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28 to the total United States tonnage gives about 303,500,000 tons, of which the lake tonnage would represent 38 per cent. In other words, while the season is on, much more than one- third of the daily water transporta- 'tion of the United States, including _ deep-sea, lakes, and western rivers, is being carried on the Great Lakes. The income received from the car- riage of freight on the Great~Lakes during the season of 1906 was $52,- 076,533 or 29.7 per cent of the total income received for carrying freight by all United States vessels for the entire year--29.7 per cent in two- thirds of the year. These figures are from U. S. Census Bulletin No. 91. "Transportation by Water, 1906.' Government Printing Office, 1908. The total freight handled by water in the Duluth district alone during the season of 1906 was 37,376,213 tons. This tonnage was greater than that of New York (30,500,000). and even greater than that of London (33,500,- 000) for the entire year. _ GREAT LAKES NAVIGATION. Navigation of the Great Lakes dif- fers greatly from that of deep-sea _vessels. These differences constitute advantages and disadvantages. Good piloting is more a requisite than as- tronomical sights, etc. The master is rarely out of sight of land, except in case of smoke. or fogs; there is no perceptible rise and fall of tide, while vessels are frequently laden to within 6 im. of the draught limit -of. the channels. Routes are continuously traveled, enabling the masters of ves- sels to become well acquainted with the physical features of the coasts, etc., and there are also narrow chan- nels to be traversed where meeting, one on both, may be grounded in en- deavoring to pass. While in some cases the vessels will have frequent opportunities to anchor, 'being in shoal waters, in' other cases the thick smoke from the peri- odic forest fires, or thick fogs, or snow storms, will surprise the vessel in a narrow, perhaps 'tortuous chan- nel, where to stop would be out of the question. .Whhere a vessel trading between San Francsco and Yokohama has two chances of strandng, a vessel trading between Duluth and Buffalo would have a dozen. Of the 217 recorded cases of strand- ing, the cause of the stranding was ascertained in 167 cases, divided ac- cording to the 'before-mentioned series, as follows: Series TI, 70 cases, equal to 42 per cent. 2 Series 'Il, 59 cases, equal: 35.5 per cent. "Tae Marine REVIEW Series III, 38 cases, equal 22:5 per cent. oe foo. From the above it would seem that 42 per. cent of the cases were un- avoidable, while by superior intelli- gence and greater care on the part of persons, either on shore or afloat, . 58 per cent of these strandings might have been avoided. This may appear to be an excessive amount, but in the consideration of the causes, wherever there has been. a reasonable doubt, the 'benefit of the doubt has been given to the master, the crew, and the owners, and the case has 'been classed as "unavoidable,' and therefore the percentage under that head (Series I) is perhaps really too great. With the more complete data, which will. be collected during the present year, more accurate results should be obtainable. Meanwhile it is hoped that the results 'herein set forth may tend to at least diminish the constantly increasing number of strandings. NORTHERN NAVIGATION CO., OF ONTARIO. The annual meeting of the North- ern Navigation Co., of Ontario, was held at loronto, Jan: 26... The report submitted to the stockholders showed a falling off of about $100,000 in the gross receipts, and of $39,000 in the net receipts, as compared with the previous year. The directors reported favorable progress on the construction of the new steamer Hamonic, which is to go into service between Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, Port Arthur, Fort William and Duluth, on June 15. The report states that the directors hope to resume the payment of semi-annual dividends this year. ASSETS. Bight, steamers ....... $887,955.88 Buildings, furniture, Cte Ree Se eee. 12,867.58 $ 900,823.46 Fuel and supplies.... 20,295.78 Insurance unexpired... 12,211.60 Accounts receivable... 43,168.18 Stocks and bonds 1,500.00 Bills. receivable....+.. 3,000.00 Hamonic, new steamer 282,152.59 Repair and mainte- TAM ilar els 5 cre ies 11,855.61 374,183.76 $1,275,007.22 LIABILITIES. To shareholders: Capital) stock oo s.3. $843,600.00 Renewal fund: - iss... 68,058.73 Marine finsurance fund 15,285.20 Dividend at 8 per cent annum on _ paid-up Capital era ak 67,315.31 Balance profit and loss 49,637.09 $1,043,896.33 To the Public: Bille payable 68s... v. 214,059.85 Traders Bank of Can PU re he pelea eee 17,051.04 231,110.89 $1,275,007.22 PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT. Balance from 1907....$ 55,996.20 Appropriation for di- rectors' fees, includ- ing secretary - treas- urer's salary Dividend on and bonds 1,160.00 $ 54,836.20 85.00 eee eee Pee ee wens Rent of diving suit. tne Gross earnings of steamerS i ....--- tees 531,289.18 r Less total expenditure 428,915.42 102,373.76 1 Interest one year on $157,474.96 renewal funds, $52,- 475.00. at .334., pet CONE O60 eee oes $ 1,836.62 Steamers' renewal fund 24,000.00 Interest one year on marine inSurance fund, $14,420 at 6 per cent ...-.. pee 865.20 Repair and mainte- MATICE cae gs ceo 10,000.00 Claims, 1907, paid 1908 3,820.74 Dividend 8 per cent, on paid up capital.. 67,315.31 Balance. acs. ss 49,637.09 le $157,474.96 The following were elected direct. ors for the current year: W. J, Sigy pard, C. E. Stephens, W. TB Jame F...A. Lett, C. D.. Warren, ae Smith, Hon. J. S. Hendrie, 3 Telfer, W. D. Matthews. The only change in the board is the substitution of W. E. Davis, passenger traihe manager of the Grand Trunk railroad and Grand Trunk Pacific railroad, tor H. C.. Hammond. At a subsequent meeting of the di- rectors W. J. Sheppard, of War bashene, Ont., the former vice presi- dent, was elected president to suc ceed H. C. Hammond, whose severe illness had been the source of much distress to his associates; H. Y. Telfer, of Collingwood, was elected vice pres- ident, and C. E. Stephens, of Gar lingwood, was re-elected secretary- treasurer. CANAL WORK PRAISED. The committee on interstate and for- eign commerce of the house of rep- resentatives, which visited the Isthmus of Panama during the holiday recess, 18 reported by Representative Esch, of Wisconsin, a member of the committee, as having found a great transformation to have taken place since the previous visit of the committee four years earl ier. In an account of the inspection printed in the New York Evening Post, Representative Esch speaks in the high- est terms of the work accomplished by the United States government. With regard to the Gatun dam, about which there has been so much_ controversy, Esch says that full hearings were givel by the committee, at which Col. Goeth- als, chief engineer and chairman of the anal commission, Col. Sibert, Major Faillard, Col. Hodges, assistant chiet mgineer, and Admiral Rousseau, al! commissioners, testified as to their ab- solute faith in the present plans fot the locks and dam at Gatun, and thet ability to construct them so that they would be permanent and safe and meet all requirements.