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DEVOTED TO NAVIGATION, COMMERCE, ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE. ESTABLISHED 1878. its PUBLISHED EvERY THURSDAY BY THE MARINE RECORD PUBLISHING CO. Incorporated. Oo OREISEIN, oo ts0 erin donee pete we cees's Manager. CAP “JORN© SWAINSON food. fe cde beens eet eee ee’ Editor CLEVELAND, CHICAGO. Western Reserve Building. Royal Insurance Building. SUBSCRIPTION. One copy, one vear, postage paid...... Aan OG $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 eninieaions. but the wishes. of contributors as.to the use of their names will be-scrupulously regarded. CLEVELAND, O., NOVEMBER 21, 1901. THE LIME-KILN CROSSING. The time has about arrived to place lock gates at the Lime-kiln Crossing. Detention is being experienced with, every change of wind, and the commerce of the great West and Northwest is handicapped. It-is quite possible that the drainage through the Chicago canal’ is accountable fora few inches at least of the low- ering of the water at the crossing, of this, however, we have no data to prove the assumption, nor can any records be called on to establish anything beyond an opinion. It seems‘useless to say that the government has been remiss in not tabulating indisputable statistics relative to the flow and output of water through this channel, the fact remains, the figures are not to hand. Relative to lake levels, we ‘have upheld the theory that precipitation alone. supplies the demand, as a consequence, if the drainage is at any time greater than the amount of the precipitation, the supply will be less than the original to the extent. of the artificial drainage. With lock gates at, the Lime-kiln Crossing it is possible that. the. .current..oyer the flats. on the American side might be accelerated:.and remedial works would be re- quired there also, this, of course, would involve a very extensive system, and also a very expensive one for the country, but not one. whit more than the western trade is entitled to. It’is to be hoped that Congidssmun Burton, chairman of the’ Hotise River and Harbor Committee, will devote a little of his. superabundance of waterwavs. knowledge to the Lime-kiln Crossing question, and obtain from the Chief of Engineers. all possible: information on this most important question. ‘ Tt is of little use to build steamers of large size and economize on their workings: if they are prevented from floatine. hence, something must be done at the Lime-kiln Crossing, event, and although, it is in Canadian territory and ‘at a ‘point where the United States has spent millions of dgliais on past. improvements. “STEAM OR SAIL COASTERS. New > ities a fleet os lake-built steamers has entered pie New England coasting ‘trade. it is possible that the eastern trade Shas seen the first inroads of an innovation which will for all-time inthe future change past and existing methods of commerce and transportation, and the small schooners out of which so many thousands of people “have THE MARINE RECORD. been making a living ever since ‘the earliest days in the history of the country, will from this out drop. into desue- tude. ‘The schooner ‘property, raid and employment, has sur-> vived and prospered in the face of all modern changes aiid improvements in every other known industry. Schooners of immense'size are even now being built, and with every faith in théir earning ability for the next decade or two, and that their history will be but a repetition of similar property as evidenced in the experience of the past two'centuries.’ | It is hardly a pleasant outlook for the schooner sailing age to contemplate, yet it is a foregone conclusion <hat before many years have elapsed steamers will cover the trade from gulf to gulf, and schooners will be obliged to pick up an occasional cargo to minor ports, earning a living freight only, by the fair slants of wind experienced dur- ing a passage, with staring starvation if a couple of wecks wind-bound or meeting with adverse weather. It seems like the irony of fate that the lakes: should knock out the schooner trade on the Eastern borders, as also on the Pacific slope but we must bow to the inevitable and ac- cept the change graciously. The lakes. will. byild. for the Atlantic aiid Pacific coasts all the fonnage required to drive out the schooner trade. oOo WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. With the now well tried system of wireless telegraphy it would seem that no lake vessel ought to be out of reach of assistance, or owner’s orders, if fitted with the apparatus as is getting common on the Atlantic. ocean. The Great Lakes present opportunities for usefulness for such a system usnurpassed. It has: been found possible for ships at sea to communicate with other vessels hundreds of miles away, and in case of accident. it is undoubtedly pos- sible for them to summon assistance from other vessels equipped with the proper apparatus. The time will come, no doubt, when the steamship companies ‘will receive reports from all their'vessels wherever they may be at regular in- tervals daily, and bulletins will be issued which will. keep the friends of those on board informed of the exact location of the vessels and of the weather conditions which prevail. On the Great Lakes it will be possible for vessel owners to keep in constant communication with their boats and in case of accident due to broken machinery or stress of weather to send help almost instantly fromthe nearest port. Such mysteries as those of the City of Alpena many years ago and the Chicora of more recent date ‘will no longer be possible, and it may be even that such disasters can be averted, says the Grand Rapids Press. Certainly the value of life saving stations can be greatly increased’ by a -wire- less telegraphy eqtipment. and without doubt such equip- ments will be provided. , ee SO oOo ‘THe need of favoring legislation for our shipping will be found in the statement that although American vessels increased 62,435 tons during the year, American vessels car- ried only 8.2 per cent. of our exports and imports, ihe smallest percentage in our history. In this connection the commissioner is forced to make this humiliating admission: “Our deet of ocean steamers in foreign trade is too small to be compared with that of foreign nations.” ‘The report will say that the steel vessels under construction or under contraet during the current fiscal year will much exceed sim- iar tonnage built in any previous year. The Bureau is ad- vised of 89 such merchant vessels of 355,645 gross tons, to he valued at ahou‘ $36,000,000. Besides these, 77 naval vessels of 281.148 tons displacement are building at contract prices of $78,00c;000.. In this work 44 plants with a. capital of __—$—$— eee Tue Secretary of the Navy in his annual report makes a distinction between Naval Reserves and Naval Militia. Our contemporaries have persistently insisted in comhin- ing the terms. ‘The Secretary of the Navy is ever present and everlastingly right in advocating the enrolliient of a National Naval Reserve, and it is no innovation even at that. Nayal Reserves. however, should he men of a differ- ent caliber and calling to those enlisted in the ranks of the militia naval, also is there. ample room and reasons for militia nayal movement and esDantion of both arms of the service. It iis figured that about 25. vessels passed away during -last week’s blow. The majority were old ‘worn-out net ‘and of small tonnage. NOVEMBER 21, I90I. ->* LAKE FREIGHTS. -Agreeably with the season, freight’ rates are, advancing, ; all around; 4 cents on wheat is now ‘quated ec the ‘head RAN wee of the lakes for spot tonnage. The Chicago rate is 2% cents on wheat arith slow. char- tering; corn 2% cents.. With the grain blockade at Buffalo” vessel owners fight shy at grain chartering. From Fort’: William to Detroit, 4 cents was also paid and 5- cents of ee ty fered for winter storage at Buffalo. The last -kick of the iron ore market requires a $1. ee ee from the head of the lakes but charters hold to last week’s figure of $1.25 and it has been generally accepted rather than get tied up with grain. Escanaba shippers offer 90. cents with a fair supply of takers. It is now conceded that the ‘season will show a volume ‘of 20,000,000 tons of iron: ore shipments with about half a million tons shipped by rail. sf nie | The lumber dealers are now exercised about not having _ sufficient stock on‘hand and are bidding $3.50 per M. feet from Duluth and advance of 25 cents ‘over last week but there is not tonnage enough available to meet their demands and another 25 cent raise seems certain on last. cargoes. Munising paid $3 on a Cleveland cargo. A Coal chartering is brisk at advanced rates and 75 cents is’ being paid from Ohio ports to the head of the Jakes ‘and 70 cents to Lake Michigan. From Buffalo 80 cents is offered on anthracite to Chicago—Milwaukee with not too much tonnage offering. a LAKE SHIP BUILDING. Sixty-five per cent. of the tonnage of American ship- yards in 1¢o1, ending June 30, came from the Great Lakes. The annual report.of the commissioner of navigation shows * the vessels from the shipyards as follows: Cleveland, five vessels of 20,752 tons; Lorain, nine vessels of 34,448 tons; Toledo, five vessels of 7,465 tons; Chicago, six vessels of 18,624 tons; Wyandotte, Mich., five vessels of 21,892 tons; Buffalo, three vessels of 10,010 tons; sels of 6,902 tons; West Bay City, Mich., two vessels of 7,742 tons; West Superior, Wis., two vessels of 6,124 tons ; South Chicago one vessel of 5,002 tons. The average tonnage of the forty ships was 3,478. Nine. Port Huron,:two ves- | of the steamships built on’ the lakes were for ocean service, , their average tonnage being about 2,100. Two wooden steamers were built in the lake, shipyards during the. year, one of 1,736 tons, at Green Bay, Wis., and the other. of 1,532 tons at’ West Bay City. The largest output on the lakes was from the Lorain shipyards, Wyandotte’ coming : second and. Cleveland third.. Five of the steamers built ‘on | the lakes had a gross tonnage of over 5,000 each and.ten)of .. them less than’ 5,000 tons but’ more than 4,000. Commis-., sioner Chamberlin thinks the time is not far ‘distant when ~ the lake shipyards will furnish ‘much tonnage for salt water transportation. : ; ap PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, The need of a new department to be known as the De- partment of Commerce, the head of which shall be a mem- ber of the President’s cabinet, has been apparent for some | time. The wonderful development in industrial and com- mrecial lines: makes this almost imperative in order that the Treasury and Interior departments may be relieved of an accumulation of duties which in no wise belong to their proper functions. Matters relating to the merchant marine, both.as to its ‘foreign and domestic branches, including lake and river ae navi atior ious aoa ceo HiaBlosHne about 46a0d men. ate enduled a: vigation, would properly belong to such a department as the one proposed, where. they could receive consideration commensurate with their importance. Rail transportation, mining interests, and the great industrial development in manufactures would naturaly fall to this new department, and the magnitude of these interests entirely warrant their _ separation from departments where it. is not possible to give them adequate consideration. It is expected that President Roosevelt with recommend the creation of this new departmnt at the coming’ session” of Congress. or or Word was received Friday of the death of Capt. “Nat” Stickney. of the firm of Carkin, Stickney & Cram, in’ Hay- ° erhill, Mass.,, where the funeral was held Thursday. last. Capt. Stickney was well-known at lake ports in. connecti on with the firms many: large dredging contracts. ‘