The Cologne Central Towing Company (Central Actien-Gesellschaft für
Tauerei und Schleppschifffahrt), by whom the wire rope towage on the
Rhine is now carried on, was formed in 1876, by an amalgamation of the
Rührorter und Mulheimer Dampfschleppshifffahrt Gesellschaft and the
Central Actien-Gesellschaft fur Tauerei, and in 1877 it owned eight wire
rope tugs (which it still owns) and seventeen paddle tugs. The company
so arranges its work that the wire rope tugs do the haulage up the rapid
portion of the Rhine, from Bonn to Bingen, while the paddle tugs are
employed on the quieter portion of the river extending from Rotterdam to
Bonn, and from Bingen to Mannheim.

[Illustration: ROPE PULLEY FRICTION BRAKE.]

The leading dimensions of the eight wire rope tugs now worked by the
company are as follows:

Tugs No. I. to Tugs No. V. to
IV. VIII.
Meters. ft. in. Meters. ft. in.
Length between
perpendiculars 39 = 126 0 42 = 137 10
Length over all 42.75 = 140 3 45.75 = 150 1
Extreme breadth 7.2 = 28 8 7.5 = 24 5
Height of sides 2.38 = 7 11 2.38 = 7 11
Depth of keel 0.12 = 0 5 0.15 = 0 6

All the boats are fitted with twin screws, 1.2 meters (3 feet 11¼
inches) in diameter, these being used on the downstream journey, and
also for assisting in steering while passing awkward places during the