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MARINE REVIEW Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. Published every Thursday at 418-19 Perry- Payne Bldg., by the Marine Review Pub. Oo. VoL. XXII, CLEVELAND, O., JUNE 7, 1900; Foreign $480 a year No. 23 FREIGHTS ON THE GREAT LAKES. ROCKEFELLER VESSELS A PRIME FACTOR IN THE SITUATION--ENORMOUS INCREASE IN ORE SHIPMENTS. It has been said repeatedly in these columns since October last, when some eighteen millions of vessel capacity was placed under contract to move iron ore during the present season, that the key to lake freights on grain and ore not covered by contracts was held in the office of the Bessemer Steamship Co.; that John D. Rockefeller's representatives, controlling the great bulk of the vessel capacity that is not under con- tract, had it within their power to hold the "wild" rates up to contract figures, or far above the contract rates if business conditions warranted an increase over those rates. It was also said that a natural move in. this direction would be the tying up of a large part of the capacity controlled by the Rockefeller interest. The freight situation since the opening of navigation has been somewhat against the vessels that are not under contract. Any force of Rockefeller tonnage on the market for grain or ore for which the ships were not contracted would make the situation worse. Developments of the past few days certainly indicate that this tonnage is not to be forced upon the market. Rumors of large numbers of the vessels being assembled and held in ordinary have been freely cir- culated in all parts of the lakes, but there is no definite information on this score, as Mr. Rockefeller's representatives are as usual keeping their own council in the matter. It is plain, however, that the vessels of the Bessemer company are being handled with a view to upholding freights. The effect thus far has been general improvement in a freight market that would certainly have gone the other way if it were not for the surplus tonnage being held by one interest. The influence of this element in the market is the more remarkable when the enormous movement of freight on the lakes thus far this season is taken into account. Reports from the Sault canals show a total freight movement to June 1 that is 37 per cent. in excess of what it was on the same date a year ago. A large part of this gain is, of course, due to the earlier opening of navigation--two weeks in advance of last year. The increase extends to practically all lines excepting grain. More wheat was moved from Lake Superior than to June 1 of last year, but if corn and other cereals are taken into account, the grain movement as a whole is thus far a little short of 1899. Reports from the ore shipping ports regarding the movement to June 1 are sufficiently complete to indicate an increase of fully a million tons. This is an enormous gain at the outset of the season, especially when it is considered that on June 1, 1899, there was a shortage compared with 1898, but it would be well to note also that the May movement of ore this year may possibly be equal to the output of any month in the season. Everything in the way of ore shipping facilities--docks, cars and mines--was primed up for heavy shipments as soon as the ore began moving. The preparations for a great output at the beginning of the season were such as had never been made before. END OF UNION DRY DOCK STRIKE--BUFFALO MATTERS. Buffalo, N. Y., June 6.--After lasting eighteen weeks and beating both the men and the company out of thousands of dollars of business, the strike of the Union Dry Dock Co.'s workmen has ended with the men substantially where they were at the outset. There has been no little loss to innocent parties, of course. The Union Transit Co. has this week brought out the steamer Portage, which is the third of the line that had to go to Tonawanda to have work done on boilers. These steamers were boycotted here on account of having had some work done in the Union yard and so they went down the river and patronized a non-union yard. The Portage has lost more than a month by the strike. Package freight business is running down steadily, both east and west bound, but there is no rate cutting except west of the lakes. Somebody at Montreal has been giving the Conners syndicate and the St. Lawrence grain route a new black eye by riddling the estimates of profits to be made by vessels in that route, but even he did not cover the ground very well, spite of his zeal in the cause. For instance he did not touch the estimate of 85,000 bushels that is to be carried by a vessel, when it is well known that the 14 feet draught is often cut down to 18% feet at Port Colborne lock, which means a cargo of not more than 60,000 bushels of wheat, an actual cut down to a small fraction over 70 per cent. of the Conners' estimate. We are not at all afraid of the northern route and have not been. When it comes to speaking of inroads in the Buffalo grain business made of late by Erie and some of the Ohio ports it appears to 'be another thing, for there is apparently the very best of reason for a continuation of the old lead in this business. The rail rate is lower than ever before and the canal rate to correspond, so that when wheat is 114 cents from Chi- cago the canal and a cut-rate elevator will carry a bushel all the way to New York for less than 4 cents, something hardly possible by any other route Our marine men are saying that it is the fear of strikes that has done the mischief, but that is a groundless fear. The grain handlers have behaved.much better than the average workingmen, here or elsewhere. Time will have to tell what is the matter. The long-delayed activity in steel-plant development is over. There is more land bought and activity is so plain to all that the croaker, who was ready to make his speech when the plant was side-tracked by selling out to some other combination, has had to go into other business. The Pennsylvania Railroad is also 'buying land in the same vicinity and we shall soon have another marine, manufacturing and railroad city just over the city line. JOHN CHAMBERLIN. While it is too early to obtain the facts in the case, there is reason to believe that owing to the failure of the conference committees to agree several of the items relating to the improvements of rivers and harbors have been left out of the sundry civil bill. VISIT OF CONGRESSMEN TO THE LAKES. _ _A meeting of members of the Lake Carriers' Association will be held in Cleveland, Friday, to consider a plan devised by Messrs. Farrington, Keep and other executive officers of the association for the entertainment of members of the rivers and harbors committee of the house of repre- sentatives when they visit the lakes in August for the purpose of exam- ining government works and becoming acquainted with the conditions under which commerce is carried on. Of course the plans are not defi- nite as yet, but it is proposed to have the party leave Buffalo about August 8 or 9 on one of the large side-wheel steamers of the Cleveland & Buffalo line. Entertainment will be provided in Buffalo before depart- ure. If possible a day would be given to stops at Erie, Conneaut and Ashtabula, but if one of the large steamers 'can not be secured for this kind of trip, the party would reach Cleveland on the morning of the 10th after the ordinary night run from Buffalo. They will spend August 10 in Cleveland, where no doubt the chamber of commerce will look after their welfare. On the evening of the 10th they will leave on the Detroit boat for Detroit, arriving at Detroit on the morning of the 11th, and remaining in Detroit until about 3 p.m. They will then take the steamer North Land from Detroit, arriving at Mackinac the following morning, August 12, having an hour and a half there for a drive around the island. Reaching the Sault about 6 p. m. the same evening, they will have nearly three hours of daylight at the Sault. The North Land will change the schedule for that trip, and instead of reaching Duluth on the following day at about 8 or 8 p. m., will make the trip through the Portage canal, arriving at Hancock by 9 o'clock August 13, and remaining there about three hours, giving opportunity to see portions of the Calumet & Hecla plant and arriving at Duluth the same evening about midnight. __ This plan will give the party the day of starting in Buffalo, and pos- sibly a day in which to visit Erie, Conneaut and Ashtabula; a day cer- tainly in Cleveland, the following day in Detroit, time for a drive at Mackinac, three hours to see the sights at the Sault, an opportunity to visit the copper mines, and daylight rides through the upper Detroit river, St. Clair river, St. Mary's river and the Portage canals. Return- ing they make the trip on the North West or North Land, taking the boat immediately back and running on regular schedule time, or stopping at Duluth for the next boat in case the iron ore companies want to take them up to the mines, as they have heretofore talked of doing. The lower Detroit river will be run by daylight on the return trip. CANADA NATIONAL RAILWAY & TRANSPORT CO. A bill has been introduced in the parliament at Ottawa to incorporate the Canada National Railway & Transport Co. The author of the bill is Archibald Campbell. The list of incorporators given in the bill are: F. S. McKinnon, wholesale merchant, John Ryan, contractor, McDowell Thomson, barrister, of Toronto; A. L. Wood, M. P., wholesale hardware, Hamilton; James McMillan, M. P.. banker, Mount Forest; George Landestein, M P., Hanover; Archibald Campbell, M. P., Toronto; John Wilson, Fred Thomas Hodgson and David Wilson, Collingwood, Ont.; John Geddes Keith, Chicago; George Grenville Barnum and William Buchanan, Duluth, Minn.; Frederick Kraus, Milwaukee, Wis.; George Frank Piper, Minneapolis; John Buchanan McColl, Toronto, Ont.; Wal- liam James Hill, Deer Park, Ont.; George Henry Breyman, Toledo, O.; George Parry Graham, Brockville, Ont.; Robert Cumming Stewart and John Henry Boyle, Toronto. : The company is to be capitalized at $5,000,000 and its purpose is to construct a railway from Toronto to Collingwood. Mr. Archibald Camp- bell, writing to the Review, regarding the enterprise says: "The company is applying for a charter to build an air line railway from Toronto to Collingwood, a distance of 70 miles, with eight large steamers of 20 foot draught on the upper lakes and thirty-two steamers of full canal size on the lower lakes. The plans are instead of sending the grain from the great west down the Detroit river and Lake Erie and thence through the Welland canal to send it to Collingwood and then transport it over the 70 miles of railway to Toronto and then load it on the smaller boats which will take it to Montreal. This route will shorten the distance from Cockburn Island (the common diverging point) some 875 miles to Montreal over the Welland canal route and will avoid the dangerous route down the Detroit river, as well as about 24 hours' time getting through the 'Welland canal. The railway will be double track 100- pound steel rails and will be equipped with steel cars capable of carrying from 1,500 to 2,000 bushels of grain, constructed with hopper bottoms so that by keeping the tracks elevated a little at Toronto the grain will run out 'either into the vessel or elevator with the least possible expense. By this route to Montreal there would be only 70 miles of railway and 46 miles of canal. Comparing it with the Buffalo route we reach Montreal by covering 580 miles (70 of which are rail and 46 canal), whereas to reach New York it is 1,180 miles, 500 of which is canal or rail." The bill authorizes the company to construct and lease docks, store- houses and elevators and to construct and charter steam vessels and to operate them in connection with its railway. The Philadelphia Commercial Museum has just issued a little bulletin containing conversion tables of weights and measures and foreign moneys. It was compiled with a view of providing means for the easy conversion of money, weights and measures used in the United States to those used in the principal commercial countries. American manufacturers fre- quently make the mistake of quoting in their own money and measure. Pounds, yards and gallons have about the same significance to the foreign merchant as the pood, catty, pund, caudra and fanega have to the Am- erican merchant. The Alliance will shortly be sent to the New York navy yard where she will be equipped with new boilers. The department will use for this purpose two boilers taken out of the Atlanta.