The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

eee ”)”*|’Oo9n9Mhw04&™m>nmoNmop>N]NrNAwsTVOMoToTx7™0@- nN2-0"]™@—q —ro44t—n0vw’-—ro1.7VqV“ma———--:7"[7—-—]’_q|_|*qu_.0oONnrn?EC nn eee=——eeee———————————————————— THE MARINE RECORD. \} ENDORSED BY BUFFALO SHIPMASTERS. The Buffalo Shipmasters’ Association have adopted the following resolutions : Whereas, We find there isa movement on foot to enlist the interests of Congress in establishing a hospital building for the use of the marine hospital service at the port of Buf- falo, and realizing the urgent necessity for such action on account of the great growth of maritime business at this port and the consequent increase in the number of cases re- quiring the care and attention of the hospital service to such an extent that it has outgrown ward space that can be obtained from the hospitals on the contract plan; and Whereas, There are at present three marine hospitals on the Great Lakes, located at Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit, we find the number of cases treated at Buffalo is largely in excess of treatment furnished either at Cleveland or Detroit, and is only exceeded at Chicago, we feel fully satisfied in asking Congress to establish a building at Buffalo for the use of the marine hospital service, and thereby solve the problem how sick and disabled seamen of the Great Lakes shall be cared for in the future, be it therefore Resolved, That Buffalo Lodge No. 1 Shipmasters’ Asso- ciation are in hearty accord with the movement to establish a marine hospital at Buffalo, and will further the movement by all honorable means in their power. oo or SUIT FOR INSURANCE. In the spring of 1894 the steamer W. H. Barnum foun- dered near the Straits of Mackinaw. She was loaded with corn from Chicago to Port Huron, and it was her first trip out. During a thick fog the vessel ran upon a reef and foundered. Before the boat left Chicago, C. A. Chamberlain, manager for her owners, John C. Gauntlett, C. A. Chamberlain, W. H. Baker, B. H. White and the estate of Ben Birdsall, wired Chas. A. McDonald’ and and J. J. Rarden, Chicago marine insurance agents, for $12,000 insurance. After the loss, the owners were unable to collect the in- surance, and unable to discover in what companies the in- surance was distributed. Gauntlett & Co. started a suit against the Sea Insurance Co. for $3,500, and against the Reliance Marine Insurance Co. and the Marine Insurance Co., Charles A. McDonald and J. J. Rarden, agents, for other amounts aggregating $12,000. The trial is now in progress before Judge Hosmer in the Wayne Circuit Court. The answer of the defendants charges that instead of being worth upwards of $30,000, as claimed, the Barnum was worth less than $10,000; that insurance above her value was asked; that her loss was not because of perils of the sea, but that she was manned by an incompetentcrew. The defendants are all English companies, represented by Chi- cago agents. mm “ones THE ST. LAWRENCE CANALS. There are many indications that the approaching comple- _tion of the deepening of the canals to 14 feet is exciting great interest among our neighbors across the border. The Anglo- American, a monthly magazine published in New York, says in its current issue: “Canada will soon become one of the principal outlets for northwestern wheat, and possibly for other products, such as dressed meats, wool, etc. A very large percentage of the carrying trade of Duluth, Milwaukee and Chicago is certain to go through to Montreal. It is not unlikely that by means of this cheapening of freightage it may become possible to find foreign markets for the Mesaba ores. It is the judg- ment of many competent traffic managers that with the com- pletion of the present canal improvements, Canada is certain to cut heavily into the export trade of the United States, and particularly that of the port of New York. Apparently that must be the result. The importance to the northwest of the enlargement of the canals is very great and is thoroughly appreciated. Every grower of wheat will be benefitted to an appreciable extent, and itis likely that that part of the United States will gain more than Atlantic ports and eastern railways will lose by the diverting of traffic through Cana- dian canals. oO | THE DAVIDSON SHIPYARD. About 300 men are employed at the Davidson yard, West Bay City, and both mills are being run to their full capac- ity. The work of planking and laying the decks of the two “new schooners which are being built is nearly completed. It is hardly possible that the boats will be ready for launch- ing before the end of May. The progress of the work has been delayed by cold and stormy weather and the supply of - timber has been somewhat short. “We are going to build a large tug at the yard, but just how soon work on her will commence I can not say,’’ said Supt. Arnold. ‘‘Capt. Davidson is expected home Tuesday, and we will know for certain then.’”’ oo REVENUE CUTTER SERVICE. The marine revenue service of the lakes will go into com- mission between April 15 and 30, Orders have been issued that the old regulations will govern. No change in the stations of the boats have been made. The Fessenden will have headquarters at Detroit, the Morrell at Milwaukee and two steam Jaunches at the ‘'Soo.’’ oe or e A RATHER SINGULAR RULING. - The United States Supreme Court decided last Monday the somewhat unexploited question of the liability of sailing vessels for excessive speed in ‘case of collision in foggy weather. The case involved the collision of the American steamship Chattahoochee and the Canadian schooner Golden Rule off Nantucket Shoals in 1894, where the schooner was sunk. Both vessels were proceeding at their best speed in a fog when the accident occurred. The court below held that as the Golden Rule, as well as the Chattahoochee, had failed to slow down it was equally liable for the disaster and therefore held the owners of the steamer responsible for one-half the damage done. Justice Brown rendered the opinion of the Supreme Court, affirming this decision, remarking that “it is not perceived why the considerations which demand a slackening of speed on the part of steamers are not equally persuasive in the cases of sailing vessels.” The Chief Justice and Justice Peckham dissented. oe COLLISION CASE. The litigation growing out of the collision between the steamers Maurice B. Grover and John VY. Moran, May 7, 1896, has finally terminated in complete: exoneration of the: Grover. The Moran was aground about 300 feet below the light crib on Sailors’ Encampment, St. Mary’s river. About ‘7 o'clock in the evening the Grover came down and col- lided with her, striking her near amidships. The Moran had her running lights up and had been endeavoring to release herself, and, as the Grover was coming down from the turn above, the Moran blew four whistles to a tug for assistance, which were heard on the Grover and taken fora hurry up signal. The Grover first endeavored to pass under the stern of the Moran, and seeing she could net do that, changed her course to go around the bow, but unsuccess- fully. i The case was tried in the United States District Court at Utica, before District Judge Cox, who exonerated the Grover. His decision was affirmed. by the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, and the application of the Moran for a rehearing denied by that court. Both courts found that even if the Grover could have passed the bow of the Moran, had she tried it in the first place, it was not a fault for which she could be condemned. oo << OO COAST SHIPBUILDING. The Jackson & Sharp Co., Wilmington, Del., has con- tracted to build a tug boat for A. Mackenzie of New York. She will be 83 feet in length, 20 feet beam and g feet depth of hold. The same company has an order for a wooden dumping scow, 120 feet long, 35 feet wide and 13 feet deep. The latter craft is for A. H. Hastorf of New York. Two elevator hulls are being built for the International Elevating Co. of New York. Each hull will be 115 feet in length, 31 feet beam and 12 feet depth of hold: ‘These are nearly completed. Roach’s shipyard, Chester, Pa., has concluded a contract with Charles R. Flint & Co. of New York for two steam- ships for the Hawaiian Company. The are to be 430 feet long, 50 feet beam and 33 feet 6 inches depth of hold. The engines will be 3,000 horse-power and the speed require- ment is 12 knots an hour. The Roach Company have also been awarded the contract to build a steamer for the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk R. R. Co., to replace the Cape Charles, burned in Norfolk last December. The new boat will be 253 feet long, and about 4o feet beam, with a carrying capacity of 300 tons. She will be driven by two quadruple-expansion engines, and have a speed of over 20 miles an hour. She will also be fitted with water tube boilers. REPORTED BY THE LOOKOUT. May 1 has been fixed as the date for the opening of the Welland canal. The Canadian minister of railways and canals has declared that it will be impossible to open the Welland canal earlier than May r. The old steamer Saginaw Valley, owned by Capt. Ryan, will be cut down toa single decker and put in the lumber trade at Buffalo this season. The Montreal corn exchange has refused the request of the Buffalo syndicate representing the elevator pool, for ele- vator facilities in that city. Navigation has been resumed on Lake Ontario and parti- ally soon Lake Erie. Passenger steamers have been run- ning between Cleveland and Detroit for more than a week. Lake Morat, in Switzerland, has the curious property of turning red every ten years, owing to the presence of certain acquatic plants, which are not known in any other lake in the world. For the first two months of this year the total launches of the United Kingdom were 94 vessels, of about 197,504 tons gross, against 83 vessels, of about 143,758 tons gross “in the corresponding period of 1898, and 71 vessels, of about 122,- 521 tons in 1897. Of the 94 vessels, English builders launched 50, totalling about 113,159 tons gross, as com- pared with 45 vessels, of 89,974 tons, a year ago. The new Turbinia, which, when completed, will havea length of 220 feet, and a displacement.of 330 tons, isin an — advanced stage of construction at Elswick, England, and hopes are entertained of her being ready for trial in about two months’ time. The new vessel has eight propellers on four shafts, instead of the original Turbinia’s three shafts and nine propellers. The regular annual meeting and election of officers of the Inman Tug Company took place this week. Among those in attendance were attorney M. H. Boutelle and J. H. Sessions, of Minneapolis. The old officers were elected as follows: J. H. Sessions, president; H. M. Boutelle, vice president; M. H. Wardwell, secretary and treasurer; B. B. Inman, general manager. All signal code books carried on warships have leaden backs, to make them sink if lost overboard. The letters in ‘the book, moreover, are printed with peculiar ink, which fades away when it comes in, contact with the water. To make things still more safe, the letters are changed every few months by the Navy Department. Even on the war- ships few officers knew their vessel’s official signal code. The valuable docks of the Pennsylvania & Ohio Fuel Co., at West Duluth, Ashland and Manitowoc were not sold on Saturday last as advertised. A stay order was granted by the United States Circuit Court fixing April 28 as the day of sale. The coal mines belonging to the company will be sold April 21, according to an order in the foreclosure pro- ceedings begun by H. W. Putnam and other creditors of the company. The late Spanish gunboat Baracoa, sunk near Guantanamo, Cuba, during the war, has been raised and added to the American navy. ‘The vessel is 114 ft. long, 16 ft. beam and 8 ft draft, the displacement being 135 tons. She has ma- chinery of 220 h. p. and is able to make 10 knots an hour. As soon as the vessel can be made ready for sea she will be ordered north and probably will be made use of in the patrol service. Col. Payne’s new steam yacht Aphrodite has arrived at New York from Bath, Me., in charge of Capt. C. W. Scott. The yacht will be ready for her owner the latter part of May. Her life boats are all equipped with the Standard (Ray- mond)-patent automatic releasing hooks placed on the lower davit tackle blocks. The office of the latter will on and after April 1st., be at room toor New Cheesebrough Build- ing, 17 State street, New York. ro or or LAKE INSURANCE ON GRAIN CARGOES. In accordance with a meeting of lake underwriters held in New York, a short time ago, a full schedule of insurance rates on grain for the coming season has been issued in printed form. The lake vessels are divided into three classes and the rates proportioned according to class. In the first class are the regular line steamers not classing below A 2and also all A 1 steamers of any value, as well as A % steamers valued at $40,000 or over. The second class includes all A 14 steamers valued at $25,000 and under $40,000, and all A 1 tow barges valued at $35,000 and up- wards. In the third ctass are the lower grade vessels down to A 2 tow barges. There is no provision for insurance of grain in anything below A2. ‘The rates all represent material advances, and the difference in insuring grain in vessels of the first class as against those of the third is quite marked: During the summer months, for instance, the rate to Buffalo and other Lake Erie ports will be only 30 cents in vessels of the first class, as against 80 cents in those of the third class. Special high rates are made for April and for the fall months. oe io or MILWAUKEE Coal dealers are considering the advisability of putting in ‘‘clamshell’’ machines for unloading coal as a result of the demand of the coal heavers for an advance of 40 per cent. in wages. It is claimed that a machine will unload coal at the rate of about too tons an hour while four men will average about 30 tons in the same length of time.