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REVIH W. --S-- SS =e -- DEVOTED TO LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 409 ens, Bayne building, Cleveland, Ohlo, by John M. Mulrooney and F. M. Barton. Susscrrprion--#2.00 per year in advance. Single copies 10 cents each. Convenient binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. 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. 'Lue number of steam vessels of 1,000 gross tons, and over that amount, on the lakes on: June 30, 1896, was 383 and their ageregate 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 316 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. Steam vessel5...........es00- 1,792 924,630.51 Sailing vessels and barge 1,125 354,327.60 Canal DOatsS.........0..eesesee 416 45,109.47 MOGAL. fc cketcoeiseess ceeeectestease Nidereaenee 8,333 1,324,067.58 " The gross registered tonnage of the vessels built on the lakes during the past. six years, according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation. is as follows: ° Wear Ondine June 30. 1891 voce... cccscecccdenscccsscsssecscosesses 204 111,856 45 oe 58 1892. at 169 45,968.98 es S ss 1893. 175 99,271.24 8 S f ROT rack 5 coicecavaeeasteiueckacsssue - 106 41,984.61 os Le ee BO ikede. cae esees con nossessroreccotenns 93 36,352.70 At af rr BOG eee mre CA eS ss eet: oi asieecicd 117 108,782.38 DIC) Goulet ete tee ences Sucetes 864 444.216.36 ye ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ CANAL TRAFFIC. (From Oficial Reports of Canal Officers.) St.Mary's Falls Canals. . Suez Canal. 1896* | 1895+ | 1894 1896 | 1895 | 1894 Number of vessel passages-|| -- 18,615 17,956 14,491 3,409 3,434 8,352 Tonnage, net registered......|| 17,249,418] 16,806,781] 13,110,366'| 8,560,284] 8,448,383] 8,039,175 Days of navigation...... ...... 232 231 234 365 365 365 "1895 and 1896 figures include traffic of Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie. __In his annual report, Secretary Alger of the war department transmits without reduction the estimates for river and harbor improvements sub- mitted by the chief of engineers. They. amount to $48,728,160, or more than double the appropriations for the present fiscal year, which ends June 30, 1898. The secretary says these estimates are largely in excess of what they should be at a time when the demands upon the treasury are as great as now, therefore he recommends a large reduction. Bur in justice to the chief of engineers Secretary Alger adds that these estimates were made by his own direction, that the facts might be placed before congress, showing what the expenditures would be if all the requirements were complied with, and he cites the fact that the outstanding continuous contracts for river and harbor work will require an expenditure of over $17,000,000 for the next fiscal year; of over $14,000,000 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900; $5,700,000 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1901; $796,000 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1902, and $345,000 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1903. "The time seems to have arrived," says Gen. Alger, "when an increase in the number of officers and enlisted men of the engineer corps is indispensable. The immense work intrusted to a few men is over- taxing, and it is believed a great saving of money in securing efficient and thorough work by contractors in fulfillment of their contracts would be effected by detailing a young officer to remain on each work under con- struction or improvement to see that day by day all material as purchased, both in quality and quantity, and according to specifications, is furnished. It is absolutely impossible for one man, having a large number of works a long distance apart, to constantly supervise the construction of improve- ments in his charge. This is one special reason why it is believed that an increase of cadets at West Point will be beneficial, as more than for- merly can be assigned to the engineer corps and profitably employed." With the opening of another season of navigation, two or three eophones will have been fitted to the pilot houses of lake steamers. This is.the instrument which is said to accurately locate the place from whence sound comes and show its bearing from the ship on a dumb compass. The use of this instrument on lake vessels would be especially valuable, -on account of frequent fogs and the fact that vessels are most of the time in narrow channels or in close proximity to the shore. Lake vessel mas- ters are slow in taking up new devices, but it would seem that this one will be quite extensively adopted as soon as it is given a trial that will bring it directly to their attention. There is nothing complicated about it and it needs little more training to operate than would be required in the use of a telephone. Two boards of naval officers have tested it on the U. S. S. Indiana and have recommended its use generully. It was also tested and investigated by the United States light-house board, and as a result, twelve of the instruments have now heen ordered for that service, and are at present being installed on the ships under the control of the board. The United States revenue marine service investigated the instru- ment, and congress at its last session, on the recommendation of this bureau endorsed by the secretary of the treasury, made an appropriation for ten of the instruments to be put on government vessels of that service. A pamphlet fully descriptive of the eophone will be received upon appli- cation to the Eophone Co., Bowling Green building, New York. The Army and Navy Journal says that the navy personnel question, brought about by the demand of the engineer corps for positive rank and the right to command enlisted men, will be made the subject of a special report to congress by Secretary Long. In his annual report, to be made on Saturday next, the secretary will simply refer to the fact that a board appointed to consider the question of reorganization is Now in session, but he will undoubtedly adopt the findings of the board and submit them to congress for action. The manner in which the'navy will be affected by the plan of reorganization is officially stated as follows: "There will be no change in the duties of the older engineers who are not graduatés of the naval academy. They will continue to perform engineering duties only: Those engineer graduates, who entered as engineers, will be allowed to determine for themselves whether they shall qualify to perform the duties of line officers or continue their present duties. It is proposed to transfer all of the young engineers who entered the navy as naval cadets, provided they shall fit themselves after a reasonable time to perform the duties of line officers as well as engineer officers. The younger officers of the line of corresponding date will, if the board's views be adopted by congress, have to undergo practical training in engineering so as to fit them for that duty in addition to that which they now pertorm." Referring in his annual report to the model tank under construction at the Washington navy yard, Chief Naval Constructor Hichborn says: "The acquisition of an experimental tank is a source of immense gratifi- cation to the bureau, which has advocated its construction for nearly ten years. It will undoubtedly prove of the greatest value to the bureau in connection with its work, as well as to the general ship building interests in this country, and it can be confidently stated, moreover, that the tank when completed will be the largest and best equipped in the world." The remark that the tank will be of value "to the general ship building interests of the country" would seem to indicate that there will be ao secrecy about the numerous trials of models that will be made when this basin with its scientific apparatus is complete. Construction of the basin, which is to cost $50,000, is well under way. .The Penn Bridge Co. o1 Beaver Falls, Pa., are the contractors. Designs and plans for the towing apparatus, recording mechanism, etc., are now being prepared with a view to their installation as soon as possible after the completion and acceptance of the tank, The lakes are again leading other shipping districts in the adoption of water tube boilers for high-powered harbor tugs. With a great increase in the size of lake freight carriers, the small harbor tugs in leading ports must be replaced, within a few years, by steel vessels that will haye engines of 600 to 1,000 horse power. Economy in weight, space and other im- portant particulars will be secured in these vessels by the use of water tube boilers. The latest announcement of a tug contract comes from Buffalo. The Union Dry Dock Co. of that city will build for the Maytham Tug Line a steel tug 90 feet long, 23 feet beam and 12 feet hold. 'Triple expan- sion engines, with cylinders 16, 25 and 40 inches diameter and 27 inches stroke, will be furnished by H. G. Trout & Co. There will be two water tube boilers having 100 feet heating surface and allowed 250 pounds steam pressure. Thirty-two pages of the annual report of Chief Naval Constructor Hichborn are devoted to tables. giving dimensions and other particulars of all vessels belonging to the United States navy, built and building or authorized. There are 141 of them, divided as follows: First-class battle- ships, nine; second-class battleships, two; armored cruisers, two; armored rams, one; double-turreted monitors, six; single-turreted monitors, thir- teen; protected cruisers, thirteen; unprotected cruisers, theee; gunboats, ten; composite gunboats, six; special class, three; steel torpedo boats, twenty-three; wood torpedo boats, one; iron cruising vessels, five; wooden cruising vessels, eleven; sailing vessels, six; tugs, fourteen; wooden steam vessels unfit for service, eight; wooden sailing vessels unfit for service, six. Secretary Long is expected to ask congress in his forthcoming annual report to authorize the construction of two gunboats for the naval militia. The building of such gunboats would mean the release from a great deal of work of all of the warships of the navy stationed on the Atiantic and Pacific stations, and allow them to carry out without interruption the full programme of maneuvers usually prepared for the summer months, and, in addition, will enable the naval militia to be instructed in the winter as well as in summer. The navy department would assign only a small detail of officers and men to gunboats of this character, leaving the militia- men to make up the required complement. Business men of Philadelphia propose to keep congress and the presi- dent reminded of their promises regarding American shipping. At a recent meeting of the board of trade of that city resolutions were adopted directing the officers of the board to forward to President McKinley com- munications calling attention to the pledges of the recent campaign to use the influence of the government in building up the American merchant marine. The president will be urged to give the subject prominence in his message. It is proposed also to urge the matter at the annual meeting of the National Board of Trade in December. Approximately $26,000,000 has been appropriated by the United States government during the past ten years for coast defenses. This is about one-third of what is required, in the opinion of army engineers to put the country in safe condition of defense. The money has been expended in the construction of modern fortifications and high-powered guns of great force and magnitude. A modern gun, with its carriage, emplacement and' ammunition, costs on an average $100,000. Advertisements for the construction of a vessel for cuast survey pur- poses will be issued by the navy department in a few days. The vessel will be of 800 tons displacement and capable of steaming 8 knots an hour. She will carry a coal supply of 200 tons to enable her to steam long dis- tances. The contract will require her completion in fifteen months, and she has already been nicknamed the Klondike, because she fs intended for - service in surveying the coasts of Alaska and the Aleutian islands. Gen. J. H. Kidd of Ionia, Mich., is secretary of the commission of engineers that is now engaged on surveys for a ship-canal from the lakes to Atlantic tidewater.