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f i ou 5 4} Lyd, Tap ESTABLISHED 1879.2 Thursday at 144 Superior Building] Cleveland, Ohio. & | Street, E SMITH & SWAINSON, Publishers. BRANCH OFFICE: 252 South Water Street, Chicago, Lilinols, THOMAS WILLIAMS, Associate Editor. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: One your, postage PAI eer. erereecrseereecserersereen edcaennn acest in hance Oe ee THE MARINE RECORD can be found for sale by the following agents and news dealers: \ AMHERS( BURG, ONT.—Geo. Taylor. ASHTABULA HARBOR, O.—O C, Large. ASHLAND, WIS.—Post Office News Stand. BUFFALO, N.Y.—Miss McCabe, Elk street. CHICAGO, ILL.—Thomns Williams, 252 South Water street. HH. R. Hanson, 33 West Randolph street. CLEVELAND, 0.—Cleveland News Co., 118 Wood street; G. F. Bowman, corner l’ear! and Detroit street; R. A. Castner, 254 Detroit street; E. J. Ray, 452 Detroit street; Lar- wood & Day, Superior street; N. Hexter, 303 Superior street. DETROIT, MICH.—George Abrams, mar- ine reporter foot of Woodward ave. DULUTH, MINN.—Albertson & Chamber- in, 323 West Superior street. gues PA Reed Caughey, W. J. Sell. ESCANABA, MICH.—Geo. Preston, John Finnegan. LORAIN, 0.—C. C. Knapp. MARINE CITY, MICH.—Robert MeNiff. MARQUEITE, MICH —Vanrier & Bige- low. 82.00 1,00 | Becord. MILWAUKEE, WIS —T.S. Grey Co., 126 Wisconsin street. ; OWEN SOUND, ONT.—F. Nisbet, corner Brook and Wellington streets. a: PORT HURON, MICH.—D. EB. Lynn, Marine Reporter. * SARNIA, ONT.—J. Sharpe, Jr; J. G. Me- Crae. SAULT STE MARIE —J. P. Haller. Subscribers and others are respectfully in- vited to use the columns of the MARINE RE- CORD for the discussion of pertinent topicsand all matters relating to the welfare of the Lake Marine. N B.—We do not hold ourselves responsible in anv way for the views ex- pressed by our correspondents, contributions must in every case be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer, and be at this office not later than Wednesday morn- ‘at the Post Office at Cleveland as second- il matter- INGTON sesesessaees ese “P. McKay........0Seoretary and Treasurer. QOULDEB.-seneseesspssesoysncesssosssssnssereeerenesCOUNSEl MANAGERS OR ADVISORY BOARD. H.M. Hanna, R. K. Winslow, H. P. Lillibridge, P. G. Minch, M.A. Bradley, W D. Rees, Geo. P. Me- Kay, J. H. Palmer, Thos. Wilson, W. C. Richardson, _ J. W. Moore, James Corrigan, : EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. ‘H. M. Hanna, M. A, Bradley, Thos. Wilson, J. W. Moore; Geo. P. MoKay, Jas. Corrigan, B. L, Pxn- NINGTON. SHIPPING MASTERS. A. R. Rumsey, 98 dock, Cleveland; Fred Bennett, Asst., Wm Rennick, Ashtabula Harbor, 0.; John O'Connor, 205 Madison street, Toledo, 0. MARINE RECORD—OFFICLAL PAPER. = ae RIVER AND HARBOR APPROPRIA- TIONS. The aggregate amount of appropriations recommended in the river and harbor bill was in round numbers twenty-one million dollars, based upon estimates amounting to thirty- nine and ahalf millions, The committee on the river and harbor bill seem to have acted ina most impartial and discreet manner in their deliberations; and while not being goy- erned by any iron bound rulein granting a certain per centage of the estimates asked for; they have endeavored to consider each pro- _. Ject upon its merits, giving due consideration _ to the importance of the improvement and _ the necessities for larger or smaller appro- priations. ‘ Notwithstanding the fact that no river and harbor bill was passed last year and that many important works were suspended for want of money. Yet che committee did not deem it advisable to appropriate what might be termed an excessive amount, at the same time they were desirous of making more lib- eral appropriations for the more important public works. The largest appropriation in the bill is for the Mississippi river for which the enormous sum of $3,992,000 was recom- mended. Yet the committee in their report to the House said: That while the sum was a large one, the river watered one of the rich- est and most productive valleys in the world and the entire country is interested in its im- provement; certainly the ten states which yy, order on its banks have a deep interest in its - mproyement. = | have kept their bouts at home, it was said, {open they will do it, and will keep doing it until Lake interests have met with very fair treatment at the hands of the committee, the sum of nearly two anda quarter millions having been recommended, with the larger and separate measures yet to hear from, including the Sault Ste. Marie, Portage Lake and Hay Lake channel improvemens. It was generally conceded that the members of the committtee on river and harbors were thoroughly representative men and the result has proved the correctness of this view. In conversation with a prominent vessel man he expressed his gratification at so mnch necessary legislation having been carried through, and mentioned that what had been omitted this session would stand a good chance of being taken care of in the next. Certainly the attention of Congress has been directed to the importance of maintaining and improving the connecting waterways on the chain of lakes in a more positive manner than ever before; and possibly the Senator from Maryland may have finally discovered that something more than peity steamers are ply- ing on the land locked seas laying ‘to the west- ward of the clam hunting regions. ee FREE COMPETITION. It is perfect rot to attempt to dictate to vessel men by advising the exact time of starting out their boats in the spring. The daily papers of the large lake ports have each made a statement reflecting upon the judg- tnent and commercial keenness of the vessel owners who it is said incurred ten days ex- penses, etc., before the season of navigation had opened, The owners of vessel property have never admitted the propriety of starting out their boats in accordance with the ex- pressed whims, views or fancies of a newspa- per pen pusher. The business of handling vessel property to advantage is not gained by a cursory glance over the columns of a paper, but requires a studious comprehension of the freight mark- ets and their facilities, besides a technical knowledge gained only by a lengthy and arduvus experience in the special class of businessinvolved. It has been said that boats were compelled to leave certain ports, etc. No compulsion can be recognized in the matter at all, if an owner sees fit to charter he does so, otherwise he simply accepts the alterna- tive at his own discretion, nor is it necessary that he should be brought to task for his action in the matter. An exchange speaks very sensibly on the subject as follows: “When lake grain rates went to pieces vesselmen were loud in their complaints about the boats start- ing out so soon. The Cleveland owners who had sent their big steamers for grain before beginning on their ore contracts also came in for strong words on account of their so-called rapacity. They ought to heard this talk of boats starting too soon | © Nestor of vesselmen in Cbiengo. ‘e run to make money t way is clear, and 3 r grain before Lake Superior is money is no object to owners. No combination ex- cept a trust which owns all the boats afloat or that ean be built on the lakes is possible that will run things differently. Both are conditions of trade that can no more be changed than the equally unfortunate circumstances that vessels sink or will go ashore if they attempt a short cut by land. It ison account of this tree competition that water- ways receive government aid, the money that is paid out forimprovements being returned to the people in decreased freight charges. On corn to Buffalo from Chicago the freight was 2 cents a bushel lower than it was at the opening of navigation, owing purely to this competition and they are still likely to drop lower.” But as regards the opening of navigation if vessels had remained a week longer in port there would still have beena first freight to earn, with the consequent delay, etc., arising from the open ports being crowded, the major- ity of the tonnage, however, hasnot met with any serious losses or damages to either hull or cargo, in fact the various steamboat lines have gone on steadily and lively about their business. The fact that the bottom first drup- ped out of the Buffalo coal freights, and later, on the Chicago grain freights, had little or nothing to do with the few days earlier opening of navigation, the same results would have occurred even if boats had been held back; and as soon as the tonnage gets dis. persed freights will come back to a fair living rate. Already indications point out the re—- sult, at least so far as Buffalo coal freights are concerned, and with the opening of this Erie canal a firmer tone may be expected from the Eastern corn markets, thus lifting the Chicago freights back to a supply and demand basis, STEERING WITH STRAIGHT CHAINS Referring to an editorial published in the Marine Recorp on April 10th, we find the method of steering with straight, or crossed chains, fully exemplified, and the both sys— tems so clearly set forth “that those who run might read.” Notwithstanding our efforts to be simple and concise in the handling of this important technical subject, we find that there are still people who either willfully misconstrue the point at issue, or ignorantly and carelessly accept an opposite meaning of the question over which a legislative influence is asked to preside. The issue would not be of the slightest importance if it was so inextricably mixed up in the mind of, say, any one person, but when we find an esteemed contemporary holding forth such views in its leading edi- torial, we feel it to be our duty to right the ; atives in congress assemble J. Whe Marine Recon, wrong conception before any futher errors may arise. ; The following isa literal quotation of the entire jumbled up editorial referred to: “With the close of the present season of navigation and before the annual meeting of the board of su- pervising inspectors of steamboats, the Cleveland Vessel Owners’ Association, in company with other vessel owners who see fit to join the movement. will ask for the enactment of a law compelling all lake steamboats to so arrange their wheel chains or cables to steer as vessels do. This request will be made in accordance with a thorough discussion of the ques- tion three years ago, when the supervising inspectors recommended an opposite ruls, ordering all s:eamboats tohave their wheel chains rove so that the order ‘starboard your wheel’ means to role your wheel over to port, while ‘port your wheel’ means roll your wheel over to starboard. Opposition from lake inter- ests caused this rule to be rescinded and the situation is now asit has been for years past, some steamboats having wheel chains orossed while others are straight and steer alike to the vessels. The object in the present agitation of the matter is to have masters whose wheel chains are crossed change thei to con- form with the sailing vessel style so that the disposi- tion in this regard may be made plain to the super- vising inspectors when they are asked next fall to es- tablish a uniform rule. A majority of steamboat tonnage on the Jukes steers ‘ship fashion’ and the same is true of 90 per cent. of the vessels navigating the waters of the globe.” The “opposite rule’’ italicized in the above quotation which the lake ifterests is said to have had rescinded three years ago, is the actual manner in which it is desired that all ves- sels (including sail and steam) should adopt, the same issue is before the lake marine to- day and will undoubtedly be enforced at an early date. Rule V. Sec. 24 of the rule adopted by the board of supervising inspectors and approved by the Treasury Department at Washington in February, 1887, and afterwards rescinded, reads as follows: “Masters and pilots of steamers on lakes and seaboard are required to have their wheel chains rove so that the wheel and helm shall move in the same direction, so that when the wheel is put to starboard the vessel’s head shall yo to port, and when the wheel is put to port the vessel’s head shall go ¢ starboard. While a farmer might be ex@/sed for mis— taking the praseology. No one writing on the subject should endeavor to perpetuate the error. The wording of the rescinded rule as quoted by our contemporary conveys an op- posite meaning to the enactment authorized by the supervising inspectors, and is the exact method now desired so that all vessels may steer with straight instead of crossed chains. We are pleased to inform our contemporary, that “starboard your wheel,’’ means simply and clearly to roll the wheel to port; when steering with straight chains as it is now re quested by the vessel masters association and endorsed by the owners that all vessels should do. As natural sequence heaving a wheel over to port is in accordance with an order to starboard, “ship shape and Bristol fashion’’ as we are told 90 per cent. of the vessels na- vigating the waters of the globe are now doing, and perhaps with some close figuring it might be discovered’ that’ an extra 5 per cent. could in all fairness be added on to the per centage quoted. The above methods of rolling the wheel being disposed of for the time being, we would earnestly call the attention of the owners of large tonnage to the desirability of leaving out harbor ‘tugs frem the proposed uniform rule, many reasons might be ad- vanced in support of this view, though it may only be necessary at this stage of the pro- ceedings to state what is comparatively well known, namely, that the crews of the tug boats are composed of men who generally keep to their owa special line of business; and being accustomed to work on the crossed chain principle of steering and handling their boats in intricate and crowded waterways, a vast amount of annoyance and damage might be caused by ins sting on their ndopting a new order, which, after all that may be said in its favor, must certainly require of them the awkwardness which is experienced by men in moving from the tiller fashion, to the wheel system. RE ee Ss Iv has been decided by the New YorkJcourt of appeals, that where a vessel springs a leak forty-eight hours after leaving port in fine weather, and credible witnesses vouch for her seaworthiness when she left port, the ques- tion of her being seaworthy in an action against the insurance companies is one for the jury. In the case of the master of the schooner I. M. Forrest, versus, the relatives of a drowned seaman, a Chicago special stated that “a captain’s responsibility for the life of his sailors has never before been tested in a court.’ It is not the responsibility of life that was in question at all, but of the death or loss of the man, while the point at issue was clearly criminal negligence, or otherwise. Tue Farragut Naval Association of Chicago have petitioned the Senate to replace the old naval boat Michigan by something more in ac- cord with the growth and the prestige of the United States navy. It is held that the Michigan has been in continuous service for the past fifty years and has outgrown her usefulness and general appearance, besides the above, it is considered “infra dig” for foreigners to sight such an insignificant supporter of the nation’s rights, while visiting at the great worlds exposition. We heartily endorse the action taken by the Farragut association and | tively engaged in the sailin trust that their influential petition will obtain due weight be‘ore the Senators and represent- NOTICE TO MARINEKS. By direction of the light-house board nc— tice ig hereby given that the Manitou Paymen, Rock Island Passage and Whale’s Back Shoals have been marked by spar buoys, the color in each case being the same as that of the can and n oys replaced. To thaearat ts whe depth of water being found outside these and other buoys it was aecessary on account of the low level at the opening of navigation to place them outside their former positions, the distance being con- siderable- where the soundings change gra— dually. The White Shoal buoy could not be placed outside the small outlying patches to the Northeastward which have now less than fifteen feet of water over them as it might mislead vessels passing on the opposite side of the shoal. By direction of the light-house board no- tice is hereby given that the Horse Shoe Reef Suoy has been placed 150 yards Northeast of he rock marked on the chart three-eightas of a mile N by E } E from the Northern end of the reef. ‘ihe rock has now only four feet of water over it, and in the passage between it and the Northern end of the reef there is less than eighteen feet. The buoy is in twenty- six feet, and from it Eagle Bluff Light-house bears S by W j W, distant 4} miles, and the North end of Chamber’s Island W j S distant 64 miles. C. E. CuarK, Commander United States Navy, [uspector Ninth Light-house District. The shoal at the entrance to Green Bay, discovered on the 2let inst. by the United States steamer Dahlia is now marked by a black and red horizontally striped stake-buoy, placed at the south end of the shoal, in eigh- teen feet of water. The bearings of this heretofore unknown shoal are 8S} E from Peninsula point 3§ miles, Southeast quarter South from the stake-buoy on the eleven foot shoal. The shoal is about 275 yards long and carries boulders covered by only thirteen feet of water, William Smith, the Canadian deputy Min- ister of marine, has issued the following notice to mariners: _ Information has reached tkis department of the existence of an obstruction to navigation 3} miles 8, E.} S. from the lighthouse off Point Pelee, Lake Erie, and directly in the path of vessels running between Cleveland and the river Detroit. Captain lL McLachlan, master of the steamer City of Cleveland, reports that his vessel broke a bucket off her wheel on the obstruction late last fall, and he sighted it again this spring. He describes it as being (as far as can he seen) two sticks of timber about fourteen inches square, with iron bolts in them, barely awash in smooth water, bat showing several feet in a sea way, looking like an old crib, part of a dock, or the gallows frame of a steamer. He gives the position of the danger as being directly on the line or the course he steers, as laid down on all United States charts, The location is aa fol- lows: S. E. by E. } E., distant two miles and two cables from’a position abreast of the Dum- my light. This would place the danger S E, }S. 3} miles from Point Pelee (the Dummy) light. The position, as taken from the United States government coast chart No. 6, of Lake Erie, is as follows: : «Lattitude—419, 50’ N. Longitude—-829, 27’, 30” W. It may be remembered that the above ob- struction was brought before the notice of Capt. George P. McKay, Secretary of the Cleveland Vessel owners Association, by the Marine Recorp on April 5th, 1890. Capt. McKay lost no time in bringing the matter to the attention of Canadian authorities who have with equal celerity issued the necessary notice to mariners, | ' NEW Meter The following is a list ofthe built on the chain o lake gross tonnage and cial numbers were Navigation, Treasury ton D. C., from Mar Steam Vessels—D | tonnage 1029, gross 1 quetie, net tonnage 1 Welcome, Milwaukee, 78 tons; A. MeVitti 9S City of Marquette, Marquette, net 295, gross 342 tons; Crosby, Grand Ha net tonnage 18, gross tonnage 36; son Ludington, Chicago, net tonnage 47 tons; Joliet, Marquette, net tonnage gross 1922 tons; Saranac, Buffalo, net to | 1939, gross 2669 tons; Fred Pabst, Milwaul | net tonnage 1929, gross 2431 tous; Kn ; Templar, Milwaukee, net tonnage 19, gross 39 tons; Maggie Duncan, Milwaukee, net tonnage 377, grosa 536 tous; Mariska, Cleveland, net tonnage 1836, gross 2326 tons; Manola, Cleve— land, net tonnage 1836, gross 2326 tons. Sail Vessels—Wand+rer, Chicago, net ton- nage 14, gross 15 tons; Miztec, Port Huron, net tonnage 739, gross 777 tons; Baltic, Port Huron, net tonnage 870, gross 916 tons. Unrigged Vessels—Benjamin Harrison, Og- densburg, net tonaage 39, gross 39 tons; Levi P Morton, Ogdensburgh, net tonnage 39, gross 39 tons; “105,’ Buffalo, net tonnage 1231, gross 1295 tons. From the above we compute a total of 22 vessels in all, the steam tonnage being 15,272 net tons divided among 16 vessels, allowing a mean of 955 tons nearly for each vessel, the smallest steamer to which an official number was assigned during the specified dates was the Violet, of Grand Haven, whose register = or net tonnage amounted to only 9 tons, the ~ largest steamer was t 1e Saranac 1939 tons net. In sail vessels we find a total net tonnage ~ of 1623 tons divided among three vessels, giving a mean net tonnage of 541 tons, the smallest vessel being only 14 tons, and the largest 870 tons, ‘ Three unrigged vessels average a net ton— ay nage of 436, two being of 36 tons and one at 1231 net. There is an error of 50 tons in the meas— urement of the steel built steamer La Salle which will be corrected by the custom house — authorities at an early date. The amount less than her actual measurements show. : re WRECKING COURT. Judge Chipman’s reciprocal has been favorably ‘ the U. S. Cong: Act shall not’ and executive, are alive action, and that they to the provisions of s bil In the Canadian Hou: {If notices to mariners are to be of any parti- cal value, it should be clearly stated whether bearings are true, or magnetic, and if distances are given in statute or nautical miles. We may quote a trifling error printed recently in a daily\paper having a large circulation, as follows 3} 8. E. } S. miles? reads very intel- ligently; and only gets 45’ out of the way in trying to print a given latitude.—Ep.] By direction of the light-house board yes- sels navigating between the Straits of Macki- nac and the Manitous are hereby notified that | a can or nun buoy has drifted ashore on the North Manitou, and that another has been seen adrift north of Waugoshance light-house. Until it can be ascertained what reef they came from and new buoys have been placed, caution should be used in approaching the reefs in that vicinity. C, E. Crarx, Commander U. 8. Navy, Inspector Ninth Light-house District, nor | The Marquette Minning Journal sends out | allowed the following warning to vessels entering, that | gor transp port: “Vessels drawing more than fifteen to the wise i feet of water should keep at least one hun-| jing, dred and fifty feet out from the end of Mar-| quette breakwater. The bottom for that dis- | tance out is covered with heavy stone dumped | in fair in to forma foundation for the extension of the pier and is dangerous for vi ir draught than fifteen feet. Any 1 t to pass nearer than one hundred and fi from that end would have disastrous | Glidden, J. K. Lecor, iska, slight defects ships, by John column of this