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ee ee ore Me eee Par Oe}, be ee ae he ee 28 7 MARINE REVIEW OUTFITTING OF VESSELS AT DULUTH. Nothing has been done about outfitting for the spring around the Duluth-Superior harbor. The unsettled condi- tion of labor and the probable delay in opening have nothing to do with the slackness. The biggest jobs to be undertaken, when the ice goes out of the harbor, will be the docking of the Moore and America, of the A. Booth Co. The Moore was on the rocks on the north shore of Lake Superior last fall, and stove two big holes in her bottom and was badly hogged. Her repair job will be a considerable one. The America has been cut by ice and is in need of other repairs that a docking. There are thirty-two Pittsburg Steamship Co. vessels in the harbor this winter and nothing but the most ordinary re- pairs will be carried out on them. The use of unloading ma- chines is always hard on tank tops, and there will be some repairs along this line. The office of A. B. Wolvin has three Peavey boats, four Great Lakes Transportation and four Provident company ships, and nothing is to be done to any of -them beyond the most necessary overhauling and outfitting to maintain efficiency. Two Tomlinson boats have been laid up here and they will need nothing other than overhauling. The Muncy and two Mutual Transit ships represent the package freighters here, and they also will receive as little as possible. A few other bulk freight ships are in the harbor but work on them will be of the slightest importance and the most necessary nature. The tug fleet is in pretty good shape now and will need little other than a few dockings and some new pieces of ma- chinery, all of minor character. The dredge fleets are to do little; indeed they have so small a volume of work in sight. for the season that they do not feel justified in a very elaborate outfitting. The Lake Superior Dredging & Contracting Co. has two. small contracts, one cleaning out at the mouth of the Nemadiji and the other at Grand Marais, and has some other work in sight, besides some that may materialize and be more ~ important than anything yet taken. This company did not bid for the rock and earth excavation at Nebish. The plant of the company has been kept in good condition and little needs be done now. The Northern Dredge Co., which owns a small sand sucker, has taken a contract for Port Wing work, and must add somewhat to its facilities, but this is un- important. Harbor contract work for the coming year is Se otooally quiet,. and: there is little in sight that is liable to arouse activity. - It. 'may be that the Northern Pacific road will re- build and enlarge its No. 3 dock, lying near the elevators of the Consolidated Elevator C€o., but this is not assured at present. If this work is carried out it will mean a large ex- penditure and much for both dredges and other plants to do. The entire dock 'will be torn out and rebuilt solid, filled with sand and gravel and given a floor of either heavy timber or concrete. As concrete can actually be laid here about as cheap as the mere first cost of timber, it will probably be used. The same road has in comtemplation the construction of docks along the west side of Rice's point where it did a great deal of filling two years ago, but this will scarcely be undertaken this year. There is no ore dock work in contemplation, though a little dredging will be necessary around the docks of all companies. Some coal dock extensions will be built, and a contract has already been let for part of it. There has been talk of improvements at the harbor of Grand Marais, north shore, but it is a safe guess that nothing will be done, at least not this year. Reports from Goderich, Ont., state that the ice is very thick on the Canadian shore of Lake Huron and extends out as far as the eye can reach. It is reported to be piled up from 20 to 30 ft. in height. PROBABLE LUMBER PRODUCTION. Duluth, March 15.--Estimates of probable lumber produc- tion at the head of the lakes are being reduced as returns come in from the logging camps. It is now probable that the total cut of the year in mills on deep water at Duiuth will not ex- ceed 265,000,000 ft. In fact the figures given below show even less and they are from the most reliable sources. . The cut last year was 380,000,000 ft. and that of the year before 440,000,000 ft. This year's cut will probably be something like this: Alger, Srate ho COs 5 acc 80,000,000 ft. Edwards Hines Lumber Co.....40,000,000 ft. Merrill-Ring Lumber Co....... 35,000,000 ft. Scott-Graff I-umber Co. ........ 20,000,000. ft. Réd Clift Lumber Go... «..,.. ¢. 30,000,000; ft. Hubbard & Nincent cis. ee is 20,000,000 ft. Lesute Lumber: Gos. cc. v.24. + 21,000000; ft. St. Lows Lumber Co... 1. no.. '10,000,000 ft. PbO oe i cs ae ee A ene ft. These figures may be raised somewhat by outside cuts that are not known as yet or by the increase of those com- panies that log by rail and can always exert themselves to a little above their expectations if market conditions are right. There were in dock at the head of the lakes at the close of navigation 85,000,000 ft. of lumber, nearly all of which was then or has since been sold. This is less than has been on dock at the close of navigation for several years. Other lumber districts on Lake Superior will suffer as great, or larger, reductions than Duluth mills on Chequemagon Bay last year cut 370,000,000 ft. Their reduction for 1904 will be more' than that of Duluth. The Iron River mills ship - somewhat to "Ashland, and this is their last year. In 1903 they cut 70,000,000 ft. Ashland had on docks at the close of navigation 66,000,000 ft., some of this has been going out all rail during the winter, 'bait most like the cut at Duluth, has been sold for lake shipment at the opening of navigation. PERSONAL NOTES FROM DULUTH. "Duluth, Minn., March 15--G. A: Tomlinson, who. has one boat under way this winter by the American Ship Build- ing Co., is in the east. Mr. Tomlinson's companies have all had a very successful year. Je Rose; 'ot the Canada Atlantic Co., left on Tiureday for a trip to Ottawa and Chicago on company business. Jos. Kidd, wrecking master and expert for the Pittsburg Steamship Co., is in Denver and the surrounding mountains for a few weeks. 'Capt. A. B. Wolvin and wife and Geo. C. Howe and wife have been in Mexico for some weeks, but returned to Du- luth the 11th inst. Mr, Wolvin was invited to assist Presi- dent Diaz of Mexico in formulating some reforms 'and modernizations of port, harbor and pier affairs in the southern republic and enjoyed unusual attentions from high government dignitati¢s while there. Lansing R. Robinson, who has been general northwestern agent for the Union Transit Co. for several years, is selling the company's property here and retires from the company upon its withdrawal from business next month. A. M. Marshall, whois a large stockholder in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Transportation Co., sailed last week from Boston on a three months' visit abroad. Joseph F. Hayes returned this week from New York, where he laid up the lake-built ships Minnetonka and Minnewaska, which have been put out of commission. The steamer Francis Widlar, building for the Columbia Steamship Co. at the Cleveland yard of the American Ship Building Co., will be launched April 2: