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ee ee ee ee ee a a ee ee ee ee ee" ee ee ee eee MARINE! DATA ee Gas Buoys for all Parts of the Lakes, Before the coming season of navigation is at an end there will be in different parts of the lakes about forty-three gas buoys, mark- ing shoals and dredged channels, and in many cases So Se s taking places occupied by a oar caval lights, for which vessel owners have paid <="; thousands of dollars. It may seem strange that ~ after two or three years of active work in congress without securing more than two or three of these aids to navigation the vessel interests of the lakes should now be favored with a supply of these buoys that will in one season meet practically their entire needs, but there have been a great many influences at work to bring about the change. Senator McMillan of Michigan has had much to do with securing a large number of the buoys that will be provided for in an appropriation of $25,000 contained in the sundry civil ap- propriation bill, but it may be explained also that through the efforts of Capt. Geo. P. McKay of Cleveland, the new senator from Ohio, Mr. M. A. Hanna, has become interested in this matter, and his in- fluence with department officers at Washington insures not only liberal treatment from the light-house board in the future, but also an immediate supply of the gas buoys in advance of those provided for in the $25,000 appropriation. es Hight of the new buoys are now in the hands of district officers on the lakes and will probably be at their stations before the lake fleet begins to move. Notices regarding them are being sent out by the inspectors, and the light-house tender Haze at Detroit is being fitted with a gas storage plant for the care of them. The first install- ment of eight buoys will be located as follows: Three at Ballard's reef, Detroit river; one at inner cut, entrance to Maumee bay, Lake Erie; two at Poverty passage, entrance to Green bay, one of which will be on Gravelly island shoal and the other on Poverty island shoal; one on Lansing shoal, as a substitute for the red second-class nun. buoy, which has heretofore marked this danger; one at Wisher- man's shoal, to the eastward of Washington island, Lake Michigan. Following the establishment of this first lot of buoys, the Detroit station will receive four more of them about April 20, five more about May 1 and another lot of five about Juy 1. Im the meantime the appropriation of $25,000 in the sundry civil bill will be available and this money will provide at least eighteen more of the buoys, which will come along during the season of navigation. There will be no difficulty regarding the maintenance of the buoys. The Safety Car Heating & Lighting Co. of New York, which controls patents on the Pintsch lights, maintains gas manufacturing stations at Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, and Chicago, and preparations are being made for the erection of a plant at Sault Ste. Marie. The light-house tenders can secure gas for the buoys from any of these several stations. 'With a view to treating alllake interests fairly in the distribution of the new buoys, Capt. George P. McKay of Cleveland, chairman of the Lake Carriers' committee on aids to navigation, asks that vessel owners and vessel masters in all parts of the lakes send to him any suggestions they may have'to make regarding places where these new aids to navigation will be of most assistance. All suggestions will be appreciated and carefully considered in making up the list that will be recommended to the officials of the light-house service. General Alger Interested in Lake Improvements. It is quite evident that Gen. Alger, the new secretary of war, will give personal consideration to matters pertaining to the improvement of channels in connecting parts of the lakes.- From vessel men who have talked with him since he accepted the position of secretary of war, it is understood that he favors appropriations that will enable the government engineers, to increase to full 800 feet, the width of all channels in the St. Clair and Detroit rivers between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. An idea of the importance of this work, if it is under- taken, may be gained from the fact that under such a plan of in- creased width of channels the Lime-Kilns cut would be almost doubled. in width. Upon suggestion from Gen. Alger, Capt. Geo, McKay, Secretary Keep and Mr. W. C. Richardson of the Lake Carriers' Associa- jon are now in Detroit conferring with Col. Lydecker on the subject of limiting the speed ne 'vessels running through the new thirteen-mile cut at Grosse point, If it is found, upon inyvestigtion, that the wash from the propeller wheels is fill' ng the cut, the speed of vessels will probably be limited to about nine miles an hour loaded and eleven miles light, and an effort will be made anyhow to have the old channel at, this point staked and lighted, so that it may be used by up-bound vessels and by one river passenger steamers. Fueling Docks. With the opening of new docks on the Sault river, next month, for supplies of steamboat fuel, the Cuddy-Mullen Coal Co., miners and shipper of steam coal will hace a business pretty well spread over the entire chain of lakes. In Cleveland they havea car dumping machine for the transfer of cargo coal, in addition to eight steamboat fueling pockets | of 1,000 tons capacity, three steam derricks and a fueling lighter. On the Detroit. river they have ten pockets. and two steam derricks at Sandwich, and have just acquired a lease of the dock prop- erty at Amherstburg, formerly operated by O. W. Shipman, which has four pockets. . They haye also three steam derricks at Amherst- burg. 'Mr. Andrew Welsh will remain in charge of the Amherstburg dock, The new docks on the Sault river are at Detour. They are those formerly known as the Watson and. Anthony docks. They will be equipped upon the opening of navigation. with oS and . steam derricks. _ "Mr. Wm. L. Sherwood, siiperttenicnt: oe. Pickaatse "Mather. & Co.'s coal docks at Detour, has been calling on Cleveland vessel own- ers during the past few days, preparatory to leaving for the Sault ' river shortly, when he will make arrangements for beginning another season of fuel business at the Detour docks. Mr. Sherwood says that of about 60,000 tons of coal placed aboard vessels at his company's Detour dock last season only a very small proportion was taken by vessels bound to Lake Erie. The trade is almost entirely with ore carriers bound to Lake Michigan from Lake Superior, and on this ac- count Detour will be an important fueling point no 'matter "what changes may occur in the condition of Sault' river 'improvements, His dock has an advantage,of course, in deep channel approaches, as well as deep water at the dock. It is understood that dealers in steamboat fuel at Cleveland have fixed prices for the coming | séason at $2 from' dock and $2.1 from lighters. This is about 15 'cent8'a tér!lower than prices 'that prevailed last season. It is understood, also, that a uniform price of $2.10, both from dock and lighter, will prevail at Fairport, Ashtabula and Erie, but there are 'some disagreements among all of the dealers that' are causing doubt as to the mai intenance of amy. of these prices. " eS Gat James W. Martin: wog A portrait of Capt. James W. Martin, "whose death was announced in the last issue of the Review, appears herewith. Since' his' 'death several communications referring to the high character of this success- ful vessel man have been received by the Review. One of the correspond- ents, who had known Capt. Martin -- from his' early sailing days, says of him: 'He was a man of edacation, having graduated from the St. 'Louis University, and therefore had™ an "ad: vantage over most men following: 'the lakes, but his good fortune in" "this: re- gard did not cause him to lose interest _ in the men with whom he was associ- ated when he first took to the lakes. Several of them were advanced _ with him in the employ | of, the Flint. & Pere Néiqustle Co. In his youth he did' 'not enjoy good. health, and finding that sailing benefitted him, he 'chose that. occupation. y 'He was successful for the reason that he was possessed 'of many "forcible traits of character, the principal of which were fidelity to, duty and the power of winning the confidence of men above and dese him i in position by fair treatment and honesty i in all matters." A Capt. - Sigsbee; chief of the hydrographic service, who has been - ordered to séa duty by the secretary of the: navy, does not eave the bydice see office until. April 19. - ~The Review thas excellent pio teneahe of tae Hips