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1903. ] to have an appropriation of $4,000 included in the estimates. of the lighthouse board. to enable the board to contract with your association for the maintenance of the lightship. We failed to have said estimate included, as it was not approved by the light- house board, and we therefore applied to Senator McMillan, and he procured the appropriation of the sum of $4,000, to the lighthouse board to enable them to contract for maintenance of such lightship, by way of amendment to the sundry civil bill. 'Lhe appropriation having been made, your officers made a pro- position to the lighthouse board to maintain such lightship for the amount of the appropriation, $4,000, which proposition was accepted, after several mont:.s of negotiation. A contract was therefore entered into in October. which was dated July 1, whereby the Lake varriers' Association agreed to maintain such lightship during tne season of navivation from July 1, 1902, to July 1, 1903, for the sum of $4,000, pavable in equal installments: Jan. 1, 1903, and July 1, 1903. The installment earned has been received, as will appear from the treasurer's report. 'The asso- ciation has therefore been relieved from the greater part of the ° expense which it had theretofore borne for private lighting. The lighthouse board has included in its estimates for this year the item of $4,000 for lower Detroit river MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. -- __ im States lighthouse board will care for them. The Canadian goy- ernment has no facilities for caring for the buoys. Under date of Aug. 28 last your committee petitioned the lighthouse board to that effect, but no reply has, as. yet, been vouchsafeds Con- cerning the lighthouse and fog whistle at Point Abino, Lake Erie, your committee applied to the Dominion government but re- ceived no encouragement. Your committee has suggested to the Canadian government the advisability of building and equipping a tender to care for gas buoys in Canadian waters as a great many points in Canadian waters require buoys. 'The Dominion - government has. this subject now under consideration. An appropriation has been sectired for a lighthouse and fog whistle at. Crisp's Point, Lake Superior, and it is expected that the improvement will be under construction at the opening of Navigation. : coe Your committee, as directed, called the attention of the light~ house board to the fact that the aids to navigation on Stannard rock, Manitou island, Passage island, Outer island, Devil's island, and Sand island, Lake Superior, are extinguished before. the season of. navigation is quite over; that is, the keepers. of: these lights leave while there are still a considerable number of - vessels plyine the lights and $4,000 for lightship at Southeast shoal, so it will be necessary for the Lake. Car- tiers' Association to give attention to. the appropriations bill, so that these items may not be left, out: 2. A. -bill -was<rin-.- troduced. .at , the last. session of congress by Sena- tor McMillan, and in the. house of representatives by Mr.. "Burton" o f CMlaveland, provid- ing for the con- struction 'of - a lightship to be station e dat Southeast -- shoal, and the appropri- ations bill contain- ed an appropria- tion of $45,000 for t he purpose of carrying out the project. The pur- pose of such bill and appropriations was of course to relieve the Lake' Carriers' Associa- ti6n 'from the' maintenance of a private lightshin at that place. "We re- egret =-to: report, h o w ever, that the treasury de- partment has not. aveiled itself of the "appropriation, and lakes. fact. that keepers do leave your committee: has no. quarrel whatever. Tt is : quite essential: i that: they while the lake is still opett :.f oF them 'to doe so; tee suggested .o board the necessi- lamps. charged for two or three weeks unattended have left. If the lights are needed at al on islands they are needed most when navigation is at- tended with its highest perils: but to this necessary and reasonable re- quest the whatever that we are aware of. A. decided im- provement has. tions. Hitherto whenever a wreck occurred .it was found that nothing has -been done toward the construction of such vessel, for the reason that arrangements have not yet been made with the British foreign department for the stationing of a public vessel of the United States in Canadian waters. Your officers have kept before the lighthouse board the matter of early closing of light stations on the great lakes, but cannot report that any substantial progress has been made. dt was attempted to get the lighthouse board to experiment with Pintsch gas during this winter, but nothing has been accom- plished." : : AIDS TO NAVIGATION. The committee on aids to navigation, Geo. P. McKay, chair- man, begs leave to present the following: oe . Last winter the committee was instructed by the association to secure range lights at Pt. Edwards and at Point Aux Pins, upper St. Mary's river, three gas buoys at Stag island, St. Clair river, and a lighthouse at Point Abino, Lake Erie, all in Cana- dian waters. Your committee begs to report that the Canadian government will put up next spring range lights at Point Ed- wards and Point Aux Pins and has agreed to furnish three gas buoys on the west side of Stag island, providing the. United © Mr. J. C. Gilchrist. to mark it prompt- ly, owing to the while, of course, the wreck. being in the pathway of navi-. gation was a menace to all 'passing vessels. One' of 'the storms that passed over the lakes last fall left'a series of these" wrecks in its wake. An appeal was made to the navy depart- ment to send out the gunboat Michigan to locate them and other obstructions.. The request was acceded to with refreshing promptitude and the Michigan performed serviceable work. It is gratifying to note also that the corps of engineers have With the. th € should . leave their posts: but your commit-- ty of leaving upon' these islands gas after the keepers. these light-. house board has- paid no attention. been secured the. past year in the marking of wrecks. and other obstruc- impossible: the lightho u:s e& | sufficiently to burn -- [Lead Pencil Sketch. fact that the war department claimed to be without - facilities to _ locate it" - or to be. without jurisdiction to mark . it until it? dad, been. abandoned by the owner or underwriter. Mean- been authorized by the war department to secure whatever means | are necessary to mark wrecks promptly in the future. As a practical mears of promptly marking wrecks when located, it is: suggested that the inspectors of the lighthouse districts. carry reserve buoys with them, which may be placed upon the wrecks To that end, it is recommended that by the lighthouse tender. 1 the lighthouse inspector- be clothed with the necessary authority to execute this work. -- : It is a gratifying. circumstances that' since the lightship Ke- waunee has replaced- the old floating light at Southeast shoal,