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SARS aR: MARINE REVIEW. “a CHICAGO LAKE INTERESTS. WESTERN OFFICE, MARINE REVIEW No. 210 So. Water Street, CHICAGO, IIL, May 14. t In a week the new Republican city administration has replaced nearly every bridgetender on the Chicago river. The sweep has been the most complete one ever made by any incoming administration. Men who have served for twenty or thirty years under Democrats and Republicans have had to go. Petitions of vesselmen to save a few whose services had been particularly satisfactory, availed nothing The new men are Repub- lican ward workers who are hungry and must be fed. Most of them don’t know an iron steamer from a sand scow. Of course some bridges will be knocked out of shape before the new tenders learn a thing or two. Vessel captains will be denounced right roundly for running into bridges that run into them. It might be a good thing for masters to be particularly careful for awhile until the new tenders find out which way they are to turn the bridge levers. Mayor Washburne has had no time to see the ves- selmen who want to interview him about Canal street bridge When he gets through with the horde of office seekers now filling the city hall, the vesselmen’s committee will lay their case against the bridge before him and endeavor to have him take steps for the bridge’s removal. The pro- perty owners who are most benefited by the construction of the bridge are now the most obstreperous about giving way to the river traffic when boats are unloading at their docks. There is said to be some of the finest specimens of the genus hog among these dock owners ever seen outside the stockyards. All the forebodings of the early spring about grain freights have come to pass. The bottom has gone, and there is no hope of any immediate improvement. Grain is going out fasier than it comes in, which tends to make the outlook worse day by day. Nothing less than 1% cents on corn to Buffalo, it issaid, has been accepted. I don’t know aboutit. I am inclined to think that some boats have come nearer to an even cent than that. Many owners have instructed their agents not to take less than 1% ceuts, and their boats are virtually laid up. The story of the decline is a short one. There were more vessels than cargoes. A steamer lay at a north side coal dock the other day, its stem just shutting off the passage of another steamer to herdock. Work was over for the day. “Drop ahead fifty feet, and let me by,” said the captain of the incoming boat. _. “Steam is down,” was the reply. “Then my tug will pull you ahead, and put you back again when we are by.” “My. crew is all gone.” “We've plenty of men. right.” ‘Well, you can’t move mie. self.” The new arrival did not lose his temper. captain his namie and it was given. “You belong to the E. M. B. A. member?” {Wies,”’ “Well, captain, you'll move that boat, or you'll get out of the associa- tion. I’ve got a clear case against you.” The boat moved. The Oak Leaf is to be lengthened 30 feet and be given steel arches. That is one way to treat a boat that people say is out of date. But the Oak Leaf is good for many a year yet, and will earn enough money to pay for herself. There is far worse property on these great lakes than the lumber schooners that have not outlived their usefulness. The Cleveland joker that sold the new reporter with the story of a boat going into the grain trade between Buffalo and Kingston did a neat job. It reminded me of the old fellow that went around to the legisla- tures of Wisconsin and Michigan two years ago and secured the passage of resolutions favoring a ship canal from Bay de Noque to Lake Superior. He came to Chicago and sent tothe Tribune for ainterviewer. I went over. He told of the great things a ship canal between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior would do for lake commerce. He insisted that no locks would be required, and got mad when I told him such a canal would drain Lake Superior, or else the current would be too swift'to be navigable. ‘Why, young man just think of the immense grain trade that would spring up between Duluth and Chicago! Then consider the immense coal trade that would extend from Chicago to Lake Superior, instead of Lake Erie ports!” It was a part of his speech before the granger legislatures. When I sug- gested that the grain trade between Duluth and Chicago would never amount to much, he called mea fool. The old fellow is still around Chi- cago. He looks rather seedy these days, but the canal across his tract of worthless land is not yet cut. : Frank Kirkham returned, Tuesday, from a trip through northern Michi- gan and Wisconsin. He says the lumber product will be large, as the win- ter was favorable for logging operations. Sad The Lake Superior line is not always going to be content with its fleet ” We'll put them aboard aud move you all I’m at my own dock. Take care of your- He asked the stationary I believe I have heard of you as a as it now exists. Before a year goes by, it is likely that the construction of a new fleet will be commenced. The present boats are the best of their class, but they have not the speed of the more modern lake craft. It is probable that the result in the construction of the Virginia will have something to do with the style and speed of the steamships to be built for ake Superior service. It can be depended upon when Leopold & Austrian get to building, they will not be behind the record. I wrote last week that the Graham & Morton line between Chicago and St. Joe was preparing to make a ripple in transportation to Michigan points. The announcement is now made as to what it will be. Arrange- ments have been closed with the Chicago & West Michigan railroad for a fast steamboat express between St. Joe and Traverse City, to run in con- nection with the City of Chicago. The steamer will leave Chicago at 9:30 a. m., and be pushed at full speed across the lake. When she arrives at St. Joe the steamboat express will be alongside the dock. When passen- gers are taking dinner fast freight destined to northern Michigan points will be transhipped directly to four baggage cars on the steamboat ex-. press. Grand Rapids will be made in seven hours from Chicago, and Traverse City in the evening. There the boat will run alongside one of the Haunah line of steamers by Mackinaw and intervening east shore points. For Chicago the same close connections will be made, passengers reaching here on the City of Chicago in the morning. Rates by the new route is considerably lower than by its competitors. The new arrange- ment shows strikingly the close relations constantly growing between the railroad and the steamboat lines. The Goodrich people with two mag- nificent steamers on its east shore run is in a fair position to combat the plans of the St. Joe route. With the Atlanta and City of Racine they ought to hold their own. It is likely they will retain all their night busi- ness to Grand Rapids while day travelers will go by the Graham & Mor- ton line, instead of by rail. By the way, the remodeled City of Chicago is said to be a far better looking boat than she was last season. The four - teen feet added to her amidships are given up to two fine club roon's, which add greatly to the comfort of travelers. G. S. Whitslar, general passenger agent of the line, says the time to Michigan points is going to be shortened an hour from that ever before made, and some of this gain is going to be made by the paddle wheels of the steamers. A race between the City of Chicago and the Virginia would end a lot of good-natured bluffing between Mr. Whitslar and John Singleton, the Goodrich general passenger agent. Capt. J. L. Higgie, president of the Vessel Owners’ Towing Company, years ago made fortunate real estate investments, which are caught in the boom and boosted far upwards. _I venture the statement that his real es- tate will pay him better than his tugs. In fact, his profits in realty are said to be counted in five figures. Capt. W. M. Egan is about the coolest of the vesselmen in these days of sinking freights. He takes life leisurely, shows no worry, though freights be low. I notice, however, that when he has a boat to charter he keeps the weather eye out as sharp as any of them. The New Wheeler Company—Shipyard Matters. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. West Bay City, Mich., May 14.—Mr. Wheeler will say nothing about the plans of the reorganized company, which is to engage in a large variety of work, nor will he say whether there are any new stockholders in the concern. There have been many rumors regarding the matter and such names as H. W. Sage and W. W. Crapo, president of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway Company, have been mentioned as new stock- holders in the company. Another 1umor is that the Michigan Car Works, of Detroit, had partially made arrangements for establishing a branch shop here and that they were interested in the new deal at Wheeler’s. If they ever had any such intentions they are probably now declared off and the most plausible story is that nearly all if not all of the new stock is taken by those already interested in the company. The City of Berlin, the first of the “ Big Four” to be completed, was launched from Davidson’s yard last Saturday afternoon. Two more of the quartette will go into the river this week, one Thursday and the other Saturday afternoon. ‘The fourth and last will slide in the following week. Captain Davidson will not admit that Schlesinger is out of the deal,adding that he has not yet closed the matter satisfactorily to himself. A schooner for the Davidson Transportation Company will be launched from the Davidson yard the last of the month, and also a small fishing tug for Alpena parties. This closes up the work for the season and it is probable that nothing more will be done at the yard for several months at least. The Keweenaw left Wheeler’s yard, Wednesday evening, in tow of the tugs Justice Fields and Niagara. The name of the Fields has not yet been changed to the Traveller as the owners have not complied with the regulations provided for in such cases. The name of the Chenango will be changed to the Susie Madden, after the daughter of Thomas Madden, who is a third owner of the vessel.