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MARINE REVIE VoL. XV. CLEVELAND, O., JANUARY 28, 1897. No. 5. Meeting of the Grand Lodge of Ship Masters. Specially reported for the Marine Review. Washington, D. C., Jan. 23.--Members of the Ship Masters' Asso- ciation have heard ,through Washington dispatches, of the action of the grand lodge with reference to light-houses, gas buoys, Sault river regulations, etc., but the affairs of the organization as regards its beneficial features will probably be of even more interest to them than these congressional matters. The sessions of the grand lodge extended over five days and were held in parlors of the Ebbitt House. Upon assembling it was found that the list of delegates, aside from the grand officers, was made up, according to credentials, as follows: Buffalo, Alex. Clark and F. J. McCabe; Port Huron, W. E. Rice and H. Zealand; Chicago, H. F. Loftus and A. Gallagher; Cleveland, J. A. . Holmes and Bernard Nelson; Bay City, C. T. Brown; Milwaukee, H. Leisk and E. Saveland; Detroit, A. J. McKay and C. L. Wilson; Marine City, J. A. Ward and T. E. Walker; Toledo, Henry Root and M. Christy. Of this list all were present except Captains Zealand, McCabe, Loftus and Wilson. Grand President Geo. W. McCullagh, in his annual report, ex- pressed full satisfaction with the condition of the organization, but in referring, in very friendly terms, to the success of the American Asso- ciation of Masters and Pilots on the lakes, suggested that it might be well to givesome thought to the possibility of combining the best fea- tures of the two organizations. This question was not, however, taken up at the meeting. Capt. McCullagh paid a fitting tribute to the mem- ory of members who had died during the year, referring especially to the gréat loss which the association had sustained in the death of Capt. Wm. 8. Mack, whose hearty co-operation had been a great factor in the establishment of the organization. The report of the secretary, W. A. Collier of Cleveland, included a great mass of detail pertaining to the funds of the organization, death assessments, ete. It showed a membership of about 525. There had been thirteen deaths during the year and assessments to cover eleven of these had been paid. From the report of the treasurer, Lyman Hunt of Buffalo, it was learned that receipts in the endow- ment fund from assessments footed up $12,190, while there had been paid on death certificates $11,000, leaving a balance of $1,190. Re- ceipts in the general fund footed up $4,694.22 and the disbursements were $2,780.68, leaving a balance of $1,913.54; ora total balance of $3,103.54. The death list of the year included Cummings §. Geel, J Bea Dono- hue, E. M. Peck, John R. Gorman, W. 8. Mack, Byron Brown, Lorenzo W. Cook, Alpha Simons, Wm. Cowin, Bernd Wilds, Thomas Harbottle, David Critchell and James Frazer. A committee, consist- ing of W. E. Rice, J. A. Holmes and J. Ae Ward, was appointed to prepare a memorial expresing the sorrow of the organization upon the death of the members. The memorial was of a very fitting 'kind and it was agreed that a number of copies of it should be printed. As had been expected, some changes were made in the constitu- tion, but they were not of a radical kind.. Hereafter there will be but one delegate from each subordinate lodge, and any member is eligible to election as delegate. Officers of the grand lodge other than presi- dent, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, will be selected from among the delegates. where a subordinate lodge is located, and it was therefore agreed that . the meeting in January, 1898, will be held in Milwaukee. Another change in the constitution provides fora part of the general fund, which is derived from the publication of a directory, ete., being applied to the endowment fund, thus reducing in part the death assessments. It is provided that should the general fund at any time exceed $1,000, an appropriation of $500 from same shall be applied to the endow- ment fund. Two thousand copies of the constitution as revised will be printed and distributed among the subordinate lodges. The election resulted in the same executive officers being selected for another year. 'They are: President, George W. McCullagh of Detroit; vice-presi- dent, W. E. Rice of Port Huron; treasurer, Lyman Hunt of Buffalo; Annual meetings will be held in some city © secretary, W A. Collier of Cleveland. The appointive officers, whose duties are confined to affairs of the annual meeting are: Chaplain, Joseph A. Holmes; marshall, Bernard Nelson; warden, Alex. J. McKay; sentinel, Ti A. Ward; auditing hora ai tee) Heung Leisk, M. Christy and C. T, Brown. The foregoing is a summary of the work of the delegates as regards the management of their organization. They also devoted a great deal of time to interviews with congressmen and heads of government departments regarding matters that concern the general welfare of lake interests. -Although the executive committee of the Lake Carriers' Association recommended some minor changes in the Sault river rules, the ship masters were disposed to pass over even these minor changes, leaving the rules entirely as they have been, and their con- ferences with officers of the revenue cutter: service were along that line. They adopted resolutions as follows: Favoring the establish- ment of a large number of gas buoys at different points on the lakes suggested by the aids to navigation committee of the Lake Carriers' Association; opposing the construction of a bridge over the Niagara river at Grand island, which was also opposed by the Lake Carriers' Association; recommending that a permanent light structure and not - alight-ship be established to mark the entrance to the new Maumee bay and river channel, and that a gas buoy be maintained to mark this channel entrance until a permanent structure can be erected; recommending, also, that the light-house-board take aztion on the re- quest of Milwaukee Gemel interests pertaining to a change in character- istic of the main light at that point. The kind of light desired in this latter case is not specified. The board is simply asked to make such change as will overcome the disadvantages now encountered on ac- _ count of the numerous electric lights of the city, etc. Complaint has frequently been made on the lakes that men en- trusted with the care of the smaller class of sailing vessels and tow barges have little knowledge of the meaning of the common signals of navigation. This matter was taken up. It was understood, of course, that efforts have been made, without avail, to institute among officers of sailing vessels some such government regulations as are applied to steam vessels. The ship masters do not expect that a simple request on their part will bring about a general inspection of sailing vessels and oicers of such vessels, but they passed a resolution urging the adoption of regulations that will at least require masters of sailing vessels to go before the steamboat inspectors and pass such examina- tion as may be thought necessary by thatservice. It was also resolved that all sailing vessels should be required by the government to carry; in a conspicuous place, a copy of the pilot rules. Engineer for the New Register. © It would seem that the underwriters who are preparing the new insurance register, which will be known as the Great Lakes Register, are sparing no expense in making this classifiction the best that has ever been gotten up on the lakes. It was said, some time ago, that the quality of machinery would be taken into account in giving rat- ings to the ships, and now Surveyor General F. D. Herriman of Chicago announces that he has appointed Walter Miller to act as con sulting engineer in charge of the work of the register as regards en: gines, boilers, and other machinery. Mr. Miller's headquarters are Western Reserve building, Cleveland. He is a marine engineer of recognized ability and is specially fitted for this work. Up to a short time ago he was designing and constructing engineer for the Gloke Iron Works: Co. of Cleveland. Of late he has been cond nae a general consulting engineering business. : Officers of the Dry Dock Association of the Lakes for the ensuing year are: President, Alexander McDougall of Duluth; vice-president, James Finlater of Detroit; secretary and treasurer, Hamilton Mills of Buffalo. The association presented Mr. Mills with a handsome diamond pin in recognition of efficient service as secretary and treasurer.