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MARINE REVIEW. Voi. XIV. CLEVELAND, O., OCTOBER 22, 1896. No. 17. Gas Buoys in High Favor, Since the gas buoys have been established by the Canadian gov- ernment in Pelee passage, Lake Erie, vessel masters have written num- erous letters commending their usefulness, and it is the unanimous opinion of captains engaged in the Escanaba ore trade that similar lights are bedly needed in Poverty passage and on Lansing shoal, north of Squaw island, Lake Michigan. The accident to the steel steamer Roman in Poverty passage, a few days ago, involving repairs amounting to about $10,000, which are now being made to the boat in Cleveland, is the strongest kind of an argument in favor of buoys of this kind at.the points named on Lake Michigan. In the protest pertaining to the accident to the Roman, Capt. A. J. Greenley of that steamer says: '(When we left Escanaba (12:25 a. m.), it was blowing hard from the south. It was very dark as we approached Poverty passage, so that we could not see Poverty island but did see the light. As we were making the passage, we had the light bearing as usual, and so far as we could determine, the master and mate both being on deck, the mas- ter on the pilot house in charge, we were about to pass to the south- ward of the northermost. shoal, on which there is ared can. We could not see the can owing to the darkness. The steamers Corsica and Harvey H. Brown were following a short distance astern of us, making almost the same course that we were, coming right astern of us. There was a heavy sea... Just as we were hauling out §. E., be- lieving ourselves to be clear of the shoals, our vessel settled in the seaway and she struck pretty hard under the forward compartment. We stopped our engine and blew a danger signal to the steamers aste:n and put our helm aport, hauling out to the southward. We did not strike any nore and the steamers astern put their helms over and man- aged to clear the shoal. Both forward compartments filled, but find- ing that the leak would have no further effect we proceeded on our voyage as far as Port Huron, where we had to lighter 190 tons of ore before going through the rivers, as the steamer was drawing 184 feet of water forward. We made what we considered reasonable and suffi- cient allowance for leeway on account of the southerly wind and sea and can not account for our striking in Poverty passage, except there may have been a trifle more leeway than we allowed on any of the steamers, or the current may have set us over to the northward a little. The passage is narrow and there is nothing to mark the shoals on either side that can be seen on a dark night and the light on Poverty island by which, under such circumstances, we must regulate our course, is about three miles distant with no visible object by which to take a range."' For two or three years past the Lake Carriers' Association has urged the light-house board to place gas buoys at Gravelly island in Poverty passage, and at Lansing shoal. In his latest communication to the board on the subject of aids io navigation, Mr. C. H. Keep, secretary of the association, says: "Gravelly island and Lansing shoal are two of the points where the light-house board by vote de- termined more than a year ago to place gas buoys. For some reason unknown to us thé buoys have not been placed and these important points remain still mlighted. The entire commerce to and from Glad- stone and Kscanaba passes between the two shoals near Gravelly island, and the most of it, on its way up and down the lakes, passes north of Squaw island, Lake Michigan, and is subject to the dangers of Lansing shoal. We believe that gas buoys would be eminently Satisfactory lights at these pionts, and would be most economical lights for the government. Nevertheless we have no particular wish in the matter, save that the localities should be lighted."' The new buoys in Pelee passage, Lake Erie, are causing vessel masters to take a general interest in aids to navigation. "I have passed through Pelee passage twice at night since the gas buoys were established there," says Capt. C. Petersen of the steamer J. J. McWil- liams, "and I must say they are a great benefit and relieve us of a great deal of anxiety. On Oct. 11, coming from the eastward, the hight was dark, but the atmosphere clear, and I-saw the light of the buoy on southeast shoal at least eight miles from an elevation of 35 feet. When part of the new channel at Sailors' Encampment, Sault river, is fully opened, I think it would bea good plan for the Lake Carriers' Association to see that a few stakes of a kind that can be seen are placed there, as we do not feel like paying $10 to a tug every time we pass through the cut."' Capt. John Coulter of the steamer Yale says: "The gas buoys on Southeast shoal and the middle ground, Pelee passage, are certain- ly the best of the late aids to navigation. Poverty passage and Lans- ing shoal on Lake Michigan are the next points at which gas buoys are most needed."' Capt. R. C. Jackson, steamer John Mitchell: 'In going down Lake Erie on my last trip, the night was very dark but I saw the Pelee buoys at a distance of full six miles. On the return trip I put my boat on the course W. by S. at Erie peninsula and brought up within a half mile of the can; got the can to bear N. N. W.; hauled around N. W., and ran fully ten minutes before I saw the light-house. It was very smoky and had it not been for the buoy I would have lost considerable time in finding the light-house."' Capt. F. D. Galton, steamer W. H. Gratwick No.1: "The gas buoys in Pelee passage are great aids to navigation, especially the one on Southeast shoal. The lights can be seen at a distance of six to seven miles in clear weather. They were badly needed and now that they are in operation they are fully appreciated."' Capt. W. B. Nelson: "Under favorable atmospheric conditions I saw the Pelee buoys at a distance of seven miles. They are great aids to navigation."' His Work is Done, W. L. McCormiek, editor of the Marine Record, died at his home in Cleveland, Friday, after an illness of only three weeks. Death was due to an abscess of the brain, brought on by over-work. He leaves a wife and two young children. '"'The keynote of Mr. McCormick's character," says a resolution adopted by the Cleveland Press Club, "seems to his associates to have been his absolute conscientiousness; in all that he undertook he con- stantly kept in view the best interests of his employers, the nobility of his profession and the rights of those with whom his pencil had to deal." This is certainly a true statement of Mr. McCormick's char- acter, and there are many other young men like him on daily news- papers throughout the country. His training was on two of the lead- ing daily papers of Cleveland. He was among the untiring and faith- ful workers in that branch of the profession who might apply the same energy to almost any other line and be far better paid for their labor. In many cases the fascinations of newspaper work tend to hold men to it. Inthe short time that he haa been on the Record, ambition prompted Mr. McCormick to give up fourteen hours or more to labor each day as he had been doing on the daily papers. A big steel steamer, the John Englis, built by the Maine Steam- ship Co. for freight and passenger service between New York and Portland, will be launched to-day (Thursday) at Roach's ship yard, Chester, Pa. This steamer will have 126 state rooms for passengers and will have a freight capacity of about 2,000 tons. It is expected that she will make 184 miles an hour in regular service. She is 313 feet long and 46 feet beam. Wer triple expansion engine, with cylinders 30, 48 and 75 inches in diameter, and 56 inches stroke, will be driven by six forty-ton boilers, carrying a pressure of 180 pounds of steam to the square inch, and the horse power to be developed will be in excess of 4,000. Boilers are fitted with eighteen Purves ribbed steel furnace flues of 40 inches inside diameter by 8 feet 11 inches long by 9-16 inch thick, to stand a working pressure of 190 pounds per square inch. About Oct. 31, the fourth order light at Mendota light station at_ the entrance to Lac la Belle, Bete Grise bay, south side of the outer end of Keweenaw peninsula, now showing fixed white varied by a white flash every forty-five seconds, will be changed to show fixed white.