The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

16 the head of the great lakes, and on its improvement there has already been expended by the Canadian and the im- perial government nearly $7,000,000, in- cluding $500,000 upon the uncompleted and abandoned canal at Chats rapids, and $400,000 upon 'tthe abandoned lock and dam at Culbute. Of the projects in different stages of development or abandonment, there have been plans for the construction of canals and ship railways between the Georgian bay and Lake Ontario at Toronto. Even so late as 1905, H. Spaulding, a New York engineer, sought power from the Ontario legis- lature to construct a combined canal and ship railway upon new principles from the Georgian bay, via Lake Sim- coe, to two points on Lake Ontario, but the novelty of the plan was either too much for the legislators, or the plans were meager, as the whole thing fell through. Attempts have been made to revive an the project through 'the township councils 'with but little: 'success. From 'the point of view of United States marine interests the projects having for their object the shortening of the route between Lake Huron and Lake Erie are of the greatest import- vance. A very large proportion of the freight originating on the upper lakes is destined for the chain of ports ex- tending from Toledo to Buffalo on the southern shore of Lake Erie. At the present time the whole of this trafic passes through the and shallow channels of the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, upon the channels of which large sums of money are con- tinually being spent to maintain them in a Safe and efficient condition. From the southerly point of Lake Huron, near Sarnia, Ont. across. to: Lake Ontario, is about 50 miles, and while a canal has been projected over this route, it would necessitate the con- struction of swing bridges over six or seven lines of. railway... Of the numerous schemes projected for a canal in this territory, the only live one today is that of the St. Clair and Erie Ship Canal Co. This' company 'proposes to construct a canal, avail- able for the largest lake steamers, about 1314 miles in length, on a straight course from the St. Clair flats canal and St. Clair lake to Lake Erie. It would be constructed through low lying land, with the underlying rock more than 20 ft. below the bottom of the deepest cut; it would havea uniform width of 72 ft. on the bottom and 156 ft. on the top, and would be without locks. Such a canal will effect a saving of 80 miles for vessels going interest in narrow THe Marine REVIEW from Cleveland, O., and ports east- ward, to the upper lakes. This com- pany is making application at the cur- rent session of the Dominion parlia- ment for an extension of time within which it may commence work, its pres- ent charter powers expiring in May. Whatever its fate in parliament may be, the question whether. construction will ever be undertaken will have ta be decided by United States and not Canadian marine men. as NEW STEAMER FOR HOLLAND- AMERICA LINE. A. Gips, general agent of the Hol- land-America Line of New York has received a cable from the home office at Rotterdam announcing the success- ful launching, on Saturday, Feb. 29, of the new twin-screw steamer Rotter- dam from the yards of the well-known firm of ship builders, Harlan & Wolf, Belfast. The new Rotterdam is a finely con- structed vessel. of the leviathan type, 668 ft. long, 77 ft. wide, 48 ft. deep, 17 knots speed, and will rank among the greatest. trans-Atlantic liners of the present day. Her registered tonnage is 24,170, her. displacement 37,190 tons, while she will offer accommodation for 505 first-class passengers, 520 sec- ond class, and 2,500 third-class passen- gers, a capacity exceeded by few, if any other steamers. In the character of passenger accom- modations, the new Rotterdam is a marked advance over any trans-Atlan- tic steamer afloat. The various social halls and saloons are of an unusually large size, and will be lavishly decor- ated .and furnished in the highest styles of Dutch art by: artists of re- pute. In addition to dining rooms, music rooms, lounges, etc. she will have a splendid palm garden, fitted up with a cafe or tea room, reading rooms, writ-. ing rooms, libraries, two connecting smoking rooms, one opening directly upon a sheltered terrace, and more than 23,300 sq. ft. of promenade-deck space. There will be a number of the most luxuriously appointed cabin-de- luxe rooms with sitting rooms en suite, about 60 staterooms with pri- vate bath and toilet, and about 100 staterooms for the exclusive use of -one plassenger each. Besides the improved features noted above, the steamer Rotterdam will be provided with every approved: modern appliance for safety and convenience, including electric passenger elevators, watertight bulkheads, electric fire alarms, and fire subduing apparatus, deep sea telephones, telephone connec- tion all over the ship, long distance wireless telegraph, safe deposit vaults. for valuables, daily newspaper printed on board, and many other features of value and comfort. The new Rotterdam will make her maiden trip from Rotterdam on June 13, and from New York on July 1, IN MEMORY OF LIEUT. MAURY. The United States government has taken the first step toward honoring: the memory of the late Matthew Fon- taine Maury, lieutenant and commander in the navy of the United States in charge of the naval observatory for many years. Senator James B. Fraz- ier, of Tennessee, has introduced a bill into congress which asks for the joint co-operation of this nation and others in the erection of a magnifi- cent memorial lighthouse to commem- orate the work and achievements of this man. The bill calls for the crea- tion of a commission to take up this subjéct with other nations and seeks to appropriate $50,000 to pay the expense of the commission and for preliminary surveys, des'gns and plans. The bill states. that Commander Maury developed the scope and work of the naval observatory to a high degree and by his scientific research and writings rendered invalua- ble service to and_ reflected the greatest credit upon this nation and: upon the American navy, con- ferring lasting benefit upon the commerce of the world, and by hs personal effort inaugurated and sys- tematized hydrographic and geographic investigations, bringing together in pacific convention the nations of the earth, united in the common purpose of adopting a systematic plan for in- telligent observation, report and study of meteorological conditions, layirfg the foundations for the estab- lishment of a weather bureau and fore- casting its work of "telegraphic fore- casting" by land as well as on the sea, marking out the "steam lanes" for ocean lines as well as the paths for sailing vessels, on his "winds and currents charts," teaching in all lan- guages of the civilized world the "physical geography of the sea" and finally 'bringing 'together in a closer bond and constant communication by oceanic cables the nations of the earth. The bill is in response to the action of scientific bodies and_ scientists of other nations who believe that the eminent services of the late com- mander should be recognized by a memorial lighthouse to be maintained