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NOVEMBER 1885 T IS a long ery to hark back 40 years but human nature was evi- dently much the same then as it is now. The Marine Record (then the name of MARINE REVIEW and_ pub- lished weekly) for November 5, 1885 quoted a contemporary as follows: “We don’t know how many boats are running on the canal, or how many vessels ply the lakes, but we do know that the captains and owners thereof claim to do a losing business every season and have so claimed for ten years past, yet they keep at it and the only reason we can discover for their not abandoning their profession is that they make so many voyages that they can afford to lose something on each.” Isn’t it the old story of crying wolf? Those who might come to the rescue having been fooled so often, complacently feel that it is only another false alarm. And who can blame them? k * * The loss on November 7, 1885 of the Clyde built iron hull passenger steamer Algoma of the Canadian Pa- cific Line, wrecked in a storm on Isle Royal, Lake Superior, resulted in the death of 48 out of a total of 62 pass- engers and crew. Among those saved were her commander, Captain John Moore who was badly injured, eleven of the crew and only two passengers. The survivors were brought into Port Arthur by the steamer Athabasca. * * * So serious a disaster immediately set arguments going as to the super- iority of wood over iron or steel as shipbuilding material. The Plain Deal- er, Cleveland’s leading newspaper, solemnly stated editorially, “that the fact was again demonstrated, that when an iron or steel vessel strikes the rocks she goes to pieces and goes quickly.” NOVEMBER 1895 THIS day of good feeling between the people of Canada and the United States it is hard to realize that only 30 years ago serious efforts From the Old Log Book Stray Items About the Great Lakes, Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts and Inland Rivers from MARINE REVIEW Files of 10. 20, 30 and 40 Years Ago were abrogate the treaty which prohibited the building or use of war vessels on the Great being made to Lakes. A letter to the MARINE RE- view of that day quotes Charles Cramp, the famous Philadelphia ship- builder to the effect that the ships of the Canadian Pacific railway were built. with a view to use in case of war and that they had gun platforms constructed ready for guns to be mounted on the shortest notice. Eg * * Mr. Cramp’s suspicions of the good faith of our Canadian neighbors of that day have long since been forgot- ten. Now as then with tremendously greater resources in numbers of popu- lation and wealth our safety and se- curity from attack in that quarter are amply protected. The true sig- nificance of this episode lies in the complete impossibility for responsible persons of the present generation to conceive of any warlike actions as be- tween these two countries. It may therefore, be used as a striking ex- ample of the great distance that we have come away from _ truculence, from thin skinned bombastic national pride, from every thought of armed conflict to protect our rights and in-— terests, and how we have come to con- sider any such cocky flights of imag- ination as absurd comic opera stuff, as far as Canada is concerned. If the same certainty of the impracti- cability of war existed between all other nations world peace would be a reality. NOVEMBER 1905 ‘ HE lake bulk freighter JOHN STANTON still very much in active service was completed twenty years ago by the American Shipbuilding Co. at the Lorain yard in the record time of 70 days. Capt. Charles L. Hutchinson gave the order in 1905 for 1906 delivery but this order was followed by orders for twenty-five ves- sels from other steamship companies of which the American Shipbuilding Co. secured twenty. Under the circum- stances it seemed best to try to make delivery of the STANTON during 1905. The keel was laid July 13 and the steamer began her maiden voyage on 428 Oct. 10, the time elapsed being three days less than three months. Sub- tracting Sundays, Labor Day, six half holidays and two days of bad weather during which no work was done the ship was constructed complete, ma- chinery installed and with steam up in seventy working days. The work was done under the general super- vision of Supt. Frank La Murche. * * * A report was given of the official tests of the self docking steel floating drydock Dewey completed early in June 1905 by the Maryland Steel Co., Sparrows Point, Md. The U. S. Bat- tleship Colorado with a displacement of 13,300 tons and the U. S. Battle- ship Iowa with a displacement of 11,- 600 tons were each docked in turn. NOVEMBER 1915 HE passing from the scene of’ activity of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. as an American line operating on the Pacific is told in picture and story in the MARINE RE- VIEW ten years ago and this event is closely connected with the enforce- ment of the so-thought drastic and insurmountable provisions of the new seaman’s act then recently passed. a * * After the war as operators of shipping board vessels the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. returned to the old service, only to be ousted again; this time by the successful bid of the Dollar company for the government ships and the route. oe * * Captain Dollar seems to be able to get along in spite of the seaman’s act. As a matter of fact the original sea- man’s act and subsequent laws in- tended to protect the rights of sea- men is not now in the main greatly criticized by American operators. Not many or serious changes are now sug- gested even by the Steamship Own- ers association. Certain provisions of the law, however, could be changed to the benefit of the operators with- out in any way impairing the rights of seamen. Such changes should be made in the best interests of the mer- chant marine as a whole for the good of owners and men alike.