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10 THE MARINE RECORD. May 9g, -Igo!. ESTABLISHED 1878. Published Every Thursday by THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Incorporated. : Cc. E. RUSKIN, - - - - Manager. CAPT. JOHN SWAINSON,~ - - - Editor. CLEVELAND, CHICAGO, Western Reserve Building. Royal Insurance Building. SUBSCRIPTION. One Copy, one year, postage paid, - - $2.00 One Copy, one year, to foreign countries,- - - $3.00 Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING, Rates given on application. All communications should be addressed to the Cleveland office, THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Western Reserve Building, Cleveland, O. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. No attention is paid to anonymous communications, but the wishes of contributors as to the use of their names will be scrupulously regarded. CLEVELAND, O., MAY 9, 1901. A RR ‘LAKE NAVIGATION RESUMED May 8. ——— ‘Hat 2nd mates’, No. 2 branch pilots’ assistants’ duties are not yet defined. Let’s hear the news from Babylon. , $< ara ae _AFTER an ice blockadein St. Clair river lasting for 22 days, navigation opened on Wednesday, May 8th. Loss on traffic estimated at $3,000,000, Oe Ole EVERY maritime power in the world, including the United States, even Mexico and Brazil, have tonnage building in the United Kingdom to their account. ———_ oa ene A PHILOSOPHICAL sort of an irrepressible once said, ‘‘It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good.’’ The ice jam in the St. Clair river helped the fuel docks out nobly. or oor Tuis talk of lake-built or any other steamers going around Cape Horn when the regular route is through the Straits of Magellan is misleading. These coaches never see Cape Horn. ae OO OO JuDGING from the report of vessels under construction in the United Kingdom, the greatest number seem to favor vessels of 3,000 to 5,000 tons. The next most marked charac- teristic is for steamers of 10,000 tons and over. oro or or THe RECORD is not furnishing the means these times for a U. S. Supervising Inspector of Steamboats to make news- paper reporters out of his local inspectors. We have too much regard for the latter, and, incidentally, the RECORD. ‘ ———————— DO Now that J. Pierpont Morgan and associated syndicates intend handling a fleet of steamers built, sailed and sailing under the British flag, it will be more interesting than ever to watch marine legislation in the next session of Congress. SOOO See _ BRITISH capital has been flowing into the United States in such a regular stream, syndicating and monopolizing so many of the most productive industries, that it is about time the current changed, that is, became Morganized, as it were. ; OO Oe THE original Bibby Line owned in Liverpool, afterward secured by one of their energetic clerks named Frederick Leyland, and later consolidated with other fleets, is now to be owned and controlled by Americans. Well! if there was ‘a tlickel to be made out of floating property, the Leylands “from father to son could rake it in, and we can only hope that the new owners will go and do likewise, less the half century experience of the Bibby-Leylands—Furness-Wilson people. THERE is little use in stirring up dead men’s bones, unless it is to delay the accumulation, yet, we can not but rise to inquire, (for the fellows themselves can’t) whether the 130 lives lost in the Rio Janeiro foundering case were not rushed into eternity quicker than they ought to have been. . When the big boat .is ready to make: a hole in the water the little boats are not infrequently called irito: use, and generally to good purpose. »It occurs tous that perhaps these little life boats are not all that could: be desired for life-saving pur- poses. Now that-vessels are compelled to carry metal life- boats ‘it should be determined: whether they save or take life, tobe so named. In this connection we have also in view the fate of the crews of the late lake steamers Western Reserve and Gilcher, both having metal life-boats, but no lives saved. ® ——————— i Da IDEAS must surely have changed lately regarding sailing in the vicinity of field or drift ice. Formerly, every effort was put forth to keep clear of getting jammed, but the St. Clair river experience of the past few weeks would tend to show that the notion now is to rush clean into limbo or trouble, that is, to place craft where they are out of control. There was at all times clear water in Lake Huron and ves- sels ought to have been kept where they would remain afloat and under command, instead of which, fleet after fleet piled themselves up in the river and allowed the ice to take charge at every little break. The new way may be a good way, but it’s an expensively lubberly one, all things considered. oro oro Hon. O. P. Austin, principal of the United States Bureau of Statistics, favors chartering a fleet of vessels and convert- ing them into an around-the-world floating exposition. If our so paternal government (in some things) would only ap- propriate the funds to build a modern Great Eastern, exhib- itors might be tempted to ship, insure and display their wares on the basis that the first stock sold out should cease further payments of expenses on the whole, or remainder of the exhibits, or, or, or, but no, we can’t solve it even after getting the craft built, donated and afloat. i De Apropos of the various strandings which occur on the opening of navigation each season, much must be credited to the entire neglect of, or faulty adjustment of compasses. In moving over the ground in thick weather the compass alone has to be depended upon (assisted of course by the lead) and if it indicates incorrectly trouble is liable to en- sue. Inclear weathera lookout can be kept so as to see that she doesn’t bounce on anything visible. i oO oe Ir HAS been pointed out that the large industrial and com- mercial syndicates lean particularly and markedly towards placing young men in high positions. This is all right enough and just as it should bein executive departments, but, it may be depended upon that there is some sage, aged wisdom luffing around somewhere to see that the juvenile fleet keep their ballast aboard all right. The old trite saying is a true text to-day as ever, ‘‘you can’t put old heads on young shoulders.”’ oo Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan may not be considered such a very patriotic American after all. He has positively taken the lead in purchasing, presumably, with good American dollars, a foreign fleet of cargo boats, to be sailed by foreign- ers and under their flag. They are usually well-built tanks, too, and won’t require much overhauling and repairs for our yards and shops to work upon. eed GRAIN is crowding up to an alarming extent at lake ports on accouut of the ice blockade in St. Clair river. Chicago shows this week a total of nearly 21 million bushels, half of which is wheat, and Duluth over 17 million bushels, 10 mil- lion of which is wheat. OO OO THE very commendable contest or commercial rivalry be- tween Montreal and Quebec, relative to which is to become the national port, is full of interest from a shipping stand- point. Few persons, however, would consider the claims of Sarnia, Ont., as a candidate for these commercial successes as an entrepot for Dominion and trans-Continental traffic. ——_—<$<—$<$<$—e ee In forming monopolies it appears that it is not necessary to control each and every avenue of trade, commerce or trans- portation, just get the major portion in hand and make the balance or remainder come to time, that’s the way the fiddle is played. In the whole chain of the U.S. Treasury Department about the weakest link we run across is found in the stud of the link centered in the head of the Steamboat Inspection Service. Give usa capable, progressive leader in lieu of a fossilized political mountebank and a horde of vacillating satellites as unstable as their job god. a ee ca THE recent decision of Judge Seamen in the United States Court at Milwaukee whereby a crew was not permitted to collect salvage in a case of stranding, isa just, equitable and technically righteous verdict niversally upheld and ac- cording to international custom and practice. We heartily commend the court’s decision on this much prevalent local error regarding a crew’s services. DO OOS Not a word can be uttered derogatory to the rights and wisdom of forming unions. All interests may work in uni- son and harmony when properly united. We are credibly informed that it was first tried and threshed out to an issue, or several of them, in the Eden garden. rr A STEAMBOAT IN CHANCERY Judge Carr, of the chancery court of the thirty-sixth judi- _ cial district, rendered his decision in the case started by the H. W. Williams Transportation Co. South Haven, Mich., ver- sus the Darius Cole Transportation Co. Detroit. The Darius Cole was sold to the Williams Co. in 1899 for $125,000. She made 15 miles an hour on the Detroit river route as one of the Star-Cole Line steamers and was purchased for a 15-mile boat. The Williams Company claimed she would not make the time in lake Michigan and refused to pay the balance due on the purchase price, $50,000, They began action against A. R. Lee, manager of the Cole estate, to force the estate to pay back the money already paid on the contract, $75,000. The opinion has been filed by which the contract of sale is rescinded, the defendant decreed to take back the boat Darius Cole, repay the $75,000 with interest, cancel the note for the $50,000 not paid, and discharge the mortgage. De- fendant is also ordered to pay complainant the insurance and taxes paid, amounting to $2,693. Complainant’s claim of $2,000 for advertising is disallowed. The basis of the de- cision isa breach of an alleged warranty on the part of the defendant that the steamer Darius Cole would make I5 miles an hour between South Haven and Chicago in the excursion business. James H. Campbell, Esq., of Grand Rapids, and C. E. Kremer, Esq., of Chicago, represented the complainants and F. C. Harvey Esq., and ex-Judge Speed of Detroit represent- ed the defendant. Attorney Harvey stated that it had been stipulated at the beginning of the trial that the case should be appealed, as he took exceptions to the case being handled in a court of chancery. He held that the case should have been tried in a court of law. The entire testimony will be prepared and taken to the supreme court for review. This means the loss of the entire season’s earnings of the boat. OO 2 ee METEOROLOGICAL NOTES. W. A. Stewart, recorder of weather reports at the Observa- tory, at Toronto, Ont., has been presented with a gold-headed cane by his observatory friends in recognition of his 50 years’ services, which beganin May, 1851. He states that the records show practically the same weather during the past decade as during the first ten years of his tenure of the position. Mr. Stupart, Director of the Observatory of the Dominion of Canada is about to publish a statement which will practi- cally be a weather forecast for the coming year. It will be based on the sun-spot theory. As the present is the period of minimum sun spots, the next 12 months are expected to bring lots of rain. Sir Norman Lockyer believes this theory will prove scientific, and will result in enabling the Govern- ment of India to foretell and provide against drought and consequent famine years. $$ <<< AN ELECTRIC CANAL POWER. The increase of capital stock of the Miami and Erie Canay Transportation Co. from $10,000 to $3,000,000 means the consummation of the project to operate the Miami and Erie canal, extending from Cincinnati to Toledo by electricity. atrack is.to be built along the canal and the boats will be towed by electric motors. Experiments with the system de- monstrated its feasibility, and the State Board of Public Works has entered into a contract with the company, giving it permission to operate over the entire length of the canal.