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PM axvine Record. ——————— = = Published Every Thursday at 144 Superior Street, |Leader Building] Cleveland, 0. i A; A. POMEROY, EDITOR AND PROP BRANCH OFFICE: 252 South Water Street, Cpicago, Illinois, THOMAS WILLIAMS, Associate Editor. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: One year, postage paid.. sevevece Aven i ths, postage paid.......... snaeh voussbees Inwariebhy in advance. THE MARINE RECORD can be found for sale by the following news dealers : CLEVELAND, O,—G. F, Bowman, corner of Pearl and Detroit Streets, ; Evans & Van Epps, Superior street, Cleveland, R. A. Castner, 254 Detroit street, Cleveland. ASHTABULA HARBOR, O.—C. Large. CHICAGO, ILL.—Joseph Gray, 9 West Ran- dolph Street. GHICAGO, ILL.—H. B. Hansen, 33 West Randolph Street. BUFFALO, N. Y.—Miss McCabe, Elk Street, near Ohio. DULUTH, MINN.—C. F. Johnson, 323 West Superior Street. MARQUETTE, MICH.—J. A. Vannier. ESCANABA, MICH.—Wm,. Godley. ESCANABA, MICH.—George Preston, SARNIA, ONT.—D. McMasters. OWEN SOUND, ONT.—J. Sharpe, Jr. KINGSTON, ONT.—F, Nisbet, corner Brook and Wellington Streets. 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 second- % elasexail matter. Ta CLEVELAND, 0., THURSDAY, APRIL 5. CLEVELAND VESSEL OWNERS ASSN’. ORGANIZED IN 1880. [Membership, 1387] Sixty-five steamers aggrega\ing..-----.... 67,865 tons. Ninety-five sail and consort, aggregating.60,089 tons, Maintains shipping offices at Cleveland and Ashta- bula Harbor. Regulates wages, protects crews, and takes cognizauce of all matters in the interest of its members and of the Lake Commerce generally. oo OFFICERS. H. M. Hanna, - - + «+ = President. HP.Imamemcr, - - -_ - Vice President 8B. L. Penwrneron, - Secretary and Treasurer. H.D.Gourprr - - - - - - Counsel i EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, ‘MM. Hanna, H. P, Lillibridge, M.A. Bradley, Geo 2. McKay, Thomas Wilson, R. K. Winslow, W. D. , J. H. Palmer. J. W. Moore, W. C. Richardson. s SHIPPING MASTERS. Rumsey, 98 dock, Cleveland; Fred Bennet. . 98 dock, Cleveland; Wm, Reunick, Ashta- bor. WARINE RECORD—OFFICIAL PAPER. ‘TO VESSEL OWNERS. of Cleveland Vessel Owners’ " 2, 1888, the assess- for 1888, custom house ied ton on steam and 4c on sail and former stipulation limiting the “may be admitted. It is quite important that the tonnage for 1887 the membership of which will expire April 1, should notify the secretary as to renewal before that time; so, that all vessel owners who have not been members, but who desire to place their tonnage in the association for 1888, should early notify the secretary, personally or by letter, giving names of vessels and their respective tonnage. Address, B.-L. PENNINGTON, Sec’y and Treas., 110 and 112 Water St., Cleveland, O. % FLUCTUATIONS IN THE LAKES. Much has been written and said upon the ~ gubject of the fluctuation of the water of the lakes, many observations have been taken, and many theories advanced to explain their cause, Mr. Guthrie, of Chicago says. There are three separate, distinct, and well defined _ fluctuations, one of which—viz.; the season fluctuation—has heretofore, so far as my knowledge extends, entirely escaped obser- _ vation. The change occasioned by the wind, or rather, perhaps more correctly speaking, change of barometer, being so well under- - stood requires little explanation. For ex- : ample, a sudden rise at Mackinaw foretells a south wind, a sudden rise at Chicago, wind - from the north, the water generally preced- ng the wind several hours, and here it would seem proper, in explanation of that phenomenon, to suggest that, before any wind be felt, an area of low barometer must exist, and should it be found to be in the vicinity of Chicago the water would rise to a height corresponding to the reduced pres- sure and continue to rise until the wind had reached its maximum velocity. ‘The season changes, before referred to, Mthe, Marine Record. occurring as they do with the regularity of the seasons, are caused by the changes trom winter to summer and summer to winter, the frosts of winter holding the snow and | sail, and bundieds of timber and Jumbrr | ice in reserve to augment the rainfall of | spring, until the month of Mav, ordinarily, and the lakes begin to rise and continue to | rise uutil about the close of August, when | they began to recede and continue to do so | until the minimum stage is reached. The | periodical changes occurring at irregular in- | tervale, as well as being irregular in degree, have recelved much wore attention than the others, and the conclusions reached have differed very widely. The following is one of the many erroneous ones. “The rise and fall of the great lakes is something scientific men will some day have to investigate and find out about. Old set- tlers on Grand Traverse Bay say that the water slowly rises for seven years and then recedes for the same length of time.’’ Fortunately for us now we have two eets of records of date which will enable us to reach correct conclusions—viz, ; the records of the engineer’s office showing the fluctuations of the Jake to the most minute detail since 1855 and the United States signal service giving the raintall, temperature and wind since 1871 —t!o both of which we are indebted for the information upon which these conclusions are based. We find, by referring to the stage of water in Lake Michigan that the year 1876 was one of the high water periods— three to four feet above datum or low water stage of 1879, and the highest but two from 1855 to 1883 inclusive. Referring to the signal —service records we find the rainfallexcessive around all the stations of Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan, except Duluth, and that barely below mean (the water of Su- perior flowing into and affecting Lake Mich- igan.) We will now take 1872, when the stage of water was the lowest of the. whole series, and find the rainfall below mean at every station. Looking over the diagram showing the stage of water during 1879, as compared with the four succeeding years, we find it very low, ard the rainfall of that year correspondingly light, while from 1880 to 1883 inclusive the rainfall was excessive and the water correspondingly high. There is no record showing that the low stage of 1846 i.as since been reached. On the other hand three feet nine inches above was reached ‘n 1859 and 1860 and about three feet within the last year or two. A SO-CALLED WINTER BRIDGE. What is a “winter bridge?”? A winter bri¢ge is a pretext for a railroad company to obstruct navigation in the Detroit river. This scheme was brought before the Cleve- land board of trade on Wednesday by Hon. George H. Ely, who is always alert where marine and commercial interests of the lakes are concerned. Several efforts have been made to obtain authority to build a railroad bridge across Detroit river, a waterway that’ must accommodate the entire traffic of the lakes. “When any of our great lines of steamboats desire to increase their facilities they go to work and build more steamboats at theirown expense. Not so with the rail- roads. If it is their desire to add to their means of extendiug their lines and reaching new business they either obtain grants of land from the government or try to obtain authority whereby they may defeat some in- dustry which is necessary to cheap transpor- tation. It is well known that heavy freight can be carried cheaper by water than by rail, and it will, therefore, continue to be transported by water. A bridge across the Detroit river would be one of the most complete obstructions to commerce that has ever met our lake marine. The chain of the northern lakes stretches westward twelve hundred miles, and south- ward by Lake Michigan to Chicago. As Hop. G. H. Ely says, the shore lines of the lakes wash the northern borders of eight of the most populous states of the Union, their northern arm, Lake Superior, pene- trating to the heart of the continent. The one connecting link with the seaboard 's the Detroit river, and there is no equivalent or alternative channel, To this point con- verges and through this channel moves the vast exchanges by water between the east and west, and so they will do forever, The length of this channel is eighty-five miles. At best the Detroit river is difficult to navi- gate and inadequate to accommodate the numerous tows continually passing. The average width of the Detroit river, exclusive of the lower six miles, is 2,800 feet, the depth 36 feet, and the current 2} to 3 miles per hour. The channels on each side of Belle Isle are about 2,000 feet wide. Nearly all the passages are made between Belle Isle and the Canadian shore. At this point, across the lower end of Belle Isle, where the width between banks is only 2,000 feet, is one of the proposed sites for the bridge. “Here, then, where nigbt and day, and under all weather conditions, except fog, our forty-'wo hundred vessels, steam and rafts, pass up and down annually. Com mence the construction of a bridge, put in coffer dams, anchor scows loaded with ma- terial, and the passage of ovr vessels is im- periled for two vears, while slowly is brought to the suaface and sixty feet above, six enor- mous piers of masonry necessary to support a double track bridge. In case a bridge is putacross this navigable waterway can a pas- sage be safely mude by day? Can a passage be safely made by ngh'? No. The mo- mentum of a heavily lalen vessel is great, the current runs strong, and our vessels would always, in passing, be in momentary danger. This is a subject that requires the most careful study, and must be guarded. The promoters of the scheme should give the marine interest credit for knowing as much as they do themselves, and we say that the designation ‘a winter bridge,” is bit a pre- text for an all year bridge. At the meeting the following resolutions, drafted by Hon. G. H. Elv, were unani- mously adcepted: To the Honorable, the Senators and Representa- tives of the Congress of the United States:— The Cleyeland Board of Trade hereby respect: fully represents that an application has been made to the Dominion Government for a charter to construct a bridge over the Detroit River, at or near the city of Detroit. It is announced that concurrently with this,alike franchise is to be obtained, if possible, from your honorable body. Against any legislative action, permitting the bridging of that channel of the Great Lakes, this Board of Trade, representing very large and _ im- portant producing and transporting interests, begs leave most respectfully and most solemnly to pro- test and remonstrate. Through that channel passes the natural and the manufactured products of the whole country bor- dering upon and tributary to the great lake sys- tem. The commerce of this natural water-way. which stretches from the Atlantic seaboard to the heart of the continent, con- centrates here—there is no alternative channel, The magnitude of this lake commerce has already outrun all prophesy. The tonnage passing here, in seven months, is now greater than the annual total foreign commerce of the United States. Obstruction here by a bridge—any kind of a bridge—must be opposed by every dictate of safety, and of justice to the millions of our people, the products of whose toil and enterprise are in- terchanged on this water-way. : 3 The government is nowspending millions of money annually to improve and increase the ca- pacity of this waterway. Can it deliberately abandon, and, in fact, reverse this policy at the request and in the interest of a few hundred or thousand individuals associated exclusively for personal and corporate ends? ‘ Here—at the straits of Detroit—of all other places on this continent, corporate privileges should wait upon the indefeasible right of the people to the unobstructed use of navigable waters. Such right the Government should never permit to be assailed or imperiled by concessions to either individuals or to corporations. Twice during the last fifteen years Congress has emphatically, and upon high grounds of justice and public policy, refused to permit the bridging of this national water-way. The application now is for what is called a “Winter bridge.’’ No such plan, however, would obviate the inevitable dan- ger and obstruction that would be caused Ly a line of piers across the straits. The so called winter bridge may involve wider open- ings, but under the existing conditions of naviga- tion it would be impossible to limit vessel _move- ments to any such OpeHtORs either with safety to , the vessel or to the bridge itself. The incessant passage, up and down, of single vessels and tows, through every moment of the day and night, un- der all the Nanyang conditions of wind, current, and fog, requires the use of the entire width of the river. Any contraction of the space between the bunks would result in serious, permanent injury to the commerce of the lakes. That commerce cannot now, even, be forced through bridge openings. The enormous annual increase of it forbids the suggestion of railway bridge obstruction in any form; nor would the refusal of this concession to these applicants deprive them of any right or priv- ilege to which they could be justly entitled. t is a fact that cannot be questioned,that what- ever additional railway transit facilities are re- quired at this point, can be secured either by an increase of ferriage equipment or by the construc- tion of a tunnel. : Tn view, therefore, of these and many other im- ortant facts and considerations, this Board of rade, respectfully, and most earnestly remon- strates against any action by your honorable body which shall operate to convey the right to a individual or corporation to bridge this chan- nel, by the structure proposed, or by any other. THE PHILIP MINCH. The new steamship Philip Minch, built by Messrs. Wm. Radcliffe & Sons at their yard for Mr. Philip Minch, a prom- inent and well known ship owner of this city, will be launched at three o'clock p. m. Saturday, April 7. This is one of the finest vessels Mr. Radcliff has ever built. In points of model and construction, she is equal if not superior to any thing that floats the lakes. Mr. Radcliff has not only realized in this master piece of his profession, but he has exceeded the ex- pectations of those who for years have known him as one who has reached the top in his profession of shipbuilding. Everything that could be done to ensure speed, strength and beauty has been at- tended to in the minutest detail, and he may well be proud of this monumental evidence of what ingenuity can desire, and human hands accomplish when guided by reason, judgement and a life time of experience. This grand and splendid specimen of human skill, has been fitted out with the most approved appliances for the saving of time and la- bor in her management, some of which we will detail as we go on. She isa very handsome modeled boat for the freight trade, and although she is not built for baa her lines are drawn so as not to iminish her carrying capacity and still make her fast for a freighter. She is 276 feet keel, 294 feet over-all, 40 feet beam and 24 feet depth of hold, will carry apout 2,400 tons: She has three steel | steam hoisting machine. arches on each side, two outside 12x? inch, and one inside 16x# inch, is diago- | nally strapped with 5x4 inch steel and built of the best material that could be procured. She hasa Williamson steam steerer, Providence steam capstan and a Providence steam windlass, fore and aft, manufactured by the American Ship Windlass Co. Providence R.L, also a Her machin- ery consists of a triple expansion engine, of the most approved style, 19, 30 and 52x40 inches. Two Scotch type boilers each 10 feet 6 inches diameter, and 13 feet long, with steam domes, and allowed 150 pounds pressure. Her wheel is 12 feet diameter, 15 feet pitch. This machinery is manu- factured bythe Cleveland Ship buildiag Co, and is the latest and most improved design. Messrs Grover and Sons have the work of fitting out this splendid craft, and,in snch able hands, it is unnecessary to add anything for them and their work is well known where ships are built, or ships are fitted out. Captan Albert Myer will have com- mand, Jno. Anderson will be chief-mate. and Wm. Seaman will be chief engineer. They have agrand boat and we do not hesitate to say that such a boat, with such officers cannot but fulfil her destiny. May she roam long over the bosom of the great lakes prove to be all she is expected to be and pay 40 per cent in 1888. ——— see THE LACKAWANNA. The first production of the new firm, the Cleveland Ship Building Co., is the splendid steel steamship Lickawanna built by them for the Lackawaina ‘Transportation Co. She is built entirely of steel and is a phenomon in point of beauty and construction, 265 feet keel, 287 feet over all, 38 feet beam, 25 feet depth of hold with a capacity of about 2200 tons. She is built entirely of steel, upper decks planked with wood and lower decks steel surtace. She has seven hatches, ard four gangwaye so arranged, as to come between the coal shutes, enabling her to take in coal in her lower hold and at the same time tuke off merchandise from be- tween decks. Her after hatch is a coaling hatch so arranged as to shute in the fuel above the same, as the carge. Six of the hatches are filled out with the C. 8. B. Co, patent hoisting apparatus three of the hatches have band winches for loading and unloading flour one hatch forward of the texas and pilot house and right forward ot that is a topgallant forecastle deck of steel which are the crews quarter. She bas two spars and sails so arranged as to brail into gaff and spar and use the boom asa hoisting derrick, with another beom forward on each spar to use as hoisting derrick tor other hatches. The engine room is between decks and is cased with steel, so as to load cargo between deck clear att to the stern post. The engines are triple expansion 19 inches high pressure 30, inch intermediate and 52<inch low pressure with 40 inch stroke, her two boilers are of the Scotch type placed in the hold, athwart ships with fire hold between them. They are 11 feet 6 inches diameter and 11 feet long with 150 pounds pressure and also has the Cleveland Shipbuilding Co., patent ash hoist. She has a Williamson Bros, patent steam steering gear from Williamson Bros., Philadelphia. A Providence steam windlass from the American Ship Windlass Co., Providence R, I. The Cleveland Ship Building Co. are fitting her out ready for seain every par- ticular and every thing possible to facilitate the savirg of laber, time and expense in handling, loading and unloading, has been provided regardless of expense and she stands to-day a perfect ship in every sense of the word, and gives evidence that the newplant can produce work which is ex- celled by none. This noble craft will find hea way into the element where she is to work out her destiny either on Saturday ot this week or Monday or Tuesday of next. The company may be proud of this speci- men of their handiwork and skill, as com- petent judges have pronounced her to be one of the best ship of the kind ever put afloat on the lakes. The total cost of this magnificent steamship will be $195,000. OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS. To the Editor of the Marine Record. ‘The efficacy of using oil in a surf was first brovght to my notice when I was a junior officer in a vessel at Port Elizabeth, Cape of Good Hope. Vessels having to lie in an open roadstead, all communication with the shore was carried on by means of lighters and whale boats, and I found a regular sys- tem in use there of having an oil-bag towing so as to effect a landing, this being done with comparative ease and comfort. If the oil had not been used each person would have landed thoroughly drenched. Shortly after this experience I was an officer on a ship carrying crude petroleum oil from New York across the Atlantic, and in running before a westerly gale, with a heavy sea, I had frequently noticed, when the watch were at the pumps, a smooth clear wake, caused by the oi] leaking from the barrels and being pumped up with the bilge water, and flowing off through the scuppers. I was not long in taking advantage of this, and believe that I kept many a ton of water oft the decks by having the watch along to the pumps in the lulls. J.8. THE ST. IGNACE. The Detroit Free Press says: The steamer St. Ignace is something like a prize fighter. She depends ror success not on her beauty, baton her strength and staying qualities, her ability to give and take hard knocks. She has probably fewer points of beauty abcut her than the ugliest propeller on the lakes. Her cabin is amidships running fore and aft. Itis thin atthe ends, bulging in the middle, and the upper story projects over the lower like an old block house, used for fighting Indians. She has one railway track on each side of the cabin, The tracks are not covered. There isa large bridge forward, on which the pilot house is situ- ated, and her two smokestacks are short, and placed fore and aft, like those of an ocean ship. The fight with ice at the Straits of Macki- nac has been going on for some years, and, up to the present time, the ice has hada little the advantage. The steamer Algo- mah failed to keep a passage open, owing to her inability to cut through the windrows of ice. These windrows present a very serious obstruction to winter navigation. They are tormed by drifting ice, which is broken and piled up by storms. In some cases these masses of ice are heaped up until they ground in eighteen or twenty feet of water near the shore, and there become an- chored for the season, the.succeeding storms piling more lumps on, until a range of smal mountains isformed. The Algomah alway3 found it necessary to fight shy of the wind- rows, and the special duty of the St. Ignace is to bore through them. ‘To fit her for this encounter she is furnished with a heavy propeller at the bow. Of course she also bas the usual stern propeller, driven by a powerful engine. The forward wheel is turned by a compoand engine of 1,000 horse- power, and the one at the stern by one of 2,000 horse-power. When a windrow stretches itself across her path her bow will be run into it and the forward wheel be set in mo- tion. The ice will thus be loosened and swept aft by thecurrent. Piece by piece the toundation of the obstruction will be torn away, until it collapses and the steamer passes through the opening. confidently expect that she will be able to bore her way through anything in the shape of ice that can be found at the straite. In — summer the forward propeller will be re- moved, it being intended only for work in the ice. The big ice-crusher lay at the dock in front of the Detroit drydock, gaily decked out with flags, while all the prominent vessel- men of the city were making the perilous ascent of the steep long plank, which led to the deck of the vessel. The cause of all this was the fact that the huge leviathan was to make her first trip. The vessel demonstrated her power, be- fore the guests expected that she would. Captain Boynton started the engine very slowly, to let them work while the vessel lay at the dock, so that they would move smoothly and readily. The St. Ignace started back, and slowly the strain came onto the four six-inch hawsers that heid her bow, but to the surprise of everyone present, in- stead of holding the ship, they snapped as if made of cord, and there was no more werk- ing ot the engines at the dock. The trial trip was in every way successful. Captain Boynton stood in the pilot house with both sets of machinery under his con- trol, two sets of signal bells connecting with the engine rooms. pe New features of the pilot house are we indicators, in the shape of half circles, which show just what each engine is doing. For instance, if the forward engine is not working, a small hand points downward. When the engine is started ahead, the hand a immediately points to the right, and when sa backing to the left, and the captain thus _ knows whether his signal has been promptly — obeyed or not. The St. Ignace immediately demonstrated — that she handled as easily as a small yacht, for one half spoke of the steam steering wheel would swerve her, and in the Cana- dian channel, oft Belle Isle, she turned com- pletely around in twice her length. The machinery, as is always the case when it is new, worked hard, and at times even — pounded, hence the vessel was not pushed, | The steam carried on the trip was only fifty pounds, while she is allowed 150, and her screws made only thirty revolutions pe! minute. : Be The vessel draws, light, 14 feet’ 7 in The St. Ignace is 285 feet long, 52 feet and 25 feet in depth. The engine whi propels her stern wheel is a 2,000 he power compound, the cylinders uad 53 inches in diameter, respectivel having a 48-inch stroke. _ The engine which drives’ wheel is a 1,000 horse poy the cylinders being 26 and Her builders . co