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THE MARINE RECORD. MARCH I5, Igoo. Chicago Pautical School 1513 Masonic Temple, CHICAGO. Ww. J. WILSON, (ate Lieutenant U. S. Navy), Principal. A full aud complete course of instruction in lake and ocean navigation. Also special branches taught those desiring to qualify themselves for better positions in the marine setvice. $200 in prizes (Great Lakes Regis- ter) awarded annually to students. Students taught by correspondence. Students may begin at any time. Send for circular. 5S OF WAR SHIPS IN THE GREAT LAKES. (BDITORIAL NAUTICAL GAZETTE. ) War ships built and operated upon the Great Lakes may be a near possibility, according to a report sent to Congress by the Secretary of State. Though Mr. Hay carefully avoids any prediction, his report has a tenor that is unmistakable. He has written in answer to a letter from Senator McMillan, of Michigan, who was pushing the bill for the replacement of the old steamer Michigan by a new and up-to-date cruiser. This was a year ago, and the naval reserves of Illinois, Mich- igan and other states were anxious to hear the result of this investigation. The Rush-Bagot treaty of 1817 has all along been the obstacle to the construction of ships of war on the lakes, and also caused trouble about the transfer of armed revenue cutters through the rivers and canals bordering Canada during the late war. Secretary Hay says that the history of the negotiations which led up to the Rush-Bagot treaty was sent to Congress by Preseident Harrison, in December, 1892. His report to- day tells about the creation of the high joint commission and the bearing this commission has upon the present prob- lem. Secretary Hay says: “An arrangement was reached between the governments of Great Britain and the United States on May 30, 1898, for the creation of a high joint commission to which should be referred for settlement various pending questions between the United States and Canada, among which was a revision of the agreement of 1817 respecting naval vessels on the lakes. ‘Instructions given to the American commissioners on the subject referred to respecting the view of the govern- ment of the United States were that it was desirable to secure a declaration or recognition that it was not contrary to the true spirit and interest of the arrrngement of 1817 to build _ vessels of war on the Great Lakes or in its ports, provided they were not to be used or maintained upon those lakes. It was held that the evident meaning of the arrangement, espe- cially when received in the light of the correspondence lead- _ing up to it, was that only such named vessels as described should thenceforth be maintained in these waters. “In 1817 the Great Lakes were independent inland wa-. ters. Lake Ontario was shut up by the rapids of the St. Lawrence river and Niagara; the lakes above Lake Erie were shut in by the rapids of the St. Clair river, and Lake Super- ior in turn.was separated by the rapids of Sault Ste. Marie. There was no navigable connection between them and the ocean. “Under such circumstances, to build and,arm vessels on the lakes meant to maintain them there, and to use them for no other purpose than as part of the permanent arrange- ment. The language of the treaty, therefore, was not im- proper at the time to convey the idea intended. Moreover, at the time of making the arrangement the region of the Great Lakes was in a large measure an uninhabited wilder- ness. To-day the lakes are highways for enormons traffic and their ports are great centers of manufacture and indus- try, oe afford to the United States facilities not dreamed of in 1817. ‘These lake have among other things peculiar advantages for the construction of certain classes of war vessels, and, their facilties in this repect are capable of large extension and development, which in the future may be of inestimable value to the United States. For these reasons the Govern- ment regards it as entirely consonant with the spirit of the arrangement of 1817 to use those naval facilities, and to do so upon a full understanding with Great Britain that its build- ing of war vessels on the lakes is in no way hostile to the arrangement or intended to increase the permanent arma- ment to be maintained there. “The American members of the commission were there- _ fore instructed to secure some arrangement whereby under _ proper conditions such vessel should be constructed and passed through the Canadian canals to the ports of the United States on the Atlantic Ocean. “Tt was likewise held that a proper construction of the _ treaty did not prohibit the maintenance on the lakes, of ves- sels properly equipped for the purpose of training seamen Controlled by from 80 to 365 days and nights without atten- tion, and can be seen a distance of six miles, ) Pintsch Gas Lighted Buoys. Adopted by the English, German, French, Russian, Italian, and United States Light-House Departments for channel and harbor lighting. Over 800 gas buoys and gas beacons in service. Capt. Samuel W. Gould, 265 MARCY AVE., CLEVELAND. a Burn Gives instructions in Ocean _ Co ntinuously Navigation and prepares candidates for the examina- tions for Master and Pilots’ Licenses, before the Local Steamboat Inspectors. st —TAKE— Wade Park or Payne Ave. Car. THE SAFETY GAR HEATING AND LIGHTING Co. {60 Broadway, New York City. and reserves in the middle states, and that the employment of a proper training ship is not necessarily hostile to the spirit of the treaty, and should be so declared. It is under- stood that some satisfactory progress was made toward the attainment of these ends, but the labors of the commissioners have been suspended without reaching a definite result.”’ orl STEAMBOAT INSPECTION RULES. No. supervising inspector shall make his annual rep ort public until after the same has been presented to the Board of Supervising Inspectors, as fequired by section 4410, Re- vised Statutes; and, further, that no local board, or the clerk thereof, shall make public any report without the consent of their supervisiug inspector or that of the Supervising In- spector-General. LOCAL, INSPECTORS OF STEAM VESSELS MAY FURNISH THE PUBLIC PRESS CERTAIN INFORMATION. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION SERVICE, OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISING INSPECTOR-GENERAL, WASHINGTON, D. C., May 22, 1897. Geo. H. Starbuck, Esq., Supervising. Inspector, Second Dis- trict, New York, N. ¥. Sir: Complaint having been made by persons connected ‘with the public press that the regulations referred to in De- partment. Circular 143, dated September 27, 1893, amending Rule 12 of Department Regulations of December 30, 1892, in relation to giving out information, are unnecessarily rig- orously observed by the local inspectors in the second super- vising inspection district, I would advise you to instruct the officers referred to that, as there are many matters of public interest coming before them that can be and should be com- municated to the public through the representatives of the press, they are hereby authorized to give such information freely, in accordance with their best judgment, as to carry out the true spirit and intention of the regulations referred to herein. ' Reports of all accidents and collisions received by inspec- tors particularly, should be freely given to agents of the press upon application. Respectfully yours. Jas. A. DUMONT, Approved : Supervising Inspector-General. L. J. GAGE, Secretary. oe own VISIBLE SUPPLY OF GRAIN. As compiled for THE MARINE RECORD, by George F. Stone, Secretary Chicago Board of Trade. CITIES WHERE WHEAT.| CORN. OaTs. RYE. BARLEY STORED. Bushels, | Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels. Butialo- 2 so. Aiee se ces 861,0c0 10,000 11,000 63,000 517,000 “afloat 204,000 ZOE GOO Meta tetical cay cecu oa sateetens Chica sort i. stot 14,530.000] ° 4,952,000] 1,765,000 250,000 21,000 “afloat 85.000] 3 584,000 AG OOO Nina sistaxes: acad aeaenins Detroit sie ak ci 459,000 264,000 48,000 6,000 20,000 Daluthie oo iw. 12,794,000 gII,000 169,000 405 000 178,000 er afloat ins cst 248{000);2050 05 29 eS Ta Ui trait ACB carseat eked eas IS BUT: er bat O of neve heaicah wife} (0s0.0) fear ORR AY S| Wii Aine S.A |More Aiea We eae reogr es Milwaukee......:... 258,000 4,000 2,000 12,000 22,000. ie BHoate salle ah teats os 189,000 7Q8,00Q)). 2.1 si 4s se Montreal. 3a. ale: 55,000 21,000 399,000 14,000 28,000 Port Arthur, Ont.... ALE OOOH ea ee yea Os cate Frat Siwoa POL osha nae moratal] red prusvec dinate OLGA Opa had neces en 792,000] 2,074,000 129,000 FOOOK. ial ested ML OTONEO! sc Bihineiaeiet ie LOQOOOW ti cena h e 4,000 42,000 Grand Total..... 53.698.000] 21,060,000] 6,401,000] 1,170,000] 1,061,000 Corresponding Date, TOO Mra sear 29,799,000] 34.033,000| 10,613,000] 1,528,000] 2,605,000 THCTERSO iiccnce eats tis vieidisisee Bat) 594, 000 BAB IOOO | Rita atk [pate cco he riaoe Decrease: :.:.. 386,000 css aaharteta 6.000| 189,000 While the stock of grain at lake ports only is here given, the total shows the figures for the entire country except the Pacific Slope. i oe or ENGLAND builds battleships complete, with guns and all, for $360 per ton of displacement. ton, and Russia’s new ships cost about $500 per ton.—New York Marine Journal. France pays $450 per. SHIPPING AND MARINE JUDICIAL DECISIONS. (COLLABORATED SPECIALLY FOR THE MARINE RECORD). Collision—Determination of Fault—Evidence Considered. —Fyidence considered, and held to establish that a col- lision between two schooners meeting in the evening was caused by the vessel having the right of way changing her course after the vessels were within sight of each other. The Mary Manning, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 1000. Charter Party--Stipulations Inconsistant with Lien.-.Where a charter party provides forthe payment ofa fixed sum, to be made in advance, and at a particular place, such stip- ulation will be held to be an implied waiver of the charter’s lien for unpaid arrears of hire, and payment thereof cannot be demanded elsewhere and at other times. The Moringen, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 996. Wharves—Injury to Vessel.—A boat which came in on Sunday, and, without the knowledge or consent of the wharfinger, occupied a pier which had been closed. for re- pairs, to the knowledge of her owner, and which had not in fa t been reopened, did so at her own peril, and cannot re- cover for injuries received through the incompleted condition of the. pier. Meritt & Chapman Derrick & Wrecking Co. vs. Schermerhorn et al., 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 746. Construction of Contract—Vessel to be Safely Delivered in Port.—A salvage contract, by the terms, of which no pay- ment for the services rendered was to be made unless the vessel was delivered ‘‘safely’’ in port, does not require that she shall be delivered without injury, where, at the time the contract was made, she was grounded in such a position that she was continually receiving injury, but only that she shall be delivered in a safe place. The Thornley, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 734. Reasonableness of Contract.—A contract for the payment of $20,000 for salvage services, contingent upon their success, is not so exorbitant that it will not be enforced, where the vessel, which, with her cargo, was of the value of $105,000, was grounded upon a dangerous reef, where vessels had previously gone to pieces, where there was no other as- sistance available, and as as a result of the services both vessel and cargo were saved, with slightloss. ‘The Thornley, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 735. Collision — Evidence Considered — Burden of Proof. — Where a steam ferryboat, navigating in a fog at night, on ‘hearing the fog’signal of another vessel, apparently forward of her beam, which was recognized by her pilot as that $ another ferryboat, whose course was such as to cause dange of collision, failed to stop her engines at once, as required by article 16 of Act June 7, 1897, the burden rests upon to show that the collision which followed was not due to Her neglect. The St. Louis, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 750. Seamen—Suit for Wages—Effect of Statutory Release.—A release signed and attested as required by Rev. St. 2 4552, without fraud or coercion, by seamen, on payment to them’ of wages conceded to be due them for a voyage, is conclu- sive upon them asa settlement of all claims on account of such wages, and the fact that they greatly needed the money paid them does not amount to legal duress or coercion; nor is the release rendered invalid because the master was not then present, but, after signing it on his part, had gone on another voyage. The Pennsylvania, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 744. Collision—Tugs Crossing—Injury to Tow.—Where one of two tugs approaching each other on crossing courses at night and under difficult conditions of the tide, signaled her intention of crossing the bow of the other tug, when she could with greater safety have slackened speed and passed under her stern, she is chargeable with sole liability for a resulting collision by which one of the barges she had in tow was injured, the other tug being shown to have taken the best course possible to assist the maneuver after receiving the signal. Tice vs. The Zouave and The Sea King, 98 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 746. > % 3 + ‘ i ¥ ie N *