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Activities in the Marine Field Latest News From Ships and Shipyards Coal Movement Behind Schedule BY H.C. MEADE OAL receipts for September were far below 4000 cars a day, the number it was estimated wouid oirements of the Northwest. mos on lake front are low. The slump - id to. be due to the shortage of z e oad labor at the mines. Tonnage ening out rather freely and cargoes : DScine dumped as fast as they are oa The shortage has cut into the ae Dooly and boats have had trouble ae. bunker coal at Ohio ports. Re- a ts at the docks of Duluth and Su- S oe for September were 991,770 tons fe anthracite and 4,109,800 tons of bi- annus. For the same period last year the docks handled 134,300 tons of an- thracite and 1,058,900 tons of bituminous, The car supply in the ore trade held up until the last few days of the month when there was a letup, but dispatch is now better. Receipts of ore at some of the lake front furnaces are much smaller than they were early in the season, but ore for direct shipment 1s going forward much faster than at any time this year. Shipments of iron ore in September amounted to 8,923,482 tons, an increase of 744,999 tons over ship- ments in September, 1919. The _ total movement for the season up to Oct. 1 was 44,273,356 tons, a gain of 6,496,825 tons over the same period in 1919 and a loss of 3,956.153 tons from that period in 1918. Most of the ore 'carriers are busy on their contracts and not much wild tonnage is on the market. The grain movement was slow in getting started but has become fairly active. Tonnage for prompt and future loading is offered at 6 cents for grain from the head of Lake Superior to Buffalo. Small carriers and medium sized steam- ers are lined up to load grain and in all probability there will be a fair amount of tonnage from now on. Char- tering for future loading has not been very active. A number of boats in the Passenger trade have been laid up for the winter. k & The steamer Merton E. Farr, the third of the four 600-foot steel bulk freighters built by the American Ship- building Co. on its own account, with -- the steamers L. M. Bowers and JAMES E. Davinson, will be operated by G. A. Tomlinson. * * * The Great Lakes office of division of operations of the United States ship- Ping hoard is to be closed within a few weeks, All the business of the ninth - district of the shipping board, with the exception of two steamers building at asinaw, will be completed by then. Wing the period of opération of the eessary to take care of the ree" ninth district, which was "in charge of W. M. Williams and Harry L. Mc- Donald, 430 steamers and 47 tugs that were built at lake yards for the ship- ping board were sent to the coast. i The steamer CANADIAN at Port Arthur, Ont, for salt waiey service was placed in drydock at Ashta- bula, O., recently to be cut in two. As the steamer is too long to pass through the Welland canal, she had to be taken to the coast in sections. ee CARRIER, built _ Fhe steamer Harry Courry on leay- ing the harbor at Duluth recently struck the abutment of the interstate bridge, doing about $3000 damage to the bridge. ke Three mine sweepers built at Lake Michigan ports for the government re- cently left for the coast. Koes Some passenger boats. on the lakes are being discontinued for the season. The steamer SEEANDBEE of the Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co. has been laid up for the winter. A number of the other passenger boats have also been dropped. eke oe The steamers Joun Ericsson and HENRY STEINBRENNER recently collided in the fog in the St. Clair river, just below Port Huron. The Ericsson was placed in drydock at Ashtabula, O., with 10 damaged plates. xk The channel of the Black river at Lorain, O., is to be lowered to a 22-foot depth. = Keo The CANADIAN PIONEER, one of a fleet of 40 ships now in the service of the Canadian government, recently left Mon- treal for India, inaugurating a trade route between Canada and the Orient. x ek The dredging of the shoal off the lower end of the downbound channel of the St. Clair .Flats canal has been completed. 2: ae Permission has been given to the American Shipbuilding Co. by the ship- ping board for the sale of ships abroad. The company has negotiated a few for: eign sales and has more in progress. x kee The passenger steamer R. B, Hayes, one of the best known pleasure boats on Lake Erie, is to be dismantled. She was built in 1876 and was retired im the spring of 1918 because of the ek cost of operation. The steamer is owne 609 by the G. A. Boeckling Co., owner and operator of Cedar Point. She was on the Sandusky-Cedar Point run for more than 20 years. +> es The E. & P. ore docks at the foot of Cascade street, Erie, Pa., which had been idle for several years, have been put in commission. They will be kept in operation day and night until the close of navigation. kok James E. Davidson, vice president of the American Shipbuilding Co., has been elected a member of the board of direc. tors of the Great Lakes Transit Corp., Buffalo, to succeed Ward Ames jhge Detroit, who recently resigned. Mr. Davidson is the son of Capt. James Davidson, Bay City vessel owner and shipbuilder. xe, The employes of the Great Lakes Engi- neering Works, Detroit, have subscribed and paid for in cash over one-third the entire stock of the company, which has recently been reorganized. x £8 & The steamer J. P. Morcan loaded with ore was struck by lightning at the Whitefish point recently and her com- Passes were put out of commission. ee eee The steamers W. E. Fitzcrracp and Battic collided recently in the Detroit river. The Batic which had a number of damaged plates and frames, went into drydock at Lorain, O., to make repairs. Kk & At a meeting of the stockholders of the Great Lakes Engineering Works, Detroit, it was decided to adopt the old corporate name. The following officers were elected: Antonio Pessano, chair- man board of directors; John A. Ubsdetl, president and general manager; George B. Turnbull, vice president and assist- ant general manager; John T. Web- ster, vice president; Frederick G. Mor- ley, secretary and treasurer. kK oes The largest cargo of hard coal ever brought to Duluth was carried by the steamer H. G. Datton on one of her recent trips. The cargo consisted of 14,613 net tons. ' £ / A northwest gale on Lake Superior recently forced vessels to seek shelter. A number of boats were from 18 to 24 hours late. +e The recommended draft for Lake St. Clair and St. Mary's river is now 20 feet 3 inches, for Lake Michigan, 20