Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Marine Record (Cleveland, OH), November 7, 1901, p. 5

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ESTABLISHED 1878. [Psumnnaraas VOL. XXIV, No. 45. CLEVELAND -- NOVEMBER 7, 1901 -- CHICAGO. ' $2.00 Per Year. toc. 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. COUNSEL. HARVEY D. GOULDER, | Cleveland. EXECUTIVE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. JAMES CoRRIGAN, Chairman, Cleveland. COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION. Gisson I,. Doucias, Chairman, Buffalo. COMMITTEE ON AIDS TO NAVIGATION. GEorRGE P. McKay, Chairman, leveland, A NATIONAL NAVAL RESERVE. Naval officers and others interested in naval affairs have for years been directing the attention of Congress, through the Secretary of the Navy, to the fact that in time of war not one-half of the vessels of the navy could be manned on account of the lack of trainéd sailors. But no action has ever been taken in the matter, generally on account of the lack of influence. This defect, however, is said to have been strongly felt by President Roosevelt when he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and now that he is Presi- dent it is said that he will devote part of his annual report to Congress to recommending the organization ofa national naval reserve. Under the pressure thus brought to bear friends of the navy are confident that Congress will pass a bill creating a naval militia of national scope. Such an organization would include all state naval re- serves now in existence, or rather all members fit for ser- vice, and yachtsmen and sailors. The number joining this reserve would at first be about 5,000, but could be increased later on. ‘The British navy has for a long period been re- inforced by such an auxiliary, and there placed in the re- serve. Each militiaman would be required to drill on board a warship for a time not less than one week nor more than a month each year. The training time could easily be arranged for the convenience of the reserve. For instance, sailors on the Great Lakes could be assigned to duty on a warship in southern waters during the winter when navigation would be closed on the lakes. The movement in Cleveland is being promulgated by Lieutenant Commander Wirt and Lieutenants Dovale and Semon, of the Ohio Naval Reserves. A meeting of the members of the local naval reserve, yachtsmen, sailors, na- val veterans of the Spanish-American war, and all others interested will be held at the Gatling Gun Armory, corner of Sibley and Hayward streets on Wednesday evening, No- vember 13. Commander Wirt has received a communica- tion from the adjutant general of the Ohio militia asking him to do as much as possible to further the movement in Cleveland and to obtain a list of probable recruits. The following letter from the Secretary of the Navy to Governor Nash was included: ' Navy Departmen’, Washington, October 19. The Navy Department believes it desirable to form a national naval reserve, and with this end in view proposes, in case the measure should be adopted by Congress and meet the approval of the President: The complete details of the project have not been defi- nitely formulated. In general it contemplates the following provisions: : Enrollment of officers and men from naval militia, ‘the merchant marine, yacht squadrons, and from those con- nected with a seafaring life. Compensation will be based upon pay of correspondine grades and rates in naval ser- vice, with traveling expenses to and from home to the. vessels to which they may be ordered for annual tour of drill and instruction. Officers of naval reserve command- ing merchant vessels to. be permitted, under certain rules to fly a special flag. Pending legislative action the department desires to as- certain the number of men who would be likely to consent to enrollment, together with the positions they would prob- ably be able to fill. But no stens toward actual enrollment can be taken until after legislative action and the Presi- dent’s approval. ; sae With this end in view the department invites the com- manding officers of the naval militia of your state, through you, to furnish it with lists of men of their reorganization, or any others outside of it who may be considered suitable for enrollment in the national reserve, and who will prob- ably consent to become members of such reserve, together with the gtade or rating in which each would be willing to serve. One requisite for the reserve would be either service dur- ing the Spanish-American war, three years’ service in a na- val militia organization, or a reasonable service afloat in merchant or other vessels. Very respectfully, Joun D. Lone. Secretary of Navy. SO OD OS A RUSSIAN SHIP CANAL. The Paris Bourse learns that the Russian government has sent a number of hydraulic engineers to the Caucasus for the purpose of tracing a ship canal between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The average depth of the canal will be 21 feet, and from the Sea of Azoff to the town of Taganrog it will be a sea water channel. From Taganrog the new waterway will skirt the coast, being protected from the sea by thick stone walls as far as the mouth of the dead Donez River. It will then follow the old bed of this stream as far as Rostow. From Rostow it will use the Don River as far as Stanitza Manntsch, and from the latter place will take a bend in a southeasterly direction, via the ridges along the chain of lakes, to the fishing village of Lagansk on the Caspian. The cost of construction is estimated at 100,000,000 roubles, and the annual expendi- ture, including amortisation of capital, at 8,000,000 roubles. oo LIGHTS AND FOG SIGNALS. The annual report of the United States Light-house Board shows that at the end of the fiscal year there were under the control of the lighthouse establishment the following aids to navigation: Lighthouses and beacon’ lights, 1,306; light vessels in position, 45; light vessels for relief, 8;. electric lighted buoys in position, 11;. gas lighted buovs in position, 91; fog signals operated by steam, caloric or oil engines, 179; fog signals operated by clock work, 222; post lights, 1,827; day or unlighted beacons, 752: whistling buoys in position, 77; bell buoys in position, 122. — Se For the past two years the Stirling Boiler Company at Barberton, O., have been working on a contract with the Cramp Ship Building Company of Philadelphia. Under this they will make all the boilers used in the vessels turned out by the famous builders. A large part of them are used in warships, and some of the vessels of the navy of the United States and other countries are being equipped. ‘This has caused repeated additions to the plant, and it is now one of the largest in the country. A few days ago ground was broken for five new buildings, each 150 feet long and 65 wide. . It will almost double the pres- ent capacity. ‘There are reports that some new lines of work will be started, but officials of the company refuse to discuss the matter. SHIPPING BOUNTIES. The total amount of money distributed in bounty on the contstruction of both sailing vessels and steamships in France seems to have varied from a minimum of £80,735 in — 18¢2 to a maximum of £205,833 in 1897, the amount de- — voted in 1900 being £196,000. The navigation bounties now exceed £452,000 per annum, and in 1898 were nearly £482,- cco. Construction bounties have little permanent effect in aiding the shipowner, if the experience of Messrs. Bordes, of Nantes, be taken as a fair example. This firm calculated that under the system prevailine they could af- ford to pay 20 to 25 per cent. more for French-built than for foreign built vessels. They found, however, that in 1893 the tender of the French builders was 34 per cent. higher than that of the British; whilst in 1896, when the effect of the law of 1893 was more fully felt in France, this extra cost had risen to no less than 82 per cent. France gives a speed bounty which has a possible max- imum of £48,000 per annum, and also a subvention of - £219,000 per annum. The German government is said to give no bounty on the Atlantic, but to pay a sum of £65,000 ner annum for carrying western mails. ‘The United States gives $4 a nautical mile for carrying trans-Atlantic mails. This works out about £2,500 a trip. There is also a monopoly of the carriage of parcels into the States. Great Britain spends £101,705 on her New York mails, paying by weight. Specially addressed letters are sent by German or American steamers. This privilege is largely used, and accordingly the two British lines do not get anything like £50,cco apiece for the 104 voyages a year which their con-‘ tract with the postoffice entails. The Messageries have now some very fine vessels in opposition to the P. and O.’s Eastern trade, and receive a subsidy of £243,347 per annum for the Indo-China and Japan service. The Japanese have a fleet of twelve new ships—one built at Nagasaki, the others in Great Britain. Their speed is not great. It is— said their subsidy works out at about £10,000 per trip, whilst the whole expenses of the voyage, including canal dues, is about £15,000. The German East Asian line was granted a subsidy of £85,000 per annum in 1895. ‘The amount was raised to £160,000 in 1808 for a fortnightly service. On the Australian service the P. and O. and the Orient line each have an alternate fortnightly service, each company receiving £85,000 per annum. The competing French line, the Messageries Martime’s receives £124,317 per annum for a monthly service. ‘he more recent Nord- deutscher Lloyd service has a subvention of £115,000 for a four-weekly service. According to Sir Thomas Suther- land, these figures work out for the P. and O. 2s 7d, for the Messageries 8s 4d, and for the Norddeutscher Lloyd 6s 8d per nautical mile. The Austro-Hungarian Lloyd is said to be making an attack on the trade of India. ‘There is a subvention of 1s 2d a mile for services performed at a speed of over 10 knots. The mileage bounty in the Adri- atic and Mediterranean is 4s at 10 knots, and 5s 11d at 11% knots. On ocean voyages it is 4s 8d at 11 knots. The bounty is increased 10 per cent. for Autsrian built ships, and 25 per cent. if the vessels are one-half constructed of home materials. ‘Though the government assistance has increased over sixfold in 10 years, the increase in tonnage shifted has barely increased 50 per cent.—Engineering. ee It has been telegraphed to Europe that Senator Hanna has obtained the assent of President Roosevelt and the Cabinet to the introduction of the shipping subsidy bill im- mediately Congress meets, and to give it a leading place in the legislation of the session. The navy increase proposals will follow.

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