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ESTABLISHED 1878. H VOL. XXIII, No. ro. CLEVELAND---MARCH 8, 1900---CHICAGO. $2.00 Per Year. 5c. Single Copy LAKE CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION. To consider and take action upon all general questions relating to the navigation and carrying business of the Great Lakes, maintain necéssary shipping offices and in general to protect the common interests of Lake Car. riers, and improve the character of the service rendered to the public. PRESIDENT. W. C. FARRINGTON, Buffalo. 1ST VICE-PRESIDENT. Capt J. G. KEITH, Chicago. SECRETARY. CHARLES H. KEEP, 3 Buffalo. TREASURER. GEORGE P. McKay, Cleveland. COUNSEL. HARVEY D. GouULDER, Cleveland. EXECUTIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. JAMES CORRIGAN, Chairman, Cleveland), : COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION. Gisson lL Dovueras, Chairman, : Buffalo. COMMITTEE ON AIDS TO NAVIGATION. GEORGE P. McKay, Chairman, Cleveland. AN AMERICAN DREDGE IN RUSSIA. The successful trials of the powerful dredge, ‘‘Beta,’’ built for the Russian Government by the Societe Cockerill, of Seraing, Belgium, from plans drawn by Lindon W. Bates, of Chicago, have attracted the attention of the leading coun- tries of the world. Thecontract for this boat, made in 1897, demanded a capacity of 1,600 cubic yards an hour, witha premium of half the dredge’s cost if it should deliver 2,400 cubic yards an hour, which was beyond anything heretofore attempted. The ‘‘Beta’s’’ official trials have recorded a capacity of 7,800 cubic yards per hour. The first of these hydraulic dredge boats was built for the United States Government'in 1896 for use on the bars in the Mississippi river. It attracted the attention ofthe Belgian Government, which sent a committee of engineers to America to investigate the Bates system with reference to the availability of the machines for the proposed ‘‘Grand Compure”’ in the Scheldt below Antwerp. The commission reported minutely on the American dredges and advised their adoption for the Scheldt improvement. This report attracted the attention of the Russian authorities, who had been trying to find means to remove obstructions in the Volga for a long series of years, Mr. Bates’ report to Prince Hilkoff resulted in a contract to construct for the Russian Government, for the sum of $515,000, the largest and most powerful dredging machine in the world, to be self-pro- pelling by electric power, something unheard of in hydraulic dredging. So general was the interest in the official trial that, in addition to Prince Hilkoff and four Russian commissioners, there were present the German, French, Austrian and Turk- ish ambassadors, the Belgian ministers, commissions from Australia, India, Germany, France and the Argentine, and hundreds of engineers from all parts of Europe. Trains were run at reduced rates to accommodate the people eager to see the ‘‘American dredge,’’ and the Societe Cockerill for six weeks kept boats at Antwerp taking visitors up and down the Scheldt to the points of operation. The official trials demanded two things: First, that the dredge should, on a 2-foot cut, 1,000 feet in length, make an output of 1,500 cubic meters (52,974 cubic feet) per hour; second, that ina three-hours’ continuous run ina cut 3% feet deep, it should put out 3,000 cubic meters (105,948 cubic feet) per hour. The three-hour test was to prove the capacity for enduring work. The measurements were made at Antwerp in excavation. The official record states that the tests show an average capacity, ‘‘conservatively esti- mated,’’ of 7,000 cubic yards an hour. This by barge meas- urement gives about 8,400 cubic yards per hour as the aver- age. The maximum was at the rate of 10,350, both being one-third in excess of the highest official records attaitied on the Mississippi. Prof. V. E. Timonoff, Councilor of State and one of the commissioners sent down to accept the dredge, summarizes as follows : “According to’ contract, the dredge should excavate 3,000 cubic meters at a thickness of 3% feet, and 1,500 cubic meters at a thickness of 2 feet. Comparing these figures with the official report, we see that for a stratum of 3% feet the capacity proved to be 1.46 times’ more than contracted ; for a stratum of 2 feet, 3.77 times more than contracted for.”’ The government of Queensland, Australia, having diffi- culty with its harbors and a capital city which floods keep inundating, invited Mr. Bates to visit that city last winter. He has reported?on all the ports of the colony. His system. was adopted, and machinery to the value of $1,250,000 was decided upon, provided the Russian trials should prove the machines capable of fulfilling the contracts. As the result of the trials of the ‘‘Beta,’? Calcutta has closed an order for one dredge of the same type. Queens- land has. contracted! for three of 10,000 horse-power. Of these, one destined to combat the effects of floods is to be more powerful than the Volga machine, Russia has in con- templation several more, and other negotiations are pending which will carry this valuable invention to many countries of the globe. W. R. HoLLoway, St. Petersburg. Consul-General. or ior THE WORLD’S TONNAGE. y Steam Vessels Owned, according to Lloyd’s Register Book, Sailing Vessels 1899-1900. Owned, according Flag or to Lloyd's Register Nationality. Tons. BIC ae No. Net. Gross. No. Tons. BRITISH. Un’d Kingd’m} 6,920 |6,819,148 | 11,086 241 | 2,053|1,840,683 Colonies...... 917 | 380,626 633,006 | 1,108] 428,578 America, Un’d States of|* 605 | 512,572 759,750 |* 2,134/1,112,495 Austro-Hun’n 203 | 213,215 344,685 74| 35 729 Danish es. 360 | 236,705 403,339 436| 108,619 Dateh ers: 263, | 265,063 389, 253 118} 66,356 French....... 639 | 516,016 997,235 543| 244,856 German ...... 1,133 |I,216,521 | 1,946,732 543} 506,602 Ttalian sco 282 | 280,611 445,505 868] 430,286 Norwegian....| 779] 451,449 737,412 | 1,749] 956,818 Russian ....., 456| 245,751 392,985 762} 250,542 Spanish. ..... 438 | 345,661 537,840 263| 71,045 Swedish ...... 642 | 238,292 380,572 766| 225,419 *Excluding vessels trading on the Great Lakes. —<——— ee ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR MARCH. Astronomical data for March, 1900, furnished THE MARINE RECORD by the Washburn observatory: Mercury is an evening star and reaches greatest elonga_ tion east March 8, near which date it may be seen, on very clear evenings, soon after sunset, nearly above the west point of the horizon. Venus is the brilliant evening star, seen in the northwestern and western sky. Its brightness is incredsing at an accelerated rate. The orbital motion of the planet brings it nearer the earth. Mars has become morn- ing star but does not make much of an appearance yet, as it rises only a half-hour before the sun by March 31. Jupiter and Saturn are the bright morning planets, the former the most brilliant star in the morning sky. Jupiter reaches the meridian from 4 to6a. m. at considerable distance south, while Saturn follows in the southeastern sky and reaches the meridian about one hour anda half later and at nearly the same altitude. The times of sunrise and sunset for the month at Milwau- kee, are as follows: SUNRISE SUNSET. Mat Trea eee eae : ie. ye eren 6:28 5:38 ye eds esa as Be ees eR ere cy eo 6:11 55 eet Fah 2 Tisdale Vee goa ra eal as ee a nara 5154 6:05 Pasha te tie Aiea ERs Curie n teen drier oN PML EE RE 5:36 6:16, The times of the moon’s phases are : NEw MOOU Nees ir a Pea eater oes Mar, I, 5:25 a.m, © Hirst: Otlattery en veo oo ere te nes bears (9) B Sac, Gy 0 wc Full moon........ OAR he COE Sale Sees MR S16; - Oc losawimne Third @Quarterveie in. adele eae Sf 2a Sr 46s pate Ne WeTOOn winnie, nasa e vee Meerut 830). 32°300p: i, The principal fixed stars visible during the month in the | evening sky are: To the west, Capella, Aldebaran, the . Rass, Pieiades, Sirius, and the bright stars of the constellation © ie Orion. Near the meridian, Castor and Pollux and Procyon. To the east, Regulus. a a LICENSING MASTERS AND PILOTS. Ce Evidently the Canadian system of licensing masters and Soe pilots, or mates as they term the latter officer, isin just as - unsatisfactory a condition on that side of the border as it is “ote here. : In so far as the licensing of lake pilots is concerned, there ~ is a lack of uniformity in the examinations which the appli- cant undergoes before getting a license; there is also a good deal of personal arbitrariness evidenced regarding the grade of license to which a candidate is entitled, but, if the situa- tion in Canada is as the Collingwood Bulletin sets forth, the system over there is even worse than it is on this side of the lakes. The Bulletin says: ‘‘The laws respecting master and a mates should, we think, be amended. Under the present regulations, or at least in the manner in which they are en- j forced, there is no uniformity in conducting the examina- Pa tions. There isa traveling examiner who is paid by fees, i and as a consequence, the candidate is not required to seek { the examiner, for this official, it is said, is always seeking candidates. In this way almost any handy man around the forward end of a steamboat may secure papers without much trouble or expense. This state of affairs should be remedied and at once. Instead of having an officer traveling around urging all kinds of men to appear before him, a board of ex- aminers should be appointed to hold written examinations at stated places and at stated times. By this method only efficient men would be permitted to hold licenses on steam- boats carrying precious lives and valuable cargoes. These examiners should be paid adequate salaries and the incentive to rush candidates through be entirely removed.”’ Canadian officers should at least be the equals in technical efficiency of those piloting vessels owned in the United States. It is worthy of note to mark the language of the foregoing. The Canadian examiner urges the candidate to appear before him, while the United States examiner will, in some cases, grant an interview, but won’t appoint even a time for examination, or may condescend to say that several days, or perhaps weeks, ahead, leisure may be found to see what amount of technical knowledge the candidate may have acquired, and to rate him accordingly. The civil service rules insure local inspectors their positions, and as a consequence, some of them are becoming arrogant, also dictatorial in their bearing towards candidates seeking a voluntary examination so as to secure a license to act, to work, to ship ina capacity which they are capable of fulfilling, etc. Formerly the wishes of influential persons, vessel owners, managers and others, coupled with the exi- gencies of political changes, made the position of local steam- boat inspectors a rather insecure office to hang on to; all this is now changed and the other phase of the situation shines eminent. Even so, the day has not yet arrived when a United States local inspector of steamboats has to demean himself and minimize the importance of his office by urging “almost any handy man around the forward end of a steam- boat to secure papers,”’ hence, the American lake service is better administered than the Canadian.