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"TAE MarRINE REVIEW LONGSHOREMEN'S STRIKE. The long expected strike of the International Long- shoremen's Marine and Transport Workers' Association was declared at midnight Monday, the docks at lower lake ports being tied up thereby to bulk freight traffic. The agreement of the dock managers with the long- shoremen's association expired on May 1. Several weeks ago the dock managers held a conference with the repre- sentatives of the longshoremen's association to renew the agreement for 1906. There were certain points of dif- ference between the dock managers and the longshoremen, the most notable of which was that the longshoremen de- sired a ten-hour day as against an eleven-hour day. After the conference had continued for nearly two weeks, Pres- ident Keefe of the longshoremen's association suddenly declared that an agreement could not be entered into with the dock managers unless the Lake Carriers' Association recognized the mates' union. As the dock managers have nothing whatever to do with the Lake Carriers' Association, the demand was regarded as wholly an un- reasonable one to present to the dock managers and the conference was declared off. No conference has since been held between the dock managers and the long- shoremen. The attitude of the Lake Carriers' Association towards the mates was well known as the association had declared at its annual meeting in Detroit that no mates belonging to the union should be carried on its vessels and had instructed the masters of the vessels not to employ union mates. Both sides then rested and May 1 came with no further attempt to avert the strike. The general feeling is that President Keefe's position in this controversy is unwarranted. The recognition of the mates' union, if any union exists, was an_ entirely extraneous issue to the dock managers and should never have been projected into their deliberations. It is quite clear also, from the drift of things, that Mr. Keefe is not getting the support that. he evidently expected. The mates are not leaving the boats. The few that left dur- ing the flurry of the first day have since returned to their boats and there is a practically unanimous disposi- tion on the part of the mates to stand by the ship. There. is really no mates' union, strictly speaking. The mates that are in actual service are not union men. What the outcome will be when the longshoremen realize that they are being deprived of their earnings to help a union that has no actual existence remains to be seen. Conservative observers of the situation believe that Mr. Keefe will not be able to hold his own men together. With the excep- tion of the firemen, labor aboard ship has signed for the season and there will be no difficulty whatever in filling the firemen's places, provided the strike is prolonged and it becomes absolutely necessary to operate the vessels. The operating companies are quite prepared to fight to the finish. A more opportune time in their behalf could not be selected. As far as the independent vessel owners are concerned a few weeks' delay at this time is really an advantage to them. While it may have no effect in actu- ally advancing the freight rate on ore, it will give firmness to the market and a better tone to all the subsidiary trades. The vessel owners are not worried in the least. As far as the great steel making interests are concerned, they have enough ore down to last them until next Sep- tember, and if occasion required, could move ore under present conditions anyway. The Steel Corporation could operate its docks without extraordinary disturbance at any moment as its docks are equipped with perfect and almost automatic machinery and, moreover, its great South Chicago docks are non-union. Ore on Lake 'Erie docks at present has been practically sold for several months past. There may be a considerable shifting about of this surplus to supply furnaces that are short of ore, but there will be no actual shortage in supply anywhere. Some of the smaller furnaces are already asking for quo- tations of ore free on board cars at mine and are nego- tiating with the railways for its transportation south. __ Masters of vessels have performed a royal service for their owners and have met any wavering in the line of the mates. In detached instances, where mates have evinced -a desire to quit, they have been told flatly by the masters that they could never return and have thereupon decided to stay. The harbors at lower lake ports are presenting a quiet appearance. Nothing is stirring and there is a total absence of the customary smoke. Freighters as they arrive are anchoring outside so as to avoid congestion. Vessels are steadily being unloaded at non-union docks which include the Lackawanna, Pennsylvania and 'Lehigh at Buffalo, and the three docks at South Chicago. The . tug firemen have been ordered out, but as the boats are not making dock the lack of tug service is not felt. The package freight lines, which are merely adjuncts of the railways, are preparing to send forward their freight by rail. While at present the lake trade is paralyzed over a waterway 1,000 miles long, it has not, and probably will not affect the general prosperity of the country. The longshoremen, who really are the sufferers, are likely to tire of an impossible situation into which they have been plunged by their leader, long before the influence of the strike could be sensibly felt upon the industry of the country. ADOPTS THE WATER LIGHT. The Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co. has decided to install the water light manufactured by the Marine Torch Co., of Baltimore, Md., on its fleet of steamers, Mr. Carl Virgin, general manager of the Marine Torch Co. who was in the great lakes district recently visiting vessel owners, left a number of torches with Capt. Hugh McAl- pine, master of the City of Erie. On Saturday night last, Capt. McAlpine threw them overboard en route between Buffalo: and Cleveland and reported that the torches ig- nited instantly, making a powerful light which was visible for a distance of twelve miles. Mr. T. F. Newman, gen- eral manager of the line, immediately ordered his steam- ers to be equipped with the torch upon the recommenda- tion of Capt. McAlpine. As explained in last week's issue of the Review, this torch consists of a can about 9 in. high and 3 in. in diameter. Both on the top and bottom of the can is a strip of soldered tin which can be ripped off just as the torch is being thrown overboard. Water entering immed- iately generates a gas. At the top of the can is a small chamber containing a substance also generating a gas through the action of water and which instantly causes the gas escaping from the lower chamber to ignite. Therefore nothing is needed to produce a flame except water. It does not matter how completely the light is -- submerged it instantly relights upon coming to the sur- face. Nor can wind extinguish it for though it blow the flame away is instantly renews itself. As an emergency light nothing can equal this as it derives its power from the elements which are fatal to other lights. It would be useless to dilate upon the advantages of this emergency light to steamers and wrecking outfits. They are too apparent. The steamer D. H. Whitney, stranded on Black river shore last week by the parting of her wheel chains.