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AUGUST 29, IgOT. THE MARINE RECORD. CoMMISSIONER of Navigation Eugene T. Chamberlain has prepared a report showing that the tonnage tax receipts during the last fiseal year amounted to $903,139, the largest annual total since the change of the law in 1884. The tax rates, however, are lower than those in the principal British and German seaports. From ,corresponding light dues Great Britain received $2,421,907, and expended on its light- house and buoy system $2,393,142... The appropriations for the light-house service of the United States were $3,894,591. _ American vessels paid only $67,704 tonnage taxes. British vessels paid $559,357. rr oo or THE revenue cutters stationed on the lakes ought some times to visit sparsely settled districts where wrecks occur and amalgamate harmoniously with the residents thereof. The object for indulging in this sort of pastime would be to instil into the minds and hearts of the settlers and others the difference existing between »euwm and tewm. As things are now, the flotsam, jetsam and lagan from a wreck is con- sidered fair plunder. The Revenue Cutter Service might be in better business than umpiring private yacht races. or LAKE FREIGHTS. Iron ore still continues to hold the key of the lake freight situation. Charters are placed at opening rates, from which there has been no deviation during the entire season. The only feature worth mentioning is detention at discharging ports, otherwise shipments are brisk at the fixed rates. Rates on coal remain at 50 cents to Lake Michigan, Buffalo or Ohio ports and 35 cents to the head of the lakes... Ohio shippers strongly demurred at paying the Buffalo rate with the consequence that tonnage changed ports to load at the ~ best figure offered. The rate on lumber from Lake Superior was to advance from $2.50 to $3 per M feet on September ist, this date has now been changed to September 15th, with brisk chartering. Grain rates are quoted at 15g cents on wheat from Chicago with chartering being done from Fort William and Duluth ' at 2 cents and later loading up to 34 cents into Novem- ber. Chicago 14 cents on corn and 134 cents to Georgian Bay. i iO Ole PORTAGE LAKE CANAL. iaguton & Woods, of Buffalo, have finished the dredging contract in Portage Lake canal across Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior. The work was carried out under a continuous contract ~ provided for under the same act as the harbor work under way at other important points. Itwas commenced in May, 1899, and has cost $172,000. The estimated amount of material removed is 1,732,000 cubic yards. The new channel has a depth of twenty feet and a width “of not less than 120feet atthe bottom. Itis twenty-five miles in length. The revetment work and the breakwater piers at the entrance were not included in the Hingston & ‘Woods contract. The lower one was completed last season and the upper one will be finished this year. The estimated expense of the whole improvement is about . $1,065,000, The new channel is much used for heavy ton- nage the amount of which is said to be steadily increasing. In 1900 the reports showed that 4,000 vessels passed through with a total tonnage of 1,749,291 tons, and an aggregate of 32,875 passengers. —— oe oor BOILER EXPLOSION WITH LOSS OF LIFE. The steamer City of Trenton, owned by the Wilmington Steamboat Co., while on her route between Philadelphia and Trenten, N. J., exploded her port boiler on Wednesday, killing and injuring over a score of persons. The boilers of the City of Trenton were inspected last June by the local inspectors of the United States Steamboat Inspection Service, Treasury Department, and stood a hydrostatic test of 263 pounds tothe inch. She wasallowed to carry 195 pounds and her safety valve, the company’s officials say, was so arranged that steam blew off at 160 _ pounds. Engineer Murphy maintains that there were seven inches of water in the boiler at the time of the explosion. The steamboat City of Trenton was launched at Neafie & Levy’s shipyard last March. She was built for the Wilming- ton Steamboat Co., to ply between Philadelphia and Trenton, and was designed for speed in shallow waters between these cities, her draft of less than five feet permitting her to run at top speed on low tide. She was 162 feet long and 32 feet beam. ocean steamships and war vessels, ‘Kniery Edw., Goshawk AN AMERICAN BRIDGE BUILDING INDUSTRY. Mr. O. Gagen sails on the Hamburg-American line steam- ship Fuerst Bismarck, this week, for Hamburg, Germany, from which port he will proceed to Russia as a special repre- sentative of the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co., of Chicago, for the. Russian Empire. The Imperial Russian Government has been and is now more energetically improving a number of the large rivers within the empire, so as to receive ocean vessels. It is also enlarging: and modernizing its ancient canals, and has entered upon the construction of several ship canals, which will ultimately form connecting links for the transport of entirely within the Empire of Russia, from the White Sea to the Baltic Sea, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, and from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. The advantages of the Scherzer rolling lift bridge for these great river and canal improvements were brought to the attention of the Russian officials and engineers who visited the United States several years ago, with a view of studying and adopting in Russia the most approved methods of railroad, waterway and canal constructions. The interests of the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. within the Russian Empire have become so extensive as to require the establishment of permanent general offices at St. Petersburg. . Mr. Gagen is a subject of the Russian Empire, who has.for a number of years been connected with Russian consulates and has made an extensive study of American institutions, engineering and business methods. After. visiting all of the important seaports and waterways of Russia, Mr. Gagen will return to the United States by way of the Trans-Siberian and Chinese Eastern Railroads. In Japan, Mr. Gagen will visit a number of the principal cities and seaports, with a view of further developing the ‘business of the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co., already established in Japan. It is expected that his mission will take about a year, and that he will return by way of the Pacific route to Chicago. a LETTERS AT DETROIT MARINE POST OFFICE AUGUST 28, I90I. 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. Albridge May McAvoy Jos. Allen Jas., Jenney -. McGrath D. P. Anderson ‘Walter 2: Hackett, McAlpin Marion Anderson Frank, Cora A. McCarty Frank Busbin D. O’Brien J., Livingstone Boehmer Alfred, S. K. MartinOrmond A. J., Norwalk Brown Henry, Arizona Outhwaite J. W., Germanie Batlen A. J. O’Brien Walter Benson Ed., Ossifrage Parker Frank B. Blanchard Alfred Peters Wm., Tacoma Blair Ben, Appomatox Quick Fred Boyce Leon M. Rothermel E. H. Carr Wesley Simon Eugebe, Omaha Carlsen Ludwig 2, Johnson Swan Willie, Australia Cooban James, Goshawk Strong Edw., Marietta Cate Warren, Case Searfess Harry, Meriden De Champlain Zenon Sieber A. L. G., Smeaton Egan Dan, Hiawatha Sellers Percy Foster Geo. Smith J. A. Finegan J. J. Scott Jos., Hoyt Frasier Chas., Venus Shanks John Findley Mrs, G..W., Venus Glendon Tom 4 Gassom Peter, Maryland Henderson Robt. Hodges Arnold Hous W. FE... Henderson Geo., Mascot Jessen Gus., Arizona Janson Carl Shoup Alfred Schryver Jno. C., Sweetheart Shelton Frank C.’ | Shusston Leonard Stumpf Peter Shaffer Edw., Mariposa Seger Arta, Ogemaw Trombley: ‘Andrew, Wiving- VroomanC.H., Angeline[stone Van Camp Capt., Mary Amelia Vaillancourt Leon Van Avery Geo. 3 Weiss Geo., Sheldon Wallace Jas., Omaha Whitney W, M., Venus Williams Henry Wilson Chas, Willi Frank, Queen City” Webb Geo. 2 Welch E. A. 4, Lockwood Woods W. W., Wadena Ward Mary, Berlin F. B. DICKERSON, P. M.’ Koehn Chas. 'W. Kroft Edw., Carrington Lane Jno. a: Peshtigo Leslie Sandy, Rochester Lindsay T. C. Morris Geo. C. Miner Mrs. Nellie Moore M. Merrell Oren McGrath Wm., Elphicke McQueen Wm., Santiago McIm Geo. McCarter Jno. DU LUTH-SUPERIOR. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record. Ashland iron ore shipments up to August 18 amounted to 1,624,509 tons, an increase of 33,540 tons over the quantity shipped the same time last season. The steadily increasing receipts of grain indicate the beginning of a livelier business in the grain freight market and the outlook is more hopeful. Freights are steady at 2¥%c. for wheat and 2c. for corn to Lake Erie. The Ontario & Rainy River Railway Co. is building ex- tensive docks at Port Arthur. An elevator will also be erected, with a capacity of a million and a quarter bushels. The railway construction is being pushed rapidly, and rails are now laid 150 miles west from Port Arthur. The United States Steel Corporation steamer Gen. Orlando M. Poe was fined $200 by the collector of the port for violating the navigation rules of St. Mary's river. The ves- sel is charged with passing a steamer between Everen’s Point and the Dark Hole, which is not permitted by the rules, The wrecked steamer Preston has been seized by deputy United States marshal as the result of a libel sworn out by Alexander St. Clair & Co. to secure a claim of $6,000 which that firm has against the boat, the claim is for assisting the Preston after she was steutene! by her crew near Port Arthur. John Millard, mate of the steel tow barge Norton, died at the Budd hospital on Tuesday, from injuries received through the parting of a wire-hauling line while moving the vessel alongside the dock at Two Harbors. Ernest Millard, his. son, lives at West Bay City, and was notified of the accident. The Scott-Graff Co. will saw and dock about thirty million feet of pine standing in the locality of Two Harbors, for the Richardson & Avery Lumber Co., they are now at work on an eight million feet contract for the Street Chetfield Lumber Co., Chicago, and the logs are being towed to the Duluth mill from Maple, Wis. The following meterological observations are furnished by the office of the U. S. Weather Bureau, Duluth, for the week ending Aug. 27. Prevailing wind directions during the week N. E.; highest velocity 24 N. W. on the 22nd. Mean temperature for the week, 67; highest temperature 76 on 21st; lowest 61 on 27th. ° The steamer Estelle was fined $500 for carrying kerosene while transporting. passengers to and from Park Point, a summer resort near here. Ifthe oil had not been loaded aboard on top of the passengers there would probably have been no kick coming, although it is against the rules to carry oils, acids, etc. on deck with passengers. Assistant Secretary of the Treasurg Spaulding remitted an entire $200 fine recently imposed by the collector at Mar- quette, against Henry Ball, of that city. Capt. Ball is mas- ter of the tug Sea Gull, and was fined for a technieal viola- tion of the navigation laws in force in St. Mary’s river. As the violation was unconditional, the whole amount was remitted. _ The final order in the libel against the tug W. B. Castle, which was sold by the deputy United States marshal several months ago, was filed in the Duluth office Friday. The inter- vening libels of D. EK. Stevens, Harry Hawkes and N. H. Witt, are dismissed by stipulation and the clerk of coutt is directed to pay over to Searle & Spenser, proctors for Mrs. Mary B. Inman, the former owner of the boat, the balance left in his hands after paying all claims and the costs of suit. ‘(We expect to make considerable improvement in the West Superior yards of the American Ship Building Co.,” said Manager Wallace, of Cleveland. Mr. Wallace is man- ager of that company, and was in Superior this week on business connected withit. ‘In the first place,’ he con- tinued; ‘‘we will enlarge the old dry-dock from 500 feet, its present length, to about 700 feet. New sides will be built and new sheet piling put in along the water front. A new power house will be built, and the system so changed that the power can be centralized and supplied from one station. The compressed air capacity will be increased six-fold, and the machines will all be driven by electricity instead of steam. These improvements will be finished as soon as possible, and will cost from $75,000 to $100,000, — i oe ee The Donnacona, a sister ship to the Strathcona, built in Great Britain for the iron ore trade between Michipocoten and Hamilton, has now reached the lakes. Both steamers are owned by the Quebec, Hamilton and Fort William Navi- gation Co., of Hamilton, Ont.