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j JANUARY 16, Igo2. TO BRIDGE THE STRAITS OF BELLE ISLE. The lowering of temperature caused by the body of ice frozen solidly in the Straits of Belle Isle most certainly helps to create the present tempestuous conditions incident to ‘winter in the St. Lawrence region, and there is little doubt that, if the flow of this frigid current, with its load of ice masses, should be diverted in some other direction a very marked betterment in the climatic conditions would ensue. Indeed, it is by no means improbable that the outcome would be that the damming of the strait would so alter the meteorological outlook that the Gulf and River St.Law- rence might be made navigable all winter, certainly as far . as Quebec, and, possibly, inland to Montreal. Practically all the ice which now forms in the upper part of the river is “harbor” ice, which takes shape in the coves, creeks, bayous, and havens on both sides, the lowering of temperature over the whole region consequent upon the mrush from the Arctics causing this congealing of the surface. If the navigation of the St. Lawrence for the whole year could be assured by this experiment it would be money well spent for Canada to take hold of it. But the objection to the idea at the present moment it that there are no lines along which could be indicated what the likely climatic. changes would be. Granted that the effect of such a structure would be to raise by many degrees the temperature of that region, it by no means follows that it would accomplish all that is claimed for it. The Gulf Stream, for instance, makes its way north to our very doors, and the ice floes drift south and meet it there, but though the warmer current conquers, it does not give us the benefit of a perennial spring, for we are annually treated to as convincing evidences of the undiminished power of the ice king as even the most skeptical could or should require. However, the project is worthy of the most serious con- sideration of the Canadian statesmen and legislators. It is estimated that the work would cost $30,000,000. This is a formidable sum; but, in view of the demands just now that Canada spend $5,000,000 in improving the St. Law- rence route, the larger sum seems less appalling. Nor is the undertaking so formidable as might appear from a superficial view. It presents no engineering difficulties such as have beset many projects already carried to a suc- cessful issue. It simply means starting a dump and carrying it across the strait, with a convex curve, toward the Atlantic, so as to better resist the chafing and pressure from the floes and bergs. The causeway would have to be built of rock, as earth would be washed out, but Labrador and Northern Newfoundland abound in rock. Hills, mountain ranges and boulders innumerable are to be found in abundance, and it should he simply a case of bowling down the hills and carting the debris to the dam and dumping it in. The structure should be wide and high—wide to prevent the waves forcing through the interstices, and high to prevent them sweeping over the parapet and washing across the roadway. But this would only be a matter of expense—the more money, the better the dam. It is proposed to have a railway run across the new high- way, but the value of this feature of the scheme is. more than doubtful. eee ee ee —————————ee LETTERS AT DETROIT MARINE POST OFFICE. JANUARY 15, 1002. To get any of these letters, addresses or their author- ized agents will apply at the general delivery window or write to the postmaster at Detroit, calling for “advertised” ‘matter, giving the date of his 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. - McCarthy Dan Mooney Jno E, Manchester Murray Jas H Marshall Willie, Uganda Northcott Geo, B Morley Roswell S H, Amazonas Smelling Edwin Schuansfager Fritz Secord J M, Crescent City Smith Wallace J, Germania Slauther Mrs Reuben, care of Sam Dorsen Stevens Rose L, Thompson Herman, Coralia Tetro F C, Pontiac Whitney C, Black Rock Williams Jno, Merrimac Yanser Carl, Negaunee Johnson Erick, Pontiac Pipher Anna, Box 2098 F. B. Dickerson, P. M. ee a ee SHIPMASTERS’ BALL AT CLEVELAND. One of the largest and most pleasant social affairs that have ever been given by the Cleveland Shipmasters’ Asso- ciation was its tenth annual ball Wednesday night at the Chamber of Commerce Auditorium. About 1,000 guests attended, including many lake cap- tains from out of town. ‘The beautiful auditorium was decorated with palms, and above the stage in blazing elec- tric lights was the inscription, “S. M. A., roor.” ‘The orchestra, stationed behind a bank of palms, played a con- tinuous dance program. Dainty and artistic souvenir pro- grams were presented to each guest. Ainsworth D, Bartlett Adamson C A, G § India Berendts Oscar, H Bissell Bieths Jno, Northern King Case Harley, La Cal C1 Darling H T Dooley Jas, Zenith City Fager Jaune, Ashland Graff Fred, Fleetwood Galligan M J, A A Parker Harris Thos-2, Selkirk Hill F C Juseth Oleva, Marina Johnson Fred, J P Donald- wt SON Jensen P, Harvey H Brown Knox W S, City of Banbar Ketchum J B, 2nd. Lennard Louis s ‘man. & Cooper mill now stands. THE MARINE RECORD. CHICAGO. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Work on the new harbor in Indiana, known as Indiana Harbor, is now at a standstill, but ample material is be ing gathered on the spot for, active operations early in the spring. The new Indiana port will not be opened to +4 navigation until the latter end of the season, © ?’ i “uy ‘ Naat ge The Lumber Carriers’ Association will meet in Detroit on ‘Thursday when two or three plans which have been developed for the consolidation of the lumber carriers will be taken up. Of these, the most important is the or- ganization of the Lumber ‘Transit Co., the proposed trust of the lumber carriers. The following meteorological observations are furnished by the office of the United States Weather Bureau, Chi- cago, for the week ending January 15, 1901: Prevailing wind directions for the week, northwest; highest velocity, 34 miles from the northwest on the roth; mean tempera- ture for the week, 2 degrees-on the oth; lowest, 9 degrees on the 13th. The steam barge Francis Hinton, owned by Capt. Wm. Evans and A. A. Vanavan, of this city, was sold yesterday to Capt. C. M. Campbell. John Lutz and J. Oliver, of the Indiana Transportation Co., of Michigan City, considera- tion, $20,000. For the last three seasons the steamer Hin- ton was under the command of Capt. Evans. The new owners will continue to operate the steamer in the lumber trade from various east shore points. Capt. Herman Bennett, of the steamer F. W. Fletcher, declines to accept the proposition that lake navigation closes in the winter time. e still has the Fletcher en- gaged in carrying lumber on Lake Michigan, and is making trips as regularly as in the summer time, bringing cargoes from whatever point he can find them. Capt. Bennett gets $2.50 per 1,600 feet from Ludington, as compared with $1.50 during the summer, and other points are in propor- tion. The Pennsylvania Company, operating the Fort Wayne railroad, is having a new slip cut in its yards at One Hun- dred and Fourteenth street, on the Calumet river. ‘The slip is on the west side of the river, and will be 1,800 feet long and 115 feet wide. ‘I'his improvement is taken to in- dicate that the Pennsylvania is going to do a good deal of its lake business on the Calumet instead of the Chicago river. The change marks the steady growth of marine in- terests at South Chicago at the expense of commerce on the old river. At the offices of the Northern Grain Co., in this city it was stated that the reports that that company was soon to erect an immense elevator at Manitowoc were rather pre- mature. Plans for an elevator of 2,500,000 capacity, to be absolutely fireproof construction, and built on the most modern plans, were prepared some time ago, hut owing to business conditions the time of building has been post- poned indefinitely. The cornpany already has three ele- vators at Manitowoc. ‘The proposed house, when built, will have the largest capacity of any at that port. C. A. Macdonald, the head of the Shipowners’ Drydock: Company, at this port, denies the rumor that his company is seriously considering a proposition to erect a shipyard for the construction of steel ships at Manitowoc or Mil- vaukee. The big new dock of the company in Chicago river will be completed this week and opened for business. This dock will accommodate the largest lake ships and will be equipped for steel repairs and construction. There is not much. probability of the company going beyond this in a new yard and dock. The building of another elevator in Manitowce during. the summer months now seems a certainty. ‘The loca- tion of the new structure has practically been determined . upon as the south bank of the river taking in the dockage now occupied by the old F. & P. M: warehouse, and ex- tending west to cover the property on which the old ‘l'ru- The capacity of the new elevator will be considerably increased over that of the others owned by the Northern Grain Co. It is advisedly stated that work will commence in the early spring. The Weaver Coal Co., of Chicago, Detroit and New York, has made an increase of $1,000,000 in its capital stock and bought the Lehigh Valley coal dock at Milwau- kee. ‘Fhe dock is said to be the only one the control of which had not been previously secured by one of the three leading coal combinations. Incorporation papers have been filed with the Secretary of State at Madison. The officers are Henry EF. Weaver, of Chicago, president; O. A. Sprague, of Milwaukee, vice president and sales agent, and Abe §. Austin, also of Milwaukee, secretary and treas- urer, and the capitalization is placed at $200,000 with lib- erty to do business throughout the state of Wisconsin from its mines in West Virginia. It is expected that a quarter of a million tons can be handled by lake and raii during next season. The liveliest passenger boat war on the lakes for many vears is scheduled between Detroit and Cleveland at the opening of navigation next April. It is practically set- tled that the Barry brothers of this port will put the steamers Empire State and Badger State on that route in opposition with the Detroit & Cleveland Steam Naviga- tion Company. The officials of that company, which has had a monopoly of the Detroit and Cleveland business for a third of a century, have been telling what they would do degrees; highest temperature, 50. to an opposition line. Their statements have not scared the Barrys in the slightest. ‘They say that there is a good field for an opposition line, and we are going to enter it. We are, not going there to sell out, but to stay. . The big Detroit & Cleveland company will find fighting us on the lines General Manager McMillan outlines a pretty ex- pensive proposition to its stockholders. In any case we can probably carry all of the freight and probably a fair share of the passenger trade as well, or at least enough to keep us going until we put larger and swifter boats on the route. , ~The plant of the Marine Iron Works, Dominick street. near Southport avenue, which was recently destroyed by fire, is to be rebuilt at once. The buildings will include a two-story machine shop, 4ox110 feet; a one and two- story structure, 50x182 feet, for pipe shop and offices, and a two-story boiler-house, 62x64 feet. : The Standard Pneumatic Tool Co. have removed their general offices from Chicago to their new works at Au- rora, Jll., where all correspondence should be addressed. They have also greatly increased their facilities for man- ufacturing. which will enable them to fill orders promptly. Crane Co., Chicago, distributed to its employes, Dec. 31, 1901, $125,000, with the desire of giving its workers some share, over and above their wages, in the prosperity which it has enjoyed in the year just closed. Every per- son in the employ of the company, 3,500 men and women in all, received a sum equivalent to 5 per cent. of the money each earned in 1901. No limit was put on length of service; men only a month at work got 5 per cent. of that. month’s wages. : . FLOTSAM, JETSAM AND LAGAN. The Baltimore Drydock Co. has just contracted to con- struct two automatic steel coal barges for the Clark Au- tomatic Coal & Weighing Barge Co., of New York. ‘The boats will be 140 feet long, 20 feet beam and 18 feet deep, with a capacity each of 1,000 tons of coal. . Recor, the Marine City shipbuilder, has contracted to build a hull for the engine and boiler of the steamer T. S. Faxton, wnich was destroyed by fire at that place last fall. The dimensions of the craft will be somewhat larger than the Faxton. The cost is put at $25,000. The Ann Arbor car ferries are still making trips be- tween Frankfort and Menominee via Death’s Door. A trip made on Saturday last was rendered very difficult through a n:ovement of the Green Bay ice under pressure of heavy west winds. These winds swept the ice to the vicinity of Death’s Door and there piled it up in vast wind- rows, thus blocking the passage. At Sault Ste. Marie Mr. Clergue’s syndicate has about 4,000 men employed on the various works. ‘Iwo char- coal and two coke blast furnaces are being erected, the immense steel plant is approaching completion, and. the sulphite pulp mill and charcoal works are also in oper- ation, also the ground pulp mill, and the electro-chemical works, producing caustic soda and bleaching powder. The Marine Engineers’ Association, of Toronto, have elected the following officers: Hon. president, O. P. St. John; president, J. A. Findlay; ‘first vice-president, Henning; second vice-president, James Currie; rep- presentatives on council, Seamy, Flummerfelt, Marriot, W.-Noonan, J. T. Noonan; recording secretary, R. Beal; conductor, J. J. Kenny; auditors, William Harwood and Thomas Crossley; financial secretary, James Woodward; treasurer, H. Parker. A syndicate of capitalists from Saginaw, Mich., is pur- chasing a fleet of barges to ply between Philadelphia and Port Arthur in the ‘Texas oil carrying trade. The barge Chicago, formerly a New York ferry boat of the same name, has been sold by Peter Hagan, of Philadelphia, to Arthur Hill, of Saginaw, who represents the syndicate, for $10,500. ‘The barges are to be towed up and down the coast by steam vessels. The syndicate contemplates pur- chasing sufficient vessels to land 1,000,000 gallons of oil at Philadelphia every month. “Capt. William Griffin, of the steamer Monteagle, winter- ing at Ogdensburg, received a gold ring as a Christmas present from Capt. Adams, of the British bark Culdoon, now at St. Johns, N. B. Capt. Griffin prizes it highly, as it came from a former shipmate. When Capt. Griffin com- manded the Guiding Star Mr. Adams was his second mate. Capt. Griffin intends spending the balance of the winter in the south*accompanied by his wife. They intend to visit the Charleston Exposition while in the south.” More than 10,000,000 tons of freight have been handled the past season in the Pittsburg harbor, 6,000,000 tons of it coal. Pittsburg’s inland harbor is rated by Uncle Sam as one of the most important in the United States. The harbor as defined by harbor lines, extends from the Davis Island dam in the Ohio river to the, site of Al- legheny river dam No. 2, and on the Monongahela river to McKeesport, at the mouth of the Youghiogheny river, being an aggregate length of river of 27.5 miles. The general widths in the whole harbor acording to the fig- ures of the Engineer Corps, U. S. A., are, at pool sur- faces—on the Ohio about 1,190 feet, on the Allegheny abont 930 feet, and at different parts of the Monongahela from about 750 to 950. Scant eight feet is the maximum for the coal boat channel at pool stage. Other parts of the channel are from ten. and twelve to sixteen and twenty feet in depth.