Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Marine Review (Cleveland, OH), 19 May 1892, p. 10

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10 MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW. * DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED LIN Gee ees 0a JoHN M. MuLROONEY, ey BAIS EON RS er uae oT SORT Se ee ee ge eae eee : HoMER J.CarR, - - - Associate Editor and Manager Chicago Office, 210 South Water Street. Published every Thursday at No. 516 Perry-Payne Building, Cleveland, O. SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on application. The books of the United States treasury department contain the names of 3,600 vessels, measuring 1,154,870.38 tons in the lake trade. In classification of this fleet the lakes have more steamboats of 1,000 to 2,500 tons than the combined ownership of this class of vessels in all other sections of the country. The number of vessels of 1,000 to 2,500 tons on the lakes on June 30, 1891, was 310 and their aggregate gross tonnage 512,- 787.58; in all other parts of the country the number of this class of ves- sels was, on the same date, 213 and their gross tonnage 319,750.84. The classification of the entire lake fleet is as follows: Class. Number. Tonnage. SLCAMs VESSEIS i scti ss svcvunceiesious'yesbiteaues otic - 1,592 756,751 -53 SAMS VESSELS! o aus oie ores gap vee bonis nies seneajenrelser D243. 325,131.06 GATTI DOALS tecenetccsises teases sexearare tacedteea 703 72,515:42 SANG ME Grerttewetenisstioac seas esoeeraisacsasaaae dee cme 62 20,472.37 © MOtaligestss yt caesccs dee taee ane eon 3,600 I,154,870.38 Tonnage built on the lakes during the past five years, according to the report of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows: No. of boats. Net Tonnage. MO Site ciciece declare ociitanecas ee cueocnmeeeemees 152 56,488.32 TOG eos siaiesien sce dlccie dais aaeioe ses eisea emma ees 222 IOI, 102.87 MO SQ ane teeecac acetates eccecsscdarsemenmenoss 225 107,080.30 TSGQOL re comasnscerss aceedstcacieasse a iavanaetcss 218 108,515.00 TOG) Meryesiase teva cesssasepiassts ssioadeseeneecenean 204 T11,856.45 Motalt.s22: oss. id sah ageaelesnarees 1,021 485,042.94 St. Mary's Falls and Suez canal traffic: Number of boats through St. Mary's Falls canal in 1890, 234 days of navigation, 10,557; tonnage, net registered, 8,454,435. Number of boats through Suez canal during 1890, full year, 3,389; tonnage, net registered, 6,890,014. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. WHEN the people of the state of New York, and especially New York City, become thoroughly interested in the great pro- ject of a ship canal from the lakes to the Atlantic, then may the advocates of this grand work expect an earnest endeavor in its behalf. 'The promoters of the Detroit deep waterways conven- tion, who accepted the seaboard ship canal as a project second- ary for the time being to the twenty-foot channel throughout the lakes, had in view the vast amount Of labor that will necessarily be connected with the initial work of securing New York state support for such an important undertaking as the proposed ship canal. They had intended that, on account of the political as- pect of the canal question in general in New York, the first steps should be taken in the chamber of commerce of the metropolis. | They are now agreeably surprised, however, to find that, as a result of the action of the Detroit convention in inserting a clause in the memorial to congress asking for a survey of the route to the Atlantic, leading journals in New York, and throughout the country in fact, have taken up the question and are urging its consideration with more earnestness than is shown in the Nic- aragua canal. 'The current issue of Bradstreets, date of May 14, devotes several columns to discussion and approval of the favor- able report of the House committee on railways and canals on the subject and nearly all of the leading New York dailies have taken a similar course. It is thought that the bill for a survey can be brought up in the House during the coming week, and members of congress who are most enthusiastic on the subject say that they have reason to expect its passage. AGAIN certain civil engineers around the country, who have gained a moderate degree of prominence in their profession, have failed in an effort to even start a movement of critiscism upon the army corps of engineers. 'Their predecessors managed to at least show a little systematic organization, but Mr. Wisner and his associates got no further than a few articles in print. 'The criti- PROPRIETORS. ~ cism, as far as it went, only served to remind the shipping in- terest of the wide difference between the thorough methods of the engineer corps and the lack of system that characterizes other branches of the general government, notably some parts of the treasury department dealing with the merchant marine. Industries of San Francisco sums up the inwardness of the op- position to the government engineers in the following para- graph: ""T'he late Trans-Mississippi Congress and the Western Waterways Convention of 1891, both endorsed, in a very full manner,the conduct of this department of the government, so it can be seen there are two sides to the discussion and that the criticisms of the army corps, which have appeared in several recent magazine articles, are no more than can be expected in any case where the general government carries on a business that competes or conflicts with private pursuits in'any way. Above. all in these times of ours, is credit due the corps for the honesty and fairness with which its members disburse millions of public money." ALTHOUGH there is no possibility of a bill for free iron ore passing the Senate, it has been agreed that the iron ore pro- ducers of Lake Superior, with whom lake vessel owners are so closely associated, will present formal opposition to such a meas- ure, even in the present free trade House. To do otherwise might indicate a lack of the proper spirit among supporters of this great industry. Vessel owners should join in this protest, and in event of the measure now before the ways and means committee being taken up the organized vessel interests should at least send to Washington their disapproval of the bill. It is difficult for anyone with even an ordinary knowledge of the iron business to understand why Massachusetts should want free iron ore. In this part of the country, where the manufacture of iron has prospered under able management, the importance of having the fuel brought to the ore or the ore to the fuel, is recog- nized as one of the underlying principles of the business. Mas- sachusetts has neither ore nor coal. No river and harbor bill need be expected at the next ses- sion of Congress. In giving notice of a day for consideration of the present billin the Senate Mr. Frye said: "I am author- ized by the committee on commerce to say that this is a bill for two years, and that none will be reported from that committee at the next session of the present Congress." A Risk on Anything. Lake vessel owners who have of late years taken up close relations with the underwriters of England's famous Lloyds will be interested in the following from Fairplay of London: '"There is no conceivable risk that can not be covered at Lloyds. A year or two ago a line was placed in the room on behalf of a banker's clerk to cover that gentleman against the loss he would sustain if his wife should present him with twins. _ A framed wager policy hangs on the wall in one of the rooms at Lloyd's insuring persons against Napoleon Bonaparte ceasing to exist or being taken prisoner before June 21, 1813; the policy is dated May 21, 1813, and the premium charged was 3 guineas per cent. The latest curiosity in the fancy insurance line is a large policy covering the risk of the famous racehorse Orme failing from any cause whatever to run for the Derby."' An Ashland dispatch says: 'Ihe Coon expedition starts from Ashland for Lake Huron shortly to search for the sunken steamer Pewabic, which will be raised if possible. Almost simultaneously another expedition will be sent from Duluth, and that there will be a clash of interests is certain. Coon has fitted out the steamer Emerald at Ashland, and will have three divers accompany him, headed by a Boston expert. He is backed by Ashland capital, Mayor Durfee and F. Prentice hav- ing the controlling interest. The Duluth expedition is sent out by Minneapolis capital. Coon supervised the Emerald expedi- tion last year when Diver Pelkey lost his life while working at the wreck, -

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