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MARINE REVIEW. 9 Around the Lakes. Capt. J. M. Clossey, late of the steamer Rochester, has taken com- mand of the steamer Owego. Welland canal authorities have issued an order to locktenders to allow no vessels in the canal drawing more than 13 feet 6 inches. Owners of the 400-foot steamer Zenith City, which has been launched and is nearing completion at South Chicago, also talk of sending her to Escanaba for a big ore cargo. Capt. N. S. Whipple of Detroit has sold his one-half interest in the steamer Raleigh and consort Tokio, to Henry Wineman, Jr., for "$2 and other valuable consideration." Ore shipments out of Ashland, up to and including August 11, aggre- gated 1,454,799 gross tons, of which 691,466 tons was from the Wisconsin central docks and 763,333 tons from the North Western docks. F, W. Denton, mining engineer, who has been with the Minnesota company at Soudan, Minn., has resigned to take up the position of as- sistant inspector of mining at the state university, Minneapolis. Baker Bros. of Detroit are said to have submitted a bid for raising the Britannic, that will probably be accepted by the underwriters. They will also raise the lumber steamer Nellie Torrent, sunk a few days ago at Port Huron. About 8,000 passengers are said to have been carried on the two Northern line passenger stermers since the opening of navigation-- June 11 to Aug. 1. On her last round trip the North Land is reported to have had in all 694 passengers. Excursion business out of Cleveland has been heavier this season than ever before. Saturday night runs of the D. & C. line to Detroit and the C. & B. line to Buffalo and Niagara have taxed the full capacity of the side wheel boats of both companies. A steel steam yacht, the Saphire, which was built by the Cramps some time ago, is now owned by J. J. Albright of Buffalo. The boat is 137 feet over all, 19 feet 6 inches beam and 9 feet 6 inches draft, and is. capable of accommodating eleven passengers. Log rafting companies keep piling up evidence against their own interests in the contest over the rafting question that will come up in the next congress. Both of the small light-ships marking the Lime- Kiln cut, Detroit river, were carried away by a raft Tuesday. James Wallace, general manager of the Cleveland Ship Building Company, returned Thursday from atwo weeks' sojourn at Nantucket. His grandfather was an old resident of the island, and lived to the age of 99 years. He was in the whaling trade when the island was headquarters for that industry. Government inspectors in charge of the 20-foot channel work at the lower end of Lake Huron report a shoal with only 15 feet of water over it about 300 yards to the east and 200 yards to the south of Corsica shoal light-ship. They advise masters of deep-draft boats to keep on Lynn's ranges and check down. Commander Dayton of Chicago, inspector of the ninth light-house district, gives notice that a spar buoy, 25 feet long, painted black, has been placed on Monument shoal, off Monument point, east coast of Green bay. The depth of water at the buoy, which marks the most westerly point of the shoal, is 18 feet. New lake vessels registered in the office of the commissioner of navi- gation during the week ending August 10 are: Steam--Penobscot, Port Huron, Mich., 3,502.28 tons gross, 2,864.63 net, No. 150,705; Stone City, Chicago, II1., 42.01 tons gross, 34.70 net, No. 116,689; Lorella, Buffalo, N. Y., 9.23 tons gross, 6.28 net, No. 141,396. Sail--Clipper, Cleveland, O., 7.39 tons gross, 7.33 net, No. 127,102. South Chicago tug owners, Hausler & Dunham, talk of building a new boat for harbor service. They are planning on a hull 95 feet long, 20 feet beam and 11% feet depth, with engines 18 and 26 by 30 inches and a boiler 14 by 9% feet, allowed 150 pounds steam pressure. An inde- pendent condenser, universal shaft coupling and steam steering apparatus are also talked of as modern improvements in the boat. The 400-foot steamer Victory took only a small cargo of coal out of Ashtabula on her return trip to Lake Superior. It was reported that she ~ had 4,000 tons aboard, and even that amount would be considerably short of her capacity on 14 feet draft, but the fact is she had little more than 3,500 tons on leaving Ashtabula, as the supply at the McMyler car dump- ing machine ran short, and it was thought advisable to send the steamer out with part cargo, rather than suffer delay in port. Reports to the hydrographic office from the U. S. S. Michigan direct attention to two shoals on Lake Michigan. Southwestward of Beaver island there is a shoal reported about 1% miles long and about % miles wide, with an average depth of between 5 and 6 fathoms of water over it, and with one spot, a rock, with only 20 feet over it. This spot lies 734 statute miles W. 5¢ S. from Beaver island light. An examination of Spectacle reef was made by the Michigan on July 15, and it was found that the shoal water (less than 18 feet) extends about 1,000 feet eastward and about 2,500 feet southward from the light-house. The Conneaut-Port Dover car ferry service will be inaugurated by an excursion today (Thursday) on the ferry Shenango No. 1, from Conneaut to Port Dover and return. Slips with the necessary track approaches have been constructed at Conneaut and Port Dover, and everything is now in readiness for the transfer of loaded cars from the Pittsburgh, Shenango & Lake Erie railway at Conneaut to the Grand Trunk at Port Dover. The Shenango arrived at Conneaut on Friday last and was greeted by the entire populace with brass bands and cannon. She made a trial trip the _ day following her arrival and some difficulty was then found with her machinery, but probably no more than is incident to bringing out new workinahurry. Capt. Dougherty is in command of the boat. It is only a question of time until the excursion business out of Chicago will surpass that of any two lake cities combined. The twin- screw steamer Virginia and the whaleback Christopher Columbus are crowded almost daily, and this condition of business will undoubtedly cause President Goodrich to hurry the completion of plans for the new boat which it is proposed to add to his line. The rate in the Chicago- Milwaukee excursion business, $1 for the round trip,is toolow. It is thought that competition from the World's Fair company, owning the Columbus, is kept up with a view to selling the whaleback. Another steamer in the Goodrich line will increase the advantages which that company already holds through having a fleet of ships in the passenger business, that can be more economically managed than a single boat. Fireproofing Ships of War. Our navy department has settled to its satisfaction the question of the material to be used in our vessels of war as a substitute for the ordi- nary inflammable timber. It has adopted the fireproofing process of the Electric Fireproofing Co. of New York, as the result of satisfactory tests with it. Ina test experiment witnessed by Secretary Herbert, Capt. Cook, Commodore Hichborn and Naval Constructor Taylor, a piece of yellow pine, 2 inches thick, 12 by 18 inches, was put in the furnace and ~ subjected to 1,000 degrees of heat for five minutes. It rested upon the coals, and during that time it never blazed. When taken out it was charred or carbonized about a half an inch on each side. This carbon forms a protection, and the wood chars slower as it is formed. A piece of ash wood of the same dimensions was subjected to the same degree of heat for twenty minutes, with about the same result. The secretary and the naval officers were much pleased with the test, as it settles an import- ant question in the matter of wood for the new gunboats. Itis the in- tention of the department to have the wood used in these vessels subjected to the new process. The wood work of other vessels, where there is need of protection from fire, will probably also be subjected to test. Fireproof wood will be used in the construction of the battleship Iowa and the cruiser Brooklyn. Orders to this effect have been issued by Secretary Herbert, and Naval Constructor Linnard, superintending constructor at Cramp's yard, has been directed to carry them out. The process consists in forcing sulphite and phosphate of amonia into the wood by hydraulic pressure. Nothing appears to have been yet settled abroad in this matter, Linoleum seems to be favored by the French, but it is not fireproof. Stillthey are using it in their recently constructed ships for ceilings, decks, etc., and in some cases covering the armor deck itself with it--Army and Naval Journal. Directions for Backing Charts. Just now vessel masters are providing themselves with the new lake charts that are being published by the United States hydrographic office, uone of which are backed. Some time ago the REVIEW published directions for backing charts with muslin or cotton cloth, and these directions are reprinted now on account of the number of new charts that are being taken aboard vessels: To MAKE THE Past®.--Mix flour and cold water in such proportions that the mixture shall be of the consistency of cream after the flour has been completely macerated. When the mixture is in this condition, apply heat and boil. Stir thoroughly while boiling and continue the cooking until the mixture becomes thick and clear. Then remove from the fire and strain through thin muslin, after which add boiling water and make the paste thin enough to be applied with a brush. ' To Back THE CHART.--Use a good quality of cotton or linen cloth, which should be cut four inches wider than the chart each way, so as to make a two-inch border all around the chart. Tack or paste the cloth down along its edges and stretch it very gently until flat and smooth. Lay the chart upon a table or flat surface, face down, and cover the back evenly with paste in a coat equal in thickness to a thick coat of paint. Fit the chart to the cloth and smooth it out by rubbing over its face with a dry cloth, pressing from the middle outwards, so as to avoid distor- tion. Next lay a large piece of wrapping paper upon the chart and press it down firmly with even strokes, so as to make the chart adhere to the muslin throughout. When the chart is dry trim off the surplus muslin.