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Increase in Lake Draft The shore captains committee of the Lake Carriers’ association has recom- mended an increase of draft to 19 feet on routes to and from ports on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. This is 9 inches more than the draft a year ago and 3% inches more than the draft recommended at the open- ing of this season. The gain in draft will mean larger cargoes, and _ in- creased revenue. The Luckenbach Steamship Co., New York, was the successful bidder for the lease of municipal pier 84, south wharves, foot of Porter street, when the five-year lease was auc- tioned. The bid for the period was $575,- 000. This is about what similar leases have been selling for. The com- pany was represented by R. C. Thack- ara, vice president. It now operates pier 78. Pier No. 84 is one of the city’s newest piers. Great Lakes Red Book 1927 Edition Ready More than 1200 vessels operat- ing on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence river west of Mon- treal, are listed in the new 1927 edition of the Great Lakes Red Book. The name of both the owning and operating companies, their addresses, the names of the captain and chief engineer of each vessel, the capacity of the bulk freighters, and a_ directory of shipyards and ship repair plants are given in this convenient vest- pocket size directory. Publication for 25 years has proved the value of this directory and the importance of its infor- mation to those carrying on busi- ness with lake companies and ves- sels. Its information is thorough- ly accurate and up-to-date, since the vessel companies are _ the sources for the data. The Red Book is published by Marine Review, Penton building, Cleveland, and retails for $1. Overseas Shipments Grow Cargoes moved through American ports during 1926 were 20 per cent greater than for 1925 when the previ- ous high record was reached, accord- ing to a special report by the United States shipping board bureau of re- search. The total volume of water- borne foreign commerce through our ports last year exceeded 112,900,000 cargo tons. The 1926 export total was 68,100,- 000 tons, or 34.7 per cent greater than the export total of 1925. Most of this increase consisted of coal shipments to meet demands caused by the strike in British coal mines. The coal ex- ports of 1925 were 15,615,000 tons, 171.7 per cent above those of the previous year and reached a total of 24,700,000 tons, the greatest water borne movement of a single commodity ever recorded. Exports of commodi- ties other than coal show an increase of 1,900,000 tons, 4.67 per cent over similar exports in 1925. Mud and Silt Removed by Mechanical Process HE steamer WASHINGTON IRVING was rammed nine months last summer by a carfloat and sank in the Hudson river near the Jersey side. She was raised later and the first process after drydocking was the clearing away of hundreds of tons of mud and silt that had penetrated every “ part of the hull. deck spaces for instance lay six inches to four feet deep, and was packed in solid drifts. The Salvage Process Corp., with much experi- ence in difficult cleaning jobs and possessing the The mud and slime in tween — most modern equipment was chosen to do the work. The job was well done in good time. To the left is shown the service tug SALVAGER with pipe line and high pressure tanks, used for the work. To the left and below is a, view of the cafeteria of the WASHINGTON IRVING before cleaning. Directly below, the cafeteria after cleaning, and in the background, H. L. Parker, marine manager of the Salvage Process Corp., who supervised the job. 42 MARINE REVIEW—June, 1927