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UN = Sever CCORDING to present indications, the changes in the Great Lakes fleet this winter will be. com- paratively slight. During the past few years, a large number of freighters were sold. Some tentative plans are in progress, however, and several vessels may change hands be- fore getting up steam for their initial 1919 voyages. No bulk freighters are to be added to the fleet this year. The wrecking steamer Favorite, which is to replace the vessel by that name taken over by the government for use in for- eign waters, as described in THe Ma- rINE REvIEW. for January, 1918, is_ the only tew’ vessel for lake service which will be commissioned this year. The Favorite is under construction at the Cleveland yard of the Great Lakes Tow- ing Co. She will be ready for service by the opening of navigation. Work on her construction was seriously hampered at times during 1918 by ae anes of skilled labor. Ape ee The contract for a new cutter to replace the Morritt at Detroit, for patrol ‘duty on Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair and Huron, has not been awarded owing to the fact that the appropriation for construction of this vessel at the pres- ent time is insufficient. xk * * Lake yards continue, their splendid showing in building boats for the Emer- gency Fleet corporation this winter and a number will be ready for delivery at the opening of navigation. Two steam- ers were recently launched at yards of the American Shipbuilding Co. The majority of lake builders have all they can do at present; in fact their con- tracts will extend well into the season, Ret Be . At the annual’ ‘meeting. ‘of. the grand lodge of the International Shipmasters’ association, held in Chicago recently, Capt. W. L. Girardin, master of the steamer Harry W. Crort, who repre- sented the Cleveland lodge, was elected grand president to succeed Capt. W. J. Crosby, Detroit. The other officers chosen are: Capt. Lee DeNike, Detroit, vice president; Capt. M. F. Morgan, Chi- cago, secretary; Capt. J. D. Baird, Ma- tine City, treasurer. The 1920 meet- ing, it was announced, will be held at Toledo, the last week in January. * * * Capt. Alex Cunning, wrecking master of the Great Lakes Towing Co., has invented a wrecking device which. he has patented in the United States, Canada, England, France and in other foreign countries. Captain Cunning has had a wide experience in wrecking work, holding a record of 128 successful operations with only one failure. He is probably the best known wrecking mas- ter on the Great Lakes, the St. Law- rence river and gulf. Captain Cunning’s ng HULA Latest News from Ships and Shipyards ec EHNA Vessels \ lay LIMANLEe manas device works on the principle of a dou- ble pontoon system and John F. Hogan, Detroit, and A. L. Wilkinson, Windsor, Ont., have begun work on its construc- tion. oe ee | The city association of commerce, Milwaukee, has taken steps to get an- other line in operation to relieve the freight situation. The rates to be charged are the same as railroad rates but the switching problem at Chicago will be avoided, inasmuch as the new line is planned to run to Michigan City, Ind. where it will connect with eastbound freight lines. % 2K * o The RELIANCE, a small steamer hailing from Sandusky, O., was recently placed in commission to run between Sandusky and Lake Erie islands. She is engaged in transporting passengers and freight and will continue in commission as. long as weather conditions are favorable for her operation. Capt. John Newman, her owner and master, decided to_ put her in. commission at this time of the _-year Amun jill HE Corr, a torpedo boat. de- stroyer, was recently launched by the William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co., Philadelphia. This vessel is the twen- tieth torpedo boat destroyer to be launched from the Cramp yards during the, past year. Mrs. Edward B. Cole, es widow of Maj. Edward B. Cole of the United States ‘marines; “who was killed at Chateau Thierry, acted as sponsor. Because Boston and. New England generally have plenty of coal, a fleet of about 20 steamers engaged in the fuel trade have been turned over to char- terers and a number of the ships may load oversea. The fleet included several lake-built craft of about 3000 tons dead- weight capacity and these smaller ves- sels may be utilized in moving sugar from the West Indies to the United States. x Ok OK Steamer Herman F. Wrunter,_ for years in the Metropolitan line service between Boston and New York, has been chartered by the United Fruit Co. to bring fruit from Bocas del Toro to Mobile, Ala. * ok Ok Stevedore M. F. Donovan made quick time turning over the steamship WEsT Point at Boston recently when 6000 162 a r : QPF i in he a Ee Kield yy G Yr TMI owing to urgent requests by island residents. i des ae Owing to the unusually mild winter, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., for the first time in its history, faces the possibility of not being able to harvest enough natural ice for next summer's consump- tion. As yet, no ice has been taken from St. Marys river and in the quiet- est waters the ice is only 6 inches thick. Even if ice were plentiful, there is no snow on which to haul it; Last year in January the ice on the river was 27 inches thick. In January of the present year the ferry boat was plying between Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. x ok * At Buffalo, a large amount of marine repair work i is in progress. Some of the vessels are ir’ drydock where they will remain for several weeks. One of the vessels drydocked is the steamer G. G. Barnum. ‘The M. A. Rees. which went ashore at Detour shoal, will be another big job that will require several weeks. liz HLH ail tons of merchandise for Brest, France, was placed aboard in 39 hours from time of arrival. Other transatlantic - freighters have been given relatively quick dispatch since a strike of freight handlers tied up the port the latter part of last year. : x * * : A freight steamship, ‘the “ Mysttc, built at Chester, Pa., for Boston inter- ests, will be commanded by Capt. C. F. Smith, formerly on .steamers of the Merchants & Miners Transportation Co. The Mystic is 400 feet long and of 8500 tons deadweight capacity. A sister ship, the IpswicH, will be launched soon at Chester. « * Kk The Port Clyde Cold Storage & Fish- eries Co., Port Clyde, Me., has purchased for $275 the 2-mast schooner GATHERER, which put in at that port after been roughly used by gales. * OK Ox The White Star line’s Boston office announces that the Canopic and CreTIC are to be returned to the Mediterranean service, having been released by the British government. The first sailing from Boston was early in February. x ox x A former Boston collier, the 6-masted schooner ELEANOR A. Percy, has arrived Rech Pe eek a f :