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6 “NEWS AROUND THE LAKES. wt > Y.. SCLEWELAND.. © Special Correspondence to The Marine‘ Record. Superintendent S. [. Kimball, of the life’ saving service at Washington, is preparing to rush. work. on the new. life saving station. U.S. Engineer Jared A, Smith, has notified him the station in use now must- uly Ty. to.: make room for the harbor improvements. The new station” will probably be ready for occupancy by that time. It 1s ex- pected it will be located about 50 feet west and too: feet north of the present station. ks Local shippers say that very little coal will be carried thus freeing Wayne street from trucks and vans and giving the applicants for renewal submit to another examination.”’ ‘i over and that the docks at upper lake ports will be pretty well cleaned up by the opening of navigation. Reports from the head of Lake Superior say that stocks of hard coal are already pretty low, estimated at 40,000 tons. A Cleve- land shipper, a few days ago, said that it was est 100,000 tons of coal were consumed by dock fires at Duluth and West Superior this winter. The general opinion is that rates to Portage and Lake Michigan ports will be higher than they have been for several years past, as a large num ber of coal carriers were wiped out during the season of before in twenty-two years. Only once before, in the winter that receipts for year 1898 were $720.67; expenses, including 1898, Owners of lumber carrying vessels are now in much better mood than they were at the close of last season. There is every indication that they will doa iarge amount of business this year at good rates. Some contracts have already been made at figures which are said to be even better than the vesselmen expected. ‘There will probably be no further éffort made to form.a lumber carriers’ association this year,’’ said a vessel owner this week. ‘In fact, there is now no need for such an organization. .’Ghe shipper cannot control the situation, as he did last ye&t, and the indications are that we will be able to make a little money. Handling charges will probably be the same as last year. At least, I have heard nothing to the contrary. ’ | It is reported that a large block of coal has been chartered this week at 20 cents from Ohio ports to Duluth, single trip charters. Relative to this low rate a prominent vessel owner says: ‘‘The large modern steamer will hardly con- sent to carry coal at any figure, and the tonnage available for such work is not as plentiful as it used to be. We simply will not carry coal up the lakes at 20 cents. Rather than do so we will send our boats tc Duluth light and if we can’t get down cargoes we will lay them up. For the past few years we have been running our boats practically without any profit, just to keep the property from deteriorating, but we feel that we should share in the general improvement of business conditions, and we intend to do so if we can.”’ _A dispatch from Duluth says: ‘‘The officials of the American Steam Barge Company received a telegram from I. M. Bowers of the Bessemer Steamship Company, saying that the Superior company would be given the contract for building the two new steel freight barges. The contract gives the barge works enough work to keep I,ooo men work- ing for nearly a year. The boats are to be delivered in the spring of 1900. The two new barges will be of the 8,o00-net- ton type, similar to the barge now building at the Superior ity and will be furnished in elegant style. She will carry the thermometer showing a dip of 25 to 28 below zero last yards. Hach will be 460 feet in length, 50 feet beam, and 29 from 1,500 to 1,800 people, a large quantity of freight, and night close to the shore and from 30 to 35 below further: in- feet 6 inches in depth. The early decision of the Bessemer jj) have a guaranteed ‘speed of not less than twenty miles land. people was somewhat a surprise to the local company, but the present improved machinery at the works will enable the begining of the work at once, and the officials say there will be no trouble in getting the boats out on contract time.’’. Mr..C. H. Keep, of Buffalo, the secretary of the Lake ‘iceon Lake Erie, but has shifted her position to a point cakes. Carriers’ Association, was a few days ago in conference with Mr. George P. McKayg,the treasurer of the. association for the purpose of drawing up a statement of the amount of money expended for range lights and other lighting on the lakes since the formation of the association. As has been announced before, Mr. F. J. Firth, the new president of the _ Lake Carriers’ Association, willmake an effort to have the governnient return the money thus expended. If he is suc- cessful in this it will be a long step toward inducing the the sides of our skiff and we were forced to turn back. We round the chain of lakes before going on her regular Mil- government to maintain allthe lights that are now supplied made the attempt again the next day, crossing the wide waukee-Chicago run next summer. by the association. Mr. Keep said: ing a statement of the lighting done by our association is no simple matter and the amount involved will run well up in the thousands. The statement will be completed soon, however, and the chances of the return of the money to the Lake Carriers’ is thought to be good.”’ The important suit to test the legality of the taxation upon ore on the docks was commenced in the Common Pleas Court. The plaintiff is the Cleveland Iron Mining Co. and the suit is brought against Treasurer Lander. The mining company says that it made a return for taxation last year of $3,600, but the Board of Equalization increased that amount by adding $20,000 for the average value of the ore shipped by the company to Cleveland. This addition imposed an additional tax of $610 upon the company. ‘The plaintiff says: that ore is property in transit, and that a tax upon it is illegal and unconstitutional. It further says that if the ore is taxable the tax should be paid by the consignee. Solici- tor Kaiser, in commenting upon this suit, said: ‘‘I am glad that this action has been brought, for it will determine defi- nitely whether ore is taxable property. Mining companies have been dumping ore in Cleveland for years and leaving thousands of tons of iton the docks for years and have never before been assessed any taxes upon it, for the alleged reason that the ore was in transit and was not taxable,’’ be vacated ‘by -July 1,/ to.= THE MARINE RECORD. DETROIT. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Senato# McMillan gave notice on Wedhesday ‘that he would amend the sundry~ civil bill by insertin; vision. appropriating $330,000, for two. ‘reyenue.cutters on the lakes to take the pl ‘outbreak of the war. but thinks the best way to get. : for them in the big appropriation bill. * ~~ *s He has a bill of that kind pending,+ the: cutters will be to provide. ‘lease of the Fletcher Hardware Co.’ wharf at the foot of” _Shélby streets This puts the company in possession of all the dock room between Wayne and Shelby streets. Addi- tional warehouse room will be constructed and all freight will be received and moved from the Shelby street side, the passengers free and uninterrupted access to the com- pany’s steamers. : A Ludington dispatch says it is believed that Lake Michi- imated that gan is frozem from shore to shore, a thing which has not Hoke, Sandusky Yacht Club; William Hass, Put-in-Bay ~ happened before in twenty-six years. ‘he car ferry Pere Marquette reported but twenty minutes of clear sailing be- tween Ludington and Manitowoc. The mercury dropped during the night to 14 degrees below, a point not reached of 1873, has the lake fiozen clear across. The Flint & Pere Marquette people fear a suspension of navigation unless the weather becomes very mnch milder. A representative of the Hill steamboat line will soon visit Port Huron to look the passenger and freight steamer Unique over with a view of purchasing her for their route on Green Bay in opposition to the Harts. The Unique is of 381 gross tons, 163 feet length by 20.5 feet beam and 11 feet depth of hold. “She is considerable larger than the steamer Eugene C. Hart. The Unique is said to be a 17-mile boat. It is understood that the steamer C. Hill will be taken in part payment by the owners of the Unique if the deal is con- summated. ‘The Hill is valued at $7,000. It is not thought here that the deal will go through. Henry W. Cramp, vice-president of the big Philadelphia shipyards, has been visiting here this week and talking with Frank E. Kirby. Both refuse to say anything about the visit. It had been supposed that it might have bearing on the proposed consolidation of steel shipbuilding plants along the lakes, but at the dry. dock. works it is said that Mr. Cramp and Mr. Kirby are only talking over matters pertaining to vessels fixed over for the Navy during the war. Mr. McVittie, of the dry dock company, says their property has not been appraised with a view of entering into a trust, and he knows nothing of a meeting being called for the pur- pose of organization. The new steel passenger steamer Pennsylvania, being built at the yards of the Detroit Dry Dock Company, for an Erie company, will be launched early next week, Miss Edith Streuber, of Erie, will perform the christening cere- mony. Itis intended to have the steamer completed by May ist, and the owners have planned to commence regu- lar daily trips between Erie and Buffalo on May 15th, leav- ing Erie in the morning and returning in the evening about to o’clock. The Pennsylvania is of steel, 225 feet long and 32 feet beam. She will be lighted throughout with electric- per hour. Her cost will be about $150,000, Invitations have been issued and large delegations of Erie, Cleveland and Buffalo citizens will make the first trip on the steamer. The car ferry steamer Shenango No. 1 is still fast in the about two miles below Clear Creek, at the front of Long Point, Canadian side. W-: Blanck, who left a week ago with dyna- mite to release the steamer, has returned to Detroit. ‘‘When we tried to get out to the craft the first time,’’ said he ‘‘she was about fifteen miles out in the lake off Port Burwell. We made a trip toward her for eight miles over the ice and then struck clear water and were forced to take to the open boat we had along with us. But the ice crusbed in about “The work of furnish- stretch of ice on skates and pulling behind usa flat boat be seen in Chicago much before the end of June. fitted with runners. The ice we went over was firm and glassy, though only from one to four inches thick. We reached the boat the next day and cleared away the ice around her with dynamite. Then we got the ferry to about two anda half miles below Clear Creek, but were again blocked at this point. We saw it was no use to make further efforts till the weather moderated and the ice in some meas- ure cleared away. It is now piled up far higher than the gunwales of the craft and I am not exaggerating when I say it is fully forty feet thick.’”? The Shenango has plenty of provisions on board for her crew of fifteen men. She is now also supplied with dynamite, which will be used on the ice as soon as the weather moderates. Some confusion has arisen over the interpretation of the act of Congress passed two years ago requiring masters’ and pilots’ licenses to be issued every five years instead of one as had always been the rule before that. The Board of Su- pervising Inspectors made a rule that a person applying for this license should pass an examination as to his knowledge of the pilot rules. Local inspectors on the lakes compelled all applicants for the five-year license to submit to this ex- amination, and the masters have conceived the idea that unless the answers are submitted in writing the applicant _ will be rejected. Supervising Inspector Westcott explained ng init a pro-. ace of, those sent»to’the ocean at thes _ soughly, or he gets no license. “But every master of a boat protect the men actively at work sailing from others ashore, — 4 The Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co: have secured the: “who™hold licenses from year to,year, but*who might take -the situation as follows: ‘‘The board made the ruling, tha if the holder of an original li¢ense turned it in before its ex- piration he should be given the new license without exami nation; butif he failed to do this he was to be examined as to his knowledge of the’ pilot rules.* Preferably his answers ‘should be.submitted in writing, but if he is unable to -write—and there’ are a few.such cases—a verbal examina- tion is sufficient.. Of course he mtst know the rulesthor- “sailing the lake to-day knows them.: The rule was made to command of a boat and sail her and be in partial ignorance 3 of the rules, and therefore a menace to themselves and | everybody else. The rules are constantly changing, too, — and it is necessary that at the expiration of the five years ~ The annual meeting of the Inter-Lake Yachting Associa- — tion was held here on Saturday evening. Delegates present ~ were: Lou Coulton, Toledo Yachting Association; C. C, Yacht Club; G. T. Bliss, Erie Yacht Club; W. C. Jupp, De- troit Boat Club; Otto Barthell, West End Yacht Club; Com- modore Jacobs, Detroit Yacht Club. Buffalo and Cleveland — were not represented. Report of secretary-treasurer showed dues to Yacht Racing Union of Great Lakes and National Yachting Association of North America for 1899, $662, 10, leaving a balance on hand of $58.57. Other matters pertain- ing to the good ‘of. the association were included in his report. Reports of the race and eritertainment committees — were interesting and very satisfactory financially. The fol- — lowing officers were elected for the year: Commodore Geo. T. Bliss, Erie Yacht Club; vice commodore, Geo. F. Auder- © son, Sandusky Yacht Club; rear commodore, Otto F. Bar- ~ telle, West End Yacht Club; fleet captain to be appointed by the commodore; secretary-treasurer, Chas. Reitzel, Erie — Yacht Club; measurer, J. W. Hepburn, Toledo; fleet sur- geon, LC. Moore, M. D.; race committee, W. R. Hunting- ton; Bert Bortree, John Rathbone, Ed. Jerome, John Hollo- way; delegates to Yacht Racing Union, Geo. F. Anderson, John Rathbone, Henry Tracy. The resignation of the De- troit Boat Club was accepted, but the association does not lose, asthe yachting members of that club have formed a yachting division called the Detroit Boat Club Yachtsmen, and were elected members, Vice Commodore Rathbone be- ing their delegate. The Up-River Yacht Club, of Toledo, Charles Ehrne, delegate, was also elected to membership in the association, which is now composed of ten clubs. Previous to the business meeting the delegates and visiting yachtsmen were given a fine banquet by the Detroit boys. | John L. Dexter acted as toastmaster, and called on some of those present for speeches, stories or songs. The Minx, formerly Rear Commodore Berdan’s yacht, of Toledo, and now owned by Commodore Shaw, of Detroit, will be the flagship of the new Detroit Boat Club Yachtsmen. John Rathbone will be vice commodore. _—_— OOO SOOO CHICAGO. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Ludington, Mich., Feb. 14.—The extremely cold weather continues here, and the lake is frozen as far as one can see, See ee, Shes hie a i as i ee ae The car ferry Pere Marquette and the steamer F. & P. M. No. 2, that have been out between here and Milwaukee three days, slowly worked their way to this harbor last night by breaking ice and moving in between the floating National President Uhler, of the Marine Engineers’ As- sociation, will be here in a few days and will address the ~ local lodge. All marine engineers are cordially invited. Mr. Uhler is making his usual regular tour and will probably visit every lodge in the country. It is reported that the whaleback excursion steamer Christopher Columbus will make a series of excursions She will probably not A dispatch from Frankfort, Mich., says: ‘‘Capt. Ross, of the steamer Alice Stafford, which is icebound in Lake Michi- gan off this port, walked ashore on the ice.. He says he en- countered only two miles of open water in crossing the lake | from Kewaunee to Frankfort. The Stafford left Kewaunee several days ago. eS. The Seymour Brothers, Manistee, have just completed the sale of the passenger steamer Petoskey, to Hart Bros. of Green’ Bay, Wis. The purchase price is $45,000. Delivery | is to be made about July 1st, when the new vessel now build- ing for the Northern Michigan Transportation Company goes into commission, and until which time the Petoskey will remain on the Chicago-Mackinac route. The Petoskey was built in 1888. The car ferry steamer Ann Arbor No. 2 reached Milwau- kee on Monday accompanied by the Two Rivers fishing tug R. R. Endress. The No. 2is minus her iron rudder, | which was broken and lost in the ice off Frankfort, Mich. She also had a loose wheel, and it was to have the latter fastened that she was taken to Milwaukee. A new rudder has been ordered, but a fortnight’s time will be required for its delivery. Meanwhile the disabled craft is to be towed between Manitowoc and Frankfort by one of the other car —