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184 Opening of Lake Trade Considering the clemency of the winter, the opening of navigation on the great lakes this spring was attended with unusual difficulty. It has been many years since vessels " encountered JAMMED IN THE ICE as much ice as was met with in Lake Superior during the last week of April. Even as late as May 1 there was con- siderable ice in Whitefish Bay, and the more conservative owners were still de- laying sending their barges through. The grain fleet which left Fort William upon the official opening of navigation, April 15, were- practically delayed for ten days or more in the ice, and the ice crusher' St.. Ignace made repeated attempts to release them without suc- cess. Masters were under strict in- junction not to buck the ice, but never- theless some of them lost blades off their wheels and produced more or less repair work for the shipyards. The movement of ore during April was good, though little of it reached Lake Erie ports during that month. Ore at upper lake ports was frozen in the stock piles and was not easy to handle. As congestion existed both at upper and lower lake ports, ore carriers wait- ing several days for cargoes and the grain fleet waiting several days at Buf- falo to unload, it was practically the second week in May before. anything like a regular schedule was observed in lake trade. The Great Lakes Protective Associa- tion has fixed the insurance rate at 4 per cent for the season of navigation, that is from April 15 to November 30, and 4% per cent on policies to run to April 15, 1914. The Association this season will carry 25 per cent of the in- surance of its subscribers, THE MARINE REVIEW There is this to be said, however, that lake trade was never in better shape than it is today. The taking over of the Gilchrist vessels, as well as' other fleets not well entrenched by powerful interests has done much to improve the IN WHITEFISH BAY Copyrighted by Young, Lord & Rhodes. general financial situation and _ to strengthen the vessel-owning business generally. There is a firm demand rul- ing. for vessels in every branch of the bulk freight trade, and vesser owners will: during the present year recoup the May, 1933 early for wild tonnage, which augurs well for the future from the vegsej owner's point of view. Interlake Steamship Co. The stockholders of the Lackawan- na Steamship Co. met in the offices of Pickands, Mather & Co., Cleveland, on Friday, April 25, and ratified al] the steps which had been taken by the company for the purchase of 17 steel steamers belonging to the Gil- christ Transportation Co., as well as the fleets of the Mesaba. Steamship Co., the Provident Steamship Co., the 'Acme Steamship Co., the Standard Steamship Co., the Huron Barge Co,, and the Interlake Co., giving it with the seven vessels it already possessed, a fleet of 37 steel steamers and two steel barges, making it, with the ex- ception of the fleet operated by the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., on behalf of the United States Steel Corpora- tion, the largest fleet on the lakes. 'ifhe. Lackawanna ~ Steamship- Co: surrenders its title and the fleet will hereafter be known as the Interlake Steamship Co., as possessing a some- what more comprehensive meaning. The basis upon which the. several fleets were taken over was published in detail in -The April Marine Review. The Interlake Steamship Co. elected the following officers: President, Harry G. Dalton. Vice president, H. S. Pickands. NAVIGATING WITH DIFFICULTY Copyrighted by Young, Lord & Rhodes. losses which they have suffered during the past few years. Already a shortage of tonnage exists in the Lake Michigan coal trade and a premium of 5 cents has been offered for capacity. Ore shippers are also in the market thus Secretary and treasurer, E. P. Wil- liams. Assistant secretary and_ assistant treasurer, ©. .C, Canfield. Directors, Samuel Mather, H. G. Dalton, H. S. Pickands, James H.