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ce AIDS TO NAVIGATION. _ And now it is is determined that the Lake Carriers’ Association will ask the light-house board to endorse the following proposed aids to navigation : - 1. Suitable provision for marking new channel at Ballard’s reef above Lime Kiln crossing, lower Detroit river. 2. ‘Two gas buoys or other suitable lights on the two shoals near Gravelly island, Poverty passage, entrance to Green bay, Lake Michigan. 3. Gas buoy or other suitable light on Lansing shoal, north of Squaw island, Lake Michigan. 4. A gas buoy or other suitable light on Graham shoal, Straits of Mackinaw. 5. A light and fog signal on Middle island, Lake Hu- ron. - 6, A gas buoy or small lightship to replace the can buoy at the turning point in Mud lake, St. Marys river. _ 7, A new set of range lights and three gas buoys or - other suitable lights, to mark the new channel in the ‘upper St. Marys river, between Point Iroquois and Round island. «8 Alight and signal on St. Murtin’s reef, Lake Hu- = ron. “ 9, A light and signal on Scarecrow island, Lake Hu- ron. 10. A light and signal on Crisp’s Point, Lake Supe- rior. : 11. A gas buoy or other suitable light on Fisherman’s shoal, near Rock island, Lake Michigan. 12. A light and signal on Rock of Ages, Lake Supe- i? rior. 13. A light and signal on Bark point, Lake Superior. ~~» 14. A lightship or lighted buoy on Peshtigo shoal, » Green bay. ‘ Following this statement of new aids agreed upon by the association, Mr. Keep, in a letter to the chairman of the board, takes up each of them separately and deals with advantages that would be derived from their estab- lishment. Regarding lights at the lower end of the De- troit river, he says: ‘‘The recent government improve- ments at Grosse point and Bar point, lower Detroit ‘river, and at various points in the St. Mary’s river, will ‘at the close of the present season of navigation mater- ially increase the available draft of all large lake ves- sels. Heretofore the avaibable draft of such vessels has been limited in the St. Mary’s river and at Grosse ‘point. With the improvements now practically com- pleted at these points, the available draft of water will hereafter be limited by the depth of water at Ballard’s reef, Detroit river. The Channel at that point has also been materially improved this year, but for years to come it will be the shoalest point in the lake route. Last season disasters were so numerous at Ballard’s reef, culminating on the night of Sept. 13, 1895, in a damage of nearly $100,000, in which several vessels were involved, that the Lake Carriers’ Association determined ‘that something must be done in the way of making the channelsafer without delay. Accordingly, we placed five stakes along the west line of the deep water, and ‘arranged to have lanterns hung upon them at night. The stake lights have done their work well, and since ‘the channel has been thus marked in the night time there have been no disasters or damage of any consequence. We have maintained the lights there all this season. The government dredges are about through with their - work at that point, and soon more satiafactory and per- _ manent methods of lighting will be needed. Practic- ally all the lake commerce passes by this point, and not even the main channel into New York passes such a ton- nage asthis point. I have had a talk with Capt. Grid- ley, inspector of this light-house district, on the subject, and know he has recommended a scheme of lighting at Ballard’s reef which will prove entirely satisfactory and “will not involve the government in very large expense.” _—_ EE se ee Me MILWAUKEE LEADS. em In the matter of discharging coal Duluth has ;borne the palm for rapid,handling of cargoes. We now find that the Milwaukee firm of of B. Uhrig & Son is break- ing the best records yet made at the head of the lakes. _/The steamer Fred Pabst reached her dock at anearly hour Sunday morning. Work was begun upon her cargo of 2,900 tons of coal at half past 7 o’clock and: by five minutes before 6 o’clock in the evening every ton had been taken out and the steamer was ready to proceed to an elevator for a cargo of grain. This represents ten THE MARINE RECORD. hours and twenty-five minutes in handling 2,900 tons of coal. But, as at least halfan hour must be deducted for the nooning of the coal-handlers, the actual time is re- duced to nine hours and fifty-five minutes. The Milwaukee Wisconsin takes occasion to say that this is jndeed a record-breaking feat, and itis safe tosay better than anything that Duluth can show. ee ee NAMES-FOR THE NEW NAVY. Secretary of the Navy Herbert has selected the names for the new battleships and gunboats now under con- struction. The three battleships will be known as the Ala- bama, Illinois and Wisconsin. ‘be gunboats will bear the names Annapolis, Marietta, Newport, Princeton, Vicksburg and Wheeling. EE OE GRAIN VERSUS COAL. The coal companies at the head of the lake are being greatly inconvenienced because of their inability to se- cure cars enough in which to ship their coal to western points. The grain trade has captured the bulk of the cars, and when they are thus used shippers object to them being used for coal, as it makes the wheat dirty. - After the close of navigation wheat receipts will cease to a great extent and coal men will be ableto get all the cars necessary. rr + ee re LAKE ERIE TRADE DEVELOPING. We are pleased to learn that the Lake Erie trade is developing inasmuch as in a few days both Shenangos No. 1 and 2 will be put in commission and the contract made with the Michigan Central railroad for the deliy- ery of 50,000 tons of coal at Port Dover, Ont., willneces- sitate the boats running all winter, as this contract in addition to the large ones already made, means a ship- ment of 60 cars a day from Conneaut harbor for the next eight or nine months. This last large order comes from the B. & O. railroad. The trouble with this cross lake line last winter, by being ice bound, was caused mainly by the boats being partially disabled before leaving port. The experience gained will be used at a good advantage during the winter months, however. In addition to the increasing freight business, special arrangements are being con- templated for the comfort of passengers next season. Ee ea SUNRISE AND SUNSET TABLES. The Hydrographic Office has issued a set of useful tables which ought to be appreciated by the sailing com- munity. The slight reference to figures necessary to ascertain the exact result is a great feature towards its ultimate usefulness on the lakes. The tables show the local mean time of the sun’s visible rising and setting for each degree of latitude between 60° north and 60° south and for each degree of the sun’s declination. They give the local mean time of the sun’s visible ris- ing and setting—that is, the time of the appearance and disappearance of the sun’s upper limb—in the unob- structed horizon of a person whose eye is 15 feet above the level of the earth’s surface, the atmospheric con- ditions being normal. The times are given for each even degree of declina- tion, and also forthe maximum declination, 23° 27’. Above-each degree of declination is given the approxi- mate date upon which it falls. Each table covers a range of declination between 0° and the maximum, cor- responding to a period of time of three months. To ascertain the time of rising or setting forany given date and place, enter the appropriate table with the lat- itude and declination, incorpolating if the degrees are not even; in the line R will be found the time of rising and inthe line S, the time of setting. Be careful to choose the table in which the ‘‘approximate date’’ cor- responds nearly or exactly, with the given date. If greater accuracy is desired they should be entered with the declination as an argument—not the date—as it is impossible to-construct any table based upon dates whose application should be general to all years. But as a given degree of declination will, in the majority of years, fall upon the date given in the table as the ‘‘ap- proximate date,’’ and as, when it does not do so, it can never be more than one day removed therefrom, it will answer, where a slight inaccuracy may be admitted) to eriter the table with the datéasan argument, thus avoid- ing the necessity of ascertaining the declination. When it is desired to find the time of rising or setting at a place where the clocks are not regulated to local S eee ——— gph eens <-Select roe seo reapeemeee ee A RS To SE ET TS EE EE SLIT EN SEI ESTE TT ETE DIE EAD OLED LTT time, but keep the standard time of some other meridian, Table XVII will give the amount of the correction to be applied to the local mean time. Find the difference be- tween the longitude of the place and that of the standard meridian, and enter the table; abreast it will be found the correction, and at the head of the table directions for applying it, according as it is east or west. Table XVII gives the reduction of local mean time of sunrise and sunset to standard meridian time, that is, if the local meridian is east of standard meridian, subtract from local mean time, and if local meridian is west of standard meridian, add to local mean time. UE — THE HARTER ACT ON COLLISIONS. THE HARTER ACT NOT A DEFENCE FOR COLIISION. The Harter Act, which has an important bearing upon the rights of shippers, came before the Supreme Court of the United States for the first time in the case of ‘*The Steamship Delaware,” against which an action had been brought by the owner, master and crew of the tug Talisman, to recover damages fora collision be- tween these vessels, which occurred in September of 1893, in Gedney’s Channel, off Sandy Hook, at the outer entrance of New York harbor, and within three miles of Jand. Both the District Court and the Circuit Court of Ap- peals held that the Delaware was in fault, and referred certain questions asto whether she was absolved from liability by the provisions of the Harter Act—‘‘An act relating to navigation of vessels, bills of lading and to certain obligations, duties and rights in connection with the carriage of property.”’ The owner of the Delaware (the respondent) claimed that the steamship was not liable for the damage to the Talisman, relying on the first part of section three of the Harter Act, ‘‘That if the owner of any vessel, trans- porting merchandise or property to or from any port in the United States of America, shall exercise due dili- gence to make the said vessel, in all respects, sea- worthy and properly manned, equipped and supplied, neither the vessel, her owner or owners, agent or char- terers, shall become or be held responsible for damage or loss resulting from faults or errors in navigation or in the management of said vessel.”’ ; Mr. Justice Brown, in delivering the opinion of the court, which affirmed the decree of the courts below, said: ‘It is entirely clear, however, that the whole ob- ject of the act is to modify the relations previously ex- isting between the vessel and her cargo. This is appar- ent not only from the title of the Act, but from its gen- eral tenor and provisions, which are evidently designed to fix the relations between thecargo and the vessel, and to prohibit contracts restricting the liability of the vessels and owners to certain particulars connected with the construction, repair and outfit of the vessel, and the care and delivery of the cargo.”? He then went on to state that the Act was the outgrowth of repeated attempts made by vessel owners in recent years to limit the liability of their vessels and themselves against losses arising from unseaworthiness, bad storage and negligence in navigation, by the insertion in bills of lading of stipulation exempting them from losses aris- ing from such causes, until the common law liability of carriers by sea had been frittered away to such an ex- tent, by reason of these stipulations being held by the courts, both in England and this country, to be valid contracts, that it led to the passage of the Harter Act. Continuing, he said: That the general words of the third section, above quoted, if detached from the con- text and broadly construed as a separate provision, would be susceptible of the meaning claimed; but when read in connection with the other sections, and with the remainder of section three, they show conclusively that the liability of a vessel to other vessels with which it may come in contact, was not intended to be affected. The first, second, fourth and seventh sections, dealt ex- clusively with bills of lading and their covenants, and the third section, after using the general language re- lied upon by the respondent here, with regard to non- liability for faults cr errors in navigation or in the management of the vessel, contains a further exemp- tion of ‘loss arising from dangers of the sea, or other navigable waters, acts of God, or public enemies, or the inherent defect, quality or vice of the thing carried, or frominsufficiency of package, or seizure under legal proceas, or for loss resulting from any act or omission of the shipper or owner of the goods, his agent or repre- sentative, or from saving or attempting to save life or property at sea, or from any deviation in rendering such service.’ ‘These provisions have no possible appli- cation to the relations of one vessel to another, and are mainly a re-enactment of certain well known provisions of the common law applicable to the duties and liabili- ties of vessels to their cargoes. The fact, too, that by section six, the various sections of the Revised Statutes, which embody the limited liability act, are preserved tinimpaired, would seem to indicate that the latter act was not intended to receive the broad construction claimed.’’ The result of this decision is that the Harter Act does not exempt the owner of one vessel from liability to another vessel for the consequences of negligent col- lision.