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MARINE REVIEW. a IX. Ore and Coal Freights--The Fuel Question. Since extensive contracts were made some time ago for carrying ore from the head of Lake Superior at 80 cents a ton, the Cleveland representa- tives of the Biwabik mine, one of the Missabe range properties, have en- gaged tonnage for about 130,000 tons at the same rate, but under conditions that will probably extend the time of the vessels engaged into November, or twenty to thirty days later than the time of expiration on the first con- tracts announced. It is now evident that the few vessels that were paid 80 cents on season contracts from Marquette have the best business that has so far been given out. The Byron Whitaker vessels of Detroit are under- stood to have taken 10,000 tons of ore to be carried from Marquette to South Chicago at 75 cents, and there was a rumor in Cleveland during the week of a small block of Marquette ore having been taken by Toledo par- ties at 65 cents, but thé transaction is not one of importance and the inter- ested parties claim that the rate is somewhat better than that named. There is no improvement in the general situation. Even the owners who have ore contracts to fulfill are encouraging delay in the movement of ves- sels, on account of the absence of cargoes otherwise, and on all hands there is a disposition not to fit out the poorer classes of vessels at all or delay operations until May t. Some bituminous coal is being sold, but the prices are very low and the outlook for freights on it has never been so discouraging, as there is practically nothing offering, even in the way of first loads. One concern, the Pittsburg and Chicago Gas Coal Company, which has figured promi- nently in the fuel question, has sold 60,000 tons of coal for delivery at Green Bay at an exceedingly low price, said to be $1.96. Allowing 60 cents for mining, 90 cents rail freight and 15 cents for transferring from cars to ves- sels, there would be only 31 cents left on this price for lake freight. This company is, however, very closely allied with the management of the Balti- more & Ohio Railway Company, whose officers have for some time been making great efforts to secure a strong foothold in the lake coal shipping business, and the relations with the railway company probably admit, in part, of the low price referred to being made on the Green Bay contract. The steamboat fuel contract with the same company involves about 58,000 tons, taken by a dozen or more vessel owners, who have in all cases contracted for only a part of the fuel which their boats will take at Cleve- land. The prices are $1.90 at the fuel docks,$2.00 when put aboard by light- ers and $1.75 when taken on by the steamers during time of loading cargo. This is the only fuel contract that has been made, and although some of _the vessel owners seem more determined this year than ever to refuse to enter into an agreement to take fuel from the shipper giving them a cargo, the talk of a fight between vessel owners-and coal shippers is greatly ex- aggerated. 'The contract here referred to will very probably affect prices of fuel for the coming season, but the outcome of the stand taken by some of the vessel owners on the fuel question as a whole remains to be seen. Bills Passed by the United States Senate. Senator Frye has again succeeded in having several bills of a marine nature passed by the senate, but there is the usual doubt regarding the consideration of them by the house before adjournment. Some of them have been considered and passed in former sessions of the senate. The first, senate bill No. 497, provides for graded salaries among steamboat in- spectors, the same to be regulated by the number of steamers inspected. Another, senate bill No. 507, proposes to return to the custom of charging afee of $1 in all cases where collectors of customs furnish certificates of title to vessels, Still another of the bills, No. 509, makes minor changes in the law governing the marking of vessels' names on bow or stern. There is also another measure, No. 511, extending to the secretary of war the right to establish and enforce regulations for navigation of canals of the United States other than the St. Marys Falls and St. Clair canals, which are already under the direction of that officer. Engines For Fast Boats. The triple expansion engines of the yacht Dawn, owned by Mr. J. S. Newberry of Detroit and claimed to be the fastest thing of her class on the lakes, have been undergoing a rebuild at the Frontier Iron Works, Detroit, during the past winter, and were successfully tested Tuesday afternoon. The engines were built by the Herreshoffs of Bristol, R. L., and were fitted with that firm's usual type of valve gear, but the Frontier works removed this and fitted the engines throughout with Joy valve gear, with a view to obtaining better steam distribution. The old piston CLEVELAND, O., anp CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 29, 1894. INjO.s51, 4, valves were removed also, and new ones of the Frontier type substituted. The engines were run as high as 700 revolutions per minute without a hitch occurring from start to finish. The connected air pump has also been removed and a Dean (Indianapolis) independent air pump substitu- ted. It is expected that the Dawn's speed will be materially increased by these improvements. Work on engines for all the fast boats seems to be drifting to the Frontier company. The machinery of the U. C. Me, another Detroit claimant for the speed record, built by the Coller company of Detroit last year, is also undergoing a rebuildin the Frontier shops 'These, to- gether with the quadruple engine of the McElroy flyer, will give them a good representation among the fast ones. Combinations of Naval Powers. The following tables, bearing upon the strength of the principal navies, are taken from a paper read by Admiral Sir John Dalrymple-Hay, vice president of the British Institute of Naval Architects, at the annual meeting of that organization in London last week: BATTLESHIPS. Armor clad Combination of Battleships. Two Powers. z a fe a a 1 s 1 es 1 aaliae cS a eil/8ig/s| ge jes bseiges SES oxi alies| . |e sie evigsja es SAISlslolela) a 4 SO Sal Sen O |hiM|oO)}a iP a je |e ie |e Pirst.class.. aictevescoeces aoaare 22)\18|TO\A 02 A Ase 2Sn22 alan emoe Second Class..........sescsesseeees WA) EAP HE Ft MP so || BV WT aie | aye) |} ae | A ap ebb AL EIAS ic6c0 -egadeqcnonagoeuen II | 6]...J11] 5] 2 | 24 Gamera 8 otal hattleshipssecseccs+se-c-ne 45 |37|18|22|21| 6 |104 || 55 | 59 | 58 | 43 PROTECTED CRUISERS. i . Combination of Armored Cruisers. TO TPOWEES: a v ~~ = (2 Mas je) |2\4 d ¢ Slsl (2/5/48 oe 2 Oo) | le lols se ' aS s)els aislia : 2) |? | 5 Pe se ee A ldldla| |olS| . vol/vol ololol|o »Y O lew -lol/Higd 0O/1/9);0/;/0;90/90 @ | s/9/8 S/S) 5).8 slsialaiels DOD |g] 2] ela jr | Ol] a] S| Sl Glial ala BH SIS) Os asia) S fetal e ie pale O || IOPE 1 jet fad] <ct ] pt fe fe First-class CruiSess......ssesseee 31 |I4|11]...| 6] 3] 1] 6] 41 | 25|14}20]17|15|20 Second class cruisers............ 47 |25| .2| 9]...|..-| 4|.--| 40 | 27134125 |25|29/25 Third class cruisers ...........+0. 5£ 131| 3/19]...]---| 7j---| 60 | 34/50/31 131 138/31 129 |70| 16/28] 6} 3/12) 6/141 sieeve 73|82|76 COAST DEFENSE VESSELS. ' wo aq o a a tie ale Sle om : A q wd a _ a France. als bs s|.| [Smiles » m O)s(Sisielsiele | a § 3 BESS SSlES|EE| 3 u BSiV|/a/Slialaig|a|/ Hv} o}o ° Oo MIOMIP|N|cIM|O|AIA/4<:| H 16 | 6x8 armored gun-vessels=14 15 3 4\19) 1] 3] 3} 1] 4/16) 12 105 Some idea of the steady increase in the size of ships can be formed from the statistics compiled by Lloyds' Register. . These statistics are con- fined to seagoing vessels of over 100 tons, and from them it appears that the shipping tonnage of the world in 1890 was 22,151,651, and the number of vessels 32,298. Last year the figures were 24,258,375 tons, represented by 32,010 vessels, showing an increase of tonnage in three years of 2,100,274. with a decrease in the number of vessels of 288.