The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THE MARINE RECORD. SEPTEMBER 5. I90I. eee een eee ee ——————— DETROIT. Special Correspondence to the Marine Record. Norman B. Conger addressed the officials of the Weather Bureau service at the convention held in Milwaukee last week. Engineer Edward Harris of the steamer North Land.was arrested for abusing one of the firemen’ a. week ago, Bail was furnished and he was released from custody. A Smith dredge was sunk at the Limekiln Crossing on Saturday through the premature explosion of a submerged dynamite cartridge. The men at work narrowly escaped being blown sky high. An appropriation of $15,000 for the construction of a small lightship to be placed at the head of Grosse Pointe met with notakers. Commander Wilson, U.S.N., stationed here, apparently needs to offer further inducements. : The successful wrecking steamer Favorite floated the C. B.. Lockwood, Capt. J. C. Dobson, stranded on White shoals, after jettisoning 600 tons of coal. The Lockwood was not leaking, badly and proceeded on to Milwaukee, where she will drydock for survey. __ A new,steel shipbuilding plant is projected for Port Huron by Thomas Dunford, Fred. Dunford and others. The plant will be located on the property south of the lower drydock, and it is understood an option has been secured on the land. Steel vessels will be built, _ Models of the car-ferriesin service at the Straits of Macki- nac are being presented to the German government by the Michigan Central Railroad Co. The work on the full models and equipment was done by an employe of the Detroit Ship Building Co., builders of the original, Frank E. Kirby, con- sulting engineer. The following meteorological observations are furnished by the office of the U. S. Weather Bureau, Detroit, for the week ending September 3: Prevailing wind directions for the week, north; highest velocity, 18, N. E., Sept. 1; mean temperature for the week, 71; highest temperature, 8s, on 28th; lowest, 60, on 2d. _ The damage to the lumber cargo of the barge Myron But- man, sustained in collision with the steamer Harvard, below Detroit some time ago, has been settled by the insurance company paying $3,625. As the barge is not insured quite a part of the loss will fall on the owners direct, unless they te the Harvard in a lawsuit. - The Tampa and schooner Aurania grounded last ae in the Straight “channel while trying to enter Toledo. Con- sidering the mint of money spent there during the last few years, Assistant Engineer Blunt, in charge of the supervi- sion of the work, will soon have to devise some straighter means of getting in and out of Toledo. Capt. Geo. P. McKay is, here to place the new light-ship on Southeast shoal. It is intended to establish full light- house regulations on this craft, even though she is to be maintained by the Lake Carriers’ Association. The keepers will be compelled to keep a.tegular light-house log in. ad- dition to following the other regulations of the Light-House Board. _R. B. Wallace, ‘superintendent of the West Bay City ship- yard, is again getting the plant in readiness for building. It is expected that work will be started on three steel vessels about September 10, They will be of one size—each 434 feet long, 50 feet beam and 29 feet depth of hold. Two will be for the Hawgoods, of Cleveland. Several huudred men will find employment. During the month of August the marine postoffice handled 55,121 pieces of mail. Of this 40,268 pieces were delivered to.and 14,864 pieces received from’the boats. Money orders issued numbered 62, amounting to $1,280.45. The total passages during t the month were 3,254. The largest num- ber of passages for a single day was on Sunday, August 25, when 175 boats passed. . Mrs, Dennis Lynn, mother of the Lynn Brothers, Port iuron, died last week, aged 71 years. seven sons, well- known in marine circles—James J., George Mrs. Lynn leaves. F, and Dennis, of Port Huron; Edward J., of Cleveland; Michael J., of Bay City; Wm. J., of Mt. Clemens, and Daniel E., of Chicago; and one daughter, Mrs. W. P. Boynton, of Port Huron, all of whom were at her bedside during the last hours. There has been more than the usual number of stalinttige in the rivers the past week, but the stranding of the Antrim at the Limekilns was the most serious and delayed naviga- tion until she was lightered. The schooner Andrews also grounded there. The Saxon and consort fetched up on a shoal about one-half mile above Fort Gratiot and right in, the fairway. The Grecian landed abreast of the light-ship in Lake Huron. Thick, hazy weather was respoiisible’ for several of the groundings. The United States survey steamer Search reports a shoal with a depth of twenty feet at the present stage of the lake, from which North Manitou light bears N. 29° E. (true), distant 4.4 statute miles. South Manitou light bears N. 83° W. (true), distant 4 statute miles. The crew of the Search also report 19% feet of water south of Rush shoal can buoy on a gravel shoal from which North Manitou light bears N. 7° W. (true), distant 2.6 statute miles, and South Manitou light bears S. 80° W., distant 6.6 statute miles. The losses to the insurance companies up to September 1, it is claimed, have eaten up so large.a part of the money taken in for insurance for the entire season that the com- panies go into the fall storms with an exceedingly small margin. While the number of large losses is smaller this season. than in previous years, there have been.a vast num- ber of groundings, which have proved expensive to the un- derwriters. Items of $5,c00 to $10,000 are numerous in the list of losses. The passage through rivers has been the dan- ger spot of the season, and the repair bills for strandings already exceed losses from strandings at all other points. The big passenger steamers North West.and North Land aré beginning to havea good deal of trouble: in getting to their destination on schedule time. - The delay of the North Land last week at Detroit when her firemen quit in Cleve- land, caused a great loss of time which the boat is trying to make up. The North West had the same diversion at Cleveland this week, as five oilers and ten firemen left the boat and a wire was sent here to have men in readiness, but firemen for Belleville water-tube boilers are a scarce article -and it isa good thing that the season for these boats is nearly over. These Belleville boilers want relays of firemen to jump aboard at each port of call, and here and there be- tween ports. The report of a few days ago, that the Northern Steam- ship Co. intends to take the Belleville water-tube boilers out of the. North West and Norh Land ‘this winter, has been, confirmed. The Scotch boilers used now on about all of the lake freighters will.be substituted. The company does not complain of the inability of the boilers to make steam, but insists that they demand too much: attention to be used where firemen are being changed. The Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers in the 500-foot boats appear to be doing a little better this season, but they are fired with patent au- tomatic fuelers. nayy, but the marine men'say that the stokers there know how to handle them, besides it isa different class of work and service, and other conditions are not the same. Just as an indication of how court decisions are regarded, I asked a prominent marine lawyer what he thought of the circuit court.decision a couple of months ago in Port Huron. The facts were about as follows: In November, 1899, C H. Jarvis, a coal dealer, chartered W. D. Ragan’s .barge Jupiter for a cargo of coal from Toledo. Upon arrivalthere,.a full cargo,could. not be obtained, only about 400; tons. being. put aboard... Upon arriyal at Port Huron, Ragan refused, to, un- load. the vessel.until he had received the freight-bill for a full cargo,.claiming that Jarvis had contracted to supply a full load... Jarvis. denied that the contract was to,such effect and tendered the amount due for the actual quantity carried, and replevined the cargo. The case was submitted to the jury, who decided in favor of the shipper’s contention, awarding Jarvis a verdict of 6 cents. My legal friend said the verdict showed the rankest incompetence, though the Jupiter deserved it for not.employing a lawyer. . Burrayo’s first elevator, which was erected -by Joseph Dart in 1842, says the Grain Dealers’ Journal, had storage room for 55,000.bushels and its leg could elevate 1,000 bushels per hour. The failure of this wonderful undertaking was freely predicted, because ‘‘Irishmen’s backs were after all, the cheapest elevators.’’ Wis., ftgasisacaon & The water-tube boilers are used in the. CHICAGO. Special Corresponaence to The Marine Record. Capt. John H. Blend, for several years harbor master al superintendent of bridgesi in Milwaukee, died on Wednesday. The Geo, Green Lumber Co. purchased last week half, a million, feet.of, Norway aud qubite Ping,.from, an, Ashland> ie a re an Wei ah The steamer Terry, Sataht wepently in Mew, York hee been detained at Montreal for several days for repairs. on her boilers... She will. reach Chicago by Monday nextif all goes well. ion Kaliver: .oThe,steel built, ton Garde Manila, consort of ioe steamer Matieica: arrived at South Chicago with 7,390 gross tons of iron ore. This beats the record of the William Edenborn, at Conneaut, by eighteen tons. The Mueller Lumber Co. has libeled the steel steamer E- H. Strong now lying sunk at Munising on a salvage claim of $20,000. . The Strong was valued at $35,000 when aban- doned and picked up derelict on Lake Superior. The Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Company have opened a © Chicago office at 335 Wabash Ave., in charge of H.S, Covey, where samples of their complete Tine. of chipping, beading calking hammers, the ‘‘Cleveland’’ Jong stroke riveting hammers, piston rotary and breast drills may be seen. The following meterological observations are furnished by. the office of the U.S. Weather Bureau, Chicago, for the. week ending Sept. 4: Prevailing wind direction for the week, N. E.; highest velocity, 34, north, Aug. 30;,mean temperature for the week, 70°; highest benrperntane: 84, on 29th; lowest 58, on Aug. 31st. Capt. Andrew Anderson, who sailed the aahognes Cora A; ever since she was built twelve years ago, died at his resi, dence here on Monday. Capt. Anderson was fifty years of age and leaves a family of three boys and two girls.: He came ashore on account of sickness when his vessel was in port on her last trip and failed rapidly, but his death was unexpected. Harry Shuman, a wheelsman, of the steamer er City of, Mil. waukee, refused to obey the orders issued by Capt. Stewart and also used profane language in addressing his.superior officer. The captain ordered Shuman locked up in,a state- room and when the steamer reached St. Joseph he was taken off the ship under arrest. A local judge sentenced Shuman to pay a fine of fro and costs for mutiny. Capt. Calvin Carr, who retires after a service of 30 years as a vessel agent on the Chicago Board of Trade, will be given a farewell dinner at the Grand Pacific Hotel, Thursday night. Plates for 35 friends of the veteran vesselman., will be laid. Capt. Carr retires to a beautiful farm he. recently. purchased near Oswego, N. Y. Itis just a half century, since he began sailing, and Oswego was then the proud rival of Buffalo. a The crew of the schooner Driver, abandoned waterlonmed off the South Manitou, reached Frankfort in their, wooden yawl boat. The craft had a cargo of hardwood lumber, and was reported as floating bottom up off Big Point Sable., The schooner was owned by Victor and John Anderson, of Benton Harbor, Mich., and was valued at $1,200. Her carga.of hardwood lumber was shipped by W. S.. Johnson, of Mil. waukee, and consigned to C. G. Marsh & Co., Chicago. In speaking of the great delays and annoyance, the Northern Steamship Co. is experiencing with its boats on the Buffalo run, a prominent Chicago marine man said: “The big boats are like a mule. They need just so much .coaxing and petting to get any work out of them, and they are get- ting it, too, in the shape of repairs. The French-Belleville water-tube boilers, with which these ships are equipped, are excellent,. but.it takes a well-drilled crew to handle them. The boats are, no doubt, well officered, but itis hard to keep a full crew of firemen, and changing them, as;they are com- pelled to do, every trip or two causes much trouble. The boilers are used in the French navy with satisfaction, and J believe it only requires a. familiar, crew to handle them suc- cessfully. In the navy the same men are with them for a long time, and it is reasonable to. believe that, they know how tohandle them.”’ This is considered a fair, true criti; cism of the conditions under which the North Land and North West have been running for the past several seasors, only, that as the boilers are now getting older, they are be- coming so much worse to handle in every way. ,It is to be hoped that there will be no loss of life or injury to the.crew through tubes blowing out, etc, With all this, their success has been phenomenal in the passenger. carrying trade this season and equally as good resylts are expected next year. —