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+ | Plarvine Record. t Published FPvery Thursday at 144 Superior ; Street, {Leader Building) Cleveland, O. A. A. POMEROY, EDITOR AND PROP’R ~ TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: One year, postage paid ......... cece eee ieeeeeee $2.00 Six months, postage paid Invariably in advanre. THE MARINE RECORD can be found for sale by the following news dealers; CLEVELA\D, 0.—G. F. Bowman, corner of Pear] and Detroit Streets, Evans & Van Epps, Superior street, Cleve'and, R. A. Castner, 254 Detroit s'reet, Cleveland. ASHTABULA HARBOR, 0.—C. Large. GHICAGO, ILL!—Joseph Gray, 9 West Ran- dolph Street. CHICAGO, ILL.—August Semper. 345 Noble Street. BUFFALO, N. Y.—Miss McCabe, Elk Street, near Ohio. DETROIT, MICH.—N. F. Stewart, Ft. of Woodward Av. DULUTH, MINN.—C. F. Johnson, 117 West Superior Street, MARQUETTE. MICH.—J. A. Vannier. ESCANABA, MICH.—Wm. Godley. SARNIA, ONT --D. McMasters, ST. CLAIR FLATS, MICH,— McNiff & Son, Subscribers and others are respectfully invited to use the columns of the MARINE RECORD for the discussion of pertinent topics, Entered at the Post Office at Cleveland as secend- elass mail matter. CLEVELAND, O.,. THURSDAY, DEC. 16, MASTER-AND-MAN SHIPPING CON : TRACTS. Lt has often surprised those who are in terested directly or indirectly in the mer- eantile marine service of the lakes that while the federal governmenthas done much to improve the means of inland navigation, it has neglected to do anything regulating _ the business relations between masters and i 2ws. The result Is that every year re quarrels and disputes be- — Whe Marine Record. of unsatisfactoriness as would exist between a builder and contractor it no proper con- tract were drawn out between them. When a vessel is being built the owner takes good Loere to ser, by personal representatives,con- tinually present during working hours in the shipbuilding yard, that the builder is doing the work strictly according to the | Specifications, in the contract. Almost | equally important, for the proper manage- is the existence of papers contracting for | the fulfilment of certain duties between master and man. Judges of the cireuit court have the power of appointing shipping commissioners to represent them in super- intending shipping contracts, but, while the power is fully and properly used with reter- ence fo seamen shipped at United States ports on the Athinticand Pacific seaboards, it has been a dead letter alony the lakes, re- garding which no special’ provision seems to have been made, and the result here is, of course, that musters and men have either had to settle their own disputes in a way generally unsatisfactory to one party or the other, or to refer them for arbitration to some private individual, invested with po legal power to enforce his decisions. Under the circumstances the announce- ment that Mr, Catchings, of Mississippi, bas introduced a bill for ‘the relief ot inland navigation,’’ does not come by any means too early, and it is to be hoped that he wiil be successful in speedily securing for the mercantile marine the benefit of legislation which experience long ago showed to be absolutely necessary, as between man and master, along the ovean seaboard. Mr. Catching’s bill proposes to authorize the judges of the United States circuit courts to Appoint inland shipping commissioners at ports within their jurisdiction, “whose duties shall be to afford facilities for engag- ing seamen, by keeping a register of their names and characters; to superintend their engagement and discharge when required to do 80; to provide means for securing the presence on board, at the proper time, of the'men who are to be engaged; and to per- form such other duties relating to the inland merchant seamen or inland merchant ves- sels as may be required of them by law.” The details of the bill provide for the close observance of shipping contracts made by seamen; for the recovery of advances in asters of x very bitter, exasperating‘ rous nature which would be ible if there existed properly drawn- ping papers between the contracting elativ-ns between seamen and eealy settled on the Atlantic coasts just why they have 4 tem is noteasy government ship- “that th r of in writing or in print with every seamen whom he carries to sea a- one ot the crew;”’ and, turthermore, the agreement had to be j signed by each seaman in the presence of a f shipping commissioner. By supplementary acts, approved in 1873 and 1874, the act of 1872 was amended in features which did not affect the principle of the measure. ‘The amendment made was that the act should not apply to masters of vessels engaged in { trade between the United States and the 1 British North American possessions, or the West Indies, or the Republic of Mexico. Thus, according to the strict letter of the law, shipping commissioners had no legal authority to superintend the bargains made between masters and crews engaged in trade between these places; but nevertheless in : practice so many Owners found jit to their ; protection and advantage to employ a United i States shipping commissioner. for the ship- | t ment of seamen in such cases that it was recommended to congress. by the Commis- sioner of Navigation in 1884, that in every case crews may be shipped by United States shipping commissioners at the request of the master or owner of the vessel, the ship- ping fee to be $1.25 per man, $1.00 of which to be paid by the vessel and 25c. by the sea- man shipped. In ehort, every precaution has been taken by the United States government to prevent, along the ocean coasts, any friction or mis- - understanding between mastet and man. ' The bureau of navigation, however, has neglected the mercantile marine of the lakes so far as concerns the appointment of ship- papers are fairly drawn out between masters and men. The result is a state of uncer- tainty on the inland seas which is as unfair and detrimental to the shipper as it is to the shippee. Practically, prscaniiriachaaneon pastime ear et cases of desertion; and tor punishment of seamen for refusing to serve, for wilful dis- obedience, neglect of duty, assault, and mutiny. The general effect of the bill will be to place the inland shipping on the same footing with the coast shipping as regards the proper engagement of seamen and the laying down of distinct rules under which they shall perform their duties on board parties by permitting the qnestions at issue to be settled by a properly qualified and constituted United States government officer. The wonder is not that Mr. Catching has now introduced his bill for the relief of in- land navigation, but that some such relief was not distinetly provided when the ship- ping act of 1872 was introduced. We can not understand how the legislators managed to remember the mercantile service of the oceans and to ignore entirely the vast and important interests of the inland marine. eco Te HORSES FOR LIFE SAVING. ; CLEVELAND, Dee, 9. To the Editor of the Marine Record. Ihave noticed in the published accounts of the November casualties that some -of the life- saving crews had the greatest difficulty in getting their life saving apparatus to the scene of a wreck. At Portage it was fortunate that there was a rail- way to transport the life-saving crew the 110 miles that lay between them and the crews of the Wallaces, otherwise it would have gone hard— indeed, it would have been all up—with these poor fellows. But there were other points where the life-saving crews had not the advantage of a railroad close by and had to drag and push their. boats over miles of terrible country in equally terrible weather. Now, let me ask if it would not be a good scheme to have a team of horses attached permanently to each life-saving station, just as horses are always kept ready for instant use in our fire-engine stations? Poor Jack, The Rxecorp publishes: this correspond- ent’s letter with pleasure, and considers the suggestion a very valuable one. If horses ping commissioners to see that shipping | were kept attached to at least the more y life saving stations on the lakes, they greatly expediting lone) would be the means of the operations of the life savers, and every- body knows, ment of the vesael after it has been launched, \ who has any knowledge of the there is the same state | suddenness and violence of our storms that -very moment saved in getting toa vessel in distress is of incalculable value both as re- gards life and property. Along the greater part of the Atlantic seaboard there are gen- erally farms in the vicinity of the life-saving stations frow whieh the keeper can borrow ja teum at very short notice; but there are lonely spots on the lakes where this con- venience does not exist, and consequently | the life saving crews have to spend hours in hauling their buats and apparatus to the scene of the impending casualty. D ubtless the question of attaching horses to the equipment of life-saving stations has been considered before by the authorities, | because the importance of the subject is too great to be overlooked. But the appropria- tions for the life-saving service are limited. | There are many congressmen who have not the slightest idea of the enormous value of the United States life saving stations, and it tukes a man of “Sunset” Cox’s energy, eloquence, and enthusiasm for this great national humane service to impress them with some idea of the prodigious saving it eflects in marine life and property. Were the senator to take the matter in hand, ap- propriations might be secured for the supply of stout horses to every life-saving station, but at present the most important question before the treasury officials is whether money can be secured to create more life saving stations instead of adding considerably to the cost of maintaining those that already exist. The communication which the Rec- ORD, published recently from 8. I. Kimball, the general superintendent, shows that the authorities of the bureau are well alive to the necessities of the life saving service, but that, at the same time, their efforts to im- prove it must be in proportion to the appro- priations made by congress for that specific purpose. Nevertheless, the suggestion of providing horses for out-of-the-way- life- saving stations is admirable enough. One ship’s crew--nay, one good life saved—by their means would be worth ten times over the annual expense of maintaining them. Life can have no specitic money valuation. pags Ke WHILE the general subject is under consid- eration, an eftort on the part of the officials of the life saving bureau to keep the crews together under pay during the winter mouths instead of discharging them at the time that navigation closes on the lakes might prove valuable as a means of ad- vancing the effectiveness of the service. Ir often happens that on: the opening of navigation it is not an easy task to get the old crews together, and new men muat nec- eminently unjust that these men should be turned out in mid winter when the posi- tions in the world of trade have been oceu- pied and all opportunities for obtaining a livlihood have passed by. A DENIAL, ‘The following letter explains itself: Port Huron, December 18. | To the Editor of the Marine Record: I see in the issue of Marine Recorp of December 9, an account of myself stealing $150 from the cabin of the Wyandotte, and I want to say that it is not so, and I would like to have it corrected. I will state you the case. Mr. J. Bloom, the captain, re- fused to pay me my money, and he, being a little intoxicated, ordered me off the boat at Chicago, and struck me several times with afog horn. I went to see a lawyer. He told me when I had a chance to take my money and sign a receipt, and as I was keeping books for him, and he left the money in my charge, I took only $150 of what was due me and left. He had me arrested, not knowing I had signed the re- ceipt, and probably thinking he would seare me out of it, but he had to come to the front and make settlement in full. Wow, I wish you would contradict the article in the last issue of your paper, wnd state the faet that T only took what was belonging to me. Yours truly, J, E, Picxerr, ERIE CANAL APPROPRIATIONS, , The resolution adopted by the canal in- terests in Syracuse last August asking the legislature to appropriate $500,000 for the improvement of the canals this winter, was reconsidered at a largely attended meeting held in the office of the superintendent of public works on the 8th. ‘The appropria- tion is evt in two and the state will be asked to give only $250,000, beside employing the balance of an unexpended appropriation made last winter, which is about $29,000. This last item:is to be asked for in defraying the expense of equipping the three length- ened locks in the Oswego canal with water motor at an estimated cost altogether of $6,000, and in finishing t» Forestport dam, Of the additional appropriation asked for, $20,000 will be used in completing the ex- tension of the locks in the Erie canal, which will result in doubling its capacity from Buffalo to Frankfort with the exception of ywo small groups of three locks each. Forty thousand dollars will the Oswego canal. essarily be broken in. Beside, it appears. -| winter. -& Co, turnish part of the machinery anda be applied to improve- | ment in the Champlain canal and $15,000 to Around the Lakes Continued from Ist Page.} KAST SaGINaW. al to the Marine Record. Canela M. Madden, of the steamship C. H. Green, arrived home from Chicago on Fri day to spend the winter. The widow of Captain Millard, of West Bay City, died on Thursday night, ot mental derangement. A year ago her husband dropped dead, and a son was killed a short time ago by the cars. These troubles un- settled her mind. The Moiles Bros., owners of the tug Tom Dowling, have settled with the insurance companies, and will rebuild her during the winter. She is to be made two feet more beam and be given more heigbt to the hull. : It is intended to have her ready for the open: ing of navigation. The lumber shipments fiom the Saginaw river points for the season of 1886, fell con- siderably short of previous years. From Bay City there were shipped 416,885,000 feet of lumber, 75 456,000 shingles, and 18,- 479,000 pieces of lath. From East Saginaw, 171,475,000 feet of lumber, 42,938,000 shin- gles, and 14,000,000 pieces of lath. ‘These figures show a total of 587,885,000 feet of lumber; 118,394,000 shingles, and 32,476,000 pieces of lath. W. A. Beebe & Co. have yet about two miles of dredging to do on the farm ot I. H, McGraw & Co. The tug Geo. B, Dickson, owned by Cap- tain George King, ot West Bay City, and whieh wag sunk recently by running in the ice, has been raised and pumped out by the fire tug Charies Lee. It was sunk through the carelessness of the watchman, The tug Maud S. is at Captain James Davidson’s shipyard, West Bay City, re- ceiving. a new stern and fan tail. Her twin screws are being removed and anew stern post placed in her. She will come out in the spring better than ever before. McGraw & Co. have sold the tug W. J. Avery to James Reid, of St. Ignace, who als» own the tug Mocking Bird. Captain Jacob Medler, father of Captain Robert Medler, master of the steamer W. R. Burt, died on Wednesday last at Grand Rapids, Mich., of old age. Captain Robert has the sympathy of many friends in his bereavement, The old boiler of the steamer Lucile is being taken out and the new one from the shops of Wildman Bros, put in. Captain Charles Jacobson is building a small tug, 45 feet keel, 9 feet beam, and 5g feet depth. She will be used in the lighter trade on the Tittabawasse river. Captains Sonsmith and Johnson, of the schooners Rosa Sonsmith and Mattie ©, Bell, returned on Tuesday from Chicago, where their boats have been laid up tor the The three boats will load with grain in Jannary for Buftalo, and will re- ceive about 4 cents per bushel for storage until spring, and 3 eents per bushel for carrying it to its destination. The vessels have had a very prosperous season, the best. in many years. Their respective command ers are enjoying the best of health. ¢ 5 Captain Wm. Braune, of the barge G. We - Wesley, bas returned home from Cleveland, where he has placed bis boat in winter — quarters. He will return to that city next month to superinteud the rebuilding of her. She will receive a new strong back, and — large repairs to her decks, and a new main- sail, at a cost of $1,000. saa Captain L.E. Hunt, with a crew of eighteen men, left here on Saturday for Loraine, Ohio, where he is converting the barge R. Martini into a steambarge. A, P, Bartlett propeller wheel. ‘ Captain Armstrong’s fire boat David Sut- ton, has been laid up and hauled ont at Dulath, after doing a good season’s work, | According to the Duluth papers the Sutton, © at the recent large fire at that place, saved the Duluth & St. Paul R, R, Co.’s freight sheds and contents, valued at $25,000. Iv is understood that Captain John Rog- ers has been engaged as master of t steamer W.R. Burt for next season, ai Evans Jenkins, for many years chi neer on the River line, but for the Seasons chief of the steambarge B will again act in the same capacity line with Captain Rogers, Engineer John Titus, of the steame cile, has accepted a position in the sho A. F. Bartlett & Co. for the winter. _ Ernest The schooner Great Wester from Port Hope for Oswego, y here tor shelter went Point. She is being lig The steamer Rothesa river op Saturd where she wil