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of 1908 has after ail been respectable... Up "to Dec. 1, 25,348,168 tons were shipped. While this is a decrease of 15,849,771 tons over 1907 shipinents, it is never- theless more ore than was shipped in any one year on the great lakes up to 1905, with the exception of the year 1902. . Following are the ship- ments by ports: ; cerned the season quite November, November, November, Port and dock. 1906. 1907. 1908. eccanaba oe 748,912 469,373 586,112 Marquette ..... 233,933 307,547 290,451 Ashland 284,500 319,438 479,015 Superior 626,633 679,237 629,771 Dau thet oc cs a 1,142,959 1,537,438 876,600 Two Harbors <. 697,223 843,043 756,146 (otal -30. ce 3,734,167 4,156,076 3,618,095 To Dec. 1, To Dec. 1, To Dec. 1, Port and dock. 1906. 1907. 1908. fecanaba' 2... e. 9,716,272. 5;722,416 3,339,299 Marquette . css 2,743,219 3,009,360 1,468,181 WAciiland ssc. 2. 3,333,961 35423,277 2.498.963 Superior ssa. 6< 9,979,378 © 7,427,182 3,538,390 Daluth =. ..5 54 11,098,175 13,445,977 8,808,168 "Ewo Harbors .. 8,102,397 8,169.727 5:702,237, MPOtal sc jects 36,973,002 41,197,939 25,348,168 PIG IRON SITUATION. Possibly as significant a statement as has been made in the. past week is thé positive anrlouncement that the . Pennsylvania railroad would place an order for 160,000 tons of steel rails within a few days, this indicating that the general buying movement on the pati of the tatiroads. will soon .be started. The market is rather. quiet in both pig iron and finished prod- wets. Rumors of.advances in prices of steel products are declared to be without foundation. Cast iron pipe interests have been the heaviest buy- ers of the week in pig iron. Pig iron prices are firm with no indication of weakness. Blast furnace production during November was at the rate of 52,744 tons daily, compared with 50,- 764 tons in October. Some large con- tracts for structural material have been awarded in Chicago and New York, and many small structural con- tracts have also been placed. With 'the exception of November, 1906, the past month was the heaviest in or- ders ever received by the American Steel & Wire Co. There is -consid- erable buying of furnace coke for the first half of next year. DEATH OF FRANK L. VANCE. Vesselmen in general, particularly those who were associated with the lake trade in its early days, were pro- foundly shocxed to hear of the death of Frank L. Vance at Atlantic City, on Dec. 2. He had gone to Atlantic City about two months ago to recuper- ate, having been in somewhat poor health for over a year, but no one . their early days. TAE Marine Review suspected -his condition to be at all ser- ious. Mr. Vance, though not old in years, was old in association with lake trade and many men, now prominent factors in the. business, served under him in aging fleets of their own, sailed vessels for him in early life. So intimately was he. associated with the trade in all its branches that his death is a personal sorrow to hundreds in the various cit- ies along the lakes. His work, continu- ing over along period of years, brought him into close contact with all branches of the trade. So firmly established was his reputation for square dealing that. his death is a distinct loss to the com- munity. Though only 61 years old, he had lived in Milwaukee for 54 years and with his brother David Vance had founded one of the best known marine insurance and vessel agencies on_ the lakes. This firm was known as David Vance & Co., of which he was Vice president. A few years ago the Vance & Joys Co. was formed to handle vessel property of which Mr. Vance was. treas- urer. Mr. Vance was born in Sackett's Har- bor, N.Y. Sept, 9, 1847, and was taken by his parents to Milwaukee in 1854, His first occupation was that. of bookkeeper, but he soon identified him- self with the lake business, in which he became one of the leaders as well as one of the most influential and_ best respected citizens of his adopted town. He is survived by his widow, by a sis- ter, Miss Hattie Vance, of Milwaukee, and by three brothers, David Vance, of Milwaukee, Louis Vance, of California, and William Vance, of Racine, Wis. WIRE ROPE. The Upson-Walton Co., Cleveland, have just issued a third in their ser-es of catalogs devoted to the products that they handle. The present catalog is on wire rope. This catalog is quite complete, one page is devoted to sug- gestions on its use, another -- gives instructions for splicing 1 Complete information is given of Wy various ropes handled, including diam- eter, weight, approximate strength in tons, the proper working load in tons and the price. A table is also pub- lished giving the tensile 'strength of wire rope compared with Manila rope. The catalog is very clearly illustrated and will doubtless be preserved. A few years ago Mr. J. W. Walton, of this firm, wrote a bouk on rope, trac- ing its history as far back as records exist. He produced a highly interest- Many men, now man--- aver ing volume, now: greatly appreciated -- by. those seen eens 'to possess a COpyoon UOT) Aieoh te 5255 aE SP ree rs ears ce! fy eee AROUND THE GREAT: LAKES. The 'sale* of tickets on the Detro:t & Cleveland line, between Cleveland and = "was discontinued "on Decic 3a: t Sei ae tea tucn 2 TY The steamer : Harlem, both: down,. went aground' about a quarter "of: a mile. southeast of Bar Point light- house. "She. was 'subsequently' » re- leased -by- 'the 'tue Hlarding. +82 The schooner' Houghton, belonging to the Wallaceburg' Sugar' Co., 'sank' while attempting to ¢ross 'Lake St. 'Clait! with a cargo of beets. 'The Houghton was being towed by the tug Acacia. The two steamers building -for the Pittsburg Steamship Co. at Lorain will be named in honor of Alva C. Dinkey, president of the »Carnegie Steel Co., and Th. gf: a oT = the Illinois: Steel 'Co. re i The steamer: spite Stange thoes down' 'with 'grain | 'from Fort: William, | went ashoré at Iroquois Island, 'Lake Superior. .The- lighter -Reliance; -i tow of the tug Booth; were 'sent a her 'assistance, Capt.' Frank Root,. of the Great: Lakes Towing: Cot: and Capt: C'H. 'Sinclair;: of (thé ander- writers, accompanying the swreeking - crew. It is° reported "that the Stan- ton's No. f tank is full of?watere:? The: steamer 'Mohawk, which 'went -ashore on 'Big Shoal, «was 'ireleased:on Dec. 6 and taken to Detour: after about 500 tons: of her miscellaneous cargo was lightered by the tug Fa- vorite and lighter Reliance. The Mo- hawk lost her wheel and- rudder when she 'went on 'the: 'rocks. and: 'two of her ° taitks were' punctured: Sher was patched' 'up and: towed' from: Detour to Detroit? by' -- Rae dared vand Sabin. BS Ga : 'op aoine: ot James' H. Maneor, principal' snr- veyor fon the United' States ~ for Lloyds register of shipping, visited Cleveland this week. He called upon President James C. Wallace of: the Américan Ship' Building Co. and:.ex- "pressed his gréat' 'surprise 'atthe 1eXx- tent of lake: shipping. He. was calso impressed "with the types sof» vessels evolved, so 'unlike' any' to be found elsewhere in the world.' He thought the 'rules of tle: Great Lakes .Regis- ter to be as' satisfactory as any that could Ee™ desired for the class'fication of this peculiar form of construction. It is quite likely that in his next re- port to: headquarters he will make some "commeénts " 'on 'lake' Brae 'as he observed 'it.