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__ The Review has excellent photographs of lake ships. MARINE REVIEW. VoL. XV. CLEVELAND, O., JUNE 3, 1897. 3 No. 23, Canada Preparing to Adopt the White Law. When congress passed, some time ago, the White law for the regulation of navigation on the lakes, it was quite generally agreed that some difficulties would be encountered on account of the Canadian regulations, which were not changed, being different to those con- tained in the White law, especially with regard to fog signals. Thus we have had on the lakes since the adoption of the White law in this country, one set of fog signals used by Canadian vessels (at least when in Canadian waters) and another set of signals used by American vessels. It is a wonder that collisions have not resulted from this con- fusion. Governments are slow of action, but there is reason to expect now that the Dominion officials will soon adopt for their lake vessels a code of rules similar to those contained in the White law. The question has been brought to the attention of the Canadian department of marine and fisheries through Mr. A. Piers, superintendent of the steamship line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The dominion government was about to take action on the lakes regarding the con- clusions of the International Marine Conference when it was explained that the White law, which governs the navigation of vessels of the United States on the lakes, was prepared without reference of any kind to the action of this conference. It was a law prepared specially for the lakes after the conference had finished its deliberations, and it may be explained also that this special law for the lakes has not been and will not be disturbed on account of any action of the con- ference. It would seem, therefore, that the best course for the domin- ion government to pursue would be to adopt a law for the govern- ment of its lake vessels similar to the White law. Most of the leading managers of Canadian vessels favor such a course, as indicated by the following extracts from Mr. Piers' letter to the department of marine and fisheries : 'The Canadian rule is that in a fog a vessel under way shall sound at intervals of two minutes one blast of the whistle; if under way but stopped, at intervals of two minutes, two blasts with an interval of one second between. The United States rule is that in a fog, whether under way or stopped, a steamer shall sound at intervals of, not more than one minute, three distinct blasts of her whistle. Fur- thermore the one blast and two blast signals adopted by Canada, repre- sent in both the Canadian and United States codes the signals respec- tively for port and starboard in clear weather. "As our steamers, and all the Canadian steamers plying in the upper lakes, have to navigate in both Canadian and United States waters, and in some places, such as the St. Clair river and Lake St. Clair, where there is practically no definition of each water, I submit that the existing and the contemplated code of signals would be far safer if made to harmonize entirely with those of the United States on the great lakes. Three blasts of a whistle in a fog are more readily heard than a single blast in the ratio of three to one, and for that reason alone the American signal is preferable. Take as an example one of our steamers on a voyage from Owen Sound to Fort William. She. would have to use Canadian signals until some miles east of the 'Ducks' in Lake Huron; then she would have to sound American signals up to Detour at the mouth of the St. Mary's river; in the St. Mary's river both codes would have legally to be used according to positions; above the Sault Ste. Marie locks as far as Point Troquois, both codes would be in force; from there to a point half way between Passage island and Thunder cape it would be the American code; and finally into Fort William the Canadian one."' Copies of the foregoing letter have been forwarded by the depart- ment of marine and fisheries to owners and managers of Canadian vessels for consideration, and as it is expected that their answers in nearly all cases will be favorable to the adoption of regulations similar to those contained in the White law, it is hoped that before the close of the present season all vessels on the lakes, Canadian and American alike, will be sailing under uniform rules. Lake Freight Matters. Although quite a large number of vessels did not turn a wheel until about the middle of May, they have of late been gradually push- ing out of winter quarters, and full 90 per cent. of the entire fleet is now in commission. 'This increase of tonnage has weakened matters during the past few days, so that great difficulty has been found in securing cargoes on a basis of 50 cents for ore from the head of Lake Superior and 20 cents on coal to the principal upper lake points, but there is still a hopeful feeling on account of the signs of improvement in all branches of the iron trade. There is some ore selling all the time, and it is estimated that full 400,000 tons has been disposed of by Cleveland sales agents within the mat six or eight days to the smaller furnace owners, who are following slowly in the wake of the big con- cerns. The amount of grain moved thus far from both Duluth and Chicago has been much larger than was expected, and it is quite evi- dent that an ore movement equal to the requirements of an ordinary season, in connection with the grain shipments, would have resulted in very profitable lake freights up to this time, especially in view of | the greater draft of water now afforded throughout the lakes. There was never a time when soft coal was as cheap as at present-- about $2 a ton delivered at the head of Lake Superior--and yet the trade of the northwest is unusually slow in providing for requirements of the coming year. Even the prospects of a strike in the mining regions of Ohio & Pennsylvania does not seem to make the least change in the depressed conditions that have prevailed for several months past. Surplus stocks are not the cause of this depression in all lines of the lake trade, and the opinion that when improvement comes it will come all at once is more generally accepted with each day of delay and restricted shipments. The prevailing wild rates of freight, some of which are nominal, are: Iron ore--From the head of the lakes to Lake Hrie ports, 50 cents; from Marquette, 50 cents; from Escanaba, 50 cents. Hard coal--l'rom Buffalo to Duluth, Chicago and Millwaukee, all 20 cents. Soft coal--From Ohio ports to Duluth, Sheboygan and Milwaukee, 20 cents; to Portage and Green Bay, 25 cents. Grain--Chicago to Buffalo, 14 cents; Duluth to Buffalo, - 14 cents. Unless vessel masters take heed of the several warnings they have received regarding the necessity of checking down to a very low rate of speed in passing through the Grosse point cut, it is more than probable that the war department will issue stringent rules for the navigation of this channel. With Sault. river regulations and long sets of rules for all of the canals, the vessel interests already have enough to contend with in this line, but officials of the war depart- ment can hardly be blamed if they bring out more rules for this cut. The great majority of vessel captains have regarded the request of the department that special care be exercised in this channel, but there are always a few men in lake ships who cause others to suffer on ac- count of their recklessness. The banks of this channel will certainly. be injured if deep-laden vessels are rushed through it at a high fate of speed, and the vessel captain who is willing to abide by the request. of the engineers should report the carelessness of the few who refusé to follow reasonable instructions. Executive officers of the Lake Carriers' Association, who haye succeeded in inducing the secretary of the treasury to retain Com- mander Geo. F. F. Wilde as naval secretary of the light-house board for aonther year, were in hopes that nothing would be said of the matter from Washington, as it was thought that the association might be establishing a bad precedent if charged with interfering in the regular transfers of army and navy officers. Commander Wilde had shown a full knowledge of the needs of the lakes, however, and just now there is a very large amount of light-house work going on, with which he is especially well acquainted. His retention is due to the personal efforts of Senator Hanna of Ohio, and Senator McMillan of Michigan.