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E MARINE REVIEW. Coast and Lake Engineers. Editor Marine Review :--I noticed in the marine news of the Even- ing News of this city several days ago a statement that a gang of Ital- ians had been shipped to Duluth to fire the boilers in the steamer North Land, and a little later another gang of Spaniards was sent up as stokers for the North West. It stated that they were procured for the reason that they had seen service on the Atlantic liners, making it appear somewhat to the general public that salt water men were superior to lake men. For several years past whenever a man from the coast was engaged to fill a position on the lakes, the papers always mentioned the fact that these men had seen service on the ocean or had been on some coaster, causing people to think that we were a four- card flush as compared to them with regard to our ability. When the Owego and Chemung came out the owners hired two salt water men, and allowed a larger crew than the steamers have had since then. When they changed, two lake men, W. L. Webster and Wm. Skelton, were hired. They made, with a smaller crew, a great deal bet- ter time than the former engineers, running as fast on a regular run as they did doing their best. DRY DOCKS OF difficulty in the fire-rooms of the Northern line passenger ships, it would seem that the ability of lake firemen or engineers was not ques- tioned. With the firemen insubordination seemed to be the trouble, and the engineers ackowledged that it was impossible to make the fire- men stoke according to instructions. The Northern company evidently preferred lake engineers and firemen for they employed them two years,and certainly they can not be blamed for making an experiment with coast men to determine whether or not Belleville boilers can be used on the lakes to advantage. If accounts of the stubborness of the ordinary lake fireman are true, then lake engineers will certainly be glad to see the coast engineers establish discipline in the fire-rooms of the North Land and North West, as it may be the entering wedge of a reform that the lake engineers will carry on to a successful comple- tion. The most unfortunate part of it is the employment of foreigners in good positions when so many able-bodied Americans are looking, or are claiming to be looking, for work.--Hditor. From a Veteran. Editor Marine Review:--The article about river tugs in the last THE GREAT LAKES. LENGTH. WipTH. pepiti PLACE. Name or Dock. : pveriSiil, REMARKS. poe Over all.| Gate. | Top. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet Feet. ¢ SECiiei ; 4 : Latent Buffalo, N. Y._____- Union Dry Dock Co. ______-________-- 330 360 44 60 15 pecial facilities for repairing iron and stee Bufialo, Neo Union Dey DockiCoree! 1. ie ee 325 | 350 43 60 13 vessels. Height of blocks 41-2 and aloe Vee ene MING Dry Dock Con 2s ied, 370 | 380 46 75 12% 5 1=2 feet. Buttaloy Nee Vi see soe MANS smy ORK Costs 2 SN. ee ees 285 290 40 60 11% ; : a Bay City, Mich _____- Bay, City ry, DoCken a=) ==) -erusaes a ea Boor I 36 Dee slew 134 | McKinnon Mfg Co. have slings for raising small Chicagowllifs so Mallereprot hers ryeDock (Cos ses 92-2 5| wane 310 GOnet mest sae 14 vessels. Chicacon lls see Miller Brothers Dry Dock Co, __-_---____| ~----- 280 AD aalkens ann 12 : Chicarowille ose -.2 Miller Brothers Dry Dock Co. -___-.--_-| ------ 260 AOb alee sees 9 ' Chicago, IIk. _______- Chicago Ship Building Co. (Calumet.)| 500 525 70 100 16 | Repairs made to steel vessels in shortest time. Cleveland, O._______ Ship Owners' Dry Dock Co. ___-___- 430 450 BO eleees eke 16 | Two docks large enough to accommodate larg- Cleveland, O._.____- Ship Owners' Dry Dock Co. -_-____- 300 320 Sia e ee 13 gest sized lake vessels. Complete facili- Cleveland, O.______- Cleveland Dry Dock Co. ____________- 340 360 50 88 20 ties for repairing steel vessels, with ma- Collingwood, Ont_._. Dry Dock and Wrecking Co., Limited --| -___-- | 325 BOD et bs es aeeeee 15 chinery operated by electricity. Detroit, Mich. _____- Detroit Dry Dock Co. ______________- 365 | 378 78 Ol 16 | Nearest dock to Detroit river and Lake St. Clair. Detroit, [ich. _____- Detroit Dry Dock Co. _______-.______- 245 | 245 48 48 8Y Detroit, Mich. _____- Clark Dry DockeC0; 22 0 re ee | 360 O65 ea 10 Detroit, Mich. ------ Clark Dry: Dock Co; 32-22-82 eee | 220 Beer ee Io CL ATUpElaV ell eVlICH soul Wi Wit byiaece soe 8 oe os a WAG} Gir eee Aion Beate 8 Kingston, Ont--_-_-- Government yO iayeR) OCk ses. aes nee 280 | 280 55 79 16 Lorain, 0; 222 Cleveland Ship Building Co. __._____- 545 | 560 66 | 102 17 |Largest dock on the Great Lakes. Manitowoc, Wis ----- Manitowoc Dry Dock Co. -___________-- 340 | 350 44 60 12% Milwaukee, Wis - --_-|Milwaukee Dry Dock Co. eee 450 460 56 72 16 Milwaukee, Wis - ---- Mulwenikee Dry Wock (Co. a.s-.2 2s 312 312 45 75 15% | Facilities for repairing steel vessels. Omengsouigy Ong. \Polsonelron Works Co. js 222 |S ae 300 55a) | eseees 12 Rorwwalhousie Ont==|Muir Brothers 2.22.2 gb. ee 255 260 46 100 Io shoreiiaton, Mich =~ |Wolyerine-Dry Dock Co. -___-_-_21_ 222 195 210 32 36 13 Port Huron, [lich. --|\Dunford & Alverson Dry Dock Co._-| 3092 412 62 95 18 | Nearest dock to Straits of Mackinaw and Sault Port Huron, Mich. -. Dunford & Alverson Dry Dock Co.--| 255 270 5On eee as 6 river. Sturgeon Bay, Wis_.-|Rieboldt, Wolter & Co. ___..-_-__----_-- Paes ee | ee ee I2 | Floating dock. Sandusky, O_-_______- Sie CN ec lets neg ates SA ee 140 160 A@waen crs 8% me Carnerines, Ont --|Shicluna Dry Dock Co: 2.2) 2220-2 yo) 145 DAP |Praene 9 Holedoy@ 222-12 22 Avy GiliMOresec SONS 2. sae a a 230 230 Bi 55 Toledo, O. -;--------|Craig Ship Building Co. -___--______- 450 425 55 110 16 | Available for largest size of lake vessels. West Superior, Wis.|American Steel Barge Co.___________ 500 537 50 90 18 | Only dock on Lake Superior. The Detroit and Cleveland line used to get men from the coast to @ fit out their steamers in the spring, but their engineers have since proven that their ability is sufficient to compete with the men from the coast. It can not be shown in a single instance where a salt water man has done as good work or proven as satisfactory as lake men, or frog-pond sailors as we are known on the coast. Our boats are not quite so large, nor do they draw so much water as some of the trans- atlantic liners, because we haven't the room to handle them in our har- bors. But the machinery in our steamers is as large, or in some cases larger, than that in the coast steamers, and as we get our cargoes in from ten to twenty-four hours, we do not have one-fourth the time 'coast engineers do to keep their machinery in shape. We have acci- dents but we do not lay around in a sea- way several days repairing them. Therefore the lake engineer may be considered just as brainy as his brother from the coast, and by his experience better fitted to cope with difficulties peculiar to lake navigation. The coast en- gineer no doubt knows how to get through salt water better than the fresh water engineer. Every man to his own trade! S Detroit, Mich., May 21, 1897 John L. Simmons, Note.--Referring to correspondence last fall with reference to ib issue of the Review recalls days gone by, and was to me a great treat, as I was among the tug fleet of "sharks," only 'a few of whom now answer roll call here. Things are different with the masters of to- day, who have range lights for every bend, to enable them to run the rivers at night. In the near future, if fortunes gales don't head me off on every stretch, I will try to give you a short story of early days on the lakes, and will try to make it interesting to some of the old "barnacles'" who commanded our lake vessels when channels and headlands were not marked and staked out by light-houses, gas and spar buoys, ete. The story of the Fenian scare if fully told would prove amusing. I expect to visit Cleveland and "bunk in'"' with "Tom" Coe ere long, and will try to see you. May fair winds and following seas be the Marine Review's luck until you cross over; then if your reckonings are right, a bright light will show you a safe landing place on the other side. Detroit House of Correction, Joseph Nicholson. Detroit, Mich., May 22, 1897. Appointments of captains and engineers for 1897, vest pocket size, $1.00. Order from the Marine Review, Cleveland, Ohio.