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

10 | - MARINE REVIEW. SS ne a oe DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 516 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, O _ SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per yearin advance. Singlecopies 10 cents each. Convenient binders sent, postpaid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on appli- cation. The books of the United States treasury department contain the names of 3,341 vessels, of 1,227,400.72 gross tons register in the lake trade. The number of steam vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over that amount on the lakes on June 30, 1894, was 359 and their aggregate gross tonnage 634,467.84 ; the number of vessels of this class owned in all other parts of the country on the same date was 316 and their tonnage 642,642.50, so that half of the best steamships in all the United States are owned on the lakes. The classification of the entire lake fleet on June 30, 1894, was as follows: Gross Class. Number. Tonnage. Steam vessels...........06 Biiecrceracines Oe ceesse 1,731 843,239.65 Sailing vessels...........0006 Sa tcc te adstoes 1,139 302,985.31 WAN aI DOATS a: eaerssteerct coves cerccnccessesesecles 386 41,961.25 EG Se Semtemeneseeasie-sassecadesseccense ds Aaeoeeeel) ° 85 39,214.51 Total...... Pedseedcacessassass coecesaenees 3,341 1,227 ,400.72 The gross registered tonnage of vessels built on the lakes during the past five years, according to the reports of the United States com- missioner of navigation, is as follows: Number. Net Tonnage. Year ending June 30, 1890........0...ssee0 218 ' 108,515.00 se & sf TOQMeeceecseeseacvecs 204 T11,856.45 pg teat! oe ASOD: cpcannesks ters sce 169 45,168.98 sf ae TSO Zaaecagec voce ns mood, GMS 99,271.24 ce of i TOQAt sesenersccecse ss 106 41,984.61 ML Otallsessccks..ccess icdeets cuaedercetes 872 406,976.28 ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ CANAL TRAFFIC, (From Official Reports of Canal Officers.) St. Mary's Falls Canal. SuezCanal. 1894. 1893. 1892. 1894. 1893. 1892. No.vessel pass'ges T4,491| 12,008 12,580 35352 3,341 3,559 T'n'ge,net registd]13,110,366|9,849,754|10,647,203/|8,039, 106) 7,659,068) 7,712,028 Days of Navigat'n 234 219 223 365 365 365 Eintered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. GENERAL POE of the army engineer corps, who has been in charge of the principal river and harbor improvements on the lakes, makes but one answer to all theories as to the cause of the present low stage of water. He simply defends the opinion that the difficulty is due almost entirely to light rainfall throughout the lake region for some time past. In an- swer to the claim that the deepening of the Lime-Kiln crossing is re- sponsible for low water in the rivers, he is quoted as referring to the fact that in 1839 the lakes showed what is considered the standard high water mark, and which is always used as a basis in computing high water levels. The stage of water that year was 514 feet higher than in the year 1847, when it fell to the low water mark. 'he water in the latter year was about 10 inches lower than it is to-day. How, he asks, is this to be ac- counted for except by the natural law of precipitation and evaporation? "Give us the rainfall of three years ago," he says "when we had three days of dry weather in May and five daysin June, and the level of water will go up a foot or two and all complaints and theories will cease. If the level in Detroit river, St. Clair river, Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron is lowered by the deep channel at the mouth of the river, why do not the levels in Lake Erie and all its harbors show a corresponding increase?" It CAN NOT be said that the new regulations contained in the White law are in any way responsible for the unusual number of collisions that have occurred since the opening of navigation. The claim of one captain who is quoted as saying that the "new law would not permit of his blow- ing across signal" amounts to nothing, as it is well understood that cross signals were never permitted. Vessel masters understand, of course, that the only important change in the new law having reference to signals is the rule making three whistles a fog signal for all steam vessels, whether having tows or not, and the object of this change was to distinguish be- tween the porting signal and the old signal of one long whistle in fog for a steamer without a tow. THURSDAY, June 18, is the date fixed for official ceremony in connec- tion with the opening of the Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie. Itis to be hoped that the canal will actually be in readiness for free passage of vessels after that date. There is much of the canal work yet to be done, but this will not, of course, interfere with the ceremony and may not delay the opening of the canal for business. The celebration on the 13th inst. will be attended by leading officials of the dominion government, as well as members of parliament, who will go from Ottawa to Sault Ste. Marie on a special train. The final cost of the canal will be considerably over $4,000,000. ONE of the best features of the present outlook in the iron industry is the fact that owners of Lake Superior mines producing standard Besse- mer ores have already sold about all the ore that it is possible for them to produce this year and have every reason to expect that next year's prices will be 50 cents or more a ton higher than the figures at which this year's product has been sold. In fact, the 'feeling in this regard is so strong that there is little disposition among companies mining the best ore to make any attempt to increase their product this year. New Charts of Detroit River, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. As a result of the survey made last summer by officers of the U. 5.S. Michigan, the hydrographic office, navy department, has just issueda preliminary chart of Detroit river from Bar point to Mamajuda light- house, with an enlarged plan of the Lime-kiln crossing and vicinity, Although the hydrographic office has published two pilot charts, or rather maps of the entire chain of lakes, this is the first sectional chart of detail gotten out by the navy department and intended to be carried aboard ship and used by vessel masters as they now use the numerous charts of the lakes prepared by the army engineer corps. Itisa navigator's chart. The publicationof this chart is the beginning of a duplication by the navy of work of this kind now conducted by army officers, but laying aside the right or wrong of this duplication of service by two depart- ments of the government, it may be said to the credit of the hydrographic office that there has been little delay in presenting to lake interests the data obtained from this first survey by the Michigan. A few vessel men who have seen the new Detroit river chart have ex- pressed the opinion that it would be far more serviceable if made ona larger scale, but in answer to this Commander Sigsbee of the hydro- graphic office says it isonly a preliminary photo-lithographic production, gotten out for the purpose of publishing the data as soon as possible. The final chart will be a very finished production on copper on a some- what larger scale than the one now issued. In afew days the hydro- graphic office will issue a general chart of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, which Commander Sigsbee says will exemplify very fairly what he thinks is a good sample of a navigator's chart. The price of the Detroit river chart is 30 cents. Copies of any of the publications of the hydro- graphic office may be had from the MARINE REVIEW. The United States Standard Register of Shipping is a large volume containing rules for the construction of steel, composite and wooden vessels, as well as alist of nearly all steel vessels in the United States, with tonnage, dimensions, namesof owners, etc. A very large percentage of steel vessels built on the lakes during the past six or eight years have been classed under the direct supervision of the society publishing this register, and the book contains particulars of all steel vessels on the lakes, whether classed by the society or not. It is alsoa valuable book of reference for manufacturers of ship plate, beams and other material en- tering into the construction of steel vessels, as specifications for material are often based on the rules which it contains. Although this register has in the past been sold strictly on subscription, arrangements have been made by the REVIEW whereby a copy of it will be forwarded to any address for $10. The Babcock & Wilcox Co., manufacturers of the steamer Unique's water tube boilers, are now thoroughly examining and overhauling the boiler in which a defective tube caused a very unfortunate accident, and the boat will be in commission again shortly. Ifit were not for the loss of life resulting from the accident, there would be little to regret in con- nection with it, as the manufacturers are among the best known and most responsible firms of the country. Owners of the boat have a guarantee from the Babcock & Wilcox Co., and the accident was one of an unavoid- able kind in detail of construction that will not result to the disadvantage of the boat or the boiler manufacturers among engineers and other marine men who understand the circumstances. It is well known that the Bab- cock & Wilcox Co., having gone into the manufacture of :marine water tube boilers, is as certain of success eventually in such an undertaking as any concern known to the business. The Nickel Plate road has published a map of Boston, Mass , showing the location of the Christian Endeavor convention hall and state head- quarters of the 14th international convention, July 10th to 15th, and pre- senting the merits of the company's through drawing room sleeping car line between Chicago and Boston. Write for a copy to any agent of the Nickel Plate road, or B. F. Horner, general passenger agent. July 5--266