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THE MARINE RECORD. 1878. ESTABLISHED PuBLISHED EvERY THURSDAY AT 144 SUPERIOR St., (LEADER BUILDING), CLEVELAND, O. GEO. L. SMITH, ) IRVING B. SMITH, } - PROPRIETORS. . WILLIAM L. McCORMICK, : 5 - EDITOR. BRANCH OFFICE, CuHIcaco, ILL, = - - - 238 Lake Street. THOMAS WILLIAMS, Associate Editor, SUBSCRIPTION. One copy, one year, postage paid, One copys one year, to foreign countries, = Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING. Rates given on application. All communications should be addressed to SMITH & SMITH, 144 Superior Street, CLEVELAND, O. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as Second-Class Mail Matter. CLEVELAND, O., JANUARY 16, 1896. MEMBERS of the Lake Carriers’ Association have freely signed petitions endorsing harbor improvement projects at Buffalo, Ashtabula, fanitowoc and Ludington. TTT EEO OS — THE Senate Committee on Commerce has set January 30, for the hearing on the Detroit bridge bill. It is probable, however, that the proper committees of the House and Senate will give the Ship Masters’ Association an opportunity to express their views next week. 0 0 THE attendance and interest at the annual meeting of the Lake Carriers’ association were very encouraging, and the organization has so rapidly extended its scope that it severs nearly every interest on the inland water- ways. Its affairs are administered on a broad policy, and the individual influence of many of its members is so great that the concentration of this influence can scarcely be overestimated. s 0 THE RECORD is pleased to observe the desire on the part of vessel men for greater accuracy in the daily newspaper reports of arrivals and clearances, even to the extent of co-operating with the news service manage- ment. ‘There is much room for improvement, but little of this is feasible unless the vessel men give some active assistance. This assistance would not require any especial trouble or expense on their part, and the im- provement seems Jikely to be effected. (eR 8 RR 9 Iv is most proper, from the stupendous showing of vast amounts of freight carried at a great saving to the public, that the government, representing the people as a whole, should expend funds to improve the waterways and avert disaster. At the same time, the statistics from which these striking statements can be compiled come from the reports and clearances made by masters at the custom house, It is certainly remarkable that so much objection should be raised in some quarters against the slight requirements made by the government for its own protection and for securing statistics regarding its coast, wise and foreigncommerce. Doubtless the requirement that reports be made to engineers in charge of improve- ments are burdensome, but this is only temporary. The Great Lakes would probably receive even better treat- ment at the hands of Congress if each owner would make himself a committee of one to contribute, so far as lies in his power, to the compilation of accurate statisti- eal information. Withthe single exception of iron ore it is almost impossible to secure figures valuable for com- parison because of inaccurate returns made on clearance manifests. SAND BEACH HARBOR OF REFUGE. Colonel Lydecker, Corps of Engineers, U: S. A., has made public the annual report of R. M. Wagstaff, cus- todian of Sand Beach Harbor of Refuge. The number of vessels seeking shelter in 1895 was about 400 short of the -largest previous year, although the tonnage was fully up to that of last year. The report by months is as follows: STEAM. SAIL. TOW. TOTAL. 1895. No.| Tons. |No.| Tons. |No.| Tons. | No. | Tons Bie G Meares Bf 4,682.51] 3 178.65; 2 913.00 | 16 5,769.16 May co.s% 43 | 16,357.63 | 38 2,458.11 | 19 | 10,369.75 | 100 29,185.49 JUNG. 08 26 8,837.70 | 29 1,618.26 | 11 8,301.54 | 66 13,757.50 July........| 79 | 42,757.35 | 52 4,185.52 | 45 | 22,215.77 | 176 69,158.64 August...,.| 49 | 28,918.49 | 35 3,448.67 | 18 8,863.06 | 102 36,230.22 September!} 92 | 49,149.83 | 39 3,208.83 | 72°] 36,193.75 | 203 88,552.41 October....|168 {114,791.77 | 62 8 430.82 |114 | 57,483.78 | 344 | 180,706.37 November |101 | 87,548.59 | 28 8,034.41 | 51 | 26,070.05 | 180 | 116 653.05 December.| 12 8,488.43 | 1 340.00) 4 1,826.62 ee 10,655.05 Total... .|581 356 532.30 1287 | 26,998.27 1336 167,237.32 1,20. 204 550,667.80 EEE = ABERRATION ON LAKE MICHIGAN. The fog signal located at the lake entrance to the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal is inaudible and unreliable at certain distances therefrom during the prevalence of a fog, and according to observations made, by Chas. O. Chapman, keeper of the station, the area of inaudiblity covers a space of four square miles. Straight. out from the canal (SE%E. true) for nearly a mile the fog whistle can be distinctly heard, but beyond that the sound becomes muffled and is suddenly lost to all hear- ing; this occurs for the space of about a mile, when it becomes audible again. This remarkable phenomenon extends over a space of 2% miles north of SKYE (true), and about 1% miles south of SEKY%E. (true), and is about a mile in width, and has the same trend as that of the shore abreast of it, which forms an angle of about 90° and from point to point trends north, north- easterly and south, southwesterly. Many instances are known where steamboat and ves- sel captains have noted the steam from the whistle over a fog bank, but were unable to hear any sound from the same. Those of the steamboat captains and others that have been interviewed on the subject differ widely from one another as to the exact location of this ‘obscured spot.: Some claim it to be south of the canal and about four. miles from shore, while others claim it to be north of the canal and about two miles out. The life-savers at that point, in patrolling the beach both north and south of the canal report that at times they are unable to hear the whistle at distances not more than 2% miles. bb In speaking about the matter recently, Capt. Eid. Cox, of the steambarge Seymour, says his experience has been that in coming down the lake in a fog and steer- ing N, by E. the fog whistle is picked up near and off Ahnapee and can be distinctly heard until at a point about six miles north of Ahnapee and about four miles from shore, when it becomes inaudible and remains so for about four miles, when it is again picked up and held. The same phenomenon has been noticed at Poverty Island recently by the officers of the light-house supply steamer Dahlia, Capt. Chas. H. Hubbard. The Dahlia, during the prevalence of a fog, passed within a mile of the Island and the officers on board were trying to pick up the fog whistle. but to no avail. Suddenly the fog lifted sufficiently to enable the officers to see the steam from the whistle, but they were unable to hear it until farther on. Another+remarkable instance is the fog whistle at Kewatunee,which can be heard at the canal when it snows as plainly as though it were not more than ‘en miles distant instead of 25; but in a fog it cannot be heard at the canal at all. -_ <i -— —— Henry M. Stanley, in an article on the ‘“‘Development of Africa,’’ which is to appear in the February Century, recalls the fact that troubles with the Boers in southern Africa first induced David Livingstone to travel ‘to the north, and so led the way to the opening of Equatorial Africa. Livingstone, who was a missionary at Kolo- beng, accused his Boer neighbors of cruelty to the na- tives. They resented his interference, and threatened to drive him from'the country. He published their mis- deeds in the Cape newspapers, and his house was burned in revenge. This led to his leaving southern Africa and going toa regioa where he could follow in peace his vocation as amissionary, unmolested by the Boer farmers. - Stranded craft. Geo. Z. Zanger; vice-president, Pat. Ragan; treasurer, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, ‘The Straits are now frozen over solid, except the tra kept open by the ferry boats. The car ferry boats St. Marie at the Straits, and th Shenango No. 2, on Lake Erie, were both frozen in fo a number of hours this week. 3 The death of Capt. George W. Vickery is announce from Oswego. He was one of the oldest masters sailin, out of that port, and died at the age of 71 years, leavin a number of grandchildren. The plan of Capt. A. B. Davis of the revenue cutter Johnson, for the patrol of the Sault, includes the trans- fer of the small boarding vessel Calumet from Chicago. M.A. Bradley, James Pickands, C. EK. Grover, W. A. Collier, and H. H. Brown have organized the Ashtabula Tug Co., and will probably purchase atd operate the harbor tugs now in service at that port. The car ferry Shenango No. 1 has gone out of com- mission at Conneaut, and all her crew except Capt. Mc- Leod, the mate and chief.engineer have been paid off. The No 2 is still in operation. Temporary lull in bus ness is alleged as. the cause. : The following directors and officers of the Lorain Steamship Company have been selected: Orville Root, president; KE. C. Foster, vice-president; David Wallace, secretary, treasurer and manager; J. H. Hills, Henry Wallace, ‘Thomas Gawn, and J. B. Hoge. A heavy sea carried overboard five cars loaded with flour and two loaded with dairy products from the Ann Arbor No.1 last week, on the poe from Kewaunee ta Frankfort. ; The Lake Shore has begun work on the west side o : its lake front slip at Ashtabula, clearing up the dock for the construction of twelve new ore hoists, increasing the capacity of Ashtabula 20 per cent. H. C. Post, B. F. Dwelle and others have sold all the dock property north of Water street, Sandusky, to ; syndicate of home capitalists, at the head of which is Jacob Kuebeler, a prominent Sandusky brewer. Hon. Simon Langell, of St. Clair, fell on the ice on Monday of last week, and sustained some injuries to his head, which, however, are not likely to prove serious. _ Thomas R. Harvey and C. T. Gilmore, of the Sault, have purchased Capt. Jesse Bird’s steam yacht Wan poosa, which will act as a reporting boat next year for Harvey’s Marine Bureau, and as a delivery boat for Mr. Gilmore’s steam laundry. Capt. Jay Hursley, of the Sault, who bought the — wrecked schooners Moonlight and Kent, has placed his brother George and John Ten: Kyck in charge of the Sand has been banked against the Kent to protect her from the ice. The boats are free of water. The owners of the Chapin mine have acquired more land, and the output will be largely increased this year. It is probable that this company will also purchase the Hamilton and Ludington mines, in which the stock- holders are already largely interested. Capt. Jay Harsley of Sault Ste Marie, bought a model of the lost Chicora at the Marquette branch State prison the other day. It was made by a convict out of a pine log, with no tools but an auger and jackknife. It is 30 inches long and 20 inches high, and i& fully rigged and manned. S The Sandusky Marine Engineers’ Benevolent Associ- ation have elected the following officers: President, Win. F. Mayer; financial secretary, Carl V. Hart; corre- sponding secretary, John Erving; conductor, Geo. Moore; chaplain, H. Burkley; inside door keeper, H. Lockhardt; outside door keeper, J. Bankhart; trustees, John Gaa, W. F’. Mayer and Geo. Moore; past president, John Hegemer. ; -__oo 20 — ir ENGINEER CHARTS OF THE SAULT. There have been a number of inquiries at the RECORD office as to when the new charts of the Sautt, under preparation by the engineer corps, U. S. A., would be ready for issue. Itis learned from Lieut. Cavananen of Detroit, that the charts will be issued some time dur- ing the coming season of navigation. ‘They will be in three sections, but later these three will probably be reduced to one. ‘The first to be issued will covergthe river from Gros Cap to the head of Hay Lake, and will include the Little Rapids cut. This chart will probably be issued about the middle of May, and the other edn covering the river down to Detour, later on,