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NEWS AROUND THE LAKES. DULUTH. SomE INTERESTING STATISTICS REGARDING THE CROP YxEaR, WHIcH ENDED Aucust 1—OrkE Docks BLOCK- ADED—CoaL RATES AGAIN ADVANCED. To the Editor of The Marine Record: DuLutTH, August 10. The-crop year for Duluth commences in September, as it is only during the last week in August that new wheat commences to arrive here. But inasmuch as Minneapolis computes the crop year from August 1 to August 1, a statement of the comparative growth of the two markets during the same period of time would not be out of place. During the twelve months ending August 1, Duluth received of wheat 64,- 191,000 bushels and Minneapolis 79,000,000 bushels as compared with 33,702,000 bushels and 51,317,- 000 bushels respectively for the 1894 preceding crop, showing an increase in the movement to Duluth of 88 25 per cent as compared with an increase at Minneapolis of 54 02. In coarse grains, however, the increase has been something remarkable. The total bushels of all coarse grains was 14,058,000 bushels:as compared with 4,044,000 during the twe've months of 1894-5, an increase of nearly 350 per cent, and in one of these grains the in- crease was 1,500 per cent, while in flax the increase was 800 per cent. Barley and oats brought down the general average, the increase of the former being only 200 per cent and the latter 300 per cent. The total figures are given below. The total receipts and shipments of grain to and from Duluth, for year ending August, 1896, with a compari- son for the preceding year, are as follows: RECEIPTS. 1896 _ 1895 Wt rey oe ei otro ta tes ake ete tig eon 64,029,000 34,160,000 OCI Se ae SE ORs re Rr RU Ce 904,300 20,266 Oats re. Bae eee crete 3,345,000 1,107,000 Barley wy taisi Se. AA SES Tiss 2,291,000 2,168,000 LES Canon's flee paren ei arenay re 914,000 65,000 Baer esse tects: casas b's ya gcc sunsets tancaede «is 5,308,000 685,400 : SHIPMENTS. WV Od ewe ete Seeks nic crea tona 49,225,000 23,844,000 GCOrns {SIP RRR. HORS, 182,000 20,268 Oats ys hid Sas se OER: 3,073,000 1,050,000 Baile eae ae ees Tae ose Wi cg eis dh» 6s 4,100,000 2,214,400 IRV ei Reet sis trsa tie aie ore see siagerenicae 679,000 68,987 BAe ee nt cee a Moae oe sek 3,867,000 667,578 Never before in the history of the ore docks has there been such a blockade. The docks of the Mesaba & Northern road at Duluth are filled and fifty cars are standing on the track w.iting to be emptied. This is due to the poor maiket, which has fallen away below expectations. The estimate on the whole season’s shipment of ore from Two Harbors is 2,150,000 tons. wd The Minnesota Iron Co, is shipping 3,600 tons a day from its hard ore mines at Soudan and 3,200 tons a day from the Chandler. The Pioneer Iron Co. is raising and shipping 2,200 tonsa day. Messrs. Bruill and Blum, two eminent civil engineers and mining experts of Paris, France, have lately spent some time in looking over the Minnesota aid Ontario mineral districts, and their favorable verdict may result with n a few months in the introduction of a large quantity of French and English capital into the coun- try tributary to Duluth. They spent four weeks look- ing over the Port Arthur silver district and the Rainy Lake gold fields. Their investigations are conducted in the interest of alarge and wealthy French and English syndicate and with a view to extensive invest- ments, if their decision is favorable. They went over. the mineral regions very closely, and they return home with a favorable impression as to these localities, and there is little doubt that they will use a large amount of capital in active developmeut work. . They were well pleased with the Rainy Lake gold deposits. Capt. C. S. Barker has been awarded the contract for the improvement of Portage canal. Three parties had entered bids for the work. The bid of Capt. Barker was 1lc for dredging soft material and 1c for hardpan. The amount ot stuff to be removed under the contract consists of 240,000 cubic yards of soft and 40,000 yards of hardpan. For this he will receive $28,000. On September 1. the coal-rate from Duluth to St. Paul will be advanced to $1 p:rton. It is now 75c, the point to which it was reduced to meet the Chicago c»m- petition. The differential which the Duluth lines have zlways claimed is 75c. Tris rate reduces it to 62%c. ‘lhe Chic:go lines demand:d a lower differential, but tuis was settled upon as acompromise. ‘The coal com- panies here claim that rates are so unsettled that they do not know jus' where they are at any t'me, and that therefore busine-s +s greatly retarded ‘The strike of the flour handlers came to an end on the 1st inst, a compromise being effected at the rate of $1.75 per day and 25c per hour for work. The hour men gain Sc more p r hour. Secretary Wilson, of the Head of the Lake Millers’ Association, has returned from a trip to New York and Buffalo, where he has been in the interests of the flour trade with reference to the shipment. f flour to the sea- ’ at the end of the government breakwater. THE MaArinE RECORD. board. Mr. Wilson says that in the future there will doubtléss be a great deal more flour shipped by the lake and rail route to the seaboard, as there are several ad- vantages in its favor.. In the first place, the canal route is cheaper, and, in the second place, there is a cer- tainty of dispatch at the seaboard for foreign ship- ments. ‘The 1ailroads may hold the flour after it is re- céived at the seaboard from thirty to sixty days, while canal boats deliver it to the vessel almost immediately. Mr. Wilson wes much impressed with the extent of the canal traffic, and says when the proposed depth of nine feet is obtained the canal will bea great factor in the transportation question. The long debated, question of forcing Minnesota in- spection out of Superior and substituting therefor a system of inspecting and weighing by and under the auspices of the Superior Board of Trade is finally settled, and probably the Minnesota inspectors will with- draw from Superior on August 12. Hereafter all grain wishing Minnesota inspection must be billed Duluth, or extra charges for transfering will be incurred. It is quite likely that during the next session of Con- gress a bill will be introduced by Congressman Jenkins, of the Superior district, or by Congressman Towne, of Duluth, providing for the purchase by the government of the strips of land known as Minnesota and Wiscon- sin Points. Major Quinn, formerly government engi- neer atDuluth, was one of the first to propose the pur- chase, and Major Clinton B. Sears, the present engi- neer, is said to be favorable to it. The plan is to have the government appoint a commis-ion to acquire every parcel of land on the two points by purchase, and to set aside certain portions of it for park purposes, the cities of Superior and Duluth to have control of and maintain the same under certain restrictions. It is contended that the government should own the two peninsnlas for the protection of the harbor; that it is absolutely necessary to take some action looking to the preservation of the land in order to prevent it from being washed away and the natural harbors thus left unprotected. The general use of the grounds for camp. ing purposes has already had the effect of killing off many of the trees, and of wearing away the grass and sbrubbery. If this continues for many years longer the land will be practically barren and the winds will have full play upon the light sand, with the result that it will be gradually washed intothe lake’or ‘the bay, and in time the long, narrow strips reduced to sand bars. _At present the land is owned by various individuals and ccrporations, and there is practicaliy. no control over it, whereas under government ownership certain p. rts of each point could be improved for park purposes, the trees and sand prvtected, and improvements made in the way of drives, walks, etc. The government is compelled at present to build fences on different parts of Minne-ota Point to prevent the sand from washing into the bay and in time it may be necessary to completely surround both stretches with fences. It is claimed that the Jands could be purchased at present fr comparatively small sums. Wheat in store at the head of the lakes is apportioned among the various terminal elevator lines as follows: Belt Line, 641,884; Consolidated, 1,391,289; Globe, 2,775,- 717; Great Northern, 136,911; Superior Terminal, 1,169,- 855; Conso'idated B, 118,465; Consolidated H, 33,002; total, 6,267,123. In store at Minneapolis, 13,887,558. CHICAGO. DETAILS ABOUT THE WRENN-APPRENTICE Roy Cori. SION—DEATH OF S. K. MARTIN. OFFICE OF THE MARINE RECORD, CuicaGco, August 12. The steel steamer Coralia left South Chicago on Saturday night loaded with 186,130 bushels of corn on a draft of 16 feet of water. ‘On Wednesday night of last week the Goodrich Co.’s néw steamer Iowa, when going out of Chicago bound for Grand Haven and Muskegon on her initial trip, col- lided with and sunk the fine schooner yacht Hawthorne, about one-quarter of a mile southeast of the light-house The yacht went down in 50 feet of water. The captain and four men, comprising the crew of the Hawthorne, were rescued by the Iowa and were sent ashore on atug which was signaled for after the collision. The Iowa was not damaged. She had on board about 250 passengers and proceeded on her trip. The Dunham Towing and Wrecking Co. are engaged in raising the Hawthorne under the superintendence of Wrecking Master Cyrus St. Clair. Her masts and gear were a menace to navigation, and they have been taken out of her. The Hawthorne was one of the finest and fastest schooner yachis of the Chicago fleet. She was built by E. W. Heath, at Benton Harbor, and valued at $10,000. The whaleback passenger steamer Christopher Colum- bus did not run on her usual daily trip to Milwaukee on Tuesday. She remaine@ in port and received a new blade to her wheel.. All the passenger steamers out of Chicago have been crowded with excursionists who have been only too glad to get out into Lake Michigan and escape from the almost unendurable heat in the city during the past ten days. The schooners George L. Wrenn and Apprentice Boy arrived at this port Sunday morning at 11 o’clock, in tow of the tug Welcome, The schooners had been in collision a few miles off shore between Milwaukee and Port Washington. The bowsprit and head gear of the Apprentice Boy was carried away and she was leaking badly. The Wrenn was but slightly damaged. | The collision occured at 6 o’clock Saturday morning in a fog. The schooners were half a dozen lengths apart when they sighted each other, The Apprentice Boy struck the Wrenn on the starboard side, but the Wrenn’s deck load of lumber saved her from seriousdamage. The Apprentice Boy’s bowsprit broke off close to her stem and her stem was also damaged by the force of the blow, and the loss of her bowsprit and head gear rendered her almost helpless. ‘The vessels drifted apart after the ¢ollision and the Wrenn proceeded on her course for Chicago. About three hours later she met the tug Welcome, of the I. T. Line and Capt. Shaner informed the captain of the tug of the accident. The Welcome started immediately in search of the disabled schooner, and six hours after the collision found her and took her tow-line. The Wrenn was afterwards overtaken and both were brought into port. Captain John Peel, of the Apprentice Boy, states as follows: Southeast by. east, running out from the land on the starboard tack, wind about the south, we sighted the Wrenn on the port tack, heading southwest. As we were on the starboard tack we had the right of way. I held on my course, thinking the Wrenn would give me a clear way, but when it was too lateI found that she was holding her course also. Uncle Dick Davis sold his excursion. steamer Claribel last week to Fritz Jahncke, of New Orleans, for $5,000, The Claribel will be taken down to New Orleans. The steel steamer Queen City left South Chicago last Thursday night with a cargo of 5,754 tons of corn. She drew 16 feet 3inches forward and 16 feet 10% inches aft. Samuel K Martin, the Chicago lumberman., died at Alma, Mich., at 4 o’clock Tuesday morning from Bright’s disease. Mr. Martin, who was 59 years old at the time of his death and lived, when in Chicago, at 2600 Michigan avenue, was for many years president of the S.C. Martin Lumber Co., the largest lumber concern ia the world, which he had built up froma foundation of one man and a single team of horses. Beginning his lccal business career in 1860, Mr. Martin finally became owner of fifty lumber yards, located in a dozen different states, with a fortune estimated at $7,000,000. He was the builder of the old exposition building on the lake front and filled many other gigan- tic contracts with satisfaction to all concerned. Last March, finding his health failing, Mr. Martin sold out his business interests to the Edward Hines Lumber Co., and had since been endeavoring to re- cuperate his health. He was a New Yorker by birth, but he lived in Chicago thirty-six years and wasa mem- ber of the Calumet aud other clubs anda director of the Union National Bank. Mrs. Martin and. five chil: dren—Blmer B., Wilton B’, S. K. Martin, Jr,, Walter and Marion survive him. WILLIAMS. BUFFALO. BECOMING A PoPpuLAR RESORT FOR LAME DucKs— FLouR SHIPMENTS BY CANAL ROUTE. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record, : BuFFayo, August 11. This port comes up smiling still in spite of the hard linesin coal shipments, for the grain is still pouring in, with only the very first of the new Chicago fleet here yet. But for the spurt there Buffalo would have suffered with the rest, though lumber is doing fairly well, and strange to say, there is a better showing in ore than formerly. as the docks are not loaded down as others on Lake Erie are. This appears to be the special haven for crippled boats just now. There are more of them here now than before in along time. The schooner St. Lawrence is fixing up the ruined jibboom and head gear from the unexplained collision on Lake Krie some weeks ago. ‘The steamer Samoa will be out of dock in a week or so. The striking in St. Lawrence River will cost her $6,000 to $7,000. The big liner North West is here putting her water-tube boilersinto shape. She will get away on her regular time Friday evening, having lost a trip. The little Canadian schooner M. Ll. Breck was caught in the squall of Monday night and driven on the beach opposite the foot of Main street. Ghe was released next day without sustaining any special injury, but after a hard tussel on the part of the tuys, as she was four feet out and the tugs drew much more water than was abouther, The Toledo liner Gault, which struck last week in coming out of that port, is still here. It is found that the breach 1s only a small ho'e in a single plank, made by a sharp stone or an anchor. The figures on the survey of the St. Louis, smashed badly by the G. F. Williams, are not in yet, but she is prettty well used up. The Ed. Smith No. 1, which lost her stem in the squal!, has been partly un- loaded of her c»a\ cargo, and will be fixed upin a short time, Next! There will be something to talk about when the two great yachts Say When and Enquirer try titles at the The Enquirer is gaining all sorts of good opinions from lake men who have sailed in her, | and she is experimenting in wheels too, so that she can Cleveland regatta. do herself justice when the time comes. The two look a good deal alike, but if the Ohio boat gets up the speed — which was ©