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Up and Down the Great Lakes Lakes-to-Gulf—Bulk Shipments Much Less—River and Harbor Costs Less—Lake Levels—New Canal Barge—Rapid Growth of Port ORK on the final link of the VY iasto-snt water route, which constitutes the 50-mile stretch on the Illinois river between Lockport and Starved Rock, Ill. is rapidly nearing completion. Little doubt is expressed but that the Lock- port-Starved Rock link can be com- pleted by early in 1933. Total cost for this section is $27,500,000. A new waterway terminal at Peoria, Ill., has been handling traffic from the southern ports only, but has estab- lished a surprising record of business since it opened recently. Railroad offi- cials, who at one time strenuously op- posed the establishment of the water- way terminal, readily admit that it has greatly stimulated their own business. Numerous shipments of sugar, canned goods and other commodities have been made from southerly ports by water and then transferred to rail for ship- ment north, west and east. Seasonal Shipments Less Movement of iron ore for the season to Oct. 1 showed a large decrease over last year. Receipts for this year ‘amounted to 12,270,487 tons, whereas for last year to Oct. 1, 26,329,960 tons were received. For the month of Sep- tember, vessels delivered 2,873,135 tons compared with September, 1930, when 4,721,474 tons were handled. During the season to Oct. 1, a total of 9,426,591 tons were forwarded to in- terior furnaces; for last year the move- ment to interior furnaces was 19,406,- 840 tons. Oct. 1 Lake Erie docks had on hand 5,973,654 tons, as compared with 6,043,654 tons at the same time in 1930. Conneaut leads all ports in re- ceipts of iron ore with 3,180,714 tons, with Cleveland second, receiving 2,861,- 171 tons. Shipments of coal for the season to Oct. 5 were 23,303,575 tons, as com- pared with 29,529,855 tons for the same period in 1930. In 1929, a total of 29,- 653,850 tons were shipped to. Oct. 5. River and Harbor Costs Reduced costs of rivers and harbors construction have resulted in a slash by army engineers of $7,000,000 in their 1933 rivers and harbors estimates for Great Lakes and other territory. A survey along the Mississippi river has shown that levee work from Cairo, Ill., to New Orleans, La., is being done for two-thirds of the estimated cost of 76 such work in 1928. Maj. Gen. Lytle Brown, chief of army engineers, on the » other hand, has asked for $35,000,000 for flood control work, the same sum as was granted for 1932. Rivers and harbors appropriations for 1932 totaled $82,500,000. Chief among the projects which will be extended under the 1933 requests are the upper Mississippi 9-foot channel project, the Missouri river channel from the mouth to Sioux City, Iowa, and the Illinois waterway, which it is predicted will be completed during 1933. In anticipation of an agreement with Canada for the proposed St. Law- rence waterway, the engineers plan to proceed with the deepening from 21 to 27 feet of the connecting channels for the Great Lakes. September Lake Levels The United States Lake survey re- ports the monthly mean stages of the Great Lakes for the month of Septem- ber as follows: Feet above Lakes mean sea level SUMONIOR Siaescc neste occa nasi 602.38 MICH SA N= FUTON 4 eichiisciseicsexeccdeetnuatoaces 578.63 te Cla Te sl ee hr eects se ces te cake 573.92 MOIS esos ids ees nase 571.23 Ontario oni eee i ss fe atnsar coe 244.59 Lake Superior was the same level as in August and 0.36-foot lower than the September stage of a year ago. Lakes Michigan-Huron were 0.30-foot lower than in August and 2.07 feet lower than the September stage of a year ago. Lake Erie was 0.29-foot lower than in August and 1.45 feet lower than the September stage of a year ago. Lake Ontario was 0.30-foot lower than in August and 2.26 feet lower than the September stage of a year ago. Inspect Canal Barge Shippers on Lake Michigan recently inspected the barge-steamer, CHESTER, owned by the Ford Motor Co., which because of the collapsability of stacks and masts, and due to the ability of this vessel to lower its pilot house, is regarded as an advantageous type for navigating the Chicago river, where numerous lift bridges are located. Mayor A. J. Cermak and a number of other muncipal and harbor officials made a trip on the CHESTER along the north branch of the Chicago river, through the Chicago harbor area on Sept. 28, after the craft had docked at Chicago with a cargo. A wider adapta- MARINE REVIEw—November, 1931 tion of this type of vessel is being ad- vocated for Chicago harbor shipping, so that it will not be necessary for bridges to be raised as often in the downtown business area of Chicago. The steamer, CHARLES H. BRADLEY, operated by O. W. Blodgett, Bay City, Mich., as a lumber vessel, was seriously damaged by fire on Oct. 9, after go- ing aground near the entrance to the Portage river at Stoughton, Mich. Leads Great Lakes Ports How Milwaukee is growing as a Great Lakes port is shown by a study that has just been completed there by the board of engineers for rivers and harbors, in co-operation with the bu- reau of operations of the United States shipping board. While Milwaukee was_ eleventh among Great Lakes ports in 1930 in terms of trade tonnage, this port ranked first from the standpoint of’ domestic commerce handled. “Due chiefly to the great volume of car- ferry traffic in valuable goods, Mil- waukee in 1930 ranked first in lake ports from the standpoint of domestic commerce handled, although in terms of tonnage its total trade was exceeded by ten other lake ports,’ the survey states. “The Milwaukee port is prominent in the grain trade, being one of a group . of four Great Lakes ports which ship practically all of the enormous volume of grain flowing eastward over the lakes. “Its position in this trade is due to the fact that its natural tributary area on the west, which includes the prin- cipal grain producing states, is one of the most important grain growing ter- ritories in the world.” Capt. George W. Pearson, oldest mas- ter in active service in the fleet of Canada Steamship lines, died at his home in Owen Sound, Oct. 12 in his seventieth year. His career as a lake boat master was confined to the upper lakes, and he was one of the best known skippers in the Fort William and Georgian Bay trade. For 11 successive seasons, he has captained the S. S. CoLtrnewoopn. He is survived by his widow, two sons, Frank A. of Fort Frances and John P. of Port MecNicoll, and .one daugter, Kathleen. The funeral was held Thursday, Oct. 15.