The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

MARINE REVIERW. OLS 34 Lake Freight Matters. _ Coal producers of the Hocking valley and Pittsburgh bitu- minous districts, who have just closed their deliberations at Pittsburgh, have settled the matter of freights between the mines and Lake Erie ports by reducing last year's rate from Pittsburgh 5 cents aton and adding 2% centsaton tothe rate from West Virginia mines. This makes the rates 85 cents from both the Pittsburgh and Hocking Valley districts and $1.02% a ton from West Virginia. The Pittsburgh rate was reduced on account of the complaint of operators in that district that they could not compete successfully with the cheaper coal of Ohio. This settle- ment of rates should be the basis for negotiations between the soft coal shippers of the lakes and the vessel owners for contracts covering coal to go to both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. A single block of about 100,000 tons of coal for the head of Lake Superior, was covered some time ago at 50 centsaton and a few charters for the first trips to Duluth .were made at the same figure, and this is all that has been done upon which rates may be calculated. That the movement of soft coal will be very large there is no doubt. All of the companies operating at the head of the lakes are well cleaned up of sup- plies, notwithstanding the heavy stocks taken in last season in anticipation 6f a big railway business. Marquette dealers have been compelled within the past week to draw on the short sup- plies at Duluth, and coal for steam purposes is being taken down tothe upper Michigan peninsula from the head of the lake. Another week or ten days will probably see some contracts for the delivery of coal at Duluth, Milwaukee and other upper lake ports from Ohio ports. The West Virginia coal referred to here is a new factor in the lake market. Very little of it was shipped in 1890, but last year about 150,000 tons went out from Cleve- land and Lorain,and the increase promises to be still larger dur- ing the coming season. Pittsburgh operators succeeded in hav- ing the rail rate to lake ports on this coal advanced 2% cents a ton on the claim that it can be mined at a much lower cost than the coal of the Pittsburgh district. This is true of the West Virginia coal but it is soft and consequently not.of the best quality for shipping purposes. Non-Bessemer ore dealers are still unable to dispose of their product at prices that will warrant payment of advanced lake freight rates, and everybody concerned has now concluded more than ever that it will be necessary to await further devel- opments in the iron market, with prospects of present conditions running well into the season of navigation. With some grain to be had, however, the last wheat rates being quoted at 4 cents from Duluth and 334 cents from Chicago to Buffalo, the vessel owners are not crowding matters and it seems best for all con- cerned that such is the case. A few charters have been made for first trips with grain from Detroit and Toledo to Buffalo and Erie. The steamers Nyanza and Fedora will each make three trips just as soon as the weather will permit with grain from Toledo to Erie at 2 cents. Government Protection for Inland Waterways. An effort is being made in Congress to have the next river and harbor bill contain a provision exempting Chicago from the provision of the bill of 1890 which gives to the war department supervision over navigable streams. Since the passage of the 1890 bill the marine interests of Chicago have been trying to fight, through the general government, the railway companies and city land grabbers, who have placed all manner of obstruct- ions in the Chicago river. 'he great Canal street bridge fight is based on this provision of the 1890 river and harbor act which the enemies of lake navigation in Chicago now seek to knock out by a repealing act. Chicago's different associations of vessel interests are sending on to Washingtcn BsGtesis against the repeal as far as their city is concerned of this important acts and they should receive aid and encouragement from navigation interests in all parts of the country as well as on the lakes. This feature of the last river and harbor act, which bids fair to pre- vent the construction of another objectionable bridge at Duluth, is the bulwark of American inland shipping and has already proved a stumbling block to hundreds of bridge schemes in Congress. Its repeal as regards Chicago would be a hard blow to lake interests. A Great London Bridge. The illustration accompanying this article presents a novel but serviceable form of bridge that might well be adapted to the Chicago river and other crowded waterways in lake ports, where the question of satisfying city interests as well as those of navi- gation is of the greatest importance. The structure represented in the engraving will cross the Thames near the Tower of Lon- don, and is therefore to be kwown as the Tower bridge. The illustration shows the bridge open. When it is closed, the two leaves of the opening span, each weighing 950 tons, are let down by counterbalance weights to the level of the bridge, 30 feet above high-water. A hundred feet above the bridge level is A NOVEL LONDON BRIDGE. another roadway for foot passengers who will be taken up by elevators in the towers whenever the bridge is open, and travel below is impeded. 'The side spansare 270feet wide with a head- way above high water of from 20 to 27 feet, the foundations are 60 feet below high water mark and 27 feet below the bed of the river, and the bridge has a sectional area of waterway of 20,040 square feet. The total length of the bridge and abutments is 940 feet and the bridge and approaches 2,640 feet, while the steepest gradient of approach is only 1 in 40. The bridge when completed will be one of the most remarkable in the world, spanning as it does what is perhaps the busiest waterway on earth. Practically the Same Tariff. Details regarding the Detroit meeting of lake underwriters have not as yet been given out, but it is understood that the tariff agreed upon is practically the same as last year, the only change being a reduction of 34c. on the better class of Ai risks. It was claimed after the meeting that, notwithstanding the unfavorable conditions under which deliberations were begun, everything pertaining to the business of the coming season is harmonious. The following underwriters were present: James A. Whitlock of New York ; Townsend Davis, W. J. Sandrock, Henry §, Sill, Paul W. Bullard and J. G. Orr of Buffalo ; George L. McCurdy, J. S. Gadsden, J. J. Rardon and L. L. Burton of Chicago; David Vance and F. LL. Vance of Milwaukee and Eugene Harbeck, Alex. McDonnell and J. C. Burton of Detroit. ini