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BUFFALO. As usual throughout the entire season of navigation, masters and engineets change their boats for various - Causes. Capt. Andrew Lawrence, of Tonawanda, has taken charge of the steamer Kittie M.’ Forbes, vice Capt. D. O'Hagan. - All government. buoys to be placed in the Niagara river this season are in position, the work of placing them being ‘completed by the. light-house tender Haze. Wednes- dav the Haze will put the new gas buoy for, Seneca Shoal in position. - The‘Inland Lloyds have just published this year’s Regis- ter, collaborated under the direction of Chief “Inspector Capt. A. B. Drake. The surveys for May are printed in stipplement form, as is customary for each month during ‘the season ‘of navigation. The canal boatmen are still waiting to see the. New York capitalists take their boats, which are under. option, but so. far nothing has been done. Still there is a report that some hitch in.the proceedings has delayed the pur- chase and the organization of the company. Canal freights are 4 cents for wheat to New York, as at the opening. The receipts of lumber at the ‘Tonawanda ports as shown by reports from the Tonawanda and North Tonawanda custom offices for the month of April are 8,126,400 feet. At this time last year not a consignment of lumber had reached the ‘Tonawandas by vessel. The first cargo this spring: to reach here arrived in the steamer Oscoda for Lafeiver & Co., on April 14. Some improvement was shown in the condition of package freight yesterday, the supply for westbound ship- ment being more liberal. The steamer Auburn, of the Western Transit line; which was tied up last week. will be again placed-in service, loading for Lake Michigan. It is expected that another of the Western Transit boats, which has not been at work this season, will be loaded. The Independent Towing Co. has added another tug to its fleet here. ‘The vessel is the William Stevenson and formerly was owned by the Hingston & Woods Dredging Co., which failed recently. The Stevenson is compara- tively a new tug. She is a wooden boat, built in Buffalo in 1887: Her length’is fifty-one feet, beam fifteen feet, and depth “nine feet. Capt. Thomas Higgins will be in the Stevenson, with T.’ V. O’Connor in the engine room. “Several changes of masters have taken place since navi- gation opened. Capt. H. D. Ray is now in:the schooner ‘Buckeye State in place of Capt, R. C. Smith. Capt. R. H. Johnson is master of the tug R. H. Halstead in lieu of Capt. W. H. Vroman. Capt: R. J. Walter will sail the City: of Genoa, and Capt. J. O. Person succeeds Capt. C. J. Rathbun as master of the Annabel Wilson. Capt. W. H. Hutchinson will sail the steamer Oglebay and Capt. M. H. Clark the steamer - Mars. dacs An important sale was consummated last week at Prescott, Ont., when the Wolvin’ syndicate, which’ ‘recently organ- ized the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence *T'rdnsportation Co., purchased the tug’ Eddy and ¢ight barges formerly be- longing to the Prescott Elevator Co. The company will start a gang of men to work in fitting out the boats for a summer’s work. Six of the barges’ will be taken_ to Quebec and two of them will remain on the river. The Wolvin representatives have been anxious’ 'to secure-this fleet and were bidders a short time ago when the eleva- ‘tor and beats were offered.for. sale. : The Wells elevator is now a mass of ruins, burned to the ground by that enemy of all grain mills and elevators, spontaneous combustion. The fire commenced at the top and the structure was doomed from the first. This'is the second destruction on the site of the Wells. The Coburn was the first, destroyed in 1862. It was rebuilt as the Wells, and in 1890 was partly destroyed in the fire that consumed. the Eastern. The elevator was insured for $250,000. The loss on the grain in store is estimated at $150,000. The Cleveland & Buffalo line docks, which are adjacent to the burned elevator, escaped withowt damage. There is. nothing left of the structure which was the last of the wooden elevators to be erected here. “+ Commission on Advances’ by ‘Charterer.—A_ chartérer “is entitled to the stipulated’ ¢ommissions' on advances made “fot the ‘disbursements of the! vessel’‘upon: entering on the _ charter, although. she thenhad: coal’ in' her bunkers of equal ‘or greater value, which the charter ‘was ‘bound to _ take and pay for, where’ the: advances’ were actually re- quired arid’ made before an adjustment could be made of the: amount due for coal. Gow et al. vs.’ William W. Brauer S. S. Co., 113 Fed. Rep. (U. S:) 672. Chiges 2 DULUTH-SUPERIOR. A dispatch from Montreal says that the Wolvin syndi- cate has purchased the fleet of the Prescott Elevator Co., at Prescott, Ont., for $90,c00, and will use the vessels in the grain trade between Quebec ‘and the lakes. Alger, Smith & Co., who. operate a sawmill at Grand Marais, Mich., have sold 23,000,000 feet of high grade lum- ber to eastern parties. ‘The consideration is about $600,000. ‘his is the largest lumber sale of the year in the Lake Superior region. Capt. E. B, Anderson is in command of the, C.. P.:R. Liner, Manitoba, and Capt. McAllister is in the Alberta. These masters are not excelled in their line of work. They sail for good responsible owners and have the best attainable under their feet. A time ball is now in operation at the U. S. branch hydrographic office, on the roof of the Torrey building, Duluth. The ball is hoisted five minutes before signal and dropped at the instant of mean noon standard time of the goth meridian west longitude, equivalent to 6h. Green- wich mean time. The steamer ‘I'ampa was released from her stranded position on the north shore after lightering 750 tons of her coal cargo. After discharging she will placed in dry- dock for survey when temporary or final repairs will be made on her. Her consort is also undergoing repairs to the stranding damage. Because of an eddy current at the entrance of the ship canal, the new steamer America, of the Booth Packing Co. fleet, ran into.a cement pier as she was going out on Sun- day morning and suffered a4 damaged stem. The vessel, which is a new one, appeared badly damaged, though the full extent of her injury will not be known until she goes into dry-dock for survey and final repairs. Preparations are being made for beginning the season of log towing from the north shore of Lake Superior this week. As a general thing, May 15 has been the first date at which it has been thought feasible to begin this work. The hastening of operations is due both to the season be- ginning practically a month earlier than usual and to the anxiety of loggers to get their timber to the sawmill. - Information. has been received at the branch hydro- graphic office, Duluth, that Capt. C. A. Benham, of the steamer; W. D. Rees, reports that the shoal off Big Sable Point (Point au Sable) extends in:a northwesterly direc- tion at least 1 1-10 (114) miles from shore. At a dis- tance of 1,760 yards from the light-house only 8 feet of water is found. i The Barker dredge plant, consisting of seven dredges, five tugs and a dozen scows, has gone into the hands of the recently organized Lake Superior Dredging and Con- tracting Co. The company has had an option for two months. ‘The new dredging company was formed some time ago, when it secured the E. T. Williams & Sons’ plant. With the two plants, fourteen dredges in all, the pe aaa will beable to cut quite a figure in dredging work. The strike of Duluth longshoremen was settled on Sun- day, closing a three day’s conference between the Lumber Carriers’ Association.and the strikers. The men, who were offered 50 ‘cents an hour, but held for 60, agreed to goto work for 52% cents until such time as freights reach $2 a thousand, when 53 cents will be paid. ‘To-day’s compromise does not effect other unions at the head of the lakes, which on advice of Duluth longshoremen, are. hold- ing out for 60 cents. Two large steamers of the Pittsburg Steamship Co., Capt. A. B. Wolvin, ‘general manager, occupy the drydocks at West Superior. “’The Charles R. Van Hise has a place in the new drydock, and large crews are working on her. The damage to the Van Hise is mostly to her bottom, which was damaged on the rocks last fall. ‘Thirty-one new plates are being put on. ‘The steamer La Salle is in the old dock for the repair of damage sustained on White shoals. About a third of her bottom is stove in, and her lower frame work was also torn away. Representatives of all the Jake and rail lines interested in flour traffic between the T'win Cities and the Atlantic sea- board, both for export and domestic consumption, met last week at St. Paul to consider the proposition submitted by the eastern trunk lines to fix 23 cents as the minimum rate to New York on both domestic and export flour. The proposition not only involved the increase of the export trade 214 cents, but it involved the abandonment of the differential hitherto granted export flour. The lake and rail lines represented voted as a unit to preserve the differ- ential, and, furthermore, to make the present rates perma- nent rates. ‘Tariffs will be printed, effective May 5, estab- lishing 2014c as the regular tariff rates on flour and 23c as, the rate on domestic flour. : The movement of iron ore by lake from -this district during April has eclipsed the record of the same month in any previous year in the history of the trade. The gain is due principally to the early spring, which allowed the handling of “the ore and enable boats to get to Lake Superior when in previous years the ice fields still formed an embargo to navigation. During last month 973,335 tons of ore were loaded into vessels at the three ports at this end of Lake Superior. Last year in April practically no business was done and in April 1900, but 25,000 tons were shipped from Wuluth. This year Two Harbors shipped 443,926 tons, Duluth, 314,409 and Superior 215,000 tons.” The ore men are figuring on moving 3,500,000 tons a month during the next six months, and if they,.sueceed.in doing that,,they will. have, moved 23,000,000 ‘before,-going, into November. : Fo ae a elt thos ee The new soft coal combine went into effect-at,the headof the lakes May 1. Hereafter all of the soft coal which will be sold from Superior and Duluth docks ‘will Be the prop- _, erty of the Fairmont Coal Co. and the Pittsbtrrg' Coal Co the two concérns which have recently gone'into’a combine, — to-cohtrol the entire soft coal product. Ht is'not expected — that this will have any:effect on local coal conditions.. The — docks at the head of the lakes will remain under the same ownership as formerly, but the coal they will handle will be trust coal and they will handle it on a commission. It — is not believed that the change will have any effect in, the management of the various docks, at least not at present. “The same will be true with the retail dealers, with one exception. The city offices.of..the Northwestern people will be consolidated with the-office of the Lehigh Coal & ~ Coke Co., and one office will handle the coal of both docks. Another feature of the Case is the fact that the Jones & Adams’ new dock will not be an independent one, as was expected would prove the case. They have sold all of their coal properties to the trust people, and now, while they will own and Gperaté their dock, they will handle trust coal like all of the other head of the lakes docks. aoe ——— rr LETTERS AT DETROIT MARINE POST OFFICE. To get any of these letters, addresses or their.authorized agents will apply at the general delivery window or write to the postmaster at Detroit, calling for’ “advertised” matter giving the date of this 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. Stadstad, Ivar Morin, F A . Walker, Wm F, 126 Kambell, Dell, Aurania Lockhart, Wallace Kendrick, Frank 4 Shey J, Masaba Kahne Wii Ce ec Sampson, ‘Arthur Kingman, John F Schmitt, J. <P. 127 Heldt, August Sherman, Frank Hurdman, David Smades, W L Grieve, Wm S: Stowell, Mrs Alice A Elmer, Alfred Scott, John N Cowen, Fred Smith, Bert Cox, Geo : ‘ Raltray, Geo Church, D.C, Bessemer Relford, Bert Bates, Desmond Roman, Frank Brown, Phil Robinson, Wesley Bretz, Joseph Paddley, Newton Andrews W E Piffer Miss Annie Ayotte, Tuffiel Naden, Thos, Aurania Henry, Wm G Bassett, Ernest H, Marina Cadotte Claude, Douglas. Bogart, Aug C, Joliet Cocper, Warner eat Beckbissinger, Wm _ G, Ira Cornwell, Birdsey, ' ie Queen Ellis, Geo E Forbes, Harvey McKay, Angus G Franklin, Jas Olivet, Percy = Farrington, H D Roseborough. “Iheo Hester, B KF W, Haward Tomlin, Richard Keeler, Vetta A Wilson, Charles, Castalia Kampmann, C H Wiliby, Wm Lavigne, Wm J. Wilks, Grant Like, Carl Wilson, C Lacy, Frank, Shaw Webster, Ed Mills, Capt Wm : F. B. Dickerson, P. M. oe eo THE COLLINGWOOD SHIP BUILDING CO. At the annual meeting of the Collingwood Ship Build- ing Co., which was held recently, all of the shareholders were present, Mr. J. J. Long, president, presided. Reports of the company’s business for the past year were presented and considered highly satisfactory. The company proposes to lengthen the drydock to 530 feet and increase its width to 76 feet, which will make it capable of docking the largest vessels on the lakes. These oe will probably be under way within a few weeks. The election of officers resulted in the re-election of. those of last year. They are: J. J. Long, president; A., McDougall, vice president; Thos. Long, secretary-treas- urer; C. Cameron and P. M. Campbell, directors. ; a ee ee DIRIGIBLE BALLOON—POLAR CRAZE. In the words of the McDonnell. Odometer Co., at West Thirty-fifth street and Kenzie avenue, engines and frame- work are being constructed for three big airships in which Patrick E. McDonnell hopes to reach the north pole next summer. He is confident that his machines will work, as: the model has proved very successful. ‘The airships will be built on dirigible balloon plan, and will be more than. 400 feet long. It is claimed that several Chicago capital- ists are interested in the scheme, the cost of which is ex-. pected to be within $50,000. aaa Sergeant Julius R. Frederick, a survivor of the Greely. expedition, has promised to be one of the party to make the Fipsiar provided the tests of the machines are stc- cessful.