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6 MARINE REVIEW. Buffalo Port Matters. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Burrato, N. Y., Jan. 26.--The steamer John B. Ketcham--it would be a breach of marine etiquette to call her unlucky--will end her present troubles by being sold this week on a mortgage foreclosure. Craig & Son of Toledo, her builders, take this step because it is at present the only way they can get a title to her, as her nominal owners are not in position to give a title. The sale will not, therefore, develop any very spirited biddings. Agent John C. Fitzpatrick, who has come down from Cleveland to repre- sent the Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Company, is able to give some reasons for expecting the new line to pay. The State of New York and the State of Ohio--once the City of Mackinac and City of Alpena--will make it easy for passengers to leave either port at night and be in the other for early business hours next day. The fare will be lower than railroad fare. There will be es- pecial provision for excursions to Niagara Falls. A large amount of freight has already been secured. Other night lines, like that between Chicago and Milwaukee, where rail competition is sharp and there is no short cut for the vessel, as there is between Cleveland and Detroit, are making money. Buffalo has been rather skeptical of success in this venture, but it will be as pleased as anybody to see itself disappointed. Our canal men are a most unprogressive class of people. They have not even cohesive qualities. If one man proposes anything the other twenty pro- ceed to sit on him. Chicago is offering 5 cents on wheat from here to New York, a remarkably good freight, but nobody will take it, even when there is apprehension, and a good reason for it, that if any attempt is made to push up freights above what is freely offered the railroads will take the grain. There is a proposition to buy or build an elevator for exclusive canal use, but it fails of sufficient backing and will probably fall through. 'Goy. Flower's proposi- tion to use the trolley system for canal towing is not received with great favor here. Most people think his estimate of the cost much too small and fear that the running expenses would be large. When the vessel owners and underwriters came to a sort of understanding in regard to inspections,the committee of underwriters that had been appointed to formulate a plan for inspecting steel vessels, took a long breath' and:said they were legislated out. of office. They willmake no report to the next meet- ing of the Inland Lloyds. New appointments: Capt. W. W. Stewart of Port Huron changes from the propeller Dean Richmond to the Samoa; Capt. J.T. Kenny of Buffalo from the W. H. Barnum to the Sam Marshall. Why hasn't the prophet of the open straits materialized? Here is a Jan- uary thaw on haud and not a prediction on the spring opening. 'This is a bad break. The sale of the Egyptian leaves of the time-honored Widslow fleet the Cormorant and Wall, which must be sold together, or the Cormorant first. Caravel of Columbus. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. WasHinGtTon, D. C., Jan. 26.--The state department has been informed that there has just been received at New York, a large model of the Caravel of Columbus, the Santa Maria, which was constructed on the Island of Santo Domingo, under the personal direction and supervision of Senor Don Andres Gomozy Pintado, the secretary of the Spanish commission for the Madrid ex- position. It was designed with great care from original drawings made by that gentleman, who is an enthusiast in such matters, and has paid much at- tention to ancient nayal architecture, and is considered an expert, having made many studies from all the ancient engravings obtainable with this spe- cial purpose in view. This model is something more than a toy, being 18 feet in length, 6} feet beam, haying a depth at the stern of 8 feet, and is fully rigged. It was first used in the festivities with which the discovery of . America was celebrated in the city of San Domingo, in October last, being carried through the streets of that town in the grand procession that took place, manned by a bevy of little girls asa crew. It was then placed in the river Ozama and sailed to the point of embarcation by the Clyde line for the United States. This reduced replica of the Columbus caravel was constructed at the suggestion of Mr. Frederic A. Ober, the exposition commissioner to the West Indies, and will form part of the Columbian exhibit of the state depart- ment at Jackson park. Testimony in the Case of Col. Ludlow. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REyIEW. Washington, D.C., Jan. 26.--Col. Ludlow has been granted leave of absence for two months, and after looking after business matters now demanding his attention in Detroit will go east for a rest. The army court inquiry into his case with the light-house board was finished last week as far as the taking of testimony is concerned, and altogether the case, when investigated, went as badly to pieces as could well be conceived, the only thing left being the assertion that Col. Ludlow and Commander Heyerman had failed to properly present the matter in their communications. There can be no doubt as to the result, notwithstanding the restrictions imposed by the court upon itself, as it is quite competent for the reviewing authorities to take into consideration the facts subsequent, as well as prior to June 21. Under a ruling of the court in construing the order which convened it, they found themselves limited in the investigation as to matters prior to June 21, the date on which Col. Ludlow was relieved. This caused some embarrassment at the moment, because it prevented the direct introduction of testimony showing that the board itself, when advised of the facts, promptly repudiated the orders made by the executive officers and adupted the recommendations of the district officers in full. Notwithstanding this obstacle, the main facts wers brought before the court and there is no doubt as to the result of the investigation as fully vindi- cating the conduct of the district officers in "failing to comply promptly"' with the preposterous orders which they received. Capt. Mahan went very badly to pieces in giving his testimony on the stand, contradicting himself in several important matters, and especially con- tradicting Mr. Mendenhall by declaring that nothing else than the St. Mary's river matter had to do with the relief of the district officers. Mr. Mendenhall, it will be remembered, stated in his pamphlet that that had nothing to do with Hits The testimony of Coramander Coffin, who wound up with the declaration that '"'the executive officers are the board," was if anything valuble on Gol, Ludlow's side of the case. Mr. Mendenhall refused to testify or allow himself to be examined with regard either to the St. Mary's matter, or any other. Major Gregory, the former engineer secretary, testified that all the other matters referred to in Mendenhall's paper were never before the board at all, but were fished out for the purpose. Colonels Elliot and Ernst, members of the board, testified that they had been completely deceived as to the conduct of the district officers by the mis- representations made June 14 and 16 by the executive officers. The Shipmasters' Association. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Port Huron, Mich., Jan. 26.--Shipmuasters' Association is now the name of the organization of lake vessel masters, formerly known as the Excelsior Marine Benevolent Association and the Shipmasters' Excelsior Marine Beney- olent Association. The more simple name will undoubtedly meet with gen- eral favor, especially as it has been held by many members that the organiza- tion is not in the full meaning of the word a beneficial association, and any- how the names previously adopted were decidedly cumbersome. One impor- tant change in the constitution, made at the meeting of the grand lodge which closed its sessions here on Saturday, was the abolition of the disability clause. It was also decided that hereafter the representation in the grand lodge will be only one delegate from each subordinate lodge, and the subordinate lodges are privileged to choose this one representative from all officers, past and pres- ent. A great deal of routine business regarding constitutional affairs was at- tended to, and the social features of the gathering were especially creditable to citizens of Port Huron and the shipmasters of this vicinity. Officers elected for the coming year are: Grand president, Capt. Alex- ander Clark, Buffalo; first vice grand president, Capt. John Hall, Cleveland; second vice grand president, Capt. James Leisk, Milwaukee; treasurer, Capt. Lyman Hunt, Buffalo; grand secretary, Capt. William A. Collier, Cleveland; grand chaplain, Capt. George McCullough, Detroit; grand marshal, Capt. James Hogan, Chicago; grand warden, Capt. B. M. Pierce, Bay City; grand sentinel, Capt. Alex Sinclair, Port Huron. The grand lodge took notice of the lamentable manner in which some of the brethren were lost during the past season, deeply sympathizing with the widows and fatherless children. The next annual meeting will be held in Chicago on the third Tuesday in January, 1394. Location of the St. Clair Canal. Editor MArtnr ReEvirw: I have noticed from time to time communica- tions in the papers concerning the location of the St. Clair Flats canal, I have always been under the impression that really the situation of the im- provements was in Canadian waters. Quite recently, through a source which is authentic, I was informed that the matter was all cleared up at the time of the settling of the Alabama claims by a diplomatic statement on the part of the English parties to the treaty, the main feature of which set forth that as the United States had constructed and maintained in their territory a ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and at the St. Clair Flats, and had allowed the subjects of Her British Majesty to use the same on the same conditions on which the United States government permitted its subjects to use them, therefore the British government was desirous of reciprocating in some way for such courtesy. This diplomatic and polite method of settling the mat- ter was ratified by the governments of both countries, and in that way the con- troversy is supposed to be settled. i : Yours respectfully, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Jan. 20, 1892. C. M. P. The Berlin Iron Bridge Company of East Berlin, Conn., has secured the contract for a new iron fire-proof storehouse for the Pope Manufacturing Company, at Hartford, Conn. 'The build- He will be 40 feet wide by 84 feet in length, two stories high. his company erected the buildings mentioned in this issue im the description of the Newport News company.