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A large quantity of steel has been received this week at the West Bay City shipyard and work on the two large steamers will be rushed. The working force will be added > from day to day, and before the close of the present month the company will be employing between 700 and 800 men. Advices from Saginaw are to the effect that F. W. Wheeler of West Bay City, has purchased from Wickes Bros. their e steam yacht Catherine. The boat is 125 feet long. The urchaser, it \is said ,will cut the yacht in two and lengthen her several feet, fitting her up asa pleasure steamer. The purchase price is not given. Some ice is making in the rivers this week, and we have also had low water through the southwest weather, on the whole, it looks as if navigation would soon be over, despite ~ the wish of some owners to override their insurance limit, Owners may risk hulls but they don’t want to cover cargoes, d, just as an owner mentioned to mea day or two ago, it tion. . In connection with the new fire boat to be built here it is _ stated that the present boat is very serviceable, and the only _ fault found with her is in speed. Her formas an ice-crusher ‘prevents fast runs, but the ice crushing is as necessary as _ speed. Mr. Kirby will combine the two features in the new craft, and it is hoped to have an ice-crusher that can spin through the water as well, and it is confidently expected hat Detroit will have the best fire fighting floating machine _on the chain of lakes, Capt. D. A. Heath, of Saugatuck, has a plan for resuming _ navigation of the Kalamazoo river from Saugatuck to Alle- gan, a distance of about 50 miles. He says he can run steamers of light draft which will carry 60 tons of freight, besides passengers, if about $300 are expended in removing one sand bar a few miles below Allegan, and that he may _put on a daily line of boats between Allegan and Lake Mich- igan, next summer, if the people of Allagan are sufficiently _ interested to have the bar removed. It has about been decided by the Rutland line not to rebuild five of the Ogdensburg boats into passenger steam- rs, as planned earlier in the season, because the expense would be too great for the results to be gained. The latest “idea is to contract for a fleet of new, first-class passenger Steamers to be built in time for the season of 1gor and to Tun in connection with the present fleet, which will be re- tained as freight carriers. The route is still in question for the new vessels, but it will likely be on the route of the Rutland line at present. The blockade of the St. Clair Flats canal was lifted Wed- _hesday by getting the big tow barge Fritz out of the channel, and boats began passing in both directions. The wind, _ which had been blowing from the northwest all day, about sixteen miles an hour, subsided, and the water at the mouth of the Detroit river began to rise. The fleet of big carriers which has been held up started to move out. By evening _ there was seventeen feet six inches at Lime Kiln Crossing. By midnight it was expected that the entire down-bound fleet would be on Lake Erie. Many of the boats are char- tered for return cargoes of coal. - The United States Deep Waterways Commission was in session here on Tuesday preparinga preliminary report, _ asked for by the Secretary of War, requesting the commis- sioners’ recommendations as to the regulation of lake. levels and the effect thereon of the Chicago drainage canal and Other possible influences. The commission will perhaps ‘recommend that the levels be maintained by a dam or similar _ means at the foot of Lake Erie, so as to offset the waste at other points. The next best thing to do would be to enclose ach lake and then regulate the flow at Niagara. It now looks as if a canal style of navigation would about fit the lakes, or their connecting waters. _ Capt. Moses W. Humphrey, who took the steel steamer Porto Rico from the Craig Ship Building plant, at Toledo, _to her owners in New York City, returned home Saturday. ‘The trip was made without delays of any kind, and the Porto Rican Steamship Co., for whom the boat was built, _ were well pleased with the steamer. Capt. Humphrey is en- -thusiastic over the new Soulanges canal. The entire dis- tance of 14 miles of the new waterway was made by the Porto Rico in three hours and 15 minutes, three locks with a drop of 22% feet each being passed in 48 minutes. Every ock is worked by electrical power, and the captain says that ‘hot a single minute is wasted in getting vessels up or down. Capt. Humphrey says that the new canal is the finest engi- neering work that he ever saw. Lieut. Wm. Truxton, U. S. N., in charge of the naval Shipping office on Fort Street, is receiving 20 applicants a day, but only about one a day is accepted. The physical ect to pass it. The navy has been confronted by the need of men of the rank of ‘‘seamen.’’ ‘The restrictions for them are high. A man must have had four years’ sea service to be eligible, and it was decided to enlist a large body of men ith the rank of ‘‘landsmen’’ and train them up for seamen. No knowledge of the sea is required to be a landsman, only a fine physique. About 2,000 such recruits are wanted. They will be put on training ships. In a year it is thought that an American-born landsman can be drilled into a cap- able seaman. Only American-born men are accepted. eo oO oo Capt. GEORGE SKELDON, a well-known marine man, was Struck by a street car at Toledo, on Monday and died from the result of his injuries on Tuesday. examination is so rigid that a man must be practically per-. THE MARINE RECORD. CLEVELAND. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record: It is now certain that a larger fleet than usual will winter at this port. : The schooner Onward, sunk off Port Clinton harbor, is to be removed as soon as possible. Lieut. Russell, U. S. N., will open a naval shipping office at this port in the course of a few days, The former Menominee fleet, now owned by the National Steel Co., will go into winter quarters at this port. The Minnesota Steamship Co. will keep their boats run- ning as long as the ice will permit. Insurances on hulls and cargoes will not be looked for. A large portion of the tonnage owned by the Bessemer Steamship Co., will winter at Lorain, several of the fleet is to hold grain for winter storage at Buffalo, Quite a nnmber of Lake Michigan coal dealers visited here this week, among whom were Messrs. Uhrig, Buell, Reiss and Jones. Coal is more a commodity than ever this fall, "Capt. S. W. Gould, teacher of navigation and lake pilot- age rules, has opened his nautical academy for the winter. All of Capt. Gould’s students are successful in passing their examination. ; All river and harbor improvement work, new construction, etc., in this district, has been suspended for the season. A number of important contracts will be entered into to commence in the early spring. A short extension is being granted by insurance compan- ies on account of the steady open weather, but the rates are so high as to almost prohibit traffic, considering that freights are not remarkably good. Capt. J. P. Devney, Ashtabula, will build the hull of a fish tug this winter. The Harbor Ship Chandlery machine shop will build the engine and Connelly Bros., of this port, the Scotch type boiler. The steamer Zenith City will be the last boat to take coal to the head of the lakes. She will load Friday. The Escan- aba ore rate is unchanged -at $1, and a large number of ves- sels have been placed ahead at that figure. A local manager received the following dispatch from Smith, Davis & Co., Buffalo: ‘‘ondon cables there is partial market for trip risks on vessels sailing not later than December 7, at rates ranging from 1% to 1%; policies free of particular average absolutely. The steel steamer Yuma, of the Wilson Transit Co., to load coal at Sandusky for Milwaukee, was insured this week on a special extension trip policy for $100,000. Her ordinary insurance valuation is $130,000 and her owners will have to take a $30,000 risk on the trip. She will leave Sandusky, Thursday, and make the trip in less than three days. The insurance will cost her owners $1,000. The movement of ore from Escanaba is still heavy, and with favorable weather shipments will continue until the middle of the month, as vessels that are to load coal are under charter to bring ore back. The rate is unchanged at gr. There is some inquiry for vessels to load grain for Buf- falo. Twocents on corn is offered, and if owners can get insurance for the trip, some charters will be made. I ran across Mr. Jos. H. Kline this week, of the firm of the B. W. Housum Co., and he pressnted me with an Ar- mour’s souvenir calendar, one of the most elegant advertising publications of the season. Armour & Co. certainly do themselves credit with their Admiral Dewey naval pictorial calendar, and there is no better man in the city than Mr. Kline to call attention to the business aptitude, competency and efficiency, as well as all powerful resources to furnish a world’s supply of the Armour productions. Dr. William J. Pettus, surgeon in the United States marine hospital service, who is to take the place of Dr. Henry W. Wickes, who goes from this city to Glasgow, Scotland, has arrived in this city and will take up the work in the marine hospital, Dr. Pettus has been in the United States marine hospital service for many years. He is a native of Virginia and a graduate of the University of Virginia. The last place at which he served was at the Cape Charles quarantine station, with headquarters at Fort Monroe. He has been in most of the important stations throughout the country and has seen service on the Great Lakes at Buffalo, where he was stationed for several years. It is learned that the season rate on coal from Ohio ports to the head of Lake Superior for 1909 has been fixed at 50 cents. It is understood that the contracts were made by a shipper from the Pittsburgh district and a large shipper from the Hocking district, but the names of the vesselmen that took the coal has not been learned. The amount of coal covered by freight contracts at the rate named is placed at 300,000 tons. A large shipper said that he was sure that that much was covered. Some more figuring is being done. No chartering for Lake Michigan ports for next year has been done, but shippers to Milwaukee and other Lake Michigan ports will probably get in line before long. Capt. John Edwards, of the Cleveland and Buffalo line steamer City of Erie, figures on retiring from sailing after this season. Capt. Edwards has been on the lakes for the past forty-six years. When the Cleveland and Buffalo Transit Company was organized seven years ago, he started as master of the steamer State of Ohio. When the City of Buf- falo came out he wastransferred to that boat, and then when the City of Erie came out he was again transferred, always being given charge of the finest boat of the company. He has been one of the most careful navigators on the lakes. It is said he will spend next year abroad, going to Paris in 1900. All hands hope that Capt. John will have a good time in gay ‘‘ Paree,” and return safely to his old abiding places. = Cleveland fishermen are watching with anxiety a case which was decided Monday by Judge Wildman, of Norwalk, of the common pleas court, in which he declared as uncon- stitutional certain parts of the state game and fish laws. The fishermen of Sandusky, Port Clinton and Huron formed a combination for the purpose of testing the law in regard to the confiscation of nets set in water less than thirty-six feet _ deep, and also on the point of taxing nets and tugs. The decision rendered was in favor of the fishermen. It is now thought that the case will be carried to the supreme court. If a decision is rendered favoring the fishermen there, and declaring the law unconstitutional, an effort will be made locally to have all the taxes paid by the fishermen for their nets and tugs refunded to them. Tugs are taxed $40 and nets $3 per year. If the law is decided to be unconstitu- tional it will mean the refunding of several thousands of dollars to the local fishermen, as they have paid this tax for two years, though few nets have been confiscated. OO Oo OO FLOTSAM, JETSAM AND LAGAN. The Ann Arbor car ferries will run all winter to Menomi- nee, Wis. ; The five steamers of the Menominee line, which have been under charter for two years to the Canadian-Atlantic rail- road, are now being returned to their new owners. ‘The National Steel Co. The small schooner Commerce, with railroad ties, Cheboy- — gan, Mich., to Chicago, stranded at Waukegan on Tuesday. Assistance was immediately sent to her, but considerable loss is eertain to ensue. 3 The steamers Roumania and W. F. Sauber have been ordered into winter quarters at Milwaukee. The steamer Parks Foster will winter at South Chicago and the steamer Ira H. Owen will be laid up at Chicago. Capt. Thomas Donnelly of Kingston, inspector for the board of insurance underwriters, has just settled damage claims for three vessels, the Crescent City, at Midland, cargo of damaged grain; Steamer Princess Louise, burned at Lacolle, Que.; steamer Imperial, burned at Amherstburg. The Myles Transportation Co., limited, has received letters patent from the Ontario Government to carry on a naviga- tion and transportation business.on the lakes. The provis- ional directors are Richard and John T. Williamston of Niagara Falls, N. Y.; Chas. J. Myles, R. O. MacKay and © Mrs. Ellen Dillon, of Hamilton, Ont. All classes of tugmen in Chicago will be joined in a pro- tective association before the opening of navigation next spring, if the plans of the organizers are successful. A charter has already been obtained at Springfield, the official name being the Chicago Tugmen’s Protective Association. It will include all classes of tugmen, captains, firemen and deckhands. - One of the latest of the Canadian enterprises incidental to the effort on the part of that government to develop its inland marine interest, is the Myles Transportation Co., limited, which has been granted letters patent from the Ontario government, to carry on a navigation and transpor- | tation business on the lakes. The provisional directors are Richard and John T. Williamston of Niagara Falls, N. Y., Charles J. Myles, R. O. Mackay and Mrs. Ellen Dillon of Hamilton, Ont. 21,254,000 tons of Canadian commerce valued at $200,000, - ooo and 168,000,000 tons of Amierican commerce passed through the Sault canal in 1899. So a writer in Ainslee’s Magazine says. The same writer is also authority for the statement that 200,000,000 passengers patronized the various lake passenger routes during the pastsummer, After giving every man, women and child in the country their lake trips in one season, the writer informs us that the country as a whole is. comparatively unaware of the importauce of the Great Lakes. Wild figures and statistics are sometimes given regarding lake commerce and transportation. At a meeting of the board of ditectors of the Philadelphia Maritime Exchange, held on Monday, several: letters were read from local shippers asking the Exchange to do what it could to break up long barge tows. It was claimed by the writers that these tows have become a positive menace to shipping. The skippers of steamers and tugs have been of late increasing their tows until it is a common sight along the coast, and upon the Delaware River and Bay, to seea whole fleet of barges in tow of a single tug. This practice has been condemned by the captains of all sorts of vessels arriving in port, and they claim there should be a limit. A petition is being got out, that all down-bound barges in the ‘‘Soo”’ river be compelled to take tugs in the dangerous arts of the river. The great losses incurred from the sink- ing of the Douglass Houghton and the stranding of the steamers has led to this appeal to the War Department to protect its channel to Lake Superior. The losses from the detention of 140 vessels in the ‘‘Soo’’passage at the critical period when last trips count for so much, have led to the resolution to secure protection against similar accidents in the future. The rules of the road in the navigation of the ‘‘Soo”’ river have tended largely to decrease the danger from detention, but they do not meet fully the requirements. This has led to the demand for fuller requirements.