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MARINE REVIEW. --_ VoL. XIV. CLEVELAND, O., SEPTEMBER 24, 1896. No. 13. Steel Ship Building on the Lakes. Weare accustomed to speak of steel ship building on the lakes (and when we say steel iron is meant also) as an industry developed within a few years. Toacertain extent this is true, as it is only four- teen years since the Onoko, the first of the steel ore carriers was built at the Globe works, Cleveland. The Onoko was really the forerunner of the immense fleet of steel steamers now engaged principally in car- rying ore and grain, but the credit of demonstrating the advantages of steel ships in these waters is due to the managers of the Anchor Line of Erie, Pa., who built at Buffalo, as early as 1862, the screw steamer Merchant of about 1,300 tons capacity. After a succesful career of about twenty years, the Merchant was wrecked on Racine reef, Lake Michigan, and became a total loss. Her machinery -was recovered and placed in the steam barge A. L. Hopkins, built at Marine City. Again in 1868 the same company built at Buffalo the steamer Phil- adelphia, of about 1,600 tons capacity, which was lost by collision with the steel steamer Albany off Point au: Barques, Lake Huron, only three years ago, both steamers going to the bottom in deep water. Other steamers built by the Anchor line between 1871 and 1873 were the' 'Alaska, Arabia, India, China, Japan, Java, Cuba, Russia and Scotia, All-of these were built at Buffalo, fully establishing the claims of that city regarding this industry. The Java, Cuba, Russia and Scotia were twin-screw steamers. The Cuba and Russia are still in commission and are good seaworthy vessels. The Java was lost in Lake Michigan in the vicinity of Point Betsy from the bursting of one of her steam pipes, caused by a broken shaft. The Scotia was wrecked on the extreme east end of Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior, and be- came a total loss. Although the ship yard of the Detroit Dry Dock Co. at Wyandotte is the oldest of the steel plants on the lakes now in operation, most of the steel vessels referred to above were built before anything in this line was done at Wyandotte. A steel tug, the Eber Ward, which was taken: down the St. Lawrence and around to New Orleans, where she is now engaged in towing between New Orleans and the Gulf of Mex- ico, was built at Wyandotte as early as 1872, but the Boston, a steel freight steamer for the Western Transit Co, was not built at that place . until 1880. Four years later, in 1884, the Albany was built at Wyan- dotte, but by this time considerable progress had been made at Cleve- land also with the construction» 'of steel ore and grain carriers of the kind that are now builtin large - numbers at Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, West Bay City, Toledo, West Superior, and Chicago. All the steel side-wheel steamers built up to date--with the excep- tion of the Darious Cole, built in Cleveland, the City of Chicago, built at Bay City, and the City of Toledo, built at Toledo--have been built at Wyandotte. Probably ninety-nine out of a hundred stories told in the news- papers about John D. Rockefeller's business plans 'are absolutely with- out foundation of any kind. Some time ago the Johnson Steel Co, of Lorain attempted to float bonds to the extent of $5,000,000 for im- provement and enlargement of their property. It was said that the Central Trust Co. of New York had taken half of this issue of bonds and that the purchase was for Mr. Rockefeller. Now that concerns like the Johnson company are hard pushed for money to carry on big -- operations there are all sorts of rumors afloat about Mr, Rockefeller coming into control of the Lorain works, but leading business men of Cleveland, who are acquainted with the kind of investments that Mr. Rockefeller has taken up, say that they do not think he would have anything whatever to do with a manufacturing plant like that at Lorain. To buy the bonds of such a concern, in a limited way, they SAY, is one thing, but to undertake all of the Bete of its management in competition with other strong organizations, is another matter. It is quite generally understood among leading men in the iron industry that Mr. Rockefeller is not disposed to go into the business of making big iron, building rolling mills, etc., whatever he will do later on about providing docks for the storage i ore and to facilitate the man- agement of his ships, Picking Up Tows in Canadian Waters, On Oct. 1, 1895, the schooner Samuel P. Ely anchored in Cana- dian waters off Amherstburg. On the following day the steam barge EK. B. Hale took the Ely in tow without reporting to the Canadian cutoms department. For failure to report and clear a fine of $400 was imposed against the E. B. Hale. The matter was taken up with the Canadian customs department, and after considerable correspondence between the attorneys for the vessel and the commissioner of customs, the fine was mitigated to $50. The commissioner says: "In future the law must be strictly complied with by all boat owners."' Section 111, revised customs act, 49 Vic., cap. 32., as amended by 51 Vic., cap. 14, provides: "The governor in council may, by regula- tion, declare any trade or voyage on the seas, rivers, lakes or waters, within or adjacent to Canada, whether to or from any place within or without Canada, to be a coasting trade or a coasting voyage within. the meaning of this act, etc.," and gives the governor in council general authority and discretion to dispense with the requirements of the act. Section 113 provides: "If any vessel is found hovering in British waters, within one league of the coasts or shores of Canada, any officer of customs may go on board and enter into such vessel and stay on board such vessel while she remains within the limits of Canada or within one league thereof; and if any such vessel is bound elsewhere, and so continues hovering for the space of twenty-four hours after the master has been by such officer of cutoms required to depart, such officer may bring the vessel into port, and examine her cargo, and if any goods, the importation of which into Canada is prohibited, are on board, such vessel with her apparrel, rigging, tackle, furniture, stores and cargo, shall be seized and forfeited; and if the master or person in charge refuses to comply with the ber directions of such officer, or does not truly answer such. questions as are -put tc him, respecting such ship or yessel or her cargo, he shall incur a penalty of $400: Section 6, chapter 21, Canada customs, orders in council, provides: 2 "Horeign eee may tow other vessels or things from a Canadian : port to a foreign port, but having parted from such vessels.or things, or any of them, in Canadian waters, they can not again take such vessel or fe in tow to move them further in Canadian waters, but this and the preceding rule (similar but covering towing from a foreign port to a Canadain port) are not to apply to an accidental ae ing of such vessel by breaking hawser or ce temporary damages." The penalty is fixed at $400. Under these sections it would seem that the fine was not justly imposed against the Hale, as she had not towed the Ely into a Cana- dian port, but it appears that the master of the schooner made inquiry of the collector, advising him that the Hale would take the Ely in tow, whereupon the collector advised "him that the Ely need not re- port but the Hale must "report and clear," and the captain of the schooner said he would advise the Hale's captain. The Hale did not: report and clear, and the fine was imposed against her. Whether the fine was properly imposed or not under these sections of the Canadian customs regulations, is now immaterial, but the commissioner having declared an intention to enforce them in the future, masters will ae to govern themselves accordingly, It is understood that whatever may be done regarding four vessels . of the Bessemer line yet to go into commission, arrangements have been made whereby the twelve boats now in service--six steamers and six barges--will be kept running during practically the whole season. The whaleback tows of this line, which have been in commission all season--Neilson and Whitworth, and Cort and Russell--have each made seventeen trips between the head of Lake Superior and Ohio ports. They have been in the ore trade exclusively and have been averaging about eight and a half days to a trip. The steamer Besse- mer, which was the first of the new boats to come out, has made nine trips from Duluth to Ohio ports since July 10. -