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ESTABLISHED 1878. Published Every Thursday by THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Incorporated. C. E. RUSKIN, - - - Manager. CAPT. JOHN SWAINSON, - - - Editor. 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, 0. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. CLEVELAND, O., OCTOBER 26, 1899. THE question of trimming ore cargoes is up again. It is said that the saving to the Bessemer and whaleback fleets alone, through not trimming, amounts to $200,000 annually. i OO NEXT year will see Buffalo’s prestige as an ore-receiving port increase greatly, about Io per cent. of the ore for which contracts recently have been made for movement next year will go to that port. OD Oe THE new life-saving station at Grand Marais, located on the west side of the west pier at the harbor entrance, is hearing completion, and if the weather does not hinder the contractor he will finish the same in time to have it ready for commission for the fall gales of Lake Superior. ——— Oo Oe THE question of lake levels and how to maintain them is still to the fore and must engage the attention of all persons concerned in the best interests of lake navigation. Several important communications on this subject are being pre- pared for future publication in THE MARINE RECORD. ior iro BALTIMORE, Newport News, Philadelphia, Chester and Wilmington, also San Francisco and other Pacific ports, have forty vessels now building. The gross tonnage will amount to over 100,000 tons, The new tonnage at lake ship- yards is now placed at 30 vessels, having a capacity of 150,- ooo tons, and an estimated valuation of over $8,000,000. OO OOS GENERAL WILSON, Chief of Engineers, U.S. A., has made public his annual report. It contains among other matters of interest, the estimates made by the local government en- gineers throughout the country of the amounts of money re- quired to complete river and harbor improvements under their charge, and the sums which, in their opinion, should be expended on them during the next fiscal year, which be- gins July 1, 1900. These figures and recommendations are submitted to Congress, and form the basis for legislative action when appropriations are made. __ OO DO REAR-ADMIRAL George W. Melville, U. S. N., is a marine engineer or nothing, he may also be an engine fitter as well as driver, and a stationary engineer, but he is not a practical shipbuilder, therefore he is not in a position to dis- cuss the matter of ‘‘how to build our warships.’’ Engineer Melville is all right, but it can not be exactly authenticated as he puts it, that ‘‘the warship is the complete fruition and triumph of engineering science.’”’ As a matter of fact and ptactice it is neither, furthermore, Engineer Melville, how- ever good a mechanic he may have been, should keep within the bounds of his own craft or workmanship. It is possible, that even with soold a man as Mr. Melville mechanical mistakes might occur. Let us say, that designing engines is not fighting the ship, or the thousand and one other things that happen in warship action and construction. THE MARINE RECORD. THE YACHT RACE. From the year 1851 up to the present, is quite a stretch of time for the Britishers to prove that they know something or anything about yacht building, handling or sailing. It can be said, however, that the recent contest proved that there is not much difference in the sailing qualities of the Columbia and Shamrock. But whatever difference there is in the two boats, rests with the Columbia. She is beauti- fully designed, handsome i in her lines and is — of the sticcess she has achieved. Americans, or quite a number of them at least, would not have grieved if the cup had been lifted by Sir Thomas Lip- ton on a close contest, to be won back again on a future oc- casion. But Sir Thomas will be here again to make another effort for success. He has proved such a thorough yachts- man and sportsman that he will receive a generous reception and a hearty wish for good luck tofayorhim. ‘The only set- back that he appeared to notice was the unavoidable absence of the designer of his yacht, and this feature might have been the means of his losing the race, or at least a couple of heats. Both yachts were excellently matched and elegantly handled on a fair field, with no favor shown to either, and all must conclude that the best won. In the future as in the past, Americans have confidence in their ability to meet all contestants. Our seamen are trained to perfection, and the art of building yachts is a triumph of skill which includes the construction of all varieties of sea craft. For the present, therefore, the cup remains in the United States, while our best wishes go with Sir Thomas Lipton, or any other worthy competitor who may act as he has done throughout the contest. The Shamrock is a good yacht, the Columbia is a better one. : page FREIGHT AND CARGO INSURANCE. It has been generally considered that there was no con- siderable profit for the underwriter insuring freight and cargo. The assertion was made a short time ago in the office of quite a large vessel owning firm that the mite paid for freight or cargo insurance was inconsequential. We now have the following from Chicago: The underwriters are making a harvest this season by the grain insurance from all the upper lake ports. There has not been a serious loss on grain cargoes since the opening of navigation, and while the accounts may be evened up by the heavy losses in the remaining six weeks of the season, their books now show a big balance of profit. The com- panies are now taking in nearly $1,000 a week in excess in- surance for grain aboard vessels below the standard rating. This excess insurance is generally paid by the vessel owners and is based on the greater risk incurred where boats are not up to the standard rating. Thus far this season the excess insurance has proved extremely profitable to the underwrit- ers, for the below grade vessels have come out as well as those of the highest class. All of the companies doing lake business are in a pool in grain insurance, and the good things in the trade are being equally divided among them. Last season at this time the losses on grain cargoes had amounted to a large figure, and at the close of the season nearly all of them had to charge up a good loss account on the business. re A SUCCESSFUL WRECKING WORK. A special from Iroquois, Ont., tothe RECORD says that the steamer Hamilton, which has been ashore in Iroquois Rapids since Wednesday last, has been successfully floated. This has been a difficult piece of work, owing to the swift current and dangerous shoals, and has been accomplished by the Cal- vin Co.’s wrecking tugs Reginald, Chieftain, Parthia and Johnston, with a large force of skilled workers under the command of Capt. Thomas O’Brien. Much credit is due the Calvin Co. for the excellently planned and well executed work, —— OO oe ov—n—n lr LAKE LEVELS. In his paper read before the Cleveland Chamber of Com- merce, George Y. Wisner gave special attention to the lower lake levels, and stated that the government reports calling the channel at the Limekilns a 20-foot one when it was seldom above 18 feet, was not the result of dishonesty on the part of contractors or a dishonest report on the water- way, but evidence that an error has been made in the tak- ing and recording of figures made in the surveys, LAKE FREIGHTS. Ore rates hold steady at $1.75 from the head of Lake Supe- rior, $1.60 from Marquette to Ohio ports and $it.70 to Buf. falo, and $1.3§ from Escanaba. Toniiage is in fair demand, but no change in rates will be made this week unless there is a marked improvement in the grain trade. Coal cargoes ate no more plentiful thati they have beeti for the past few weeks and many vessels that usiially carry coal are forced to go up light. Coal shipments are likely to drag until the close of navigation. During the past week further business was done at $1.25 from the head of the lake, $1.10 and $1.15 from Marquette, and $1 from Escanaba for next season. The Carnegie-Oliver fleet will easily carry over two million — tons next season. The Rockefeller interest is now credited with vessel capacity, either of its own or chartered, consid- erably in excess of 6,000,000 tons, Chicago grain rates dropped to 3% cents on corn this week with brisk chartering at the lower figure. Duluth is still firm at 434 cents on wheat to Buffalo. The coal rate, although strong, remains unchanged at $1, Buffalo to Lake Michigan points, and fifty cents to Lake Su- perior. There is no hope of a change in the latter rate, but some of the vesselmien-say that another advance in coal rat will be seer. soon. There is one thing to block this. The supply of coal has beeti shut off within the last few days and the shippers, who were hitherto well supplied, have beet without coal for several days, hence are taking no boats. The general rates from Buffalo are: Chicago, $1; Duliith, 60 cents; Milwaukee, $1; Racine, $1.10; Parry Sound, coti- tract} Sault, 85 cents; Lake Lindeii, 80 cents; Green Bay, $1; Menomiiiee, $i; Portage, 80 cents; Toledo, 50 cents; Sariiia, 7o cents. ‘The Black Diamond says: ‘‘The reports of a hard coal famine in the Northwest, as coming from Cleveland, are — absurd, and are started by ship owners who want the freight — rates on west-bound coal advanced. Up to now there have been 35,000 tons more anthracite received into Lake Su-— perior than all last season, and there are fifty days of navi-— gation still to come. Receipts of soft coal have been about 100,000 tons less than for all last year, but soft coal cuts no figure in the question of fuel. There will be a much larger tonnage of domestic fuel needed the coming year than last, on account of better times, and from the fact that docks were clear at the beginning of the season. higher cost of hard coal, wood will supply a large share of this. At Duluth and Mississippi sawmill firms are finding ready sales for all their refuse, even bark, at advanced — prices, and many thousands of men will be employed in cut- ting cordwood all winter.’’ The rates on lumber remain firm at $4.50, but itis aaa that a strenuous effort is being made to get the other half — dollar; after which the vessel owners have been striving. Most of the lumber fleet is either at the head of the lakes or in ports on Lake Erie trying to get unloaded, or are on the way back up the lakes after the last cargo of the season. The owners of these hookers are ‘‘bulling”’ the freights in — the hope of securing $5.00 for the last load. So far their effort has failed. rr ner TO FACILITATE SHIPMENTS. The Ann Arbor railroad has inaugurated a novel scheme at Menominee, Wis., for handling lumber shipments. A — loading dock has been built and some scows leased. ‘These scows,; are towed to any of the mills where lumber awaits © shipment over the route, loaded and retowed to the loading © dock, where it is put on cars. This plan is meeting with great satisfaction. It insures dispatch and affords shippers : advantages. SS DAM ACROSS NIAGARA. In speaking of the project to build a dam across Niagara : river to raise the level of Lake Erie and other bodies of water above it is pronounced impracticable by a prominent Buffalo vessel owner. Said he: “Tf the natural obstruction extending from Horseshoe reef to quite a distance in the river had not been removed there would be less trouble about the level of Lake Erie and adja- cent bodies of water. In order to raise the level of the lakes above Lake Erie it would be necessary to raise Lake Eri five or six feet and that would flood the territory aroun Buffalo, A dam in Niagara river is impracticable because the rush of water in the lock or locks that would have to built would be so great it could not be used. The natural obstruction should have been left and a lock built at Black Rock with a reasonable drop. That would have ken the level of the lake to a sufficient height, By reason of the ©