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MARINE REVIE Published every Thursday at 418-19 Perry-Payne Bldg. VoL. XVIII. CLEVELAND, O., DECEMBER 15, 1808. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second class matter. FOURTEEN MILLIONS. IRON ORE SHIPMENTS FROM THE LAKE SUPERIOR REGION DURING 1898 WILL AGGREGATE THAT NUMBER OF GROSS TONS--COMPLETE REPORTS SHOW LAKE SHIPMENTS OF 13,650,788 TONS---STILL THE STOCKS AT LAKE ERIE PORTS ARE LESS THAN THEY WERE A YEAR AGO. An output of 14,000,000 gross tons is to be credited to the Lake Su- perior iron ore region for 1898. This will be more than a million and a half tons in excess of last year, when the output exceeded all previous years. Official returns from dock managers at all ore shipping ports have been received by the Marine Review, and the shipments by lake are found to foot up 13,650,788 gross tons. Rail shipments, which were quite heavy, especially to Chicago early in the year, will probably approximate 500,000; in any event, the rail shipment will be sufficient to bring the total up to fourteen millions. Of the increase of 1,435,143 gross tons over last year, full 1,250,000 tons was shipped in the first month of the season. There was practically no gain in shipment after the middle of May. This is one of the most important results of a very early opening of navigation in 1898. The season was a very long one. The principal gains are in ship- ments from Escanaba, Marquette and Ashland. The big Minnesota mines did not get the increased output that was expected. Duluth shipments show an increase of only 254,546 tons, while at Two Harbors the gain over last year is only 41,780. Other gains over last year are: Escanaba, 501,392 tons; Marquette, 300,454; Ashland, 323,451; Superior, 18,578. At Gladstone there is a decrease of 5,058 tons compared with last year. Shipments of the several ports during five years past are recorded in the following table: LAKE SHIPMENTS OF IRON ORE--GROSS TONS. PORTS. 1895 1897 1896 1895 1894 Escanaba . 2,803,513 2,302,121 2,321,931 2,860,172 1,644,776 Marquette 2,245,973 1,945,519 1,564,813 1,079,485 1,424,850 Ashland ...... 2,391,088 2,067,637 1,566,236 2,350,219 1,738,590 Two Harbor: 2,693,245 2,651,465 1,813,992 2,118,156 1,373,253 Gladstone ... 35,956 341,014 220,887 109,211 79,208 Superiore. ee ee s 550,403 531,825 167,245 NATE SS Ase |e estes. DUE tee cocoons 2,630,610 2,376,064 1,988,932 1,598,783 1,369,252 Totalebyglakecceccacceccee ee 18,650,788 | 12,215,645 9,644,036 | 10,233,910 7,629,829 Ota lob yall lessen sescs sence al | socosssents esas ce 253,993 290,792 195,127 118,394 Mota lishipmentse reese ece | esses oes 12,469,638 9,934,828 |10,429,037 7,748,223 No attempt has been made to give shipments by ranges or to make up a summary of the output of the principal mines, as the figures would be somewhat doubtful in view of uncertainty as to rail shipments. A full summary of the rail movement and complete shipments by mines will be published early in January. It may be well to note, however, that the output from the Mesabi range this year aggregates 4,594,822 gross tons, against 4,280,873 gross tons in 1897. INSURANCE PROBLEM-HEAVY LAKE LOSSES. Insurance losses, hull and cargo, on the great lakes during the season just closed will foot up $1,250,000 on vessels that have actually passed out of existence. This figure has reference only to total losses, or in other words to cases where the entire insurance was paid. It is not possible to secure figures covering the numerous heavy repair bills on steel vessels due to groundings, collisions, etc., or the hundreds of partial losses of one kind and another. If these were included, it is more than probable that the aggregate would be almost double that of any previous year. The weather since October has been a continuous succession of gales. The half dozen large vessels lost within the past three weeks--Aurora, Harlem, Tampa, Sibley, St. Lawrence--represent with their cargoes full half a million. -- The usual list of total losses made up by the Review 1s not printed in this issue, for the reason that it would probably be incomplete, as there 1s still a large fleet of vessels moving and the danger of loss is even greater now than it has been at any time during the year. It must be admitted that the marine insurance problem for next season is much more desperate from the standpoint of the vessel owner than he is willing to admit. This is especially true of the wooden ship. When it is suggested, however, that probably there will be no insurance for wooden vessels, the usual answer of the owner of such vessels is: "Let it come; probably we will be better off, if everybody is placed on the same level. The vessel owner is undoubtedly right in the complaint that the business has been extravagantly managed for a great number of years past, but on the other hand there must be an end to a system of values that admits of 50 per cent. being made in some cases on total losses. : ; C. A. McDonald of Chicago, who has been conferring with several owners, mainly in Cleveland, on a scheme that contemplates a continuation of interests for next year, is still at work, but with nothing definite in hand as yet. He proposes to bring together a big hull line, which is tp include steel and wooden ships, but nothing of lower rating than the A 1% of In- fand Lloyds. The owners of these vessels are to agree on values and to agree also to take, one with the other, 10 per cent of the entire line of in- surance. With this basis of co-insurance, Mr. McDonald is of the opinion that he can go to some of the old companies that have been engaged in lake business and place the entire line at rates ranging from 3% for steel vessels to 414 for the wooden vessels; this, with practically the present policy, ex- cept that the date of expiration might probably be made Dec. 5,.instead of Dec. 12, as at present, and with a clause also making the minimum of ies about $500 on steel vessels and probably $300 on wooden vessels... The offer Gi owners to take even 10 per cent. of-the risk may prove-a-sfrong argu- ment, and Mr. McDonald, with a full knowledge of the insurance question, may be confident of his ability to arrange details so as to command the attention of the insurance companies. But the first problem he has in hand is the most difficult one--that of inducing the vessel owners to place con- fidence enough in him to undertake a radical departure with their interests in his hands. The Institute of Marine Underwriters, which includes representatives of all the large American companies, as well as underwriters in this country representing English companies, and which was organized during the past summer with a view to improvement in rates, met-in New York'a few days ago. "Nothing done" was the verdict after the meeting. "The companies did not want to bind themselves to agreements," it was said, preferring independence of action." RECEIPTS AND STOCKS OF ORE AT LAKE ERIE PORTS. Notwithstanding the immense output of ore shown in the foregoing tables, it is found from Lake Erie dock reports that stocks on dock at the close of navigation are 787,348 tons less in the aggregate than they were at this time a year ago. This is certainly an encouraging feature of the situation. One of the ore sales agents, who is always well posted in all matters pertaining to the iron and steel industry, is of the opinion that upon the opening of navigation next spring stocks on Lake Erie docks will not exceed 1,700,000 tons, as against 3,167,915 tons at the opening of navigation this year. Complete returns from ore dock managers at Lake Erie ports show receipts at these docks for the past season aggregating 11,028,321 gross tons, while the amount on dock with the close of navigation is 5,136,407 tons. The receipts are 907,415 tons in excess of 1897, but as already noted there is a decrease of 787,348 tons in the amount remaining on dock. As shown by figures presented on May 1 of this year there was on dock at Lake Erie ports at the opening of navigation 3,167,915 tons of ore; add to this the receipts during the season just closed, 11,028,321 tons, and we have a total of 14,196,286 tons; deduct 5,136,407 tons, the amount now on dock, and we find that the shipments to furnaces between May 1 and Dec. 1 were 9,059,829 tons, against 7,453,648 tons during the same period in 1897 and 5,021,146 tons during the same period in 1896. It will be noted that there is a difference of 2,622,467 tons in the ship- ments from upper lake ports and receipts at Lake Erie ports. This dif- ference represents the ore that was moved by water to South Chicago and other points on Lake Michigan. In 1897 the water shipments to South Chicago and points other than Lake Erie ports, aggregated 2,094,739 tons, and in 1896 they were 1,631,489 tons. Following are the tables showing receipts at Lake Erie ports and amounts on dock during five years past: IRON ORE RECEIPTS AT LAKE ERIE PORTS--GROSS TONS. Ports. 1898 1897 1896 1895 1894 Migledonstecise, eee rena 414,012 | 416,438 | 301,794 | 260,730 .| 158,384 Sandusky... 136,200 79.792 8, 12,361 ,043 TOs 20s 126,755 | 198,231 | 226,515 | 146,442 | 172,775 Moraine eee 536,086 | _ 355,188 91, 214/219 | 150,424 Cleveland........ 645.318 | 2,456,704 | 2,313,170 | 2,312,370 | 1,624,573 Ruirportecaine es eee = 912,879 | 1,008,340 446 | "914,617 | _ "976,222 Athtablacec tte ee 2,684,563 | 3,001,914 | 2,272\822 | 2,474,791 | 1,987,722 Conneaut... cccsscsssesscsseeesseen] 1,404,169 | 495,327 | '327,623 967 | "237/905 Etienne otrenrnnnny 1,092,364 | 1,311,526 | 847,849 | 811/989 | 624,438 TUTTO... ceccee serccererenaes sonceceee Boalt. ss sree ccoticteetrteoeeel | 076,975 | 107,446 | (545,101 | 70 42] S06. 838 Mothers cue onre 11,028,321 | 10,120,906 |" 8,026,432 | 8.112.228 | 6,350,825 IRON ORE ON LAKE ERIE DOOKS, DEO. 1--GROSS TONS. Ports. 1898 1897 1896 1895 1893 Moledo. sient ctcnedesoeteoeiee eee) 146/568" |/ 104,610 1) 15 ang" |) eiiesres 96,157 Sandusky «isAu sansacsescceneaee 48,500 84.786 59,491 34,375 7,004 Huot. htc secant 139,982 |. 230,029 | . 200,075 | 101,000 | 147,632 Lotains jie acemeencnn 324,034 | _ 317,509 | _ 281,288 24, 223,733 Cleve lartcl teenie settenterices 1,175,970 | 1,478,355 | 1,419.311-| 1,200,792 | 1,441,785 Faitgow disc: cen eee 719,794 | 825,812 | "773,905 | "605,470 98 Ashitabbulecins.-tesaecsccmvviaccrt 1,732,671 | 1,835,694 | 1,441,666. | 1,301,302 | 1,439,119 TI] "288;101 | "360,895 | "275,800 | "292,460 | 199,365 439,167 | 484,871 | 355,222 | 335,718 | 454,283 121,620 |__111,660 82,267 | 207,199 94,239 5,136,407 _| 5,923,755 | 4,954,984 | 4,415,712 |" 4,834,247 - DEATH OF J. TAYLOR GAUSE. The last issue of the Review contained a brief notice of the death of Mr. J. Taylor Gause, president of the Harlan & Hollingsworth Co. of Wilmington, Del. Mr. Gause was prominently identified with the devel- opment of ship building in America. He was born in 1823 and went to Wilmington just twenty years later. He started in a humble position but was gradually advanced from one post to another until in 1858 he was formally admitted as an equal partner in the business with Mr. Harlan and Mr. Hollingsworth, forming the firm of Harlan, Hollingsworth CAO, which was in 1867 merged into the present corporation, the Harlan & Hollingsworth Co. Upon the death of Samuel Harlan in 1883 Mr. Gause assumed the entire management of the business. He retired from the presidency of the company on July 1, 1896, and was succeeded by Henry G. Morse. On August 10, 1898, the resignation of Mr. Morse was announced and Mr. Gause was, a few days later, elected to his old poSition. Messrs. H. T. and Horace W. Gause, sons of the deceased, are con- nected with the Harlan & Hollingsworth Co. Steps have been taken by the Commissioners of customs of Great Britain to arrange for the registration for statistical purposes of all ships built in British yards for foreign owners. No. 2S.