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MARINE Vo, XIII. CLEVELAND, O., APRIL '9, 18096. REVIEW. "INO; 1 ge Proposed Names for the Rockefeller Ships. The REVIEW learns, through an official source, the names proposed for the sixteen vessels of the Bessemer Steamship Co., known as the Rockefeller fleet. The names chosen are those of sixteen eminent bene- factors of iron production and commerce in the past. They. are as follows: Sir Henry Bessemer, inventor of the Bessemer process, 1856. _ Henry Cort, inventor of the puddling furnace, 1784, and known as the father of the irontrade. | James B. Neilson, inventor of the hot blast j in 1828. James Nasmyth, inventor of the steam hammer i in 1842, : Sir William Siemens, inventor of the regenerating furnace and other valued appliances. Sir Isaac Lothian Bell, important chemical and metallurgical investi- gations in iron. Sir William Fairbairn, inventor of tubular steel structure and of iron vessels. John Ericsson, inventor of the screw propeller, the monitors, etc. Robert*Fulton, inventor of the steamboat. George Stephenson, inventor of the: locomotive. James Watt, inventor of the steam engine. Alexander L. Holley, inventor of improvements in Bessemer and other processes. George H. Corliss, improvements in steam engines. Alfred Krupp, heavy steel ordnance. . Sir Joseph Whitworth, casting steel under pressure. John Scott Russell, naval architecture and construction. Only twelve ships are under construction, and the selection of six- teen names indicates, therefore, that it is the intention of the manage- ment of this fleet to change names of the Washburn and Pillsbury, as -- well as the two whalebeck barges which these steamers are totow. The scheme of naming all the ships of this fleet for men of distinction in the iron industry is pleasing and commendable, but the management may as well take it for granted at the outset that the full names will never be applied to the ships, unless it is in their official papers and in the letter- ing on bows and sterns. They will be called Bessemer, Siemens, Bell, etc., but not Sir Henry Bessemer, Sir William Siemens or Sir Isaac Lothian Bell. Life is too short and telegraph charges too high in these days to look for the general application of full names to these vessels. Probably it is not the iftention of the management to even apply the full names themselves, excepting in government documents. If so, it may be said that the idea of honoring noted menof the iron industry and kindred interests to such a great extent as is carried out here, is new and fitting. The names of Ericsson, Fulton, Watt and others are especially pleasing, and strangely enough there are no other vessels;bearing any of these names now in commission on the lakes. Even in the use of only the last names--Bessemer, Cort, Neilson, etc.--there is only one case of conflict with names of vessels already in commission. A small vessel called Belle is owned in Racine, and a lumber barge owned in Saginaw is named Mattie C. Bell. But inthe telegraphic reports these would not necessarily cause confusion, although duplication of names should, of course, be avoided as much as possible. It may be noted in conclusion that notwithstanding the list of names proposed for this fleet, there is a preference, of late years, among leading steamship companies and vessel owners for short names that will be easily remembered, and objection to naming vessels for persons while alive. The number of vessel owners who found time during the past winter to go south on pleasure trips was a little larger. than in previous years. As usual, 4 few of them who made long trips to Cuba and other points were pleased to get home. Capt. E. M. Peck of Detroit was one of a party of excursionists who made one of these long voyages. Immediate- ly upon his return he was met by a Cleveland friend who asked how he enjoyed the voyage. "Very much, indeed," he said, "I would not have missed it for $5,000."' And.then, after hesitating a moment, he added: "But I would not take itagain for ten thousand." The Mohigan, second of the freight steamers that are being built at Chester, Pa., for service between New York and New London in connec- tion with the Vermont Central Railway, will probably be launched today. Her sistership, the Mowhawk, is now practically ready for service. The Cunard steamer Lucania has again crossed the Atlantic at an average speed of over 2134 knots per hour. Facts Relating to Freights. ibs There is nothing wild in the claim that eleven and a half to twelve million gross tons of ore may be produced in the Lake Superior mining region during 1896. Sucha productionis possible. The fact that;the association of ore dealers has cut its allotment of Bessemer ores . for present sales to about seven and a half millions does not mean that this amount, with{probably two to two, and a-half millions of non-Bessemer will be all that can be produced, A few men in the vessel business who were bold enough, a year ago, to talk of ten million tons being produced in 1895 were ridiculed, and yet the 1895 production aggregated 10 ,429,037. Steel makers are the great consumers of Jake Superior ores. They. are the men who are now expected to first come into the market, when they have arranged certain matters regarding their business, and buy ore at the prices that were fixed some time ago. The strides that have been made in the Bessemer steel industry are almost beyond comprehension. In 1866 there was converted in a small concern in Michigan about 3,000 tons of Bessemer steel. During the next year some 7,000 tons of steel rails were made in the United States. In 1886, twenty years later, the propor- tions of this industry, although it was still largely confined to steel rails, was thought to be immense, as the product had reached 2 ,269,190 tons. But this figure was more than doubled in 1895, nine years later, when the production of Bessemer steel aggregated 4,909,128 tons, and the open hearth steel production was in round numbers 1,250,000 tons, or some- thing more than 6,000,000 tons of soft steel in all; and the important feature of all this to the various lake interests is that the states of Penn- evlvenie, aie and uiiaois produced, about:90 per cent. of this steel A year ago fe owners of ore mines in the Lake Superior country formed an association and prevented the,sale of ore at prices that would certainly result in general demoralization of the iron business. The result was a general stiffening in prices of all iron products and an im- proved market throughout the year. These ore dealers have held their organization intact and are now demanding prices for ore in which there is some profit. Again their. action is recognized as a basis for im- proved market conditions and the steel manufacturers are endeavoring to follow their example by curbing ruinous competition. This is an indication of willingness to pay the advanced prices for ore, if conditions governing the products of ore can be adjusted so as to warrant higher prices for the raw material. These signs of higher prices in iron and steel are of importance to the vessel owner who is making up his mind about business for the coming season. A Cleveland vessel owner of very sound judgement advances this argument regarding ore freights: "here is no question," he says, "of $1 a ton being paid on ore from the head of Lake Superior. That rate may be had now, and there is no doubt of plenty of ore to go around at that figure. In fact the dollar rate may be had at any time. Why not wait then for improved conditions. If oreis sold at $4aton, the ore dealer who has a liberal profit in his product at that figure will raise the lake freight rather than tee chances of paying $1.75 a ton on wild charters later in the season.' Both vesselmen and ore dealers agree that it is not at all probable that the draft of water throughout the lakes during the coming season will be any better than it wasin 1895. In fact all calculations regarding the season's business will be based on a draft of water the same as. last season or a few inches less. It must be admitted, however, that tothe vessel owner who thinks of making season contracts the water question is still a serious problem, as he has no hope 'of better water and must meet the great disadvantage of lower water. Although the price of standard Gogebic ore has been fixed by the Cleveland association of ore dealers at $4, as against $3.90 a year ago, it is claimed by some dealers that the average advance in ore of all kinds is not more than 19 per cent.. This is one' objection that was raised against paying a lake freight now of $1.10 when the rate a year ago was ouly 80 cents. y It is quite generally understood that the Cleveland Steel Canal Boat Co., which will next season have four canal steamers and fifteen barges in operation between Cleveland and New York, is now a paying enterprise beyond any question. As the company is said to. have already con- cluded engagements that will keep the fleet of nineteen barges fully engaged next season, it will probably not be long until a contract is let for more boats.