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GORRESPONDENGE. 8@-We do not hold ourselves responsible in any way for the views or opinions expressed by our correspondents. It is our desire that all tides of any question affecting the interests or welfare of the lake ma- tine should be fairly represented in Tu# MArinx RECORD. eT WAUGOSHANCE PASSAGE. To the Editor of The Marine Record: Waugoshance lighthouse, within a radius of two miles, is surrounded by several shoals and boulders, of which Vienna Shoal and Rose Shoal are the principal ones, rendering it dangerous for vessels ‘to pass the light any nearer than two miles. West from Waugo- shance light, at a distance of 44 miles, is Gray Shoal; the distance between the latter and Vienna Shoal is 2% miles, forming the width of the passage proper; the center of the passage being 3 miles from Wangoshance light. Vessels in running out are safe by picking up the 10- fathom line one mile west from Skilligallee ight and - steering N. by E. 4 E. magnetic, which course leaves Vienna Shoal, as well as Gray Shoal, at a distance of 14% miles. From which follows, that by passing Skilla- gallee light, an error of 1% miles in distance from the light is sufficient to bring a vessel in Waugoshance Passage on the strand, and therefore, that it is safer to start through the passage from the 10-fathom line one mile west of Skilligallee than from any other point farther away. Further, as Vienna Shoal and also Gray Shoal are7 miles distant from Skilligallee, a com- pass error of 3% point will wreck a vessel on these shoals in spite of a proper start. Errors of 34 point on north and south courses are not unusual in unadjusted compasses, as compasses are sometimes found to be out as much as two points on these courses. The neglect of having compasses ad- justed is therefore the principal cause of stranding. In running in, Skilligallee light bearing S. 4% W. carries vessels safely through the passage. With a correct compass there is not the least danger or diffi- culty in making the passage, in the absence of the two light vessels at Gray Shoal and White Shoal. To avoid Rose Shoal when approaching from the east, it is only necessaty to pick up on the range Skilligallee-Waugo- shance the 10 fathom line three miles distant from Waugoshance light, keeping the light steadily abreast until Skilligallee light bears S. 34 W. From all of which it appears that the two light vessels mentioned above are not required at all for making the passage in clear weather; and are only of use in thick weather, by reason of their fog signals. Two gas and bell buoys in their stead would do the same service. Therefore, it is safe to say, that strandings of steamers in Waugoshance Passage are mainly due: 1. To neglecting to make the right start. 2. To wrong compasses on board ship. JOHN MAURICE. Chicago, April 24, 1895. ED - NEWLY ENROLLED TONNAGE. Following is a list of lake vessels to which official numbers and signal letters have been assigned by the Commissioner of Navigation, for three weeks ended April 25: A TONNAGE. OR etal Rig.| Name. eat Home Port.|Where Built 92,696|Sehr.|*Manda 3,256.09] 3,121.36/Cleveland {Chicago 92,697|Schr. |*Martha 8,256.09] 3,121.36/Cleveland |Chicago 127,125|/St. s.|Clara S. 15.65 10,64) Detroit Monroe 141,421|St. s./*L. C. Waldo} 4,244.26] 3,290.02] Detroit W. Bay City 96,324|/St. y.| Hiawatha 109 45] 174.43/Cineinnati |Nyack, N.Y. 86,347|Slpy. |Genevieve 7.10 7.10|Chicago Chicago 127,130|Sehr.\Con’lly Bros.| 751.81) 694.59| Buffalo Marine City 86,348|/Schr.'*G. Hartnell| 3,265.50] 3,154.71| Detroit Chicago *Steel. Sp aaa WEIGHS CARS WHEN IN MOTION. The Fairbanks-Morse Scale Co. has completed an in- vention by which their scales will automatically weigh and record the weights of cars passing over fhe scales while the train is moving steadily along. Mr. F. Ll, Berry, of St. Paul, representing this company, has just finished the installation of one of these at Tower, Minn., for the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad. Sucha device, if practicalin its workings, should be adopted by every ore dock company or every railroad company with ore dock terminals. The saving of time would be considerable every working day in the year, and a set of scales of this sort would soon pay for itself in the THE MARINE RECORD. time thus saved, which means so much work with the same equipment, and consequently so much more econ- omy in this branch of railroading. The only objection to it is the different heights of cars, in which the coupling has considerable effect, but this diffi- culty is found with all weighing done without un- coupling the cars. Uncoupling is the practice on very few docks. ED a BIG LUMBER SALES. Sales amounting to over 40,000,000 feet had been made by Marinette and Menominee firms up to April 15. This is more lumber than was sold up to ‘the same date last year. Prices have also been ruling high. The Sawyer-Goodman Co. sold to the Rockwell Manu- facturing Co., of Milwaukee, its entire cut of 1896, 25,000,000 feet. The Ludington-Wells Co. sold to the Illinois Central Railway Co. a bill amounting to 12,000,- 000 feet. Adam Schello and Arthur Gurley, of Chicago, purchased 1,000,000 each. Other sales which make the total aggregate over 40,000,000 were made. ED NOTiCE TO MARINERS. DUNKIRK PIERHBAD LIGHT-STATION. Notice is given by order of the Lighthouse Board that, on or about April 30, 1896, a fixed red tubular lan- tern light will be established in the structure recently erected on the easterly end of the west breakwater, CAPT. R. M. SMALL. about 25 feet from the channel face of the pier entrance to Dunkirk Harbor, Lake Erie, from which the former pierhead light structure was washed away December 31, 1895. The focal plane of the light will be 41 feet above mean lake level. The light will be visible from all points of approach from the lake. It will illuminate 209° of the horizon lying between N. 88° H (HW. %N.) and 63° W. (NW. by W. % W.). Bearings from a vessel. The structure is a dark red, pyramidal, open framework, surmounted by a square lantern, with white roof, and having a balcony with black hand rail. NOTES FOR NAVIGATORS, Capt. George A. Zinn, Corps of Engineers, gives no- tice through THr RkEcoRD that the lightship has been replaced April 25, 1896, at the south end of the unfin- ished breakwater, Milwaukee Bay, at the expense of the engineer department. The lightship attached to the buoy on the middle ground of St. Clair River, opposite the mouth of Black River, at Port Huron, is the property of J. J. Lynn, marine reporter of that place. The ownership given last week was an error. Captain Jos. Rouleau has placed and lighted two lightships at the turning point at the foot of Sugar Island, on the Black Stake side. Both lightships will show green lights. He has also lighted the ranges at the head of St. Joseph Island, which show white lights. Marrne Recorn Life Savers’ Series. CAPT. R. M. SMALL. Capt. R. M. Small, keeper of the life-saving station, is not so boyish as he looks. He is thirty-three years of age, and has seen a great deal of trying service in sever- alof the most important lake stations. Capt. Small was born at Kincardine, Ont., on the shore of Lake Huron in 1863, and from theage of twelve years his time was spent on the lakes in fishing and kindred industries. He enlisted in the life-saving ser- vice in 1881, at Ottawa Point Station, Tenth district, with G. W. Plough, keeper. After serving there for three years and receiving an honorable discharge, he went the following spring to Point aux Barques Station in — same district under Keeper Harry D. Ferris, where he remained for six years. During his time at Point aux Barques, he assisted to rescue the entire crews of the British schooner Ark, of Port Dalhousie, Ont.; the — schooner Mona, the schooner Boody, the steamer Pease, and several others.. In March, 1890, he was promoted to be keeper of Crisp’s Station, which is situated 16 miles west of Whitefish point on the south fhore of Lake Superior, an open and most dangerous shore. On May 4, 1892, he succeeded in rescuing two of the crew of the schooner Atlanta, which foundered twenty-five miles northwest of this station. Itwasa miracle that those two men were rescued as they were more dead than — alive when reached. Besides assisting numerous other vessels stranded on September 30, 1895, during one of 2 the worst gales that swept Lake Superior—the same storm that wrecked the Kershaw, Moonlight and Kent at Marquette—Capt. Small and his crew launched their life boat in the teeth of the storm and sailed her four- teen miles to the eastward, rescuing the entire crew of the schooner Jones, two miles west of Whitefish Point Light. When about three-quarters of a mile off shore the life-boat capsized, dumping fifteen persons into the heavy breakets; but the crew succeeded in getting the schooner’s crew all back into the {lifeboat and landing them safely on shore. Some of both rescued and crew were nearly dead by thistime. From 7 a. m. until 8 p.m. the crew were exposed to the worst kind of hardships, as the heavy seas would comb completely over the little life-boat. oe COAST AND FOREIGN SHIPPING NOTES. During March English builders launched 24 vessels, of which 14 were steamers, six trawlers, two battleships, one a second-class cruiser, and one a torpedo-boat destroyer. Of these vessels Wear builders launched six, of 17,060 tons, as against four vessels, of 9,075 tons, in March last year, their total for the year so far being 23 vessels, of 58,000 tons. ; g During the last month Scotch shipbuilders launched 28 vessels, of 41,050 tons (against 24 vessels, of 39,391 tons, in February, and 27 vessels, of 20,176 tons, in March, 1895), of which 21, of 34,763 tons, were steamers; three, of 4,887 tons, sailing-ships; two, of 1,140 tons, steam-barges; and two, of 250 tons, steam line fishing vessels. For the year so far 108,924 tons have been launched, against 61,960 tons for the same period last year, 64,191 tons in 1894, 53,991 tons in 1893, and 105,145 tons in 1892, James Gresham, of Brooklyn, is building a 43-foot steam-yacht for W. J. Arkell, the proprietor of Judge, the comic weekly newspaper whose political cartoons have helped to make its owner famous and rich. The new boat is to have a guaranteed speed of 30 miles an hour. The Gas Engine and Power Co. are building a 96- foot steam yacht for Mr. Holder, of Yonkers, N. Y. rr SIGNS OF THE TIMES. If the present Long Island Sound line travel is any indication of what is to follow, the traffic via that great highway during the coming summer season will exceed anythiny heretofore known. The magnificent Princilla and Puritan are in com- mission on the Fall River line for the season, having taken the place of the Plymouth and Pilgrim a few days ago, and are running to their full capacity. On Monday last the Puritan was called upon to accomdate over 1,200 passengers. ‘This, however, is nothing un- — usual even at this season of the year. In fact, when the number on board is less than eight or nine hundred it results in surprise to the management of that most pop- ular route between New York and Boston.