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OCTOBER '17,- Igo. were elected for the ensuing year as follows: J. Frank Monck, Hamilton, chairman; John R. Rathbun, Detroit,’ re-elected secretary and treasurer, The next annual meet- ing will be héld at Hamilton, ————_—_—$—$—$—$— OO tn ae DULUTH-SUPERIOR. Spécial Correspondence to the Marine Record: ‘Some two years ago President James J. Hill of the Great Northern Railroad stated that his company was planning to build all of its own carsinits own shops. It is now stated that preparations for building both wooden aud steel cars are under way, and that the work of building will beginat an early date. The Duluth & Iron Range Railroad Co. has plans under consideration for the improvement of ore dock No, 4 at Two Harbors. It is proposed to increase the height of the dock about 9 feet and raise the ore spouts 7 feet. It will be nec- essary to grade up the tracks leading to the dock, and the entire work will call for an expenditure of about $160 000, ‘The sale and shipment of lumber is very brisk and there is every indication that the hustle to get stuff east will con- tinue for a month yet. There is timber enough at the head of the lakes to last for years to come, at the same time it is quite certain that the finest quality of Puget Sound lumber will find i.s way here each coming season in continued larger quantities. James . H. Walker, a cook on the steamer Bon Ami, was found guilty at Duluth of having smuggled whiskey into the United States from Port Arthur, Ont., and sentenced to four months imprisonment in the county jail. Richard Wil- liams, clerk on the same steamer, who was involved in the same trouble, but who pleaded guilty, received a sentence of sixty days’ imprisonment. There will be an advance in the lake flour rate from Du- luth to the seaboard October 21. The present rate is 14% cents to New York, and it is to be advanced to 16 cents. Under the advance the rate will be 19 cents from Duluth to Boston, and 15 cents to Philadelphia. The usual differen- tial of 5 cents per 100 pounds between Duluth and Minneap- olis will prevail under the advance, C. E. Bailey, a well-known mining engineer of the Mesaba range, says that the people on the ranges are sorry to see the Board of Equalizition double the assessed valuation of the iron ore stock piles, as they fear it will result in small stock piles, which would mean fewer men employed and less money distributed in wages during the stock-pile season, which is the closed season of navigation. They believe, also, that the action will result in the stock-piling of little low. grade ore unless the mine has a contract for its delivery. ‘The. Duluth & Iron Rai ge has shipped 3,854.438 tons, as compared with 3,181,177 in 1900. The Duluth, M ssabe & Northern 2,638,314 tons, as compared with 3,207,436 tonsin 1900, and the Eastern Minnesota road 1 ,700,900 tons (esti- mated), as compared with 1,340,000 tons to October 1 Jast year. The total increase for the three shipping points is 464,139 tons. It is understood that ore will be forwarded as freely as possible to the end of the season, and the total shipments from Minnesota will certainly be in excess of 10,000,000 tons for the season. The Duluth & Iron Range Railroad Company has under consideration plans for the improvement of ore dock No. 4 at. Two Harbors. It is proposed to increase the height of the dock about nine feet and raise the ore spouts seven feet, The changes will increase the capacity of the dock some- what, and by raising the spouts make it more convenient in the matter of loading the larger class of boats. There is no room to extend the dock, The dock is 1,000 feet long, 52 feet high, and has 168 pockets. The cost of improvements is estimated at about $170,000. "Two cars of wheat were on track at Duluth on Saturday morning, | October 5, that broke the record for big loads, one over the Northern Pacific with 1,709 bushels and the other over | the ‘Great Northern. with 1,753 bushels. Witha train load ‘of these big cars, the question of big train loads is an interesting one, says the Commercial Record. With their grades into Duluth, there is nothing to prevent either road carrying a train of fifty of these cars. At the present time the Great Northern is carrying mixed trains of 40 to 60 cars, all loaded. Fifty of these big cars, with an average of 1,700. bushels each, would make a train load of 2,550 tons. To the railroad man the earnings of this train load would be in- teresting. The wheat rate from Grand Forks to Duluth, 300 miles, is 14%:per hundred, making the earnings ofa train load as above $7, 267.50. THE MARINE RECORD. Judge Lochren of the Circuit Court has now before him the last case on the calendar, that of the Iron B-It Mining Co. vs. the Duluth Farnace Co, alleges that the’ @efenidiint ' ‘company ‘agteed to take 20,000 tons “B ackeye’” iron ore at $2 844 ton, to be delivered dur- ing’the’ season of 1900, The defen adit’ however, failed to carry out the contract, and the plaintiff claims that it was obliged to sell the 20,000 tons at $2.16 a ton. Suit is brought to recover the difference between $2.16 and $2.84 a ton on the full amount. The Furnace Co. admits that a verbal contract was made, but contends that it was conditional and could be abrogated by it. H. D. Goulder, Esq., of Cleveland, and H. R. Spencer, Esq., of Duluth, are the attorneys for the plaintiff, and John A. Williams, Esq., represents the defendant. The Minnesota State Board of Equalization has raised the assessed valuation of iron ore on Minnesota stock piles to $1, The mining companies consider that the assessment is un- just, but will look to the local equalizing boards to correct it. C. A. Congdon, of Duluth, attorney for some of. the mining companies says: ‘We showed the State Board con- tract for 500,000 tons of ore sold at the mines for go cents a ton. That, too, was guaranteed ore, and not mine run. For mine run the price is only 62 centsaton. I assert that no property in the state is assessed as high as the ore on the stock piles at the mines. It is the practice to assess personal property at not to exceed 50 per cent. of its value. The commissioners of this county assessed it just about what it costs to buy the ore on the ground, mine it and place it in stock. The State Board assesses it for 10 cents a ton more than it brings in the stock piles.’’ Itislikely to work an injury to a large body of ‘men should the state persist in taxing the raw product. Stock piles furnish winter work and mine owners will not pile to be taxed, consequently, will leave the ore where it is and shut off winter work. C. A. Congdon, Esq., is intellectually able to present this phase of the matter to the Board of Equalization, and it is to be hoped that he wili succeed in convincing them that the pro- posed tax is an injustice to our citizens. a A re CHICAGO. Special Corresponaence to The Marine Record. The City of Milwaukee, of the Graham & Morton line, has gone into winter quarters. The death of James W. Brooks, chief engineer of the Western liner Commodore, is announced from Buffalo. The following meteorological observations are furnished by the office of the U. S. Weather Bureau, Chicago, for the week ending Oct. 16: Prevailing wind directions during the week, S. W., highest velocity, 50 S. October 11th. Mean temperature for the week, 54; highest temperature, 74 on the 11th; lowest, 38 on the 16th. The Northtown owned by the Northwestern Steamship Co, is now due here with coal, after discharging which she will load afew hundred tons of general cargo for Boston, Mass., and then. attempt to enter the coasting trade, her three sister ships following her later, but not so late to meet with ice in the St. Lawrence river or gulf. Soenileth the Chicago-Trans-Atlantic crank episode. The eastern coast will probably have four handy, well built, capable steamers to knock out a fleet of schooners’ ata later date they can perhaps be sent to the Philippines. The RECORD last week announced the loss of ae whale- back steamer Thos, Wilson, ashore on the reef at Builey’s harbor in a heavy storm, thick fog prevailing, and the craft flying light, pounding her plates to pieces. It is character- istic of the lakes to find a vessel on a fellow’s farm one. month or piled up on a rock-bound coast, and, a little while later to find the same hull droging around as_ previously. In the present case the Wilson was released and landed in South Chicago, where she will be given permanent repairs and placed in the like same like good: order and condition as she was previous to the duly supposed total loss. It is more than likely that the so-called Lake Carriers’ shipping offices, costing! several thousands of dollars each year, will be closed by next season and all classes of help to run boats be engaged from union offices. It is possible that the expenses paid to keep up these shipping offices would be better given to the actual workers than to idlers “ashore. The labor history is repeating itself, and the sailors’ union, with firemen, engineers, pilots and masters added to the ranks, supported by the Federation of Labor, will again take control of the workings of all vessels. A demand for increased wages and recognition of union labor is to be made “It is the case in’ which the plaintiff sued t6 tdedver' $i v3 606 Gn'an ore contract: Tt her construction in time for next season’ 'S service. at once upon the owners whos are in n the Lake yee Asso- ciation, ee We have enough, and too eae of it here, and now y Mil- waukee is getting touched at much the same gait, ‘this i is . the old squabble between tug men and bridge tenders, more or less felt in every lake port. The Milwaukee Tuginen’s Association has passed resolutions which will be presented to the Board of Public Works. These say that the bridge- tenders are too slow in opening for boats. The bridgemen declare the tugmen take a delight in running up and down the river just to make the bridges turn for them, and so the merry kilkenny war proceeds. right, but it’s hard to make political bosses controlling bridges see the point; no tugs use fuel for the fun of hicae bridge-tenders stir their stumps. : It does seem as if the members of the common council knew not or cared not about the shipping frequenting this | port and would as soon see the river closed up as not. The most recent attempt to interfere with and harass lake com- merce was perpetrated this week by an ordinance introduced in the couticil Monday night doubling the time the bridges. are to be closed for traffic morning and evening. By the ordinance the bridges would be closed from 5 to 9 0 clock. in the morning, instead of from 6 to 8, and at ‘night they would be closed from 4 until 8 o’clock, instead of from ! 5 to 7. The Board of Trade, River Improvement Association and other bodies interested in lake commerce will take action against the new scheme, A delegation of marine men called upon the mayor, and were assured that he would veto any ordinance of that kind if it passed the council. This i is all right as far as the mayor is concerned, but it shows the disposition of the common council to. be inimical to the’ in- terests of waterborne commerce. Plans recently ratified at a meeting of the directors of the Dunkley steamer line to South Haven from Chicago will give that resort the most ample steamer accommodations next season of the ports on the east shore. The plans include the addition of a steamer of much the same sort as the Petoskey for a nightly service from each shore, with the addition of a’ large fast steamer for the regular day service. The latter, which is to be a twin screw of a guaranteed speed of 19 miles” per hour, was contracted for at New York on Saturday last, the company being unable to secure a berth on the lakes for This | steamer is to be put in service June 1, while the Petoskey and her mate will go into service March 1, a much earlier date © than is usually selected for the east eure by the passenger lines. A new side-wheel steamer larger than either the City . of Milwaukee or City of Chicago is to be built for the Graham — & Morton Co. for service between Chicago and St. Joseph, © but her construction will not be entered upon until late. next | season. nounce anything defiinte about the much- mooted steamer, . which they claim will be built this winter and finished in time for use on the South Haven route next summer. understood that the delay in letting the contract has ' been because of the forthcoming decision in the Darius Cole liti-_ gation, which, it is expected, will be handed down during the next ten days. ro oo or BRITISH SHIPPING. Fairplay, London, says: doubt, freights in some directions have been. lower, but) cur-, rent working expenses (bunkers, insurance, etc.,).are so exceptionally high that the, margin of: difference is, more. than swept away, leaving net results which, are so unfavor-.: able as to be appalling, This. condition of. affairsjis all the. more remarkable in, view of the absorption,.of tonnage in,,, It is further.to, be;*r borne in mind that September is a-month,in which. all navi-.,, Despite these; , factors, which in ordinary years tend to, strengthen the, freight market and send rates up, the shipping business has,» connection with the South African, war. gations are open and harvests are coming in. never been so unprofitable.., Bad as the position,is, it would be less intolerable if there was ;some prospect, of. things.’ mending; but,, unfortunately, the outlook is extremely dis-,,. couraging. The tonnage recently launched .and now. in,,’ course of construction is unusually heavy. The launches/of., . merchant steamers during the first eight months of the year, are estimated to exceed three-quarters of a. million tons and the existing depression is largely due to this enormous, addition toour fleets, When the unprecedented quantity of tonnage now on the stocks is put into the water, the ef- .. fect on the freight market can hardly fail to be disastrous,” - Of course, the tugmen are © Officials of the Williams line are not ready to an- : op is” S “British shipping has..never,, been in amore depressed condition than at present., abi 3 wae