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_ ‘THE MARINE RECORD “Whosoever commands the sea, commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade, commands the riches of the-world and consequently the ‘worl’ itself.”—Sir Walter Raleigh. Senator Frye has introduced a bill for the licensing of officers of sailing vesels of over 700 tons, the license to continue for five years. We understand that this view emanated from the fertile brain of the present Commis- sioner of Navigation. At least it was announced in his last annual report. There is only one step further to be considered and that is to make deck officers and engineers licenses permanent. The competent of today is not the in- competent of tomorrow from a technical standpoint, and that is the only point from which practical and technical ability can be measured, unless the secretary of the treas- _ury desires to invade the domain of scandal, religion or politics he can not lawfully infringe upon the rights of any citizen found competent to fulftll the duties of a voluntary office. That steamboat inspection service in its printed rules is a “holy terror” anyway, and we expect that in the near future it will go so far as to dog a candidate’s foot- steps for a month, before they find him eligible to earn his living by the process of “solitary confinement with the privilege of being drowned.” Technical competency is the requirement in a voluntary examination, as opposed to a bolstering up by references and recommendations Either an applicant for a license is fit or unfit to fill the grade or position he seeks in the merchant service, and unless especially accused, the grantors of licenses to work need take no more cognizance over a man’s private affairs than they would like him to take over their own. re te Two contracts for powerful tug boats developed this week. F, W. Wheeler & Co., West Bay City, will build for W. G. Wilmot, of New Orleans, a tug 140 feet in length, and the David Bell Co., of Buffalo, a tug 90 feet in length, for the Cleveland Tug Co. The Union Dry Dock Co. are building to the order of the Erie Tug Line a steel tug 87 feet in length. The first named craft is for coast service, so cannot be considered as a future com- petitor for lake favors. The other two will remain on the lakes and at their respective ports. oo NEW ‘‘SOO”’ CANAL. Trouble is being experienced with the gate operating the machinery of the new Poe lock at St. Mary’s Falls Canal, notwithstanding that repairs amounting to nearly $5,000 were made upon them last winter, and it was sup- posed that all difficulties had been overcome. There are six of these machines, and although the lock has been in operation but a few days, three of them have so far worked unsatisfactorily. It is the general opinion that the machines cannot be made to work properly, and that the sooner they are con- demned and another type substituted the better it will be for all interests. The test which the machines were given last season, demonstrated their inability for the work they are called upon to do. All of them, some time or other, broke down or else failed to operate properly. The machines are complicated, and under normal conditions rquire an excessive amount of care and attention and are difficult to run. It is the opinion of prominent engineers that they cannot be made satisfactorily to do the work for which they are intended. It has been announced that the old lock will not be placed actively in commission this season, provided of course that the new lock machin- ery is finally made to run all right. In any case, vessel interests need feel but little concern over the matter, as to supplement the work of the old lock should the new one be entirely disabled, we now have the large Canadian lock to work through until permanent repairs could be completed on the new American lock. oo oro WELL MERITED RECOGNITION. On May: 19, 1894, the American schooner William -Shupe, went ashore three miles north of Fort Gratiot, ‘Mich. The crew of six men seemed doomed to perish. With four others, Daniel E. Lynn, marine reporter at Port _ Huron, volunteered to go to their assistance. The waves were running high and the weather was extremely cold. _ They went out in a yawl, as no lifeboat was available, with the understanding that the new tug Thompson was to tow them back. Lynn was the first man in the yawl. A line was passed up to the half- frozen wretches; but: the boat capsized, and all were drowned except Lynn, who managed to get ashore half dead. By joint resolution of the house, introduced by Senator McMillan and Congressman Snover, the secretary of the Treasury was authorized to bestow a first-class medal up- on Lynn for his bravery, the same as is given to life savers in the regular service. It will be finished at the Philadelphia mint in a few weeks, when it will be for- warded to Lynn at Port Huron. The fact that-it was or- dered by special legislation is mentioned on the medal. i CANAL CONCESSION. ; Mr. Baker, the United States Minister to Nicaragua, has been instructed by the Department of State, to take such steps as are necessary, to prevent the forfeiture of the canal concession, by the Nicaraguan Government. et _C LARGEST TOW THROUGH THE WELLAND. Capt. Wm. Gerlach, as manager of the Minch Trans- portation Co., Cleveland, is already making a new and favorable departure by sending down through the Wel- land Canal the largest tow that ever passed from the up- per to the lower lakes. The steamer John Glidden and consorts Aberdeen, Minch and Warmington, loaded at Chicago the largest quantity of grain ever made up into one tow for Lake Ontario. The total is 226,000 bushels of corn for Prescott. rrr A LARGE FLOATING DRY DOCK. The Blohm & Voss Ship Building Co., of Hamburg, has lately completed a floating dock, which is the largest of its kind. It has a lifting capacity of 17,500 tons, and will accommodate the largest merchant ships, as well as the heaviest war vessels. It is too meters long and 36 meters wide. ee LAKE AND RAIL SHIPMENTS. Lake competition is beginning to seriously affect the business of the east-bound roads from Chicago. Through shipments by the all-rail lines last week were over 12,000 tons less than for the week previous, and over 9,000 tons less than for the corresponding week last year. The lake lines from Chicago carried last week 101,2303 tons of through freight and the ten east-bound roads from Chi- cago carried only 38,206 tons. Last week’s shipments of flour, grain, and provisions from Chicago through to seaboard points by the ten east- bound roads amounted to 38,208 tons, against 50,524 tons for the week previous, and 47,643 tons for the correspond- ing week last year. Flour shipments last week were 6,504 tons, against 5,387 tons last year; grain, 21,697 tons, against 33,609 tons; provisions, 10,005 tons, against 8,647 tons. ee CANAL AND LAKE RATES CuT. An open cut in west-bound canal and lake rates has been made by the Western Transit Co., the canal and lake line of the New York Central Railroad. The cut ap- plies to Chicago, Duluth and St. Paul, and is a severe one, as it amounts to ro cents per 100 pounds on first- class business, which is equivalent to from 20 to 30 per cent. Following are the new rates, with comparisons. with the regular rates, which were established a few weeks ago by the lake steamer companies acting in concert: Class : tst.. 2d. 3d. 4thigths 6th. SOs CHICAGO fs ote se aa Ber 20.0118.) 10m Ay 12 Oiicialirates.iys3.6 7 ee Bo 25. 20 ee TOR TA TSS BCH yu op eee cae oe Na BT 32 22° IO. 5 17 4405 Omcial rates. ee Alas 335". 203. 23 22.2 10 Tor st. Rattlers es AGO BB a at par OTe eT e OMicial rates: oes a 50. 48s = 38228525 oT THE CALUMET MINE. There has been several stories going the rounds of the press relative to the discovery of the great copper pro- ducing mine known as the Calumet. : There is a man living in Duluth, says the Herald of that city, who knocks on the head the story of the dis- covery of the famous Calumet which has been circulated recently. The tale referred to had it that the mine was found by some men who were driving a drove of pigs across the country. One of the pigs discovered it rather, for it fell into a pit made by the ancient workers of the mine. The men, however, took the credit of it. The Duluth man, whose name is J. S. Pierce, denies the truth of this story. He says he was presént when the mine was found, and, therefore, ought to know. Mr. Pierce says that he was in charge of a party of men who had been sent to explore for signs of the copper deposit, which, from indications already brought to light, it was” believed existed. The preceding summer, one of the ‘men who sent out the party in charge of Mr. Pierce, had run across the signs that led to the search being made. _ An opening that, it was plain to the practiced eyes of the workers, had been made by human hands was hap- pened upon. A descent was made and, with very little difficulty, a vein was found. A number of hammers, con- sisting of heads of stone bound with thongs to wooden handles was found. A buck-skin shirt was also discov- ered. This «umbled on being exposed to the air. Those of the Indians living in that vicinity had not even heard ofthe mine. This fact, in view of the tenacity with which — they retain their traditions, lends support. to the theory that the original workers of the Calumet ante-dated the Indians and may, possibly, have been the Aztecs. a CHARTERS. The first development in the early part of the week was the chartering by J. H. Outhwaite & Co.- for a block of 300,000 tons of ore from Marquette to Lake Erie ports to run through the season at a 65-cent rate. The rate paid on a similar charter last season was 95 cents, carried by the same vessels, the Mack fleet being in the majority. The foregoing figure should make a 754cent rate from the head of the lakes, Duluth, Ashland or Two Harbors, but it is now a question if the opening rate will be more than 70 cents. although a ten-cent differential prevailed last year. Perhaps the most important deal announced this week was the closing of the Illinois Steel Co. with the Minne- sota Iron Co. for its supply of Mesabi ores for the season and this of course will all be carried to South Chicago by the Minnesota Steamship Co.’s fleet. The quantity which the Illionois Steel Co. will require has not yet been made known, but it is quite certain to be a considerable jag. All sorts. of figures are talked of for Escanaba rates, 30 cents even being mentioned, but it is not likely that even the largest carriers would accept such a low figure and pay the charges for trimming and unloading. A couple of charters were made at 40 cents. There is a somewhat better feeling in Chicago grain rates, although 18 cents and 14 cents is all that is now qouted on wheat and the line boats take the bulk of ship- ments. A few coal cargoes are offered at the nigel low rate of 20 cents to the head of the lakes and 25 cents Lake Michigan, but many of the largest vessels are going up light in preference to accepting any such figures, others lav at their dock and await fair living rates. i oo oe NOTES. Official numbers have been assigned by the Bureau of Navigation, Washington, D. C., to the steamer Crescent City 4213 gross and 3676 net tons, built at Chicago and from Duluth. Queenstown, Ireland, reports that the spring rush of emigrants to the United States has begun. Two thousand passages have been booked for this week, and 75 per cent of the passengers are young women. Capt. John McArthur, who brought out sevral whale- back steamers, among them the Christopher Columbus, and last season commanded the Frank Rockefeller, has been appointed shore captain at Duluth for the Northern Steamship Co., and has just assumed his new duties. Navigation has reopened for the season and changes have been made on many steamers in the “personnel” of the engine room. There are nearly one thousand Roberts Boilers in use in steam vesels of all kinds, including pas- senger and freight steamers, tugs, yachts, launches, dredges, canal boats, etc., etc. On account of these changes some engineers will have charge of Roberts Boil- ers for the first time and we are requested to announce that The Roberts Safety Water Tube Boiler Co., of 39 and 41 Cortlandt street, New York city, will cheerfully send a full set of their descriptive and instruction circulars to any engineer applying for same and giving his full name and address. There will be no charge, and no stamps will be required.