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MAy 16, Igor. CHICAGO Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. The self-propelling coal lighter, which is to be used at Con- neaut, O., was launched at the Milwaukee shipyard on Tues- day. The machinery will be installed at once. é Shippers offering 134 to 1% cents on wheat, but vessels are holding’ for the flat 2 cent rate. There is an indication that “the shaded rate will be accepted, if it has not already, and yet there is a good demand for tonnage. Wheat to Buffalo ranged the early part of the week at 174 to 2cents. The South branch of the river is not cared for from a loading standpoint, on account of having to cross the ~ ‘Washington street tunnel, where loaded vessels are liable to ground. Milwaukee has chartered for 13/ cents on wheat to Midland. The steamer Northeastern will clear this week for London, and the Northtown, the 4th of the fleet, will closely follow her. General Manager Purdy received news that the North- western, which grounded in the St. Lawrence, received no damage, and that she will proceed on to Liverpool after loading several hundred tons more cargo at Montreal. The passenger and freight steamer Easton, which is com- ing to the lakes from Baltimore, to ply between Chicago and South Haven, in the Williams line, was sold to the late H. W. Williams, by the Baltimore, Chesapeake & Atlantic Railway Co. Her keel length is 154 feet, beam 30 feet, and depth of hold 9 feet 7 inches; gross measurement 460 tons; nominal horse-power 650. She was built at Baltimore in 1896. The Chicago lumber market is quiet for this period of the season. Lake Superior cargoes are commanding $2.50 on dry pine, and it is probable that this figure will go up before the close of the week. It is noticed that the sailing vessels that went to Georgian Bay are having little or no trouble in getting up-bound cargoes of cedar posts and ties. Six cents is offered for ties from Escanaba, but vessel owners are hold- ing out for a half cent increase. Stewards as well as others must be very guarded in throw- ing anything over the side while laying in Chicago river. On Tuesday Wm. Senior, steward of the steamer Majestic, _ was arrested on a charge of depositing refuse in the Chicago river, in violation of Sections 1021 of the city ordinance. Representatives of the Drainage Board will be in court to prosecute the case. Since the opening of the drainage canal the drainage officials have taken measures to enforce the or- dinance. Special officers have been detailed along both branches of the river to watch for and arrest all offenders. According to the officials a number of arrests have already been made. In most cases the offender has been discharged with a warning. ————— OS BUFFALO. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record. When vessels are changing ports for coal cargoes charter- ing can not be said to be brisk, and such is the latest condi- tion here. F.ed Rogers, for some years engineer of the Lehigh Val- ley Transportation Co., has been appointed to the same po- sition with the Consolidated Lehigh & Union Co Coal chartering is fairly brisk at 4o cents, Lakes Michigan or Superior, 50 cents up the South branch Chicago river, also to minor ports, such as Racine and Waukegan. Port Huron also runs to 40 cents and Toledo 30 cents. We are fast getting up tothe million bushels per day in the receipt of grain, and there is no detention even at that. Vessels, towing and elevators are all working to the best ad- vantage, there is also a good supply of railroad cars. The rush of the first cargoes for the season is being handled in first class shape, and the average cargoes are turning out well. Becoming weary or disgusted at the lack of dredging, the . Reading interests employed a dredge to deepen the channel to their docks where the city is supposed to do the work. The. experience of the Wilkesbarre lying grounded at the entrance to the port on her maiden trip for the want of a little dredging was a disgrace to the city fathers in this good _ year of our exposition. The new steel steamer George A. Flagg, arrived here on Wednesday, with what is said to be the most valuable cargo ever brought down from Lake Superior. It consist of 2,900 tons of copper ore from Lake Linden, the estimated value of which is $800,000. It is consigned to the smelter at Black Rock. The Flagg lightered 200 tons of her cargo before ‘attempting to proceed down the river. THE MARINE RECORD. At the meeting of the trustees of the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, held in the board room, Wednesday, it was announced that Secretary C. H. Keep had been prevailed upon to hold his resignation in abeyance until next fall. This news was very gratifying not only to the trustees, but also to the members of the Exchange. Mr. Keep has the reins of the Pan-American Exposition’ campaign of ‘the Merchants’ Exchange well in hand, and it was felt that his retirement at this period would greatly retard things. The pressure was too strong for the secretary to resist, and he finally decided to stay. Until his final resignation Mr. Keep, however, will be practically master of his own time, and will be privileged to come and go as personal business mat- ters may dictate. No resolution looking to the appointment of his successor was adopted and no applications, if there were any before the trustees, were acted upon. : a a KINGSTON, ONT. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. On Sunday the palatial steamer New York, of the Folger fleet, left for Buffalo. She has been engaged by the Inter- national Navigation Co., and will ply this season between Chippewa and Buffalo. The local officials of the Montreal Transportation Co. re- port that during the ice jam in the St. Clair river, the pro- pellers of their big steamers Rosemount and Bannockburn were badly damaged and both anchors of the barge Melrose were lost. Messrs. Chestnut and Moulthers, Buffalo, U.S. steam- boat inspectors, are in the city inspecting all local steamers that call at American ports. Negotiations to remove the locomotive works to Quebec are under way between the mayor and prominent citizens of Quebec and the Hon. W. M. Harty, M. P., of this city. It is stated that Quebec would give a big bonus for the works, which are now. employing 300 men and have large contracts on hand from the Government. Many citizens regard the scheme as a means to draw out a bonus from the Kingston city council. The Donnelly Wrecking & Salvage Co. are at Cardinal re- leasing the steamer Porter.and barges, laden with coal, and on their way from Charlotte to Montreal which went ashore on Saturday. The Porter is owned by Mr. R. Hepburn, of Picton. She is insured with a Toronto firm. Capt. Thomas Donnelly is at Three Rivers adjusting a marine insurance loss on a stranded vessel. The whaleback steamer A. D. Thomson, Capt. Leroy A. Rand, with her whaleback consorts 110, Capt. Frank Brown, and 127, Capt. A. Siljender, which sailed from Boston on May 4th, arrived in Montreal on Tuesday. Capt. Rand re- ports a fine passage, with favorable weather and a smooth sea. These vessels came from the Great Lakes last fall, and have been trading on the Atlantic coast all winter, and are now returning west to engage in freighting on the lakes. The steamship Meteor passed down the canals this week. She is a new vessel, 1,563 tons, and is making her maiden trip. She was built at Toledo, O., and is destined for San Francisco, where she will go into active service. En route to San Francisco, she will call at Baltimore. The Meteor is a trim looking craft and is commanded by Capt. J. Ahlstrom. The steel steamship Northwestern from Chicago to Liver- pool collided with Gilbert’s dredge between Galoup and Rapid Du Plat rapids Sunday last and went ashore, The dredge had been working in the chanel off Sparrow Hawk’s Point. The Northwestern attempted to take the north side of the channel but the current carried her against the dredge, tearing through her false work. The Northwestern went ashore on the Canadian side and the dredge drifted onto a shoal. The steamship Meteor, passed through safely. The steam barge L. S. Porter is aground at the head of the lock of Cardinal canal. Her three barges broke a tow line and drifted two miles down river, stranding on Glenford shoal. OO LETTERS AT DETROIT MARINE POST OFFICE. MAy 15, 1900, To get any of these letters, addressees or their authorized agents will apply at the general delivery window or write to the postmaster at Detroit, calling for ‘‘advertised’’ matter, giving the date of this list and paying one cent. Advertised matter is previously held one week awaiting delivery. It is held two weeks before it goes to the Dead Letter Office at Washington, D. C. Bowen, W. J. McArthur, H. Benkie, Chas., Albright O’Dell, Geo., 2 Crouch, Mrs. F. H,, Hennepin Rhodes, Albert C. Connor, Alf., Lindsay Vorden, H. C., Minneapolis Glass, Dan EB: DICKERSON, P. M. FLOTSAM, JETSAM AND LAGAN. According to the usual costom the Welland canal will be closed on Sundays from 6 a. m. to 9p. m. The United States Steel Corporation, has secured a con- tract for 20,000 tons of steel plates from Harland and Wolff, of Belfast, Ireland, for shipbuilding purposes. ‘The American Ship Building Company will build an exten- sive boiler shop at its Lorain yards, One of the two Peevey boats now in course of construction at the yards will be ready for launching in about two weeks. Sir Thomas Lipton is chagrined by the result of the last race. But he is confident the Shamrock II is the better boat, and thoroughly believes something has gone wrong. He is anxious to see her in dry dock. According to the MARINE RECORD, Cleveland, from a western point of view, Montreal should be the national port of Canada; from an eastern point of view Quebec would have the call. It is westward that the tide of empire takes its way.—The Gazette, Montreal. The body of Mrs. Lea H. Altman, one of the victims of the Bon Voyage disaster, was discovered near the Calumet water works. Mr. Altman has retained the law firm of Gray Haire and Rice, of Houghton, and will bring suit for heavy damages against the White Line Transportation Co. for the loss of his family. Capt. Bolt, a master mariner of Newcastle, England, hae invented a new form of deck-house, or life-saving cabin, which, says a London exchange, in cases of sudden founder- ings from collisions or wreckage, will, with the turn of a wheel, float off the doomed vessel in its entirety and ride the waters like any other raft. The insurance on the cargo of the wrecked steamer Rio de Janeiro, amounting to $900,000, has been paid. It is not known how much insurance was carried on the vessel. The collector at Honolulu sent over by the Rio $30,000 in treas- ure and it was notinsured. The steamship company also carried many thousands in its safe on which there was no insurance. The most valuable portion of the cargo was raw silk. Inspectors York and Gooding are still at work on the in- vestigation relative to the burning of the steamer Bon Voy- age off Houghton. In the testimony of Capt. Foley, he denied the rumor that the steamer had been on fire once or twice during the last trip. He says that the pipes grew hot, but that there was no fire. He also said that the vessel was dry and that the fire burned so fiercely and gained such headway that nothing could be done. The bodies of Mrs. Leah Sharpe and B. Altman have been recovered. The Duluth News-Tribune says this week the present rate for wheat is 2% to 2c. and the larger class of boats makes good money at these figures. The smaller boats can also make a little at 2%, but at present ratesfor fuel and wages, it is not a really attractive rate. It is considered that it will be better for all interested that the opening has been late, for what with the coming out of a large amount of new boat tonnage, and the shortest freight;tonnage on account of last fall’s poor crops, the outlook was decidedly gloomy and discouraging. The yacht Canadian, being built at Hamilton for the trial races for the Canada’s cup challenger, is a decided novelty. Her like has never been seen on fresh water. She might be called a scow, only she has sharp ends, a deep keel anda concave bottom instead of a little dead rise. Her sides slope downward for about four feet and then, curving upward, tun in toward her fin. Forward and aft of the fin the boat’s bot- tom is nearly flat, beinga trifle hollowed. This gives her square bilges from stem to transom. She will be rigged as a jib and mainsail sloop. Her sail area will probably be 1,400 feet. Rev. G. J. O’Brien, her designer, is positive she will be very speedy and has hopes that she may bring back the cup. Some nice insurance questions have arisen over the two strandings of the steamer Ottawa, of the Canada Atlantic Line, recently. When the Ottawa fetched up on Point Sable, near Ludington, Mich., a part of her insurance was changed from one set of companies to another at noon that day, and the underwriters whose policies came into force were feeling quite glad that they had escaped, next day the Ottawa landed again on the beach on Bois Blanc Island in the Straits. Now the question comes up that if the steamer was damaged to the extent of $10,000 or $15,000 who is going to prove which of the two strandings caused the greatest damage? ‘The first set of underwriters don’t want to pay for damages incurred through the second stranding, and vice versa.