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'members of the Lake Activities in the Marine Field Latest News From Ships and Shipyards Lake Operators Take Care of Men NRAFFIC on the Great Lakes having failed to reach propor- ; tions calling for a large active fleet, more vessels, _ which had been brought out in anticipation of the sea- gon's. shipping, have been laid up. Opening quietly, the season's traffic has continued quietly. The grain shipments have been so small that only a little tonnage has been re- quired. Ore sales have been prac- tically nil with the' result that little outside tonnage has been required. With conditions continuing as they are, many of the ships which have been held at dock likely will not be started this season. The usual good treatment accorded seamen on the lakes may be seen in the present action of the steam- ship companies in reassigning the men whose long and faithful careers have warranted their retention in service. Assignments early in the year called for operation of a larger fleet of ships than today is necessary on the lakes and in laying up the idle vessels, the owners have given captains berths as first mates, chief engineers posts as assistants, -etc. . In. doing this, - the Carriers' asso- ciation have guaranteed the reassigned men that their season's earnings will not be Jess than 50 per cent of the wages fixed for the season in positions to which they at first were assigned. Licensed officers' wages have been reduced 15 per cent. Unlicensed mem- bers of the crew having received rel- atively greater wage advances have been placed on the following basis: Chief Cooks: Per month Vessels over 4000 gross tons...... $145 - Vessels under 4000 gross tons..... 130 oa Sk 115 Pete CURINCCTS. . ee ec ce os 12 Wheelsmen, Lookoutsmen ......... 100 Firemen, oilers, water tenders .... 100 eee seamen. (oe. ee cc de 70 re oe ak ee 65 Be COOKS er hace lees 85 ee ee 65 eee aiehcs Oe ce ek 80 * * * The R. R. RicHarpson, steamer of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co.'s fleet, re- cently took the first cargo of ore loaded at Escanaba this season. * * * Striking an obstruction while upbound with coal, the steamer AprIAN IsLEN was drydocked at Milwaukee for re- placement of eight plates. ey Capt. Alfred D. McNevin, well known as an authority -- in nautical affairs and for some time an adjuster of BY M. L. FEISER compasses and other nautical instru- ments on the Great Lakes and the At- lantic, died recently in Detroit after a year's illness) He was 58 years old. x. kX Capt k. W. England of the Inter- state Steamship Co., has been elected a member of the advisory committee of the Great Lakes Protective associa- tion.. He succeeds. the late W. H. Becker. x x x Buoy - 1; a thitd class spar at Big Bay point, South Side; Lake Superior, reported about a half mile west of its proper location last fall, has been replaced in its correct position, accord- ing to Edward L. Woodruff, superin- tendent. of lighthouses. : ae Reduction a rail. rates on grain from Georgian bay and other Canadian ports to Montreal has resulted in the diversion of important tonnages from Buffalo to Canadian ports, the Corn Exchange at Buffalo recently announced. The trunk line association has been asked to meet the reduction. *k 2K * Ore shipments in April were greater than had been expected, dumpings at the head of the lakes totaling 176,211 tons. However, this is 54,643 tons under the April shipments of a yea ago. hs F. B. Smith, who resigned last win- ter as fleet engineer of the Pittsburgh Steamship Co., was presented with a diamond ring by the chief engineers of the line at a recent fleet meeting. Mr. Smith is continuing with the fleet in an advisory capacity. ee The Labeau Wrecking Co., Toledo, recently bought the wooden steamer, Ke. FITzGERALD of St. Clair, owned by Captain Amig, at a United States marshal's sale. x *k Judge Arthur J. Tuttle of the United States court at Detroit has held that the steamer E. E. Stick, downbound with ore, and the steamer A. A. Av- GUSTUS, upbound with coal, were both at fault in a collision near Southeast Shoal, Lake Erie, May 11, 1918. Dam- ages were divided. eke The department of marine and fish- eries of Canada has changed the re- volving white light on the extremity of a low point on Clark Point, Lake Hur- on, to a flashing white, showing a flash every two and a half seconds. The fixed white light on .a point at the west end of Pie island, west en- 288 trance to Thunder bay, Lake Superior, is to be replaced by a white acetylene gas light, shown from a seventh order lens. The light is to be unattended and the hand fog horn is to be discon- tinued. ee William Lucking, an attorney of De- troit, filed suit in the United States court there to enjoin the "Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co. from dis- continuing service on its Mackinac line. At the hearing, attorneys for the com- pany declared the court had no author- ity to act, while Lucking and state at- torneys who had intervened, declared the company a common carrier which cannot abandon service at will. oe x Capt. J. A. Holmes, former secre- tary of the Shipmasters' association, who retired from command of the HesPer in the Bradley fleet in 1906 af- ter many years of service, died May 9 in a Cleveland hospital. He was 84 years old. eK = Delivery of the freighters CAaNApIAN HARVESTER at Port Arthur, CANADIAN LoccrerR at Midland, . and CanapiAn PATHFINDER and CANADIAN ENGINEER at Toronto, will complete the construc- tion program of the Canadian merchant marine. eK Fred M. Harmon, fleet engineer of the Wilson Transit Co., has been ap- pointed superintendent of repairs for the United States shipping board. He will be stationed at Newport News and Norfolk where a large number of vessels of the Emergency Fleet corpor- ation are laid up. ee ee The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. has given the Reid Wrecking Co. the con- tract for floating the steamer J. H. SHEADLE, which is on the bottom at ' Marquette, and towing her to Ashta- bula. She went on the rocks while backing away from the ore docks last November. eo ke Fred I. Kennedy, the Reiss Steam- ship Co.'s manager, has been elected a member of 'the advisory 'committee of the Great Lakes Protective associa- tion, succeeding Peter Reiss of Sheboy- gan, resigned. The Atrrep H. Smirtu, of the Great Lakes Transit Corp., was the first ves- sel of the line to go into commission for the season, leaving Buffalo for Duluth, April 22, stopping at Detroit. ee The steamer Vinnat, ex-Jesse Spauld- Sh a