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10 THE MARINE RECORD. Aucust 8, IgoI. ESTABLISHED 1878. Published Every Thursday by THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Incorporated. C. 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, - : $3.00 Invariably in advance. ADVERTISING. Rates given on application. All communications should be addressed to the Cleveland office, THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO., Western Reserve Building, Cleveland, O. Entered at Cleveland Postoffice as second-class mail matter. No attention is paid to anonymous communications, but the wishes of contributors as to the use of their names will be scrupulously regarded. CLEVELAND, O., AUGUST 8, 1901. rr THE thanks of the MARINE RECORD are due the Depart ment of Marine and Fisheries, for a copy of the ‘‘Lights and Fog Signals of the Coasts, Rivers and Lakes of the Domin- ion of Canada” corrected to the opening of navigation this season. Mr. A. DENNY, one of the members of the firm of Denny Bros,,. Dumbarton, Scotland, world renowned shipbuilders and builders of Shamrock I, is visiting on this side of the Atlantic, and, as we stated several weeks ago, will if possible call upon lake shipbuilders. eT THE MARINE RECORD is indebted to the Maryland Steel Co., Sparrows Point, Md., for the transportation and in- yitation so generously proflered to attend the launching of the U, S. torpedo boat destroyers, Truxton, Whipple and Worden from the yards on August I5. ‘ ———— i oe ee TuE steam turbine propelled, torpedo boat destroyer. Viper, made a speed of 37 knots, equal to a trifle over 42 statute miles per hour. This is the highest speed ever ob- tained from anything afloat, however propelled. We may add that theViper is no longer afloat,though. She foundered last week in the English Channel while going through fleet manoevers. _——$— 5 rrr ee ' ACCORDING to official reports from the Treasury Department the American Ship Building Co. are the now posessors of quite a respectable fleet of miscellaneous tonnage, even including railroad caf ferries. Why this conceit, or is it deceit, should be perpetrated or propagated we areata loss to properly explain for even the holder of a bottomry bond, or documents sub- stantiating in effect the claims of respondentia, or hypo- thecation, is not considered prima facie evidence of owner- ship. Pere Marquette 17, mentioned in another ’column of this issue is owned by the Pere Marquette Railroad Co. and not by her builders the American Ship Building Co. On account of the Sampson-Schley, or is it chiefly the Sly- Sampson controversy, all of the little incidents relating to the Yanko-Spanko game of hare and hounds, recently in- dulged in along the South side of Cuba will haveto be matineed preluded, it is presumed, by the burlesque Hobson. This too for the peculiarly gratifying edification of Spanish- American war veterans who, picknicked at the ninety day Chickamauga and Chattanooga encampments, awaiting the cessation of hostilities: There is little use in shouldering all the excitement of exploded disciplinary irregularities on to the army when it is considered that the navy is entitled to substantiate its claim to at. least a little of the rodomon- tade. AMERICAN SHIPPING. Besides the actual construction of shipping in all its forms, and the consequent emoluments arising therefrom, there is a spirit of national feeling amounting in many cases to actual patriotism engendered in the breasts of those who work and witness the successful completion of portions of a nation’s tonnage, let it be mercantile or naval. From the inception of the idea to construct a realm over which the national banner must float a host of obligations arise. These in their ramifications’ bear a direct national influence and aspect much greater than is popularly or gen- erally surmised. The winged messengers of commerce sent broadcast over the oceans carry with them all that the flag implies, hence the main reason for national fleets of armed upholders. An ex-president of the United States realized the duties of his office in a singularly appropriate manner by recently hoisting the stars and stripes over some acquired ocean ton- nage, but it has been left for Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany, to more thoroughly complete the official recog- nition of merchant shipping, as he did in his congratulatory message to the winner of the blue ribbon of the Atlantic, although she is only a carrier, as distinct from a national or naval craft. We herewith repeat the congratulatory dis- patch : “Bravo Deutschland! An excellent performance hereto- fore accomplished by no other ship in the world. Honor to her builders! Honor to the oft-proved Vulcan yard! Honor to the crew! May both ship and crew carry their glory worthily over the seas. I rejoice that the ship is named the Deutschland.”’ We see in the foregoing message of congratulation a striking proof of the German emperor’s tribute to shipping. The owners, builders, yard workmen, seamen and the nation as a whole are asked to esteem their unrivalled situation and to bear it worthily, even the ship’s name is brought into prominence with due distinction. The emperor clearly per- ceives that every important keel over which his flag waves is a piece of German territory to be specially cared for. It represents more than the additions and accretions made on land. It means the honors and obligations due to a province having the power to locate itself under any foreign flag, and this can’t be done in any other way save by shipping, nor can his country even be personally represented at foreign courts without the aid of shipping, and,in the absence of which there would be little need of such a representation. While not for a moment advocating so radical an innovation as the mandatory presence of a government dignatory at the launching of even the most important tonnage built for the mercantile marine of the United States, we do insist, with others who have the rehabilitation of our shipping at heart, that some steps be taken tending towards the greater encouragement of our citizens in the upbuilding of an adequate representation on the seas, and, in this direction, much may be assumed from the recent utterances of King William of Germany. LAKE NAVAL RESERVES. It all makes for the best interests of the country that the young men and the sprinkling of naval talent located at the more prominent lake ports express a desire to form them- selves into a corps of naval reserves, The latest addition in this direction may be credited to Duluth, Minn., a port situated at the head of the lakes and with just as many pretensions to be considered a sea port as Chicago ever indulged in. The embryonic Deweys, while not yet officially enrolled under the regulations observed by this arm and auxiliary of the Navy, will no doubt be organ- ized before the close of the season and be ready for naval inspection and annual drill next year. As an indication of how well this feature has progressed on the lakes, judging from the recent official cruise of the several drill ships on Lake Erie, the report is made to the Navy Department by Lieutenant Commander W. Winder, U. S. N., who was assigned to inspect the Ohio and Michi- gan naval militia, ‘‘That the exercises just concluded have shown the great advantage offered by a suitable vessel for the use of the militia. The state of efficiency attained by the Michigan organization especially is to be attributed largely to the use of the Yantic. It is my opinion that the Michigan organization, as it stands, is capable of manning and officering a war vessel in time of need.” The Ohio Naval Reserves, in which are enrolled the Cleveland and Toledo battalions, are not spoken so highly of, but this is due in a great measure to the lack of oppor- tunity to receive proper instructions and drill. While the Illinois battalion enrolled at Chicago did not participate in the annual inspection, it is understood that it is equally as prcficient as that of Michigan. The formation of these State brigades merits the hearty good will and approval of all right-minded, citizens, and the reason of their being was amply demonstrated during our recent unpleasantness with Spain. In all cases it is neces- sary to mold the crude material into shape, and there is such a splendid element of possibilities within the ranks of the lake naval reserve battalions that we can confidently look forward to the time when the U. S. naval auxiliary from the lakes will represent the finest body of men ever placed at the service and disposal of any maritime country in time of need. To this end, we bespeak for the Minaesota naval reserves every possible encouragement and assistance in the prelimi- nary steps necessary to be taken for its formation, after which, the most successful results can be positively assured oe oo oo ST. LAWRENCE CANALS. Even if there is not a clear 14-foot draft in the St. Law- rence system of canals, too much cannot be expected of this artificial waterway. Many years ago two large steel steam- ers the Mackinaw and Keewenaw, built atthe Bay City yards of F. W. Wheeler & Co., were drawn apart and each taken to the St. Lawrenceintwosections. At evenan earlier date steamers of small size had crossed the Atlantic and came through the canals to the lakes. Anything crossing the Atlantic must be in fairly good ballast trim and 12 to 14 feet simply submerges a propeller in any sized craft to speak of. This argues that a 3,000-ton steamer, built very full and with the general hull dimensions of 256-42-26 feet can be locked through canals 270 feet in length and 45 feet in width, leaving room to work the gates, but there is no chance for her to carry any cargo worth mentioning in so doing. We have consistently stated that these canals re- quire specially built tonnage, equally so and for much the same reasons as the Erie canal does. A flotilla of canal boats will never make economical interlake and ‘Atlantic Ocean carriers, nor can the Erie, Welland or St. Lawrence river canals be likened to the Suez or Manchester canal from a transportation standpoint. In a word, too much is now being expected from the Canadian stretches of canals to the St. Lawrence. ee “‘S00”? CANAL TRAFFIC. All previous monthly records of Lake Superior commerce through the American and Canadian ship canals at Sault Ste Marie were broken during July. According to the official report contained in another column of the RECORD it shows that 4,781,072 tons of freight passed these waterways, an. increase of over Tune, the pre- vious banner month, of 261,997 tons. It is a stupendous showing, indicativg the cat growth of the traffic and the absolute necessity of improved facilities which are projected. The principal item, of freight are grain, including wheat, 5,854,777 bushels; flour, 1,092,625 barrels: iron ore, 3 351, AeA tons; lumber, 183,844,000 feet, board measure. The freight was carried by a registered tonn: ge of 4 ogt; A 609. The total vessel passages through the canals were 3,211; 14,201 passengers were carried. —_e_—_—_——o DD OO SO We noted in our issue of July 18th that Minister Murphy, Chief of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, New- foundland, was engaged in the’ compilation of a wreck chart showing the location of wrecks for the past forty years, with a view to placing better aids to navigation in those vicinities where wrecks clustered, this being a characteristic of a wreck chart. Since that date the Norwegian steamer Vera, from London for. Quebec, in ballast, ran on the rocks near Renews, about 50 yards south of the spot where the ill- fated steamer Delmar went ashore and within sight of the wreck of the steamer Lusitania, also the steamer Acis in the same vicinity. This makes a list of four within a stones throw of each other, and as many more _nar- row escapes occurring within a very brief period. We can’t be sneeringly facetious regarding so grave a loss, with lives hanging in the balance. But, if Minister Murphy has no other alternative he is, in duty bound required to chase a lot of natives to that point and keep them pounding tin cans during spells of thick weather,