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| take first harbor of unsurpassed. ‘is Open'to_ navigation ud Hslifax and St. | it and safes: deep water atic “coast, into. which the |. ve access ever y day in the Benner é mmissioner of navigation, in rt, shows that the total tonnage robably exveeds the aggregate tonnage France, and Russia, and equals that of e world, excluding that of the few countries, Siuce Jast year there has aterial increase in the vessels in the g trade, anda further increase daring the ear is looked for. The building of sail- sels in the United States constitutes a of the business here, butin other ies that branch of the industry continu- decreases. Statistice show that the size of vessels bnilt, -nstaotly increases. 2c) 0“ 1x1oner reports that steel is used to h larger degree than formerly, and the nion is expressed that the use of this mate- | will increase. He also states that no doubt exist thava revival of shipbuilding is tak- place to some extent even in this country, that freights are improving and that there isa ange for the better all around, The tonnage of the United States in the foreign trade con- tinues to slowly decrease. The vessels built in ‘the United Stste< last year amounted to 218,086 tons, this amount representing 67,637 tone more than the tonnage constructed the previons year, The iron and steel vessels built amouated to 36,179 tons. ae a increase in the tonnage built on tae lakes _ during the last year, as cowpared with that of the previous year, equals 79 per cent, The amount built on the western rivers does not compare favorably with tuat of previous years, there haying been a decrease in each of the last three years. 7d the establishment of a naval reserve the commissioner expresses himself unquali- fiedly in favor of the measure. The wrecking of the Canadian tugs in Ameri- - ean waters, and vice versa, gives rise to per- plexing questions, Efforts have been made to arrive at some agreement with the Cavadiaa government in regrrd to the matter. That gor- amen declares itself as ready toenter into reciprocal arrangements in relation to the coast- 5 ing trade, including wrecking, but declines ‘ absolutely to make any special arrangement in regard tothe latter matter. Regrets are ex- _ pressed that the questions involved in the fish- - eries dispute between the United States and Canada have not been settled by negotiation. The commissioner says that it seems the time has now arrived when retaliation is in order, and the Canadians taught that two can plays game of obstruction to the lawe of trade and A ‘from Holland, | barge for below passes, : ANKFORT MAING REVIEW-1s60, "JANUARY. of season for Manistee, returns 12th. MARCH. ; aa Portage; ipuilengers walk ines joe. She> returns Sunday, April ist, "APRIL. the season near Point Betsy. ‘U1—Propeller J. D, Dewar, of the Shore line, | calls on her first trip. 18—Steambarge R. A. from the west shore, (15—Tug I, W. Hahn from Monistique, en ute to St. Joseph, calls, She reports ice near aits becoming soft and honeycombed, 16—Point Betsy light relit. Tug Sullivan t| first craft to South Manistou; reports passage | nearly clear of ice, 18—First sail arrival schooner R, Kaniers, Harbor clear of ice; first steam- _ 23—Propeller Lawrence comes in on her first trip. _ 26—Seow Emily and Eliza misses harbor pier; “i lovmes to anchor in the breakers nerth of har- | bor; the Frankfort life-saving crew run liner : and heave her off, and bring her safely inside. 27—Two schooners pass Point Betsy, being first sail craft for northern ports. 30—Tug-D, P, Hall rescues steambarge Hattie Perue from Empire reet; weather cold and é sche 2 : MAY, : ie it 1—Tug John Smith reports large ice fields be- tween North Manitou Island aad main shore, 3—Steambarge George Rurnham cracks cylin- der during a gale at Burnham pier; is towed here by tug Hall for repairs. 13—Steambarge 8. C. Baldwin and coisoris ber to Tonawanda. _ 16—Tug John ‘Smith © cracks her boiler, is ‘ picked ap by tug ar and towed into. har. bor. 22—Firet bright, warm, ¢ comfortable hae of the season, - JUNE. gi ae ly repainted here. 20—U. S. light supply steamer Dat lia i port. Very: hot; 104° inshade. i 22-—Foggy} Propeller Cuba, ° grain loa goes ashore at Point Betsy; pulled of by ies Balin 24—-Propeller Tueaph L, Hurd, passenger steamer, en route to Lake Superior, rans ashore in heavy fug during the night; is discovered by the life-saving patrol one-half mile south of Frankfort; tug Hall releases her next morning. 29—Schooner L, Seaton, coal, Buffalo to Lud- ington, comes inside leaking; is towed to her destination by tug Hall. JULY. 11--Tug Maria B, M. and propeller Sanford collide in harbor; the Maria is damaged. 12—Cutter Johnson calls; steambarge T, D, Stimson rans ashore on Sleeping Bear Point; is pulled off by propeller City of Charlevoix, (tormerly the Champlain). 16—Gospel ship Glad Tidings, Captain Bundy, in port; also government tug Colonel Graham, with dredge Farquhair and scows, en route for Charlevoix. 18—Tug Maggie Lutz arrives to fish here from Two Rivers, 10—The last fivet for Tonawanda depart with pine lumber, consisting of steambarge Edward Smith, R. L. Frever,S. E. Marvin, Jobn W. | Hanaford and William Drake. $1- Tug Dudley P, Hall sole to Ludington, Mich,, for $9,000. i AUGUST. 1—Tug John Cowan, of South Frankfort, while fishing in Platte Bay catches fire and t o- tally destroyed, 15—Steambarge New Era and consort Grace Grummond, lumber laden, run ashore on Point Betsy during heavy fog; tug Alice W. Campbell releases them. SEPTEMBER. 10—Steamer Huron City breaks down, her consort R. N. Riee is brought inside, and the Huron City towed to Manistee for repairs. 18—U. S.steamer Dahlia seeks shelter; lively gale. OCTOBER. 1—North gale and rain; fleet sheltered. 2—First flurry of snow. 24—U. 8. steamer Dahlia lands a boat for use of light keeper, NOVEMBER. 13—Lieutenaut Rogers inspects life-saving station. 18—First ice forms in harbor; freezes over on 2ist, but mild weather soon breaks it up. 23—Scheo ner Alice M. Beers arrives and de- parts for Port Oneida, being the last sail craft here. ; DECEMBER, 3—Tug Alice Campbell lays up. 5—Life-saving stations close; spowing; pro- peller Lawrence calls. 6—Lawrence departs for Chicags to lay up. 8—Steambarge Arcadia leaves for Milwaukee, tags Sullivan and Pottawatomie for Saint Joseph. 12—Tug Maria B. M, leaves for Milwaukee, ee George. D. Sanford, first departure '14—P neller Dewar departs for Manistee to ebuilt; ice forming on Lake Michi- belt abreast of Frankfort 2 to 5 miles ‘ap; tng I Pottawotomte sets inn gang of nets of | 10—Tug Hannah Sullivan first outsider arrives from St. Joseph. Seymour, first craft 17—U. B.,cateer Andrew Jobneoa is thorough, 3 The Marine Record. 15—Pierhead light closed; propeller Dewar lays up. 17--Point Betsy light closed. 18—Ferry tug Cynthia lays op, 20—Heaviest gale of the year. 29—Propeller Sandford makes a trip to Man- istee. 31—Tug John Smith leaves for Manistee, the last departure for 1888. CHARLES BRUMEISTER. THE NICARAGUA OANAL The triends of the Nicaragua canal bill are. very confident that the amendments yoted in the House will be concurred in py the senate. The senate has always been much more in ¢arnest in behalf of this bill than the house. The amendments made in the house do not go to the merit of the scheme, and are only designed to prevent the commitment of the United States gov- ernment to the financial indorsement of the undertaking, [nasmuch as the advecites of the mearure disavow a derire to place the government in the position of an indorser of its bonds, it is expected that the house amendmen’s will be concurred in without great difficulty. Lloyd’s shipbuilding returns for Noyem- ber give us the following facts for the month; There were 45 vessels launched, 39 steamers and 6 sailing vessels, against 22 in the same month of last year, The ves- sels are much laager on the average than those built last year, but the return is so in- complete as to tonnage that comparison would be misleading. Still, it must be looked on asa fact that the tonnage launched is now more tthan double what it was a year agu.— Newcastle Chronicle, WEATHER PREDICTIONS, The theory that a!l great meteorological dis- turbauces on this earth are the effects of pecu- liar relative positions of the planets, which po- sitions may be predetermined with reasonable accaracy, isthe basis of Mansill’s Almanae, ‘which now wakesits annual appearance, Hay- ing wadealong study of all kinds of atmos. pher.e disturbances, ascertaining the local cri- gin and conditions of storms and relating them to astronomic phenomoua, Mr, Mansill holds ‘the opinion that he has evulved a new science that enables him to predict’ with confidence, at any rate with more certainty than to any other process is possible, what notuble aud irregular | disturbances or agitutions will probably occur in the next twelve months. In his science he recognizes only | ‘two ele- ‘ments, matter and electricity, and ascribes to | electricity the motive and productiye force of ‘|all things. It is electricity that binds the uni- verse together and keeps the planets in motion a ip place ‘The sun is the electr house, 80 “to speak: and’ while _ moving towat ‘the sun the planetary ‘orbs absorb electricity, }and when they are sufficiently charged they Te- | verse their course and recede, throwing off. electricity uutil they are in aphelion, when the | attractions again control their motion toward thesun, The entire planetary system being | governed by the one law, peculiar interfering positions of certain planets causes variations 1n the electric influence, and disturbances more or less severe are the result. The distances of planets are regulated by their respective diver- sities and the ellipticity of their‘orbits, and in the grand rotation whatever interrupts the plan of the sustaining force produces agitations that may or may not be felt on the earth, according to this planet’s position. ——_ The Giant gold and silver mining com- pany is the name of a new organization in the Ishpeming gold field. It is to operate on section 36, town 48, range 28, and at present of the cable. ae -Itis almost impossible that the Panama | ‘ five men are grubbing about the premises, Louis and Joseph Lebourdais, respectively captain and mate of the barque Gylfe, of Quebec, were sentenced to ten years penal servitude each, for trying to scuttle their vessel and defraud its insurers, The attempt was made while the Gylfe was on a voyage from Quebec to Greenuck. The year closes with general confidence, rather greater, indeed, than the present state of prices and rate of consumption in some of the most important industries appear to war. rant, But the marvelous growth of the country contiuues, and insures an increasing demand for produce at no distant day. It is expected that the military c »mmittee of the bouse of representatives will during the present week, report a bill to the house authorizing the establishment of a national military and naval museum in the city of Washington, to be placed somewhere on the public ground and to be under the charge of the secretary of war and secretary of the navy. Mr. C. F. Dunbar has contracted with David Bell for a new iron tug to be built this winter, engines, boilers, and all com- plete at Mr. Bell’s shops. She will bave good power and is to cost about $7,000. Mr. Dunbar is still engaged in large contract work at the Sault and the Limekilns and will use the tug towing scows and other- wise in that work. The body of 8. Hughes, of the United States coast survey, who fell overbuard from FORE AND AFT. The propeller St. Paul has been leased for two seasons by the Vermont Central rail- round, The Duluth coal handlers are making trouble but so far as reported they have ac- complished nothing Duncan Robertson & GC». are building a consort for the propeller Mary A. Boyce at Grand Haven, that will carry 650,000 feet of lumber, The Canadian. propeller California, which was sunk at S. Helena last season and raised, has been made over into an Ameri- ean boat. Lack of snow in the Michigan woods has thrown hundreds of men out. of employ- ment. Many ef the lumber camps have shut down. The straits are still open agin mid-summer and sail boats are navigating the vicinity just as they would in July. A race was sailed there last week. The Lake Erie Boiler Works of Buffilo built 45 steel marine boi'ers last year, of which 34 were Scotch pattern. The sizes varied from 11 to 18 feet long. The most powerful artificial light in ex- istence is the lighthouse at St. Catherines, in the Isle of Wight. Its power is estimated as equal to 7,000,000 candles, Through the iron market is reported dull, there is already much interest in ore freights and the situation is pronounced even more hopeful to vessel men than ever before. Under the head of the signal service a re- cent bill before congress authorizes the issue of meteorological instruments of a value not exceeding $15 to voluntary unpaid observers. Sailboats are crossing the straits to Bois Blanc Island. There is no ice and but very little snow at present in this section. Last year at this time the straits were packed with ice and the snow was deep. Saturday what never took place in King- ston, Ont.. before occurred. It was an ex- cursion to Cape Vincent in January on the steamer Maud. She took about 300 on board and the trip in midwinter was enjoyed. “There are nine cables connecting Hurope with America,” While it is gratifying to know that Europe ean not break. away with- out an ¢ff ort, there is still too great a pres- sure on the pocket book for the patroniser canal business will end peaceably. There are 15, 000 workmen on the isthmus who must be taken to their homes if work cannot be found for them. Otherwise there will be ( ‘haps revolution., =) “One ofthe Caroline Islands isowned feet an | American sailor named Benjamin, who has six— teen wives, about fifty children, and has uothing to do bntsmoke his pipe and boss the ranch, He publishes a letter in a California paper ad- vising other sailors to do likewise. The American steel barge company filed a certificate of incorporation in the office of the county clerk. The capital stock of the company is $500,000 divided into 5,000 shares of $100 each. The trustees for the first year are Colgate Hoyt, Charles C, Colby, Joseph L. Colby, Charles W. Weiffenbach, Robert B. Murrey, and Pinckney F. Green. Since the storm of November 26 last, the steamship Samana, the brig Nile, the brig L. W. P. Armstrong, and the schooners Ella A. Warner and EK, M. Bacon have been reported missing at New York, It is feared that fitty-four persons pave perished, and that the ships and cargoes, valued at $1,000,- 000, are lost. It is stated in a recent dispatch from Paris thot the Panama canal bondholders have ad- dressed a letter to M. De Lesseps offering him the chairmanship of a new canal com- pany ,to be formed by shareholders in the present company. It is said the new com- pany will have a capital of several million francs, and will take over the entire concern from the old Panama company. The large vessel now building for the Italian government is to be called the Re Umberto. She promises to be the most formidable iron-clad afloat. The mean draught will be 28ft8 inches, more than that of the Great Eastern. She will have enormous triple-eexpansion engines which are expected to be able to drive the mon- ster through the water at the rate of eigh- teen knots an hour, ‘I'he vessel will carry four 104-ton guns, each of them throwing a 2,000 pound projectile. The sun rises on the lst at 7h l4ma, m., and sets at.4h 25m p. m., making the length of the day 9h 11m. The sun rises on the 31st at 6b 59m a, m,, and sets at 5b Om p. m. making the length of the day 10h lm. The increase in the length of the day during during the month is 50m. The increase in the morning is 15m, and in the evening 85m. The day at the close of Jan- uary is 64m longer than it was at the win- ter solstice. Nearly an hour of daylight a steamer in Puget Sound two weeks ago, was recovered thirty miles from the scene ot the accident. An immense octopus or devil fish was fastened to one leg and is thought te have been the cause of death. Five hundred dollars was found in the pockets of the dead man. has been added to the shortest day. The disastrous experience of the Calumet and Hecla copper mine with an under- ground fire has been repeated on a small ecale by the Norris iron mine in the Gogebic district. The fire in this mine, which shipped 405,000 tons of ore in 1858, burned some ten days, and the damage is estimated at $25,000, through the full extent of the injury done remains yet to be seen, A large new pump that cost $7,500 was destroyed, and much Gumage was done to the timbering. Like the copper mine fire, the origin of the Norris fire is a mystery. The American ship Bohemia and the British ship Carnarvonshire both arrived at San Francisco the evening of December 22, after a passage of 134 days from Cardiff, Wales, A peculiar feature of the voyage was that the Carnuarvonshire sailed from Carditf just one hour before the Bohemia, and arrived just one hour ahead of her in port, both having taken 134 daya on the voy- uge. The vesseis spoke each other only twice during the entire passige. The mild weather has practically sus- pended operations in the lumber districts of North Hastings. The Ontario says thata gentleman’ who came in from the back town- ships said nearly all the men and teams were leaving the woods. He saw over fifty teams and severel loads of choppers who had been paid off. There is no snow and it is impos- sibie to get through the marshy places. The Carscellen came in, Marmora has been clozed entirely. Fire was discovered last week issuing from the forecastle of the schooner Sligo, laid up at Tebo’s dock, Surnia, by the watchman on board. Aa alarw was given, and three streams of water were soon being poured on the flames, which soon had the desired effect. The cause of the fire is not definitely known, but it is suppo-ed it caught from a fire over which workmen on the boat had melted pitch during the forenoon. The dam- age amou nts to about $1,600. covered by in- surance. United S-ates C »nsul Hotchkiss at Ottawa, in a report to the department of state in re- gard to the export duty on lumber, says that there are grave doubts iu that province as to the constitutionulity of the law, and the efforts are being made to secure its repeal. Its entoreement, he says, is very detrimental to the interests of those manufacturers in Northern Michigan who buy Canadian tim- ber limits with the intention of towing the logs across the lakes in preference to Mosiag the mills to Canada. : At Philadelphia the iron trade is perplexed att and uncertain, a it is believed that con- 30,000 tes held at gee -m In that connection, further depression ir 3 the market at Paris and another heavy fall in Panama stock may be noticed. =) For the last six years work has been pro- > gressing on the Murray canal in Canada. The canal is being cut through a thin strip of land which joins Prince Edward county, Ontario, on the west to the main land, and when the Cana. is finished the county will be an islandin Lake Ontario. It is a straight cut through this strip, over five mileslong, 60 feet wide at the bottom, 80 feet wide at the top and deep enough for ordinary draught. The distance between points on either side of the isthmus will be greatly reducéd. At present the distance by water from Trenton to Presqu’isle is 140 miles; when the canal is opened, which 1t is expected will be early next summer; the distance will be eight miles. Vessels going from points along the northern shore of the lake to Montreal and points beyond can save 25 miles and will have a much eater voyage. FOR SALE. Tug Uncle Sam. Length 60 feet, beam 14 feet, depth 7 feet, draft 8 feet, engine 17 by 17: steel boiler 12 feet long, 5 feet 4 inches diameter, of %4ths plate, allowed 100 pounds ofsteam, Huli rebuiltin 1887. Price $5000. Tug J. C. Ingram, Aida ee 54 teet, beam 15 feet 6 inches, depth 7 fee‘, engine 17 by 18, ‘boiler 10 feet long, 544 feet diameter, f 3éthe plate, allowed 60 pounds of steam. Rebuift i 1885. Price $5000. Apply to the DUNHAM TOWING & WRECKING CO.,, 234 South Water St., Chicago, Ill. FOR SALE, TEAM BARGES—Two barges, vessels, and tugs. S Also a side-wheej steamer, iron hull, allowed to For information and particu- DAVISON & HOLMES 284 South Water st., Chicago, Tl. carry 325 passengers, lars addreas, FOR SALE, TEAM YACHT built in 1887, excursion eapacity 175 passengers, cransne 2 feet, speed 12 miles hour; price $5,500, Address, Per hour; price $y TOLEDO MARINE CO. Toledo, Ohio, WANTED. GOOD MABINE ENGINE, 20x22, with or with- out boiler, etc, Address box 1, branch office Maiine Record, 252 South Water st, Chicago, Th. WANTED. \UG ENGINEERS—Four first-class engineers from ii 25 to 85 years of age. Good wages to good men, who must give recommend from jamt em) ployer. vies need apply who are looling for a anit Job. Ge the DUNHAM TOWING & WE’ V9 234 South Water at. WANTED. CHOONERS—20 to 40 tons, opt te ‘ood Seep S full description and photo = Pai ee Box 479, eee City, Mich, Send Address, Fi