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os fee! ; f } ee he bes ‘Bix months, postage paid... ithe Marine Record. ani that she maintained her course and blew | the same signals seems but to substantiate the re ESTABLISHED 1879.23 Pablished tv Thursday at 144 Superior Street, (Leader Building] Cleveland, Ubio. Peet ueader Building) ee ——_— SMITH & SWAINSON, Publishers. BKANCH OFFICE: t th Water Street, Chicago, Mlinots, Fe eet AS WILLIAMS. Associnte Editor. TERME OF SU BSCRIPTION ‘One year, postage paid... 82.00 Invariably in Advance, THE MARINE RECORD can be found for gale by the following agents and news dealers: ~ AMHERS! BURG, ONT.—Geo. Taylor. _ ASHTABULA HARBOR, 0.—O ©. Large. ASHLAND, WIS.—Post Office News Stand. BUFFALO, N.Y.—Miss McCabe, Elk street. CHICAGO, ILL.—Thomns Williams, 252 South Water street. L. P. Ballin, 33 West Randolph street. OLEVELAND, 0.—Cleveland News Co., 118 Wood street; G. F. Bowmun, corner Pearl and Detroit street; R A. Castner, 254 Detroit street; Bh, J. Ray, 452 Detroit street; Lar- wood & Day, Superior street; N. Hexter, 3(3 Superior street. DETROIT, MICH.—George Abrams, mar- ine reporter foot of Woodward ave. DULUTH, MINN.—Albertson & Chamber- lain, 823 West Superior street BRIE, PA —Reed Caughey, W. J. Sell. ESGANABA, MICH.—Geo. Preston, John Finnegan. LORAIN, 0.—C. C. Knapp. MARINE CITY, MICH.—Robert McNiff. MARQUETTE, MICH —Vannier & Bige- low. MILWAUKEE, WIS —T.S Gray Co., 126 Wiseonsin street. OWEN SOUND, ONT.—F. Nisbet, corner Brook and Wellington streets. PORT HURON, MICH.—D. E. Lynn, Marine Reporter. SARNIA, ONT.—J. Sharpe, Jr.;J.G. Mc- Crae. SAULT STE. MARIE —J. P. Haller. SSS Entered at the Post Office at Cleveland as second- class mail matter. CLEVELAND, O., JULY 17. EVELAND VESSEL OWNERS ASSOCIATION: ORGANIZED IN 1880. (Membership. 1889,] nd i rsaggregating 125,563 tons barge, aggregating 66,- positive evidence adduced in support of her claims, and such may be said'to have been the general rulings in all cases brought before the courts for adjudication, yet, notwithstanding the above rulings it is found that a majority of cases hinge upon the priority of whistle signals, with no diminution in the number or seriousness of the casualties engendered there- by. We have endeavored to show from the foreyoing that the absolute adoption vf the whistle signal system contains a weakness which ought no longer to be countenanced by men whose occupation and what is ‘still of far greater inportance; their reputation, is daily involved, yet, it may be said that the rigi t of way is established on the part of the vessel who gives the first signal of her inten- tion; and that no prior feature would be held valid. Such is not the case howevef, unless the signal is given in accordance with fun- damental Jaws, viz: the “rules of the road’’ otherwise no man would know what position he held on the waters until he had communi- cated with a meeting, passing, or crossing vessel and ascertained her intentions; or made known his own, such being the case, it may be asked, in wherein does safety or immunity from censure rest, and the reply in a terse form is simply in obeying the “rules of the road’? holding the right of way ax duly authorized in that code; and signaling when necessary in accordance with the code, instead of in direct violation and contradictory to the principles therein laid down. We are not at liberty to enter more fully into this important question at this time and ask our readers to kindly indulge our present lack of space by allowing one illustration to suffice in explana- tion of the foregoing. Article 15B—*Steering and sailing rules, when two steamers are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to involve a risk of collision, each shall alter her course to starboard, so that each may pass on the port side of the other.’’ In the face of such a positive law, the ground held by the advocates of the first whistle rights, hardly seems tenable, and yet there are navigators who in open water would maintain that the vessel giving the first signal on her whistle was entitled to the right of way, even in violation of the “Rules of the Road” as imposed by article 15. HARBOR ENCROACHMENTS. The action of the Delaware Lackawana and Western R. R. Co., in endeavoring to appro- priate the entrance to Buffalo harbor by its occupancy of the north pier, has met with a ecided protest from all quarters wherein the | general demands of the lake marine are con- cerned. Congress has been asked to further nt | Support the glaring monopoly by passing a bill SHIPPING MASTERS. Rumsey, 98 dock, Cleveland; Fred Bennett, ‘Wm Rennick, Ashtabula Harbor, 0-; John ©’Connor, 205 Madison street, Toledo, 0. ~ MARINE RECORD—OFFICSAL PAPER. RULES OF 1HE ROAD, The several recent cases of collision on the Jakes; seems to point out a laxity, or misunder- standing existing in the “Rules of the Road,” fs at present applied even by some of our most experienced and skillful navigators, nor has the judgement as set forth by the local admiralty courts served to enlighten to any appreciable extent the persons chiefly inter- ested in the safe conduct of our important Jake traffic. Each case of collision or casualty but serves to strengthen the views expressed and meintained by the opposing interests; and where both vessels are held blameable the decision would seem to weaken the funda- mental principles on which the entire fabric of the steering and sailing rules are co-ex- istent with. A private verdict, or opinions expressed by those who have not the full volume of the evidence to deliberate upon, is worse than useless; on account of its being Usually unjust, if not glaringly one-sided and where the most skillful and experienced are at fault, novices are liable to err, As a pre- amble; the above simply recounts the state of affairs as they now stand without offering any suggestions to the practical navigator; who is _|to authorize the perpetual occupancy of the | key to the harbor, at least, such is the tone of the bill introduced by Mr. Farquhar, a copy |of which is printed in another column of this | issue. japparent inconsistency indulged in by the D. |L. & W. RB. R. Co., in asking permission from A singular phase in the question is the Congress to grant the right which they claim is held by themselves; namely, a proprietary interest in the location under a quit claim deed! The Company, however, has never at- tempted to prove its claims in acourt of justice, and buncombe will hardly suffice to assure the members of the 51st Congress that the assumption of squatters rights on a claim which has been for half a century held di- rectly under the control of the United States officers, is a bona jide right of absolute owner- ship. Yet,even under the apparent laxity of rights displayed by the Federal officials a decade ago, we may quote from the report of Major Walter McFarland of the United States Engineer Corps, in his annual report to the chief of engineers for the year 1880. Major McFarland, being at that time the engineer officer,in charge at Buffalo, he advised his chief as follows: “It will be remembered that in my last an- nual report I stated that the Delaware, Lacka wanna & Western Railroad Company had taken possession of the north; United States pier at Buffalo, which had been in the pos- session and occupancy of the United States for over 50 years—since 1826—and were gradually excluding us from its use; and that the question had been referred to the depart- ment of justice, for investigation and action, but that rothing apparently had yet been ac- complished, while the railroad company con- tinued their encroachment.’ Notwithstanding the concise and positive statement quoted above, we find on reference daily called upoa to exercise prudence and | to the files of the Marine Recorp that the caution in meeting and passing vessels in the United States troops were ordered out on marrow waterways connecting the chain of | three separate occasions to prevent the Dele- Jakes. It is not our purpose however, to point | ware, Lackawanna & Western R. R. Co., out the existing evil without offering an explanation of the causes which lead to the not unfrequently total loss of vessel and cargo; ‘ and in some cases to a serious loss of life. Those of our readers whose duties only permit them to catch a passing glance at the newspa- per accounts of a collision case must have noticed that a misconstruction, or a misunder- standing of ihe whistle signals blown by one or both yessels has usually resulted in the inal coming together of the boats. In the accounts referred to above; and also before an admiralty court it may be clearly *nd conclusively shown that the vessel first blowing her whistle, as a signal to port, or ‘starboard, had eminently the right of way; from carrying out additions to the locality over which it assumed an unwarrantable con- trol, even at that time vessel owners and nayvi- gators strongly protested against the obstruc- tion to the passage of vessels entering and clearing from the port of Buffalo, on account of the Kk. R. Company monopolising the dis- tance between the piers, to such an extent that even tug boats could barely pass in or out without taking the risk of colliding with each other, or doing damage to the ves - sels awaiting their turn for fuel or cargo at the so called Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad chutes, which in’ point of fact distinctly belonged to the state of New York and was only held by the railroad com- pany on sufferance acquired by their indomit- able aggression against the statute law and their complete repudiation of the factors con- tained in the unwritten code of equity and justice in the commonwealth. We have during the past several years voiced the sentimeut of the sailing community entering and clearing from the port of Buf- falo, in protes ing agsinst this big private steal, and when itis considered that the masters and pilots of the large 3,000 ton freight car- riers are and have been compelled to thread their way into a not tuo weil lighted entrance of say 75 feet, the bare knowledge of their having but a possible fifteen feet on each side of them, when directly in the jaws of immi- nent danger; seemed to us to be amply suffi-| cient for a strongly worded protest against a monopoly, who to cared tor nothing beyond their own aggrandisement. The entrance to Buffalo harbor in the clear is 165 feet, with two steamers laying abreast aid uthird has frequently been found there, ; what chance has the commerce of the port to carry on a legitimate competition? None whatever, while the D. L. & W. R. R. Co. may grasp octopus like at the welfare of all other interests combined. The Bill printed in avuther column of this issue under the heading of Obuoxious Legis- lation shows clearly that, the D. L.& W.R R. Co. seek to foist upon the commerce of the port a perpetual injunction, whereby competitors may be placed at a ruinous dis- advantage by being subject to unnecessary delay in arrivals and departures at the port of Buffalo. honorable representatives at Washington; what would be thought of a measure intro- duced before Congress enbodying the partial blockade under Federal authority of a most important seaport. We venture to say that the projectors and promoters of such a bill would be severely sat down upon, yet, such is the audacity of a private corporation; that not only has the bill been allowed to see the light of day, but, itis now actually advocated by a powerful clique who hope to wrest the in- alienable rights of commerce from the hands of American citizens; and by a judicious ap- plication of sophistry so blind the intellectual faculties of 4 portion of our legislators; as to aftirm the standpoint usurped by an indi- vidual firm, to the detriment of a wide spread and daily increasing commerce as evidenced by the custom house statistics at Buffalo. LAKE SEAMEN’S GRIEVANCES. The Lake Seamen’s Union seems to have got into hot water all round, being at an issue with the vessel owners of Chicago, Cleveland; and but alittle whileago,at Detroit also. There must bea screw loose some where when it is in- sisted that a body of men should forego their season’s earnings without any good or sufficient reason for so doing. The chief agitators can not be the men who work to lay up a little store for the winter, but rather those who eat and sleep, whether it is work or play. The en- tire policy pursued by the Seamen’s repre sentatives seem to be at variance with even their own principles, inasmuch, as it is main: tained that the laborer is worthy of his hire; and yet the right to hire is withheld solely on account of other skilled labor not accepting the theory of right and wrong as advocated by the Union We are sorry to see a body of skillful men at loggerheads with their em- ployers; and this is more to be regretted be- cause they take numberless chances of losing their occupation entirely; in the event of help heing obtained from a distant, or any other than a lake port. It is to be hoped therefore that a moderate and wise course will be taken by the majority of the men who have sailed the lakes and made their homes here for years past. It has been suggested that possibly the men who have sailed steady on monthly pay for so many seasons, have had things generally mis- represented to them; and while the individual vessel owners are sorry to lose the services of good steady married men, yet, they can not allow themselves to be browbeat and coerced, into paying wages to men who boast that they will not be satisfied until an exorbitant rate of pay is demanded and paid by all classes of vessels. A communication which has been sent around to vessel owners is printed in another column of this issue; and the fair moderate language therein used may be taken as the general tone and feeling of the major- ity of owners towards the men who have so faithfully attended to their duty in the past. There is one simple consideration to be weighed in this question, viz: how many men who have others depending on their earnings can afford to lay idle and await the result of their action, well, or ill advised whichever it may be, we venture to say that the earnings of a broken season will be felt in more ways than one. While only a few of the many who sail for a living can at once secure work on shore. The better way for the men would haye been to show cause why an increase of wages was justifiable, instead of endeavoring to force an owner to pay more than he thinks and believes that the service rendered is worth. Asa general rule seamen earn; and are justly entitled to eyery cent that they can obtain, while it should be remembered on the other hand that the days of big, faney wages passed away with the discontinuance of the schooner trade, and that no matter how ex- perienced and handy a sailor may be; he is As an analogy, we might ask our | a | now handicapped by the sheer/ignorance and LAUNCH OF THE MARYLAND.” . |strength of a green hand—in a word, a! The was launched from the Wyandotte : roustabout deck hand can now fill the place! yards of the Detroit Dry Dock Co. on Satur= formerly held by sailormen who were thor- | day July 12th, the fine steel steamer Mary- oughly acquainted with their business. land built to the igeree - = one E VESSEL OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION. | Transportation Co., Milwaukee Titi cae tare CLEVELAND, O., July 15th, 1890. launch which had been 3 i sels The following communication has been sent gear whe: attended by a axle cits ee Sieaa arouud to the vessel owners atthe several | vited guests with wis ae % tre wae | Jake ports; and itis expected that they will owners, builders an “e ae f i. tae = | strictly comply with the under mentioned | dotte ferry boats and the Mic = ve | particulars: trains bringing a large number ° pyae i y Dear Sie: We learn that an effurtis being interested epson 0 Ha pea ie made, through the Seaman’s Union, to undo ute of the W yandotte ak wane : much of the good that our association has phonic communication ike s Ae Pp already done. The plan seems to be to enrol from the extreme ends of ae saad oy Pa our men, and, when they have enough toseri- a quiet and PORE: Oe parce ee Ont ‘s ou-ly cripple us, to strike for unreasonable | Uodertaking a the most “ake ‘ates wages. It issaid that they propose to strike | Under these piabea sate it? . hee re ch Hor $3. day, which if successful, would com- | reputation which her bui ree bats "ehh eee pel our vessels to Jay up. They claim to have | for pronipt success, it wou a ik iva , enrolled over twenty of our mates and a great to state that the launch of the 3 Ba) “is at many of our men, and they have commenced a perfect pe it particular; an ; ‘ e “pulling’’ crews for refusing to enrol With [largest freight carrier on the chain . ake ; ee them for this purpose. The Association has accepted the initiation ceremony ip the neat— es heretofore been able to furnish all the men, © and nea possible aie pp ere « required and they haye done much better °° of CAUsAtH H. Clement ae ent a with the Association under our wages and Captain J. C. Ricketson; General Fi ee with steady employment, than they could do the Inter Ocean Transportation Pie bas 4 under the Union plan of extortionate wages, whose superintendence the han¢ i an discharge in port and strikes. walt finished yeasel has been completed. While the Association has no quarrel with | There coi doubt but that the pret & |the Union and no objection, ordinarily, to will eclipse all freight iain 3S ont eg et | men belonging to or joining the Union when- of lakes; in so far as her carrying capacity 18 ever they please, we do not think that we concerned, and wale the principals of the should sit idly by and let these men enrol Detroit Dry Dock Co., seemed to be emi- themselves, while in our employ, for the nently gratified at the distinction thus af - avowed and express purpose of making an forded the representatives of her owners attempt tu destroy our Association which is Ee equally well pleased at the successful the declared purpose of the present move- aus of their invaluable floating prop- ment; and we suggest that you instruct your| "7" : apiattia to ie the ae who are awn : The Maryland has only two pole masts; a8 rolling themselves against us and supply their Captain Ricketson does not heheh benefit places each trip through our shipping office to be derived from. encumbering a full pow- with good men who will be loyal to their ves~ ered first class freight steamer with a lot of sels at least as long ag they are employed on | ¥°T8° than useless top hamper, her water age bottom has a capacity for 1,500 tons of water The Association has ample facilities for ballast, divided into compartments by trans- getling men from other localities. We dis-| ¥°rs° and longitudinal bulkheads of heavy like to dothis and would rather have our men | 8te¢l, ber cabins are luxuriously furnished here to stay with us and keep out of move- and fitted, the woodwork being. finished in ments gotten up for the sole purpose of op- white mahogany A ONOLY eCnaae and costly posing and breaking up our Association. wood. The Fisher Electrical Co. have fitted Very respectfully, her out with their electric light system which H. M. Hanna, is now in successful operation in several of — THoMAs WILsoN, the previous new boats built by the Detroit te men tee Attest:— 4 rey aoean Dry Dock Co. Steam windlass, capstans, . A. BRADLEY, deditenw : zs ‘ Gro P, McKay, J. W. Moors, : ae - ayate pace Sue a automatic Secretary, B. L. Pennixeton, Og Signal \A0¢. Overy. MA OUC ky abe to facilitate the handling of vessel an has been given to the Maryland, and be under the command of Captain Jo Yax, commodore of the comp Michael Conley. senior will take charge of her mach: a time, as it is the invariable Conley to bring out each net dimensions of the Mary Length over all 334 fee Executive Committec Tun petition addressed to Redfield Proctor, Secretary of War, and so numeroualy signed by the lake vessel masters, asking the goyern- |ment to secure the right and title to river frontage at Sault Ste. Marie has been endorsed by the Cleveland Vessels Owners’ Association and will be forwarded on to Buffalo for the Lake Carriers’ Association to take action upon, should the petition meet with favorable consideration at Washington, and the govern- ment purchase the property, it is to be hoped | that no space would be reserved for private firms, but that the entire length of the pier or quay would be devoted to the purpose for | which it had been acquired, notwithstanding the fact that there are now three bills before Congress providing for the private oecupane wet of government piers at Chicago, Ills. Fair-| * port, O, and Buffalo, N. Y. We note that] — these petitions usually gain favor, the right of way is first granted and after a lapse of time @ certain proprietary right comes to be tacitly acknowledged by other interests; and event- ually the last result becomes worse. and more | ing detrimental to the general welfare than the} ,,, first cause, on these grounds only, can any | objection be raised to the petition which |,; the owners and masters have endorsed. : — OO TWO LARGE STEEL STEAMERS CON- |b TRACTED FOR. The Cleveland Shipbuilding Company have } signed a contyact for the construction of two large steel steamers to be built on the same lines as the La Salle and Joliet, The dimen- sions of the new steamers will be 284 feet over all, 266 feet keel, 38 feet beam, with a molded depth of 24 feet, having a carrying capacity of 2,500 gross tons. Both of the above named steamers were built by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company and were ready for business on the opening of naviga- | tion this season, so well are the owners of the Joliet and La Salle suited with the build, speed and carrying capacity of their two last new steel steamers, that notwithstanding some very keen competition from other lake ports the Cleveland Iron Mining Company conclu- ded to place their contract with the builders of the La Salle and Joliet. The new steamers are to be ready for the opening of navigation next spring; and with the completion of the two large steamers now on the stocks the yards of the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company will be kept busy until that time. ) on which official numbers. Bureau of Navigation during the week ending - Sream Vessers—C quette, Mich, gr In the report of the trial of the United | Kitties, Port Hi States cruiser Philadelphia is the statement ren, that in letting go an anchor weighing 8,500] pounds, the friction band on the windlass was | compressed too suddenly, causing the to part beforethe anchor reached the bottom The windlass which stood this im ain was manufactured by th 0 p Windlass Co., of Providence, | built nearly all the windlasses govern- | ‘nent for years. ;