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THE MARINE RECORD. THE COMMERCE OF BUFFALO. The arrivals and clearances at the port of Buffalo were largerin number during the season just Closed than for many years, and the tonnage of the vessels engaged in this great carrying trade is the largest in the history of the port. ARRIVALS AND. CLEARANCES, ENTERED. CLASS. | No. Vessels. | Tons - Coastwise vessels... .........0.. 4,517 5,414,047 American in foreign trade........ bee 1955 324,756 Foreign in foreign trade.... .... | 220 35,073 ePOtal neon tires eee aes | 55752 5,773,876 PIGTAL BI OOGn e355 Apes gl eho ioe 15,592 5,634,494 PN CTRASO ESOT We ae Ge a ae | 171 139,382 CLASS. | No. Vessels, Tons. ta | @oastwise vessels occ sess | 4,704 5,625,831 American in foreign trade........ 94 153,937 Foreign in foreign trade........., 213 28,214 Aotal, PEO 7sa FAK ahs ae. 2h biichhy SLL 5,807,982 ALOtaly ABOO Ge eres sie hon 1. 574 5,670,248 Increase, 18075)... V0 | 70 "137,734 The following shows the aggregate number of vessels en- tered and cleared, and their tonnage for the years named: YEAR. No. Tonnage. HOOT wei Wik Sess Ce raat iS ect is 11,581,858 OQ Oy ee ieee oie o cuatnacens sg 11,321 11,287,526 POOH sae cy ee ene eins 9,975 9,612,423 DOOM eee eee sera +i 9,664 8,789, 902 LSQG de are: Boe PeRNa a sian 10,653 9,494,559 TOO 26 soa rare er cage bia et nae bea 11,479 9,550,922 TOOl eine nee va eee eee 10,869 8,928, 763 TOO Stee at al ee Gees eRe etiarers 9,762 7,556,413 DOGO Lake ose caiahs aha. eae aha 9,021 6,906, 249 TPOBOE Lats cea e ah eras eset eae rien 8,647 6,026,890 Tey dee cigs tiie, opie caches 8,845 5,298,720 TOSO a ee eee awe res 7772 4,753,467 TESS oes eae th re eter ae 6.394 4,195,878 eta Raia oration $ es 7,539 4,386,575 1883.00. OSS eS a ed 7,099 4,150,782 TSS? ios, ds cis ahha eee ree 7,333 4,405,003 TOS Te ee ence ne pee ae." 6,745 4,536,223 TEGO cae ices os aera 10,308 5,905,747 ~The tonnage of vessels owned at the port of Buffalo is shown by the following table: CLASS. No. Tonnage. Sail iia, seine cesta ache says doraters © 29 13,984.23 Wooden steamers.............%; 200 74,056.95 PROUSSUCATIOIS 05 ys vacs ee ce 8 8's 44 | 73,759.89 CANAL DORs: sate eet cas fet 7 989. 10 Wioodsbarges ia 2a). Ses er. 15 | 2,384.73 Vom PATS ES: 2. te a sere eb. 5 22 27,485.08 Satksyachnts. exis cies cists specs vr 41.64 CAMA VACHIS cee ces co cin 4 5 276.19 Total, “18970 G3. cea 323 193,877.81 = | S The total receipts of grain at Buffalo were 201,651,280 bushels, divided as follows: Wheat, 56,142,718 bushels; corn, 57,741,741; oats, 65,482,925; barley, 14,823,919; rye, 7,459,977. Added to this is 12,638,725 barrels of flour, mak- ing a grand total, figuring flour as grain, of 264,844,905 bushels, exceeding the season of 1896, which beat all previ- ous records, by nearly 50,000,000 bushels in the aggregate, and by 38,219,466 bushels actual grain receipts. The sea- son’s average rate on wheat from Chicago to Buffalo was 1.5¢., and from Duluth, 1.7c. Iron ore receipts show a good gain over 1896, and receipts of pig iron are nearly double those of that year. Copper re- ceipts are less than the total of 1896, but slightly exceed the figures of 1895 and 1894. i . COAL SHIPMENTS. At one time during the past season it looked as though ‘coal shipments would fall far below those of 1896, but dur- ing the month of November nearly 500,000 ‘tons were shipped, which brought the total up to 2,234,329 tons, less than 200,000 tons below the figures of 1896. The ruling rates of freights in cents per net ton, free in and out, on coal by lake from Buffalo to Chicago were 25c. from the opening of navigation to May 22; 20c. to October 2; 30c. to October 9; 4oc. to November 6; 50c. to November I ei and 60oc. to close of navigation. The rate to Milwaukee was identical and subject to the same changes. ‘To Duluth, from opening to October, 20c.; to November, 30c.; to close, 60c. To Toledo, 20c. to November; 30c. to close of season. Shipments of grain from Buffalo by Erie canal for the sea- son of 1897, compared with previous years: | 1897. 1896. 1895. Wheat, bu......%.- | 5,637,101 | 13,487,385 8,760,711 Corny Disses cc seies | 10,815,843 3,204,012 2,986,088 Osteo Disses. | 3,059,713 | 12,147,062 | 5,344,486 Barley Dae acts: | 2,803,753 4,274,766 | 2,966,021 RY CHDI ae ee [1 32/20 2,755,771 7397 LOotals, buses 23,848,621 | 35,868,906 20,064,613 PLOUG, DDS. iis, 7,947 64,552 | goo | SHIPBUILDING ON THE PACIFIC COAST. At the Union Iron Works, of San Francisco, twenty-nine hundred men are engaged in the work of building ships. everal ships great in dimension and power are in course of construction. ‘The battleship Iowa is doubtless one of the best ships afloat. The Scots are building a ship-of-war equal in all respects to the Iowa, and on some linesa superior ship. The battle-ship Wisconsin, on the ways at the Union Iron Works, is of the same class as the Kearsarge, Kentucky, Illinois and Alabama. Her coal capacity is equal to a cruise of 6,000 miles at 1o knots an hour. In the number of guns, the battery of the Wisconsin may be superior to that of the Iowa, but in this respect neither ship surpasses the Oregon. The battery of the Oregon, consisting in part of four 13-inch guns and eight 8-inch-guns, is oneof-the—mtost formidable afloat. It is too early to figure on the exact time for launch- ing the Wisconsin, but the event will take place some time in the year 1898. The first big launching at the Union Iron Works will occur during the latter part of January next. Then the new Japanese cruiser, Chitose, will go to the water. . oo oo or THE ERIE CANAL IMPROVEMENTS. The Erie canal was built seventy years ago at a cost of $7,000,000. For the construction and improvement of its three principal canals—the Erie, Oswego and Champlain— the state has expended $63,000,000. The state engineer now discovers that to deepen the two - former to a uniform depth of nine feet and the Champlain canal to-depth of seven feet, 456 miles in all, will cost $16,000,000, or more than one fourth of the total expenditure for the original construction and for all the improvements since the completion of the Champlain in 1819, of the Erie in 1825 and of the Oswego in 1828. Further, that contracts have been made that will call for the expenditure of $7,121,- 812 of the $9,000,000 which the people authorized the state to borrow for this improvement, and that $7,000,000 more, over and above the present authorized bond issue, making $16,000,000 in all, will be required to complete the work. Surveys made by engineers two years ago showed that the work would cost $16,000,000 instead of nine, and it is now thought that it’ was a very singular proceeding or miscalcul- ation that could mininize the cost of improvements to a total of only $9,000,000. a A.NEW ST. LAWRENCE RIVER LINE. A new steamship service for the St. Lawrence will, it is reported, be run in connection with the Richelieu and Ontario Company next season. The new line is to be oper- ated by Folger Bros., of Kingston, who have purchased the Shrewsbury, and intend to run her between Clayton and Montreal with the steamer America, thus reviving the active condition of opposition which existed in. 1852, when. there were two lines running down the St. Lawrence. It is the intention that the Shrewsbury shall connect with the New York Central Railway system at Clayton, and it is possible that the Folgers may put on two new boats now running on the upper lakes, to ply between Toronto and Clayton, there to connect with the Shrewsbury and the America. The Shrewsbury will be altered considerably. She is to be lighted by incandescent lights, and several staterooms will be added, it being the intention of the new owners to use her exclusively as a passenger steamer. f COMMERCE OF THE CUYAHOGA DISTRICT. PORTS OF CLEVELAND, LORAIN, FAIRPORT, ASHTABULA AND CONNEAUT. An increase of $14,322,228 in the lake commerce of the five ports comprising the Cuyahoga custom district is shown by the annual report issued by the Collector of Customs. The aggregate valuation of the traffic by water during the calendar year reached $80,368,086 as compared with $66,- 045,858 for 1896. The total coastwise receipts amounted in valuation to $27,411,390, shipments to $19,871,384, foreign exports $1,160,903. Lorain—Coastwise receipts $1,352,631, shipments $485,- 684, foreign exports $243,972. Fairport’s coastwise receipts amounted to 1,447,249 net tons, valued at $10,943,868. Iron ore receipts were 1,443,- 165 tons, and wheat receipts 85,976 tons. Coastwise ship- ments were 225,588 tons, the value being $4,322,886. Coal shipments were 185,318 tons. Fairport did not receive or ship to foreign ports. Conneaut’s coastwise receipts—Iron ore, 551,217, $1,368, - 697; lumber, 1,200, $18,000; stone, 13,521,$9,465; total, 565, - 938, $1,396,162. Coastwise shipments.—Coal, cargoes, 28,- 970, $65,188; coal, fuel, 1,333, $2,666; coke, 200, $600; total, 30,503, $68,454. Conneaut’s foreign imports were 1,830 tons. Foreign exports were 132,039 tons, valued at $385,236. Ashtabula’s coastwise receipts were valued at $8,420,587, shipments, $2,576,920; foreign imports were 1,625 tons, valued at $137,162. Total entrances for the district, coastwise and foreign— Sail vessels, 1,949, tonnage, 1,925,710; steam vessels, 4,483, tonnage, 5,149,725; total number vessels, 6,432, tonnage, 7;975)435- Total clearances for the district, coastwise and foreign— Sail vessels, 1,960, tonnage, 1,910,982; steam vessels, 4,580, tonnage, 5,259,324; total number vessels, 6,540, tonnage, 7,170,306. Total entrances and clearances for the district, coastwise and foreign—Sail vessels, 3,909, tonnage, 3,836,692; steam vessels, 9,063, tonnage, 10,409,049; total number vessels, 12,972, tonnage, 14,245,74I. Total coal shipments of the district during the year 1897: Coal, cargoes, 2,045,606 net tons; coal, fuel, 567,639 net tons. Total, 3,613,245 net tons; total for 1896, 3,863,645 net tons. Total ore receipts for the district during the year 1897: Ore, 7,354,828 gross tons; total for the year 1896, 6,166,236 gross tons. Total number of tons of freight received and shipped in the district of Cuyahoga during the year 1897 was 13,620,- 076 net tons. é The total value of Shipments and receipts, coastwise and foreign, toand from the district during the year 1897 was: Coastwise receipts and shipments, $76,859,959; foreign re- ceipts and shipments, $3,508,127; total; $80,368,086. Total for the year 1896, $66,045,858. The recapitulation of the year’s records, when compared with former years, shows the growth of the commerce of the district. In the following figures the tonnage entering and clearing, and the valuation of the commerce of the five ports are given. The growth has not been gradual, as the record states: : 1890—Tonnage, 7,661,269; value, $50,691,003. 1891—Tonnage, 8,526,237; value, $48,815,829. 1892—Tonnage, 11,482,173; value, $64,565,555. 1893—Tonnage, 8,833,260; value, $49,280, 202. 1894—Tonnage, 8,978,381; value, $55,441,021. 1895—Tonnage, 11,821,497; value, $65,822,398. 1896—Tonnage, 12,096,618; value, $66,045,868. 1897—Tonnage, 13,620,076; value, $80,368,086. The following is a list of the vessels built and added to the tonnage of the district during the year of 1897, the gross tonnage being given: Steamer Andrew Carnegie, steel, 4,- 106.55; steamer Minneapolis, steel, 2,029.41; barge Amazon, steel, 3,599.09; steamer St. Paul, steel, 2,029.41; schooner Antrim, steel, 3,200.49; barge Polynesia, steel, 3,562 09; schconer Constitution, steel, 3,231.30; barge Australia, steel, 3,745.17. Total, 8 vessels, 25,503.51. The following is a list of vessels formerly belonging to other districts and sold to parties belonging to the district of Cuyahoga during the year 1897: schooner Surprise, wood, gross tonnage, 222.86; schooner Lucinda Lozen, wood, :35,12; schooner Aberdeen, wood, 1,045.84; schooner Dundee, wood, 1.043.87; tug Erastus Day, wood, 69.54; fish steamer Grayl- ing, wood, 9.48; schooner Josephine, wood, 29.97; schooner- steamer Adventure, wood, 141.72; side-wheel yacht, Andrew Johnson, wood, 310.49; barge Huron, wood, 210,82; schooner- steamer Rhoda Emily, wood, 570.33; steamer Daisy, wood, 18.01; steamer Ohio, wood, 209.52. Total, 13 vessels, 3,- 917.57 tons. i