The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

----_ --_-- Vou. XVIII. ---- --_--_ ON TO THE ATLANTIC. VESSELS WITH AN AGGREGATE CARRYING CAPACITY OF 69,500 TONS AND AN IN- SURANCE VALUATION OF $1,184,500, TRANSFERRED FROM THE LAKES. The past week has seen the consummation of the deal whereby the Atlantic Transportation Co. of New York has secured, through the agency of its manager, Mr. Walter S. Besse, and J. C. Gilchrist of Cleveland, the transfer from the great lakes to the Atlantic coast of four steamers and thirty-nine barges, with an aggregate carrying capacity of 69,500 tons and an insurance valuation of $1,184,500. All of the chartered vessels have already started for the St. Lawrence, and the plan is to have them reach. Montreal by the 15th inst., although there is some doubt as to the accom- plishment of this purpose. The Review presents therewith the full list of the vessels chartered, together with the carrying capacity, insurance valuation and owners' names. 'The project for the transference of these vessels to the coast, which was for a time regarded with some skepticism 'by many of the lake owners, has gradually come to be more favorably considered. One inci- dent which thas aided this impression is found in the promptness with which the representatives of the Atlantic company paid the charter price for the first month's service. On the other hand, shipping and ship build- ing interests on the Atlantic coast, which were at the outset decidedly apathetic regarding the effect of this accession of tonnage, 'have in some LAKE VESSELS' CHARTERED TO ATLANTIC TRANSPORTATION CO}, } OF NEW YORK. ' \ Capacity Insurance STEAMERS. net tons. valuation. OHARTERED FROM.) 2,500 $100,000 . C. R. Jones, Cleveland.) 1,700 68,000 C. R. Jones, Cleveland. 2,200 100,000 H.W. McCormick, Bay City. 2,200 + .100,000° ..LL. H. McCormick, Menominee. 2,000 25,000 J.C. 'Gilchrist, Cleveland. , 18,000 ro P 1,500 18,000 ie * 1,500 17,000 ' ; 1,400 14,000 oo o 1,300 14,000 me : 1,300 18,000 S "" 1,200 12,000 ~ te 1,300 16,000 ee ' 1,400 15,000 " 2 1,400 15,000 John F. Wedow, Cleveland. Halloran............ Bee ee 1,500 16,000 Thomas Murphy, Cleveland. IMABSAROILIC <<cteeee ee e 1,200 14,000 Leander Burdick, Toledo. Sage, H. W s 1,500 20.000 John Kelderhouse, Buffalo. Redwing... 1,500 16,000 A.A. Parker, Detroit. San Diego.. 1,500 16,000 A.A. Parker, Detroit. Tron State. 2,0 30,000 . J. W. Millen, Detroit. ron City...... 1,2 22,500 J. W. Millen, Detroit. | Watsonu su vcRsse mee 1,000 10,000 Byron Whitaker, Detroit. arker, Thos. L..............-+ 1,200 20,000 C. W. Elphicke, Chicago. Windonarns seers eee, 2,100 35,000 Mack-Becker fleet, Cleveland. E59) Wad Dh crocs pescononbons 2,100 48,000 Mack-Becker fleet, Cleveland. Ash, Annie M.............ccce008. 2,500 46,000 Mack-Becker fleet, Cleveland. Whecttahisete. ser sara 1,400 16,000 Alvin Neal, Port Huron. allace, David.................. 1,800 27,000 David Wallace, Lorain. Wall) Charles.......-....0.-..0--- 1,200 9,000 OC. R. Jones, Cleveland. i Kins 1,200 10,000 O.R. Jones, Cleveland. 1,400 12,000 ae: ee 1,200 10,000 J. W. Westcott, Detroit. 2.300 42,500 Hawgood & Avery, Cleveland. 1,900 32,500 seo ; 2,400 Xa Thomas Fitzpatrick, Cleveland. 1,500 18,000 Inter Ocean Trans. Co., Milwaukee. utters b eee se 1,800 25,000 - Thos. Adams, Detroit. : McGregor, Wm.................. 1.500 17,000 Northwest Trans Co., Detroit. nny tel: H.. Sete" 1,500 17,000 : mn: x ONGOn sess: 1 ee 1,500 16,000 ©. A. Chamberlin, Detroit, Gl V Stil... 5 Severe 1,600 18,000 H.J. Johnson, Cleveland. age y Mee W selene. 1,400 16,000 \. Fries, Milan, Ohio. 69,500 $1.184,500 degree been aroused, now that its actual consummation has been recorded. chooner owners and agents on the coast express the fear that the transfer of this large number of barges from the lakes will ruin the schooner busi- ness, and in justification of their opinion point to the number of coastwise vessels which have been laid up on account of freight rates. _ In coal transportation circles in the east there has been much specu- lation as to the intentions of the company, and all sorts of rumors have een in circulation, but without either verification or denial, as the officials at the New York office of the Atlantic company have steadily refused to give out information. The Atlantic company is known 'to thave been en- deavoring for some time past to secure tonnage, and one of these rumors credits it with the purchase of nearly all the vessels of Morse & Co. and Tracy & 'Co. of New York, while not only thas the entire fleet of the Boston Towboat Co. been chartered, but overtures are claimed to have been made for the tugs of Lewis Luckenbach. The four-year contract which the Atlantic company holds, and reference to which was made in the Review last Week, is with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Co., and is forall that Portion' of their output of Coke and variots kinds of coal which goes to eastern markets, " Vessel men on the lakes have in some instances been surprised by the Statement that the older wooden vessels, such as haye been chartered, al- though.inisome.cases unable to secure insurance of any kind on the lakes, would have no difficulty on that score on the Atlantic,coast. That such is the case is due to the route on which the vessels will be placed. From €wport News, the terminal, to Delaware breakwater is only. 110 miles, and from Delaware breakwater to New York is only 125 miles. Above New York, the vessels can for a considerable portion of the distance make use of the "inside" route, passing between Long island and the mainland. t will thus be seen that the course is a remarkably safe one, whereas these vessels, when engaged in lake trade, would be obliged to make runs very CLEVELAND, O., OCTOBER 6, 1808. MARINE REVIEW Noss. much longer and decidedly more hazardous. Some 250 or 300 men will be required to man the vessels going to the coast. In almost all cases the captains who have been on the vessel will be retained. Most of them are quite as pleased with the prospect of winter work as is the owner with the opportunity to draw checks for the use of his vessel during the months. when, had she remained on the lakes, she would have been laid up. There. is some doubt about two or three of the chartered boats, notably the Che- cotah and Brunette, being gotten ready in time or for other reasons being unable to fulfil the contract stipulations. In referring last week to the new barges building for the Atlantic company at Bath, Me., the Review inadvertantly stated that the boats were under construction at the Bath Iron Works. 'The misstatement is, cor- rected in a letter from William Rogers, the well-known Bath ship builder. Mr. Rogers writes: "Your statement in the.last issue to the effect that -- four vessels are building at the yard of the Bath Iron Works for the At- lantic Transportation 'Co. is an error. {I have during the year built for the Atlantic Transportation 'Co. the barges Kentucky and West Virginia and have on the stocks and nearing completion the Virginia and New York, each of 3,000 tons capacity, and all to be completed this season. You will therefore understand why we feel an interest in what is coming from the lakes to enter into competition with the wooden product of Bathi (ship yards, and this was my reason for asking the dimensions of the largest vessel which can pass through the canals. Thanks to your Blue Book, I have been able to ascertain this information." -- ORT Bailie aed { | VESSEL MEN ARE PLEASED, nt THE FREIGHT SITUATION JS IN THEIR FAVOR--OAPACITY OF THE FLEET THAT GOES To THE EASTERN SEABOARD. | Eko { The season of navigation is closing to the entire satisfaction of the vessel interests. The volume of business will again 'be largely in excess of previous years, and conditions attending the closing months of the sea- son are such as prompt activity in the ship yards, not only iu repairs but also in new ships. The Atlantic Transportation Co. of 'Niew York takes forty-three ships (thirty-nine barges and four steamers) from the lakes to engage in the coal trade on the Atlantic coast. The combined capacity of these vessels is 69,500 net tons. They are all vessels of the past in the matter of earnings when compared with the modern steel ship, but they -- were nevertheless a factor in lake freights. A conservative estimate as to their capacity for a full season is 1,251,000 net tons of freight. This is based on eighteen cargoes in a season for each of the vessels, and that number of 'cargoes is undoubtedly low when the steamers are taken into. account, and when it is understood also that several of the barges--those ~ of the 'Mack-Becker fleet, for instance--were so engaged that they would carry nearly double that number of cargoes in a season. The loss of these ~ vessels will be felt especially in the coal trade at the so-called out-of-the- way ports, and in the ore trade at places like Tonawanda, at all of which ~ ports modern dock machinery must be provided to care for vessels of a ~ iarger Class that will take the place of those leaving the lakes. : The advancing of freight rates, due mainly to a large grain crop, have - more than equalled the expectation of vessel owners. [Chicago has taken~ ~- care of all vessels offered for nearly a month jpast at grain rates based on 134 cents for corn to Buffalo, and on the northiwestern wheat crop, moving through Duluth, a rate of 24% cents to Buffalo has been well maintained. Contracts covering 2,000,000 bushels of Duluth and Fort William grain, to be moved to Buffalo during the first 'half of (November, were made in Duluth a few days ago at a 2%4-cent rate. It was said that 1,000,090 bushels of this grain was taken 'by the Bessemer \Steamship 'Co. (Rockefeller fleet), but the mianagiement of that company would say nothing on the subject when inquiry was made regarding the transaction. September ore ship- menis were about 200,000 tons short of shipments in September of last year, and it is now evident that the output of 14,500,000 gross tons of ore for 1898, figured en some time ago, will not be reached. A general shortage of mining labor in the Lake Superior region and high grain fr2ignts are the causes of restriction in ore. The output will probably not exceed 13,500,000 tons. iThere is satisfaction in the shortage to both ore and vessel interests, however, as it means reduced stock piles on Lake Erie docks next May. Rates on ore up to this time have been held down to 75 cents from the head of Lake Superior, 60 to 65 cents from Marquette ~ and 55 to 60 cents from Escanaba, but at these figures, which are lower than the grain rates, the ore shippers have secured only a small part of theii share of vessel capacity during the past ten days. 'It is more than probable that quite a little chartering could be done from the head of the lakes at 80 cents if vessels were to be had at that figure. 4 W.R. Trigg's Ship Building Preparations. 'Mr. .W. R. Trigg of 'the Richmond Locomotive Works*@f Richmond, Va., wh@:recéntly secured 'the contract for seyeral torpedo "boats and. tor- pedo boat 'destroyers, is: going: ahead energetically with preparations 'for the fulfilliiént of his contracts. He has taken tempor. ypquarters in the Richmond Chamber of 'Commerce building and is supona aiding the prep- aration of preliminary plans for the new buildings and launching. ways-for--.---- the plant." (Mr. J. O. Nelson, constructor, and F.,E. Pratt, who has been "1 in the government employ for several' years, will be among those asso- | ciated with Mr. Trigg. They are already giving 'their entire time to the {, new enterprise. | The-intention is:to provide buildings and machinery 'that will be of the character required for a permanent ship building plant. The engine work will be done at the Richmond Locomotive Works. 'Capt. C. E. Benham has been appointed deputy collector of customs at Cleveland.