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go MARINE REVIEW. ee ee Bulletins on Change in Aids to Navigation. The light-house board has adopted a plan of publishing monthly bulletins in pamphlet form giving changes in aids to navigation, according to districts, in all parts of the country. The bulletins will be published soon after the first of each month and can be obtained from any of the light-house officials, or from collectors of customs at different ports. Changes in the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh districts will, of course, be all that will be of interest to the lake navigators, but the form in which the bul- letin is issued makes it convenient to file for reference. There is also attached to the pamphlet a sheet, on which masters may note any misplaced buoys or make a report of any kind to the light-house officials, and itis so arranged that it can be folded and forwarded to the proper authorities without charge for pos- tage. The first copy does not state whether the old system of sending to collectors of customs and others, notices of changes in aids to navigation will be discontinued or not. The board is also preparing through the different district officials photographs ofall of the light-houses in the country, from which engravings will be made to be used in connection with sailing directions. ‘The engravings are to be sufficiently comprehensive in details to enable one light to be easily distin- guished from another by the characteristics of the buildings, towers, bluffs, adjoining buildings, etc. To Equalize Dock Charges. With the increased demand for ore dock facilities on Lake Erie of late years, such ore companies as the Minnesota and Pittsburgh & Lake Angeline having furnace interests have pro- fited by controlling dock property over which the great bulk of their ore ishandled. This is true mainly of Fairport and Ashta- bula where some of the principal owners are Pittsburgh and val- ley furnace men. The furnace owners and ore dealers who own no part of the docks have been at a disadvantage, accordingly, but the Pennsylvania Company, operating the docks of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railway, has announced a plan of re- bates on dock charges this year that may result in a benefit. to its customers. Morris, Ellsworth & Co. of Cleveland are the lessees of these docks and an arrangement has been made be- tween them and the railway company, whereby the latter pays for all labor out of the income of the docks and allows the lessees a fair price for the use of the dock equipment with the under- standing that all moneys over and above these charges be re- turned pro rata to the concerns shipping ore over the docks. Big Cargoes. A cargo of 2,718 gross tons, which with the addition of the I per cent. moisture allowance and 70 tons of fuel makes a total of 3,144 net tons, is the last load of the big steel steamship E. C. Pope from Lake Superior. This is ahead of any cargo ever carried through the canal, although the depth of water last season was several inches greater than the present depth of about 14 feet 3 inches. The F. W Gilcher’s cargo of corn from Chicago to Erie was 18 bushels short, so that her load to be exact was I 14,982 bushels. Leading the Flyers. When the present season is at an end it is more than proba- ble that the boats of the Lake Superior Iron Company, La Salle, Joliet, Wawatam and Griffin, will be in the front rank as regards trip records by the iron flyers in the ore trade. The La Salle and Joliet will make exceptional showings as they were out earlier than the others and have been making round trips be- tween Marquette and Lake Erie on seven-day time. Both boats have now taken an eighth load, the La Salle being two days ahead of the Joliet. They are making 1114 miles loaded and 12 % miles light. ‘The two boats launched this spring, Wawatam and Griffin, are expected to make better time than the first two, as they ne have independent air pumps and the main driving power, which is the same in all four boats, is relieved to that extent. Mr. Henry Coffinberry of the Cleveland Ship Building Company, the build- ers, says this will certainly show in speed, but it wouldn’t do to repeat this to the captains of the first two boats, as there isa spirit of good-natured contention among the different masters that is working well for the owners. These boats carry 2,000 gross tons a trip, working on a charter of $1 a ton from Mar- quette, and it is said that their actual running expenses are held within $1,000 a trip. E. M. B. A. Notice. The directory containing the names of all members of the E. M. B. A., their pennant numbers and addresses is in press and will be completed this week. Members of the association will receive one copy by presenting their pennant numbers at any of the following tug offices: V. O. T. office, Cleveland, J. S. Dun- ham’s or F. B. Higgie’s offices, Chicago; Hand & Johnson’s or Thomas Maytham’s offices, Buffalo; Milwaukee Tug Boat Line office; B. B. Inham’s office, Duluth; or at the lock office, Sault Ste. Marie. Cleveland Matters. F. W. Wheeler, who sold the propeller Ossifrage to a local stock company, accepting about $5,000 as part payment, will in all probability take back the boat. Debts amounting to about $2.500 have tied her up, and no additional payments have been made on the vessel. The whaleback steamer Colgate Hoyt will spend fully three weeks in the Ship Owners dry dock asa result of her accident above the Sault, and repairs to her bottom will cost from $15,- 000 to $20,000. The captain says that new buoys placed by the government among the Top-Sail shoal buoys to mark the Hay lake channel misled him. Cleveland vessel owners and leading citizens are endeavor- ing to have the senetors and representatives who are to be the guests,next week, of Senator McMillen and Congressmen Steven- son spend a day or twoin Cleveland before going up the lakes. Congressman Burton and others are now carrying on a corres- pondence with this end in view and will probably be successful. It is expected that the congressional party will return to Buffalo after going up the lakes. CHICAGO LAKE INTERESTS. “ WESTERN OFFICE, MARINE REVIEW, 0. 210 So. Water Street, CHICAGO, IIl., July 2. At the mayor’s office Monday a conference of the utmost import to the marine interest was held. The mayor, commissioner of public works, corporation counsel, city engineer, Col. Ludlow of the United States en- gineer corps, Collector Clark, T. T. Morford, J. S$. Dunham and Hugh Mc- Millan were present. They talked over an hour in a most friendly way and the results were more than satisfactory to the marine men present. The city administration put itself on record in an unmistakable manner on the position of the marine interest in Chicago’s commerce. It was the most hearty and sincere recognition that a component part of Chicago marine men perhaps have ever received at the city hall. They were not treated as aliens, enemies of the public weal and general disreputables; such was wont to be the case under Harrison and Cregier. As to the re-. sult, it can but be well, although Canal street bridge may remain longer than vesselmen would desire. Bnt there are many other places where the Chicago river needs improvement, besides at Canal street and the present city administration is going to do whatit can. There is not much doubt but Canal street bridge will come out in the end, but the marine interests, in view of the spirit of fairness displayed by Mayor Washburne and Commissioner Aldrich, is not disposed to force matters by a formal and peremptory demand that the bridge be removed at once. The board of engineers meets here July 9, to pass on the bridge as an unreasonabla obstruction to navigation. The city will probably wait until the board’s report has been given out by the secretary of war. Ten to one it will be for the removal of the bridge. The city smoke inspector is after the tugs and complaints by the hundred are on file at the city hall. After all the tugs in the river are fined $50 a piece two or three rounds, what then? Capt. John Crawford of the Chicago Towing Company says tugs in Chicago can not burn hard coal and do the work required of them. He is about right. No smoke consumer worth a continental has ever been placed ona tug. Soft coal then is the only thing that can be used and soft coal makes a smoke. |