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1902.] MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE, RECORD. .~ 23 Compensating Works at the Sault--North view of end. when they are completed it is expected that these works will afford full compensation, that is, as much water will be prevented from going over the rapids as will be carried around them by way of the power canal. Lake Superior has an area of about 30,000 square miles which is fed by the rain fall on the lake proper plus the run-off from its drainage basin, about 53,000 square miles. The outflow repre- sents the supply less evaporation, and is approximately from 60,000 to 110,000 cu. ft. per second, the low water prevailing principally during the closed navigation season. Figures relating to the quantity of water required for one lockage through the present American and Canadian ship-canals show for the Poe lock, 1,520,000 cu. ft.; for the Weitzel lock, 735,000 cu. ft.; for the Canadian lock, 1,140,000 cu. ft. It is also figured that if these three locks were operated to their maximum capacity night and day, with additional allowance for leaks and water used to generate the operating power, they would require about 1,400 cu. ft. per second, which is less than one-fiftieth of the mean discharge, and this during navigation season only, about two-thirds of the year. The tonnage which would pass through the locks, in the present type of lake carriers, if operated at the about 10,000,000 tons cf good ore, mostly Bessemer, running about 62 per cent. iron. 'The mine is very wet, making from 4,000 to 4,500 gallons of water per minute, but there is a pumping plant capable of handling 8,000 gallons and there was recently installed a fine cross-compound Corliss condensing Prescott pumping en- gine handling 5,200 gallons. By this they have brought their cost of water down to about 5 cents per.ton of ore on the amount they have been able to mine, about 250,000 tons per year. . The new owners take possession immediately and expect to increase the output materially, though this has been found difficult. The mine is in the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 1 T. 57 R. 2, and will continue to pump all the water for the Hibbing basin till the new Elizabeth mine is down to a con- siderable depth. O. B. Warren, who has been in charge for the Union Steel Co., at its Volunteer: property, Marquette range, will have charge of the Penobscot and has already taken hold. Mr. Warren was assistant superintendent at the Mahoning Ore & Steel Co.'s mine and explorations till about a year ago. No prices are given out in reports of the transfer but it is understood that the vessels went in upon a. basis of $315,000 each. PCA 1 LMA OC MPOS STING AMVMElP ICANN SAP AVAL eS ge CANADIAN SAP? CELA. The relative size of the river and ship-canals at Sault Ste. Marie. greatest capacity, is figured approximately at 70,000,000. The rel- ative size of the river and the ship-canals is shown in a diagram herewith. It is well to note, however, that flow through ship- canals cccurs only at the period of lockage. It is expected that the power canal just completed will divert about 30,000 cu. ft. per second from the flow of the rapids. This is a very large item but there will still be an immense volume that could be used for power development and which the owners of the present works are planning to use without interference, they say, with the operation of the locks. They say that as far as navigation interests are concerned, there really does not seem to exist any objection to developing all the power the Sault rapids will yield, provided an ample quantity of water remains availa- ble for locking purposes and the compensating idea is carried out to offset diversion, and provided all water withdrawn is returned to the St. Mary's river below the rapids. SALE OF PENOBSCOT MINE AND SHIPS. The Union Steel Co. of Pittsburg, one of the so-called inde- pendent concerns, has greatly strengthened its position by the purchase of ore property and a couple of large steel steamers from Eddy Bros. of Bay City, Mich., who have been prominent for a great number of years past as lumbermen and vessel owners. The purchase is made in the name of the Donora Mining Co., which is the ore division of the steel company. H. C. Frick and the Mellens of Pittsburg are identified with the steel company. The ore property entering into the transfer is on the Mesabi range and includes the Penobscot mine. The steamers are the Simon J. Murphy and Howard IL. Shaw. The mine contains The Murphy and Shaw were built for the Eddy-Shaw fleet and came out in 1900. 'They are both modern steel freighters and are practically of like dimensions, being 435-ft. keel and 51-ft. beam. The price paid for them is, with one or two exceptions, the highest price ever paid for a lake freighter. It is probably $50,000 more than they would cost to build, even at the present high rate of vessel construction. But the steel company desired immediate possession and this meant special value in the use of the ships, as they could not get new vessels until the spring of 1904, on account of the crowded condition of the ship yards. The war department. has consented to the revision of the specifications for the construction of the breakwater at Cleveland as amended by Maj. Dan. C. Kingman and new proposals have accordingly been solicited from the contractors. When the bids were submitted some time ago it was found that they were far in excess of the appropriation and that while the sum involved was over $2,000,000 only three firms contested. The contractors claim that the specifications were too arbitrary. Maj. Kingman has now amended them to permit the core of the breakwater to be packed with sand instead of slag and gravel, and to permit the use of stone of varying sizes to be used in building the break- water. Bids are now asked upon the specifications as originally drawn; and also upon them as amended. It will then be deter- mined whether the modifications had better be adopted. The name of the steamer George G. Hadley has been changed to W. P. Rend, after her owner.