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THE MARINE RECORD. NEWS AROUND THE LAKES. CHICAGO. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. At the Independent Tug Line’s floating dry dock the tug Protection is in for a new stem. At the Chicago Shipbuilding Co.’s shipyard the schoon- er Sophia J. Luff was in dock for some general repairs and calking. The steel barge Carrington left this port with 123,000 bushels of corn and 79,400 bushels of oats on a draft of 15 feet 4 inches. Capt. James R. Raymond, representing the Standard Automatic Releasing Hook Co., of New York, is in this city this week. The tug Violet Raber will leave here this week for Duluth to join the fleet of the Barry Towing & Wreck- ing Co. at that port. -H. W: Cook & Co. chartered the steamer Aztec and barge Zapotec for flaxseed and wheat to Kingston at 2% cents; the steamers W. H. Wolf and Fred Pabst for oats to Buffalo at I cent. -The schooner Carrington took, this week, the largest cargo of grain ever loaded in Chicago River. It was 123,000 bushels of corn and 79,417 bushels of oats, on a draft of 15 feet 6 inches. The weight of the cargo was 4,834 tons. - Vice Commodore I. Ramsdell’s new fin keel yacht “Blade,” had her trial trip last Sunday to South Chicago, when she encountered a stiff breeze from the southwest, and proved herself a splendid worker to windward. Her dimensions are 30 feet water line, 45 feet over all, 8 feet beam, 22 inches draft of hull and with fin 8 feet. She has 5,180 pounds of lead in her fin keel. She was built in Chicago last winter. J. A. Calbick & Co. chartered the steamer Toltec and barge Miztec for corn to Erie at 1 cents; the schooner Geo. J. Boyce for oats to Port Huron at 1 cent. A. L. Fitch chartered the steamer Lindsay for oats to Port Huron -ai't cent; the steamer Sibley for oats to Buffalo at 14 cents. J. J. Rardon & Co. chartered the steamer City of London for oats to Buffalo at 18 cents; the steamer Interocean and consort R. Winslow, for oats to Buffalo at 1 cent. ‘The wrecking tug Protector was in port last week and left. with four large pontoons in tow. The pontoons are built of one-half inch steel plates and are 34 feet long by 13 feet diameter, they are conical at the ends and are heavily braced within by angle irons and cross timbers, each pontoon will have a lifting power of. about 200 tons—and are to be used in raising the Lehigh Valley Line steamer Cayuga, sunk by collision with the steamer J. L. Hurd at the foot of Lake Michigan in 1895. At Miller Bros.’ shipyard the steamer Iowa was in dock for a new wheel, the steamers Hattie B. Perene and H. L. Worthington for some calking; the steamer Francis Hinton for some new bottom planks, new rud- der, new mast and general repairs; the steam yacht Pathfinder had her bottom scraped and painted, schooner A. Bradley received a new piece of keel and some calk- ing: schooners Mary Collins received a new forefoot; Ella Ellinwood, John V. Jones, Ralph Campbell and America had leaks stopped; the tug Andrew Green re- ceived a new wheel. ae ——$— i ar BUFFALO. Special Correspondence to The-Marine Record. Active work on the extension of the breakwater be- gins at once with a force of 200 men and a fleet of nine canal boats to make daily trips for stone from Lockport. The government engineer has selected the steam yacht Glance for his use this summer. This port is large enough for him to build one for himself and then save money for the government. Fifty boats cleared from Tonawanda, on the Erie Canal, in 24 hours. Over 4,000,000 feet of lumber, 3,000,000 pounds of oats and 400,000 pounds of pig iron, have gone ae This is the heaviest day’s clearances ever recorded ere. Mr. John Gordon is not to be downed by any means, as manager of the Great Lakes Steamship Co., he has now an excellent fleet chartered for this season’s work and is actually dictating rates and traffic over the several routes. Steamboatmen are asking for a light and a fog whistle on Point Abino, which is nine miles up from Buffalo, on the Canada shore. They say that there is so much mist and smoke off the city that it is almost impossible to make the harbor a greater part of the time. e The sister ships Minneapolis and the St. Paul were here this week and I heard them favorably commented on by vesselmen. Capts. Jameson and Jackson are sail- ing these boats only launched about a week ago, and con- sidering that they were built for the Welland Canal trade, they carry fairly well, too. About 2,800 tons is their - capacity. Several additions were made this week to the fleet in ordinary, the Pope, Savona and Bangor having received orders when they reached here to lay up. However, the Lagonda, which had been tied to the dock for two weeks, secured a load of coal for Duluth at 20c._ The Merida goes to Toledo to load for Duluth, and the Sitka goes to Jack Fish Bay: 3: The steamer Langell reached here from Tonawanda to be docked to repair damages sustained in the race with the Elfin-Mere at Duluth recently, for which the licenses of the captains of both boats were suspended thirty days by the steamboat inspectors. Now the query comes in if these men are competent or not, or will they be in thirty days hence, when the suspension judgment runs out? Work is being pushed as fast as possible on the new steel elevator which the Northern Steamship Co. is build- ing here. Most of the piles have been driven and work on the massive stone foundations is progressing rapidly. The foundation piers, which are close together over the entire area which will be occupied by the elevator, are being built on top of the double tier of piles which reach down about sixty feet to solid bottom. Workmen will begin putting together the steel framework in a short time. Deputy Marshal Cavanaugh tied up the steamer C. W. Elphicke on a libel sworn out by the British & Foreign Insurance Co., which claims $5,137.94 and $250 costs for being obliged to pay for a lot of grain last fall that the company insists the boat spoiled. When the libel was served the Elphicke was not unloaded and Capt. Moody asked permission to move to another elevator in order to continue unloading. The steamer will, no doubt, be bonded and be allowed to continue business, especially as she has a cargo of coal for Chicago. This bonding business is all off color, so far as I can see. Capt. McFarlane, of the Wilbur, appears to have got an idea that the average government official is just a trifle slow. He says that the new lighthouse on the North Manitou Island is a great success in the day time. You can see it a long distance, but it does not amount to much at night, as it has never been lighted up yet, though it was given out that it would be lighted at the opening .of navigation. He states his conviction that it is too cold in this climate for the official to navigate the lakes to any extent before June. Perhaps the captain is partly right, too, as we have recently exchanged officers. In any case, lake pilots don’t want too much assistance as these navy men believe that we have only a mud pilot kind of system on the great lakes, but they ought to try it once, The coming season bids fair to see a lively rate war between the Erie Canal boat owners and the railroads, The boat owners claim that the railroads have started to cut under them and attempt to capture the major portion of the canal carrying trade. As a result the Buffalo Boat Owners’ Association has retaliated and has adopted the following schedule of freight charges to New York city: Wheat, from 3%c. per bushel to 3c.; corn, from 2%c. per bushel to 24c.; barley, from 2%c. per bushel to 24c.; flax- seed, from 3%c. per bushel to 3c.; rye, from 38c. per bushel to 28c.; oats, from 24c. per bushel to 2c.; iron, from $1.20 per gross ton to $1.10. These figures range from one- half to three-quarters of a cent lower than the reductions which the New York Central has made and they are a fraction lower than those made by the Erie Railroad. The canal boat owners say that if the railroads meet this cut or go lower, they will carry the war still lower, and they seem determined to make lower rates than the rail- roads. a oo DETROIT. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The ferry steamer Daisy was badly damaged this week by fire. She is a small boat and after getting alongside a He the fire was easily extinguished. Loss estimated at 700, Mr. A. A. Parker, of the firm of Parker and Millen, takes a practical view of the present dullness in freights and while not grabbing for charters, expects the season to round up fairly good after all. The propeller Arundell has been chartered to run be- tween Charlotte, Oswego, Kingston and the Thousand Island. Point Lookout trustees are now negotiating for the steamer Gazelle, of Buffalo. C. L. Parker made a few lumber charters this week, as follows: Schooner Glad Tidings, Cheboygan to De- troit, 5 trips, going rate; steam barge Martin, Alpena_to Toledo; steam barge Ogemaw and consort Darley, Os- coda to Tonawanda. He also chartered the steamer City of Mt. Clemens a salt cargo from Oscoda to Toledo. Next Sunday’s trip of the steamer Frank E. Kirby will be enlivened by a homing pigeon experiment on a large scale conducted by Oliver Dustin, assisted by all of the Detroit fanciers who care to participate. Mr. Dus- tin will take 30 of his own birds with him to release at Toledo, intending to make an exact record of their re- turn over the 60-mile course. He invites all owners of homing pigeons to send their birds with him. He will take soo if that many are offered, and he expects from 250 to 300 of a certainty. Fanciers must bring their birds to the boat Sunday morning. He will, however, receive a hundred more the night before, as he can accommodate that number at the dock. Mr. Dustin flew several of his birds from Toledo last Sunday, releasing them at I p. m, They were somewhat shaken up by the storm. Water..gauges show about 17 feet 6 inches as present depth of water at Ballard’s Reef. This is about the same as given by gauge readings for the past ten days. For this depth of water, the ledge of rock marked by a black spar buoy (No. 54) should be avoided. To do this the range at the upper end of Grosse Isle should be just opened to the westward, giving the black spar (just north of the gas buoys) a berth of at least 75 feet. Just above Limekiln crossing along the Ballard’s Reef course, the Duff & Gatfield range should be kept open to the west- ward, as along this course, in. front of the Texas dock a ridge of boulders has been found. The least depth of water over these boulders is 17 feet. They are now being removed. The entire stretch of the channel from Bal- lard’s Reef to the south end of Bois Blanc Island has been swept this spring, and several boulders located, just below a depth of 17.5 feet. These boulders will be re- moved as soon as possible, the work having commenced — al week ago. Saw a CLEVELAND. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The low ore rate of 70 cents is all that is offered from_ the head of the lakes despite the persistence of vessel owners to get a decent figure. Capt. J. B. Watts of Detroit, has been appointed master of the Menominee Line Steamer Briton and left on the first trip of the season on Tuesday night. Nearly all of the boats have fitted out for the season, and are already at work, though it is difficult to see how they can pay running expenses at the rates of freight now going. ‘ Some charters will be made as a result of ore sales now under way. There will be enough just now to supply all vessel owners, who are willing to take 7o cents for the season. ; The Cleveland Steel Canalboat Co. is said to have made an arrangement with the Big Four road by which the road will furnish all the tows of the company as much grain as they can carry all summer, and they will therefore drop the steel rail trade. It is learned that the Illinois Steel Co. has closed all contracts for this season’s supply of iron ore, according to reports received here, against the statement that the company had not done so. The purchases amount to 1,000,000 tons in addition to 300,000 tons not delivered on last year’s contracts, making 1,300,000 tons in all. ~ The Cuddy-Mullen Coal Co. have establishéd a new plant at Erie, Pa., and are erecting there a large car dumper similar to the one at this port. With a brisk trade carried on at Cleveland, Erie, Amhexstburg, Sand- wich and Detour, the Cuddy-Mullen Coal Co. will soon find itself a most important factor in lake commerce. — Capt. Paul Howell, of Erie, and one of the best known vessel masters on the lakes, will sail the Bradley Line steamer Hesper this season. liable masters than is Capt. Howell, and having so good a boat as the Hesper, he is sure to get in a comfortable and prosperous season. Sailors along the Welland Canal want the Dominion Government to pass a retaliation law that will require American vessels to ship Canadian crews to take them through the canal. Canadian seamen claim that they are shut out in every way, even train crews being changed as soon as the line is crossed. Lieut. Landrey, U. S. N., and Supt. Chapman, of the life saving service, was at this port Wednesday on their periodical tour of inspection. There can be only one opinion about the order and discipline which Capt. Motley of the local station maintains, and as a matter, of course, his superiors in the service were eminently satisfied with all they investigated relative to the equipment, upkeep and drill of the crew. Capt. F. D. Herriman, of Chicago, representing the un- derwriters, and Capt. Dan McLeod, representing the ves- sel owners, held a survey on the steamer John M. Glid-’ den at the Ship Owners‘ drydock on Wednesday. It will cost about $4,000 to repair her. A large piece of metal was found in a plank in the Glidden’s bow, and Capt. McLeod thinks it came from the boiler house of the steamer Grand Traverse, sunk off Colchester, Lake Erie, which the Glidden struck. or FLOTSAM, JETSAM AND LAGAN. The S. R. Kirby and the consort Hartwell have been placed this week, Escanaba to Ohio ports, at 40 cents. The Bielman damaged a dredge at Toledo to the tune of about $2,000. The dredge was promptly drydocked. The Cummings released the schooner Alice M. Beers from her critical position at Glen Harbor and the vessel is not damaged. The ore purchases made by the Illinois Steel Co., sup- plemental to the Minnesota Iron Co. contract, are placed at between 400,000 and 500,000 tons, most of which will come through Escanaba. When the steamer L. C. Waldo discharged her cargo of flaxseed at Toledo the weighing out overran the weigh- ing in by only twenty-one bushels on 169,346 bushels, this shows a remarkable agreement by the two elevators. The steamer Greyhound of Toronto has been pur- chased by R. W. Hamlin, of St. Catharines, and Mr. Walker, of Walkersville. It is thought that the steamer may be put on the route between St. Catharines and Toronto. ; The report of the traffic passing the American and Can- adian canals for April shows a decrease of about 80,000 tons as compared with April, 1896, the total being only 199,500.tons. This was carried by 260 craft, a decrease over April, last year, of 165. The stock piles of the Metropolitan Land & Iron Co., which has laid off 500 men, are full, and it has made no sales. Its stock pile room was well filled last fall, but little having been shipped the past year. The outlook for an increase of force in the immediate future is not prom- ising. : Owing to differences between the wholesale fish deal- ers of Ottawa county and the United States Express Co. as to rates of transportation, the fish dealers have put the steamer Maud Preston on the line between Port Clin- ton and Sandusky and will ship all fish out of their terri- There are but few more re-