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8 | MARINE REVIEW. Less than a Mill per Ton per Mile. COST OF MOVING FREIGHT TO AND FROM LAKE SUPERIOR DURING 1896-- A FURTHER BIG INCREASE IN THE VALUE OF FREIGHT PASSING THROUGH THE CANALS AT SAULT STE. MARIE. Again the cost per ton per mile of moving freight to and from Lake Superior has been reduced to ninety-nine hundredths of a mill. This figure, covering the business of 1896, is the same as that which prevailed in 1894, a year of low freights. In 1895, when fall freights reached high figures, the average was 1.14 mills. As usual, the miles- ton report of 1896, which is a general discusison of the canal statistics, is very interesting. The figures relate to the traffic of both canals (United States and Canadian), and the increase over previous years in the amount and value of freight is very large. In 1895 the value of all freight was $159,575,129.48. In 1896 it was $195,146,842.49, or an increase in round numbers of $35,500,000. In all cases tons mean net tons of 2,000 pounds. From the column of largest cargoes it is ascertained that there were 135 steamers that carried in their largest load 2,000 tons and upwards, and these 135 cargoes aggregated 336,300 tons and averaged 2,491 tons. There were thirty steamers which carried in their largest load 3,000 tons and upwards, aggregating 100,924 tons and averaging 3,364 tons; fourteen that carried in their largest loads 4,000 tons and up- wards, aggregating 61,756 tons and averaging 4,411 tons; and seven that carried in their largest loads 5,000 tons and upwards, aggregating 36,1382 tons and averaging 5,162 tons. There were thirty-three sail vessels or tow barges that carried 2,000 tons and upwards, aggregating 81, 283 tons and averaging 2,463 tons; thirteen that carried 3,000 tons and upwards, aggregating 42,628 tons and averaging 3,279 tons; seven that carried 4,000 tons and upwards, aggregating 32,607 tons and averaging 4,658 tons, and four that carried 5,000 tons and upwards, aggregatng 21,270 tons and averaging 5,318 tons, . The greatest number of miles run during the season is to the credit of the steamer Kearsarge of the Inter-lake Transit Co. of Cleve- land O., and amounted to 47,709 miles. The greatest amount of freight carried by a single vessel during the season is to the credit of the steamer Victory of the sarae company and aggregated 96,877 net dons. The greatest number of miles-tons for the season is to the credit of the steamer Centurion of the Hopkins Steamship Co., of St. Clair, Mich., and amounted to 80,559,417. The largest single cargo carried by asteamer during the season is to the credit of the Queen City of the Zenith Tranpsortation Co. of Duluth, and amounted to 5,376 net tons. The largest single cargo carried by a sail vessel during the season is tothe credit of the steel tow barge Aurania of Cleveland, and amounted to 5,850 net tons. TABLE SHOWING ESTIMATED VALUE OF FREIGHT THROUGH UNITED - STATES AND CANADIAN CANALS AT SAULT STE. MARIE " DURING THE SEASON OF 1896. ITEMS. Designation. | Quantity. pate er) _ Valuation. Caalwanthracite.t....--..0. Net tons...... 7,210 2 1,886, O Coal, bituminous............ Net tons...... se 30 : ao ' 6, Beran 5 Flour...... steteseseeceweeeeoeans Barrels........ 8,882,858 3.85] 34,199,003 30 Wheat.......-.s0000. ene Bushels....... 63,256,463 -75| 47,442,347 25 Grain (other than wheat) |Bushels....... 27,448,071 -39| 10,704,747 69 Manufactured iron.......... |Net tons...... 93,924 50.00 4,696,200 00 al SeslEO teens taaseccacadrssces Net tons...... 27,948 13.50 377,298 00 Salt Miacccsponsnscurectsracesss Bartel siersnc. 237,515| ° 5 178,136 25 COppe.........c0000-+2se0see-2. | Net tons 116,872 200.00] 23,374,400 00 NOT OTE RaessN sihwe des ncaeasss Net tons...... 7,909,250) 3.25] 25,705,065 oo LUMDET ...... 0 eseees eeeeee M. ft. B.M..| 684,986 12.50 8,562,325 00 Silver ore........ Preeasacasas 240 112.00 26,880 00 Building stone...... 17,731 10.00 177,310 00 Unclassified freight........ Net tons...... 520,851 60,00] 31,251,060 oo $195,146,842. 49 The average value per ton of freight for the season of 1895 was $10.60, and for 1896, $12.02. The foregoing estimates are the result of a discussion obtained from private information and a careful com- parison with market reports. The comparisons show that there was an increase in the valuations last year over 1895 in hard and soft coal, flour, wheat, pig iron, iron ore and lumber, and a decrease in the val- uation of grain other than wheat. Cereals amounted to 47 3-10 per cent. of the total freight passing the canals. The total cost of freight transportation in 1896 was $13,511,615.80, In 1895 the cost was $14,238,758.02. The nature of the data from which this was found is such that it includes the cost of loading and un- loading. The average distance freight was carried in 1896, 836.4 miles, is the highest average distance until that time. In 1895 the average was 830 miles. The average cost per ton for carrying freight was 83.2 cents. MILES-LON REPORT, SEASON OF 1896--COST OF CARRYING FREIGHT TRANSPORTED THROUGH UNITED STATES AND CANADIAN CANALS AT SAULT STE. MARIE. ITEMS. Unit. Quantity. | Price per Amount, lie, Seer ae AER Scere Net tons...... 3,023,340] §$ .32 |¢ 67,468 8 eines So Moet eh ramets sober Barrels ....... 8,882,858 ele ae 4 8 Wihleateecer- os ttetcccsterseen ses Bushels....... 63,256,463 .02% 1,581,411 57 Grain (other than wheat) Bushels....... 27,448,071 024% 617,581 60 Manufactured iron......... Net tons...... 93,924 1.40 131,493 60 Pig ifOM.....ecsreceseeenereeers Net tons..... 27,948 1.05 29,345 4o Salliteic sas. gesrcensnsneeeene ces: Barrels........ 237.515 palsy 35,027 25 COPPCh sn... c<<-o0. 20-2050 -onner- Net tons...... 116,782 1.95 227,900 4o MOm: OLE sweeee -certeneeneress Net tons...... | 7,909,250 .82 6,485,585 oo Thuimiberue rt atic, dacoeeeeeees M. ft. B. M..| 684 986 1.80 1,232,974 80 Silver ore and bullion..... |Net tons...... 240 233) 959 20 Building stone............... Net tons...... Taio 1.50 26,596 50 Miscellaneous mdse. .... |Net tons...... 520,851 2.30 ___1,197,957 30 LING EALEC OS tReet RE [ee eeiete eee eticictul llores eincives Aricent |nsivs-o tures $ 13,511,615 80 Nore.--The total amount of freight paid was $18,511,615.80, which divided by the total "unit tons,"' 13,582,641,886, gives the cost per mile per ton as 99 100 mills. The ay- 'erage distance freight was carried was 836 4-10 miles, which is 6 4-10 miles more than in 1895. . The total number of registered craft using the canals during 1896 was 859, of which 509 were steam and 350 sail. Tonnage and value of these vessels, together with the number of passengers which they - carried, will be found in the following table : AMERICAN CRAFT. css, No. ggineres| onmage, _Passengor| Valu St@ame4rs...:....5.c5.s0-0- 467 495,362) 11,392,046} 20,421 | $35,151,400 Sails eresens caseithe mec. 325 231,376 AOS \O22 4. teseetee: 7,854,800 EL Otalcectereacctc ces 792 726,738} 15,587,669] 20,421 | $43,006,200 CANADIAN CRAFT. Olas avo, | REET) telah passengers) VARIO SteaMlers.cs..ssecce. eee. 42 21,364 486,043) 16,645 $1,$87,300 Sarl Gjertsen soccer. te 25 12,700 TGGEAGO lactis tenes 248,000 MsOtalversorer.coete : 67 34,064 639,503} 16,645 | $2, 35,300 Unregistered American craft carried 3,629 tons of freight through the canal, while the freight carried by unregistered Canadian craft amounted to 8,260 tons. Adding this latter item to the freight car- ried by registered Canadian craft we have a total of 647,763 tons moved through the canals in Canadian vessels, or only 4 per cent. of the whole. Summarizing the foregoing for the two canals we have : Notalemumibertof reristered craft). ....0.......6..0..0eee 859 Total passengers by unregistered craft while carrying Hraee 1 Oa Lae eens emer ee cone smn Mate CMe torte cet arising cde a gs wie obebte 210 Total freight carried by registered craft, tons..... 16,227,172 Total freight carried by unregistered craft, tons....... 11,889 PNGiai BASSO CMe ee Pee et Res ce ck oa le wk 37,066 Total valuation of craft registered............... $45, 141,500 The total passages for the season amounted to 18,615, and 1,141 of these were by seventy-two crafts under 100 tons register, their ag- gregate registered tonnage being 1,977 and their average tonnage 28 tons; the freight carried by these crafts during the season amounted to only 276 tons. It is found by the discussion of the reports of the watchmen sta- tioned at the head and foot of the United States canal that vessels were delayed at the canal during the season 28,828 hours, or an average of 1 hour and 33 minutes. It appears from the records, also, that the railroad swing bridge across the canal did not delay navigation in 4 single instance during the entire season, nor was the passage of trains delayed by boats. Appointments of captains and engineers for 1897, vest pocket size, $1.00. Order from the Marine Review, Cleveland, Ohio. i 'tigen 3 % & a oe ee Semen lemme ie ai aie oaenn-migin 3