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Tae Marine Review ; : 25 CHICAGO GRAIN REPORT Chicago, Oct. 10--Early Lake Erie corn offerings at 134 cents per bushel failing to attract the required re- sponses of vessel capacity, rates were quickly advanced to 2 cents per bushel and vessels in active request, As heretofore suggested, the disposition of the market is a parity with Lake Superior, since the incentive to Lake Michigan trading is so much lessened by reason of slow coal movement, Receipts of western grain are growing rapidly, the past week noting an increase of 500,000 bu. corn over a year ago, while oats increased closely to, 2,000,000 bu. The chance of congestion at Buffalo presents about the only discouraging feature, and it is to be hoped the car scarcity there will.shortly be adjusted, The business of the railways during past week will note that there is no scarcity of cars at Chicago, : ; Following is the distribution; Via all-rail lines of flour, 99,272 bbls.; wheat, 119,629 bu.; corn, 504,908 bu., and oats, 1,597,414. Via.lake to Buffalo and other American points of flour, 148,365 bbls.; corn, 856;000 bu., and oats, 249,544 bu, And: via lake to Canada points Ae flour, 2:907 bbls.; corn, 117, ,500 bu., and oats, 208,000 bu. Lake and Rail Shipments; Same week This week. Last week. last year. Wheat: .. 0.5.49 170,020 Dia QOOMBS ok BT AO Ae NOOR eee Ss 1,478,458 DOA II 6 1,719,238 Cate ee: 2,054,458 1,713,980 834,085 RY G ye ce ss 4075775. ss 13,533 20,207 Barley sii. 230,405. 177,210. 143,680 35 990,725", 4,839,686 2,030,212 OUR 250,544 (bbls. ) 210,018 102,178 Since Jan. .1,: Same time , SMe OOD eos a last year. Wheat 40 ae ~ 10,290,848 11,819,866 COM. Gi ee 76,201,066 59,466,077 OAt6 a 44,029,182 35,388,228 Rye oy oe. A atau 9 8B2 382 973,150 Barley = ose Ge ea cee 3,324,191 3,304,112 - 134,736,669 110,051,433 Miogt 6 ee e 5,040,417 (bbls.) 5,648,629 Stocks of Grain in Elevators: Same week This week. - Last week. last year. Wheat 250: 5,716,000. 5,606,000 4,412,000 COM ek 3,629,000 . - 3,671,000 4,350,000 ata oe. 10,693,000 10,304,000. 10,811,000 VE eu oe : 1 270,000 . , 393,000 ~~. 738,000 Bare. 279,714 477,754 260,000 20,593,714 20,151,714 20,480,000 AT THE HEAD OF THE LAKES Duluth, Minn., Oct. 9--Receipts of grain at the head of the lake are growing smaller on account of the shortage of freight cars on northwestern roads. It is evident that the grain trade of the northwest is to continue all winter on a steadier plane than heretofore. Receipts for last week were 4,280,000 bu., all grains, and shipments were 4,180,000 bu. Steel is coming to the yard of the Superior Ship Building Co. for the two new ships to be built this winter, and dredges have been put at work to lengthen the shorter of the launching slips and to add to the size of the south dry- dock, The Hanna coal dock is to receive some coal in three weeks, as work has progressed very fast there. It will be able to stock up well this fall for the winter trade. Two dredges are filling the dock with sand from the front, and some of the flooring is down, while much of the machinery is in place, The western half of the dock can be used this fall, The Duluth firm of McDonald & Sullivan have the con- tract for all dredging for the Dulttth, South Shore & Atlantic road's new ore dock at Marquette, and have begun work. There will be a continuous depth of 22 ft, at the dock side. All old piling from No. 3 dock, which has been in the water since the superstructure was destroyed, will be pulled out and replaced by heavier and more frequent piling, According to Supt. C. W. Turner, of the A, Booth & Co. line of Lake Superior steamers, a new boat will be placed on the upper lakes next year, in the Duluth-Chicago run. This has been neglected since the retirement of the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior line. DEPTH OF CHANNEL VS. BEAM OF SHIP -- Major Dan C. Kingman, government engineer with head: quarters at Cleveland, was recently quoted in opposition in the newspapers to the deepening of the channels of the great lakes to 25 ft. Major Kingman merely doubts the advisa- bility of such work, not the practicability of it, Writing to the. Review,» Major Kingman says: 4 "IT have no doubt, as an engineer, of the practicability of securing a navigable channel of 25 ft. in the great lakes and their connecting waters. I have some doubt, however, as to the advisability of undertaking this work at this time. I do not know what it would cost but it would no doubt involve a great deal more work than was necessary to obtain the 20-ft. channel, because there are many. places along the track of vessels where the natural depth of the water is more than 20 ft. deep but less than 25 ft, All of our int portant' harbors are arranged with reference to a 20-ft. navi- gation and. the deep water route would be of little value unless the harbors were changed to conform. "Water transportation on the great lakes is carried on at present very cheaply and the possible reduction in freight rates therefore can not be very great. I am inclined to look for future economies rather in the increased carrying capacity of vessels and improved harbor facilities and dock machinery than in an increased draught. The carrying capacity of ves- sels hereafter to be built can be greatly increased from the present draught by giving them more beam. Indeed, they are narrow as compared with the salt water vessels. The Man- churia, 13,600 'gross tons, built in 1904, is. 600 ft. long and 65.3 ft. beam. The "Minnesota, 20,700 gross tons, built in 1904, 622 ft. long, has" 73.5 ft. beam. According to the newspaper accounts, two new vessels about to be built by the Pittsburg Steamshin Co. are to be 600 "it long and 58 ft. beam. If they were as wide as the Manchuria theit carrying capacity. would. be increased 1214 percent, and if they: were as wide as the Minnesota it would be increased more than 25 percent, or as much as it would be by a channel 25 ft. deep. If ever the United States constructs an adequate ship canal from the great lakes to the ocean, whereby our lake fleet can reach the ports of the world, it will no doubt be desirable to materially increase depths in our channels here. and in our harbors. "Very truly yours, "Dan C, KINGMAN, "Lieut, Col., Corps of Engineers, U, S, A." The contract for the carrying of the mails between New York and Southampton expires on Wednesday of this week. Only one bid has been submitted for the new contract, that of the International Mercantile Marine Co. It is announced that the Allan Line is so well pleased with the two turbine steamers, Virginia and Victorian, that it will place orders for turbine steamers of even greater ton- nage.