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12 - MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 409 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, Ohlo, by John M. Mulrooney and F. M. Barton. Susscriprion--$2.00 per year inadyance. Single copies 10 cents each. binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. Convenient Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second class Mail Matter. ' The books of the United States treasury department on June 30, 1896, contained the names of 3,333 vessels, of 1,324,067.58 gross tons register in the lake trade. The number of steam vessels of 1,000 gross tons, and over that amount, on the lakes on June 30, 1896, was 383 and their aggregate gross tonnage 711,034.28; the number of vessels of this class owned in all other parts of the country on the same date was 315 and their tonnage 685,204.55, so that more than half of the best steamships in all the United States are owned on the lakes. 'The classification of the entire lake fleet on June 30, 1896, was as follows: Gross Number. Tonnage Bea veseels sea dee Pa are erie e a reso ne ey Sailing vessels and barges : B27. WATT MINO A US ee canerr teen cnc stesel sectscrsertaraccserteccssersceste 416 45,105.47 ET Ot a itis ccc seeaccscvoahenathcstsintcesvecsasesecsnes 8,333 1,324,067.58 The gross registered tonnage of the vessels built on the lakes during the past Bix seere according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows: Year ending June 30. 1891 204 111,856 45 st ee ioe 1892... 169 45,968.98 " sc ae 1893... 17. 99,271.24 oe eo ie 1894... 106 41,984.61 oa oe Se 1895 36,352.70 ve sf ra 1896 117 108,782.38 INO Lal leeecteiccecccnseuicacesecnccsascascccevacheccesanseccceses 864 444,216.36 ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ GANAL TRAFFIC. (from Official ieports of Canal Officers.) St. Mary's Falls Canal. Suez Canal. 1895* 1894 1893 1895 1894 1893 No. vessel passages,............ 17,956 14,491 11,008 3,484 8,352 3,341 Tonnage, net registered...... 16,806,781) 13,110,366] 9,849,754||} 8,448,383] 8,039,175] 7,659,068 Days of navigation.............. 231 234 219 365 365 365 » * 1895 figures include traffic of Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie, which was about % per cent. of the whole, but largely in American vessels. Naval militia organizations in Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland are laying all sorts of plans to secure possession of old government ships for practice purposes, but it is probable that they will meet with disap- pointment until they can muster more influence than they have as yet at their command. The organization in Cleveland wants the old | reyenue cutter Andrew Johnson, which is to be abandoned by Capt. A. B. Davis and his crew after they take the new Gresham about June 1. Everybody would be pleased to see the old Johnson turned over to the reserve organization without cost, as the few thousand dollars to be realized by the sale is an item hardly worthy of consideration by the government, but the law requires the sale, and an act of con- gress would be necessary to do otherwise with the vessel. The naval reserves will, therefore, have to bid for the Johnson, and in this they will be at a disadvantage, as their funds are limited and it is under- stood that there area number of vessel owners who are figuring on purchasing the old ship. What use they will make of her is not stated in any case. She has been appraised at $5,000. Her boiler is in very good condition, and the machinery is also of some account, but the hull has been appraised at only $1,000. Officers of the naval reserve in Michigan have succeeded in interesting Senators McMillan and Burrows in an effort to secure for the lakes the old wooden ship Yantic, which is soon to come around from the Pacific station. The Yantie's dimensions will admit of her passage through the St. Law- rence canals, but the Maryland naval reserve organization has also made a request for this vesse], and anyhow the question of objection from Great Britain to another war vessel being brought to the lakes must be given consideration. There is no doubt of an earnest intention on the part of the pres- ent government in Canada to push through to completion before the spring of 1899 all dredging and other work necessary to give 14 feet navigation throughout the St. Lawrence canals. Mr. Blair, minister of railways and canals, has repeatedly declared his intention to take up this work where his predecessor left off, and push it to completion within the time noted. His earnestness in the matter is winning sup- port from political opponents, as well as the people of his own party. _A 14-foot channel for the entire length of the St. Lawrence river, in connection with the Welland canal, will certainly take from New York and other eastern points a large part of the export trade in grain flour and other products that originates beyond the lakes, nothwith- standing improvements in the Erie canal and the reduction that is going on in handling charges and rail freights. Marine engineers of New York are. evidently of the opinion that apprentices are securing licenses from steamboat inspectors in some parts of the country without having served the required time aboard vessels and that engineers are being made too fast. A provision in the steamboat regulations provides that applicants for licenses must file with their applications a written certificate as to the time of service from the licensed engineer under whom they served. The New York engineers have declared that these certificates are often given without regard to the fitness of the applicant, and they call upon engineers in all parts of the country to assist them in enforcing the rule strictly in the future. ----_--$_-------------------------------- Germany's merchant fleet counted on the ist of January, 1896, 3,592 vessels, against 3,665 on the 1st of January, 1895, 4,257 in 1885, and 4,602 in 1875, the decrease against the last named year amounting to 1,010 vessels, or 21.9 per cent. The carrying capacity, on the other hand, rose since 1875 from 1,068,383 to 1,523,902 register tons for 1895, but in 1896 again went down to 1,502,044 tons. The number of sailing vessels decreases considerably, while steamers increase. In 1875 there were 4,303 sailing vessels and 299 steam vessels, while in 1896 2,524 sailing vessels and 1,068 steamers were counted. It is stated that, against 1891, the number of sailing vessels decreased 233, while the number of steam vessels increased by 172. Another promoter of big canal schemes , H. A. Olney from Kng- land, thinks he can form a company to build a canal of 21 feet depth to parallel the Detroit and St. Clair rivers by a short route from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie. He called on the minister of railways and canals at Ottawa, a few days ago, with a view to having the Domin- 'ion government guarantee 3 per cent. interest on bonds for the euter- prise, which is to involve an expenditure of $5,000,000. It has been suggested that he might substitute an air ship project for the canal enterprise and stand an equal chance of floating the bonds under the present condition of finances in either England or this country. Nothing has been heard of the Lake Erie-Pittsburg ship-canal scheme for some time past. The reason is plain. Pittsburg's great- est disadvantage as an iron producing centre was high lake and rail. freight charges on ironore. This disadvantage will be removed largely by reductions in rail freights that are certain to follow the completion of the Carnegie ore railway, and the Carnegie-Rockefeller ore and lake freight deal has already brought prices of ore down to figures that were not dreamed of a few years ago. The Lake Hrie-Pittsburg canal was never entertained as a serious proposition by Mr. Carnegie or any of Pittsburg's practical iron men. Canal Operating Machinery is all Right. Col. G. J. Lydecker, United States engineer in charge of the St. Mary's Falls canal, has deemed it advisable to answer newspaper state- ments about defects in machinery of the new Poe lock at Sault Ste, Marie. In a communication to the Review, date of May 7, he says: 'Having noticed that several newspapers have published items relat- ing to the Poe lock at Sault Ste,. Marie, which convey grossly incor- rect ideas concerning its operating machinery, I think that it will in- terest vesselmen to have a direct statement of the true condition of affairs, and therefore transmit to you the enclosed copy of letter from the general superintendent of the canal, believing that you will be pleased to publish it in the next issue of your paper."' The letter from Mr. E. 8.Wheeler, general superintendent of the canal, which is referred to in the foregoing communication, is as fol- lows: Nditor Marine Review.--The machinery of the Poe lock is and has been working in a very satisfactory manner since the opening of navi- gation. Last season there were some parts that proved to be too weak and wore out rapidly. During the winter these parts have all been made new and of stronger pattern. They are now and haye been working well and there need be no apprehension among those using the canal that there will be any delay causd by the machinery. HK. 8. Wheeler, Asst. Engr. & Genl, Supt. Sault. Ste. Marie, Mich., May 5, 1897. Several hundred photograph negatives of lake ships are held in stock by the Marine Review. Prints can be made on short order.