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id MARINE REVIEW. pos = MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 516 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, O. Chicago office, (branch), No. 706 Phoenix building. SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per year in advance. Single copies 1ocents each. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on appli- cation. The books of the United States treasury department contain the names of 3,657 vessels, of 1,183,582.55 gross tons register in the lake trade. The lakes have more steam vessels of 1,000 to 2,500 tons than the com- bined ownership ef this class of vessels in all other sections of the country. The number of steam vessels of 1,000 to 2,500 tons on the lakes on June 30, 1892, was 321 and their aggregate gross tonnage 534,490.27; in all other parts of the country the number of this class of vessels was,on the same date, 217 and their gross tonnage 321,784.6. The classification of the entire lake fleet is as follows: Gross. Class. Number. Tonnage. Sfeam) vessels ouchs..caclwvessssveeeesaveecesi does 1,631 763,063.32 PUAN VESSCIS 055 sccsviesestelce asesscvsses sockeesy 1,226 319,617.61 RE BATA I ADOAYS Secreta seers oloos hic oes sut ieee ec ke 731 75,580.50 BANS OSs ccc sccas pap deccenccarce-cPUbSTs taste teins osas9 69 25,321.12 PLO CALS secee raiawais danicn's cade sveavaysi doen' 3,657 1,183,582.55 Tonnage built on the lakes during the past five years, according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows : Number. Net Tonnage. TOGO rotor ten cece actecens satesen Beare taat » 222 IOI, 102.87 EOUQuees sa stdetens Mek Uel tka uo ebedeess oe detiees 225 107,080.30 OQO sea veds C028 sales ws SESE eeSS ch acl To Tacecls ce 218 108,515.00 TSO Warceeias sssonaeasencne te Sothise ieass seas vsee 204 I11,856.45 USO eMngee Seca caes err Gicdocsackpe casera secee 169 45,168.98 OCR ET dit ees dcv cs eetes ies 1,038 473,723.60 ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ CANAL, TRAFFIC. St. Mary's Falls Canal. 1892. 1891. 1890. 1892. 1891. 1890. Suez Canal. No. vessel passages 12,580] 10,191} 10,557 3,559 4,207 3389 Ton'ge, net regist'd}10,647,203|8,400,685|8,454,435||7,712,028 8,698,777|6,890,014 Days of navigation.. 223 225 228 365 365 365 Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. BUFFALO underwriters and attorneys have again raised the question of the liability of vessel owners under section 3 of the Harter bill of lading act, passed by the last Congress and signed by the president on Feb. 30, 1893. The particu- _ lar section of the act over which the question of doubt has been raised provides that "'if the owner of any vessel shall ex- ercise due diligence to make the said vessel in all respects sea- worthy and properly manned, equipped and supplied, neither the vessel, her owner or owners, agent or charterers shall become or be held responsible for damage or loss resulting from faults or errors in navigation or in the management of said vessel." 'This section, if not governed by the nature of the act and other pro- visions which it contains, would certainly seem to release the vessel owner from liability even for the sinking of another vessel in collision where there was proof of negligence of navigation, and such is the construction put upon it by some people in Buf: falo and, it is claimed, by certain New York lawyers. 'The best admiralty lawyers on the lakes will not, however, look upon the act in this light, as shown in an editorial in the Revirw of April 27, last. Speaking of the law again, a few days ago, Mr. Harvey D. Goulder said that no court would entertain such a construction of it fora moment. It is a measure of a special na- ture, the title showing that it relates to 'navigation of vessels, bills of lading, and to certain obligations, duties and rights zz Connection with the carriage of property." The provisions of sec- tion 3 refer to obligations, duties and rights connected with the carriage of property, and not to the liability of one vessel owner to another for damages resulting from collision. As Secretary Keep of the lake Carriers' Association puts it, the section refers only to the vessel's own cargo, and is intended to head off suits by the insurance companies against the vessel after paying losses on cargo injured in a collision. Mr. Keep had a hand in framing the law and says that such was the intention when the act was prepared for presentation to Congress, and that 'it was passed with the same end in view. A sHor' time ago Supt. Martin Lynch and three assistant superintendents at the St. Mary's Falls canal were removed by orders from the secretary of war and their places filled by four Democrats, who have figured quite actively in politics at Sault Ste. Marie. As Mr. Lynch and his associates were also Demo- crats, appointed during President Cleveland's first term, the change was surprising. No complaint has been made regarding the ability of the new men to care for the work assigned to them, and on this score there is little room as yet fora protest from _the vessel interests, but the action of the secretary of war in changing a part of the lock force without cause would seem to indicate a disposition to introduce politics into the management of the canal. In fact, it is understood that this change was made without Gen. Poe being consulted in any way, and that it was prompted by Don. M, Dickinson of Michigan political fame. That other changes will be made seems probable, as it is charged, by those who are seeking the places, that Gen. Supt. Wheeler : has shown a partisan disposition in the appointment of inspect- ors and other government employes on the different works of improvement, and that he would already have been removed but for his knowledge of the detail connected with the several ex- tensive contracts now under way. Whatever may be said of the results of either Republican or Democratic influences in the management of the canal in the past, it.is to be hoped that some steps will be taken soon to secure the permanent employment of capable men in the government force at the Sault. The import- ance of having competent men in charge of these locks should watrant the application of civil service rules to the principal po- sitions. . SENATOR CHANDLER, of New Hampshire, would have a canal constructed along the coast of the southern Atlantic states below Virginia, because of the stormy Hatteras and treacherous Nags Head. He offered in the senate, a few days ago, a reso- lution, which was sent to the committee on commerce, instruct- ing that committee to inquire into the expediency of the con- struction in the near future, by the aid of the government, of an interior coast line of water works across the head of the penin- sula of Florida, along the coast from Florida to Hampton Roads, between Chesepeake bay and Delaware bay and by Cape Cod, for the purpose of securing commercial and military advantages. It is argued in favor of the scheme that from Chesapeake bay to Florida there already exists a vast system of salt-water sounds which can be connected by several short canals, and thereby afford the desired navigation without great cost. With other canal measures, far more important than this from a commercial standpoint, already pressing congress, it is probable that little attention will be given Senator Chandler's resolution, especially as the only important claim in favor of the project is the "re- moval of the dangers of the coast navigation." 'The vessel owner whose ship was run for profit would continue to follow 'the coast route after the canal was built, as his vessel would make three trips in the broad ocean to the one that could be made in the proposed system of canals and sounds. The wooden steamship W. P. Ketcham, built by James Davidson of West Bay City. Mich., for the Ketcham Steamship Company of Chicago, was launched Saturday. She is 250 feet keel, 37 feet beam and 13 feet 2 inches depth of hold. Her capa- city is about 1,000,000 feet of lumber. 'Ihe schooner Owe, . launched from the same yard a short time ago, will be the con- sort of the Ketcham. FIFTEEN PHOTOTYPES OF THE LATEST LAKE STEAMERS AND A PICTURE OF THE GREAT EASTERN, NEATLY BOUND, FOR 50 CENTS. WRITE THR MARINE REVIEW, no. 516 PERRY- PAYNE BUILDING, CLEVELAND, O, : Nitti.