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1903.] MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. 23 points as wheat centers is following that of the American head of the lake at Duluth and is caused by the same conditions the rapid filling up of good wheat growing land to the west. AT LAKE SHIP YARDS, Mr. H. A. Hawgood of Cleveland has just closed contract with the American Ship Building Co. for a new modern steel steamer to be equipped with triple-expansion engines and Scotch boilers and to be capable of carrying 6,200 tons of iron ore on 18 ft. draught. The steamer will be built at the West Superior yard of the ship building company. 'This is one of the contracts referred to as pending in the last issue of the Review. A contract has also been closed with the American Ship Building Co. for a so-called car ferry for use on Lake Erie to be run in connection with the Pere Marquette railroad. 'The plans for this steamer were projected by the Lake Erie & Detroit Glasgow, Scotland, and one at Newcastle-on-Tyne, Eng., for Canadian owners. The Algoma Central Railway Co. is looking for a new steamer for one of its freight and passenger runs; tlic recently organized Inland Lakes Transportation Co. is about closing a deal for three old Baltic sea grain carriers in England, and the Western Navigation Co., just formed, is negotiating in England for one or more freight carriers for service on the upper lakes. Hamilton owners are also enquiring in the British mar- ket for suitable vessels for the lake trade, so that if all the prom- ises are fulfilled there will be something like fifteen additional Canadian owned vessels seeking freight cargoes almost entirely on the upper lakes. In connection with these additions to the Canadian lake marine it is of interest to note that the Canadian ship builders recently waited on the Dominion government to ask for an additional encouragement to ship building in the Domin- ion in the shape of a bonus equal to the amount of duty paid AFTER A LATE TRIP UP THE FULL LENGTH OF LAKE SUPERIOR. Pictures showing the great quantity of ice formed on the decks and deck houses of the Peavey company's steamer F. T. Heffelfinger during a late run last season from the Sault to Duluth. River railway with terminals at Port Stanley and Sarnia before it passed under the dominion of the Pere Marquette railroad. The steamer is intended to run between Conneaut and one of the three Canadian ports on Lake Erie touched by this railway, probably Port Stanley. She will be fitted with tracks similar to a car ferry, upon which coal cars will be run and their contents dumped into the hold. It is not the purpose to ferry thte cars across the lake. 'The receiving docks on the Canadian side will be fitted with clam-shell hoists. 'The tracks will be made to fold so as to form an almost continuous hatchway for the operation of the clam-shells. The new vessel is to be ready by next winter. Plans for this vessel are being drawn by Mr. Frank E. Kirby ot Detroit. In addition there are other orders on the tapis at lake ship yards. The Jenks Ship Building Co., Port Huron, Mich., has just closed contract for the construction of a steel steamer to be a duplicate of the John P. Cowle in everything except length. The new steamer will be 20 ft. shorter than the Cowle or 410 ft. in length. The Cowle was delivered last fall. It is not as yet announced for whom the vessel is building. The steel steamer Hurlburt W. Smith was launched last Saturday at the Lorain yard of the American Ship Building Co. with flags at half-mast in memory of Capt. W. W. Brown, the late managing owner of the fleet to which the steamer be- longs. 'The steamer was christened by Mrs. Hurlburt W. Smith of Syracuse, N. Y. The new steamer is 434 ft. over all, 414 ft. keel, 50 ft. beam and 28 ft. deep. She will have triple-expansion engines with cylinders 22, 35 and 58 in. in diameter with stroke of 40 in. Steam will be supplied by two Scotch boilers 13 ft. 2 in. in diameter and 11 ft. 6 in. long, equipped with Ellis & Eaves draft. 'The appointments of the Smith are of an unusual char- acter as her interior is arranged for the accommodation of the directors of the company. The Ottawa Forwarding Co., is building at Ottawa a steamer 112 ft. long, 23 ft. beam and 8 ft. depth of hold, to be fitted with fore and aft compound engines, and capable of carrying 250 tons of cargo, for the Ottawa-Montreal trade. 'This is the first steamer built at the canal basin, Ottawa, for four years, and is the first steamer on Ottawa river in the construction of which Pacific coast timber has been employed. There is likely to be a large addition to the. number of Canadian bottoms on the great lakes this year. In addition to the two under construction at Collingwood for the Playfair Co. of Midland and the St. Lawrence & Chicago Transportation Co. of Toronto, respectively, and the one being built by the Bertrams at Toronto for the Victoria Lumber Co., two are being built at on imported materials for ship building. At present a British registered vessel can engage in the coasting trade of Canada, whether British or foreign built, the only exception being that foreign built vessels given a British registry since September, 1902, are liable to a duty on seeking to engage in the Canadian coasting trade. Large quantities of the materials used in ship- building have to be imported and duty paid thereon, consequently a Canadian ship builder cannot compete with the British yards, seeing that the completed ship comes in duty free. That the ship builders are not alone in asking for the re-adjustment of the law in this respect, is evidenced by the passing of a similar resolution by the National Association of Marine Engineers of Canada at its annual meeting at Montreal, Jan. 29. A relief to the extent asked for would be a great encouragement to ship building in Canada. The yard at Collingwood, Ont., has been fairly successful since it started and with a readjustment of the coasting regulations placing Canadian and British builders more on an equality, it would be more successful and the new yard of which Mr. Angstrom, late of the Bertram yard, is to be man- -ager, will also find plenty of work. The location of this new yard has not been definitely settled, but it is understood that it will be at Sarnia, Ont. It is probable that the present congress will provide an appropriation of $8,000 for the purpose of constructing a tele- phone line from the mainland to Plum island, Wis., and thence to Washington island. Representative Minor of Wisconsin has introduced a bill with that end in view and the appropriation 1s recommended by Supt. Kimball of the life saving-service. Plum island is situated in the middle of the water passage between Lake Michigan and Green bay, which separates Washington island from the mainland and which is known as "Death's Door." 'The passage is much availed of by vessels running be- tween the ports of Lake Michigan and those of Green bay. Supt. Kimball says he has accounts of thirty-one disasters in this neighborhood within the last ten years. The Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Co. has purchased the steamer Virginia to run in conjunction with the Caroline on the Quebec-Saguenay route. The Virginia is a comparatively new vessel and has been engaged in service between Baltimore and Old Point Comfort.