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THE MARINE RECORD. ST. MARY’S FALLS CANALS. STATISTICAL REPORT OF COMMERCE PASSING THROUGH CANALS AT SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN AND ONTARIO, DURING SEASON OF 1899. * The following is the report relative to statistics of com- merce passing through the American and Canadian canals at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Ontario, during the season of 1899; The total freight traffic of 25,255,810 net tons shows an in- crease of 4,021,146 tons, or I9 per cent. over that for 1898; the total number of passengers was 49,082, an increase of 5,656 or 13 per cent. The open season of navigation covered a period of 7 months and 25 days, during which time the average monthly freight traffic was 3,224,146 tons. | The American canal passed 22,252,139 freight-tons, being an increase of 4,067,988 net tons over the year 1898, or 22 per cent; the number of passengers was 33,664, an increase of 6,106 or 22 per cent, as compared with 1898. The Canadian canal passed 3,003,671 freight tons, which was a decrease of 46,842 net tons, or 134 per cent; the num— ber of passengers was 15,418, a decrease of 450, or 3 per cent as compared with 1898. Of the total freight the American canal passed 88 per cent and 68 6-10 per cent of the total number of passengers; the Canadian canal 12 per cent and 31 4-10 per cent respec- tively. The total vessel passages through both canals amounted to 20,255 as against 17,761 for the year 1898, an increase of 2,494 or 14 per cent; the total lockages numbered 10,999 which is 1,466 more than in 1898, or an increase of 15 per cent. The United States canal was opened May 2 and closed Dec- ember 18,1899; season 231 days. The Canadian canal was opened April 26 and closed December 20, 1899; season 239 days. Ereight tonnage and passengers—The data relative to these items was compiled from reports made by vessel mas- ters when passing through the American and Canadian locks. Registered tonnage and vessel valuations.—The net regis- tered tonnage is given, and was obtained from vessel papers and blue books; Vessel valuations were obtained from managers of leading marine insurance companies and from Inland Lloyd’s. Freight rates.—The freight rates were compiled from quo- tations published in the MARINE RECORD and other papers, and from information received from shippers, owners and ‘carriers engaged in handling the several classes of lake com- merce. From the greater interest manifested by the many who furnished valuable data it is believed that the freight rates adopted are very close to the average rates for the en- ‘tire season’s business. . The freight rates given are for trans- portation and include cost of loading and unloading. Freight valuations.—The unit values used for the various items of freight were derived by taking the mean for the sea- ‘son of each monthly average as obtained from daily or weekly prices current. “The sources of the valuations given are as follows: Coal, quotations in Coal Trade Journal at Duluth and Superior; - STATISTICAL STATEMENT SHOWING EAST AND WEST BOUND COMMERCE PASSING CANALS AT SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN AND ONTARIO, FOR THE SEASON OF 1899. EAST BOUND. Items U.S. Canal/Can. Canal} Total Copper, net tons........ 115,643 4,447 120,090 Grain, bushels.......... 28,326,850} 1,628,585] 29,955,435 Building stone, net tons 38,863 200 39,063 Flour, barrels. .......... 6,112,633 999,584) 7,112,222 Iron Ore, net tons....... 13,653,225| -1,675,015| 15,328,240 Iron, Pig, net tons....... 22,235 1,240 23,475 Lumber, M feet BM..... 1,024,675 13,382] , 1,038,057 Silver Ore, net tons...... ASTER Manca eae 487 Wheat, bushels.......... 45,542,364] 12,854,971) 58,397,335 Gen’! Merch’dse, net tons 90,427 31,563 121,990 Passengers, number...... 15,350 8,435 23,785 \ ee Occ aan WEST BOUND. Coal, Hard, net tons..... 732,213 109,068 841,281 Coal, Soft, net tons...... 543,397 556,209] 3,099,666 Flour, barrels........... 375 1,550 1,925 Grain, bushels.......... 15,000 30,500 45,500 -- Manf’td Iron, net tons... 187,783 Ney IQI,IIO Peis OAM DATION icles os cies > 271,569 44,767 316,336 _ Gen’l Merch’dse, net tons} 418,908 46,586] 465,494 -. Passengers, number,..... 18,314 6,983 25,207 East Bound, net tons.-..| 18,338,253) 2,281,281] 20,619,534 West Bound, net tons..../ 3,913,886 722,390| 4,636,276 Total Freight, net tons. .| 22,252,439] 3,003,671] 25,255,41u Vessel Passages, number 16,480 3,775 20,255 Reg’d Tonnage, net tons | 19,021,489] 2,936,858) 21,958,347 \ vee Novtr.—In addition to above traffic 13,000 cords pulp wood and 2,000,000 feet pine logs passed over the rapids, bound _ for lower lake ports. 9 ~ _ _ * Other important tables in relation to the canal trafficare held over _ forour next issue. cereals, Daily Commercial Record, published by Duluth board of trade; flour, daily quotations in Duluth, Superior and Minneapolis journals; iron ore and pig iron, weekly quotations in lron Trade Review, MARINE RECORD and other sources; salt, quotations at Lake Superior ports; copper, gen- eral merchandise. luinb-r, building stone and manufactured iron, quotations by the principal shippers, owners and car- riers. To quotations given at point of shipment freight rates are added to lake ports of destination. American vessels carried 96.9 per cent of the total freight and 46 per cent of the total passengers. Canadian vessels carried 3.1 per cent. of the total freight and 54 per cent of the total passengers. Unregistered American craft carred 29,659 tons of freight in 324 passages, or an average of 91 1080-2000 tons per pas- sage. Unregistered Canadian craft carried 1,627 tons of freight in 42 passages, or an average of 38 1476-2000 tons per pass- age. Of the 20,255 passages for the season, 4,212 were by 88 vessels under 100 tons register, or an average of 32 tons each. The total freight carried by such amounted to 7,551 tons. Statistical summary of lake commerce through canals at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Ontario, for season of 1899: Wotalmple-tonss. Veet os toe ae a 20,891,944,628 Total freight carried, net tons............... 25,255,310 Total valuation placed on freight carried.... $281,364,750 Average value per ton of freight carried..... $11.14 Total amount paid for freight transportation $21,959,707.25 Average distance freight was carried, miles. . 827.2 Cost per mile per ton, mills................. 1,05 Average cost per ton for freight transportation $0.87 Total number registered vessels using canals 832 Total number of passages by unregistered Craft carrying freight. f.. ine as 366 Time American lock was operated, days..... 231 Time Canadian lock was operated, days...... 239 Total valuation placed on registered vessels. . $68, 370,120 Total number of passengers transported...... 49,082 Freights carried by— Registered vessels, tons... ......0.06 02s e0e ee. 25,224,524 Unregistered vessels, tons............4..0-55 31,286 American vessels, per cent..........055.---- 96.9 » Canadian vessels, per cent............-. 044. wai Passengers carried by— American vessels, per cent.............-.... 46 Canadian vessels, per cent..........-...%... -54 Classification of vessels based on largest single cargo car- ried by each boat when same exceeded 2,000 tons, ar- ranged in successive graduations of: each thousand tons. Vessels. Maximum tonnage for one trip. No Class. Aggregate. Average. 74 Steamers... )....... 185,840 2,511 I14 SOR tp aren ee. 388,030 3,404 13 SSSA eat ece nae a 58,825 4,525 19 beh ube pata ou ANS ran 102,981 5,420 18 heey RACAL TT oe 115,618 6,423 Io Ca ate ates 73,853 7,385 I eset tiga seep 8,215 8,215 BS AS AUS eines urs clone eats 80,813 2,309) 25 Lae erate yea 3 88,797 3,552 9 SS a NEG Ae 40,009 4,445 13 Sie Medan mb hatiy sceesenteo 75,269 5,790 9 SSE NC peated ane te Sy 57,637 6,404 4 Oe SdeRe ned en oes ates 32,716 8,179 The above table shows that 344 different vessels in a single trip of each carried a total of 1,308,603 net tons. The maximum traffic for a single day was on August 7, when 207,962 freight tons were passed by 154 vessels, whose registered tonnage amounted to 156,119. The minimum traffic for a single day was on December 20, when g freight tons were passed by 5 vessels, whose regis- tered tonnage amounted to 148. TABLE SHOWING CLASSIFICATION OF REGISTERED VESSELS AS TO LENGTH AND BEAM OVER ALL. Number of Length, Beam, Vessels. between. between. Wolo lp Bearer ete —.and roo feet. 7 and 29 feet. BBQM ET sissies too and 200 feet. 20 and 37 feet. PCy] f eeu eat 200 and 300 feet. 29 and 45 feet. T26 ee es 300 and 4o0 feet. 38 and 49 feet. AL ees 400 and 500 feet. 47 and 52 feet. The depth of water in channels permitted a safe draft of about 18 feet during the season. The records show that vessels consumed 20,486 hours and 46 minutes in canal, or an average of I hour, 14 minutes and 35 seconds, which includes time waiting for lockage and. passage through canal and locks. Other delays at canal, which included taking on supplies, waiting for daylight or favorable weather, amounted to 17,773 hours and 40 minutes. The railway swing bridge across the canal has not delayed the passage of vessels in a single instance, but the total delays to trains amounted to 4 hours and 40 minutes by pass- ing boats temporarily preventing the closing of the bridge. FEBRUARY I5, 1900. The canal postoffice handled 97,378 pieces of mail during the season, consisting of 86,097 letters, 5,039 postals, 5,7 newspapers and 467 parcels. In addition to this, 877 piec were returned to the city postoffice after being held 30 da: uncalled for, and 1,372 pieces were forwarded to ne addresses. This shows an increase over the previous year 0 16,849 pieces of mail. TABLE SHOWING MAXIMUM RECORDS MADE BY VESSELS — DURING THIS SEASON. rs Name of Vessel. Maximum Amount. Owners Steamer { Single cargo, : Malietoa..... ... POTS ot as 8,215 |Minnesota S.S.Co, — Barge Single cargo, : John Smeaton... tons. 3 ess. 8,339 |Bessemer S. S. Co. Steamer Freight car- i ; Presque Isle..... tied, tons.... 187,816 |Cleveland Cliffs Iron Steamer s ee Andr’w Carnegie| Milesrun....... 42,027 |Wilson Transit Co Steamer fe ; H. W. Oliver..... Mile-tons........ 141,475,588 | Wilson Transit Co. i Oo Oe SHIPPING AND MARINE JUDICIAL DECISIONS. (COLLABORATED SPECIALLY FOR THE MARINE RECORD). Seamen—Wages—Computation of Time,—Seamen whose ; terms of service end at the same hour of the day at which they commenced work are not entitled to payment of wages — both for the day on which they commence and that on which — they completed their service. The Carrier Dove, 98 Fed Rep. (U. S.) 313. i Demurrage.—Where, after a cargo was loaded, the master — refused to-sign the bill of lading presented by the charterer, on the ground that it was incorrect, but, after several days’ ~ delay, altered, and signed the same, the charterer cannot be charged with demurrage for the time so taken. The Assyria, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 316. . Work on Sundays.—Seamen who are required to work — on Sunday in discharging the vessel because the port is open and without facilities, and the work can only be donein ~ calm weather, are entitled to extra pay; such work not being required because of peril to the ship, but to save possible ~ expense incident to delays. The Carrier. Dove, 98 Fed. Rep. — (U. S.) 313. ee Computation of Lay Days.—Where a charter party pro-— vided that a cargo of lumber should be loaded by the char-— terer, and should be ‘‘furnished”’ at the average rate of 50,- — ooo superficial feet per running day, the lay days for loading ~ are to be computed on the amount actually loaded, and not © upon the amount delivered to the vessel for loading, a part — of which was not actually loaded. The Assyria, 98 Fed. — Rep. (U. S.) 316. Oe Shipping—Construction of Charter Party—Commence- — ment of Lay Days.—The object of providing in a charter — party for one clear day after notice of the readiness of the © vessel to receive cargo before the lay days shall commence — is to allow the charterer such time for preparation, and, un- — less made so by the terms of the charter or custom of the — port, Sunday is not to be counted, the lay days do not com- mete until Tuesday. The Assyria, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 316, Salvage—Amount of Award—Review on Appeal.—Under section 11, Act March 3, 1891, creating the circuit courts of © appeals, such courts are governed, in reviewing decrees in — admiralty, by the provisions of law then in force and appli- — cable to such review by the supreme court; and under Act Feb. 16, 1875 (18 Stat. c. 77), restricting such review to mat- ters of law, a decree for salvage services cannot be altered, © for the reason that the amount awarded is excessive, unless — the excess is so great that upon any reasonable review of the — facts found, the award cannot be justified by the rules of law _ applicable to the case. The Trefusis, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) — 314. Fight Between Passengers—Where two passengers on de- fendant’s boat engaged in a quarrel over a game of cards, which ultimately resulted in a shooting which injured plain- — tiff, an innocent third party, evidence that the game was for money, and that gambling was prohibited on the boat by. defendant’s rules, was not admissible, though the captain may have had knowledge that the rule was being violated, as it could not be said that the shooting was a necessary or probable result of the gambling. Tall vs. Baltimore Steam Packet Co., 44 At. Rep. (Md.) 1007. Injury of Passenger by Assault of Fellow Passenger.— Where two passengers of defendant’s boat engaged in a quar- rel while the captain was in the same room, and one of them withdrew from the room, and there was no reasonable ground to believe that he would return to use a deadly weapon, and he did return with a pistol, and attacked his adversary, and the captain, on being apprised of the resump- tion of the difficulty, immediately interposed, before a blow was struck, and did all in his power to stop the difficulty, — but the pistol was fired and injured another passenger, de- — fendant was not liable for such injury, since a carrier does not insure the absolute safety of a passenger against assaults of a fellow passenger, but is only required to use all availa- ble means to prevent such injury. Tall vs. Baltimore Steam Packet Co., 44 At. Rep. (Md.) 1007. ee eS