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ESTABLISHED 1878. VOL. XXIV, No. 31. A g g Z CLEVELAND -- AUGUST 1, 1901 -- CHICAGO. $2.00 Per Year. 5c. Single Copy LAKE CARRIERS’ ASSOCIATION. To consider and take action upon all general questions relating to the navigation and carrying business of the Great Lakes, maintain necessary shipping offices and in general to protect the common interests of Lake Car- riers, and to improve the character of the service rendered to the public. PRESIDENT. A. B. WOLVIN, Duluth, 1ST VICE-PRESIDENT. Capt. J. G. KEITH, Chicago. SECRETARY. CHARLES H. KEEP, Buffalo, TREASURER. GEORGE P. McKay, Cleveland. COUNSIEC. HARVEY D. GOULDER, Cleveland. EXECUTIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. JAMES CoRRIGAN, Chairman, Cleveland. COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION. GrBson I,. DouGrLas, Chairman, Buffalo. COMMITTEE ON AIDS TO NAVIGATION. GEORGE P. McKay, Chairman, Cleveland. COL. LYDECKER’S REPORT. From Col. G. J. Lydecker’s annual report for the year ended June 30, 1891, which has just been made public, we quote as follows: Improvement on the ship’ canal connecting the waters of the great lakes between Chicago, Duluth and Buffalo— The estimated cost of this improvement, which was en- tered upon by congress in 1892, $3,340,000. It provided for a ship channel twenty and twenty-one feet in depth, and a minimum width of 300 feet in the shallows. During the past year work has been in progress in the St. Clair and St. Mary’s river sections. In summing up, Col. Lydecker says: “The total expenditure to June 30, 1901, excluding liabilities then outstanding, was $2,962,072.29, and the total excavation to that date was 10,549,566 cubic yards. The depth now available on the shoalest part of the ship canal between Chicago, Duluth and Buffalo is 18% feet, and this limiting depth is confined to the section of the Detroit river which is included between the Lime Kiln crossing and the south end of Bois Blanc island. The un- expended balance, $357,710, will be used as occasion re- quires in widening and deepening the channel at points where such work is needed to make navigation safe and convenient, and in removal of newly discovered shoals ‘or obstructions in the line of the through travel between the specified terminals of the ship canal. No further ap- propriation is required at this time. Improvement of St. Mary’s river, at the Falls—This project of constructing a new lock of 100 feet wide and 800 feet long, between the gates, with a single lift of eight- een or twenty feet, according to the fluctuation of the up- per and lower levels, and depth of twenty-one feet over the sills, the canal and its approaches to be deepened to correspond, was begun in 1886. The estimated cost was $4,738,865, while the total expended to date has been $3,969,- 430. The present unexpended balance, $786,857, is sufficient to complete all work contemplated by the present ap- proved project, so no further appropriation is needed. Operating and Care of St. Mary’s Falls canal—The canal was in service 231 days last year, the closed period of 134 days being December 13, 1900, to April 26, 1901. The number of lockages made during the year was 8,875, by which 14,975 vessels of 18,345,306 tons registry passed’ to and from Lake Superior, with 20,994,320 tons of freight and 33,327 passengers. The business of the Canadian canal during the same period was only 2,742,392 tons of freight and 26,900 passengers. The total of the Lake Superior traffic was, therefore, 23,736,712 tons of freight and 62,227 passengers. This, as compared with previous years, is a decrease of 14 per cent in freight tonnage and an increase of 22 per cent in passenger traffic. The esti- mated amount required for the coming year is $110,000. Improvement of Hay lake channel—The improvement was commenced in 1883, and opened to navigation in 1894. The result was a new line of travel through the St. Mary’s river eleven miles shorter and four feet deeper than that formerly available, and one that can be navigated at night with a reasonable degree of safety. The last congress recognized the necessity of such proposed improvement between Lake Superior and Huron, including Hay lake channel, as wiil-secure a safe and con- venient channel 21 feet deep, and the bill which then failed to pass, contained a paragraph authorizing continuing con- tract. expenditures aggregating $4,500,000 for the purpose. It now seems probable that the next congress may take favorable action in this matter and such action is highly important to the vast commerce that is interested in the earliest possible completion of the proposed improvement. Total amount appropriated, $2,515,142; available balance, $301,917; amount asked for improvement during the next year, $144,1 15. en 8 no IRON ORE PRODUCTION IN 1900. A report recently completed by the geological survey shows that during the calendar year 1900 this country pro- duced over 27,500,000 tons, making the world’s record in this metal. In two years there was a gain of almost 50 per cent in the output of iron ore in the United States, the increase from 18098 being as follows: 1898, 19,433,716 tons; 1899, 24,683,173 tons; 1900, 27,553,161 tons. Twenty-four states and two territories contributed to make up the total of over 27,000,000 tons of ore produced last year, and each of the states, with the exception of Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York and Tennessee, showed an increased production over the preceding year. Consid- ered geographically the increase in the iron ore output in 1900 over that of 1899 was most pronounced as to quantity in Minnesota, but the greatest percentages of gain were in the less important contributors, Maryland, Missouri and the group of Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Michigan is the leading iron ore producing state, yielding 9,926,000 tons last year, being followed close- ly by Minnesota with 9,834,000 tons. The only other state to be anywhere near to Michigan and Minnesota in this regard is Alabama, with 2,750,000 tons. The total value of the iron ore mined last ‘year was $66,590,604, an average of $2.42 per ton. This indicates an increase of $1 per ton. The lowest average value reported per ton was 82 cents in the state of Texas, where convict labor is employed in some of the mining operations. The highest value was $3.71 per ton in Colorado. Whether the production of ore this year in the United States will exceed that of 1900 is doubtful. ——— etl CARGO CARRYING RECORDS. Relative to cargo carrying records they not unfrequently work out, as at Conneaut last week. The steamer Ellwood arrived and reported 7,100 tons, but ‘it over-run 113 tons, thus making the actual weight 7,213 tons. A few weeks ago the John W. Gates reported her cargo as containing 7,300 tons, and claimed the port record for the season. - However, it worked out just 200 tons less, and now the Ellwood takes the récord with 87 tons less than the former quoted, 7,300 tons. -verely criticized by unprofessional parties. ABOUT THE WEATHER BUREAU. Prof. Willis L. Moore, Chief of the Weather Bureau Department of Agriculture, at Washington, has been se- So. persistently have these attacks been made that Mr. Moore has felt the necessity of noticing them. What he says is interesting to the general public from the fact that he explains matters about which there is a good deal of mystery and conse- quently a good deal of misunderstanding. In a general way the public understand that the pur- pose of the Weather Bureau is to give timely information to agriculturists and mariners of meteorological condi- tions and manifestations likely to affect the vast interests they represent. The weather stations in the cities and im- portant points for observation send their reports to Wash- ington and make them public in the localities in which their observations are made. Merely local prognostications are given, of course, and in a general way they serve a useful end. But Prof. Moore makes us understand that weather forecasting is not an exact science. “Instrumental meas- urements are made with precision,’ he says, “and the ob- servations, therefore, are scientific, but the forecasts are made by imperial reason.” And then he adds: “I am thoroughly satisfied with the general accuracy of the weather reports, and so are the property interests of the country. _The marine and commercial interests are satis- fied with our work; and if it were not acceptable to the two committees of Congress, we would not get an annual ap- propriation of $1,100,000. to maintain the weather service.” The public do not hear of the millions of money and the thousands of lives that have been saved by the timely warning of hurricanes that sweep the inland lakes and make dangerous the seaboards of our vast country washed by. two oceans, and which tell of approaching blizzards, blinding storms, and the like in the aroused atmospheric changes of seasons. How trifling seems the failure to locate correctly a shower.or a snow storm, or to tell with exactitude when the wind may blow “from fair to brisk.” The greatest usefulness of the Weather Bureau has to do with the greater concerns of meteorological conditions and manifestations that come from instrumental measurements made with precision. Prof. Moore in an earnest and manly way says this to his critics: ; “T have no right to expect immunity from criticism. The words and acts. of every public official are matters that should be discussed and criticised by the press. The American press, which is the least venal and most hero- ically honest of. any in the world, is more feared by dis- honest and inefficient officials than are the statutes against crime. Personal malice may, in isolated cases, prompt.an attack, but in such cases there will be defenders if the at- tack is unjust.” — a WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE. It is reported that experiments with wireless telegraphy for reporting incoming ships will soon be made between Tatoosh Island, lying off the entrance to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the principal gateway to and from Puget Sound, and Neah Bay. The government at one time main- tained a station for reporting and observation on the island, but the cable to Neah Bay was broken several years ago and vessels have been obliged to report from Neah Bay, situated inside the straits, since that time. The gov- ernment now proposes to re-establish the Tatoosh Island station and reopen telegraphic communication with the main line. If the experiment with wireless telegraphy fails a cable will be laid between the island and Neah Bay. |