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1900) MARINE REVIEW. | 15 OUTLOOK AT BUFFALO. MANY DIFFIOULTIES AT THE START, BUT A SEASON OF GREAT AOTIVITY IS NEVERTHELESS EXPEOTED IN ALL LINES OF LAKE TRADE. Buffalo, April 25.—It will have to be admitted that marine matters, so far as this port is concerned, are most uncomfortably mixed. We are comforted by the belief that, with a single exception, we are past the war stage, but it will take awhile with the best of management to straighten matters out. We are in line for business as we were not a year ago, but that is all that can be said yet. To typify the state of things the big steamer Yale, after fighting her way stubbornly through the ice and fog in order to open the navigation season properly, went on the bottom at the entrance of the harbor and staid there a good long while. Here are some of the shapes we are in: ‘No boss scoopers to go at work on the grain till Supt: Kennedy directed the old ones to report awaiting the pleasure of the union to name new ones; deadlock between the owners of lumber tonnage and the shippers; war of the deadliest between the tug lines; navigation opening with a bang several days be- fore the shippers or vessel owners looked for it and next to nothing loaded to go, either in coal or package freight; canal open officially, but all the boatmen standing on the street corner without a pound of freight to carry; lumbermen arousing the ire of certain of the brokers by agi- tating the proposition to appotnt a charter agent of their own and making their own rates; package-treight handlers going to work under the con- tract system again, after setting up such a fight against it last season. There is more of this sort of thing and it is all more or less perplex- ing, though nobody is really looking for difficulty except as it comes to this or that individual or lesser combination, for there is something in the old story of the house that leaned so many ways that it stood up in spite of itself. There is no doubt that the tug lines are in for a long war, but their loss happens to be somebody’s gain, although nobody really likes to see such things go on. The elevator owners held out as they usually do, all after the big slice of shares, but willing to give in rather than get no bread, so they - waited till the grain fleet was in sight and then signed the agreement and there is a pool for the season, just as last year, with a half cent for eleva- tion and the canal houses out. It was what was expected and what was generally desired and it is to be hoped that this tardy agreement is the forerunner of the business of the port for the season rather than that foreshadowed by the stranding of the Yale. - One thing has been settled a second time and for the better. When the ore-handling rate was first fixed and placed higher than at other Lake Erie ports a protest was entered by certain influential men with the in- terest of the port at heart and they set about to straighten it out, not stopping till the rate was put on a level with the others, where it will doubtless stay. There is, of course, no canal rate and there may be none till the first arrivals of grain are scattered, as it usually happens that the east has waited for lake grain and wants it as soon as the railroads can bring it. The flat rate of 3 cents on wheat to New York for all ex- lake grain ought to bring a great amount here. It is the lowest ever made and was no dowbt put in to head off the Welland and some other aggressive competitors. We are all well pleased when our route does such things, but are sad when it is some other one. Lumber will be handled at the same rate as last season, on a basis of 32 cents on log-run pine, with the consignee paying 5 cents additional for straightening on the dock. If there is a pool the cost of grain elevation will be the same; if there is none it will be what one can get. Quite possibly this week will see the arrangement completed. Vessel owners generally say that they prefer a pool. Then business is steadier and on a more regular basis, besides nobody asks that the work be done for noth- ing. War means war, with no profit and poorer service. It is expected that the coal shipping trade will be brisk, and already practically all local shippers have taken tonnage quite liberally. The rates are high, but the condition of the hard-coal trade is such that, rate and all, the outlook is better than it was a year ago. Although there is some reason just now for not considering the general lake outlook as good as it was a month ago, chiefly on account of the serious slackness of the lumber trade, still there must be a much greater change than is thought possible now to convince Buffalo that one of the biggest seasons, both locally and generally, is not ahead of us. JOHIN CHAMBERLIN. BUFFALO WILL CHARGE THE SAME AS OTHER PORTS. At a meeting of the harbor and canal committee of the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, held April 21, for the purpose of conferring with the managers of the ore docks of Buffalo about the charge for unloading ore at that port during the season of navigation of 1900, the committee was informed by the managers of the various docks that they had decided not to charge 25 cents a ton for unloading ore, but to reduce the charge to 22 cents, the same as at other ports on Lake Erie. The harbor and canal committee had been fearful that the extra charge of 3 cents a ton for unloading ore at Buffalo would result in diverting some ore from that port to other ports. The action of the dock managers in reducing the charge at Buffalo to the same price prevailing at the other ports on Lake Erie will prevent this diversion, and was therefore most gratifying to the authorities of the exchange. The Case outward thrust propeller wheel, illustrated in an advertise- ment on page 23 of this issue, is certainly worthy of investigation from vessel men who are not acquainted with the claims that are made for it. As with everything else new, the makers of this wheel met with difficul- ties in the beginning, although fully confident of the merits of the wheel they were offering. But after a couple of years of stubborn effort they have succeeded in putting out full 300 of this type of wheel and they have letters from all over the country telling of its economy and smooth- running qualities. Representative Southard has introduced a bill in the house of repre- sentatives to make Toledo a steamboat inspection service port. There are now three inspection ports in Ohio—Cleveland, Cincinnati and Gal- lipolis. : WAGES ON LAKE VESSELS. If the wages of men aboard lake vessels, as fixed a few days ago at a meeting of the Lake Carriers’ Association in Cleveland, were compared with the spring schedule of 1899 the increase would be of a very marked kind. But the vessel owners this year did not take the low beginning of last spring as a basis.. They took up the closing schedule of 1899, which was the highest of the year, as the best wages are paid in the fall when freights are usually high and when there is most difficulty in getting men on account of unfavorable weather. Even the high schedule of last fall was increased in some cases. Firemen, wheelmen, oilers, seamen and lookouts are to be paid $45 a month, instead of $42.30 last fall. Wages of mates and cooks on tow barges are also increased somewhat over the fall schedule. A full comparison is made in the following table: WAGES OF MEN ON LAKE VESSELS. CLosE or 1899. OPENING oF 1900, ON BREAN EAE: First class |See’ndclass|| First class |Sec’nd class vessels. vessels. vessels. vessels, Chief engineers. :.. 055.6 icsqiiinn sae $132.00 | $114.00 |} $132.00 | $114.00 Second engineers...... Riseducreivatetaes 90.00 84.00 90.00 | °84.00 First: mates: iss: ieee eieks os dee sic 96.00 84.00 96.00 84.00 Second mates: 623i s.. che acca vets 66.00 54.00 66.00 54.00 Cooks, 330: ES Wectducessttev esas eeees 66.00 60.50 66.00 60.00 Helpers'to COOKS Aiisiacire teers se: 24.20 20.57 24.00 20.00 IP@iMens?scecec si ices, dorcceneaeesces Pees 42.35 42.35 45.00 45.00 Wheelsinen ....... WEES EReuacdseak ens eekee 42.35 42.35 45.00 45.00 TOOK OUtS cc: warcvess chin aces casean oe biweees 42.35 42.35 45.00 45.00 Omersin aii os ieee BQO | icc iccctoees 45500 |; civesnases Deck: WandSerccscsclscateas ciceveuaeiccsies 24.20 24.20 25.00 25.00 ON CONSORTS AND SAILS, Hirst tmatesecere ss ccc sc sce cues veseens a3 60.00 54.00 70.00 55.00 Second mates i323 ccccst sues aveeecreesces ASOO os usiucecess 50.00 |...... saheses COORS Ces ae ie ewetcancnoncsseccecsmarees 42.35 36.30 45.00 40.00 SGA lis saccec cs scvsccescacsa lcseaccocuwaeeaees 42.35 36.30 45.00 45.00 AROUND THE GREAT LAKES. An expenditure of $10,000 is to be made by the University of Mich- igan in providing for a school of marine engineering. ‘Capt. Edward McGowen, one of the early sailors of the lakes, died at his home in Port Huron a few days ago. He was seventy-four years of age. ‘ re The steamer Tampico, building at Craig’s yard at Toledo for Mr. Arthur Hawgood and others of this city, will be launched Saturday afternoon. FE R. C. Pennoyer of Bay City, and Thos. Prindiville of Chicago, have purchased the steamers Chas. Hebard and consorts Aloha and Annabel Wilson for $85,000. Star: i ae Major Hanbury, light-house engineer, Detroit, Mich., will open bids at noon May 18 for the construction of wharf, oil house, custodian’s dwelling, etc., making up the light-house depot that is to be located on Sugar island, St. Mary’s river. ” As announced last week, the steamers Badger: State and Empire State, which traded down the St. Lawrence last season, are to be oper- ated in Buffalo-Green Bay service during the coming season under direc- tion of M. J. McCormick of Green Bay. These vessels are owned by Cleveland parties. The opening announcement card put out by Mr. Herman of the Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co. is unusually attractive this season. It represents a girl with models of the fleet in either hand rising out of the petals of a lily. Daily trips, except Sunday, have been resumed. On and after May 27 trips will ‘be made every day in the week. An agreement regarding prices of steamboat fuel in Toledo was en- tered into a few days ago by John T. Solon, Herman & Sons, the Blair Coal ‘Co., Harvey Williams and Bingham Bros., coal dealers at that port. The prices are: Hocking lump, $2.50; run of mine, $2.40; Mas- sillon and Jackson lump, $2.75; Massillon and Jackson run of mine, .65. The Donnelly Contracting Co. of Buffalo has secured two contracts for the extension of the breakwaters at Ashtabula and Lorain. The Ash- tabula bid was $410,292 and the Lorain bid $635,519. This company now has on hand more than $1,600,000 of United States government and state work, including harbor work at Fairport, Conneaut, Erie, Buffalo and ‘Cape Vincent. The new ore dock of the Eastern Minnesota Railway ‘Co. on Allouez bay at Duluth is nearing completion. It will be ready to receive ore on May 1. The new dock has 250 pockets of 250 tons each. Trimmed the pockets will hold 266 tons each. The approach to the new dock is said to be the largest timber structure in the world. It is a mile long and for a distance of about 900 feet ranges from 70 to 73 feet high. Following is a revised list of captains and engineers of steamers of the Northern line, Buffalo: North West, Capt. Geo. A. Miner; North Land, Capt. W. C. Brown; Northern King, Capt. J. M. Saunders. Northern Queen, Capt. J. F. Vaughn; North Wind, Capt. John Hartman; Northern Light, Capt. M. J. Haberer; North Star, Capt. F. G. Stewart. The engineers are John MacDonald, W. C. Lenfest, John A. O’Mara, i T. Stewart, Thomas Jackman, John J. Darcy, John Dee and W. T. ike. PNEUMATIC TOOLS AT THE EXPOSITION. Mr. T. P. Kimman, assistant mechanical superintendent with the Standard Pneumatic Tool Co. of Chicago, has just sailed for Paris, in order to install and operate the ‘Little Giant’? pneumatic tools and ap- pliances at the Paris exposition. The Standard company will have a complete air plant in actual operation in the Champ de Mars and Park Vincennes, demonstrating the adaptability of pneumatic tools to various classes of work, and showing the development of this class of machinery. It will be a novel and interesting exhibit and one that will redound to the credit of America. eae Tae LLY Eiht) Serie