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16 MARINE REVIEW. during the season just closed which show how unsatisfactory are the pres- ent methods of the light-house authorities in dealing with this matter. There does not seem to be any good reason why an important light like that on Stannard's rock, Lake Superior, alight which cost the government nearly $400,000, should be extinguished fully two weeks before the close of navigation, and at a time when the whole lake fleet is most actively en- gaged. It will be remembered that a few years ago the light-ships at the west end of the Straits of Mackinaw were removed some time before the close of navigation, and that they were ordered back again to their stations by direction of the light-house board. While, perhaps, it is impossible for the light-house board to fix beforehand a date at which the important lights should be extinguished and ship-lights removed, it would appear that at present too much is left to the discretion of the light-keepers, whose timid- ity or desire to finish their season's work doubtless sometimes leads to the extinguishment of yery important lights before there is any necessity there- for. In the matter of the removal of buoys a typical instance may be given showing how the present system works. On the 25th day of November, 1895, the secretary of the association received a telegram from the general manager of the Ogdensburg Transit Co., stating that notice had been given that the St. Lawrence river buoys would be removed immediately. Asa number of boats of the Ogdensburg line were yet to go down the river, and as the weather was mild, navigation in full swing and there was no apparent necessity for the immediate removal of the buoys, which the boats in ques- tion greatly needed in order to run the river safely, the transit company asked that an effort be made to have the removal of the buoys postponed. Telegrams stating the facts were accordingly sent to the light-house board and to the inspector of the light-house district in which the buoys in ques- tion were located. After a day or two's delay the light-house board replied that they could not interfere with the discretion of the local officers in such matters, The inspector replied promptly, furnishing to the associa- tion a copy of a telegram immediately sent by him to the buoy contractor for the St. Lawrence river, who resides at Cape Vincent, N. Y. In his dis- patch to this contractor the inspector, Capt. Gridley, stated the facts with r. gard to the boats of the transit company still in commission, and directed the buoy contractor to leave the buoys until the last possible moment. It was believed that this prompt action of the inspector would secure the desired result, and the transit company was notified immediately of the inspector's action. The buoy contractor, however, proceeded to remove the buoys immediately, although navigation did not close for at least ten days thereafter. As these aids to navigation are furnished by the government for the protection of vessels, which never need them more than during the last days of navigation, it is believed that vessel owners have just ground to criticise the present system respecting their early removal, and to ask the light-house board to devise some better method of dealing with the matter, a method which shall leave less to the discretion of light-keepers and contractors, whose interest is to get through with their work, and which shall have more regard to the protection of the life and property for the safety of which the buoys exist. C DEATH OF GENERAL, POE. . During the past year the members of the association have experienced an inestimable loss in the death of the distinguished engineer officer whose name will be forever connected with the improvement of the lake channels and the development of inland transportation in the United States. The death of Gen. Poe was felt as a profound sorrow by every vessel owner. He was regarded as a tower of strength in all matters that pertained to the protection of the lake waterways and to their progressive development and improvement in the interest of a still greater transportation service. In addition to this, Gen. Poe had become a universal umpire in all matters of dispute in which the interests of vessel owners came into conflict with other interests. His accurate knowledge and his absolute fairness and probity were so universally recognized that he was not only in all cases the chairman of the board selected to pass upon such disputed questions, but the conclusions which were reached by him were recognized in nearly every case, even by the defeated party, as a fair and just disposition of the matter at issue. However able and accomplished the successor of Gen. Poe may be it must be a long time before he will be able to acquire so profound a knowledge of all the details of the lake transportation, and it will be particularly difficult for him to acquire that comprehensive view of all the elements which go to make up the greatness of the carrying busi- ness done on the great lakes which was so characteristic of his lamented predecessor and which gave him so genuine an enthusiasm for all the great projects which he originated and to which he gave so many of the best years of his life. Gen. Poe's influence with vessel owners, great as it was, was no greater than his influence with his superior officers and with congress; and his splendid presence and fine personality gave all that he said a weight which can hardly be overestimated. In his death the vessel owners have lost their most powerful advocate, as well as a friend for whom they had the greatest respect and affection. THE CHICAGO DRAINAGE CANAL, During the past year the secretary of war appointed a commission of engineers, of which the late Gen. Poe was chairman, to examine into and report upon the probable effect of the operation of the Chicago 'drainage canal upon the water levels of the great lakes. This board made a report, preliminary in its nature, in which they expressed the opinion that the operation of the canal would have a considerable effect in lowering the levels of the lakes below Lake Superior, stating, however, that further examinations and surveys would have to be made before the amount of such lowering could be definitely ascertained. The board concluded its 4 report by recommending that such further observations be ordered. The extraordinary low stage of water prevailing during the present season, and the belief that a still further lowering of the water levels will be caused by the operations of the Chicago canal, have attracted a great deal of attention from all parties connected with lake navigation during the past summer. The large amount of discussion in the public press upon this subject is the best evidence of the widespread interest which is feltin it. Latterly the discussion has largely turned upon the possibility of restoring the water levels on the lakes to their normal stage, or even toa higher stage, and of maintaining these levels hereafter uni- formly at a fixed point by means of the construction of a system of dams at various points on the chain of lakes. The very great advantages of such a system of controlling the lake levels, if the same is found pract- icable, are easily apparent. While it isa disputed question as to whether there are permanent climatic changes or permanent changes in the chan- nels connecting the great lakes which are now operating to lower lake levels, there are some very good reasons for believing that no permanent lowering of the great lakes has taken place by reason of either of the causes above named. was extraordinarily high so late as 1886. In fact at no time since 1859 has the water on Lake Michigan and lake Huron been so high as it was in 1886. However this may be, it is an unquestioned fact that the operation of the Chicayo drainage canal will have more or less effect in permanently lowering the lake levels, and it is also a well known fact that between the high water of 1886 and the low water now prevailing there is a difference of at least 3 feet. The adoption of a system of control at the outlets of the various lakes which would prevent wide fluctuations between different seasons and maintain the lake levels at the point which they have heretofore reached during seasons of high water, would be of inestimable benefit. The very great advantages too of a con- struction which would operate not only to deepen the connecting channels between the lakes but at the same time to deepen all the harbors corres- pendingly, are also obvious. While the United States engineers have not. in the past been especially favorable to the proposed method of control by dams, there are indications that a change of opinion is going on in this respect and that a number of government engineers now stationed on the great lakes are looking very hopefully towards a solution of the problem of deep water by the use of this method.- Resolutions have been intro- duced in both houses of congress calling for the necessary observations, surveys and estimates, and it is believed that the association may well give its hearty support to a project which if found practicable will do so much for the development of our waterways. MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS DURING THE PAST YEAR. Among other occurrences during the past year which do not require _ extended comment but should be mentioned, is the holding of a deep water. convention in Cleveland and the large amount of information relative to commerce of the great lakes which has been diffused by the press of the entire country, largely as a result of the interest attaching to the proceed- ings of this convention. It is also important to note that in November, 1895, the state of New York by a large popular majority voted to expend imme-. diately the sum of $9,000,000 in deepening and improving the Erie canal. . The design is to give an additional depth of 1 foot of water over all culverts, locks and permanent structures, and an additional depth of 2 feet at all other points in the canal. Itis believed that this will enable the class of boats. now used on the canal to increase their cargoes by about 25 per cent. and to increase their speed to an even greater degree. The advocates of this. improvement claim that thereby the canal will be enabled to carry grain from Buffalo to the seaboard at lower rates than heretofore. As deep water | navigation now ends at Buffalo, and as a large amount of the lake traffic, particularly in grain, is destined for the seaboard, an improvement which will result in lowering the through rate on such traffic from the west to the seaboard is of importance to vessel owners, as it tends to the develop- ment of the business and to successful competition on the part of the water route with other methods of transportation. , BUSINESS RELATING TO THE COMING YEAR. In addition to a number of matters above referred to in connection with last year's events which will require further consideration, there are numerous matters now in sight which will require careful management through the general and special committees of the association during the coming year. DETROIT RIVER BRIDGE. A bill has been introduced in both branches of congress to authorize the construction of a bridge across the Detroit river within the limits of. While the water is now extraordinarily low ita