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

12 THE MARINE RECORD. FEBRUARY 6, Igo2, 7A TRUSCOTT BOAT SIMPLE, SAFE, RELIABLE, SPEEDY. “It may be possible to lighting. build better and safer boats. but it hasn’t been done yet. We send a completely illustrated catalogue and price list free, which tells you all about boats and WHY TRUSCOTT BOATS EXCEL. Truscott Boat Mfg. Co., ST. JOSEPH, MICH. Pintsch Gas Lighted Buoys. Adopted by the English, German, French, Russian, Italian and United States Light-House Departments for channel and harbor Over 1,000 gas buoys and gas beacons in service. Burn Continuously from 80 to 365 days and nights without attention, and can be seen a distance of six miles. ...... Controlled by THE SAFETY CAR HEATING AND LIGHTING CO. 160 Broadway, New York City. THE COST OF AN ISTHMIAN CANAL. It is not probable that the requirements of our Pacific coast: commerce and industries may demand an isthmian canal either with tolls just sufficient to pay costs of opera- tion and maintenance, or possibly, without, tolls. The ex- penses to be incurred annually, therefore, in the operation and maintenance of the canal after completion constitute an item of gravity. ‘Ihe Commission made a most care- ful study of this feature. Its estimates for the Nicaragua route were $3,350,000 and $2,000,000 for the Panama route, exhibiting a less annual cost of operation and maintenance in favor of the Panama route, exhibiting a less annual cost of $1,350,000, which should not be lost sight of in the com- parison. of the two crossings. The commission sums up the cost of building the canal on the Nicaragua route and of completing the Panama Canal, excluding the costs of acquiring both the concessions from the different governments and the rights and property of the new. Panama Canal Co., as follows: Nicaragua, $189,864,062; Panama, $144,233,358. The new Panama Canal Co. has estimated the value of its rights and property at $109,141,500, but the commission estimates the value of the sme rights and property at $40,- 000,000. If the former sum be included, the total cost of completion of the Pnama Canal and the acquisition of the rights and property of the new Panama Canal Co. would be $253,374,858. This is the amount which must now be com- pared with the preceding estimated cost of the Nicaragua Canales In order to détermine the total estimated cost of the Isthmian canal by either route, there must be added to the preceding figures the costs of securing the requisite con- cessions from the Colombian government in the one case, and from the government's of Costa Rica and Nicaragua)in the other, as there are at present neither concessions from nor treaties with any of those countries of sufficient scope or - terms sufficient or adequate for the completion of the canal... Ai The Panama route is but 49.09 miles long from ocean to ocean, which is but little more than one-fourth of the total length of the Nicaragua route. ‘There is, therefore; less room for variety of: features than is- found on the Nica- ragua line. The city of Colon, formerly called. Aspinwall, was chosen-by the old Panama Co..as the Atlantic terminus. The route then follows along the marshes in a southwesterly direction) to a little place called Gatun, on the Chagres river. From that point. it follows the line of the river in a general. way to Obispo, thirty miles from Colon. ‘At Obispo the route leaves the Chagres and enters the Em- perador ‘cut, which merges into the great Culebra cut, where the. line crosses the continental divide. From the latter point its general.course lies along a small stream called the.Rio Grande until it reaches the waters of Pan- ama Bay. This route has attained great prominence within the past twenty years in consequence of the work done on it by the old- Panama: Canal Co. a French corporation of which Ferdinand de Lesseps was the head. It was not until 1883 that work upon a large scale was begun. The plan adopted was that of a sea-level canal and included a bottom width of 72 feet and a navigable depth of 20.5 feet. The entire cost of the work was estimated by Lesseps in 1880 at about $128,000,000, and eight years for the time Ped iihed. wg as 0 eect je si ide Work under ‘this sea-level plan was prosecuted actively 1 ! The longest vessel now afloat is the Oceanic, of the White Star Line; It is quite probable that within a comparatively short time longer vessels will be built, but it would manifestly be impracticable for the commission to take into consideration the possible devel- opment of ship design for an indefinite future period. It was, then, necessary to consider those vessels at present afloat whose dimensionsaretheyargest yet used, and design the canal and its works so as to afford a reasonable mar- gin beyond those limits, but not so great as to involve ex- cessive cost. ‘Io meet these conditions the locks were de- signed to give a clear length of 740 feet and a clear width of eighty four feet. ‘The greatest beam or breadth of war- ship at present is practically seventy-seven. feet. ‘The locks, therefore, meet the requirements of the law and give some room for developments beyond the maximum limits of size already attained. It is well known that ships drawing as much as thirty- two feet in sea-water have entered or passed from New York harbor as well as some other ports, and there is no reason to believe that the limit of draughts has yet been reached. It was, therefore, decided that the least naviga- ble depth in the canal should be thirty-five feet, and that limit has been carefully observed throughout its entire length. In the harbor entrances at the extremities of the canal this depth of thirty-five feet is provided at mean low tide—From “The Proposed Isthmian Canal,” by William H. Burr, in the February Scribner’s. Oe EASTERN FREIGHTS. Messrs. Funch, Edye & Co., New York, reports the con- dition of the Eastern freight market as follows: The volume of business for this week has been on a lim- ited scale and the only direction in which there is any im- provement in rates is for case oil to the far East, in which: direction quite a little business has been transacted, as shown below. It is quite possible that further tonnage could be placed on a similar basis. Notwithstanding the lower price of grain, shippers are still unable.to execute fresh orders, consequently there is practically no demand for full cargoes. . The few fixtures reported in this issue from the Atlan- tic cotton ports show the limited requirements from that direction, and there is no anxiety on the part of charterers to make commitments ahead. ‘ From the Gulf timber ports there is a moderate enquiry but the tendency is toward lower rates. ‘Time charters are neglected for the time being. Activity in sail tonnage for long voyage continues ham- pered by the low rates current for steamers, while in all other branches the market shows no’ animation and rates remain nominal. —— mE DS STATEMENT OF THE VISIBLE SUPPLY OF GRAIN. As compiled by George F. Stone, Secretary Chicago Board of ‘rade February tst. CITIES WHERE WHEAT.| CORN. Oats. RYE. | BA. LEY STORED. Bushels. |. Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels. | Bushels Bata 6. iciscesiaiotatere 4,428,000] 551,000] 527,000 29,000] 966,000 Se ATOBYs vokic ace 430,000 BACON esc ye oalore pete neem Chitago.o ink 6,830,000] 4,615,000 531,000] 1,060,000 189,000 Oe WAOA EGF tyeats on AED OOONS [ose ise s ar se ata T7sO00 lise dates. « Detroit so5 see naras 434.000 203,000 40,000 130,000 21,000 Dualathyesccs cscs: 10,407,000 221,000 180,000 454,000 275,000 et AAOat sei «as 511,000]....... Ra apes dafaih se, vibe sie s' sie eho |isie'e eee ase te Fort William, Ont..; 4,284,000)..... ABR SH pint sate Std ctie emer larate eS Milwaukee.......... 583,000 I09,00c] 401,000 42,000 194,000 Port Arthur, Ont.... TOO OOO natn waivnlics crceueito reer: copays um ELOICAG Ns woes ois sd son as I0I,000} 1,058,000] 548,000 240,000 WOTOULO civar he cages FROOO| is: oss cu S ecayel) [paeane a 46,000 On Cans fae. 46,000 3,000 112,000 37,000 50,000 Grand Total..... '| 57,929,000] 11,632,000]. 4,531,000] -2,403,000] 2,120,000 Corresponding Date, TQOOK: a sivietat ameaew oe 59,767,020] 14,825,000 9,929,000] 1,195,000} 1,873,000 Increase for week.. Boa cy lacie ianiaas 398,000]..... 47,000 Decrease ‘‘ pi 1.444,00 120,000 fii, OOO ee ec While the stock of grain at lake ports only is here given, the total shows the figure. for the entire country except the Pacific Slope. ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATION AND LAKE LEVELS. ALFreD J. Henry, Proressor WEATHER BUREAU. he precipitation during the season of November, 1900, to October, 1901, was below the average over the greater part of the basins of Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and over the southern part of the basin of Lake Huron. It was likewise deficient over the western part of Lake Superior. More than the average precipitation was recorded over the central and eastern part of Lake Superior, the northern portion of Lake Huron, especially the Georgian Bay re- gion, and over the entire basin of Lake Ontario. snowfall of the winter of 1900-1901 was somewhat greater than during the previous winters in all of the lake basins, except those of Lakes Ontario and St. Clair. The fall rains of 1900 were unusually heavy throughout: the entire Lake region. The winter precipitation was somewhat less than during the preceding year, while that of the spring and summer did not differ materially from that of the preceding season, The rainfall of the fall months was much less than that of the preceding year for the corresponding period. At the close of navigation in 1900 the level of Lake Superior was considerably higher than it had been for a number of years previous. The high water continued throughout the winter of 1900-1901, and well into the sum- mer, reaching its highest point in August. ‘The level then began to decline, the mean stage in November being 602.44 feet above mean tide at New York, or half a foot lower than it was during November, 1900. Be Lakes Huron and Michigan were also higher than during the preceeding year up to and including the month of Sep- tember. During October the mean stage fell about one- tenth of an inch below what it was in 1900, and continued to fall in November. At the close of navigation Lake Michigan’ was at a mean stage of 570.93 feet above mean tide in New York City, or about three-tenths of a foot lower than it was in the corresponding month a year ago. Lake Erie was, as a rule, lower this season than during 1900. The mean stage during November was 571.25 feet above mean tide at New York, the lowest point reached in the last four years. : or oo WRECKS AND CASUALTIES DURING 1901. The season of navigation of 1901 will pass into history with a record of 37 total losses from weather conditions and 10 from other causes. In addition to the total losses, 140 vessels were more or less damaged by the weather con- ditions, of which number 34 cases were due directly to fog. The total amount of estimated damages from weather conditions or fog was, $1,149,300, of which amount $688,- 700 was in total losses and $460,600 in partial losses; fog was responsible for damages amounting to $239,950, which includes two total losses. losses this season nearly equals the combined losses of 1899 and rgoo. In past years Lake Erie has usually headed the list with the largest amount of losses; this season I,ake Superior is first, with $524,450; Lake Huron, $305,850; Lake Michi- gan, $199,000; Lake Erie, $39,000; Lake Ontario, $16,500. Connecting rivers, $64,500. The total number of lives lost, due to stormy weather, was 90; other causes, 100; by lakes the record is as fol- lows: Lake Superior, weather, 37, other causes, 23; Lake Michigan, weather, 12, other causes, 18; Lake Huron, weather, 26, other causes, 7; Lake Erie, weather, 5, other causes, 16; Lake Ontario, weather, 7, other causes, none. Connecting rivers, weather, 3, other causes, 36; the large number of lives reported lost from other causes on the rivers including loss of life from capsizing of sail boats, falling off docks, vessels, eic. The loss of life this season, due to foundering of ves- sels, was large, the two largest cases being the Hudson with 24 lives, and the Baltimore with 12. The - The total amount of estimated.