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(ESTABLISHED 1878.) PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., [INCORPORATED. ] GEORGE L. SMITH, President, CLEVELAND, CHICAGO, WESTERN RESERVE BUILDING, ROYAL INSURANCE BUILDING, FOURTH FLOOR. ROOM 308. C. E. Ruskin, MANAGER. W. L. McCormick, .. EDprror. THOMAS WILLIAMS, Chicago, ASSOCIATE. SUBSCRIPTION. One copy, one year, postage paid, $2.00. One copy, one year, to foreign countries, $3.00, Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING. Rates given on application. All communications should be addressed to the Cleveland office. THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING Co,, FOURTH FLOOR, WESTERN RESERVE BUILDING, CLEVELAND. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as Second-Class Mail Matter. CLEVELAND, O., JUNE 11, 1896. SAULT TRAFFIC FOR 1896. Notwithstanding the threats of scant shipments which , ore dealers have all along been holding out, the month of May was a record breaker. The total number of craft passing through the two canals in the month was 3,021, an increase of 508 over May, 1895, also an exceptionally lively month. The total registered tonnage of these boats was 2,882,526, an increase of 538,280 over May, 1895. The average size of the boats was 954 tons net. The total ore shipments for the month just closed were 1,128,543 gross tons, as compared with 933,151 for May, 1895. Up to June 1 this year thetotal is 1,199,361 gross tons. About one-sixth of the season is represented by the above sum, and as the depth of the canal will be in- creased, it may be considered as certain that there will be an increase in shipments later on. Allowing, how- ever, for an unexpected rush in the grain movement, and no increase in the shipments of ore,it is perfectly reas— onable to compute the 1,200,000 tons as normal, which would bring. the total shipments from Lake. Superior mines considerably above 7,000,000 tons, and there is every reason to anticipate that the amount will far ex- ceed that brought down last season—7,198,401 tons. If Escanaba’s shipments keep up to last year’s average, and they have been larger so far, with a heavier movement from Gladstone, the total for the season will again beat all records. Escanaba and Gladstone shipments for this season up to June 1 are estimated at about 800,000 tons, which brings the total up to 2,000,000 tons, and the sea- son’s estimate to more than 12,000,000 tons. Coal shipments, too, show a very large increase over last year. perior for May were 61,543 tons, as compared with 48,138 tons last year, an increase of more than 20 per cent; and soft coal shipments to the same lake for May are nearly ten times the amount shipped last year, when a strike prevailed in the coal mines. The figures are 329,447 for May 1896, against 38,893 for the same month of 1895. Coal shipments will probably lighten up in midsummer, but a much heavier movement than last must be counted for this season, in spite of all this nonsense about all-rail haulage. The total anthracite shipments to Lake Superior up to June 1 were 64,163, and the total bitumin- ous 409,491 tons. The total bituminous coal passing through the Sault all last season was but 2,133,885 tons. The wheat movement was nearly three times what it was for May 1895. Vessels men will see by examining the table on Page 7 that they need have no fears for the future, - Jakes.° The total shipments of anthracite to Lake Su-. THE MARINE RECORD. A BEAR STORY. A few ‘vesselmen allowed themselves to be really dis- turbed last week over a statement that the railroads were about to make inducements which would make it cheaper to transport coal from the mines of Ohio ahd the Pitts- burg and West Virginia districts to St. Paul and other cities of the Northwest cheaper than by lake. It was represented that the freight from the mines to the lakes would be saved, in addition to the 15c per ton for loading, the 35c lake freight, and the dock charges at the head of Lake Superior. All these aggregate considerably less than $1.50 Now, inorder to argue the question clearly and fairly, ‘Toledo should be considered as the lake shipping port. The freight from the mines to Toledo, is, by agreement, precisely the same as to any other Ohio shipping port. The expense to the railroads of hauling this coal t> Toledo would be the same whether for- ’ warded from that point or that locality by rail or by lake. The expense of hauling it the rest of the distance to St. ~ Paul, about 1,000 miles, would be, very little less in pro- portion than is the 200-mile haul from the mines to Toledo. The expense, therefore, of shipping through by rail would, therefore, be just six times the cost of hauling toalake port. It is absurd tosuppose that the railroads can do six times the work, under the same expense, for not more than double the freight from the mines to the The water transportation is more rapid, and has no drawbacks except that of breaking up the coal. © While the earnings of railroad equipment would be less ~ to the trans-Ohio companies when their cars were off on othér roads than when at work on their own lines, this ‘ argument has not been put forth, nor has anything been sdid about the huge immédiate outlay that would be ~ necessary on the part of the railroads for new equipment to take the place of that scattered all over the Northwest. There would be little to bring back in these cars, and fully 90 per cent of them would have to return empty. It is not necessary to dwell on these points, as they can be so readily comprehended. It should be considered, also that the railroad, mining and dock companies are so closely interwoven as to their personnel that any attempt at such a movement would meet with unsurmountable opposition. High officials on two lake roads haye in formed THE RECORD within the week that two more coal “car dumping machines would be purchased, one for Lorain, and one for Cleveland, as soon as it could be de- . cided which was best for the purpose. If the coal mining companies, in other words, the railroads, intend to ship all-rail, why are they putting so much money into this sort of equipment ? pas A great deal more space than it deserves has been de- voted to ridiculing this scheme, but it has been dealt with at length with the hope of inducing vessel owners to pay less attehtion to every little bluff that is brought forward, and to keep a stiff upper lip in spite of all bear stories that are circulated, The Indiana, and Illinois mines, are, indeed, making inroads upon the northwestern territory heretofore sup- ply via the lakes. These inroads will have the effect of curtailing shipments by so much coal as is thus dis- placed. Due allowance must be made, however, for the growth of the Northwest in commerce and manufacture, and when prosperity once returns the western ‘mines, with their inferior coal, will cut little figure. NE ee ENCOURAGEMENT TO SHIPPING IN JAPAN. As showing the desire of the Japanese Government to encourage shipbuilding in that country, a bill was re- cently passed through both houses there providing that a subsidy of about $6.50 per ton shall be granted to every Japanese subject building in Japan an iron or steel steamship of over 700 but under 1,000 tons, and of $10.50 per ton for a ship of over 1,000 tons, with an additional $2.60 for each unit of horse-power. Both hull and ma- chinery must be built under the supervision of the De- partment of Communication, and no foreign material is to be employed unless specified by that department. The measure will come into. force on October 1, and will con- tinue in force for fifteen years. A navigation bill has also passed both houses of the Japanese legislature providing that under certain condi- tions as to right of requisition by the government, a sub- sidy shall be given for five years from the date of con- struction to every iron steamship of over 700 tons burden at the following rates: 13c per ton for every 1,000 miles run ata maximum speed of 10 knots; an addition of 10 4. per cent to be made for each 500 tons increased displace- ment over 1,000 tons, up to 6,000 tons; and a further ad- dition of 20 per cent for each additional knot in speed up to 17 knots. After the lapse of five years a continued annual reduction of 5 per cent in these amounts is to be- made. This measure will also become operative on October 1, and will continue in force fifteen years. In 1872 7 apan possessed 96 merchant steamers of 23,364 tons, while in 1895 it owned 517 steamers, of 321,522 tons. All this is in marked contrast to the policy of the! American government in refusing or neglecting to enact the slight protective measures, which are all that Amer-- ican shipping interests ask for to enable them to pons their old position on the high seas. ——<—<—<$—$—$<< ee —E EE CURRENT FREIGHT STATISTICS. There were 500 arrivals and 501 clearances of vessels. from Duluth and Two Harbors for May, the greatest number for any May in the history of the district. The official figures of the shipments of lumber for the month : fix the amount at 45,148,289 feet. In addition to this. there was over 1,000,000 feet shipped from Superior. The official figures of the iron ore shipments give a_ total of 502,552 tons for Duluth and Two Harbors for the month: The amount credited to Two Harbors is . 253,381 tons and the official figures of the ore chee from Duluth are 315,327 tons. Superior shipped 32,050 tons of ore and altogether A Duluth, Two Harbors and Superior shipped.534,600 tons, _ and taking the unofficial figures of the Missabe.com-.. pany and the official of Superior and Two Harbors the amount is over 600,000 tons. The arrivals and clear- ance at Duluth and Two Harbors were 1,001 and at Superior 441, making a total of 1,442. The report of Deputy Collector Shields, shondits the. arrivals, clearances, receipts and shipments at the port — of Superior for the month of May, 1896, with a compar- | ative statement for the seis cee month a year ago © is as follows: e May 1895. © i289 4 Coastwise Receipts May 1896. Arrivals and Cledrances......:.. 4,116 ; ; Gok batyey am ine ren SAO Gcaan Gg Hork 567,861 388,444 Merchandise, packages handled . 118,569 26,472" Merchandise, number tons........ 946 2,151 Sugar, barrels... 20.6.6. 2.02. 13,020 6,800 - Oil, barrels. ....0. .. ss Sena slee 26,810 cov n eee Cement, barrels... .......-.5-5+-0% 2,311 2,500 Lime, barrels... cence 600 1,700 Manufactured Iron, tons......... “1,000 ~~ 2,350 Tronbar faets te.2%0 SR. SHE 9 100,000. eee SE Coastwise Shipments. ate Wheat, bushels... .. <s.: 5 2 a00 5) 9+: ..3)188,000 2,335,000 OthersGrain or cs cae ene 811,000 60,000 Flour, barrels... 2. 2. Siders 221,540 564,920 Feed and Bran, sack............. 300 2,555 Lumber, feet.) ac% «c.g tide Sane 11,030,000 2,950,000. . Shingles’... oo ee 11,925,000 525,000 — Tron: Ore, tons. os cee crane ee 32,050 Wee Copper. tts cscs ee ee ee 5,909 6,392 Merchandise, packages,.......... 1,415 1,415 Foreign Shipments. ; Arrivals and Clearances.......... 251 30 MORNE. occ Co i oes 25,147 2,753 Wlour; Sacks scteescs seed oe a Gees 39,970 Klour; bartelsec. cae eee 11,300 14,820 Wheat; bushels. os een 380,836 647,383 Feed; sacks: oe a 1,500 2 oe ie Pine "Lumber, cubic -Teete a 69,000 eee Lake shipments from Buffalo for last week were: Coal, 7,750 tons; cement, 23,060 barrels; salt, 35,742 bar- — rels; sugar, 21,104 barrels. Receipts were: wheat, 488,- 955 bushels; corn, 650,500; oats, 1,330,200; barley, 187,000; rye, 25,000; flax seed, 370,000; flour, 268,608 barrels; mill feed, 37,696 sacks; copper, 7,378 tons; iron ore, 4,531 — tons; lumber, 4,763,115 feet; shingles. 4,000,000. Gladstone. Shipments for last week were: ore, 10,700 — tons; grain, 270,000 bushels; flour, 24,000 barrels; lum- _ ber, 720,000 feet; cedar, 38,000 pieces. ; no em og John Stang’s dredge Continental is at work dredg- | ing out the approaches to the old Ryan & Johnson dock. — The entire dock, which is now in a wrecked condition, © will be completely rebuilt and the water surrounding deepened to a depth equal to the Baltimore & Ohio — docks. The old warehouse on the end will be removed. — The work is being done for the National Bank of © Elyria, who purchased the property some time ago from Fred P. Zollinger, formerly agent for the J. T. Johnson estate. When the extensive repairs will have been completed the docks will probably be used as a storage place for lumber.—Sandusky Register.