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THE MARINE RECORD. AROUND THE LAKES. BUFFALO. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record. While Chicago and Cleveland are busy at improving their rivers and harbors, it should not be forgotten that Buffalo is doing a trifle in this direction also. 1n the mat- ter of dredging, the sum of $203,370 will be expended and bonds for the half of this amount or $101,685 have already i been issued. Of the total cost one-half will be paid by the city and the other half by the property owners along the river. Dredging will at once be carried on between Hamburg and Aurora streets and large boats will be enabled to pass Michigan street bridge. It is well known and within the memory of those now living, when Buffalo River was only a creek, and could be forded by barefooted boys not far beyond the Michigan street bridge. Since then, however, the deepening of the channel has constantly gone on. Little by little the creek has given place to the river. a The mud has been taken from the bottom, until now the channel is so deep that the largest vessels on the lakes can get to the Michiagn street bridge. With the deepen- ing of the channel, the straightening of the river, and the new breakwater and the proposed new excursion docks, Buffalo promises to be in good shape for the business of its water’ front. The officers of the Buffalo harbor of the Masters’ and Pilots’ Association make complaint against an advertising solicitor who has been engaged by that body and at other ports on a publication somewhat similar to that issued every year by the Shipmasters’ Association. They say that he has collected between $300 and $400 from business men who have taken space in the publication, but that they can- not obtain an accounting from him. Grand Captain Van eon Keuren came up from Kingston, N. Y., early last week to a e bring Mather to account and he agreed to straighten every- Men thing out in a day or two. So far he has failed to do so, and now cannot be found. This question of masters, pilots and engineers publishing their list of names and getting tradesmen to pay for same is getting quite chestnutty and lowers the status of the several organizations. It is more especially the case when the agent decamps or is proved a fraud, as Mather evidently appears to be. The Western Transit Co. has placed in commission the old’ steamer Badger State, which with the Empire State and Idaho was supposed had been laid up for the season. The Badger State takes a cargo of package freight to Chicago. : There was received here last wéek 733,000 bushels of wheat, 994,000 bushels of corn, 2,476,000 bushels of oats, 193,000 bushels of rye, 238,000 bushels of barley, 50,000 bushels of flaxseed, and 409,126 packages of flour. Ship- ments of coal were 43,943 tons. Among the vessels about to be placed in service here are . the steamers Cuba, Centurion, Thomas W. Palmer and Livingstone, all first-class vessels; and yet paying freights had not been found for them previous to this date. The owners of the Livingstone, Palmer and Centurion are to be mentioned as having nerve or finances enough to hold off chartering until they could procure a freight that would meet the ordinary disbursements. Tonawanda has all of the traffic that she can handle this week. Some of the docks are full of lumber, so that boats will be delayed three or four days in discharging their cargoes. : The following named masters have been sworn in at the custom house here lately: Charles McCrea, excursion steamer Gazelle; William C. Kelderhouse, schooner H. W. Sage; John Eberlein, barge J. H. Rutter. It is expected that the Cleveland and Buffalo liner State of Ohio will be repaired and back on this route next week. If this is so the Detroit Dry Dock Co., or at least their engineering department know how to hustle. I would not be surprised, however, to see her around again in a few days knowing that Mr. Charles Calder, of the Engine ~ Works, can accomplish a good deal when he tries. x ee CHICAGO. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record. Capt. John Prindiville chartered the steamer C. H. Green and consorts Our Son and Genoa for corn to Port Huron at 1 cent. The Independent Tug Line has sent the tug Commodore Jack Barry to Duluth to join its fleet there. This change is brought about by the increase of towing at Duluth. The L. M. & L. S. Line steamer Manitou, ashore near Harbor Springs, was floated on Wednesday afternoon, with the assistance of the tug Geiken and small steamer Hazel. At the Chicago Ship Building Co.’s dock the steamer Myles was in dry dock for a new crank shaft, the steamer Parks Foster had her decks calked and received some re- pairs. The steamer Charles McVea was in dock for repairs to stern bearing and to have a leak stopped; the steamer I. M. Weston had her wheel refastened and her stern bearing repaired; the tug J. J. Dore received a new wheel and some calking, the schooner Minnie to have a leak stopped. William J. Miller, aged 49 years, died at his residence, 870 Sheffield avenue, Thursday morning, June 24. He was the eldest son-of the late Andrew Miller, shipbuilder of Os- wego, N. Y., and was for several years prior to his ‘de- cease in the employ of Miller Brothers’ Dry Dock Co., - Chicago, as their collector. He was much respected by the marine fraternity. He leaves a widow and two daugh- ters. His funeral took place Saturday afternoon at Rose Hill Cemetery. J. J. Rardon & Co. chartered the steamer, E. B. Hale and barge Adriatic for corn from South Chicago to Owen Sound at 1 cent. Steamers R. By Ranney and Aragon for corn, Chicago to Buffalo, at 14 cents, steamer City of Lon- don for clipped oats to Buffalo at 18 cents. J. A. Calbick & Co. chartered the steamer Toltec and consort Miztec for corn to Buffalo at 14 cents, schooner John Kelderhouse for corn to Port Huron at 1 cent, steamer W. P. Ketcham and consort Geo. B. Owen for corn to Kingston at 24 cents, steamer Kalkaska for corn to Port Huron at 1 cent. They also chartered several ves- sels for lumber from Duluth and Ashland to Chicago at $1.50 per M. feet. : W. H. Wood, of the firm of J. A. Calbick & Co., accom- panied by his wife, left here last week on a pleasure trip to Buffalo by lake. H. W. Cook & Co. chartered the steamers New Or- leans, Panther and Fred Pabst and barge Massasoit, for clipped oats to Buffalo at 1 cent, steamer Westover and consort Bliss for lumber, Manistique to Chicago, at $1.00 per M. feet, steamer Leland for lumber, Ashland to Chi- cago, at $1.50 per M. feet, barge Charles Wall for ties, Madeline to Chicago at 84 cents, steamer Sanilac for ties, Providence Bay to Chicago, at 5% cents, steamer Charles Reitz and consort John Mark for lumber, Manistique to Chicago, at $1.00 per M. feet. The Wisconsin and Michigan Car Ferry Line, which has- been operating between South Chicago and Peshtigo, Wis., has passed into the hands of the Big Four system. This will make an entire change in the affairs of the Wisconsin and Michigan ferry line, of which J. J. Coleman, formerly of the St. Paul Railroad in Milwaukee, is the general manager. The intention of the Big Four is to form a lake connection between Benton Harbor, where it maintains extensive rail terminals, and Manitowoc, and the absorbed car ferry line will be used for that purpose, the Big Four operating it in connection with the Wisconsin Central and Northwestern lines. Ferry boats, owned by the line, will be diverted from the present run from Chicago and Peshtigo to Benton Harbor and Manitowoc, thus forming for the northwest a freight outlet to the eastern seaboard and through the southeast. News has just been received here that the Manitou was ashore near Harbor Springs, Little Traverse Bay. The passengers were landed and wrecking tugs telegraphed to immediately. The Favorite and Onaping will release the Manitou, one of the finest passenger steamers out of Chi- cago. No ingenuity or expense will be spared in getting the big boat afloat again. The casualty is due to a heavy fog. Capt. Charles McIntosh, of the steamer City of Chicago, who has been ill aboard the boat for a week, was taken to his home in Detroit, Monday. He is suffering from kidney trouble and his condition is serious. Capt. McIntosh is one of the oldest and best-known captains on Lake Mich- igan. He has been with the Graham & Morton Co. ten years, and previously had command of the Goodrich Line side-wheel steamer Sheboygan for a number of seasons. The Cristopher Columbus is in evidence here again and meeting with a great patronage on the Milwaukee route. The weather is now warming up and I believe that a good excursion season is yet ahead of us though rather slow in getting along considering that it is now well past mid- summer. Beginning Wednesday, high-class operettas are to be given on the steamer between Milwaukee and Chi- cago, under the name of the Columbus vaudeville theater and roof garden. There will be two performances daily, the first on the trip to Milwaukee and the second on the return trip. ee CLEVELAND. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The large shipbuilding and dry. dock plant at Lorain is being pushed yigorously toward completion by the Cleve- land Ship Building Co., and it will now be but a short time before work will be carried on at that point and tiie company have every opportunity to expand, a feature which was positively denied them at this port. Although only one hour’s ride from their present location, there is certain to be a large number of workmen, skilled mie- chanics and others of the staff who will prefer residing near the works, hence Lorain’s gain will be a loss to Cleve- land, however, if this port ever gets Chicagoized enough, Lorain will then become a suburb of W. Cleveland, so that the incorporation will inure to the benefit of all in- terests. ? Frank Morrison, compass adjuster, manufacturer and repairer of nautical instruments, has had a very brsy season so far and orders are booked far enough ahead to keep him stepping lively well into the future. Mr. Morrison has beeu doing the bulk of the work in adjusting com- passes and fitting out vessels with nautical instruments for the past several seasons and his services as well as workmanship seem to meet with the unqualified approval of masters and owners, Besides being thoroughly con- versant with the laws of navigation as it affects compass needles, Frank is an optician, also a good practical me- chanic. The annual meeting of the Pittsburg & Lake Angeline Iron Co. was held a few days ago, and all the old officers were re-elected. They are as follows: Directors—Jamies Laughlin, Jr.; John W. Chalfant, George M. Laughlin, B. F. Jones, Jr.; William G. Mather, W. G. Pollock, De Phillips, E. R. Perkins, Alfred Kidder. President, Jarmes ~ she can do better than that,” said Engineer Randall. Laughlin, Jr.; vice president, John W. Chalfant; sec and treasurer, W. G. Pollock. fee Arrangements have been concluded whereby either steamer City of Parry Sound or Atlantic will be piac on thé route between this port and Rond Eau for senger and freight service. Trips are to be made d the steamer leaving Cleveland in the morning and ret ing at night. ; Sixty miles in two hours and fifty-five minutes! Th the new record the City of Buffalo made in a run fro Cleveland to Put-in-Bay with an excursion ~ party | or Thursday last. She came-back in three hours and ( minutes, and appears to have done it easily. It is claimed that the like was never done on Lake Erie before. * will beat that time going up tonight.” Still that is good enough speed for these days, especially as there ate no other big boats on the lakes that are doing anything o the sort. She left her wharf at Cleveland, at 8:35 a. m.: Cleveland breakwater abeam at 8:51; Black River at 10.02: Middle Island at 11:29; Gibraltar (check), 11:46; and landed at Put-in-Bay at 11:53. This is certainly a good record of speed. R The United States marshal has placed a writ on the small schooner Cascade on a wage’s claim and the case is to be heard August 2d, in the District Court. Shortly after launching, or in fact within a few hours — of that time, the Cleveland Ship Building Co. had the large new steel steamer Crescent City turned, with her head in an opposite direction to that in which she was built. This is a general custom of the shipbuilders and it not only greatly assists the compass adjuster, but renders the nav gation of the vessel much safer on her first few trips a: the compasses always work with a steadier deviation afte: the heading has been reversed in this manner. a In addition to his duties of maintaining and improvin rivers and harbors within his-district, Col. Jared A. Smith, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, has also been saddled with the duties of the tenth light-house district, extending from Detroit River to Ogdensburg, N. Y. With so many improvements, repairs and new work on hand, this was to ee much for any one officer to carry out and the Colonel health has been somewhat giving way of late under the strain. It is well known that there is more work being carried on in this district at present than ever before © When the change was made it was thought that the duties — of light-house engineer would be placed in Major Symon’ office at Buffalo, but as that officer is also loaded down with a vast quantity of new owrk, the detail has been given to Major Staunton, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, with headquarters at Oswego, N. Y. All interests at this port. will be pleased to learn that Col. Smith has in a measu-e ~ been relieved of what must have been a very arduous duty, besides he will now have more leisure to devote to his more legitimate duties of river and harbor work. : With nearly 800,000 tons of ore sold so far this season — there is now a slight lull in the ore market. The feeling is prevalent that a brisk fall trade with fairly good freights will somewhat pull up for the slack times and low freights experienced up to date. The vessel owners have placed but little tonnage to run all season and with a raise in grain rates; iron ore charters will surely be made at better figures than are now being paid. ¥ The ore docks here are certainly piling up and it would seem as if cargoes must go direct to furnaces or. the docks © will soon become overloaded so that delivery will be re- fused. A tour I made yesterday along the old river bec showed that it must be keeping the dock managers guess ing where to put the ore on arrival of vessels and thei discharge. £ This week the Ship Owners’ Dry Dock Co. gave t schooner North-West of the Corrigan fleet a thorou overhauling. She was re-calked and considerable ne work as well as repairs was put on her, so as to keep her — up in the usual good style which the owners of this line always maintain. : At the Cleveland Dry Dock Co.’s yards the handsom steam yacht Comanche was in this week for bottom clean. ing, preparatory to a long summer’s cruise. The steame Cormorant is next due for overhauling, calking and al necessary repairs. The freight market is stiffening up somewhat and better rates will surely prevail within the next few days, alrea 60 cents is being considered on September charters fro: Duluth to Lake Erie ports, while the going rate at present — is but 50 cents. : Mr. W. Livingstone, of Detroit, visited this port on Tuesday and was seen in vessel-owning circles. There i no man on the lakes better thought of as a vessel owne or business associate than is Mr. Livingstone, and I have yet to hear the first word derogatory to his equable, kind temperament. : ; : Data covering a period of twenty-five years, compiled” from the weather bureau records by the local forecaster, shows the weather here during July has been as follows Mean or normal temperature, 71 degrees. ; month was that of 1887, with an average of 76 degrees. The coldest was that of 1887, with an average of 69 degrees The highest temperature was 96 degrees on July 18, 1878 The lowest was 48 degrees on July 10, 1805. The average number of clear days was 12, partly cloudy days 14, cloudy days 5. The prevailing winds have been from the south- east. The highest velocity of the wind was sixty-six miles from the west on July 26, 1806. Although the shipyard, dry dock and consequent in- dustries of the Cleveland Ship Building Co. will soon be removed to Lorain, the main offices will remain in Cleve- eS