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THE MARINE RECORD. JuLy 13, 1899. ESTABLISHED 1878. Published Every Thursday by - THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Incorporated. C8. RUSKIN, - - - - Manager. CAPT. JOHN SWAINSON, - - - Editor, THOS. WILLIAMS, Chicago, - - Associate- . CLEVELAND, CHICAGO, Western Reserve Building. Royal Insurance Building. SUBSCRIPTION. One Copy, one year, postage paid, - - One Copy, one year, to foreign countries, —- = ‘ Invariably in advance. $2.00 $3.00 ADVERTISING. Rates given on application, 7 All communications should be addressed to the Cleveland office: THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Western Reserve Building, Cleveland, 0. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. CLEVELAND, O., JULY 13, 1899. ' WHat a ridiculous stage we must have reached when _ shippers can step in and dictate the ability of a vessel’s hull. ————$—$—S— i oa ar Wao was it that said the $1.00 freight on ore was only to - be.a memory. The pestiferous pessimist could surely not have been’ studying the best interests of vessel owners. Others, who re-mouthed the sentiment, were no doubt - (ignorantly) antagonistic to the carrying trade. ; or ooo Tue North German Lloyd Steamship Co. announce that the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse made her last trip to the -» eastward in five days, twenty hours, fifty-five minutes, and covered a distance of 3,190 miles. Her average time was 22.62 knots as against her best previous record of 22.56 knots. —— OD ee THE present freight rates will point out to a good many owners and managers of cargo boats the indiscretion of chartering the majority of their tonnage too far ahead. The ‘‘wild’’ rate seldom falls below season figures and when it does there is nothing in it for the owners of floating : property. ay enor rl Ir appears that the greatest obstacle to a canal at Nica- ‘ragua is the coast at the entrance on the Atlantic side. The locality is a succession of shoals, which, make it unsafe for a vessel of any size to attempt a passage. No satisfactory _' explanation of how this is to be overcome has been vouch- safed, and skilled enginetrs have expressed the opinion that it will cost more to master this difficulty than to build acanal. Civil engineers are all right on shore work, but it requires a spice of hydrographic talent and other merits akin thereto to give us the best possible coast approach, har- bors and channels. ——— SO Ol Se THR Britishers must feel more than miffed at the success _ of the German wrecking and salvage company in releasing ' the steamer Paris after they had given upthe job. It was thought that the John Bulls were gifted with a little of that dogged pertinacity, obstinacy, or perseverance, which so frequently leads to success in these undertakings. The wrecking and towing talent of that New York in England - - Liverpool, had the first chance at her, and when the Dickey Sams were licked, London took a hand; the Cockneys back- ed down in favor of the Germans, who, without any blare of trumpets, systematically conducted arrangements and gave Capt. Watkins the pleasure of sailing once more into port, even if it was on the decks of a bottomless tank. A VESSEL’S CLASS. ‘ Since the advent of iron and steel vessels on the lakes, classification and rating has undergone a marked change, but not more so than has been experienced in times past in other localities and countries. It is but a few years ago, or, practically at the time men- tioned in the foregoing, that the surveyors for the general agents of insurance companies, and, in many cases, the local agents themselves, acted from a personal knowledge of the structural condition of the craft under -consideration, and so advised their superiors, notwithstanding, a list was printed and vessels rated, solely for the guidance of under- writers, and, as this work was purely for the benefit and advantage of the assurers on hull, freight and cargo, they met the expense of surveying, rating and publishing their own text book, (or rather the vessel owner paid it in increased premiums for insurance, surveying fees, traveling expenses, etc., and then regarded the same as the archives of office, part of their stock in trade, and the basis on which other people’s money could be risked, in a word, as a guide to business. Much in the same manner as London Lldyd’s originated. This seemed to be a fair enough arrangement as between the assurer and assured, although, let it be remembered, that the latter met every cent of the expenses, while the un- derwriter made all of the conditions, giving to the owner as a guid pro quo the privilege of insurance, and such, ina measure, is the custom at present where wooden bottoms are concerned or considered. The loss of two large, modern built, metal steamers, neith- er of which held an adequate classification certificate, built, as builders were building at the time, under no properly authorized rules of construction, nor independent super- vision, but duly listed in the domestic, or rather, under- writers tonnage record, called attention in due course to the necessity of vessels being furnished with a cetificate of classification which meant what it said, something between, and, independently superior, to a builder’s guarantee or an underwriter’s arbitrary rating, as, after construction, the builder was no longer a factor in the question and conse- quently the vessel’s character rested solely between her owners and underwriters. This situation had to be met, the world over, generations ago, and, on the lakes within the past decade. Rules for the construction, tests of material, supervision while build- ing, etc., etc., were, and are yet, being formulated. Many lake-built vessels are now classed in duly authorized and universally recognized associations for the classification of shipping, acting independently as between builders, owners and underwriters, although, in a measure, conjointly with each interest, yet, distinctly outside the purlieus of their influences. Forming a trio of inferentially, antagonistic elements, yet, working in full harmony and accord for the im- mediate, present and ultimate benefit of each representation, and recognized as a Classification of Shipping, whose certifi- cate is at once a builder’s receipt, an owner’s guarantee, an underwriter’s authority, and ashipper’s business guide. Condensed, brief and thus necessarily superficial as the foregoing must be, we can simply point out the unique, and to some people, the amazingly influential position held by a society publishing a register of the classification of shipping. Let but the slightest suspicion of undue interest, influence or collusion as between builder, owner or under- writer ‘‘smirch the skirts’? of the classification society, its accredited agents or surveyors, and its reason of being is ques- tioned, confidence is lost, and its certificate of a ship’s char- acter rendered void, such are the recorded results. Asked, our opinion regarding the predominance of one interest over the others, or the active participation of the three in one, in all that concerns the business of floating property, we would say, that without the neutralizing effect of the premeditations and disinterestedness of the acknowledged classification society, chaos would be liable to ensue, a oo or A WRECK COURT OF INQUIRY. The RECORD has so frequently pointed out the advantages to be derived through the information secured by holding an official inquiry intothe loss, or serious stranding of steamers, that we have almost despaired of seeing our views adopted in the very near future, although our advocacy is bound to prevail eventually. If there was any private hearing, there has been no pub- lic record made of the causes which led up to the stranding .f three large steamers on the north shore of Lake Superior last fall, two of which were built of steel, and one of wood. The steel steamer Harlem is still resting on her bed of 63 rocks, with wreckers busy at work on her, as with the Paris ashore on the Manacles, coast of Cornwall, England. We may say that wreck Courts of Inquiry are not in fashion in the United States, underwriters accept a partial, ~ constructive, or actual total loss, owners agree to the terms, Bes (sometimes after considerable loss, detention and expensive litigation it is true) and the masters as well as other officers get over the matter as easily as possible in ‘‘noting a pro- test” and, as regards the localinspectors of steam vessels, it is not to be thought for one moment that they are or would — be in any haste, zealous or eager to prove ignorance, care- lessness or any incompetency on the part of those whom — they had licensed as being eligible to hold the various diplomas, issued after a competitive examination held before themselves. It is, therefore, with some degree of interest that we note ~ what Syren and Shipping, London, has to say, on this par- ticular subject at this time, and, in the following strain: ‘“As to how the Paris came to run ashore near the scene of the ill-fated Mohegan’s disaster, it is just one of those hap-_ penings which passeth man’s understanding. At allevents, we would prefer to wait for the disclosures of an offici investigation before blaming either Company or navigating — officers. As for the speed question, it is impossible to dis- guise the fact that the public will have it, and gladly pay «_ higher rates for the privilege (sic) of traveling by the fast- est ships.”’ ‘“‘As the Paris was owned by a foreign company it is not within the scope of the Board of Trade (British) to hold an enquiry into the circumstances of the disaster, but there is | no doubt that this duty will be undertaken by the United States Board of Inspectors of Steam Vessels, as itis most desirable, in the interests of underwriters, seafaring men and the traveling public, that some explanation be arrived at as to why this vessel was run on tothe Manacles. A searching enquiry might throw some light collaterally upon the Mohegan disaster.’’ Syren and Shipping may have to wait a while longer for. the results of this official investigation and searching en- quiry which is to be of such benefit to the several interests enumerated. ‘The RECORD has been waiting fora consid- — erable time, yea, lo, these many years, to publish just such information, but we cawn’t get it you know, norare we likely to for a dog watch, or decade or two. If the United States Steamboat Inspection Service would only tell us how these accidents, casualties and losses take: place, others could be duly ‘and publicly warned of their impending danger. Isle Royale, on Lake Superior, has — fetched up a few craft, so has the Manacles, now, where — does the further similarity come in? as well as a host of other nice little questions that the RECORD would like to find out from the Steamboat Inspection Service. oe TO oO oe WITHOUT going into the detail of compiling a table of casua.ties showing each case, we may briefly remark that — there has been more accidents this season through men working arvund the decks of a vessel falling into or down hatchways than ever has been known before. In point of fact, it is questionable if the combined casualties of several seasons would aggregate a larger number of cases of injury to people by falling in the hold of a vessel than has oc- curred during the same period of time this season. Those who have a due regard for the lives and limbs of their employes would do well to remember that their vessels’ decks are no’ almost all hatchways and that when engaged in, loading or discharging with ali the hatches off and the decks littered up, it is no easy matter for people to guard against acci- — dents. In keeping clear of other work being carried on — above the deck, the open hatchways form not one, buta good many pitfalls for the unwary tostumble into, Instruc- tions given by managers and owners to their officers not to neglect any precautions necessary to obviate or minimize these accident’s would be a work of humanitarianism, al in some cases, save annoying litigation, likewise, ultimately go far in reducing the personal or employes’ accident insut- ance premiums where owners are so insured, as they are in the majority of lake fleets. Of course a vessel shoul not be required to carry a half cargo of accident preventa- tive fittings and appliances for semi-occasional use, at the same time, life is sw: et, even to the much abused roustabont, © and, in perhapsa greater degree to others who are not abused - or abuse themselves. An individual, winding up his span of life as a cripple, through the inadvertence, ignorance 0 parsimony of his fellow man, carries an untold judgment against the originators or perpetrators of the cause of loss or decline of physical powers, as likewise, of any of his natural senses and bodily or mental attributes.