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THE MARINE RECORD. AUGUST 3, 1899. 1878. ESTABLISHED Published Every Thursday by THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Incorporated. C. E. 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, - - $2.00 One Copy, one year, to foreign countries, - ; $3.00 Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING, Rates given on application. All communications should be addressed to the Cleveland office, THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Western Reserve Building, Cleveland, O. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. CLEVELAND, O., AUGUST 3, 1899. THE Britishers now talk of building a large steamer of aluminum. France has experimented with the metal in the construction of torpedo boats. 9 Iv 1s remarked that the American shipping industry is in a condition of exceeding prosperity at the present time. It is even stated that every shipbuilding firm in this coun- try has orders on hand to keep it busy from one to three years. The subject has attracted the attention of Great Britain, and, in view of the fact that an American firm has recently furnished to Belfast builders a large consignment of ship-plates, it is said in an authoritative quarter that ‘‘the British technical journals are universal in the concession that in the United States is to be found the futnre rival of Great Britain as a shipbuilding and shipowning nation.’’ oS THERE is a Canadian statute to the effect that ashes or refuse must not be thrown overboard when the vesel is in less than 12 fathoms of water. It is now sought to reduce this depth to 7 fathoms. It is safe to say that hundreds of tons of ashes are dumped overboard each day throughout the season of lake and river navigation in much shoaler water than even 7 fathoms. Asa matter of fact and prac- tice, it is the exception to see any ashes landed anywhere. There is always two sides to a boat, and there is a night time as well as daylight. Dumping ashes in shoal water is a great wrong and owners should call the attention of their ' chief engineers to this phase of the matter. 2 oor Tuav prize for life-saving appliances will no doubt be split up intoa good many parts. There are several excellent devices already invented, which, for one reason and another, are not in general use. Attention will no doubt be turned to boats, chocks, davits and davit tackle falls. This equip- ment is important, also invaluable when a ship has to be abandoned ina hurry. The United States Army Transport service, after going thoroughly over the field of inventions is now engaged in equipping its fleet with a patent automatic detaching hook for the lower block of the davit tackles, they have found nothing better, in point of fact and actual working practice nothing near as good ; by a rather unique way of reeving the falls, the boat becomes detached at both ends the instant that either end is waterborne. The hook is a capital one, a sailor’s friend and a mute life-saver. It is endorsed by nearly all the departments of the United States government, as well as the most prominent lines in the merchant service and on the principal passenger lines of steamers, lake, coast and ocean. If there is any grant or special mention made of the necessary equipment for saving life, this hook deserves an extended notice. PRIZES FOR LIFE SAVING DEVICES. The loss of the French Atlantic liner La Bourgogne has been the means of placing a $30,000 reward on the market, to be awarded to the inventor or manufacturers of the best life-saving devices. To avert a repetition of the late casualties accompanied by great loss of life, a prize of $30,000 is offered by kinsfolk of the late Anthony Pollok and his wife, who perished when the Bourgogne foundered. Through diplomatic channels the relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Pollok, living in Paris, trans- mitted to Secretary Hay, to be transferred to Chas. J. Bell, trustee and manager of the Pollok estate in Washington, the above named sum to be by him employed as he should deem well for the purpose. Of this money $20,000 was di- rected to be given as a prize for the production of the inven- tion, while the remainder is to be used in extending the in- formation obtained through the competition. This is a most praiseworthy departure and it is to be hoped that the competition will be keen and aggressive, also, that the judges of the merits of the appliances will be experienced and broad minded men, not people with ‘‘axes to grind”? for themselves or others, not incompetent fossils holding sinecure offices, who by virtue of their standing might fraudulently inject their views as judges, and posi- tively, not men who are to be influenced in any way by the purty pelf, the long green, that is to say, the filthy lucre. The trustee of the Pollok estate will have all that he can do to steer clear of those gifted with more tongue than brains or experience, also, may he be duly warned against the wily, and usually oily, promoter, who might lend his best efforts towards arguing that the finest way to rescue a castaway or drowning person was to stand at a safe distance and harpoon him, or to tow a string of life-boats astern in case anything happened to the large boat, etc. In any case, Mr. Bell has his work cut out for him, and his only safe- guard is in having a proper and thoroughly qualified com- mittee to assist him in laying bare the de-merits of the thous- and and one notions which we expect will be put before him, and all guaranteed to do their work in the most expe- ditions manner possible. ————_ eer ENGINEER Lyman E. Cooley, than whom we presume there is no more talented scientist in the country, seems to speak of, or treat the subject of lowering lake levels rather cavalierly. Ina quoted interview L. E.-Cooley said: ‘‘The outflow of water lowering the level technically three or four or six inches, should not be noticed by the navigator.’’ Quotations taken from the body of an article, address or speech are sometimes liable to be misconstrued, but, in this case we have quoted literally. Again, Mr. Cooley speaks of seasons, waterfalls, droughts, snowfalls, winds, evaporation, barometric conditions and precipitation as ruling the level of the lakes, all of which may be summed up in the latter quantity—viz. precipitation, and the records are not inclu- sive, therefore, not conclusive enough on this point Itis this feature on the subject of lake levels that creates the dire uncertainty of the effect of opening extra sluice gates to drain the lakes, as, with an immediate actual lowering of several inches, those interested in drawing a large supply of water from the lake would point out the apparent fluctua- tions of level in certain months, at particular localities and’ extending over marked periods of low levels, etc. Viewing the question from a practical instead of what might be termed an academic standpoint, a person would say, that, given the amount of precipitation, evaporation and natural outflow, the lake level could be fairly accurately determined, or at least made known to such a degree that any large extra waste would be appreciably shown. We are much afraid that the present information regarding these two former features will be found insufficient to early or easily detect a most dangerous waste of supply. oO or AND now there is talk about placing a 35-knot turbine pro- pelled steamer on a Lake Michigan route. Hereisa chance for the Postmaster-General to facilitate the delivery of mail matter, and, incidentally, do his share towards helping to establish a new shipbuilding industry. A mail contract entered into with a syndicate of capitalists who would put afloat a fleet of 4o-knot turbine driven dispatch boats, spe- cially for carrying mail on the lakes, would be a marked innovation and a vast commercial benefit, later, distance may be annihilated by shooting mail matter across the lakes in a pneumatic tube, but a dozen turbine wheels keyed on to a shaft is the quickest and best way for the present. CANALS are now the order of the day, both in the United States and the Dominion of Canada. The St. Lawrence system of canals permitting a fourteen feet draft, was to have been opened this month. The immense Chicago drainage canal, and incidentally, the big ship waterway, is to be completed a month or two later. The Deep Water- way Commission is exceedingly active at this time in find- ing a route to carry a draft of thirty feet to the coast. The special committee on New York State Canals have about completed a canvass of the entire situation. The Federal officer in charge of the district recommends another St. Clair Flats Canal, for which by the way, there is more occasion than there is for treble locks at the ‘‘Soo.’’ The Portage Lake Canals, Lake Superior, are being made first- class artificial waterways and such a movement is also being made in connection with the Sturgeon Bay Canal, anda Michigan-Ohio Canal is talked of. Besides the lock at St. Mary’s Falls Canal, a Canadian project calls for a canal between Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario, known as the Hurontario, also the Lake Erie and St. Clair connection. Not so much is heard now regarding the Conneaut, Lake Erie-Pittsburgh scheme, as that seems to have flattened out since Mr. Carnegie dispossessed himself of his interests in the trade. There are several other minor affairs wafting in the air, but enough has been pointed out to show our canal aspirations and proclivities at this time. i oe on TR West Indies service of the U. S. Weather Bureau, Department of Agriculture, does not seem to have fallen into harness yet, judging from the reports of that San Dom- ingo hurricane that came whistling unheralded and unsus- pectedly along on Friday last. Three large schooners took all hands, with the exception of one man who was left to © tell the tale, and the island was horribly demoralized through the great damage caused by the apparently unannounced hurricane. The bare fact that the United States has estab- lished a branch of its weather bureau service in the West Indies, will by no means diminish the frequency or furious- ness of these blows during the hurricane season. They will come along just about as they always have done, only these unwelcome visitors can at least be announced, without finding or being given the entertainment of demolishing a fleet of merchant vessels with their crews, or indulging in any other death dealing evolutions. a ee_ap_ Much credit is due to the master of the steamer Rust, Capt. Leaver, owned by Mr. Sullivan, Toledo. The Rust sighted the engineer of the tug Ruelle, which had foun- dered some hours previously in Saginaw Bay. He was taken aboard, and the body of the captain was also recovered. The Toledo Blade says: ‘‘Capt. Leaver is one of the best known masters on the chain of lakes. He is president of the Shipmasters’ Association here. The saving of the engi- neer is characteristic of him. He is a man of great determi- nation, an excellent navigator and a thorough gentleman.”’ Capt. Leaver is entitled to the thanks of the community for his humane efforts, notwithstanding he may some time want the same assistance himself, but I hope not. oo or For the fiscal year ended June 30, 1899, the records at St. Mary’s Falls canals show that 16,302,901 registered, and 18,- 971,556 freight tons passed through that ‘‘link to the lakes.’’ For 1898, in 228 days, the figures show four million freight tons less, or about one-third of the tonnage passing through the St. Clair Flats canal. The total number of vessels locked through during the fiscal year of 1898 was 13,411 in 6,258 lockages, and for 1899, 14,001 in 7,191 lockages, which shows the passage of two vessels for nearly every swing of the lock gates, at a cost to the federal government of $88,- 410, of which $55,829 was for labor and $22,277 for repairs. The expenses of the Canadian lock is not yet given out. ee eee WHEN it is considered that about 80 per cent. of the lake tonnage was chartered before navigation opened, it is easy to see why and how the free tonnage is permitted to advance freight rates. It is known that a large portion of the tonnage that was fixed ahead will complete their charters next month, others run through October, but then the standing part of the season will be over and the weather will soon be getting unsettled, with probable hard weather a little later on. Besides, shippers have always found it poor policy to try to crowd cargoes ahead during the latter portion of the — season of navigation,