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DULUTH-—SUPERIOR. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record : Capt. Singer, late manager of the tug line, will probably go into the excursion business with a small steamer. The Anchor line steamers have always been favorite pas- senger boats, and this season they have been patronized bet- ter than ever. Vessels are now carrying ore at about 300 per cent. off for cash, that is, season charters are so much less than the go- ing rates of freight. The wheat rush is now beginning and some lively receipts and shipments will be done from this on. The crop will about equal last year’s. - A little squabble among the tug crews is on this week, the firemen want two men to each boat, there has only been one man carried in the smaller boats heretofore. ‘ The Great Northern line offered the owners of the steel steamer W. H. Gratwick $30,000 net, lump sum charter for the balance of the season. The offer was not accepted by her managing owner, Capt. John Mitchell, Cleveland. The small steamer Thomas Friant has been bought by Houghton parties this week for $3,500. She will be placed on the route between that port and Dollar Bay. Her late owner, Capt. R. Vanderhoef, Chicago, has held her for sale for five years. The local inspectors of steamboats were compelled to lay up the Port Wing slab-carrying steamer Lady Loucks. A dry goods box bolted together, with a locomotive boiler driving a stern wheel is hardly a steamer in the eyes of the law or of the local inspectors. ‘More appliances, scows, etc., are being sent to the strand- ed Harlem this week. The scows are to act as bilge logs in keeping the wreck upright while being towed here. It took nine steam pumps to keep the leaks down but she had such a bad list that they beached her again for this extra assist- ance, which, by this time, is about alongside of her. There are no less than sixteen dredges at work in this har- bor. The six dredges engaged on private work are distrib- uted as follows: Allouez bay, Omaha dock, 1; Great Northern ore dock, 1; Northern Pacific dock, Superior Bay, 3. Belt Line elevator dock, 1. The three drédges at work for the Northern Pacific are those of the Duluth Dredge & Dock Company. The railroads now figure on carrying lumber from the head of the lakes to Chicago at a rate of $2.50 pér M. feet on white and $3.00 for Norway pine. The lake rate is $3.25 per M. feet, including handling charges and it is this differ- ential, as well as prompt delivery, that makes the vessel rate cheapest. It is likely, though, that the railroads will capture some of the smaller consignments, as lumber car- riers have all that they want to do. There has never been a year when the coal men at the head of the lakes required as much coal as they do this year. The docks were swept clean last spring and there was none carried-over stocks to relieve the situation. A year ago last spring there was probably 200,000 tons of coal on the docks. at the head of the lakes. The soft coal receipts are 300,000 tons shy of this date a year ago, but the hard coal receipts are a little ahead of those for last year at this time. A coal agent here states that he expects to see the coal rate climb to adollar by Oct.1. This figure will mean at least $2 ore. The steamer Penobscot, now at the yards of the Superior Ship Building Co., received more damage from her recent stranding than was anticipated It was quite a job to float her again, and it will be no small job to repair her. She is a steel boat of 2,684 net tons, built at Bay City in 1895 and valued at about $200,000. Surveyors say that 72 plates must come off her bottom and cost of repairs is placed at about $25,000, added to which is the rather heavy wrecking and towing expenses as well as detention during the most valu- able part of the season. However, her owners, Eddy Bros., have always been very fortunate with their floating property and they are also a very wealthy firm, so the casualty is not so bad as if she was a poor man’s ship. It is said that she stranded owing to compass variation(?), local attraction, or something or another. Underwriters know that it was her screw that put her there. Oe ——— eee It looks a little as if our weather bureau down in Porto Rico ran up against too difficult a proposition when that hurricane appeared in the offing. Or may be it didn’t have a hurricane flag to hang out.—Cleveland Plain Dealer. Ship-Terms (stout party) (to bathing master )—Got a bath- ing suit to fit me? Bath Robe Man (looking him over)—I guess so. What’s your displacement ?—Philadelphia North American, THE MARINE RECORD. CHICAGO. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Capt. J. S. Dunham, also J.G. Keith, visited Cleveland this week. Capt. Harry Harbottle has been appointed master of the C. W. Moore. The grain rates advanced to 3 cents on corn to Buffalo, and 2% cents to Port Huron. The sum of $4,750 is the charter price for a large steamer on one trip, Duluth to Buffalo. The steamer Imperial is for sale. H. I. Marshall, 173 So. Water street has the disposal of her. Rivalry between the tugs Charnleigh and Evans in catch- ing a tow resulted in the first-named tug having her stem badly twisted. The Rittenhouse & Embree Lumber Co., of this city, have purchased from J. C. Gilchrist the steamer Oregon and con- sort S. H. Foster for $50,000. The South Chicago shipyard is receiving material from Pittsburg in fairly good shipments, so that construction work will be carried on continuously. Steamer John Otis, Capt Sanford, reports the careless hand- ling ofa passing steamer on Lake Michigan during a fog whereby a collision was narrowly averted. Capt. M. EK. Barry secured the schooner Robert Howlett at auction sale for $140 and assumed her debts of $1,200. She will be put in the trade as an ice barge between this port and Escanaba. It is now said that the several steamers of the Ogdens- burg Transit Co. will make a mint of money next season in the Chicago-Montreal trade, as they are all handy boats for through shipments to the Atlantic carrier. Capt. J. A. Connelly will command the steamer R. A. Packer; Louis St. Clair will take charge of the Temple Emery and William LeRoy will succeed Hans Hansen as master of the schooner KE. M. Thompson. The Menominee lumber rate is expected to go up to $2 per M feet next week. There are no takers for Duluth at $3. Port Wing, Lake Superior, paid $3.50 on a cargo this week and $3.25 is now considered the going rate. The Goodrich line will make large improvements on their passenger boats this winter. About $15,000 is to be put on the whaleback steamer Christopher Columbus, and the city of Racine will also be given some important alterations. The company are keeping all of their boats up in first-class shape. Charles A. Thompson, well known in marine circles, is dead at Racine, aged 65 years. He became identified with the Goodrich Transportation Co. in 1865, as purser, and re- mained with that firm until 1896. In 1886 he was made Been ot the company in Racine, where he served until he retired. When Mr. T. T. Morford assumed control of the western business of the Union Steamboat line after 30 years service with the company, his position was left vacant, his former assistant, Mr. H. B. Ford, has now been promoted to that office, and W. B. Wetherell succeeds Charles M. Cottrill at Milwaukee. Capt. J. G. Keith, a shrewd vesselowner and broker, ex- pects an easy $2-rate on ore, and wheat from Lake Superior to pay up to 6 cents or even 7 cents per bushel before the season closes. Others, with whom I have spoken, say that vessels. will be in demand at a fair living rate of freight all of next season also. The shipyards at South Chicago are to receive such improvements as will permit the construction of four of the largest class of vessels at onetime. Traveling cranes, conveying machines and other new machinery will be placed at ohce. Three keels are already laid and facilities will be given to lay a fourth. The officers of the syndicate now known as the Great Lakes Towing Co., were here on Tuesday, and fixed up matters with the Barry Bros., (Independent) tug line. The title is now vested in the name of C. W. Elphicke, trustee. No change has been made in the management of the fleet. Capt. J. S. Dunham would not discuss the matter, but some negotiations were also carried on regarding his fleet of tugs. The steamer German chartered by the Canada-Atlantic line, released from the rocks near Detour by the wrecking outfit and tug Favorite, Capt. Mart Swain, is now in dry dock, with heavy bottom damage, some twenty plates and a number of frames will be renewed, re-rolled and straightened. The present damage estimate amounts to about $10,000 besides the detention of about ten days during what may be con- sidered as the most valuable part of the season. Capt. Miles Barry is still after a fleet of wooden steamers, the H. H. Packer and Fred Mercur of the Lehigh Valley Line have been well kept up and although built in 1882 are still on the first letter. An offer of $65,000 has been made for the two boats. The boats aggregate 2,000 tons, net, and carried an insurance valuation of $100,000, Capt..Barry thus figures on paying about $33 per ton for these handy well found steamers. I should say that the chances are all against the boats being sold for such a price in view of the present rates of freight. Aucust™31, 1899. CLEVELAND. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The Put-in-Bay route will be kept open until Septem- ber 15. Capt. Willis Chilson, barge Manda, has been given charge of the steamer Manila. ‘The members of the life-saving service on the lakes are petitioning for an increase of pay. This relates solely to the surfmen. A little detention is now being experienced at ore receiv- ing ports owing to the rush of boats ; everything possible is being done to facilitate discharging Mr. Stockman, formerly forecast official of the local Weather Bureau office, has returned to duty at Havana after spending an enjoyable vacation here. The Mutual line steamer Coralia commenced discharging 5,583 tons of iron ore a little before 6 a. m. last Monday, at Ashtabula, by 7:30 p. m. she had a clean swept hold. Capt. J. S. Dunham was here on Thursday, probably to close with the towing combination for his fleet of tugs. The captain has probably thought twice over the situation. The D. & C. line announce that after Saturday, Septem- ber 5, the regular day trips to Detroit will be discontinued. A larger number of passengers have been carried this season than ever before. Capt. James Davidson was here on Friday and Saturday, closing the sale of the wooden steamer Appomatox and consort Santiago, disposed of through the agency of Capt. W. C. Richardson. Now there is talk of importing foreign steel plates to help along new construction at the shipyards. A dozen firms are waiting to have keels laid, but the metal can’t be obtained to put the hulls together. : Mr. Quincy Miller, of the firm of Miller & Johnson, boiler makers and sheet iron workers, recently entered into a life charter with a consort. All hands wish Quincy prosperous times and fair winds on the sea matrimonial. The Northern Transit Co., Farasey & Marron, general agents, is having a large patronage on its lake Ontario route. Passenger state rooms for the next few weeks should be booked well ahead, to insure the best locations. Messrs. Corrigan, McKinney & Co. took over from J. C, Gilchrist the steamer Minnesota and her consort Halloran this week. This makes a fleet of ten wooden boats pur- chased by Capt. James Corrigan within the last few weeks. The C. & B. line are now giving excursions to Toronto and return ata rate of $5. A large number of tourists are availing themselves of the low fares. On Monday, Septem- ber 4, a popular excursion will be given in the afternoon for labor day celebrants. Capt. George A. Simpson, compass adjuster, spent three days here this week, and returned to Sault Ste. Marie, where he has made his home for several seasons past. Capt. Simp- son visited Puget Sound last winter and adjusted compasses there for Klondike expeditions. Mr. T. F. Newman, general manager of the C. & B. Line made a humanitarian record this week in sending the castaway crew of the burned steamer Tilley to their homes in Canada at a nominal figure. Mr. Newman has a knack of doing the right thing at the right time and this is one of his latest gracious acts. The propeller Sir S. L. Tilley, which was burned off Fair- port on Saturday night, was built for Sylvester Neelon of St. Catherines in 1884, and was a composite built craft of 750 tons net register. She cost about $100,000 to build. R. O. & A. B. Mackey bought her in 1896. She was valued at $46,000 at the Inland Lloyds, and was insured for $35,000. The steamer Appomattox and the schooner Santiago wete sold this week by James Davidson to the Boston Coal Dock and Wharf Company, of which M. Monseratt, of Columbus is president. The price paid was $230,000. The boats were turned over to Pickands, Mather & Co., managers for the new owners. Corrigan, McKinney & Co. added the Progress to their fleet of small wooden craft. Within half an hour after the launch of the steel cargo steamer Malietoa, built at the Lorain yards of the American Ship Building Co., to the order of the Minnesota Steamship Co., she was placed alongside of the large sheer-legs ready to receive her machinery. This is the expeditious style of work that places lake shipyards in the front rank of the world’s shipbuilding industry. _ Capt. Collier, as general manager of the Great Lakes Tow- ing Co., while acting in a conservative manner at all lake ports, is getting the system in smooth working order, with as few changes as seems to be possible. Each season will suggest Improvements, transfers of tugs, also local managers, etc., but there is no disposition evinced to ride rough shod anywhere, or to change the usual customs at each port. This has been a week when every berth was taken up in the steamers between here and Detroit, and deck passages only were available. In such an instance, a second boat would be always in order and she should be within reaching distance, to place on the route within a few hours’ notice. Lake passenger traffic is rapidly increasing and will do so each year, so that a more adequate service will be called for in the future.