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10 MARINE REVIEW. " i to. » == a LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 516 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, O SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per year in advance. Singlecopies 10 cents each. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on appli- cation. DEVOTED TO THE 7 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 oe follows: ross Class. Number. Tonnage. SPE MMIBVESBE Su cvsacdnecscesidvees.coveredesscessolese 1,731 843,239.65 Sailing vessels.........s0csscccescssoorsecesceeces 1,139 302,985.31 Cartas Oatseecccsrscswecrorccscctccsecumonsocvecse 386 41,961.25 Ban Ces sereccscenssektescescesesenecs Mediates nc 85 39,214.51 Ot ales escce see sedis slesisars oye cidacte vcs 3,341 I,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..0000 cu As) 108,515.00 " sf s TSQT Bs saesasie> desist 204 I11,856.45 . s mS TSG Qrevecesesiavences - 169 45,168.98 Rete ere a TOG Sucre ccedoassesses 175 99,271.24 fe he 2 i EGA eteeasersscovsats 106 41,984.61 PROLAN: fesse dass aaois saeessoene deers 872 406,976.28 ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ CANAL TRAFFIC. (From Official Reports of Canal Officers.) St. Mary's Falls Canal. 1894. 1893. 1892. 1894. 1893. | 1892. No.vessel pass'ges 14,491] 12,008 12,580 3,352 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 SuezCanal. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. IN ACCORDANCE with a request from Major H. H. Ruffner of Buffalo, one of the United States army engineers forming the commission ap- pointed by the secretary of war to investigate and report upon the probable effect on lake levels resulting from the opening of the Chicage drainage canal, Secretary Keep of the Lake Carriers' Association has prepared some important and interesting estimates in connection with the relation of the canal question to the carrying capacity of lake vessels. The answer to Major Ruffner appears on page 9 of this issue. Mr. Keep estimates that a lowering of the lake levels by three inches would produce a diminution of the carrying capacity of the lake fleet in a season amounting to 1,142,- 370 tons; a lowering of six inches would diminish the capacity 2,284,740 tons ; and a lowering of nine inches would diminish the capacity 3,427,110 tons. Turning these results into dollars and cents, and estimating the earnings of lake vessels at an average of 50 cents per ton of cargo carried, over and above cost of loading and unloading, he concludes that a lower- ing of three inches would diminish the earnings of the fleet ina single year $571,185; a lowering of six inches would diminish the earnings $1,- 142,370; and a lowering of nine inches would diminish the earnings $1,713,555. Upon receipt of these estimates, Major Ruffner is reported to have said that the vessel owners could better afford to pay the expense of bringing over the Berlin engineers and have the sewage of Chicago taken care of as is that of Berlin. By this it may be inferred that it would be cheaper, as well as better, to have Chicago sewage taken out into the prairie and purified by irrigating the soil than to take from the lakes sufficient water to carry it towards the Mississippi. But Major Ruffner's Opinions are so decided in opposition to the canal that it would not be surprising if his confidence, asa result of conclusions based on his own figures regarding the Niagara river outflow, would injure any report that may be made by the army-engineer commission, of which he is a mem- ber, and which was recently appointed to investigate the canal question. The figures presented by Secretary Keep are certainly indicative of a great loss to the vessel interests if the canal should result in a lowering of even 3 inches in lake levels, but the Chicago engineers try to prove, in a statement also published on another page, that the flow of water neces- sary for the canal as now planned can not possibly result in a reduction of more than an inch and a fraction in the water levels, and thus the question still rests with the two factions of engineers. It is doubtful, also, whether definite action of any kind will be taken by the government as a result of any report that may be made by the army engineers. It may be well to again note here, on account of telegrams that have been published throughout the country, that there 1s evidently no inten- tion of using the canal as at present planned for commercial purposes. There is nothing new in the announcement that solid bridges are to be built over the channel, According to the project now being carried out, this waterway is to be simply a sewer for the city of Chicago, and it is not at all probable that the larger scheme for extensions forming a ship canal to the Mississippi will be carried out during the life of the present generation. A NEw York underwriter, writing the REVIEW about losses on the lakes since the opening of navigation, says that officers of some of the companies that have gone into the business this season are becoming alarmed, especially on account of the great number of strandings, in- volving heavy losses on steel vessels. It is intimated that bottoms are not constructed strong enough. This may be true, and the losses from strandings have undoubtedly been very heavy, so that vessel owners will do well to meet the requirements of underwriters as far as possible in water bottoms of new vessels. But the losses aside from strandings have hardly been sufficient as yet to cause a general return to high insurance rates next season. Only two steel vessels have been lost, both in col- lision. This is hardly enough to cause loud complaint from the un- derwriters. In THE Canadian house of commons a few days ago it was announced that the marine department of the government is not disposed to change such portions of the navigation laws for the lakes as would bring the Canadian regulations in conformity with the White law adopted by con- gress last winter. This means that Canadian lake steamers without a tow will blow a single blast of the whistle for a fog signal, while vesse]s of the United States on the lakes will blow three blasts for a fog signal whether towing or not. This is the most important difference in the reg- ulations. Accidents may arise from it. JAMES J. Hit of Great Northern railway fame is now considering plans for introducing flour into China. He is encouraging all schemes that will develop a big Pacific steamship business in connection with his northwestern railway interests. His idea is to carry flour so as to sell it in China at 1% cents a pound, and bring return cargoes of rice so as to supply the markets here with that article of food at the same price. It very often happens in letting government contracts, that the lowest bidder declines to enter the formal contract, on the ground that mistakes have been madein transcribing the estimate upon which the bid was based. In such cases requests are often made to award the contract to the next lowest bidder and charge the difference to the party making the mistake, The navy department asked the attorney general, recently, for a ruling in a case of this kind. The attorney general answered that the practice could not be permitted. The mistake, he said, was not a mutual one but was due to negligence on the part of the bidder who sought to be released from the contract. French photographers are making progress with an apparatus by means of which photographs have been taken under water. The device consists substantially of a barrel filled with oxygen, surmounted by a glass bell which holdsan alcohol lamp. By means ofa mechanical contrivance, powdered magnesium is thrown on the flame of the lamp, which flares whenever a view is taken. The equilibrium of the barrel is preserved by means of suitable vents in the bottom which admit water as the oxygen diminishes. Superintendent Bristow of the Cleveland Ship Building Co. has promised Mr. R.R. Rhodes that he will have the big freight steamer Yale ready for launching on July 20, and everybody interested in the boat is satisfied that the promise will be fulfilled. There is some question about the boat being far enough advanced to launch on that date, but two of the owners who have confidence in Mr. Bristow have backed up their opinions with wagers of silk hats and new suits. A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE NORTH WEST, SISTERSHIP OF THE NORTH LAND, WAS PUBLISHED IN THE EDITION OF THE REVIEW, JUNE 30, 1894, CONTAINING FIFTY-TWO PAGES, TWENTY-SIX PAGES BEING DEVOTED TO DESCRIPTION AND ILLUSTRATION, AND SIX DOUBLE PAGES OF ENGRAVINGS BEING INCLUDED. THIS EDITION WILL BE MAILED TO ANY ADDRESS FOR 50 CTS. SENT TO THE MARINE REVIEW, (LEVE- LAND, O.