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THE MARINE RECORD ESTABLISHED 1878. Published ee Pidliy by THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Incorporated. GEO. L. SMITH, President. ce, C. E, RUSKIN . : 3 Manager. CAPT. JOHN. ‘SWAINSON, : - Editor. THOS. WILLIAMS, Chicago, = = Associate, CLEVELAND, CHICAGO. Western Reserve Building. Royal Insurance Building. SUBSCRIPTION. One Copy, one year, postage paid, sists - $2.00. One Copy, one year, to foreign countries, = - - $3.00. Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING. Rates given on application. All communications should be addressed to the Cleveland office. THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Western Reserve Building, Cleveland, Ohio. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. CLEVELAND, O., MAY 20, 1897. ee SALVAGE SERVICES. The question of salvage services has undergone a de- cided change during the last quarter of a century, and a more equitable and common sense view of the subject now obtains a prominent place in all admiralty decisions, and other courts having jurisdiction’ to settle marine cases. © The decisions formerly rendered, in nearly all cases, allowed the salvors usually about one-third of the gross value of the property saved. The claim for salvage being predominant, the salvors were legally in a position to have and to hold until their claims were settled, and the question of marine salvage has been so regularly and clearly admitted that no trouble, legal or otherwise, was ever experienced in the settlement of these claims. When marine interests became more widely developed, and a better and clearer knowledge of the services rendered _ were placed in an iutelligent manner before the various judges, the old custom was found to be lacking in the effect of a righteous decisivn, and remuneration com- mensurate with the services rendered was considered a more iustifiable mode of administering the laws. This knowledge was not long in gaining ground before all of the marine courts, and as a consequence the present mod- ern system was inaugurated to the benefit of trade and commerce all over the world. The instance of a derelict vessel prematurely abandoned near the coast-line might be cited as showing the advisa- hility of the new departure in salvage claims; in this case the salvors underwent little or uo risk either to life or property and the vessel was taken safely into an ad- jacent port without incurring any great risk or expense to the salvors, yet such was the nature of the old time _ claims that the vessel. after being libelled, was sold to satisfy the claims of the salvors, and both the under- writers and the owners might be said to have suffered a serious loss in the ultimate rendering of the judgment based un the old time procedure and claims. In most of the recent decisions the salvors are only awarded a sum sufficient to remunerate them for the services rendered, or in other words, ordinary services are paid for as such, and if there is extraordinary and im- minent risks proved during the rendition of these serv- ices, the claims are met and settled generously. Under these laws righteous and equitable salvage services will ways be obtainable, and where there is no agreement made bez veen the salvors and the principals of the prop- erty interested the courts will decide all claims in a mats ter of a _ business- like and professional way. They would also be well advised if in the new system judges were moved to consider that individual skill and exertion ought to be more distinctly acknowledged when the de- tailed awards were made to the parties claiming salvage, so that it could be said, as the marine puts it, “that the bullets fly thickest where the most of the prize money goes,” yet in no case is it correct to award compensation collectively when a result has been obtained individually, and the same rule holds good reversed. Certainly we believe that a generous policy ought to be maintained, and that adequate remuneration ought in all cases to be tendered those who risk life and property in any emerg- ency, whether their ultimate object may be to alleviate the sufferings of humanity, or to increase their resources financially. It is always better to err on the side of liper- ality than parsimony, or an ill advised economy, in cases where life and property has been saved at any risk to the salvors, and in this connection we would suggest that the several large lake underwriting firms take a closer interest in awarding recompense for meritorious services in con- nection with the rendering of valuable assistance to float- ing property or. where the skill and good judgment of those in charge prevented a greater loss than otherwise would have occurred. Of course it is the bounden duty of the master, officers and crew to stand by their vessel to the last plank or plates hold together, and nothing can be more execrable than a premature abandonment; yet, it can but be admitted that there are degrees of this stand- ing-by feature, as there are also in exercising judgment, discretion and an interest in all that concerns the welfare of those most interested. ao SHAPING COURSES--DERTERIIINING DISTANCES. And now comes along the same old story of stranding valuable steamers through a misconception of the dis- tances run and the course the vessels were making over the ground as opposed to that indicated by compass. That corrections are in every instance to be applied to the compass on nearly all courses, it by no means follows that the instrument is a poor working or badly adjusted guide. It has become too much the fashion to speak of these proper corrections as compass errors. Rather would the instrument be a faulty one if it indicated any- thing contrary to what is required by taking these correc- tions into consideration, so that it may be said, correc- tions, and not errors is the proper term to apply in all such cases. The pertinency of the foregoing may be admitted when we find within twenty-four hours of the present writing, two valuable, loaded steamers bungling into the land in complete ignorance of their positions, one on Lake Erie, the other on Lake Michigan, and within a few hours of each other. One master thought that he was opposite a point several miles off, the other, after being thirteen miles out of his course, sighted a light and then stranded five miles from his supposed position, though from the extent of his first error the second one ought to have shown a still greater one. It is a matter of course that vessels will strand even in fine weather. The circumstance occurs every day at some point or another, and will continue to take place on lakes, coasts, rivers, or wherever they can find bottom. At the same time every precaution known to the ordinary practice of seamen should be observed and where glar- ing errors take place the causes leading up to such ought to be inquired into, if only for the better guidance and safety of others and future conditions. We do not wish to prejudge either of these apparently flagrant cases of stranding, further than to point out and emphasize the need of knowing how a vessel is going or coming over the ground and this in relation to -actual course and distance. et Relative to the twenty-foot channel, it was questioned a few years ago if the cut through Lake St. Clair could be maintained, as the wash from the sides would be certain to sift into the bed of the cut or dredged portion. In the current issue of the Record Colonel G. J. Lydecker, corps of engineers, U. S. Army, in charge of the engineering work for that district, points out this very feature, and, while stating that the dredged cut has a uniform width of 800 feet, the practice of steamers running at high speed threatens the durability of the improved waterway. This is certainly the case and is in a measure similar to the action of running water on the unprotected banks of a canal, only, that the process of silting in is going on from the bottom or under water, instead of from the surface ase canal banks would show. It is asked that vessels will go at a moderate speed through the dredged cut and of course it would be to the interests of owners to isstie such orders, but, and the but settles the question, will they? Masters have been accustomed to make all possible time through Lake St. Clair, and are likely to continue doing so, nor if they kept well in the center of the channel would : the submarine wash disturb the silt at the sides very much. It is only when vessels get close in to either side, working their wheels so as to disturb the soft bottom, that the dredged portion is likely to silt up in short order. With a channel 800 feet wide and fairly good steering, the under water action of the propeller should be almost neutralized before reaching three or four hundred feet on either side, so that the first caution might be to request that a fair midchannel course be maintained while travers- ing the dredged cut on Lake St. Clair, as, if going at a slow speed and sailing close up to the edge of the cut quite as much harm, if not more, would be effected than by moving at full speed and been, well to the center of the channel. —_—__———— OT In obtaining the log of the Mayflower, Ex-Ambassa- dor Bayard proves that he obtained almost more than the good-will of the Britishers, who no doubt were loath to part with the historical. old record. It is a sad commentary on the state of the American merchant marine, or rather the lack of it, when the Navy Department has had so much trouble in securing ships to carry the contributions of grain from this country to India that it now has under consideration the propriety of appealing to Congress to amend the resolution under which it is proceeding. That resolution requires the grain to be carried in an American vessel. It happens that there are very few American steamers outside of the reg- ular lines, and the department is unable to comply with the terms of the act unless it turns to a sailing ship. Such a ship could not reach Bomby in much less than three and a half months, by which time the famine sufferers for whom the relief is intended might be expected to be either starved to death or in possession of new crops of tice. Why not do the thing.properly and send a suit- able naval vessel as was done during the Irish famine tirtes. oo Pee It appears, or rather it is well known in maritime cir- cles, that the St. Louis and St. Paul recently received re- pairs on the other side. It is further known that a Clyde firm undertook these repairs and sent gangs of men from Scotland to Southampton to carry out the work. The Glasgow News is jubilant to the tune of about a column over the circumstance, quoting one of the workmen’s views to the effect that only Clyde builders could put such large ships together properly. We believe that if this question was fairly opened up it would prove a simple dusiness proposition, or in other words a matter of dollars ~ and cents with the owners of American lines, and that the canny Scot had underbid his competitors to such an ex- tent as to secure the contract, figures on which were no doubt lower than if the work had been done in 'Philadel- phia. It is simply nonsense for Clyde builders or work- men to assert they only are first-class shipbuilders. For that matter, their best men have been coming to the States to make a living for the past handful of years, and I could now reach at least two good professional Clyde men in as many minutes, men who have made and are making their mark, too, in marine and shipbuilding circles. rr West Bay City, Mich., is certainly taking a great lead in building lake tonnage. We note from the Treasury De- partment report just received that for the week ending May 8, no less than 7,561 gross tons of sail tonnage were granted official numbers by the Bureau of Navigation. One of these vessels measured 3,423 tons and two others a mean of 2,058 tons, the former being a large steel schooner and the two latter modern built wooden schooners. neti ge There seems to have been a larger number of damage cases during the past week or two than ever before. What with the “Soo” lock, a steamer running into her own tow, heavy grounding damage, harbor damages, three in one day at Chicago, and strandings, all more or less seri-