The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

% ” hl alle ek weet . THE MARINE RECORD. CHICAGO. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The fire boat Illinois patrols the river daily and breaks up the ice to prevent navigation on the river becoming impeded. The steamer Gladstone is in one of Miller Bros. docks re- ceiving a thorough re-calking all over. She has had her masts replaced by pole spars which have greatly improved her appearance. Capt. Paul Howell is superintending the work. Wickes Bros., Chicago, have issued a list containing illustrations. and descriptions of boiler and shipbuilders’ tools, such as heavy plate rolls, horizontal and vertical, punches and shears, flanging clamps, hydraulic flanging and riveting machines, etc. At the Chicago Ship Building Co’s yards the steamer J. C. Lockwood wasin dock for some general repairs and calking; the steamer George N. Orr had four plates taken off, re-rolled and re-placed, some frames straightened and new stern bear- ings ; the steamer Penobscot is receiving extensive bottom repairs. The Crosby Transportation Co. has’ decided to take off the boats which. heretofore have run between Grand Haven and Muskegon. The Naomi and Nyack have been making the run from Milwaukee to Grand Haven and Muskegon with- out interruption. During the winter they will run only as far as Grand Haven and from there to Muskegon the freight will be sent by rail. This is done in order to overcome the difficulties which are caused by ice. The report that a new line of steamers would be started between Grand Haven and Muskegon is said by the people in a position to know to be entirely without foundation. When the season opened here there was a hard coal famine, rates opened at 4o cents per ton from Lake Erie ports while only 30 cents was paid to the head of Lake Superior. The dock strike at Buffalo held shipments back and freight rates went gradually but steadily up to $1 to this port and Milwaukee during September and October, dropped to 75 cents in November towards the close of which month rates again went to $1 and the season closed at $1.25 with a shortage for the winter supply. The decrease in receipts of anthracite by lake was upward of 100,000 tons as compared with last season, so that there is likely to be a much greater shortage next spring than there was last, although all rail shipments have been nearly 400,000 tons more than last season and this will in a measure offset the lesser shipments by lake. When in Chicago recently, William J. Conners said: I have the support of all the large grain interests of Chicago and Duluth. The Montreal route will afford an all-water way to the sea, which can compete with the railroads be- cause of its cheapness. Montreal is 300 miles nearer Liverpool than is New York, a decided advantage. Besides the three elevators at Montreal, we expect to build an elevator of 1,500,000 bushels capacity at Port Colborne, Ont., sixteen miles from Buffalo, and through grain going to Montreal in large cargoes will be broken there. During the season just ended only a little more than 21,000,000 bushels of the vast amount of grain which came to Buffalo from the west by lake and rail was shipped east by the Erie canal. The great bulk of it went by rail. It may be that the labor troubles which Mr. Conners was involved in last season may prove a roorback, sort of a boomerang to the people, especially the grain scoopers and their leaders who tried to down W. J. by all means in their power. Looking at it from this end of the line it is easily seen that every extra bushel that goes through the Welland canal is so much less for the Buffalo scoopers to handle. Mr. Conners seems to be a fighter and one that will hit back every time, besides, he has the in- fluence and wherewith to do it. rrr oe SAGINAW. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. _ The green bass fishing tug Rob Roy is getting an entire re-build here. Carkin, Stickney & Cram have sold to Wickes Bros. Dredge No. 7 and scows, and one of their tugs. The tug Andrew Mclean has been hauled out at the ship yard and will receive a general overhauling. Chief Engineer Ben Burrows has arrived home for the win- ter, having just laid up the steamer V. Swain, at Manitowoc. Capt. Joseph Jones, for many years master of A, C. Mc- Lean’s tugs here, died Saturday, at St. Mary’s Hospital, of pneumonia. ° The Higginbottom gasoline engine for launch work, is - fast coming to the front, and a company will be organized to manufacture same here. Since Tuesday last, when the tug Brown was in commis- - sion, ice has formed to the extent of 7 inches, and horse racing between the bridges is the sport of the hour. ‘Louis Kreis, engineer, boat-owner and owner of Power Block Machine Shop, died Friday, from heart failure. Mr. Kreis was a great favorite with the engineers, and will be sadly missed. The following boats are wintered here: Steam barges W. P. Shaw, Maine, A. A. Turner, A. E. Shores, Pioneer. Tugs: Willie Brown, Andrew Mclean, Rob Roy, Robert Boyd, Dewey. Barges: Dorcus Pendell, B. B. Buckhout, H. W. Hoag, J. L. Croswaite, Exile, Katie Brainard, G. W. Wesley, Agnes, Monticello, and T. H. Cahoon. Steamers Josie and uA eAGa, 7 BUFFALO. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. ? The directors of the Great Northern Railway Co. have awarded the contract for the construction at Quebec of a million bushel elevator, at a cost of $250,000, to Chapman & Co., of Buffalo. : A rumor has been afloat here this week that Mr. Farring- ton, manager of the Great Northern Steamship Co , will be mentioned as a likely candidate for the. presidency of the Lake Carriers’ Association. There is no lack of presidential timber, but if Mr. Farrington accepted the distinction he Pd would add honor and dignity to the office, also marked capability. The Great Northern railway has awarded the contract to Messrs. Chapman & Co., of Buffalo, N. Y., for an elevator in connection with its terminals at a cost of about $250,000 and with a capacity of a million bushels. The Great North- ern will own the elevator, and it will be located quite near the custom-house, the site being given by the harbor com- missioners. Work will be pushed forward at once, and it is probable that the structure will be ready in time for the completion of the Great Northern’s connection with Parry Sound. ; Mr. Cuttle, manager of the Montreal Transportation Co., gives an emphatic denial to the report sent out from Kings- ton that the Conners syndicate had obtained an option upon his company’s business. Asked whether any negotiations had taken place with this object in view, Mr. Cuttle said he preferred not to answer either in the affirmative or negative. Further questioned as to whether the syndicate was likely to absorb the company’s business in the immediate future, Mr. Cuttle stated that an answer one way or the other would be premature. Whatever the indications at upper lake ports may be there is every probability that brisk chartering will be done on coal out of this port at the earliest opening of navigation. Buffalo bid up and kept advancing the rate of freight all last season and consequently forwarded nearly three million tons of coal, chiefly anthracite, and mostly shipped to Chicago— Milwaukee. There is little thought of chartering ahe:d and freight rates are certain to hold firm throughout the season on account of the large quantity of tonnage placed to carry iron ore. . Delegates from the Marine Engineers’ Pilots’, Firemen’s and Shipmasters’ Associations held a meeting this week in the office of Marine Surgeon Stoner, in the Postoffice building, with a view to drafting joint resolutions favoring the passage of a bill providing this port with a marine hospital. During the last few weeks this matter has been discussed freely in all the vessel offices in Buffalo. Repre- sentatives Alexander and Ryan are said to be doing their ut- most to have the bill for a marine hospital’at Buffalo passed at this session of Congress. The next general meeting of the Grain Shovelers’ Union, of Buffalo, will be held in St. Bridget’s annex on Louisiana street on Jan. 8, when the name of the man chosen by the scoopers’ sub-committee to take the grain unloading contract for next season will be announced. That was decided at a meeting held last Thursday evening by the delegates of the union. The meeting will be secret and nothing will be al- lowed to leak out until the matter is brought before the officials of the Lake Carriers’ Association. It is hinted, how- ever, that the rates for scooping will have to be increased over those of last season. The scoopers will be represented at the Lake Carriers’ meeting by President McMahon, Mr. Mahany and the party who is chosen for contractor. The season of navigation just passed opened on April 29th with the arrival of the steamer Wyoming and closed on Dec. 18th, with the arrival of thesteamer Venezuela. ‘The season just closed was a most fortunate one for underwriters. In the list of thirty-two total losses during the season, the vessels were almost without exception of a kind on which no insurance could be secured. In this matter of light losses the season was the most remarkable in the history of lake navigation, especially in view of, the high freights that prompted the chartering of a number of vessels after the expiration of insurance. The months of October and November, seldom pass without a couple of heavy storms, but last year there were not half dozen days during which navigation was interfered with by heavy weather. Buffalo Lodge No. 1, Ship Masters’ Association, has arranged their annual ball and reception for, February Ist, at the Ellicott Club. Itwill be in honor of the Grand Lodge, S. M. A. The committees are: 3 Entertainment — Captains Alexander Clark, E. C. May- tham, L. P. Goodale, Walter Robinson, Ed. F. Thorp, Harry Richardson, CharlesMcMillen, John B. Hall, M. Niland, John McCarty, John Perew, Parlane McFarlane, F. J. Mc- Cabe, Dan Coughlin. Floor—Captains F. D. Welcome, J. D. Green, George Stevenson, John Doohen, Ed. F. Thorpe, William Williams, Joseph Hulligan, J. H. Green. Recep- tion—Captains F. J. McCabe, William Dickson, James Gib- son, John Johnson, John McCarty, Charles H. Lewis, Par- lane McFarlane, Charles McCrea, George H. Clark, T. Rahill, J. H. Dissetto, James Edgecomb, Lyman Hunt, Joseph Hulligan, William Williams, Dennis Driscoll, E. M. Smith, William Fletcher, James Doyle, P. O’Neil. Senti- nels—Captains George Graham, W. S. Smith. Although not quite to the same extent as last winter, yet there is a large amount of vessel repair and overhauling work to be done at this port before the opening of naviga- tion. Manager Drake of the Inland Lloyds Vessel Register says that he is constantly invited to visit vessels‘and make suggestions looking towards repairs that will continue and in some instances raise the class of a portion of the ee He has already made trips to most of the Lake Erie ports for this purpose. Some vessel owners have the custom not only to consult him but to send him minute accounts of repairs made, all of which increase the chances of a better rating and also lightens hid survey work. It is found that a great many small owners are now on their feet again and will put their craft in good order. They made some money last season and expect to make some next. And for th reason they are willing to spend liberal sums of mon keeping up their floating property. Be Major Symons Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., in charge of this district in the conservancy and improvement of rivers and harbors and other important duties connected with his office is making a report for the government on a bill intro- duced in Congress by Senator McMillan providing for the reimbursement of the Lake Carriers’ Association for money spent in maintaining lights on the Great Lakes and con- necting waterways. A synopsis of the bill follows: “Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or so muc thereof as may be neccessary, be, and the same-hereby is appropriated out of any money in the Treasury, not othe wise appropriated, to be expended under fhe direction of the Secretary of the Treasury in reimbursing the Lake ote riers’ Association for money actually “expended for’ the lighting of such artificial channels of the Great Lakes and their connecting waters as have subsequently been lighted by the United States.’’ yi The range of carrying charges duriug the season just closed has been wholly without precedent. Early in the season rates were at the bottom, but later there was a sharp — upward turn. Lake rates on coal from Buffalo to Chicago’ opened at, 30 cents on April Ioth. On May the 5th the advance began and at the close $1.25 was paid. The rate to Duluth opened on April 26th at 30 cents and gradually ad- vanced to 75 cents, which rate was paid at the close. The ~ average rate on coal for the season to Chicago was 77.01 cents per ton; to Milwaukee 76.03 cents and to Duluth 24.3-5 cents. In 1898 the rates on coal to Chicago were 30.4-5 cents, to Milwaukee 27.1-5 cents and to Duluth 24.3-5 cents. | Accordingly there was a substantial doubling of rate in 1899. The averate daily rates of freight on iron ore during the” season of 1899 were as follows, compared with those of 1898: Escanaba to lower lake ports, 1899, 94 cents; 1898, 50.08 cents. Head of Lake Superior, 1899, $1.29.05; 1898, 61.0 cents. Marquette, 1899, $108.5; 1898, 59.8 cents. The aver- age daily wheat rates from Chicago to Buffalo in 1899 were ~ 2.7 cents; in 1898, 1.8 cents. Duluth to Buffalo, 1899, 3.6. — cents; 1898, 1.8 cents. ‘ “Tf the proposed Corliss dam will maintain a high water level in Lake Erie, Buffalo should favor its construction.’ Such are the quoted views of Capt. J. J. H. Brown, he further stated that ‘‘a big mistake has been made in remoy- ing the natural dam of the lake by blasting outa deeper — - channel in Niagara river. The current in the river is too strong, anyway, for anything but powerful boats. Witha deep ship lock at Black Rock harbor loaded vessels could go”. ~ up and down with safety, and whether the dam is built or not the rapids should be got around in this way. ‘‘There is no sense in a ship canal from the head of the river to the Tonawandas, for a great deal of the frontage between Squaw Island and the Tonawandas will be wanted for docks, and the water will have to be deepend, anyway. ‘The im- | provement of the waterway along the Niagara frontier isa live issue in Buffalo, for in that territory we must depend for water front sites for new*industries. We cannot move too quickly in this matter. Another live issue is the improve- ment of the Erie canal and its terminals. I hope the state will soon understand the necessity for owing, controlling and enlarging the docks at the terminals, and of making — such changes in the canal as will permit of larger boats being used on it.’’ i Oo “THR Government engineers say that adam raising the — waters of Lake Erie afew feet would raise the waters of . Lake St. Clair to about the same extent,’’ the Chicago Chronicle observes. ‘‘As Lake St. Clairis six feet higher ~ than Lake Erie, it would seem that the waters of Lake Erie would have to raise six feet before any effect would be pro- duced on the level of Lake St. Clair. Sucha change in the Lake Erie level would flood millions of acres of land and submerge miles and miles of dock linesin the harbors. — These considerations must affect the practicability of the — plans for the Lake Erie dams. But the question can be solved only by experiment.’’ oo or It is charged by the underwriters that the burning of the steamers R. J. Gordon and Ivanhoe off the Van Buren street pier Chicago on Sept. 28, was the result of a plot, and Eli ~ Dawson was arrested, accused of setting the fire. Dawson . was chief engineer of the boats. He waived preliminary examination before Judge Waterman, by whom the bench warrant had been issued, and was held to the grand jury in $5,000 bonds. Benjamin L. Newman, owner of the burned boats, was the surety. The burned boats were insured for $10,000 each. The underwriters claim that they were worth but $7,000. Mr. Newman says that both boats were rebuilt last spring at cost of more than the insurance. Both boats were inthe excursion business during the summer, as was the Hinda, should the charge be proved it will be a very ; serious matter for those concerned in the act of arson. Pa