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MAy 16, 1 THE MARINE RECORD. At the carefully penciled figures regarding the amount of iron ore to be carried each month, including hair losing cogitations on the ability of new tonnage to reduce lake freights, etc., have gone glimmering down the gloaming of the dim and pare past, as the poet would, could or might say. Of course, no mere pencil pusher ought to have at- tempted to wrestle with the idiosyncracies of the Ice King ° or endeavored to obviate in any manner the detention to lake commerce experienced through an impenetrable fog bank enveloping the main arteries of traffic on the earliest resunp- tion of free navigation, hence, the cargo statistics for the month of May, and also in a corresponding measure, those for June have been knocked all aglee. Of course, the slight element of friction occasioned by labor troubles should have been foreseen, counted in and duly allowed for, but it wasn’t. All of which goes to show that the ordinary expectations of the man behind the desk are sometimes liable to fall down, not to speak of the ringing in of twice laid, re-hashed and everlastingly drummed over penaillings of old, wily, mis- leading figurers, who, for a brief space of time, may try to ape the attributes of a know-all, in calmly asservating that figures wont lie, which might be all logical enough, too, if figured to an issue by competerit experience in lieu of the blank guesses of a what-might-have-been. Granting that, figures don’t always lie, yet the innocent or ignorent makers thereof may not unfrequently show a sneaking disregard for ultimate truths. rr Ox Ho! another act of bravery discovered to have taken place on the lakes several years ago. This time it is Capt. Gilover who rescued the crews of the Flint and Mason off Point Abino, Sept. 20, 1896. It is now thought that the award of a life-saving medal would be a fitting recognition of his humane services. The influential and energetic sec- retary of the Lake Carriers’ Association would render un- told service in the interests of humanity, by taking cogniz- ance of the many acts of heroism displayed by members of the crews of vessels enrolled in the association, as they oc- cur from time to time, throughout the season of navigation. This subject has been brought up before, but there is ap- parently some slight inertia to be overcome before these in- dividual acts of bravery and heroism in rescuing lives from drowning can be fittingly recognized. ——<—$— a oe To THE extent of her financial ability, Port Huron is copy- ing after Chicago in awarding a contract for a flushing éanal from Lake Huron to the St. Clair river. A Cleveland firm has taken the contract to do this work ata cost of nearly $100,000 and it is now up tothe Secretary of War on the advice of the district officer, to the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., as to the volume of water to be permitted to flow through this new artificial outlet. As live water is to be used the diversion will have some effect, not necessarily a derogatory one, but, still no doubt worthy of noting from an engineer- ing or hydraulic standpoint. —_——$—$ $—$— — $$$ rrr ar ae THE old yacht Shamrock is beating her successor Sham- rock No. 2 and no wonder, the old boat is limbered up to give and take all that the sail power can demand out of the hull. The new craft, in hull, rigging, etc., is tied up loose like the Dutchman’s dog, muzzled and curbed for the Western Ocean passage. Any swift yacht can be fastened down almost to the gait of a mud scow. This feature, however, is universally known, so that our novices must not judgetoo hastily regard- ing, perhaps, what may be the hidden qualities of the new challenger. — as a ee EVIDENTLY Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan is living the strenuous life among the Britisher shipowners. Some of the ancient, staid old firms will be counting their fleets even to the utter- most ends of the earth, as a hen gathereth her chickens on the approach of an hawk. There was even reason at hand for some of the firms to be Morganized, though least of all, perhaps, was the house of Frederick Leyland & Co., yet, also and moreover, there are more to follow the magnetizing touch of the Morgan syndicate. i Goop hard lead, much less anti-fouling or anti-corrosive composition, will stand but little chance of remaining on a vessel’s plates in the North-Western Steamship’s Co.’s Wel- land and St. Lawrence canal trade. This will give another opportunity for underwriters, ship surveyors, owners and builders to learn something more regarding the life of ' steel when regularly exposed to the dual action of fresh and salt water. WE note that a district light-house inspector is falling into the use of the same old phraseology which we had cor- rected some time ago. This naval officer’ fixes ‘‘a red gas buoy showing a fixed white light’ according to the ‘notice to mariners’? published in this\issue of the RECoRD. Of course there is nothing dangerous about red gas showing. white or plush or cardinal or magenta or all the other charm-; ing shades and colors ‘which we ‘have never even heard of, the main object is to show, that’s all. Peta oe or oo It is worthy of note that the British Courts in making the’: usual inquiry into losses by stranding, etc., place great weight on verifying position by the 4 point fix, or bearings. As is to be expected, attention is directed in all cases'to the speed and use of the lead in thick weather as well as to the proper application of compass corrections for leeway, tidal or current drift and deviation on the courses steered. The question of an adequate lookout is invariably brought for- ward in the evidence taken. ee ——————— THE most rigid investigation is in order relative to the loss of life last week through the burning of the Duluth passen- ger steamer, Bon Voyage. From present reports those drowned were all women, that is to say, all of the men reached the shore. The good old proper order of women’ and children first, ina casualty of this sort, seems to have been reversed. There are also other certain peculiar ear- marks about the final burning of the steamer which may re- quire thoroughly ventilating. $< <<a ea By THIS and by that, but those straits down towards the southern extremity of this continent must have been closing in and filling up pretty rapidly since old Magellan’s time, when, as a New York special informs us, a sugar laden tramp steamer from the Hawaiian Islands has been compelled to round the Horn, as she was too large to pass through the straits, perhaps it was also a narrow squeeze to get through the Straits of Le Maire, We may have the Magellan clouds dusting the cob-webs off the statue of liberty next. — OOD THE Chicago Drainage Canal Commissioners are chasing ancient history callously close when they:countermand the edict to ‘‘cast crumbs upon the waters.’? The surprised astonishment of that bewildered steward: when he was placed in the dungeon cell of the police court’ this week, charged with shaking his table cloth over the side, may be imagined, yet, there is an instance recorded, of contamination flowing up stream too. Loy 2 i oO oe THE famous Belfast (Ireland) shipyard, Harland & Wolff’s, has had the American Line steamer Paris in hand for nearly two years, and she is now drawing toward completion under a new name, altered hull, and greater engine power. Let us hope that what is left of the original City of Paris, later the Paris, and now the Philadelphia, will have better es in the future than the rast. . ea ae Now that the general lake trade is in full swing again, there should be no such a word. as ‘‘hold on’ in the book. Prompt dispatch at loading and discharging ports and an everlasting get there between ports will doubtless be the order of the day, and months, until old ‘‘frosty Joe’? makes his re-appearance to clap a stopper on the hurrah’ in lake commerce and transportation. ron oo oo In the table printed on another page of this issue of the RECORD, showing the amount of freight received and shipped at the head of the lakes, we may ask the leniency of our coastwise and British subscribers, so that they will read cargoes, or merchandise, instead of freight, that is, imports.and exports, in lieu of the amount earned for trans- porting same. rer Ooo ASKED this week about the relative and superlative merits of our eastern contemporaries for advertising purposes by an intending investor, the hello girl either condemned or saved us? —— THE New York Marine Journal: is running a nautical humorous column“ these timies, which, we think, perhaps, makes it the most widely quoted trade paper extant. — OOO Oe OS From present indications challenger Shamrock III may lift the cup. CANADIAN SIGNAL SERVICE. Arrangements have been completed between the Govern- ment and Lloyd’s, whereby. the following signal . stations, maintained by the Dominion, have been included in Lloyd’s system of reporting stations, Orders forwarded to Lloyd's can be notified to vessels by theans of these signal stations ‘on the same terms and conditions as observed at Lloyd’s ‘signal stations, and vessels signaling to these Canadian sig- nal stations will be reported to Lloyd’s for insertion in the Lloyd’s List and Shipping, Gazette, and daily press, in the ‘same manner a8’ reports’ from ‘Lloyd's signal’ stations :— _ Cape Ray, New Foundland; St. Paul’s Island and Cape St. Lawrence, Cape Breton; Heath Point, South Point, South- west Point and West Point, Anticosti; Cape Rosier, Fame ~ Point and Cape Magdalen, Gaspe Coast; Amherst Island, Magdalen Islands. - The government telegraph system was, during the past — season, extended along the north coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Strait of Belle Isle, and it was intended to — connect Belle Isle last fall with the shore telegraph system | by a cable, but the loss of the steamer Newfield has post- poned the completion of this work. Lloyd’s have been in communication on the subject of establishing one of their reporting stations on Belle Isle, and have been offered the active assistance in doing so. with the mainland by a system of aerial telegraphy, so that communication would not be interrupted by a break in the cable. Arrangements have been completed by the Depértment of _ Marine, whereby all inward bound vessels will be reported from marine signal stations in the river and gulf of St. Law-. rence immediately, and all reports will be promptly posted on the bulletin board of the G. N. T. Co.’s office in Quebec _ . and on that of the Board of Trade in Montreal. i or SHOAL CLEARED AT DULUTH. Capt. D. C. Gaillard, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., an- nounces that the sand shoal, which was bulletined from his. office May 3, extending about. 100 feet from the south pier, of Duluth ship canal, has now been entirely removed. a oe NOTICE TO MARINERS. LIGHT-Housk EsTaBlLisHMENT, OFFICE OF THE LIGHT-HousE INSPECTOR, TENTH DISTRICT, BUFFALO, N. Y., May 9, Igol. CHANNEL WEST OF GRAND ISLAND, NIAGARA RIVER, NEw YorxK.—Notice is hereby given that on May 7, igor, nine 25-feet spar buoys, numbered from 1 to 9 inclusive, were established to mark the channel west of Grand Island in Niagara river, New York, By authority of the Light-House Board. A. DUNLAP, Commander, U.S: N., © : Inspector roth L,. H. District. GReNE OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE INSPECTOR, 11TH DISTRICT, DETROIT, MicH., May 13th, Igor. SUPERIOR AND St. Louis Bays, WIs: AND MINN, —Notice is hereby given that all the post- -light structures in Superior and St. Louis Bays, Wisconsin and Minnesota, which were carried away by the ice during the winter, are being recon- structed and the lights will be shown from them. as soon as possible. A Notice to Mariners will be issued when all the lights i in the channels are lighted, and in the meantime vessels should not attempt to navigate these waters by night. LIGHT-HOUSE ESTABLISHMENT. } LAKE HURON AND ST. CLAIR RIVER.—Notice is hereby given that on the 11th inst., in accordance with the Light- House Board’s Notice to Mariners No. 35 of 1901, the Lake Huron light-vessel station in the southerly end of Lake Huron, 13% miles N. by E. 3% E. from Ft. Gratiot light- house and to the northward and westward of Northwest Shoal, was marked by a red gas buoy showing a fixed white light during periods of 10 seconds separated by eclipses of Io seconds, and carrying a bell to be rung by the motion of the sea. The light-vessel will be replaced on her station as soon as practicable, of which due notice will be given. Also that on the same date two red and black horizontally striped spar buoys. were placed in St, Clair river, one to mark the southerly and the other to mark the northerly end of the Middle Ground off St. Clair City,- Mich., which ac- cordiug to U. S. Engineer Chart of the St. Clair. river cor- rected to June 10, 1898, has from 16 to 18 feet of water over it. By order of the Light-House Board. J: C. Wixson, Commander, U. S. N:, Inspector 11th District. en Blobbs—‘“‘It seems funny that living altogether on the ocean they should never get their sea legs on.’’ Slobbs— ‘Whom are you talking about?’ Blobbs—‘‘The mermaids,”’ They , are also considering the feasibility of connecting Belle Isle | |