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8 MARINE REVIEW. Lake Superior Commerce Complete. The United States canal at Sault Ste. Marie closed Dec. 8, and the Canadian canal, which was held open for local traffic, closed two days later, on the 10th. By combining monthly statements of the two canals it is found that the total number of vessel passages to and from Lake Superior during 1896 was 18,615, against 17,956 in 1895 and 14,491 in 1894. The number of tons of freight moved was was 16,239,- 121, against 15,062,580 in 1895 and 13,195,860 in 1894, and the regis- tered tonnage of vessels was 17,249,418, against 16,806,781 in 1895 and 13,110,366 in 1894. Thus the freight tonnage of 1895 is exceeded by 1,176,541, while the excess of registered tonnage is only 442,637. It will thus be seen that with deeper draft in the Lake Superior trade the increased carrying capacity of the big freighters is again making up for the difference that existed last season between registered and ~ freight tonnage. The movement of grain of all kinds aggregated 90,704,534 bushels, against 54,546,944 bushels in 1895. Other frieght -- items are also enumerated separately in the following table: - LAKE SUPERIOR COMMERCE--A COMPARISON OF CANAL STATISTICS FOR THREE YEARS PAST. ITEMS. Designation. Soo sen of cepson ou peasy mu WGEGOIIS sontoacngcoondensadesdans00N Number...... 18,615 17,956 14,491 ILOCTRAVEES, ws cooscbogsoncgsods0cus000 IN funn Etesenieee isc eect sce Fened 6,431 _ Tonnage, registered........... Net tons......|. 17,249,418} 16,806,781} 13,110,366 Tonnage, freight.......... Sask: Net tons...... 16,239,121] 15,062,580] 13,195,860 JBRSSASI0 BET coodods sonapeqopEeanaC Number...... 37,066 31,656 27,236 Coal Aad tec sss.. vec sc so+ scenes Net tons...... 397,210 440,477 532,870 CoalRRsoftiscc sec estccsseeots Net tons...... 2,626,130] 2,133,885) 2,264,314 OMe Sec aetevinss Hesoss sv cenite Barrels........ 8,882,858} 8,902,302) 8,965,773 WHA tet eee ac yec seen sioncacdctens Bushels...... 63,256,463! 46,218,250) 34,869,483 'Grain other than wheat...... Bushels....... 27,448,071| 8,328,694) 1,545,008 Manufact'd and pig iron.....|Net tons...... 121,872 100,337 60,659 NG allirasetestcm oss fo seicecehenarysicsine Barrels........ 237,515 269,919 237,461 (CGC tps rescore ect e ssc. Net tons...... 116,872 107,452 99,573 URONGOLER eaceceschectescsscet ess e3 Net tons...... 7,909,250} 8,062,209} 6,548,876 Ty iUIM @thss. feecisccilss sees st .cesisie M. Ft. B. M 684,986 740,700 722,788 SHINES? Or sogsasncodbsnqueerddecoee Net tons...... 240 100 412 Building stone................s- Net tons...... eal 23,876 21,417 Unclassified freight........ ...|Net tons...... 520,851 463,308 451,185 *U.S. canal only; Canadian canal did not open until late in 1895. _ Experimental Model Tank. 'Chief Constructor Hichborn of the navy makes another plea in his annual report, just at hand, for funds to complete the tank in which it is proposed to try models of vessels. He says: '*The last act making appropriations for the naval service contained an appropriation of $7,500 toward the construction of an experimental model tank at the Washington navy yard, under the bureau of con- struction and repair, the value of which has been repeatedly set forth by the bureau in its annual reports. Preparation of plans for this establishment are well advanced. After careful examination by boring and driving test piles, a satisfactory site has been selected at the navy yard, and preliminary work on the ground is now progressing. It is hoped that the next con gress will appropriate the balance necessary to complete this important installation. As soon as the money becomes available work can be expedited. It is but proper to state that the bureau is in receipt of several communications from private ship builders throughout the country upon this subject, expressing gratifi- cation at the prospect that the United States was at last in a fair way to be on a par with foreign nations in this important respect."' Facts About the Season of 1896. The steamer City of Berlin, the first of the grain fleet to go out from Chicago, left for Fairport on April 14. Steamer Pahlow, first boat to pass the Straits of Mackinac, was reported up at that point at 6a. m., April 16. The City of Berlin, first boat down, passed at 12:30 p. m., the same day. The first boats to pass through the St. Mary's Falls canal were the. tugs Merrick and Thompson, which arrived up at 4 p. m., April 18. The last boats at the Sault were the Minnesota company's steamer Matoa and her consort, the Marcia, which passed up on the evening of Dec. 8..-These were also the last vessels to reach Duluth, where _ they arrived on the 11th. The last vessel to leave Duluth, bound down, - was the steamer Penobscot, early on Dec. 7. _... At Escanaba the first arrival was the steamer Zenith City on ee gorillas On April 19 the steamer Thomas Davidson led the Chicago grain fleet into Buffalo. On April 23 the steamer Andaste arrived at Cleveland with the first cargo of ore that reached a Lake Erie port, and on the same date the Anchor liner Mahoning was honored as the first arrival at Duluth, although the canal at the Sault had been open since the 18th. Vessels bound to Port Arthur did not arrive there until April 27, when three of them, the steamers Olympia, Pontiac and Louisiana all worked their way in together. The Welland canal was opened April 27, and closed officially on Dec. 15, although the last passage of importance was the steamer Algonquin down-bound on Dee. 11. The last vessel to leave Lake Erie with soft coal was the steamer Aurora, which cleared from Huron for Sheboygan on Saturday Dec. 12. "May 1 was the date of opening and Dec. 1 the date of closing the Erie canal. ' The steamer Ira H. Owen, which left Chicago Dec. 12, was the last boat to leave that port and the last boat down at the Straits and through the rivers. She passed the Straits Dec. 14. paid the biggest Chicago freight of the season. At Ashland the last vessel to leave was the steamer Linden, Nov. 27; at Two Harbors, the steamer Castalia, Nov. 29; at Marquette, the Kaliyuga and consort Fontana, Dec. 6, and at Gladstone the steamer Hadley, Dec. 10. TABLES OF DATES ON WHICH NAVIGATION OPENED AND CLOSED AT PRINCIPAL, POINTS ON THE LAKES. The Owen was Sr. Mary's Fauus Cana. Du.uru. YEAR. Opened. Closed. Opened. Closed. May 6 Decea2 April 27 Noy. 29 April 25 Dec. 4 May 7 Dec. 14 May 1 Dec. 2 May 4 Dec. 28 WILEY 9) DeCreA! May II Dec. 31 April 15 Dec. 4 April 11 Dec. 4 April 20 Decwes April 16 Dee." 8 April 17 Dec. 8 April 30 Deck =7 April 18 Deca.6 April 20 Deco April 29 Dec. 6 May I Decks April 17 IDE; 6) April 18 DEc=as April 25 Deckert April 27 Dec. Io April 18 IDE, 3} April 23 Dec. 12 Srraits or Mackinaw. WELLAND CANAL. YEAR. Opened. Opened. Closed. TOS evecttcectasewet ess tance May 5 May 7 DEC 9 RS SOsse tere eee odie ee ace April ar April, |=.Decs <r TOO fer senlogeeteeicne stcee April 17 May 4 Dec. 1o LOGO oerecec merece May 4 April 23 Dec. 8 WOSO je aest aeclartsbastwcee Mar. 25 April 16 Dec 1 TOO Osanna sanease scat dee April 8 April 15 DEC TO ISON tena aeensaescccerae ss April 15 April 20 Dec. 16 MOG QMee cate ees ecattes ences Aprils April 19 Wecrre MSOBWeedsiek-otces seanesss April 17 April 24 Dee. 1 MOQ cosets hur tce fisecceees April 2 April 19 IBY. Goc ESO Ses ccde en teeeeegadc acs April 11 April 20 Dec..12 TOGO cceeny Sotmass ce +6 April 16 April 27 BeGwrs AT BUFFALO AND ERIE CANAL, YEAR. _Lake Canal Oanal urmber Opened. Opened. Closed. Cann nen. TOSS Massa shidtcoeicet aces May 3 May I1 DEC wen 204 TOO Omsetestianeenctcr ast April 17 May I Dees 214 1ifeto y/oorpb abhotoanecoteece ies April 17 May 7 Deck at 207 TOSS tee ee es April 28 May 10 Dec 3 207 MSO seeeeectes acters sens April to May 1 DEC aT 214 USO Omen coaeteeridaasagnn ss Mur. 31 April 28 Dece a 216 MOQMeaecenintidssebiecsre css April 12 May 5 DeCus 214 MOQ Qelseeouas tuecene neva ae April 7 May 1 IDECIES 219 1893. April 15 May 3 Nov. 30 212 MS OA cance' acces sicnceineecs April 1 May I Nov. 30 214 TOO Site cst cst eats sccnses April 16 May 3 Decers 217 TOQGR Sete s a eae April 19 May I Decewr 215 Low holiday rates will be in effect via the Nickel Plate road 'on Dec. 24, 25, 31, and Jan. 1, 1897. Tickets will be good returning until Jan. 4. A splendid opportunity of spending Christmas or New Year's day with the home folks and friends. 407 Dec, 31