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} OVEMBER 9, 1899. SHIPPING SEAMEN. The laws regarding the shipping of seamen at ports in the United States very nearly conform with those of the United ' Kingdom, and in this connection we reproduce the following from the Shipping World, London: _ “The engagement of seamen, by Section 111 of the Mer- chant Shipping Act, 1894, provides that: (1) ‘A person shall ot engage or supply a seaman or apprentice to be entered on board any ship in the United Kingdom unless that person holds a license from the Board of Trade for the purpose, or is the owner, or master, or mate of the ship, or is bona fide the servant and in the constant employment of the owner, orisasuperintendent. (2) A person shall not employ for e purpose of engaging or supplying a seaman or apprentice to be entered on board any ship in the United Kingdom any person, unless that person either holds a license from the oard of Trade for the purpose, or is the owner or master or ‘mate of the ship, or is bona fide the servant and in the con- - stant employment of the owner, or isa superintendent. (3) A person shall not receive or accept to be entered on board any ship any seaman or apprentice, if that person knows that the seaman or apprentice has been engaged or supplied in contravention of this section.’ In this case informations were preferred against the shore manager of a steamship company for illegally engaging two men as part of the crew of the vessel. On behalf of the prosecution, it was alleged that the two men in question were mere dock laborers, and had been brought from Hull to Liverpool, where the defend- ant met and took charge of them, and directed them on board a tender, whence they were taken on board one of the com- _ pany’s steamships and shipped as seamen, and it was ‘con- _ tended that the object of the statute was not only to protect _ seamen from crimps, but also to secure that only persons qualified as seamen should be sent to sea. The two men gave evidence that they were dock laborers and not seamen. _ The magistrate thereupon dismissed the summons, holding that the Act did not apply to persons who were not seamen or apprentices, and allowed costs. Looking at the legal as- pect of this decision, many will regret that notice of appeal does not appear to have been given. We assume that the _ two men were not rated as A.B.’s, for four years’ sea service is necessary to entitle to this rating. For the rating of fire- men, or trimmers, or general servants, no previous sea ser- vice is necessary. It would appear from the decision that a man rated in any of the latter capacities going to sea for the first time could not be deemed a seaman. But surely these two dock laborers after engagement were entitled to be de- Signated seamen, since the Merchant Shipping Act (Section ~ 742) defines ‘a seaman’ as including ‘every person (except masters, pilots, and apprentices duly indentured or regis- tered) employed or engaged in any capacity on board any ship.’ It is therefore quite clear that once engaged on the articles of agreement, every person, with the exceptions set law, whatever his previous occupation may have been.”’ The question of the rightful shipping of seamen has been brought up on the lakes several times this season, and it would be well if the Lake Carriers’ Association would take this matter up directly with the Secretary of the Treasury, through the Commissioner of Navigation, so that no future complications like the foregoing may, or could possibly occur. LETTERS AT DETROIT MARINE POST OFFICE. NOVEMBER 8th, 1899. - To get any of these letters, addressees or their authorized agents will apply at the general delivery window or write to the postmaster at Detroit, calling for ‘‘advertised’’ matter, giving the date of this list and paying one cent. Advertised matter is previously held one week awaiting delivery. It is held two weeks before it goes to the Dead Letter Office at Washington, D. C. - Awalt, Frank, Str. J. Owen McGowan, Elizabeth Beldin, Wm. McMichael, Jas., Str. Armour Burdie, Mrs. W., Str. Thomas Naden, Thomas Brechtle, H. C. Parkhurst, Mrs. A. Brown, Richard St. Helaire, Louis, Str. Re- Butlin, Walter public _ Buchanan, Jas. Schulz, Adolph, Str. Lacka- Clark, Wm. R.,Str.O0.T.Flint wanna De Forest, Ray Shipley, Harry Walton _ Downs,Harry C., Str. Wathma Shackett, Wm. T, _ Daily, Edward, Str. Ramapo Scott, John N. _ Farley, Ted Schinsky, Stub Gorham, Louis, Bge. Tomsey Swartout, Nelson D., Str. Harris, James Aragon : _ Hall, Robert Sutherland, Miss Rena, Str. Jackson, J. T. Singapore Le Roy, L. A., Blk. Rock Trushel, Ed., Str. Nicholas Millard, Capt. W. L., Str. Thompson, Addie _ Voges White, Wm. ‘Maloney, John, 2, Str. Victory Ward, Thos. H. Moore, Fred, Str. Chisholm Wilkinson, J. D. Moore, C. O., Str. Salvor Ward, John ~McDougall, Lizzie a oe HE production of steaming coal in the colony of Natal, mith Africa, has risen, according to a recent return, from 25,609 tons in 1889 to 387,811 tons in 1898. This represents avast increase in the commercial value of that colony to Great Britain. THE MARINE RECORD. out in the section, is ‘a seaman’ within the meaning of the ~ AN IMPROVED DREDGE. A dredging machine has been invented in Russia that is regarded as likely to effect a revolution in methods of deep- ening harbors and waterways. Consul General Lincoln, of Antwerp, ina communication to the State Departmert at Washington, describes the machine. : The dredge is electrically self-propelling and controllable, the electric installation of each half consisting of a fore and aft triple-expansion engine. The propulsion of the dredge is accomplished entirely by screws driven by electric motors, all other movements being effected by the direct use of steam. The fundamental idea in the installation of the electrical equipment, as indeed of all the machinery, has been that the directing mind in the operating room should have close at hand and always ready for instant use the means to start, stop or modify all the movements of the great machine. To this end the means of absolutely controlling the entire elec- trical apparatus is placed back of and to the right and left of the operator in the form of switches, rheostats, controllers and compensators. Consul General Lincoln says: “All parts of the dredge were subjected to searching trials prior to the departure of the plant for St. Petersburg. One set of tests for one-half of the dredge was conducted at Drygoten, Belgium, on a testing ground provided by the Belgian government in a basin of about 4o acres. Theother was conducted at Steendrop, on a bar in the river Scheldt about ten miles above Antwerp. ‘Unofficial trial No. 1 at Drygoten was for the purpose of ascertaining the precision with which a given stratum could, be taken, and it was found possible by raising and lowering the cutters to take a stratum of thickness up to seven feet. The dredge advanced at a speed proportioned to the depth of the cut, fast for a shallow excavation, more slowly for a deep one.’ Other trials were made with astonishing re- sults. ————— a Sa NOTES. WitTH acapital of $1,000,000 the Sub-Surface Torpedo Boat Co. was incorporated at Trenton, N. J.,on Saturday. The purpose of the company is to construct submarine torpedo boats. The incorporation papers do not state where the works of the company will be located. The incorporators are Wm. McAdoo, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Cc. A. Burgher, Wm. Barbour, H. T. Toley, Chas. D. Halsey and Wm. Williams. THE custom house report at Conneaut, O., for October shows ore receipts to have been 346,740 tons, an increase over the same month last year of 159,500; ore receipts for the entire season to November I, were 2,038,070 tons. Coal shipments for October were 5,370. Nine hundred tons of coke were also shipped. Conneaut is the Lake Erie port of the Carnegie interests and has a railroad direct to the fur- naces at Pittsburg, also other facilities. THE Board of Engineers on the deep waterway project from the lakes to the coast is preparing material for a pre- liminary report which will present estimates on the work of damming the eastern end of Lake. Erie, in order to main- tain a continuous depth in the connecting waters between ake Erie and Lake Huron. Some parts of the waterway have already been artificially deepened, but a strong west- erly wind drives the water back and this feature is found to be the most difficult one to allow for. It is more than likely that the first set of works will call for others at various points so as to compensate for the surface action of winds. THE great practical result of the labors of the Peace Con- ference at The Hague has been the establishment of arbitra- tion, as a means of settling disputes between civilized peoples, upon a firm basis of international understanding and agree- ment, not only as to the principle, but in considerable meas- ure as to the details of procedure in indivual cases. In the November number of the North American Review two of the most distinguished members of the Conference, F. de Martens and Seth Low, explain, from the points of view occupied by the nations which they represented respectively, Russia and the United States, the precise conclusions arrived at by the Conference, and the influences and considerations which de- termined the delegates in their adoption of the specific pro- vision asto the international arbitration contained in the Convention finally signed by the plenipotentiaries of the sev- eral powers. M. de Martens has absolutely unrivalled qual- ifications for writing on this subject, as he has been several times chosen to arbitrate the disputes of civilized nations, and has received the complimentary title of ‘‘Lord Chief Justice of Christendom.” 1) es NOTICE TO MARINERS. | UNITED STATES OF AMERICA—NORTHERN RIVERS—MICHIGAN, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, LAKES AND OFFICE OF THE LiGHT-Housk BOARD, } “WASHINGTON, D. C., Nov. 8) 1899. J ~ PRESQUE ISLE HARBOR RANGE REAR LIGHT STATION. —wNotice is hereby given that the fixed white lens-lantern — light at this station has been arranged to show into the bay to the westward of Presque Isle light. On entering the bay the light should be kept between the bearings S. by E. % E. and S.E. 5S. till Presque Isle light bears N.E. by E. ¥% E., when good anchorage will be found in from 6 to 7 fathoms of water. As the bottom is rocky it will not be advisable for large vessels to go in farther, but small craft can go with safety ~ inside the anchorage indicated. Bearings are true. ERIE RANGE LIGHT STATION. = Notice is hereby given that a fixed white lens-lantern light, upon a temporary support, is about to be temporarily — = substituted for the sixth-order fixed white light on the inner end of the north pier at the entrance to Presq’ile Bay (Erie harbor), while the structure from which the regular light is shown is moved off the range line to permit repairs to the pier. The work of repair will probably require not more than ten days, and when completed the six-order light will be re- ~ ue established in its former position without further notice. — By order of the Light-House Board, FRANCIS J. HIGGINSON, Rear Admiral, U. S. Navy, Chairman. OFFICE OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE INSPECTOR, 9TH DIs?., CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 3rd., 1899. KENOSHA PIERHEAD (FRONT) RANGE, WISCONSIN.—No- tice is hereby given that the Kenosha Pierhead (front) range light at the entrance to the harbor of Kenosha, Wis., | LicHt-HovusE cron, ota Dist | reported as having been carried away on November 2, 1899, . me was re-established November 4, 1899. Sr. JosePH HARBOR, MICHIGAN.—Notice is hereby given that the red can buoy at the entrance to the harbor of St. Joseph, Michigan, will be replaced by a spar buoy similarly painted, on or after November 2gth, 1899. PoInt BETSEY LIGHT STATION, MICHIGAN.—Notice is hereby given that the tower and dwelling of the Point Betsey Light Station, Lake Michigan, have been painted white, roof of dwelling, red. ‘ This notice affects the List of Lights and Fog-Signals, Northern Lakes and River, 1899, page 78, No. 402, and the List of Beacons and buoys, Northern Lakes and Rivers, 1899, page 112. : By order of the Light-House Board : t F. M. Symonps, Commander, U.S. N., _ - Inspector 9th Light-House Dist. — oo oO oo SUN’S AMPLITUDES. The following approximate amplitudes of the Sun’s rising will be given each week in this column during the season of navigation. A second bearing may be taken by compass at sunset, by reversing the east bearing given for the nearest _ latitude, as the change in declination for a few hours makes but a slight difference in the true bearing of the Sun’s set- ting. The bearing may be taken when the Sun’s center is on the horizon, rising or setting. The three elements which may be obtained by taking these amplitudes are the quanti- ties known as local attraction, variation and deviation. LAKE ERIE AND S. END LAKE MICHIGAN, LAT. 42° N. Sunrise. Amplitudes. Bearing P’ts. Bearing Comp. Nov. 9.62 s0+> B:23° SS. = S.6° BO = “Rise B: INOye Ia soe E.24°S. = S.5KE. = E. SOE. 4S, NOVs 165.603: E. 26°S: = S.5% EK. =~ E.S.E. #%S. LAKE ONTARIO, S. END HURON AND CENTRAL PORTION ea LAKE MICHIGAN, LAT. 44° N. Sunrise. Amplitudes. Bearing P’ts, Bearing Comp. Nor. Qa nee B2°S. = Si 54H. =H: SHES: INOW TS ccvecds B.25°S. = S.54%E. = E.S.E. XS. Nove 10s.ces- BE.27°S. = S.54E. = E.S.E. KS. N. END LAKES HURON AND MICHIGAN, LAT. 46° N. unrise. Amplitudes. Bearing P’ts. Bearing Comp. ee Oye cess Ee 24° Ss. = S54 E. = _ E£.S.E. ¥S. NOV Tate E.26°S. = S.5% EH. = E.S.E. KS. NOV slOcc ese: E.28°S. = S.5%E. = ES. E. MS. LAKE SUPERIOR, LAT. 48° N. : Sunrise. Amplitudes. Bearing P’ts. ; Bearing Comp INGV.c "Gv esses = BH, 25°S, = S54 BE. SU BeSrke es Nove Es: c58 oe E.27°S. = S.5%E. = E, SE. % Si NOV. 160. oc oe B.29°S. = S.5%E. = E.S.E. %S. With a compass correct magnetic, the difference between ..- the observed and true bearing or amplitude will be the vari- ation for the locality. Should there be any deviation on the _ et course the vessel is heading at the time of taking the bear- ing, the difference between the observed and the true ampli- tude after the variation is applied will be the amount of de- _ viation on that course. If the correct magnetic bearing is to the right of the compass bearing, the deviation is easterly, if to the left, the deviation is westerly. :