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THE MARINE RECORD. Nae JULY 19, I900, nnn nn een ne ee ee =a... CHICAGO. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Grain freights rule firm at 2 cents on corn to Lake Erie ports, and 14 cents to Port Huron. Halvor Michlion and John Gruda, of Chicago, have sold the schooner C. Michlion to Samuel Martin, of Racine, for $1,800. The steamer H. B. Packer has had her repairs completed and is out,of the Chicago Ship Building Co.’s dock at South Chicago. The Graham & Morton Trans. Co.’s steamer Mary, was in one of Miller Brothers’ drydocks and received a new Trout wheel, which they expect will give her her old-time speed. The steamer Hesper, which grounded on Washington street tunnel last week, after unloading, went to Manitowoc and was put into Burger & Burger’s drydock for an exami- nation and repairs if necessary. Capt. Peter Barry has put a upper deck on the steamer Robert Burke, which makes it more pleasant on the boat and gives those of the passengers‘who choose the upper deck a better view of the drainage canal when going up and down it. : The east draw at the Erie street bridge in the North branch of the river, is being cleared out so as to makea double channel at that point. The old sunken dredge of the Green Dredging Co. is being raised, and it and the old steamer Era will be removed. The general superintendent of the Chicago and North- western railroad has notified the owners and managers of steam vessels and tugs which suffered delay by the blockade of the north branch of the river Saturday night, to send their bills to him and they would be audited. Navigation on the drainage canal will be permitted in a few days. A couple of weeks ago the sanitary board passed an ordinance prohibiting all passenger craft from plying on the channel. Second thought has brought a change of views on the subject, hence the announcement to the above effect. A survey was held on the Illinois Central railroad bridge at the mouth of the river, which was recently damaged by collision of the barge Miztec, in tow of a tug of the Great Lakes Co. The surveyors found that the structure is dam- aged $400. The towing company will make the repairs with its own men. The excursion steamer Sailor Boy which went ashore off Lincoln Park, was released and taken to Miller Brothers’ dry- dock, where an inspection was made, and it was found that she had not received any damage. She was immediate- ly put in commission again between her dock at the foot of Wabash avenue and Lincoln Park. The steamer Hesper, coal laden, in attempting to go up the South branch Friday morning, without a tug, went on Washington street tunnel. She went on at 1:15 a. m. and and was not released until noon, as her master refused to takeatug. The harbor master then sent the tug Dickinson to her, and she was soon removed and went to her dock. The steamer Rand caught fire as she lay at Francis Beid- ler’s Lumber Co.’s dock at Throop street, Friday morning. Her engine room was burned out and her cabin and consid- erable other wood work was destroyed and a portion of her cargo of lumber was damaged slightly. The fire boat Gey- ser and the tug Andrew Green assisted the Rand’s crew in putting out the fire. The damage is estimated at $2,000. The drainage board and city engineer find that most all the new rules for navigation of Chicago harbor, as prepared by assistant city engineer Wileox, are impracticable, and that others conflict with the United States Steamboat laws in regard to signals on navigable streams. So much work is necessary in order to straighten out Mr. Wilcox’s code that it was determined to postpone the whole project of new rules. The city council has now taken a vacation until Sep- tember and at its next meeting the drainage board will also announce a vacation. When the rules are finally prepared the tug and vessel interests will be given a hearing and the council will then adopt them. i oo JAMEs J. Hix, the railroad king, went. to New York last week to meet Mrs. Hill, who is returning with a party of friends from Europe. They will make the trip from the metropolis to Duluth on Mr. Hill’s recent purchase, the steel steam yacht, Wacouta, the largest, finest and costliest craft of the kind ever brought to the lakes. At Buffalo the salt water master and crew will leave the yacht and Capt. George Minar and crew of lake men will take their places. The public will get some idea of the size of this magnificent toy from the fact that she is longer than the steamer City of the Straits. Her home port will be Duluth, ~ BUFFALO. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record. The dropin Lake Superior rates was followed by talk on the part of the shippers of reducing the rate to Lake Michigan, and a change similar to that made on the upper lake is talked of. Capt. Fred Hart, who resigned the command of the Bul- garia a few days ago and took the steamer North Star is now in charge of the North Wind, which is to be his new com- mand, Capt. Hartman, formerly of the North Wind, is in charge of the North West. The steamer Arabian, Capt. ‘Oliver Patenaude, reached Montréal from Duluth, on Monday. She passed the Soulan- ges canal, drawing thirteen feet of water. The steamer’s time from Montreal to Duluth and return, fifteen days and twenty hours, is said to be the fastest on the record for the round trip. Inquiry is being made by the Buffalo local inspectors of steam vessels into the cause of the collision between the tug Acme of the Great Lakes Towing & Wrecking Co. and the government steam yacht Gen. John M. Wilson. The collision occurred in the harbor a few days ago owing to a mix up in signals. Going rates for coal are straight 50 cents to Milwaukee and Chicago and 4o cents to Duluth. A further reduction is not anticipated, as vesselmen have to meet heavy expenses this season, and it should be unprofitable to handle the cargo at lower rates. Furthermore, takes away the necessary percentage for safe carrying. The laborers working on the new breakwater struck for an advance of five cents an hour on Saturday. They were employed by Hughes Bros. & Bangs, and had been receiving fifteen cents an hour. The contractors refused to raise their wages to 20 cents, and discharged the men. New men will be hired and it is believed that no delay will be caused on the work. The worst accident that has occurred in the vicinity of Tonawanda, took place last Monday evening, when the tug William H. Gratwick of’the Great Lakes Towing Co., cap- sized and fireman Louis Herst, and James Parker, the 17 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. William Parker of South Nia- gara street, were drowned. Parker went out-on the tug for the ride only. In the selection of Capt. Hartman to command the North West, the traveling public will find a polite and refined man, who commands everybody’s respect, and also a tried and trusted man to have command of the magnificent steam- er, North West. His many friends speak very highly of Capt. Hartman and are pleased to see him promoted to his high and responsible position. Several changes of masters in the Western Transit Line are announced. Capt. John Davis, late of the steamer Chicago, will hereafter sail the steamer Boston; Capt. Henry Murphy from the Montana to the Chicago; First Mate Frank Johnson of the steamer Mohawk is appointed master of the steamer Montana. Capt. Frank J. McCabe, who formerly command- ed the steamer Boston, is il] at his home. E. B. Guthrie, the engineer of the Grade Crossings Com- mission, who was City Engineer at the time when the subject of excursion docks was last discussed by the city officials, and who is more familiar with the local conditions that make a change in the location of the landing place of the excursion boats imperative than probably any one else in Buffalo, agrees with the News that something needs be done at once and that the best thing to do would be to provide suitable accommodations for excursion boats and passengers at the foot of Genesee street. The Erie canal by its neglected condition, has already lost a great amount of commerce tothestate. Itis now not only unable to retain, even its present traffic, but it offers no in- ducements for the location of new industries along its line. It will be only by most active and long continued effort that the canal can be saved. The work must be taken up at once, not only to fight the enemies of the canal, but to arouse its friends, and it must be continued without cessation until the question of canal improvement on adequate lines has been finally submitted to a vote of the people. The superintendant of the state’s fish hatcheries reports that much setisfactory work was accomplished the past year. Application for fish received numbered 1,325. Of these 1,253 were filled. This record exceeds by 220 appli- cations the number received in any previous year. During the year 17,598 cans of fish were sent out from the hatcher- ies. Advices received by the Department from people in the northern counties or Adirondack region, indicate that ifit were not for the planting of trout by the State, the waters of these localities would be destitute of that specie. There is no change in the coal freight situation, but rates ‘may be said to be weak, for there is rather more tonnage than is wanted for the present. Freight rates ruled since my last report: Chicago, 65 cents; Milwaukee, 60 cents; Duluth, 4o cents; Waukegan, 65 cents; Racine, 65 cents; Marquette, 45 cents, Fort William, 50 cents; Toledo, 40 cents; Ashland, 40 cents; Sheboygan, 70 cents; Depere, 60 cents; Houghton, 45 cents; Portage, 45 cents; Green Bay, 60 cents; Lake Linden, 45 cents; Port Huron, 4ocents. Lake ship- ments show 77,000 tons for the week, nearly all of which was anthracite, Chicago taking 27,0co tons; Milwaukee, 20;- ooo tons, and the rest divided between miner ports except 10,000 tons to Duluth-Superior. Final papers have been filed in the customs office, show- ing that all investors in the Maytham Towing & Wrecking Co. had formed a joint stock company. The capitalization of the company is $400,c00, Capt. Charles Maytham is president and manager and W. D. Ingersoll is secretary and treasurer. tains liberty to attend to his established business in this city. The company has 25 tugs in commission, distributed as follows: contemplates placing 3 tugs at Cleveland in the near future, also tugs at other ports. Oe - DULUTH—SUPERIOR. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Grain freights are still dropping and charters were made on Tuesday at 2 cents for wheat to Buffalo. It is reported from Oregon that the longshoremen on every grain dock in Portland have gone out on a strike. About 150 men are concerned. _ Frank Bagley of the steamer William Chisholm, broke his leg at Duluth Monday and was taken to St. Luke’s hospital. His leg was caught between the fenders and terribly man- gled. His home is in Cleveland. Collector of Customs Willcuts, of Duluth, has fined the steamer Osceola $200 for running too fast through Island channel in St. Mary’s river. This action was taken upon the report of the revenue cutter Morrill. : The Great Northern railroad, or at least Mr. James J. ‘Hill, which is the same thing, has recently established ship- building works at New London, Conn. At this place they purpose building boats for the Pacific trade, Forty million feet of logs which have been hung up on the St. Louis river about 15 miles above Cloquet, have been Chicago 6, Duluth 5, Soo 2, Escanaba 1, Ashta-— bula 2, Erie 1, Buffalo and Tonawanda 8. The company — a Se Oe Ce eee tet COMA rere en Mr. Ingersoll is an expert accountant and re- — AS SG * Wile ie released after two unsuccessful attempts, and floated down © the river, where they will be immediately sawed up into lumber. The lumbering interests in the Cass Lake locality are in the best of conditions and the local mills are running to their utmost capacity to fill the demands made on them, The Scanlon-Gipson Co. are shipping 200,000 feet a day to the states of Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. Capt. Charles Weeks declares that the lumber rate to Lake Erie ports is still $2.25, and he won’t hear of anything else. “An attempt has been made,” said the captain, ‘‘to bring the rate down to $2.00, but they can’t doit. I will tell you one thing, though, and that is that Duluth can give vessels better dispatch at her elevators and ore, lumber and coal docks than any other port on the lakes.”’ In the suit of Wellington R. Burt against the Rockefeller syndicate, in which the plaintiff claimed that unfair methods were being used to monopolize theiron ranges, a settlement has been reached whereby Mr. Burt is to get a minimum of $50,000 a year from his property, which is under lease to the syndicate. Mr. Burt alleged that the syndicate was not making an honest effort to develop the property. It seems quite probable that the new steamer Charles R. Van Hise, of the Bessemer fleet, recently launched at the West Superior shipyards, will be held here. The steamer is at present in the yards at West Superior, and it was stated that she would probably remain there. The owners have appointed a master for the boat, but he has not as yet re- ported, and no orders have been received as to loading the vessel. The trial trip of the Van Hise was madé under the supervision of three of the captains of boats that are now x laid up in the harbor here on account of the ore rate fight. ~ Everything went off successfully. ‘‘We will have contracts for at least two more new boats and probably more,” said President A. B. Wolvin, of the Ship Building Co., this morning. ‘‘This, together with the work which we have on hand now, will keep us busy all the winter.’? Mr. Wolvin does not say when the con- tracts will be let, but it is understood that it will not be very long. This means that a large number of men will be employed at the barge works throughout the winter. The new boats will not be started until late in the fall, so that they will be ready for launching early in the spring. The two schooners which are now on the stocks will probably be finished late this year. An effort will even be made to ge} them off the stocks before the season closes. With two new boats assured and others in sight, Mr. Wolvin says the prospects are very bright for employment during the winter. aa ETE elisscoaiee cae A SPECIAL, meeting of the board of directors of the Cha™ ber of Commerce was held on Wednesday, to make arrang: ments for the entertainment of the House committee on rivers and harbors and the Senate committee on commere~ which will be in this city Aug. 8 and 9. Vice-president 1. P. Williams presided at the meeting, in the absence of P = ident Ritchie. It was decided to appoint a special-comn. tee upon entertainment for that occasion. E. P. Willia: . H. G. Dalton, Harvey D. Golder, D. Z. Norton and W. ~ Woodford were chosen as that committee. The comrifi: will prepare a programe for the entertainment of the ¢**7's guests. A reception committee will be announced: ~ The members of the two committees will reach Clevelahd the evening of Aug. 8, and will spend the greater part ¢ .., following day in the city. While here they will be s' an the harbor and the business and manufacturing secti the city.