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

MARINE REVIEW. : 7 Lake Freight Matters. It is encouraging to report that at this time there are no vessel owners willing to duplicate contracts made before the opening of navi- gation for carrying ore throughout the season, and this is the first time since 1890 that such a condition has prevailed thus early in the season. The ore freight market has maintained an advancing tendency since the first cargo was moved in the spring, and although there is little profit in freights, vessel owners are very much encouraged, as there has as yet been little coal moved to Lake Michigan and practically none at all to Take Superior. Ore freights have reached 80 cents from the head of the lakes, 70 cents from Marquette and 50 cents from Escanaba,:and;the feel- ing is still strong, but it is probable that the market will rest at these figures for a while, as shippers will resist advances over contract rates. They have been hurrying stock-pile shipments on the low freights that have thus far prevailed, but will be disposed to reduce the movement if further effort is made to bulge the market. Difficulties in the soft coal mining regions are now generally settled, but supplies of coal for lake shipment are slowin reaching Ohio ports. It is expected that some of the leading shippers will offer some Lake Superior coal on contracts next week, but vessel owners are not disposed to accept a 30-cent freight rate, which is all that has been talked of as yet. Naval Architecture at Cornell. Draughtsmen, designers and all others connected in any way with naval architecture and marine engineering will be interested in the op- portunities for special study offered at the school of marine engineering aud naval architecture, which is a department of Sibley College, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. In a letter tothe REVIEW, G. R. McDermott, professor of naval architecture at this school, says: '"'We have quite a number of students in both departments (marine engineering and naval architecture), two of these being special students from Detroit, They are both men who have been in practical life and who, feeling a want of a better acquaintship with the fundamental principles of their art, decided to take our course, one for one year, the other for two years. Both are doing excellent work and are entirely sat- isfactory. This is a class of students we are particularly pleased to have, and we aim specially to give them instruction in just what they find themselves most in need of, and which they could not well get in the ordinary routine of business life. As you will note in our regulations regarding special students, they have no entrance examination, and with an ordinary education there are many meninthe drawing offices and other departments of the ship yards of the country who would find it to: their advantage to spend a year, in their special line of work, at our school." In a circular announcing courses of instruction the following is found regarding special students: 'Under the regulations of the university, persons who are twenty- one years of age, and who give evidence of sufficient ability and exper- ience to enable them to carry on with profit university courses in the subjects in which they are interested, may be nominated to the faculty as epecial students, admitted without examination, and permitted to take up such work as they may seem qualified for, under the direction of the head of department. Such special students are not considered as candi- dates for a degree, but may receive, if desired, a statement of the work which they have accomplished. Such students may become candidates for a degree by making up entrance requirements, together with such differences as may exist between the regular course and the special course which they have followed. "" Under these conditions persons who may already have some knowl- edge of marine construction, but who may wish to acquire a more exact knowledge of fundamental principles and approved methods, or who may wish to pursue special studies on certain topics connected with the subject, may spend with great profit a year or more in this school in their special work. The work of the school is very largely individual, so that each one is able to give special attention to such subjects as he may be interested in, and to pursue these subjects independently of others under the direct guidance and aid of the professors in charge." Questioning the Unique's Time. Editor MARINE REVIEW: In your issue of May 23, under the heading "Bast Steamer Unique," distances are quoted which are incorrect, and all of which are given in favor of the steamer. It is stated first that the dis- tance from Windmill point to Woodward avenue is seven miles, when it is but 63( miles. The distance across Lake St. Clair is stated as 18 miles, when in fact it is only 163 miles, and this is the longest course run by large freight steamers, while light-draft steamers like the Unique, not having to run out in the regular channel at Grosse point, cut considerable off those figures. It is further stated that the Unique made the run across Lake St. Clairin 1 hour 6 minutes, and from Windmill point to Wood- ward avenue in 19 minutes 50 seconds, or a total of 1 hour 2p minutes and 50 seconds, and this distance is said to be 25 miles, when in fact it is less than 23% miles, and the steamer's speed is thus reduced from over 21 miles to an actual speed of 16,8, miles an hour. Now while I do not care to enter into a discussion as to the speed of this steamer, I will add that I have on several occasions gone over this same course and distance in less time than it is claimed the Unique has made, and know that we have fully a dozen steamers in our vicinity that can to-day lower this so-called record of the Unique. The steamer Grey- hound of the Red Star line has on several occasions made the same run in less than 1 hour 25 minutes, with a full load of passengers and consid- erable freight, and with several others I have taken the time, and can vouch for its correctness. As to the corrected distances which I give, | will add that they are positively correct. J. W. WESTCOTT, Detroit, Mich., May 26, 1895. Aliens on American Vessels. The decision recently rendered by United States Attorney-General Olney relative to engineers of the American line steamers Paris and New York is of special importance on the lakes, on account of interest attached to the question of alien officers on American vessels. The attorney-general has decided that the act of 1874, which permitted the granting of licenses to pilots and engineers who had lived in the United States for six months and who had declared their intentions to become citizens, if found quali- fied, had not been repealed by the act of 1884, which requires that all officers of American steam vessels shall be citizens of the United States. This decision will permit any qualified alien who has been in the United States six months, and who has declared his intention of becoming a citizen, to receive a license as engineer or pilot of any American merchant steam vessel, but not as master. The letter from the attorney-general to the secretary of the treasury on the subject is as follows: The Honorable the Secretary of the Treasury--Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge yours of April 23, 1894, asking my opinion upon the ques- tion whether the statute known as the " Dingley bill," approved June 26, 1884, amending section 4,131 of the revised statutes, repealed an act entitled "an act to authorize the employment of certain aliens as engineers and pilots," approved April 17, 1874. As the law stood prior to the act of 1884, above cited, two classes of persons were competent to receive licenses as engineers or pilots on United States vessels. Citizens of the United States were one class, Aliens on the way to citizenship by having declared their intention to become citizens and by permanent residence in the United States for six months prior to the granting of licenses constituted another class. The amendatory act of 1884 did not affect, and was not made to affect, either of these classes. Leaving them undisturbed, it was obviously de- signed to make provision fora third class of persons who might be officers of United States vessels under peculiar circumstances and for brief periods. The members of both the classes first named are regarded as in effect citizens of the United States,and as being eligible as such to permanent employment--as officers of United States vessels generally under revised statutes, section 4,131, and as engineers or pilots of such vessels under the act of April 17, 1874. The members of the third class, on the other hand, are aliens whom the law excludes from general and permanent employment on United States vessels and permits to serve on such vessels only temporarily and in emergencies. The provisions of the act of June 26, 1884, being thus in no way in. conflict or inconsistent with the act of April 17, 1874, both statutes must be regarded as in force and the later did not have the effect of repealing the former statute. RICHARD OLNEY, -- Department of Justice, Attorney-General. Washington, D. C., May 9, 1895. No effort was made to speed the new Northern line passenger steamer North Land on the occasion of her first trial of machinery in the lake off Cleveland on Saturday last, but it was found that her engines, as well as those of the North West this season, turn up with special satisfaction to both builders and owners, on account of a change of valve gear and other alterations of detail that were suggested through last year's operations with the North West. These changes have caused everybody interested | in the steamers to feel satisfied that they will have no difficulty whatever in maintaining schedule time. From what can be learned of the trials made with anthracite coal on the North West, it is hardly probable that hard coal will beadopted. The greatest difficulty encountered with it has been in cleaning fires. Although these big boats have enormous boiler power, the surplus is thought to be hardly sufficient to cope with the de- lay encountered when, iv cleaning hard coal fires under three boilers at a time, a full hour is lost with that number of boilers, A quantity of Pocahontas coal was tried on the trial of the North Land, and the effect as regards absence of smoke was wonderful. The management has taken up the question of using Pocahontas coal entirely. AN ARTISTIC PHOTO OF THE NORTH WEST, HANDSOMELY MOUNTED, SENT TO ANY ADDRESS FOR 50 CENTS, BY THE MARINE REVIEW. MONEY RETURNED IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED.