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; NEWS AROUND THE LAKES. _ = 7 ee BUFFALO, N. Y. Special Correspondence to The Marine Recora. * he month gave us 28,251,000 bushels of grain by Jake, which is far beyond the amount of any previous October. Only.once before has the amount gone above 20,000,000 bushels, This is close to a million a day, to say nothing of the 8,063,000 bushels that came in as flour. ‘The total for the season is 131,796,000 bushels of grain and 169,278,000 bushels with flour included. The amount of flour has been exceeded three times slightly, but the grain and the grain with flour included, has never been equaled before. “There has been more or less talk of a grain blockade, and any other port in the world would have been swamped long ago, but with the railroads alone shipping out more than half the amount that came in, the home consumption and the canal ought to take care of the rest, so that there will be nothing more serious than an occasional detention of a day or two. I submit that a waitof this sort is a good deal short of a blockade. This port did havea blockade four or five years ago, when the boats lay waiting week after week, but this can never happen now while the east-bound roads are able to do what they are now doing. At the same time, vessel owners ought to put their heads together and refuse to take cargoes that are con- - signed to any elevator and stand the chance of finding several boats ahead of them when they arrive, without a proviso that any rail elevator that happens to be with- out a cargo at the time, shall be allowed to unload the boat. The Buffalo elevators are pooled as regards to rates, but they are not combined in any way that will help out vessels that happen to be bunched for the same house. This is all wrong. The idea that a vessel should be obliged to lie for days perhaps right in front ofan elevator that is allready to run and will run as soon as it gets a cargo and yet is not allowed to unload the vessel, because the cargo is down for some other house which is pooled with it sofar as management of charges is concerned, and which is no better prepared to deliver the grain to any east-bound road than itself. "These arrangements are too one-sided. The new Northern Line warehouse is at length in use and‘took a flour cargo about the middle of the week. There was some idea that the company would fill the house up with hold flour, as it is not a part of the rail combination that puts storage charge on all flour in warehouse after 20 days, but it is learned that nothing of the sortisthought of. It was this storage charge that has cut down the season’s receipt of flourhere. It was hoped by the flour men that when there was no longer any risk of choking up the houses before the end of the season the charge would be thrown off, as it would be as cheap to start the winter with the houses full; as empty, but it is announced that there will be no suspension of the rule. Such a time as we have had waiting for astorm that never came. It was too bad. There was a storm, of course, that blew things to pieces on the upper lakes, but it petered out before it got here. Still the weather office warned vessels to wait for it and some of them did wait patiently for atime. The schooner Ishpeming staid two days with a fair wind and then went out with the warning stillup. It is plain that the weather people are not able to say yet just what a storm is going to do. Insurance men are feeling decidedly blue over the October losses: If they keep up this month there will be no. earnings of account left. The feeling was good till October, except in regard to the canceling of insur- ance on account of laying up, but a great part of that loss has been made up by the vessels going out again. It will take a vessel 21 feet deep to touch bottom on the reef at the lower bend of the creek. The govern- ment authorities concede 20% feet and the dredgers claim 21. The bottom has been all swept ‘and pro- nounced smooth since the drill-boat and dredges finished. This is well so far as it.goes. The work for the season appears to be done in that part of the harbor. “The death of Washington Bullard was quite unex- pected in spite of the fact that he has been out of the office for some time and has been growing visibly feeble for a considerable time.. There isnot much expectation among mariné men that the Krie company will appoint a successor, as the business of thé company had been transferred in great part to New York. Mr. Bullard willbe greatly missed by marine reporters. He was the most approachable of all the line managers and when his confidence was once obtained he was very feady to give out news ofall sorts, but once his confi- dence was betrayed and-he shut down on them. His greatest achieverent in business was the destruction of the ’longshoremen’s ‘union in 1884, when single handed he dealt the organization a blow from which it never recovered. In the’ Struggle -he showed a generalship that was truly remarkable. »Itlooks as though the lumber carrying trade was about finished for the season. ‘Tom Madden, the Bay City lumberman, has been down here some time, look- ing after the losses on the bafgé Mautenee, which are not‘entirely settled yet, He says that a load on the barge Harold is perhaps all that he shall ship yet this fall. Buffalo is about a month behind last season, in getting in lumber by lake. T’he total amount to date is 165,833,000 feet, of which 30,286,000 came in October, against 195,047,000 feet last season, CHAMBERLIN. THE MARINE RECORD. CHICAGO ILL. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The schooner Constitution stripped, on her arrival in port last week, with lumber from Lake Superior. Lumber freights on Lake Michigan at present are on the basis of $1 25 per 1,000 ft. from Menominee to Chi- cago. Sasies A. Calbick & Co. chartered the steamer James H. Prentice and consort Halsted for wheat to Toledo at 2% cents. W. W. Cook & Co. chartered the steamer Aztec and consort Zapotec for corn to Ogdensburg at 4% cents, free of tolls; the steamer Fred Pabst for clipped oats to Buffalo at 134 cents. The Anchor Line steamer Lycoming collided with and sunk the steam canal boat China, loaded with potatoes lying at the St. Paul elevator dock, Monday, A mis- understanding as to the signals between the captainand engineer occasioned the accident. At the Independent Tug Line’s floating dry-dock, one of the Dunham Towing & Wrecking Co.’s scows was in for recalking. One of Cullerton’s sand suckers is in for general repairs, which are being done by William Sewells, shipbuilder. Carr & Blair chartered the steamer D. C. Whitney and consort Wayne for corn to Buffalo at 216 cents ; steamer Simon J. Murphy corn to Ogdensburg at 4 cents, free of tolls; steamers J. J. McWilliams and Lagonda for corn to Buffalo. The Lehigh Valley Line steamer Oceanica arrived here Tuesday on her first trip to this port since the col- lision between her and the steamer William Chisholm by which both steamers were stunk in St. Clair River. Chief engineer William McKittrick Jr., of the steamer. William P. Ketcham, is making an oil painting of that steamer for Capt. James A. Calbick: ‘He is also. making an oil painting of the new tug Cascade for Hands & Johnson, Buffalo. Mr. McKittrick paints some excel- lent pictures and was no doubt born an artist. Capt. John Prindiville chartered the steamers Phillip Minch and J. V. Tuttle for clipped oats:to. Buffalo at 2 cents; the steamer Oscar I. Flint for corn to, Port Hu- ron at 2 cents; steamer Lansing for corn to Buffalo at 23% cents; steamer Niko for flaxseed to Buffalo at 25% cents ; schooner Churchill for rye to Buffalo at 2% cents. At Miller Bros.’ shipyard the steamer Joys. was in dock and had her shaft taken out, straightened and re- placed. The tug Luther Loomis was in dock to have a leak stopped and a new sea cock pipe. The exten- sive repairs on the steamer Wm. A. Haskell, now in dock, are being gotten along with rapidly. The Dunham Towing & Wrecking Co.’s fine tug T. T. Morford brought along, Monday, to Chicago a tow of seven schooners, comprising the Kate Lyons, Belle Brown, BE. R. Blake, Iver Lawson, Julia B. Merrill, Ralph Campbell and Cora A. This now unusual inci- dent puts one in mind of the good old times which are gone by. Gen. Joseph H. Torrence, who recently purchased the elegant steam yacht Bonita and brought her to Chicago from St. Clair, died of Bright’s disease, aged 54 years, at his residence, corner Belvue Place and Lake Shore Drive, near Lincoln Park. His funeral took place on Tuesday, from his late residence to Rosehill cemetery, and was very largely attended. The heavy gale from the southwest, last week, caused the water in Chicago to be at a very low ebb, and many jams were occasioned thereby, which have kept the tug companies busy moving heavy laden craft up and down the river. WILLIAMS. CLEVELAND, O. To the Editor of The Marine Record: The Grummond Line, announces a new schedule for their Detroit and Cleveland passenger service, which includes a daylight ride between the two cities. Illness has caused Capt. Peterson, of the steamer J. J. McWilliams, to leave the boat for the balance of the season. Capt. Stratton, whose boat in the Menominee line has been laid up, will take the McWilliams. Judge Ricks handed down an order this week -confirm- ing the sale ofthe barge Morning Star. The motion was made by James Scanes, the libelant, who asked that a bill of sale be issued to David W. Miller. The barge was recently sold for $315. Capt. Joe Doville, being an ardent silverite, was paid $1,500 all in silver this week, by the firm of Mitchell & Co., as part insurance on the total loss of the schooner Marsh. The elevator carried the amount to the base- ment of the building, where it was duly deposited in the vaults of the Marine Bank. Capt. McKay and H. D. Goulder, Ksq., have returned from Washington, where they had been this week in the interests of the Lake Carriers’ Association, inter- viewing the officials of the Light-House Board in an en- deavor to secure more and better aids to navigation, the particulars of which were given in our issue of October 29th. The funeral of Capt. Thomas Burke, who died at his home in this city on Monday, took place on Thursday. Bigelow Lodge, F. and A. M., of which deceased wasan old member, took chargé’of the remains ard Chaplain Jones, of the Floating Bethel. officiated. Capt. Burke was one of the best known masters on the lakes twenty years ago, but has been ashore for more than ten years and consequently had dropped out of the recollection of quite a large number of people. ‘The Menominee liner Saxon, found a boulder between Detroit River light and Colchester this week, and arri here Monday with her forward compartment fille It is somewhat remarkable to learn that a boulder wa found on this well frequented route, towards the clo of the season. It must have been there all summer, there has been nothing toroll boulders along the botto1 since the ice wentout. In his annual report upon the work of improving the rivers and harbors, which has just been submitted to the Secretary of War, General Craighill, chief of en- gineers, recommends that $400,000 be expended on the work of improving the Cleveland harbor during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898. The amount necessary to complete this project is set down as $1,274,000. Lieut. G. H. Stafford, U. S. N., of the branch hydro- graphic office, has received the following letter from Capt. Dunn, master of the Dominion fishery cruiser Petrel: ‘I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the 28th inst, with reference to the foundering of the schooner Sandill. I beg to state that the article in the newspapers is entirely erroneous, and that this is 3 the first time I was aware of such casualty.” ‘et The Cleveland Ship Building Co. has just completed — repairs on the steamer L. C. Waldo, injured by striking © at the Encampment in the Soo River. Thedamage ex- — tended for about 210 feet in length on the bottom of the ship, requiring eighteen plates to be removed, eight of © which were renewed and the others re-rolled and put back. There were eighty-eight frames bent and broken, fifty-six of which were renewed, the rest being straight- ened and replaced. The bottom being constructed on the cellular plan, the inside damage was much more ex- tensive than the number of plates taken off would in- dicate. The longitudinal girders in the bottom were badly damaged and several plates had to be renewed. The boat was only in the dry-dock eight days and eight hours, and this is considered fast work. SWAIN. —— rr A PORT HURON DU MAURIER. The world at large may have, and in fact has lost a ‘“'Trilby ’? author, we with others, deplore the fact, for his many merry fancies and the many more merry ones — that he would have perpetrated if permitted to continue on this mundane sphere. However, the lake marine, or rather that practical portion of it who may enjoy a spice of nautical phraseology, such as the “Trilby” man used to love to indulge in, need not be at a loss if they sub- scribe to the Herald at Port Huron. To verify our as- sertion on this subject let us look over a few of the reg- ular paragraphs which the Michigan ‘‘ Trilby ’’ enunci- ates in a bunch, and we quote or clip literally, as follows: The marine trotter Oceanica is out again and may try to sink another craft before the season is ended. 4a The lake omnibus Chisholm has been repaired an started again. ‘The captain should have his lead line in his hand all this trip. ge The schooner Sunrise unloaded lumber at Howard’s mill last Thursday from upper lake ports; freight, which means the vessel is in debt after unloading. . The schooner Roberts was in Dunford’s drydock last Thursday getting repaired after being ashore on Kelly’s Island. She will try and get in the Safety Freight Line tow, that never lets a craft go ashore. ; The Canadian vessels that trade to Uncle Sam’s ports are charged two dollars a day, undera law that was — passed by an English king in the year A. D. 1,120, which is nothing more than piracy of the rankest kind. i The ferry line that came here peteredout. ‘The owner of the two little punts wanted cash to start the ball, but all he could get was promise to pay, and he declared that Miller & Son wanted cash for coal, and away he went. Wehavea good ferry line here at present, and itis run in ship shapeand Bristol fashion by Capt. Alvin Neal. The steamship Cleveland took a charter from Cutter, Ont., to Cleveland for lumber at 11 shillings on the rail. Capt. Bennett mounted the bridge, sounded the tripod whistle, made a signal to his friend Crawford on the’ dock, which was Greek to the. noodles, sang— Hands around, ye faithful Masons, Form the bright fraternal chain : Upon the checkered floor, My soul is with you all forever, ever more. The world moves, and the yankee skipper can now go through the Welland canal on Sunday. The sky pilots of,the Presbyterian foolishness fought hard; wanted the captains to go and hear old straw thrashed, but Prime Minister Laurier of Canada said: ‘‘Gentlemen, thrash your straw in silence, asthe yankee skippers want to make money.”’ Bas COMMISSION NOT ALLOWED. : For the second time, Capt. M. W. Humphrey, of De- troit, has lost his suit against the Eddy Transportati Co., brought to recover $1,000 for commissions in efiect- ing the sale of the steamers.John F. Eddy and. John Shaw to the Detroit Dry-D ck Co., in February, 1892, which company in turn re-sold them to the Sulphite Fiber Co. Previous to the sale, Capt. Humphrey, who- owned stock in the Sulphite Fiber Co., was offered $1,000 commission by the manager fof the Eddy Co. if he would sell the boats for $125,000. ‘The Detroit Dry-Dock