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JULY 17, 1902. UPBUILDING UNITED STATES SHIPPING, Wm. W. Bates, Ex-Commissioner of Navigation, under the auspices of the Home Market Club, Boston, Mass., ‘publishes a pamphlet ‘on’ thé ‘dis¢rininating duty plan, as “a contribution to'the study of the bestmeans Of Upbuilding the United States mercantile’ marine. pee Mr. Bates Critically examines the existing’ conventions “and treaties, and finds that they present fo insurmountable obstacles regarding’ ‘a withdrawal therefrom, by _ this country. The shipping plank in the Republican platform of 1806 is quoted in support of his contention, and, which cur readers may remember is couched in the following terms. “We favor restoring the early American policy of dis- criminating duties for the upholding of our merchant marine and the protection of our shipping in the foreign carrying trade, so that American ships—the product of American labor, employed in American shipyards, sailing under the Stars and Stripes, and manned, officered and owned by Americans-—may regain the carrying of our foreign commerce.” Early in the McKinley administration the party leaders: became convinced that our commercial treaties with many countries, which commit the country against discriminat- - ing duties, could not be denounced without bringing in a concert of reprisals, which at that time it was felt would be embarrassing, if not dangerous. Hence the so-called Hanna-Payne shipping bill, which provided bounties in- stead of discriminating duties, was introduced. main objects to this pill were urged, one that bounties are unconstitutional and unwise, and the other that they would chiefly go to promote a fast passenger service, conducted by combinations of wealthy shipowners. Finally delibera- tion developed what came to be known as the Frye ship- ping bill. After long discussion and some amendments this bill passed the Senate on the 17th of March, 1902, by a vote of 42 to 31, but among those who voted in the nega- tive were Senators Allison and Dolliver, of Iowa, Proctor “and Dillingham, of Vermont, and Spooner and Quarles of Wisconsin. It was at once recognized ‘that such Repub- lican opposition as this in the Senate indicated the possi- ' ble defeat of it by Congress. oo on or Even the best conducted ships of this or any other “navy, are liable to get into trouble at times. The flag ship of, a squadron on exhibition ought to be duly cau- “tious, perhaps extraordinarily so, at least Admiral Crown- _inshield, of the U. S. S. Illinois, will no doubt be now willing to admit as much. A special dispatch from Nor- way says: “While the Illinois was standing into. the harbor at Christiania, leading the squadron, her. steering gear failed and her helm jammed hard to starboard, with the ship headed straight for the shore. Both anchors _were let go and her engines were backed promptly, but the port anchor chain parted. The ship struck and a hole was punched in her bottom. Two compartments filled with water, the crew was piped to collision quarters and the water tight doors were closed. The rest of the squadron stood into the inner harbor. ‘The Illinois was eventually backed off and anchored safely. Rear Admiral Crowninsheld will probably .shift his flag to the U. S. S. Chicago, and the remainder of the proposed Baltic cruise may be abandoned.” It is quite possible that no amount of inspection would have shown the flaw in the mechanism of her steering gear. On the cther hand, there is but slight excuse for one of the best battleships afloat and the flagship of a squadron being found so simply defec- tive. A foreign drydock must be used to effect repairs. or or Cart. J. C. Bonner, Collector of Customs, ‘Toledo, hav- ing in view the recent collision between a tug and naphtha launch at that port, whereby several lives were lost, now issues what is called a ‘stern’? warning to all Owners of small boats on the Maumee river and in the harbor, regarding the exhibition of signal lights. The Collector very pertinently calls to mind that every species of boat is required to carry lights at night and he threatens prompt and efficient punishment for any failures to obey, if reported to him. Col. Bonner, however, ‘seems to quote from a municipal ordinance, and in a measure, to assume the duties of a harbor-master in sup- port of local by-laws and regulations. ‘The act referred to reads as follows: “Every form of water craft, from Two: THE MARINE RECORD. a row-boat to a passenger steamer, whether propelled by hand, sail or machinery, when operated in the waters of Maumee Bay or river (from Perrysburg on the south), is amenable to the act of Congress approved February 8, 1895, entitled ‘An Act to Regulate Navigation on the Great Lakes and their Connecting Tributary Waters.” Of course there is no such wording in the statutes em- bodying the “Rules of the Road,” though special harbor regulations may be enacted for any particular locality. According to Rule 11 even open boats must show a light at night. time. A SEVEN-MASTED SCHOONER. A seven masted steel schooner with her lower masts stepped, was successfully launched from the yards of the Fore River shipyard, Quincy, Mass., on Thursday last. Her general hull dimensions are, 403 feet over all, BOR feet beam and 35 feet depth of hold, she will be equipped with two small deck engines and boilers, electric dynamo, — steam steerer, stockless anchors and all the latest and best improvements for the handling of ship and cargoes: The steel lower masts are 32 inches in diameter at the heel and 140 feet in length, on which are stepped 58 feet pine topmasts. ; The carrying capacity of the Thomas W. Lawson is -placed at 8,100 tons coal, and she carries 43,000 square feet of canvas. She will have a crew of sixteen all told, and her total cost is estimated at $250,000. er THE LIGHT-HOUSE SERVICE. The United States maintains over 1,200 light-houses, 44 light vessels, 172 steam or hot-air fog signals, 221 sig- nals run by clockwork, 475 day or unlighted beacons, 73 whistling buoys, 120 bell buoys, and 1,400 post lights on western rivers, There are over 10,000 nautical miles of ocean, gulf, bay, sound, lake and river shores that are lighted, not counting the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The cost,.of lighting and buoying the United States coast is said to be about $2,500,000 annually, or $250 a nautical mile. : — a SAILING DIRECTIONS. The fourth volume of! the new issue of Sailing Direc- tions for the Great Lakés, H. O., No. 108 D, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, completes the series; this comprises four volumes, prepared by Lieut. Charles M. McCarteney, U. S. N., as follows: He O., No. 108 A, Lake Superior and the St. Marys iver. H. O., No. 108 B, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and the Strait of Mackinac. H. O., No. 108 C, Lake Huron, Strait of Mackinac, St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, and St. Marys River. H. O., No. 108 D, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, St. Clair and Detroit Rivers. The material was derived from the latest sources of information received from the branch hydrographic offices on the Great Lakes, from the bulletins. and official records of harbor improvements contained in the reports of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. A., from the publications of the Light-House Board, and the Sailing Directions for the -Canadiaii shore of Lake Erie, published by the Depart- ment of Marine and Fisheries, Ottawa. As during the season of navigation, improvements in the rivers and harbors of the Great Lakes are continually go-~ ing on, and new surveys are being made, many changes “of necessity cccur, to which the attention of mariners is invited, and’ they ate requested to communicate, either «directly with this office or with the various branch offices on the lakes, all information of value affecting these pub- lications. Additional information or changes noted, will be prompt- ly issued in the Notices to Mariners for the benefit of the mercantile community, and published in the form of supplements to each of the above volumes. There are five branch hydrographic offices on the Great Lakes, which are located as follows: Duluth, Minn., Torrey Building. Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., News Building. Chicago, Ill.,° Masonic Building. Cleveland, Ohio, Arcade Building. Buffalo, N. Y., Prudential Building. Mariners and others are invited to visit these offices for examination of the files, and for consultation with those in charge. The co-operation of all mariners is earnestly re- quested, so that trustworthy information may be obtained for the publications referring to the Great Lakes. W. H. H. SourHertanp, Commander U. S. N., Hydrographer. Se SER aa ce a Unirep States HyprocrarHic Orricer, Wasuincton, D. C., July, 1902. W. W, Stumbles, a marine engineer in the employ ‘of the Dominion Government, has arrived in Windsor to make arrangements with M.- K. Cowan, member of Par- liament for South Essex, for the establishment of a life- saving station on Point Pelee. ‘The need of the institution was pointed out by Capt. Frank Hackett, of Amherstburg, at the time of the wreck of the Maumee Valley on the middle ground in Lake Erie two years ago. FLOTSAM, JETSAM AND LAGAN. | James Faulos, a marine fireman, of Collingwood, Ont, was drowned in Commercial slip, near Lloyd street, on Friday last. The body, was recovered. cad ‘ Captain S. Murphy, one of the best known captains on — the lakes, has suffered another stroke of paralysis at his — home in Ashtabula. His condition is critical. ‘ Capt. Thomas Crawford, of Wolf Island, Ont., one of the best known mariners on the Great Lakes, is dead at — Chicago, whence he went recently to take charge of a steamer. A widow and three children survive. fs The Navy Department is in receipt of several appli- © cations from states for the use of vessels in the summer cruises of various naval militia organizations. ‘The De- »partment will endeavor to do all in its power to comply ~ wth these requests. ; Edward Nesbitt, formerly a Lake Carriers’ Association shipping master, has been engaged by the Great Lakes owing Co., to look over the tug strike situation and to prepare for starting tugs for the Great Lakes Towing Co. at Ashtabula, within the next few days. Manager. Leon- ard, of the Great Lakes Towing Co., will remain also. In the trans-Atlantic ship during the past sixty-two vears the length has gone up from 215 to 706 feet, the beam from 34 feet 4 inches to 75 feet, the depth from 24 feet 4 inches to 49 feet, and the displacement from 1,731 tons to 37,700 tons; while the horse power has in- creased from 740 to 37,000, or about fifty times, and the speed has been trebled. As to passenger accommodation the “Britannic” of 1840 could give indifferent accommo- dation to only 90 passengers, the “Celtic” can carry 3,104 souls, of whom 2,850 would be passengers. Trouble between the United States Immigration Depart- ment and the Lake Ontario Folger line of steamboats over the alleged employment: of Canadian firemen in violation of the contract labor laws, have broke out afresh. Com- plaints have been made by firemen who claim they. were shipped for a trip to the Thousand Islands and back to Ogdensburg, N. Y., and were discharged, ‘at Clayton, to make room for Canadians imported from Kingston. ‘The same trouble arose two years ago, and now, according to Department Inspector Estrelle, the government will push the complaint against the steamboat company vigorously. Experiments’ have recently been made on the Lake of Geneva with a new apparatus for saving life at sea, inven- ted by Prof. Probst, a native of Geneva. The apparatus consists of a diving suit of India rubber, opening in the center. It can be rapidly donned. It is so buoyant that nearly half the body remains above water. Airtight pock- ets on the side of the dress contain a lamp, matches, stores of food and.a trumpet. ‘The experiments were successful. Prof. Probst remained for several hours in the water. He intends to pass the whole of August in the water and will then go to Havre where he will remain fifteen days in the sea. Until Friday the entire crew of the Ann Arbor car ferry No. 3, including the captain and everyone on board were quarantined for smallpox, and have not been al- lowed to leave Frankfort for two weeks. ‘The case was discovered in a mild form on one of the deck hands. When the authorities learned of the case the boat was quarantined and the patient was placed in a tent on a high hill across the river from Frankfort. Everyone on board had to be vaccinated, the entire number being 32. ‘The cabin boy was the only one seriously affected by the operation. His arm swelled to nearly twice its natural size The smallpox patient had been sleeping with another man for several days, but his bed fellow escaped contracting the disease in any form. The body of J. H. McBrier, son of James McBrier, a vessel owner of Erie, Pa., was taken from the river at Sault Ste. Marie, Sunday, by dockmen. It had been in the water forty-five days, and was badly decomposed. His identification was established by papers in the pockets of the dead man. Young McBrier had been missing from home in Erie for almost two months. His father traced him to the “Soo.” There all trace of him vanished. Mc- Brier, after coming to Sault Ste. Marie, registered at the Northern hotel, and after several days disappeared. He left his baggage at the hotel. It is said that young Mc- Brier had for some time been employed on the steamer Sevona, which is owned by his father. F. A. Churchman, president of the Philadelphia Tug- boat Owners’ Association, called on James A. Dumont, Supervising Inspector General of the Steamboat Inspection Service, at Washington, D. C., and fully explained to him the enforcement of a law or rule deemed obnoxious to tug- boats holding a license on the Delaware river and bay. He further reported that it was fully established that there was no law giving United States local inspectors the right to designate the number of officers and seamen a steam tug shall carry and endorse the same on their certificates of inspection that were used for towing purposes expressly. ‘At a later meeting of the tug owners it was decided to appeal the ruling of the Treasury Department to the Supreme Court fer a final decision; also to have a bill prepared and presented to Congress to have the Revised Statutes amended and revised so as to obtain relief in this matter.