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1903.] MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. | 23 carrying grain to Buffalo would become feeders to the Canadian route, because on the Canadian route steamers up to. 6,000 tons burden could make a voyage of 1,100 miles and then tranship to a barge of 2,000 tons' burden for transportation to Montreal, when by the Erie canal route the big grain steamers could carry grain and other western freight only to Buffalo, 900 miles, where it would have to be transferred to 1,000-ton barges for 450 miles to New York. The barge transportation by the Canadian route would only be a matter of 170 miles," SILAS HITCHCOCK--AN APPRECIATION. It has probably never occurred to Silas Hitchcock that he has been all his life setting an example to business associates. But such, indeed, has been his office and he is still pursuing it. His magnificent management of affairs with the firm of M. A. Hanna & Co. has been a source of inspiration to those around him and an example which all might emulate but none improve. It was a common remark that Silas Hitchcock had a superb grip on the business. During office hours he became grounded in it to the complete exclusion of everything else and he rarely took a day off. -His business was his life. He was as methodical as a machine and as self-contained as the sphinx. He dispatched an enormous amount of business daily without apparent effort and without haste. Cool, courteous and decisive, and always excep- tionally well-groomed, he impressed one as a masterful man. There is a tradition that no one but a member of the family may become a member of the firm of M. A. Hanna & Co., but Hitchcock broke this rule some years ago through the sheer force of his ability. The firm was delighted to have him as a member. : ) Silas Hitchcock is still a young man as years are commonly reckoned and this is his second and crowning example. He has determined to retire from active life while in the full possession of all his splendid faculties and before the close pursuit of busi- ness has withered the capacity of extracting pleasure from other modes of life. As far as means are concerned he very probably has more than he will have need of; still, how many men are in that same boat and merely continue to heap dollar upon dollar. But here, sirs, is a man to tie to, who appreciates a good dinner and the fine points in a collie dog, who has an acquaintanceship with literature and a taste for a song, who can tell the merit of a painting and, in fact, has eyes which are not sightless and ' ears that are not deaf; and moreover has the ability to enter the marts of trade and wring an ample fortune from it before he is forty-seven. Of course others have done the same as far as wealth is concerned but how few have his mental poise. The common end of the money maker when he ceases money making, through the inevitable blight of age, is rust. Therefore, how much better is one Hitchcock than a whole regiment of the rest. The Review is constrained to make these few remarks because this week Mr. Hitchcock retires from active connection with the firm-of M. A. Hanna & Co. and because it has watched his expan- sion with increasing respect during the past fourteen years. What greater tribute can be paid to any man than this, that when his de- termination to retire was announced every one who had any knowledge of his wide command of affairs asked, with one accord, what man there was in the business who could be compared to him. Mr. C. C. Bolton, also a member of the firm, who has been in charge of the pig iron department for a great many years, retires this week. Mr. Bolton is an older man than Mr. Hitchcock, but like Mr. Hitchcock is a man of many parts and desires leisure to enjoy himself after many years of arduous labor. Mr. R. L. Ireland, formerly vice president of the American Ship Building Co., becomes a member of the firm on Jan. 1. He has had an unusually successful career as a business man and is, moreover, connected with the Hanna family through marriage. PROBLEM OF THROUGH CARRYING TRADE. Buffalo, Dec. 28.--The lake season just closed seems not to have solved any new problems, though it has made more plain than formerly some decidedly unpleasant changes that were mostly in sight sometime ago. Among them are the growing uncertainty: of the profits of the individual, and especially small, vessel owner, the giving out of the lumber supply available to the lake fleet, the continued control of ore, and in a less de- gree of coal, and in a still less degree of grain and package- freight carrying. The encroachment of the labor unions is un- abated and forms a great problem in itself. Of course the problem that most concerns Buffalo as a locality is the future of the great east-and-west through carry- ing route. It was in order to enable us to maintain all of the former lead and to increase.it at will that we labored so stren- uously for the 1,000-ton barge canal and we believe that with the watchfulness that will be given it after so far succeeding it will in good time insure the lead that the route naturally commands. Let other routes go on as best they may. There is only one that can do us any great harm and that is the canaliz- ing of the streams and lakes from Georgian bay to Lake On- tario through the Trent valley, and it is even then a problem as to results, for the great cost and the short season are both very seriously against it. | : : : The areat Cdvantene of the improved Erie canal is that, it does not contemplate the uniting of the lake and ocean trips into one. Any plan that makes that attempt must fail in the long run, if not at the outset, for a transfer of freight is easily - found to be cheaper than the extra cost of using a ship-canal, to say nothing of the extra first cost, So far the St. Lawrence system is halting between the two and runs the risk of not making the most of either. The cutting off of weeks at both ends of that season more than has to be taken off here, will al- ee be a great handicap, no matter what the advantages may Still Canada seems to be willing to make any outlay in or- der to carry the experiment on, especially since the apparent recent gains over us have been made. We hear from elevator builders and others coming back. from Montreal that even with the magnificent new marine public works of the water front there the plan is far from carried out as yet. It is not enough to elevate the grain, but it must be taken down to the wharf level again and carried at great distances to any point that may happen to be occupied by an ocean steamer, for the steamer takes but a Jag of grain anyhow and declines to go after it. There is a rise of over 30 ft. of the water level to be taken ac- count of as one of the local problems. Suppose Buffalo and' New York should take upon themselves such improvements. Where would any other route be in a short time? Buffalo is in' a fair way to need more elevator room soon, but there is noth- ing doing in that direction. Much grain is diverted from here every season on account of the elevators filling up, though the rail shortage is the main difficulty. This the barge canal will correct, as we look at it. Then suppose New York should provide a system of dock conveyors to bring the grain to the ocean steamers and then operate them at a nominal profit. Would there not be a revo- lution in the business very soon, barge canal or no barge canal? For Buffalo has again demonstrated that in spite of indiffer- ent crops and all the diversions to other routes we hear so much about, she is holding her own in the carrying trade of the lakes. The total of 129,732,092 bu. of grain received by lake during the season just past is 16,526,006 bu. more than was received in the season of 1902. It is a small advance, but it is enough. The Sault route has seriously fallen off. Had it been up to former seasons, Buffalo would have shown a- mag- nificent increase. And all this, let it be noted in favor of the Buffalo route, with nothing new in its favor. The barge canal is ten years away and it is said by railroad men that when it is finished it will be as far behind the roads as the old 8,000-bu. boat is now, yet it seems that this route is always either best or such a stimulus to other routes that they are obliged to exert their utmost ingenuity and make their utmost outlay to do business in competition. So it would seem that this is the great cheap- ener of through traffic. oS There is a new competitor in the flour trade that the lakes themselves should look to and that is the solid train from Minneapolis, which is making great headway of late. Odd as it may seem the lakes make their greatest point against the roads from their speed and not from their cheapness. The roads are learning this. JoHN CHAMBERLIN. DULUTH GRAIN SHIPMENTS. Duluth, Minn., Dec. 30----The following statement of grain shipments from Duluth and Superior, season of 1903 was pre- pared in the office of G. A. Tomlinson, vessel owner: Grain. Bushels.. - MORE occas a. ea oe ee eae ae 26,682,020 Baten ee aia VRS Ves UKs eet ee 5,782,047. FIA eet Di Meee yee OL TS pace 15,417,285 (Jat oe cae ees ee ee 4,104,122 TVG Ges eevee ee el ppd ek 809,704 a8 ae ee "pe ee ees s+ p87 05.000. _ Shipments of the different grains by months were as fol- lows: Barley, oats' Total, = : Wheat, -- Flax. and rye. Api anges 2,312,742 1;245,239 1,300,814 4,858,795 May.) O64 Big0a, B22 1,155,282 863,060 4,323,164 Funes. esis 232,180) 6. 1-686,9007 161,679 2,160,715 July: js ees 1,854,500. Tyago Tar" 546,406 3,330,047 © August ... 419,189 1,063,869 108,069 - 1,502,027 September «i. 2,045,181. . .775;705 990,938 = 4,711,014 © October ... .. 6,144,026 3,415,979 2,646,889 12,206,804 November ... 8,009,311 "4,750,315 - 2,840,692 15,699,118 December .... 1,581,120 1,094,958 1,227,516 -- 3,003,504 26,682,020 15,417,285 10,605,063 = 52,795,268 _ The season of grain shipments was April 5 to Dec. 8. The turbine steamer ordered by the Lake Ontario Steamship Co. for the Toronto-Hamilton run is expected to be on the route in June, 1904. She will be 260 ft. long, have engines capable of developing 3,500 H. P., which will give a speed of 20 miles an hour, and will have accommodation for 1,700 passengers. It is expected that three round trips a day will be made. toe The ship' yard of the Townsend-Downey Ship Building Co., Shooter's Island, N. Y., has resumed operations in part. There is considerable repair work to be done. The plant ordinarily em- . ploys 1,700 men and there are now about 600 at work. ~----