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ESTABLISHED 1878. Z 4 Z z CLEVELAND---JULY 8, 1897---CHICAGO. AKE 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 general to protect the common interest of Lake Car- riers, and improve the tharacter of the service rendered to the public. PRESIDENT. Capt. JAMES W. MILLEN, Detroit, Mich, VICE PRESIDENTS. A S. Dunham, Chicago. Howard L. Shaw, Bay City. C. E. Benhain, Cleveland. F. J: Firth, Philadelphia. David Carter, Detroit. L. $. Sullivan, Toledo. S. D. Caldwell, Buffalo. M. J. Cummings, Oswego, W.H. Wolf, Milwaukee. Geo. Berriman, Erie. W.C. Farrington, Duluth, f SECRETARY. CHARLES H. KzeEp, Buffalo. TREASURER. Grorce P. McKay, Cleveland. COUNSEL. Harvey D. GouULDER, Cleveland. cath COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION. -L. M. Bowers, 3 Cleveland. Wm, Livingstone, Detroit. _°E, T. Evans, Buffalo. .S. Dunham, Chicago. P. P. Miller, Buffalo, -D Caldwell, Buffalo. H. C, French, Buffalo. Jesse Spaulding, Chicago. : Charles Paine, Buffalo. . A. Eddy, Bay City. _ Edward Smith, Buffalo. . Alex. McDougall, W. Superior. _ H.M. Hanna, Cieveland. F. J. Firth, Philadelphia. - James Corrigan, Cleveland. 4 FINANCE AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. James Corrigan, Cleveland. W.P. Henry, Buffalo. John Mitchell, Cleveland. J. J. H. Brown, Buffalo, H. A. Hawgood, Cleveland. R. P. Fitzgerald, Milwaukee, Thos. Wilson, Cleveland. C. W. Elphicke, Chicago, M.A. Bradley, Cleveland. H. G. Dalton, Cleveland. L C. Gilchrist, Cleveland, W.C. Richardson, Cleveland, . C, Waldo, Ld ne B.L. Pennington, Cleveland, etroit. D.C. Whitney, TRIBUTARY TO THE LAKES. It has been the dream of the progressive business ele- ment of the United States to see a canal cut at Nicaragua uniting the Atlantic and Pacific. With that barrier, the ‘Isthmus, severed, and the projected work on the Henne- pin Canal and Mississippi completed, Chicago and San Francisco would be united, and full cargoes of our products landed at the docks in Chicago River, where full return cargoes would be ready for shipment to this port without breaking bulk. That is but a single illus- tration, all of the great Mississippi basin and Lake region, all of the Atlantic and Gulf seaboard would be in close communication with the whole Pacific coast. That is ‘the national view, while each of the sections named would equally be in touch with the whole maritime world. How- ever, Congress, backed by the great financial interest in- vested in railways, sees a menace to invested capital, and the canal yet remains a dream only. So says the daily Commercial News and Shipping List of San Francisco. eee RIPARIAN RIGHTS. ~ The syllabus of the Ohio Supreme Court of the decision in the case of Robert N. Pollock against the Cleveland Shipbuilding Co., on error to the Circuit Court of Cuya- -hoga County, is of much interest to vesselmen and dock- owners. : Pollock sued the company for damages because boats were tied up to his dock. The decision of the Supreme Court follows: “yr. The ownership of a riparian proprietor to the mid- dle of a navigable river does not carry with it the right fo exclusive use of the water over land ordinarily covered by 1 vater, but is‘subordinate to the paramount easement of navi ation. by the public, which includes the right to use sich water for navigation and commerce, and such uses may be reasonably incident thereto. . Single Copy $2.00 10c 33 2. Among the rights of the public is that of mooring vessels for the purpose of repairs and of putting in engine, boilers and machinery, after such vessels have been launch- ed. Such use reasonably enjoyed, is not a trespass upon the lands of the owner, in front of whose river bank, out- side of the dock line, such vessels are moored, and such owner will not be entitled to an injunction forbidding such use, unless special injury to his property is shown. “3. But the right of the public does not extend to use of lands of the owner not covered by water. And where a builder of vessels so moored carries lines from them across the river bank of such riparian owner against his objection, and fastens them upon the land of such builder, and insists upon the right to continue such acts, the ripar- ian owner may be entitled to an injunction, although his land is unimproved, and such acts produce no actual present damage. Judgment reversed and modified.” ee et BRITISH SHIPPING. While paying due attention to the lake marine inter- ests, it is well that we also see what other trades are doing, and as the lake marine is the backbone of Amer- ican shipping, we may glance towards our nearest competi- tor and view the British trade and transportation. According to the statistics on the subject issued by the Board of Trade, 1896 was a record year and reads as fol- lows: The statistics deal with the total entries and clear- ances at ports in the United Kingdom during 1894, 1805 and 1896. For thepurpose, however, of indicating the enormous development that is taking place in our ship- ping trade, it may be well to go further back. At the middle of the present century—in 1850—the tonnage of vessels cleared and entered was under 40 millions of tons. By 1890 this tonnage had quadrupled, having grown to more than 164 millions of tons. After an increase so vast, no surprise would have been felt if the growth had some- what slackened. There were, indeed, signs of this in 1895, the volume of entrances and clearances in that year being slightly under the figures for 1894. But another rebound took place in 1806, when the tonnage advanced by more than eight millions and a half and reached the great toltal of close on 191 millions. Here are the statis- tics for the three years covered by the Board of Trade tables: TOTAT, TRADE. Entrances and _ Clearances. Year Tons. TSOAG Moe Ee ETS Oe 182,384,870 TSOG TR Lee Heid Fae as hae RS 182,107,668 POOQ a ey Sree esas Sten estore tee 190,688,509 If we take the foreign trade of the United Kingdom alone, the results are equally remarkable, the tonnage of entrances and clearances having increased last year by close on five millions of tons: FOREIGN TRADE, Entrances and Clearances. Year Tons. TOOAT Sateen ie we hies cc aoe soars ak Sates us 80,536,359 PROS cect cok oe oe Mares a hisnsbs wera 80.539,174 PEOO Mars easiness oles Sean «Wis oxalate 85,462,513 Now for the share taken in this colossal ocean-carrying by British and Foreign ships respectively. There is an advance in both classes, but though the preponderance in favor of cur own vessels is very great as regards the total trade, it is not so marked in the foreign trade: TONNAGE IN TOTAL, TRADE. British Foreign Year tonnage. tonnage. BBQAC Es os ia ws Silos es 158,078,890 14,805,980 TOO5 ko sic eee Sole Sateen a 157,056,328 14,457,340 TROOPS ese se ets vas 162,835,911 16,852,598 TONNAGE IN FOREIGN TRADE. British Foreign Year tonnage. tonnage. TOO ars Bs ements . 58,661,647 21,854,712 TSOH cue ey ee ‘ 58,691,026 21,847,230 TOQO Ls Mee ae 61,472,134 23,990,288 It will thus be seen that while the British tonnage en- gaged in our total trade increased by more than five mil- lions in 1896 over 1895, the foreign tonnage increased by a little more than two millions. he circumstances are different so far as the foreign trade is concerned, the ad- vance by both classes of ships being as nearly as possi- ble equal. Some explanation of this may be found in the steps recently taken by a few s‘tipowners in this country to sail their vessels under foreign flags. On such a point, however, the Board of Trade tables throw no light. The next matter of interest has reference to the tonnage of ships that entered and cleared at the principal ports of the United Kingdom from and to British Possessions and foreign countries. Here the leading position is once more occupied by London, followed by Liverpool,’ Car- diff, the Tyne ports, Hull, Glasgow andso on. The de- tails are: FOREIGN TRADE AT PRINCIPAL PORTS. Entrances and Clearances. Ports. Tons. Po Ondo. es Bsa oytar nme .. 15,582,195 2 EIVERPOOl ecu: ADRS mre Et a cn 10,883,024 Bi OAT CIES ace Waster a ac comes Obrien tc aay 10,805,120 Ay eye“ pOrtse hc epee aoa shee 8,461,572 Bec REM ex Atk iccaeee dueepaammencetesere mye een aheeay 3,913,909 One Glassowiue so. ieee ware Seo: 3,191,707 7 ANGWPOLEAe tects Mec an nS ws cal 2,385,575 8. Middlesbrough ..... wise il cee ey aecien Tee HO L OOO T Os SOUL AM PLON. & swcsncces cat wise tte .-- 1,998,254 TO} DOVER naires canis ee aan sree 1,810,173 Ti ounderland’..oneown es aoe sacohe i < DSOTSLgO IDs GOVE ssc toe ve Rate Sgt et es ET OZ OB: T3eicS WanSeac hess ce ee ergs Give MOR Le TA, cS AUDIT 5 i as cae iain tere oa ; 352,167 Were the coasting trade figures taken into account the results, in regard to entrances and clearances, might be considerably altered. Take, for example, the case of Glas- gow. According to the Clyde Trust returns, the tonnage of vessels trading to and from our harbor in 1896 was nearer four than three millions. Glasgow takes a much higher place among ports when we come to the table of registered tonnage. Liverpool heads this list, having Lon- don and Glasgow as close companions: TONNAGE REGISTERED AT PRINCIPAT, PORTS. Ports. Vessels. Tonnage. Tez LAVELPOOle: werd tase Bee cies 2,200 2,072,194 Di ASOUEOINS sauna Alias see AO. 1,661,084 3. GlaSg OW: saicckicd scenes és = 1,068 1,530,417 a Tyne ports: s. saawnt ence 878 495,399 Ss hlarepoGlass “arses tp 284 361,357 6: “Sunderland eic35aocines 273 279,903 Fos AULA oietg ns Gin mutes gin ota ios ; 809 226,904 8. Greenock... caus aka ; 291 202,592 O.3 Belfasts ar vace ee tees 250 146,710. The amountof the tonnage registered at all the ports of the United Kingdam shows little alteration for some years back, the total standing at between ten and eleven millions. As respects the nationality of the sailors em- ployed in our mercantile marine, there is a steady advance of the foreign element. During 1894, out of a total of 240,458 men, there were 31,050 foreigners. This had in- creased in 1895 to 32,335 out of a total of 240,486. In 1896 the total of 242,039 included 33,046 foreigners. The ton- nage of vessels built in 1896, exclusive of ships for the Royal Navy and foreigners, is given at 519,970: Here, of course, Glasgow is an easy first, while the Tyne ports come next in order.