work' connected with the Osaka river improvements, and there are quite a number of small craft under repair. Yesterday afternoon, as our representative was visiting the yard, the Iyo Maru, a steamer of 730 gross tonnage, which was built'at the Dockyard last year, was being taken on the slip; in fact the whole dock. yard was a veritable hive of industry. Any notice of this shipbuilding yard would be incomplete; however, unless something was said about the fitting and turning shops, which appear to be conducted with remarkable ease considering that the operators have only had a little over two years' experience. Mr. Tsumura, the manager, informed our representative that the Company was in a position to construct its own engines; in fact could build a cruiser without importing thing except the raw material in the ape of iron and the plates which they obtained from Glasgow. The total area of the Dockyard is 26,000 tsubo, and now that the Company are building vessels to earn the Government subsidy, that area ill be added to from time to time as circumstances warrant.—Kobe Chronicle.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.