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THE MARINE RECORD. 13 RECENT TREASURY DECISIONS. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL Ravewon, | WASHINGTON, D. C., June 20, 1899. AGENTS OF STEAMSHIP COMPANIES. Agents of steamship companies, who receive money from ' persons desiring to make remittances to foreign countries, and issue checks therefor, are not engaged in the business of selling “‘exchange’”’ within the meaning of paragraph 2, section 2, act of June 13, 1898, and are not required to pay special tax therefor as brokers. How vessels should be specified in collector’s annual re- ports.—New documents should be given on distribution of former owner’s personal estate. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, BUREAU OF NAVIGATION, WASHINGTON, D. C., June 15, 1899. Srr: This office is in receipt of your letter, dated the 14th inst., stating that a certain ‘‘ steamboat is tied up and to be sold for debt, the transactions not to be completed” until after June 30 next. In reply to your inquiry, How shall the boat be disposed of in the annual report, the Bureau has to state that her status on the morning of the first day of _ July should govern the matter. You submit a second case as follows : The owner of a steamboat dies and his heirs are running the boat. Should they be required to surrender the old documents of the boat, produce a bill of sale from the executors of his estate, and receive new documents on change of owners? You are informed that new documents need not be re- _ required until distribution by the executor, administrator, or surrogate, as the case may be, shall take place. There- after, bills of sale should be presented, made out in accord- ance with the requirements of the regulations, and the ves- sel be redocumented accordingly. Evidence should be required of the right of the vendor to transfer the property. The name, place of abode, occupation, and proportion of interest of each owner should be specified in the new docu- ment. Respectfully yours, E. T. CHAMBERLAIN, x Commissioner. Surveyor of Customs, Wheeling, W. Va. ———— oe oa oe EASTERN FREIGHT REPORT. Messrs. Funch, Edye & Co., New York, report the con- dition of the eastern freight market as follows: The declining tendency in grain freights, to which we referred in our last report, has continued, and we regret having to advise fixtures of two prompt boats hence at the miserable figure of 2s 7%d. to Cork f.o., whilst steamers offering at 3s for July-August loading cannot be placed. Larger boats are stillin some request for mixed cargo of heavy grain and oats at 2s. 44%d. and 1s gd. respectively for picked ports, July-August--loading. Deal freights continue fairly active at 42s. 6d. from Bay of Fundy, whilst tonnage for timber and charters from the Gulf, thongh not quotably lower, is in less demand, owing to the temporary scarcity of timber, in consequence of the extended drought in the lumber regions. The enquiry for time boats con- tinues on normal lines, but special trades requiring steam tonnage are few and far between. The demand of the sail tonnage continues fair, though by no means very pressing, and, as the supply of vessels is still very limited, we can only report a quiet and very firm market, without any items of particular interest or any change in rates. Ni ges ak RECENT MARINE INVENTIONS. Recent patents on marine inventions as reported specially for the MARINE RECORD: 626,668. Buoyant propeller, A. I. P. Chasles, Orleans, France. 626,686. Compass card, J. W. Gillie, North Shields, Eng. 626,688. Submerged feathering propeller, E. F. Gorman and P. F. Yost, Philadelphia, Pa. 627,065. Feathering paddle wheel, C. C. Lee, Paducah, Ky. ee CHINA’S ENGINEERING WORKS. The engineering works in China are in a very deplorable state. All the Kuropean engineers have been discharged. At the Hangku Iron Works the rails turned out were of such an inferior quality that they had at once to be replaced by rails imported from Belgium, At the state gun factory, where about 3,000 workmen are employed the average daily output amounts to one rifle. The work of the Chinese ship- yards consists chiefly of unimportant repairing. There are at present only two iron works in the whole of China where satisfactory work is done, and these are superintended by British and French engineers. SE ee ANTARTIC EXPLORATIONS. M. De Gerlache, leader of the late Antartic expedition, sums up as follows the results of his journey to the Antartic regions: 1. Discovery of a channel which was named the Belgian. channel. 2. Discovery of an archipelago formerly believed to be an isolated island. 3. Rectifications of numerous errors in the British admir- alty charts and maps concerning Fire Land and the Shet- land Islands. 4. The water temperature permits the supposition that there is a continent far to the south. 5. Important discoveries referring to flora and fauna. 6. Discovery of unknown lands, especially David Island. FREIGHT CLAIMED—NON-DELIVERY. A case of considerable importance to vessel owners was decided at Montreal on Friday last by Sir Melbourne Taft, acting chief justice of the Dominion Supreme Court. Messrs. Furness, Withy & Co., of Toronto, sued W. H. Dean, of Toronto, for the sum of $1,420.35 being the freight on certain cattle shipped on the steamship Baltimore City, belonging to the plaintiffs, on or about the 12th July, 1897. The Baltimore City was wrecked in the Straits of Belle Isle on the 17th July, and became a total loss. Some of the sheep and cattle were saved and salved and duly accounted for in general average. One of the conditions in the bill of lading stipulated that the freight, whether payable by shipper or by consignee, was to be paid, ‘‘ship lost or not lost,’”’ upon the total number of animals embarked, without regard to and irrespective of the number or condition of those landed, and in cash, on demand, without deduction or abatement of any kind. The defendant pleaded that this clause was unjust, unreasonable, and against the public interest and welfare, and illegal, and, further, that defend- ant never saw the bill of lading, and had no knowledge of the conditions contained therein. It was proved at the trial that the cattle were shipped by Mr. Bickerdike, acting as space broker and insurance broker, and that he received the bill of lading, insured the cattle, and forwarded the bill of lading and insurance certificate to Mr. Dean. Several witnesses were produced on behalf of the plaintiff, who testified that the claim referred to was the usual and ordi- nary clause contained in the bills of lading covering the shipment of cattle. eee In rendering judgment, Sir Melbourne Taft held that the clause was not illegal or contrary to public policy, and that the defendant, Dean, was bound by knowledge of Mr. Bick- erdike, the broker employed by him, who shipped the cattle, and accordingly, gave judgment for the amount claimed. te er PROPAGATION OF THE FINNY TRIBE. The work of the Fish Commission is practically completed for this year. According to the officials of the commission, when the reports are sent out on July 1 they will show that it has been the most successful year in the history of the commission. The great bulk of the work has been in the collection and distribution of the eggs and fry of commercial food fish, and this year more cod, whitefish,. pike, perch, bass, flatfish and lobsters have been planted than ever before. Fully as many shad have been planted this year as last, when the high wa- ter mark in propagation was reached. From the station on the Great Lakes, where the white fish, lake trout, herring, pike, perch and wall-eyed pike are collected, 750,000,000 eggs of all kinds were taken, and 500,000,000 fry planted. Tube Sheets, Centerboards, Fin Keels and Rudders. Tensile strength of plates one-quarter inch thick, upward of 78,000 Ibs. per square inch. Torsional strength equal to the best machinery steel. : Non-corrosive in sea water. Can be forged at cherry red heat. Round, Square and Hexagon Bars for Bolt Forgings, Pump Piston Rods, Yacht Shaftings, etc. Rolled Sheets and Plates for Pump Linings and Condenser ) (Trade-Mark Registered. oe 58 William Street, New York City. 5 and 6 Billiter Avenue, E. C., - a BROWN & CO., - - - 202 Main Street, Buffalo, N. Y. PARKER & MILLEN, 15 Atwater Street, W., Detroit, Mich. nsurance J. G. KEITH & CO., - 138 Rialto Building, Chicago, Ill. : LA SALLE & CO., Board of Trade Building, Duluth, Minn. Are prepared to mcke rates en all classes of Marine Insurance on the Great Lakes, both CARGOES AND HULLS. Send for Pamphlet. Chas. E. & W. F. Peck, Royal Insurance Building, Chicago, Ill. C. T. BOWRING & CO. London, England. ASSETS, - = CHARLES PLATT, President. CAPITAL, Paid up in Cash, - = = e GREVILLE E. FRYER, Sec’y and Treas. T. HOUARD WRIGHT, Marine Secretary. Ansonia Brass & Copper Co, SOLE MANUFACTURERS, 99 John St., NEW YORK. MARINE. ENGINES, PROPELLER WHEELS, DECK HOISTERS, ! ‘ & = : @ 312 ATWATER STREET, DETROIT, MICH. ° INCORPORATED 1794. Insurance Company of North America $3,000,000.00 10,173,488.90 EUGENE L. ELLISON, Vice President. BENJAIIIN RUSH, Second Vice President. Lake Marine Department, SF°OPSF c..8cRRY: Manscrr: cists JOHN H. ATWOOD, Assistant Secretary.