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8 THE MARINE RECORD. — ee rt— POLLUTING EFFECT OF THE CHICAGO DRAINAGE CANAL. The Illinois State Board of Health has published advanced notes on the sanitary investigations of the Illinois river and its tributaries, undertaken to determine the effect of Chicago sewage on the Desplaines and Illinois rivers before and after the opening of the Chicago drainage canal. Previous to the opening of the drainage canal a considerable portion of the sewage was pumped from the Chicago river at Bridge- port and discharged into the Illinois and Michigan canal, whence it eventually found its way into the Illinois river. In the report of the board it is estimated that the sewage draining into the Chicago drainage canal carries about 240 tons of dry organic matter daily. To determine the extent of the pollution of the Illinois river at its mouth due to the pollution of the canal water at its source, 320 miles distant, is conceded to be acomplicated problem, but certain state- ments are made throwing light upon the situation which would seem worthy of notice. From careful investigation ifhas been found that the canal water forms only about 14.4 per cent. of the flowin the Illinois river at its mouth, at Grafton, Ill., where it empties into the Mississippi. What is known as the purification of a flowing stream is the actual destruction, by oxidation, of organic matter or the conver- sion of it into matter of a harmless type. It also includes the destruction of certain living vegetable forms, which are destroyed mainly by the disappearance of certain kinds of organic matter. The measure of the disappearance or alter- ation of organic matter is taken by changes in the observed oxygen absorption and the contents of albuminoid ammonia. According to the report it is found that the organic matter is largely oxidyzed and destroyed before it reaches the mouth of the Illinois river. As a matter of fact the water of the Illinois river at its mouth is found to be less contam- inated than that of the Mississippi, andit is also found to be in better organic condition than are most of its tributaries. The investigation discloses that the contamination from cat- tle feeding and the discharged distillery slops at Peoria is enormous, the amount of waste nitrogen here being prac- tically equal to that which is discharged into the drainage canal at Chicago. The filth from the Peoria cattle sheds is said to present a condition resembling that in the stock yards branch of the Chicago river, and the contamination from this source (Peoria) is held to be the main factor in the animal polution of the lower river. Ee SHIPPING ON THE GREAT LAKES. In estimating the position of American shipping and ship- building the importance of these industries on the Great Lakes is very often overlooked. The volume of business carried on these greatinland seas of the United States and Canada is annually increasing and for the year 1900 promises to exceed that of any previous year. This trade is of great importance not only tothe United States and Canada but ‘also to Great Britain, Germany and tke other continental nations for it is leading to a great development of the canal system whichis enabling ships of considerable size to pass to the Atlantic shores and from thence across the ocean to Europe. In 1899 Chicago shipped by railand lake no less than 221,972,0co bushels of grain and 5,421,000 barrels of flour, and of this only about 12 per cent. was shipped from Canadian ports, but with the opening of the improved Wel- land canal giving a direct passage to the Atlantic for vessels of about 1,500 tons it is expected that an increased quantity of grain will be shipped to Montreal and there loaded on larger vessels, and it is alsothought possible that vessels may find it profitable to carry merchandise direct to lake ports and return to Europe loaded with grain and flour. The Canadian ports are now in a position to offer rates com- peting with the Erie canal to New York and this is shown by the agitation now carried on headed by the governor of New York, Mr Roosevelt, for the expenditure of the enor- mous sum of $60,000,000 in enlarging and improving the _ canal from Buffalo to New York to enable large barges to run from the lake ports to New York and trans-ship their freight direct to ocean vessels on the plea that unless this is done New York runs the risk of loosing her grain trade. This canal is intended to be made to accommodate the large barges and to b2 worked by electricity generated at Niagara. There are so many ports on the American shcres of the lakes having a large trade with other ports of the same class and an export trade with Canada and indirectly with Europe that the entrances amount to an enormous total. The problem before the European ship-owner and especially the British ship-owner is whether he can with a vessel drawing 14 feet of water compete with the large American Erie canal freighters and with the railways by bringing merchan- dise direct from ports in Europe direct to Chicago and other lake ports and return laden with grain. The following table gives the number and tonnage of vessels owned on the lakes January 1 of the present year: Number EOS of Vessels aoe CHicagOe fannie esis apres 284 64,295 PCE OTC! assesses eee ee ree ists & aad oe op shatiemednts asta 149,050 1 Dy hg pega eee ieee oop mec am em Ihrer enero 34,478 Glevelarndiaties veacc seks: vesleud totes 326 336,769 Gtand Haven. aise cceck aie te lc eet 43,797 BAN oes ee eee aie Sarre ale 226 190, 317 POLE PATON eis esiccni carers. cual este 378 157,105 POLEAO sash cists ai arya ieee ciate: 72 21,108 Dae Laat cee scar she cic so boo ecalre al apecey statuses ors 164,536 Marquette inc... e science cctineacl|iee ces teeer- 40,725 Satis ke yee ois gr cvw ers taatd wales eteveneties ote 84 34,047 Niagara Balls. oc.s. swan = eect se 21 13,949 ANIA RAE As GLAS eh 8 8 oe PSIG ESE SRN UN ote Nemoto The total fleet on the Great Lakes number all told 3,425 vessels whose aggregate registered tonnage is 4,668,350 tons, of which 1,210 are steam vessels, 72 of them in the passenger trade. The remainder are schooners, tow barges and lake tugs. These figures do not include harbor tugs, steam yachts or small excursion boats nor the Canadian vesssls trading on the lakes, which if added would increase the gross tonnage to about 6,000,000 tons, This fleet carries a regular crew of 51,525 men all told, besides giving employ- ment to nearly 150,000 men as coal, ore and grain shovelers, stevedores, dock hands and others. The fleet called the inter-ocean fleet consisting of 1,067 vessels pass through the Straits of Mackinaw and the Detroit river carrying immense cargoes of grain. The following table shows the entrances for the year 1899: aes Seer ne: Foreign. No. of ‘ British . eke ‘Tons. pence Tons. Ships. Chicago.. .........| 6,706) 4,322,206] 149] 203,347 12 South Chicago..... I,141} 1,749,416 I2 6,366|0 Loe. Michigan City..... 248 F2eBOO oe cia a tiecaswiens Pease ee Port Airon:.)-22.. 2D AAG FOOMAQL” DA eens: 294 Cleveland...... ...| 6,538} 8,304,404 666} 406,795] 208 ETO nee 3,905] 1,175,221 532| 108,221) 564 Toledoe eis ia oes BPATGIHRT A S2tOFO| se a Sena sere cca eee Grand Haven,..... BeSA cer seta sats cveicilie's cvesas aeadln eooete Ogdensburg....... BOOT TET, ORES) oo oes cet rgr en Sandtisky sees. BOTS AN ee heel are ns 150 The clearances for 1899 were as follows: Coasting. Foreign. PORT 3 Womels Tons. Verecls Tors. Chicagoan cease 6,711| 4,296,203 273 286,618 South Chicago....... 1,082] 1,672,726 60 62,337 Michigan City ....... 303 G2 i 37 O aaa eres Port Huron... 06.3%. 3,128 893, 406)0% 35Sl5 sacs ne MOlEdOeee ys 3g eee oes DAT TAZA Als ees eee eae Cleveland............ 6,279| 8,240,538 930 652,261 Grand Haven........ SiZOS lence emir ss een entice. Ogdensburg.......... 868 ROAST einaulen cies SANGUAKY is ccc oes aif eireiercers S06; 53S ene alee ee On the first day of January, 1900, there was building or in course of construction in the various shipyards of the Great Lakes 32 vessels of 177,900 tons, some of them freight- ers of from 6,000 to 8,000 tons gross capacity. In addition there was a large number of small vessels building. The foregoing may serve to give the unitiated an idea of the magnitude of the commerce and navigation carried on upon the great inland seas of America.—Coast Seamen’s Journal, San Francisco. a_i aed MEAN LEVEL OF LAKE SUPERIOR. AS REPORTED BY J. H. DARLING, U.S. Asst. ENGINEER The mean level of Lake Superiorin July, by the U. S. gauge at Marquette was 0.83 abovelow water datum. This iso.21 higher than for the preceding month, and equals the normal rise, which is 0.21 from June to July. The stage for last month is 0,63 foot lower than in July, 1899, a year ago, but is still 0.08 higher than the average July stage for the 26 years from 1872 to 1897. From United States Forecast Officer Richardson’s summary for July it appears that the rainfall for the month was 3.94 inches, which is 0.23 in excess of the normal for July. This is the first month for this year that comes up to the normal, The foregoing figures make a much better showing than amonth ago. The long dry period experienced in this re- gion appears to have come to an end, and the outlook is favorable for a good stage on this lake from now on, pro- vided we have only an average rainfall, AUGUST 9, 1900, NOTES. Capt. RoBLEY D. (FicaTInc BoB) Evans, U.S. Navy, has returned to Washington, D. C., from the Hot Springs of Arkansas, and says: ‘‘This Government may have to stan alone but it must assert itself and show thatit is now Power to be reckoned with in the Far Hast. Ifthe United States Navy is called into service I hope I shall be where I can hear the screaming of the shells and booming of guns, which is the only means of satisfying oné who has passed years on a battleship.” : SYLVESTER BAXTER writes an interesting article in the Atlantic Monthly for August on ‘Submarine Signaling;” a principle of determining the situation of a vessel by means of sound signals transmitted from three different stations lo- cated at certain known points. ‘‘Acoustic triangulation” is the name appropriately given to the principle that makes this thing a reality, and Arthur J. Mundy, a Boston gentle- man, devised and elaborated the system. Mr. Mundy had been studying the problem of submarine signaling in associ- ation with the eminent physical scientist, Professor Elisha Gray, and together they had invented a remarkably sucess- full apparatus for the purpose—ringing a bell under water — by electrical connections. : NEw LONDON (CoNN.) papers report that Wm. A. Fair- burn, naval architect and assistant manager of the Eastern Shipbuilding Co., with two other well-known employes of the company, rowed from Norwich to New London, July 4, a distance of 14 miles, in the fast time of 1 hour and 42 min- utes, against tide and wind abeam. The previous record of 1 hour and 55 minutes was made in a large ten-oared gig, whereas Mr. Fairburn’s boat was only 14 feet long and of his own production. A speed of 84 miles an hour in a small bat which contained four persons three of whom were pul; ling, isa remarkable performance. The boat weighed 120 pounds, and three oarsmen 440 pounds, and each pulling two long oars, and the coxswain 80 pounds, a total of 640 pounds. WHITE AND HICHBORN.—The relief of Sir Wm. White as head of the construction department of the British navy and the appointment of Mr. Watts to that position, with the salary of $15,000 a year and allowances, calls attention to the compensation which this government gives its correspond- ing officer. Rear-Admiral Hichborn and Sir William White had a good deal in common. Each started life as a ship- wright’s apprentice—White in the Devonport dock yards, Hichborn in the Boston Navy Yard. Each worked his way up step by step. They are about the same age, closely re- semble each other in personal appearance and manner of speech, both being direct, forceful, plain-spoken men. While the British official received about $20,000, the chief constructor of our navy is paid but $6,000. Rear-Admiral Hichborn has devolving upon him the same responsibilities and tasks which are attached to the work of the British chief constructor. At present he is directly responsible to the gov- ernment for the design and construction of 70 ships of war, embracing all types, from battleships to torpedo boats. Rear- Admiral Hichborn and Sir William White have maintained a close personal friendship for many years. FROM July, 1899, to April, 1900, only one suspension among shipbuilders of any importance occurred, while several plants long closed reopened. And during the same ten months there were projected ten shipbuilding corporations proposing to establish plants costing all the way from half a million to six million dollars. The mercantile tonnage in process of construction in American yards now is worth $29, - 500,000, against $20,000,000a year ago. Butin addition to this there are large naval contracts and it is evident that these will continue for some years. The yard at Newport News represents an investment of twelve millions, the new plant at Camden will have cost six millions when opened for work, the Cramp works and the Union Iron Works of San Francisco represent very large investments, which are remunerative enough to satisfy their owners; the yard at Sparrow’s Point, near Baltimore, was built ten years ago, but was little used for some time, it has within two years been equipped with machinery and is doing important work. The steel shipbuilding plant at Bath, Me., is practically new, though ostensibly an addition to a wooden shipyard. There will presently be a yard at New London at work on the largest vessels built in Ameica, and an important yard has been rapidly established in Richmond, Va. All these yards are provided with exceptionally fine machinery; everything is new and of the best, and the American plan ot doing everything possible by machinery instead of by hand is carried in these yards quite as far as it is in any manufac- turing establishment in the country.