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4 ourse. Proceeding in this manner, the y boat, by the time she had got from ur to six hundred feet out in the stream, | would have been turned considerably to the | northward, That is usually the case upon '| the ebb-tide by the time the boat gets op- osite to, or a little above, the slip she has just left. Upon this course the collision would naturally have been upen the ferry boat’s starboard bow, instead of being, as it was, nearly head on, or a little on her port “in. tow of | weer, she] Ss ee : bow, try boat nome Again, the evidence shows that the ferry r rom her slip at; }- : j ; | boat, after the collision, retarned into her ter’s Point. The canal-| ii, by backing. Upon an ebb-tide; had the her starboard sice bY | collision ovcurred out in the river, she could t arly head on, ora on not have gone into her slip in this way by tter’s rt bew, the ferry boat’s backing. ting guard ona line with her!’ qe. considerations together satisfy me : in and broke some twenty! that the place of the collision was that bers of the canalboat’s side, and) wiien is stated by the ferry boat’s witnesses, de in front made a perpen- viz., before she was outside of the slip, or extending belcw the water beyond the Seventh street dock. She had waited in the slip just after leaving the bridge for a flotilla, consisting of two steam. tugs, all abreast, to go past up the river. They went from fifty to seventy-five feet only outside of the Seventh street pier. While they were passing, or shortly after, she received the signal of two whistles from the Niagara, indicating thatthe latier would also pass ahead of her to which she gave an assenting reply and waited for her to pass. NY i ‘he most important difference in the testi- es to the plave of the collision; determination of this point de- a the responsibility of the one or the other. The wittesses on behalf of the tug, sustained by the libelant’s witnesses, contend that the place of collision was about off the Righth street pier, or a little above, and from four to six hundred feet out in the river. On the part of the ferry boat it is elaimed, that she had not got out of her slip at the time of collision and that the cause of the collision was that the tug necessarily pier. ‘The evidence of all the ferry boat’s approached very near the New York shore, | witnesses indicates that atter passing the necessarily involves negligence in the tug, and on standing out afterwards, failed flotilla, the Niagara came down heading since she had no right ‘to pass so near to the clear the ferry boat, which was lying still | omewhat towards pier 7. ‘The line of the in the water, or already backing under re | i075 above naturally tended somewhat to versed engines. On the part of the tug it is| this result; and the freedom of the west shore 2 ' Claimed that the true cause of the collision | .9m ice may possibly fave Waded & further was the failure of the pilot of the ferry boat|ingueement. But the weight of evidence is to observe in time the tow behind the tug. | that there was not so much ice as to justify Some support of the latter claim is un-/ the Niagara in going so close to the shore as doubtedly found in the testimony of the! ne must have been at the collision, if, as I pilot, who, in his report of the accident on| gig, the ferry boat was not outside of the the following day, stated that the collision | co) onth street pier. Having exchanged the took place while he was lying in the mouth | two signals and lying within this slip, the of the slip, and that the tow exhibited no/tey.y poat undoubtedly had the right to light; and the further tact, stated on the! ..cume that the tug however she was head- trial, that he did not see the tow until the ing before, would change her course in time Niagara opened to view off Eighth street or} ¢¢ prevent coming so near tn sore. She @id a little above, from behind a flotilla going change her own course so that at the time up the river nearer the shore. of the collision she was angling somewhat As to the place of collision, there is doubt-| toward the Brooklyn shore. Many of the less considerable difficulty in coming to any} witnesses for the ferry boat describe the satisfactory conclusion on the testimony. | aourse of the tug and tow as forming some- Some five witnesses support the contention thing of acurve below Eighth street. When of the Niagara, while seven others sustain | j, was‘seen on the ferry boat that there was the contention of the ferryboat. The latter danger of a collision, her engines were witnesses were undoubtedly ina situation backed, and she was backing full speed at to observe with more certainty, and the cir-| the time of the collision. ‘The tug passed ens cumstances of the position were more likely | gear by some twenty or twenty-five feet. In to impress themselves accurately on the] nig situation I do not think the ferry boat minds of those witnesses than in the case Of | ig Jegally chargeable with fault, inasmuch the Niagara. (The Annie J. Pardee, 25 Fed.) as she reversed full speed as soon as she had Rep. 157.) The details of the situation testi-| any reason to suppose the tug would not fied to by these seven witnesses are such | keep off with her tow by asufficient margin that it is hardly possible to find that the] to elear her. collision was out in the river beyond the/ yt further appears that there was no light piers, without holding them all guilty of | upon the tow, such as was formerly required wilful fabrication. It is not so with the! py rule 9 of the supervisor’s rules, namely, witnesees of the other side. Besides this, | «. white light on the extreme outside of the there are two other witnesses on the part of | tow on either hand and also on the extreme the ferry boat that also indirectly confirm | after part of the same. But this rule appears her statement that she was more orless/to faye been abolished prior (o this col- within the slip. Two of these nine witnesses | |jsjon, were passengers on the ferry boat, wholly! ‘The pilot testifies that he did not observe disinterested. While little.weight would be any lights on the tug. The weight of evi- given to their negative testimony in regard | gence is that her colored lights were set to things they did not observe, being/{y pis report, made the next day, as he matters not within their usual business to| mentions the absence of any lights upon the observe, such witnesses are all the more tug, he probably saw the tug’s lights, but likely to observe accurately such obvious | afterwards forgot what he observed at the matters as the position of the ferry boat at| time. Considering this report of the pilot, the time in reference to her own slip. Re- | he was probably not aware that the former garding ull the witnesses, therefore, 48/ ryje had been abolished. Nevertheless there equally honest, the ordinary rule in dealing} j, no doubt that, as he backed as soon as the with conflicting evidence would require the | tow was perceived, and as there was no lack courts to find in favor, not merely of the! .,parently of proper watch, and from his greater number of witnesses, but also of position in the ship as he had no reason to those who were in the best position to! sy ppose the tow would approach so near the observe the situation accurately, and who ferry boat, I think the Flushing did all that would be least likely tomake any mistake | .1n be deemed reasonable and obligatory in about it. In the preseht case that is clearly | her situation, and, therefore, cannot justly on the side of the ferry boat. be held in fault. Tue libel should, therefore It is also very difficult to perceive how | he dismissed as to the Flushing, and a de- the collision could have happened at nearly| o¢ entered with a reference to compute right angles, or a little on the ferry boat’s| tne damages against the Niagara. port how, if the place of collision were out} Noyember 28, 1885. in the river, asthe Niagara’s witnesses state. The tide was ebb. The ferry boat in going out of her slip in the usual manner would be carried somewhat below, and in coming about in order to go to the westward of the Tenth street huoy would make a loop, some- what in the shape of the letter S. Such is the usual course of the ferry boat; moreever she had exchanged with the tug a signal of two whistles, indicating that she would keep to the westward and let the tug cross her bow, which would naturally earry her still further to the westward than her usual : ease er tc In the senate Mr. Maybury introduced a resolution looking to a renewal of reciproca treaty relations with British America in re- spect to free navigation of the great lakes and the St. Lawrence river and canals con- nected therewith. The circumstances un- der which the treaty of Washington was abrogated have been changed and modified by time, he says, and unfettered trade and commeree between the United States and their northern neighbors would be beneficial and satisfactory to both countries. tle A collision, under such circumstances: he Marine Rerord. CHARACTERISTICS OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER STEAMBOAT MEN. BY THE SECCND ENGINEER. Written for the Marine Record. PART VIII. There are so many processes to be used in getting a steamer off from « bar that one hardly knows which togive. One way is to get the Spar in position and get a heavy strain on ’er, then set the wheels to backing in order to throw water under the boat, However a few trials of this sort generally end badly, for as the wheels throw up the sand it is liable to shut off the supply of water from the boilers, sometimes tilling pumps and heaters with sand. “It was ona Steamer aground that gaye to Bill the name of being one of the coolest men on the river. Bill was head engineer on a big four boiler boat up the Missouri, which getting aground along in the afternoon while Bill was on watch, had kept the ‘‘boss’’ pretty busy, so (that when he went off at supper time he was tired enough to go to bed. ‘Lhe boat was still aground, and it was filling up around her pretty fast; still every time they set the spar they would “back her stronger both wheels.” Finally away went the doctor; she had failed to draw any water and consequently run away. The second engineer at once rang the “tire bell,” and sent a firemay up after the boss, but that gentleman was too tired to get up, so he sent word down to the second engineer to take eff the ‘thot water caps and wash her out;”’? then Bill turned over to dream of sand bars and “backing blocks,’ while the second engineer, snatched off the hot water caps as fast as he could, for it must be re- membered there was plenty of steam behind itall. he doctor was washed out, the sec- ond engineer gave her steam, she run all right, but would not throw any water, a thing that was prettly badly needed by this time, with a hot fire and a big head ot steam. “George!,’ yelled the second engineer; “go up in ‘Lexas’ and. tell the head engineer that the water is gettin’? down and the ductor has quit.’’ The head engineer sent word back to open up everything, and take off the cold water caps and see if there was any sand in her, which order was faithfully executed, but with no avail, for the doctor would not throw, so once again the second engineer sent word to the boss that the ‘*doctor” had quit and that the water was out of sight in the boilers. “Go back,’”’ said Bill, “and tell the second enginner to draw the fires and then look and see if there is any water in the river.’’ On investigation it was found that the sand had piled up around the hull and com- pletely: shut off the supply pipe. And I may add this often happens in the Missouri and Upper Mississippi, in which case they actually get overboard and dig: the sand away from the strainers. Sometimes they will spar all day or longer and without amove being made, when everybody will turn in, and sometimes the boat will wash herselt clear of the bar, by the force of the current running under her. True, this is only one of the strange things that have happened, The Missouri is called the ‘‘Big Muddy,” and truthfully too, for its water is of a grey- ish color, from the mud. ‘This naturally makes it hard on the boilers, and burning boilers is of Common occurrence. Many a steamer has gone up the Missouri and cleaned boilers every night, and then burn them sometimes. ers are externally heated boilers of the flue style, and have a drum connecting the boil- ers together from the under side, at about the third sheet from the forward end. The opening of this mud drum is always directly under the safety valve, it being a theory that the blowing off of the safety valve has a tendency to draw the scale and mad, in which case it falls down into the mud drum, and from there it is blown out every few hours. ‘Tbe water of the Missouri makes considerable scale, which sometimes gets so mixed with mud, that they settle on the forward sheets, and the water being thus kept from the iron the boiler is burnt. FRENCH RIVER. Derroir, January 12, 1886. To the Editor of the Marine Record: Isaw in a late number of the Recorp that acorrespondent mentions several new places which have come to the surface very re- cently. I wish to say a few words in ret- erence to an old place, French River, Geor- gian Bay. It may be of some use to some of your readers, and promises to be in the near future a place of considerable import- ance, The Ontario Lumber Company has cut reveral million pine lumber, and another firm, McLean Brothers, started to cut logs this winter, and will, I understand, put up The boilers of river steam- ; ee ee a mill next summer and intend to carry on a large lumberiag business. At French river, where the mill is located at present, is sixty miles from where the legs are cut. They are then hauled a few miles to the river and a tug tows them down, forty miles, to the falls; they are run over the falls, then another tug takes them down the river, to the mill. Anyone, to rely on, Barnet’s Coast Pilot would say this is a very easy place to sail in The Coast Pi:ot bas the courses, range lights, ete., all nicely, explained, as well as two and one-half pages of buoys, all num- /bered and located in fine Style, not oie of which can be found or has been seen by the oldest resideut. The Outer Bustard should not be ap- proached nearer than three miles until ic bears due east, when you can run E.N.E., till abreast of the lighthouse, then BE, by N. ill the outer ranges are on. Keeping ihe outer lighthouses in course, over the stern,. you will then be about N.E. till the inner range, or the two lighthouses (the one on Depot Islind, so called, and the one near the mill), are in range. These ranges run you very near the rocks, and a sail vessel muss have at least a four knot breeze to get ‘in against the current, one and one-half miles per hour. These inner lighthouses, so-called, are open frame structures, perhaps fifteen feet high, and the lights can be seen but very little farther than from one lighthouse to the other. After getting inside you can run alongside the rocks, which are steep and answer for docks, all the lumber being piled upon them, : ; A.C. ELEVATOR CHARGES. A correspondent writes to the [nter-Ocean as follows: : ; ; It is not to the interest of the elevator owners fo continue the present high charges for storage. With the very large amount of grain now in store at current charges theit profits must be enormous, and the porary advantage to them, of course, great. But how ow is this to effect their goose that Jaid the golden egg?” Thee vator men, following the example ot their contederates, are evidently determined to “charge all the traffic will bear;”” but this rule did not work well in the matter of transportation, and it will be shoe Aeynikk a 3 tain to fail if apphed to storage charges. This is an exceptional year, the amount of © grain in store is unprecedented, and the owners of it are, ot course, entirely at the merey of the storage men. The grain is, as. you have shown, being literally eaten up; not by human beings, nor by rats, but by “charges.’’? Every bin is full, and to keep it in healthy condition the eleyater men are obliged to. change about some of the grain that has been the largest time in store. The owners ot the grain find a pretty difficult task to keep up with the charges and pre- vent the bears from destroying the value of their property. I have collected some facts in regard to the cost of construction and op- peration of an elevator, which [ give below. IfIam in error in any. particular I should be glad to be apprised of it by some gentle- man engaged in the business; they are, of course, very familiar with the details, and can readily detect any -errers or omissions. An elevator of a capacity of 1,250,000 bushels would cost, at present prices of labor and materials, including cost of machinery, about $250,000, Such an elevator would handle, this year, about 7,000,000 bushels of grain. The rates of storage on this grain would vary from 114 cents for the first ten days te 4 cents for full winter ster- age. Much of the grain would remain in the elevator a very short time, so that the 114 cent rate would be earned several times over. [tis fiir to presume that the average rate for a year on each bushel of grain would not be less than 24g cents. ‘his, on 7,000,- 000 of bushels, would produce $175,000. The expenses for running the elevator, making a liberal estimate for each item, would be about as follows: Interest on cost... 2 ssae-ns sens 322082 5,000 Rent of ground, 5022 Soe. 5 -- eos e $5,000 Hiepaiies ete SONA eS ae was. 7,000 Riek see tha ghee aos eh aes: Ry FO Insurances, ca. 5c aS css Slasatieee aa moe Panett iS OS A oe ee eee OMiCe Expenses... 6- nse sere fonelenanne 10,000 Incidental sist ee oo. Soa e eect es . 5,000 Baborit'. hie bon aiiat Rees teemaooe Totals: oe: Sci oa jase ek gee eee Veta Oe OOD Net profit... 22. 2.2. sone e--- oone --es $107,000 or over 40 per cent on the cost of the build- ing, but L believe the profits are much larger than this. I have made a very liberal allowance of expenses, probably they are too high. In the item of labor [include one engineer, one fireman, and twenty men for shoveling and weighing in, delivering, and receiving. Office expenses I call $10,000, which includes salaries and office expenses. In this item I do not include any fat salaries. Lam told that one gentleman alone has been drawing a salary of $10,000 a year for serv- ices. in superintending a single elevator owned by a stock company, and | that some of the shareholders regarding this as rather too softa thing have applied to the courts tor an uccounting, but it is more than likely that the matter will be settled outside of the court room; but if itis not, the public will have an opportunity of gathering some in- side facts as to how grain elevators are run in Chieago, which will prove exceedingly interesting. sia Mises cis ER eae busi- ness in the future when it shall beshown that they have, as you express it, “killed the "