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THE MARINE RECORD UP NOTES. : The auviliary steamer Savannah, built in 1818 and com- _ menced sailing in 1819, is, or was, a trans-Atlantic pioneer in steam. She had copper boilers built in Elizabethtown Point, N. J.. The hull was of wood and the tonnage was only 380. The boat was built on the East River, New York City and launched August 22, 1818, afterwards purchased by a Savannah firm and sent across the Atlantic. She was later converted into a sailing vessel and ultimately lost on Long Tsland. There are now under construction for the Chinese government at the Vulcan Shipyard, at Stettin, Germany, three new warships of the cruiser class, having each a length of 328 ft. and a beam-of 41 ft., with a water draft of 16 ft. 6 in., the displacement being 2,950 tons. They will have no side armour, but a steel protective deck throughout their length, of a maximum thickness of 2% inches. Each vessel will be armed with three 6 in. and éight 4 in. Krupp, and six 1.4 in. Hotchkiss quick-firing guns, together with six Maxim machine guns. Herr Krupp, of Essen, intends to enlarge the Germania Company’s dockyard at Kiel, which he bought last sum- mer, and is negotiating with the town of Kiel for the pur- chase of land for that purpose. Not only are the engine works which he owns at Tegel, near Berlin, to be re- moved to Garden, near Kiel, but the Kiel dockyards of the Germania. Company are to be so improved as to be able to meet all modern requirements. Herr Krupp’s object is to make his Germania‘ establishment the first in Germany for the building of German warships, able to compete successfully with any British shipyard. The pro- posed improvements are to be completed by the summer of 1808, and the German government has already ordered a cruiser. Herr Krupp, however, intends to build ships not only for the German Navy, but also for those foreign countries which have hitherto given their orders exclusive- ly to British firms. E The Great Northern Railway is to make an experiment of a nature that will be watched with deep interest by steelmakers, grain and vessel men everywhere on the lakes. It is to construct at Buffalo a grain elevator of 2,500,000 bushels capacity, all of steel. The order for the steel for its construction is for about 5,000 tons. The new Great Northern elevator will have thirty bins of 80,000 bushels capacity, and the elevator will be by far the larg- on this plan for less cost than in the old way, and that est at Buffalo. It is claimed that elevators can be built in addition they will save in operating expenses and in in- surance. It is figured that the total cost of the great house to be built at Buffalo will be less than 15 cents per bushel of capacity. Furthermore, Mr. J. J. Hill is the man to accomplish this innovation in the grain building trade as Mr. Rockefeller is doing it in the oil trade. President McKinley says: “Congress should give prompt attention to the restoration of our American mer- chant marine, once the pride of the seas in all the great ocean highways of commerce. To my mind, few more important subjects so imperatively demand its intelligent consideration. The United States has progressed with marvelous rapidity in every field of enterprise and en- deavor until we have become foremost in nearly all the ‘great lines of inland trade, commerce and industry. Yet, while this is true, our American merchant marine has been steadily declining until it is now lower both in the per- centage of tonnage and the number of vessels employed, than it was prior to the Civil war. Commendable pro- gress has been made of late years in the upbuilding of the American navy, but we must supplement these efforts by providing as a proper consort to it, a merchant marine amply sufficient for our own carrying trade to foreign countries. The question is one that appeals both to our business necessities and the patriotic aspirations of a great pedmie igs cis sees THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL. English journals note that the gradually increasing ‘traffic which is manifest on the Manchester Canal cannot but be satisfactory to all concerned in the success of this great undertaking, and with certain modifications in ex- isting tariffs that success is certain to be largely acceler- ated. The growth of trade, though not going up by leaps and bounds, is at least substantial, for it is repre- sented by 1,509,659 tons, for last year, against 1,087,443 tons for 1895. But the increase is to be found chiefly in the imports. The exports show a gain of only 14 per cent. ‘upon 1895, while the imports indicate a gain of nearly 60 per cent. This seems to show that the exporters of Manchester are not giving as much support to the canal as might be expected. One reason for this is said to be the heavy terminal charges for coal. This is a matter which requires looking into, and the directors would do well to bring their charges more into harmony with Liverpool and neighboring ports. It is said that some hundreds of steamers bringing cargoes of various kinds to. Manchester during the past year have left the canal with almost empty holds, for the Bristol Channel, to load back cargoes of coal, and this was done, in a great measure, to the excessive tolls and terminal charges, which amount to tod, or 20 cents, per ton, as compared with 1d (2 cents) at Liverpool, 14d (3 cents) at Swan- sea, and 2d (4 cents) at Cardiff. oo or OBITUARY. Mr. G. A. Cameron. George A. Cameron, aged 38 years, died at his resi- dence, 2778 North Winchester avenue, Ravenswood, of typhoid fever, Wednesday afternoon, March toth, after an illness of only 17 days. The deceased went into the employ of the Dunham Towing and Wrecking Co. in the spring of 1893, as bookkeeper and private secretary, prior to that time having been in the employ of the Chicago Vessel Owners’ Towing Co. as bookkeeper and secretary, for 12 years, and was before then a school teacher, he having graduated at the State Normal School, Oshkosh, (THE LATE) CAPT. G. A. CAMERON. Wis. He was a young man of excellent character and most exemplary habits and was highly respected by his employers and friends and much regret is felt at his sudden taking away. He leaves a widow and one daughter, 10 years of age, to mourn the loss of one of the very best of husbands and fathers. The funeral of the deceased took place at Graceland Cemetery Saturday afternoon and was largely attended, all the employes of the Dunham Towing and Wrecking Co. being present, as well as a large number of marine men and other friends of the deceased. CAPT. W. FRANK LEONARD. Capt. Leonard died in Phoenix, Arizona, last week. He had been connected with the advertising department of Seaboard, New York, for some years and was gen- erally well-known among the marine fraternity. Per- sonally Capt. Leonard was one of the most genial of men. Warm-hearted, good natured, genial, easy-going, humorous, his companionship was a boon to all of his wide circle of friends, and his presence was always cheer- ing. Despite his sufferings, especially during the past year, he never lost his geniality, and the outcropping of his irrepressible wit was constant. Fortunately, he was unmarried. Even more fortunately, for him, he was blessed with a loving and attentive sister, in whose com- pany he went to Arizona, where she watched over him and nursed. with unflinching devotion to the last. Let us hope that having now learned the grand secret, he is happy in the possession thereof. TREASURY DECISIONS ON VESSELS. Treasury Department, Bureau of Navigation, Washington; D. C., March 53 1897. To Collectors of Customs and Others: i Your attention is invited to the following provisions, concerning the abolition of fees for the entry direct from a foreign port and for the clearance direct to a foreign - port of vessels, navigating the waters of the northern, northeastern, and northwestern frontiers of the United States otherwise than by,sea, of the act approved March 3; 1897, entitled “An act to amend the laws relating. to navigation.” The act will take effect July 1, 1897. es Sec. 9. That fees for the entry direct form a foreign port and for the clearance direct to a foreign port of a vessel navigating the waters of the northern, northeastern and northwestern frontiers of the United States otherwise than by sea, prescribed by section forty-three hundred and eighty-two of the Revised Statutés, are abolished. Where such fees, under existing laws, constitute in whole or in part the compensation of a collector of customs, such offi- cer shall hereafter receive a fixed sum for each year equal to the amount which he would haye been entitled to re- ceive as fees for such services during said yearzrs “Sec. 4589. The master of every vessel of the United States, any of the crew whereof shall have been impressed or detained by any foreign power, shall, at the first ‘port at which such vessel arrives, if such impressment or de- tention happened on the high seas, or if the same hap- pened, within any foreign port, then in the port in which the same happened, immediately make protest, stating the manner of such impressment or detention, by whom made, together with the name and place of residence of the per- son impressed or detained; distinguishing also whether he was an American citizen; and, if not, to what nation he belonged. Such master shall also transmit, by post or otherwise, every such protest made in a foreign country, to the nearest consul or agent, or to the minister of the United States resident in such country, if any such there be; preserving a duplicate of such protest, to be by him sent immediately after his arrival within the United States to the Secretary of State, together with information to whom the original protest was transmitted. In case such protest shall be made within the United States, or in any foreign country, in which no consul, agent, or minister of the United States resides, the same shall, as soon there- after as practicable, be transmitted by such master, by’ post or otherwise, to the Secretary of State. “Sec. 4590. The collectors of the districts of the United States shall, from time to time, make known the provi- sions of the two preceding sections to all masters of ves- sels of the United States entering or clearing at their sev- eral offices. The master of every such vessel shall, before he is admitted to an entry by any such collector, be re- quired to declare on oath whether any of the crew of the vessel under his command have been impressed or de- tained, in the course of his voyage, and how far he has complied with the directions of the preceding section. Every master who willfully neglects or refuses. to make the declarations herein required, or to perform the duties enjoined by the preceding section, shall be liable to a pertalty of one hundred dollars. The collectors shall prose- cute for any forfeiture that may be incurred under this section.” Sec. 4. That section forty-five hundred and forty-one of the Revised Statutes be, and is hereby, amended by striking out the words “district judge for the district” in the seventh line of said section, and substituting in place thereof the words “circuit court of the circuit”; and that said section be, and is hereby, further amended by striking out the words “district judge” where they occur in the eleventh and twelfth lines of said section and sub- stituting in place thereof the words “circuit court.” Sec. 6. That section forty-five hundred and forty-two of the Revised Statutes be, and is hereby, amended by adding thereto the words “or where hedied.” Sec. 7. That section forty-five hundred and forty-five of the Revised Statutes be, and is hereby, amended to read as follows: Sec. 4545. A circuit court, in its discretion, may at any time direct the sale of the whole or any part of the effects of a deceased seaman or apprentice, which it has received or may hereafter receive, and shall hold the pro- ceeds of such sale as the wages of deceased seamen are held. When no claim to the wages or effects or proceeds of the sale of the effects of a deceased seaman or ap-