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Le ESTABLISHED 1878. VOL. XX. No. 17. CLEVELAND---APRIL 29, 1897---CHICAGO._ $2.00 Per Year. toc. Single Copy LAKE CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION. To consider.and take action upon.all general questions relating to the navigation and carrying business of the Great Lakes, maintain necessary shipping offices and in to protect the common interest of Lake riers, and improve the character of the service rendered to the public. PRESIDENT. Capt, JAMES W. MILLEN, eneral ar- Detroit, Mich. VICE PRESIDENTS. J. S. Dunham, Chicago. Howard L. Shaw, Bay City. C. E. Benham, Cleveland. F. J: Firth, Philadelphia. David Carter, Detroit. L. 3S. Sullivan, Toledo. S. D. Caldwell, Buffalo. M. J. Cummings, Oswego. W.H. Wolf, Milwaukee. Geo. Berriman, Erie. W.C. Farrington, Duluth. SECRETARY. CHARLES H. KEEp, Buffalo. TREASURER. GzrorceE P, McKay, Cleveland. COUNSEL. Harvey D. GouLpER, Cleveland. A committee representing the Lake Carriers’ Assn. met in Cleveland Monday and took under consideration the question of reducing ore trimming charges at the upper lake ports—Escanaba, Marquette, Ashland, Two Harbors. and Duluth. Mr. M. A. Bradley is chairman of the com- mittee. Among those present at the meeting were Mayor Gallup, of Escanaba, and Henry C. Barter, secretary and treasurer of the Longshoresmen’s Union. The presence of the mayor of Escanaba indicates that the scale of wages paid the ore trimmers is an important matter to the inter- ests of that town. A business-like discussion of the prop- ositon of the vessel owners resulted in a decision to re- duce trimming charges at Escanaba from three cents to two and one-half cents, with the understanding that the work be given to one man to be selected by Mayor Gallup. This disposes of the question as far as Escanaba is con- cerned. Information from the other ports indicated that the workmen would be wiling to accept a one-half cent reduction, and season contracts will likely be made with the trimmers on that basis. A dispatch from Marquette states that the men there anticipate a reduction in wages and will not object to the cut to two and one-half cents. There is said to be no likelihood of trouble at that point. OO oe or ENGINEERS IN THE NAVY. Engineer-in-Chief, Geo. W. Melville, U. S. N., Chief of Bureau, in his recent annual report to the Secretary of the Navy, says: “I feel that it is only necessary to direct your attention to the number of engineer officers who have been retired during the past year for physical incapacity, and to the steadily increasing number of such officers on the retired list, to demonstrate that the physical strain to which the officers of the Engineer Corps are subjected is too great. In former annual reports I have.given what I believe to be abundant reasons for an increase in the num- ber of officers of the corps. As time goes on and the num- ber of ships and their power increases, the necessity for additonal officers is intensified, and I feel that I would not be doing my duty if I did not again briefly refer to the matter. The personal element is one which must enter largely into the result of any naval engagement and if we had the powerful and the swiftest navy afloat, it would be valueless to us in time of war if we have not a sufficient number of trained men to see that the machinery of this fleet is in condition for action and to keep it going in action. The guns will be powerless without the machinery, and, other things being equal, that fleet will give the best account of itself which has the best equipment of trained men in the engine room as well as at the guns. To sacrifice the one is merely. inviting disaster to the whole, and no amount. of skill on deck’ can compensate for the lack of it below. It is one thing to design and build machinery, but quite a different thing to keep it in such conditon that it may be ready to respond to the calls that may be made upon it under all conditons, and naval-machinery is of such a char- acter that it is only by the exercise of constant vigilance and the greatest care that it can be expected to be kept in readinés for such calls. If the number of trained’ men is not sufficient for this purpose, the efficiency of the ship as a whole is lowered, and the money which-has been ex- pended on her construction to produce the very qualities which were considered of paramount importance has been practically wasted. eo Oo FAST STEAMING. A dispatch from Baltimore states that on her recent trial trip, torpedo boat No. 3 demonstrated that she is one of the fastest boats in the world. The course over which the trial was made is a triangular one of “Point No Point,’ and is the same over which the official trial will be made in a day or two. The new flyer carried a maxi- mum of 250 pounds of steam and an average of 205. Her screws made 390 revolutions per minute and averaged 307 and shé accomplished twenty-five ‘knots an hour with no difficulty. She carries four torpedo tubes and three one- pound rapid-firing guns. She is one of three similar boats now building. SS PORTAGE LAKE CANAL. “2 Capt. Ernest Meyers, of the tug B: F. Bruce, has been held for trial at the next term of the federal District Court for running his tug through the Portage lake ship canal at a speed in excess of five miles an hour. M. J. Marr, superintendent of the canal, notifies marine men that in- fractions of the speed regulations will be punished, as ex- ‘cessive speed greatly damages the banks of the canal. .—————> <2 ee SC OPENING OF NAVIGATION: IN CANADA. The following table, showing: the average date of the opening of navigation at Canadian ports during the past. twenty years, is published by Prof. R. F. Stupart on “The Monthly Weather Map” for February, 1897. Dates of opening. CANADIAN PORTS. Reieg SCT Sn SEL | Karliest.| Latest, | Average. | Lake Superior: Port Arthur..... reeset Mar. 18 | May 22) Apr. 26 St. Mary’s River: Sault Ste. Marie...... Apr. 8] May 12 Apr. 27 St; Clair: River :: Sarnia! ..45. 5.0}. Foonen Mar. 7 | May 3 | Apr. : 5 Lake Erie : Port, Colborne, ..:...,4---n.++ Apr. 15 |;May 9 | Apr. 25 Lake Ontario: Burlington Bay........... Mar. 1 | Apr. 28 | Apr. 11 Lake‘Ontario’: Torontoyi oi oe. He oe Feb. 13.| Apr. 25 | Mar. 28 Lake Ontario; Kingston...............55 Mar. 6 | Apr. 24 | Apr. °5 St. Lawrence River : Montreal........... Mar. 30 | May 5 | Apr. 21 roll CONSULAR REPORTS. Consul Taney, writing from Belfast, says: I have been informed that the president of the Atlantic Transport Steamship Co. has recently placed an order with the ship- building firm of Harland & Wolff, of this city, for two twin-screw steamships’ of a freight capacity of 10,000 tons each, and accommodations for 250 saloon passengers. Each ship is to cost, in round numbers $750,000, to be ready for service September, 1897, and to be in all respects equal to the best type of Atlantic liners. The addition of these two fine steamers to the fleet is expected to greatly improve the service and popularize the. route; and it is ex- pected that the time from port to port will be reduced twenty-four hours. This company runs a line of steamers between New York and London and also between Balti- ~ more and London. The stock. of the company is owned principally in the United States. Consul Sprague, in his annual report, refers as follows tothe building of new docks in Gibraltar:.The continued increase of the British navy in battle ships and cruisers of formidable dimensions is urging upon the government the necessity of establishing, without further delay, in- creased docking facilities for their new specimens for naval ‘warfare, not only at home, but inthe colonies. ’ Gibraltar has been one of the coaling stations which has already the ” earnest attention of the admiralty, owing to its deficiency in dock and other accommodations for the'refitting of war ships, besides securing protection from outward attack for the large stock. of coal that has to be kept in hand. The~ construction of these formidable works has already com- menced, with the employment of about: 4jooo workmen of. all classes, who ‘are ‘daily kept hard at work, under the | special charge of superintendents sent out from England — by the admiralty authorities, who control everything con- : nected with this iniportant undertaking, which is likely to consume at least five years for its completion and an out- lay of several millions of pounds sterling. —- a UNDER CIVIL SERVICE RULES. Although Supterintendent McKenzie has been retained t at the St..Mary’s Falls canal mainly through: the inter-. vention of lake vessel owners’ and captains it would seem that. this was unnecessary as the civil service commission — is now exercising its authority over- such offices, as the following from John R: Proctor, president vf the commis- sion, will testify. The letter was received by a” Cleveland © vessel owner, who was prominent in the movement to re- tain Superintendent McKenzie. It is as follows: response to your communication, in which you ask-to be officially informed if the employes of the government locks at Sault Ste. Marie are in the classified service, I have to inform you that the following positions are em- braced within the servicé classified under civil service rules as reported by the sectetary of war: Assistant en- gineers, superintendents, assistant superintendents, clerks, draftsmen, inspectors, sub-inspectors, recorders, engine men, tug captains, tug engine men, foremen, rodmen, ma- sons, stonecutters, carpenters, custodian, steward, mes- “senger, watchmen and leadsmen. The only positions not embraced within the service classified in the report sub- mitted by the secretary of war were lockmen, laborers and cooks. The positions of hcliographers, warehousemen and oarsmen do not seem-to have been considered, but it is believed that these positions by their nature should be classified and the attention of the secretary of war: will be called to them:. Should the duties pertaining to them be incident to classified places, they will undoubtedly be made classified positions.” a e eESEEEEEEEEEEEE ESTEE Lieutenant Peary proposes to take upon his next expedi- tion to the North Pole a number of Eskimo women, wives. of the Eskimos.whom: he intends to engage. He believes these women will do much towards making the expedition a success. Their presence will make their husbands more contented, and they will be of great service in making clothes, cooking, and performing other duties around the camp. These Eskimo women are very strong, and can doubtless endure as much hardship as the men. In this feature the lieutenant is no doubt perfectly correct, ds all previous expeditions has proved, besides, did he not take his own’ wife on.a successful trip. once, starting two and coming back three? “Tn- E