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MARINE REVIEW. VoL, XITI. _CLEVELAND, O., APRIL 16, 1896. No. 106. Free Use of Engineering Information in the Navy. "Where is there another nation on earth that is as free as our own to give up information for the general advancement of engineering knowl- edge," said Mr. Walter Miller of Cleveland after his return from Wash- ington a few days ago. He had called upon Chief Melville, Passed Assist- ant Engineer Bailey and other officials of the naval engineer corps, who are specially noted for their courtesy. After leaving the Globe Iron Works Co. some time ago, Mr. Miller visited British ship yards anda few on the continent. Since returning home, he made a trip to Florida, and on his way up fromthe south he stopped at the big works of the Newport News Ship Building & Dry Dock Co. He says that place is now the busiest in this country, while there was, a short time ago, not a ship on the stocks at the Cramp yard, Philadelphia. Big naval orders are about to be given, however, and it is quite probable that the Cramps will getashareofthem. They have also an order or two since Mr. Miller's visit to Philadelphia. Orders under wayin the Newport News plant, where Mr. Miller was specially impressed, include the two big battle- ships and four gunboats for the government, together with two small side-wheel steamers and a seagoing tug, as well as a big passenger steamer, for the Plant system. The Plant steamer is quite similar to the Northern Steamship Co's lake steamers North West and North Land, Her quadruple engines are of about the same size, and she will have Babcock & Wilcox water tube boilers. At the Newport News yard the big engine plant, which is one the largest of its kind in the country, sometimes has every toolengaged for weeks on repair work. The location of this works at Hampton Roads is in mauy respects greatly to its advantage, and Mr. Miller thinks it is to be in the future, more than in the past, the greatest works of its kind on the coast. But he refers to his visit with the naval engineers in Washington as most pleasing. They have drawings, he says, from all parts of the world on the best up-to-date practice in marine engineering. They do not say how they obtained these drawings, or the vast amount of datathat accompanies them, but they are free to the examination of engineers who in any way help the department. Since his return home, Mr. Miller has taken up an office in the Western Reserve building and will carry on a geueral consulting engi- neering business, but will give special attention to marine work for vessel owners and others who may require his services, It is quite prob- able also that he will, through Mr. H. F. J. Porter of Chicago, represent in this section the Bethlehem Iron Co. of South Bethlehem, Pa., Higher Grain Insurance Rates. Low-grade vessels of the lake fleet are compelledto face disadvantages in all matters of insurance this season. In adopting insurance rates on grain, the Chicago underwriters announce a new system of classification. All grain-carrying boats are divided into three classes. The first class includes steamers of Ar and Ary rating, and line steamers not below A2 rating, with average waived to Dec. 10. The second class includes all Art and Ary sail and towing vessels, with average waived to Dec. 1. The third class will include A2 vessels, steam, sail and tow. On the first class a flat season rate of 30 cents per $1roo is made to Buffalo, 25 cents to Port Huron and gocents to Lake Ontario ports and Ogdensburg. On the second class a flat season rate of 45 cents is made to Lake Erie ports, 40 cents to Port Huron and 55 cents to Lake Ontario ports and Ogdensburg. On the third class the following sliding scale is made: To Lake Erie ports--To September, 50 cents; September, 70 cents; Octob- er, $1.00; November, $1.50. To Port Huron and Sarnia--To September, 45 cents; September, 65 cents; October, 95 cents; November, $1.40. To Ogdens- burg and Lake Ontario ports--To September, 60 cents; September, go cents; October, $1.25; November, $1.80. To Montreal the rates are 10 cents higher all around on all classes. By this new classification the standard rate is 30 cents, and vessels of low grade will be compelled to make up to shippers all insurance paid on their cargoes in excess of the standard rate. The effect can but be to drive out of the grain trade all A2 boats after Oct. 1. The charging of higher rates on tow barges than on steamers towing them is a new departure. It means that owners of tow barges will be compelled to pay one-third of the insurance of their grain cargoes. The new rateis 5 cents higher on AI boats than last season. With the aid of one of the steam towing machines manufactured by the American Ship Windlass Co., the standard Oil Co., will again try shortly the experiment of towing an oil tank barge across the Atlantic. Lake Freight Matters. Notwithstanding the delay in ore sales, and the fact that the season o navigation is now open in the real sense of the term, it can not be learned that there has been any dollar ore taken by vessel owners, excepting 350,- ooo tons covered by M. A. Hanna & Co. of Cleveland, some time ago. Of this amount Capt. James Davidson of Bay City has 100,000 tons, the Drake- Kelderhouse boats of Buffalo 50,000 tons, and David Wallace and others of Lorain 50,000 tons. The balance of 150,000 was placed last fall, when James Davidson and the Buffalo parties made their contract, but all that can be learned about it is the statement that the transaction was with Cleveland owners. Otherwise the situation today is just as it has been for several weeks past, and vessel owners reassert their determination to hold out for $1.10. Ore has been selling in small lots at the prices fixed by the association of ore dealers. The big steel companies have not as yet come into the market, although it is expected every day that they will do SO. The engagement during the past few days of quite a number of vessels --capacity for about 15,000 tons--to make first trips with ore from Escana- ba at 55 cents is an indication of the weakness that seems quite certain to prevail throughout the season in down freights from Lake Michigan. Freights out of Chicago and Escanaba will, of course, be supported by the heavy business that is certain to prevail on Lake Superior, but Lake Michigan will nevertheless be the objective point for low freights. It is now quite certain that the grain movement out of Chicago, even as regards corn, will not be very heavy at any time during the season, and one feature of the situation that would seem quite important on this account is the problem that coal dealers have on hand regarding the shipments to Milwaukee and other Lake Michigan points. Such of them as cannot make arrangements with vessels for ore on return trips, may have some high freights to pay. , arp Lumber dealers at the head of Lake Superior have a big business to offer, but as yet they refuse to pay more than $1.75 to Buffalo, in quanti- ties of about ten millions. Officials of the Pittsburg, Shenango & Lake Erie Ry. Co., which con- trols the ore and coal railway that has made the port of Conneaut, are quoted as saying that they have a contract with the Carnegie Steel Co. providing for 2,000,000 tons of freight annually for twenty years, and that on the strength of this contract the Shenango railway is to be ex- tended from Butler, Pa., to Pittsburg and connected with the Union Ter- minal road, so as to give access to Pittsburg furnaces generally. Funds to the extent of $5,000,000 are said to have been secured for the purpose of building the extension and generally improving the Shenango road, as well as the terminals at Conneaut. If these statements are true, it would seem that the Carnegie company will soon have unlimited facilities for its ore at Lake Hrie ports, as the big corporation only recently se- cured control of the E. & P. dock at Erie, which is to be operated by M. A, Hanna & Co., and on which twelve new Brown ore hoists are being erected. Then there is the Carnegie dock at Erie and the extensive in- terests of the company in the Minnesota dock at Ashtabula. The Lake Carriers' Association has gone ahead with the work of lighting the new deep channels at Grosse point and Ballard's reef. Ex- penditures involved in this work will again add to the cost of private lights, so that the total forthe present year will be about $5,000. This private light expense has always been a source of annoyance in the asso- ciation but it seems impossible to get rid of it,on account of the constant changes and improvements that are being madein the river channels. The government light-house authorities have begun preparations for lighting the Grosse point cut, but it will certainly be well into the summer before their plans are carried out, and in fact the entire season may pass before the slow and certain methods of this service will permit of per- manent lights being established. In the meantime there isa big advant- age in using the new deep channels by night at the two points named, and, of course, the association must undertake the expense. G. G. Hadley, coal dealer and vessel owner of Toledo, says there will not be more than 50,000 tons of coal at the head of Lake Superior when navigation opens. This means that it will be necessary to ship to all Lake Superior points during the coming season about 500,000 tons more coal than was shipped during 1895 in order to have new supplies equal the total of coal consumed during the year ending with the close of the present month. :