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Up and Down the Great Lakes Lake Superior Open—Lease Coal and Ore Docks —Lake Levels — Coal Shipments are Heavier iron ores from Lake Erie ports during the month of March were slightly greater, according to statistics issued by the Lake Su- perior Iron Ore association, being 298,780 tons this year as compared with 204,900 tons during March a year ago. For the season of 1934, receipts of ore at Lake Erie ports were 15,572,- 523 tons as against 16,323,050 tons during the season of 1933. Ore shipped from the lake ports dur- ing the season to April 1 totaled 11,783,677 tons against 1253505706 tons for the same period in 1934. Ore remaining on docks at lake ports on April 1 this year was re- ported as 4,569,298 tons, compared to 4,981,536 tons on April 1, 1934. G ion ores of Lake Superior Tankers Begin Operation The port of Chicago was opened for the 1935 season when the tank- ers GENERAL MarKHAM of the Cleve- land Tankers Inc., under command of Capt. Fred Robbins, and the CRUDOIL of the Allied Oil Transport Co., under Capt. Roy McFarlane, arrived at that port April 5. The tankers left Cleveland April 1 and made the run in about three and a half days. They encountered ice at the Straits of Mackinac but followed a channel cut for them by the coast guard cutter ESCANABA. Their passage through the straits was about a month earlier than usual. Vessel Names Changed The Wilson Transit Co. steamer H. P. McInrosH has been rechristened the Epwarp §S. KENDRICK. The new name is in honor of the president of the Inland Coal & Dock Co. The so-called Poker fleet, Ack, Kine, QUEEN, JACK and TEN has had a new addition in the steamer formerly named GILTEDGE and which now _ be- comes TFN. The vessel formerly named TEN now becomes NINE. The newcomer to the fleet opened the package freight service in sailing on April 20 from Duluth bound for Detroit and Buffalo. The NINE will serve mainly as an aux- iliary to the main fleet. On April 17 the freighter L. M. Bowers of the Tomlinson Steamship Co. was rechristened the CHARLES FE. DunNwaApP after the president of the Ber- 32 wing-White Coal New York. Mining Co., By April 20 final government ice reports indicated the breaking up of ice generally on the lakes and that the principal ports and waterways were then open for navigation. March Lake Levels The United States Lake survey re- perts the following monthly mean stages of the Great Lakes for the month of March, 1935, determined from daily readings of staff gages. Feet Above Mean Lakes Sea Level SUDEP ION ass ESR aioe soos Sete siete open aveaeens 602.25 MTCNIC AT FVUTOT, coissscscssevesessssacesscisesccanseses 577.78 Sie Cla ievistcscesasercaeeoesesces costeusbernioveesvacs 572.76 1 Dh oth Var ee Eee aT ST cr RESET Eee Pere 569.80 CO bot e2h oh Ca esa er See) es na he ne te RR 243.45 Lake Superior was 0.13 foot lower than in February and it was 0.14 foot above the March stage of a year ago. Lakes Michigan-Huron were 0.08 foot higher than in February and they were 0.34 foot above the March stage of a year ago, 0.92 foot below the average stage of March of the last ten years. Lake Erie was 0.29 foot higher than in February and it was 0.21 foot above the March stage of a year ago, 1.44 feet below the average stage of March of the last ten years. hake “Ontario «was: 0.26 foot higher than in February and it was 0.23 foot below the March stage of a year ago, 1.82 feet below the aver- age stage of March of the last ten years. Lease Coal and Ore Docks The coal and ore docks of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad at Lo- rain, O., and Toledo, will be operated by the Toledo, Lorain & Fairport, Co., subsidiary of Oblebay-Norton & Co., ac- cording to C. W. Galloway, vice presi- dent in charge operation and mainte- nance of the railroad, who made the announcement that a lease had been signed on April 9 giving operating rights to the new company after April 16. This deal leaves only three docks at southern Lake Erie ports to be operated by railroads, all the rest now being operated by stevedore companies either inde- MARINE REVIEW—May, 1935 pendents or subsidiaries of steamship and other interests. The Baltimore & Ohio dock at Toledo has a storage capacity of 500,000 tongs and is equipped with two Hulett electric unloaders with 15-ton clam shells, with a rated un- loading capacity of 1000 tons per hour. There is also one Wellman Engineering Co. car dumper, having a rated capacity of 1500 tons per hour, At the Lorain, O., ore dock, there are three Brown electric unloaders with 15-ton clam shells and an un- loading capacity of 1000 tons per hour and a storage capacity of 350,- 000 tons. A 2000-ton-per-hour Mc- Myler car dumper is also installed on this dock. A special rig on this dock, equipped with a hopper, per- mits self-unloading vessels to un- load direct into railroad ears, Navigation to Upper Lakes What might be termed the formal opening of the bulk carrying trade on the Great Lakes took place on April 19 when the steamer MIcHIGAN of the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co. arrived at Duluth with a cargo of coal from Lake Erie. On the same day the steamer J. H. SHEADLE opened the ore carrying sea- son by loading a cargo of ore at the Great Northern Ore dock, Superior. After these initial cargoes the sea- son was expected to get into full swing promptly. Coal Shipments Heavier Coal shipments to lake ports are much heavier this year than a year ago, according to figures issued by the Ore & Coal Exchange, From Jan. 1 to March 31 a total of 392,427 short tons of cargo coal was loaded on vessels at coal load- ing docks as compared to 156,917 short tons for the same period last year, and 203,731 short tons in 1933. The amount of fuel coal was double that of last year, being 6706 short tons as against 3247 tons last year, and 3201 tons for the same period in 19338. Various sections of the New York State canal system were formally opened April 8, April 15 and May 1.