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Kae aknKke xh. DULUTH—SUPERIOR. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Ore shipments last week from Ashland were 92,652 tons, for the season thus far a total of 401,213 tons. It cost about $4,000 to repair the steamer Northern King, which was in collision with the steamer Black Rock. Re- pairs were made here. The new Bessemer steamer Charles R. Van Hise will be launched at the West Superior shipyard of the American Ship Building Co. June 16. Saturday, June 16, is the day set for the launching of the steamer Van Hise at the ship yards in West Superior. The Van Hise is 260 feet long. She has a tonnage of 3,673 tons, and is the first vessel built at these yards designed to pass through the Welland canal. The shipments from the iron range docks at Two Harbors for May will be in the neighborhood of 600,000 gross tons. This is an enormous business as compared with previous first months of the season of navigation. The Two Harbors docks will ship about 5,000,000 tons this year. The ore movement from the head of the lakes at present is only about 60 per cent. of what will have to be maintained from June 1 to the close of navigation to move the I1,0co,000 tons which Minnesota will ship this year. More tonnage by 30 to 4o per cent. will be going for ore after the beginning of May than at present. The new dry dock at West Superior is now completed. The dock is designed for the largest single vessel on the lakes, and allows ample room for a decade of expansion: Extreme length 620 feet; breadth at bottom 60 feet; depth over sills 18 feet. This immense excavation holds 10,000,000 gallons of water, and it can be pumped out by the two 30- inch cylindrical pumps at the rate of 50,000 gallons a min- ute, or a trifle over three hours. - The Collingwood Steel Ship Building & Dry Dock Co., of Collingwood, Ont., is now organized with a paid up capital of $200,000. The following officers: J. J. Long, president; Capt. Alex. McDougall, vice president; Thomas Long, Secy.-Treas.; Capt. Campbell and Charles’ Cameron, directors. This is the company that took over the Colling- wood dry docks and which secured shipbuilding machinery from the works at Everett, Wash. Lumber shippers have at last forced down the freight rates to $2.50 and it is not probable that they will be any higer than this for some time to come. Davis & Comstock of Marinette, have made a charter to ship to Buffalo at $2.50 and boats seem to be plentiful at that figure for any of the Lake Erie ports. When the rates opened at $3 many thought that this would be the lowest figure of the season but the light demand for lumber carriers and the united determina- tion to force down the rate has resulted in the $2.50 figure being reached. The first stranding casualty of the season at the head of the lakes took place last Friday morning when the steamer America, Capt. Gibson, went ashore about a mile southeast of the Superior entry. The America is over 2,000 tons reg- ister, owned by Maytham and others. She was bound up with coal for Ohio dock No. 2 at Superior. The smoke and haze was very thick on the lake all day Thursday and the vessel got slightly off her course. ing his way into land very cautiously, so that when his ship - took the bottom, she did not go on very hard. _ In the case of the steamer Peerless against the tugs Buffalo and Industry of the Great Lakes Towing Co. to recover dam- ages on account of the accident which caused the sinking of the Peerless here last year. Judge Lochren decided in favor of the tugs. After the accident the Peerless libeled the tugs, claiming damages to the amount of $21,000. The case was tried before Judge Lochren at Minneapolis last week and his “decision releases the tugs and incidentally exonerates the tug captains from all blame. This decision practically re- verses Inspectors Monahan and Chalk and Supervising In- -spector Sloan, who placed the blame on the tug captains and suspended them. The Peerless was represented by C. E. Kremer, Esq., of Chicago, and the tug company by Searle & Spencer of this city. The tug Mystic of the Stevens Towing “Co. is likewise released from all blame. The court holds that the Peerless was at fault in acting independent of the tug Industry, and backing at a critical moment, without “receiving a signal to do so. John H. Norton Esq., repres- ented the tug Mystic. rr 1 + er ee ‘Tris stated that the Illinois, Indiana & Iowa railroad will invade the northwest territory by means of a car ferry line ‘between Milwaukee and St. Joseph. Freight will be laid ' down in Milwaukee to be forwarded through the rail con- nections to northwestern points. THE MARINE RECORD. MAY 31, 1900, Captain Gibson was feel- : DETROIT. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The car-ferry and ice crusher St. Ignace has been docked for a thorough overhauling and repairs. It is announced from Bay City and from Capt. Davidson’s shipyard that there is no truth in the rumor that his yard has contracted to build five or any tugs for the Maytham line. The naval reserve drill ship VYantic will leave the wharf and go to an anchor in the river. That is where she ought to be in the summer. The Beecher estate wanted to charge the mail boat Flor- ence B. $15 per month as dock rent. She now lays at the foot of Second street. On Saturday, June 16, according to the present plans of the Detroit Ship Building Co., the first of the Eddy freighters will be launched, and a month later her sister ship will follow. The revenue cutter Fessenden has been ordered here on June 8, 9 and Io, to take part in the public demonstration on those days in honor of the visit to this city of Admiral Dewey. Two automatic stokers have been taken out of the steamer Frank E. Kirby at this port. According to the report of the officers of the Kirby the success of the stokers was not great, and the old fashioned fireman isto be preferred. The auto- matic stokers did not furnish steam for fast running, tuough at first the prospects were of the best. Fog has prevailed this week on Lake Huron, also on Lake Michigan. It would be a guide if the Weather Bureau could point out in advance the probable location, form, density and prevelence of fogs on the several lakes, these data to be derived from observations of the previous seasons, etc. It is not wise to prophesy when we don’t know, nor is it required to be told what we do know, but it’s a good thing to know probabilities. Capt. Horace Baker, of Detroit, owner of the small steamer T. W. Snook, has added the large tug, Champion, to his wrecking outfit. The Champion is now in dry-dock here for a rebuild that will cost $7,0co. Sheis receiving a new boiler, and a derrick spar for handling pumps. She will be stationed in the Straits of Mackinac, to be ready for wrecks in Lakes Superior, Michigan or Huron, and the Snook will stay in Detroit. Percy E. Bourke, agent of the Western Transit and the Anchor lines, states that the rumors about the Anchor line . building a fleet of six new ships has been so persistently cir- culating about the lakes that it is time to announce the fal- sity of the rumor. ‘‘The Anchor line,’’ said he, ‘‘does not contemplate building any new boats at the present time. In regard to the later rumor that the Anchor line and the Le- high Valley would -consolidate their fleets, I have heard nothing one way or the other.” Attorney Frank H. Canfield, representing the owners of the cargo of the Conemaugh, which steamer was sunk in the Detroit river eight years ago, has received a dispatch stating that the United States Supreme Court has refused an appli- cation from the attorneys of the steamer New York to divide the loss on the Conemaugh’s cargo between the two steam- ers. If this is correct, this famous case is where it was left by the supreme court several months ago, the blame being divided and the cost of the cargo being placed against the New York. The steam yacht Pryun, built by the Detroit Boat Works to the order of F. P. Cheesebrough, Bay City, will be launched this week, She is 105 feet over all, 16 feet beam, and her draft will be about 6% feet. Compound engines with cylinders of 10 and 20 inches and a 14-inch stroke will give ti.e boat a mean speed of 12 milesan hour. Deering water tube boilers will furnish steam at 250 pounds pressure. A complete electric light plant will be installed on the yacht and every part of the craft will be lighted by incandescent lamps and ventilated by electric fans. It is a current report here this week that Capt. James Davidson’s break with the tug trust wasa premeditated scheme, and two facts add weight to the belief. Five new tugs for Maytham’s independent tug line are contracted for at the Davidson yards at Bay City and Davidson is said to have sold off all his tug trust stock. Many other large trust stockholders are said to bein a position to speedily throw their towing to the independent lines, and the large scale on which Maytham has been buying and contracting for tugs would show that he has secured backing. The trust has done itself great injury by the attempt to force the two-tug rule on large barges at Duluth. Since the arbitrary action of the Duluth office the independent lines have been much better patronized at all lake ports. The new tug contract is denied from Bay City. is On Monday morning the car-ferry, Pere Marquette, ran down the small schooner, Silver Lake, 10 miles off Manito- woc, Wis. A dense fog prevailed, and neither boat was aware of the other’s proximity until the collision. The car ferry struck the schooner amidships, the latter hanging by her rigging to the steamer’s bow until cut away. Three men climbed into the rigging and boarded the car ferry. Henry Eastmav, the cook, was lost. The Silver Lake was owned by Nels Johnson, of Racine. She was loaded with cordwood and sank when cut away. She was valued at $1,500. This will not prevent steamers running wide open ina fog, as they can whistle which side they propose to take when hearing another fellow’s fog signal. The Supervising Inspectors of Steamboats might consider the adoption of a steam or elec- tric calliope, so that the exact points of the compass over which a steamer was heading during a fog might be indicat- ed by note. This would tend toward the higher develop- ment of a musical ear inlake pilots. It is not compulsory however, that this notion should be acted upon, as it 1s merely thrown out as a suggestion. ————— on oo ee __ CHICAGO. ; Special Correspondence to the Marine Record. Grain freights are on the basis of 1 cents on corn to Buf- falo this week. ‘ BS J. B. Bates & Co., have purchased the schooner Lotus from Capt. Robert Seator for $4,300. ee The steamer Albert Soper was in dock for a new wheel and stern pipe, the schooner Geo. A. Marsh to have a leak stopped. Capt. Jas. S. Dunham and wife arrived here from an ex- tended tour in Europe, on Friday last. The captain looks hearty and well, and says he has had a very enjoyable trip. The steamer J. D. Marshall, Capt. J. C. Pereue, arrived Saturday morning with a large load of telegraph poles from Drummonds Island, the deck load was piled up 24 feet above the deck. A large fleet of lumber schooners are strike-bound in Mil- waukee, The owners say they will engage crews here, if so, the lumber shovers swear that they will place the vessels under a penalty. Mr. Robert Curr, of Cleveland, marine su: veyor, who su- perintended the construction of the recent additions to the Bessemer fleet, is in Chicago. It is reported that he is here regarding some vessels to be built at South Chicago. There is great rivalry and competition here in the tug business between the independent or Maytham line of tugs and the Great Lakes Towing Co. or syndicate tugs. Lumber hookers are now almost being towed from port to port and the competition is yet only beginning. Four-track steel bascule bridges exclusively for the use of street cars are proposed by Trustee Smyth of the Sanitary District of Chicago asthe best substitutes for the present tunnels under the river. He advocates the construction of these bridges at all points where tunnels are now located. General Manager Miles HE. Barry of the Chicago and Mus- kegon Trans. Co., gave an excursion out of Muskegon last Sunday, on the steamer State of Michigan, which was patron- ized by nearly 4oo of the towns folk. The weather was de- lightful and a three hours’ ride on Lake Michigan was much enjoyed. Geo. B. Carpenter & Co. shipchandlers’ store was badly damaged by fire Saturday, everything in the two top floors was destroyed, and in the two bottom floors they were dam- aged by water. The company have removed to the South- west corner of South Water street and Fifth avenue, opposite their old location. The Lake Michigan and Lake Superior Trans. Co.’s new offices, warehouse and dock have just been completed. The warehouse is 160 feet long fronting on the dock and 100 feet deep, giving large floor space. The offices are the most handsome suite of steamboat offices in the city. General Manager Charles Spencer says the freight business is fairly good and the passenger business is picking up and will im- prove as the season advances. Bids for a new bascule bridge to span the Calumet river at Ninety-fifth street, Chicago, were opened May 15. Five bids were presented, ranging in amounts from $140,000 to $240,- ooo. The lowest bid was from Roehmheld & Gallery, who offered to erect a modern bascule bridge of an approved design for $140,000. Bids for the iron work ranged from $72,000 to $150,000. The Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. made the latter bid; the Milwaukee Bridge & Iron Co. bid $129,- 600; Lydon & Drews, $112,700; Roehmheld & Gallery; $75,- 630 and C. I. Strohel on different designs ranging from $72,co0 to $86,300. The bids were for bascule bridges and did not include abutments or other work. An independent fueling dock has been established in the South branch of the river at Sixteenth street. The dock has a frontage on the river of 600 feet and was formerly used by the O. S. Richardson Fueling Co. The dock is operated by the Independent Fueling Co., Capt. George Tebo, mana- ger. Indiana Block Coal wiil be supplied to the steamers fueling at the new dock. In addition the company will have a derrick with a carrying capacity of 175 tons at the mouth of the river and another scow which will carry 250 tons. A number of Capt. Tebo’s old friends and patrons have already shown their appreciation of his. untiring efforts in getting another fueling dock established here, by giving the new company their patronage. Vice-President L. L. Barth, of the Edward Hines Lumber Co., places the blame for the stagnation of the lumber trade at the doors of the unions and contractors. Hesays: ‘‘All our hopes for a good season have gone to smash. The labor strife has hurt the lumbermen as well as the shippers. Last year estimates placed the lumber shipments into Chicago at 750,000,000. If the present state of affairs continues, I be- lieve the shipments for this season will not amount to more than 350,000,000 feet. This partial suspension of business makes the aspect serious for us, as it does for all the lumber men in Chicago.”” The advance in tow bills made at all the ae aes the chain ot lakes by the Great Lakes Towing . 1s 8 7-Io per cent. his informati the largest seaoel owners. ae eee