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Lake Freight Situation. A falling off in grain shipments has caused a slump in freights, but there is again evidence of a reaction and a more set- led market. The inability of railways and terminal facilities at Duluth, Chicago and Buffalo to handle the grain and meet the requirements of almost the entire lake fleet directed to that trade, together with a light movement in coal acting against a scattering of the fleet, are conditions that are accepted as a cause for the decline in rates. And then, too, ore shipments were restricted, on account of the rates reaching a basis where producers were not only compelled to confine the movement almost entirely to contract boats but were also forced to charter some of their own boats for grain, in order to even up their ves- sel earnings in a trade that presented more profit than the ore. Duluth receipts are again improving, however, and 3% cents is refused by vessel owners on boats to arrive. Ore rates can be quoted at 95 cents from Escanaba, $1.15 from Marquette and $1.30 from Ashland. When it is considered that Duluth’s ship- ments of grain for less than thirty days of the present crop sea- son are fully 500,000 bushels in excess of the aggregate ship- ments for all of last season,the demand upon the railways of the northwest for extra equipment will be understood. ‘The drag in coal shipments on accouut of crowded docks at upper lake ports has been a severe drawback to the vessels and thereis little hope of any improvement in this part of the lake trade. The rate from Ohio ports to Escanaba and Gladstone has been reduced to 40 cents, and it is more than probable that the 45-cent rate to the head of Lake Superior, as well as the rate of 50 cents to Chi- cago and Milwaukee, might also be lowered if any great effort was made in that direction, as boats have gone begging for loads at all ports. A strike in the Pittsburgh coal district, where the miners went out Thursday morning for 92 cents a ton, an advance of 13 cents, will tend v0 still further reduce the soft coal movement, although shipments of Pittsburgh coal when freights are low are not as heavy as when the carrying charges are high enough to exclude the poorer grades of coal. A Convention of Lake Interests Assured. There is now little doubt that a convention of lake interests will be held during the coming winter, probably about the time of the Christmas holidays or a little later, for the furtherance of lake improvement, and this means also a consideration of the subject ofan outlet tothe seaboard. It was thought in most quarters that the regular course of legislation in the next Con- gress would bring about the small appropriation, little more than $3,000,000 according to the official estimate of Gen. O. M. Poe of Detroit, for a 21-foot channel from the northwest to Buf- falo, and that there would be no need ofa convention for the furtherence of this or other ordinary projects that must follow the works at Sault Ste. Marie, already provided for, but the popu- lar feeling aroused by the great growth in thiscommerce and the reduction in rates of water transportation has brought about a demand for a convention that will undoubtedly result in the greatest gathering of water transportation interests ever held in this country. Answers to inquiries sent out by united action on the part of three commercial bodies in Detroit show this, and itis evident also that agitation in favor of projects already under way on the lakes will be over-shadowed by dis- cussions pertaining to the great subject of a deep-water outlet to the Atlantic. The only question now seems to be a settlement upon the place for holding the convention. Although the commercial bodies of Detroit began the movement at the suggestion of Con- gressman Stevenson, it is more than probable that that city with Cleveland, Buffalo and other places on the lower lakes where there _ isno need of making converts, will give way to Chicago or some city in the northwest as the proper place to hold the convention. Chicago is already bidding for it, on the claim that its newspapers | have a widespread influence in all of the western and north- western states, that the different interests of the states beyond the head of Lake Superior could readily be centered there and SEND 10 CENTS IN STAMPS FOR ADDITIONAL * MARINE REVIEW. that the convention, if held during the holiday adjournment of Congress, would be attended by members on their way to the northwest. On the other hand, the substantial results secured from the convention held in St Paul several years ago, when delegates assembled from Montana, Nebraska and the Dakotas to urge the necessity of building the new lock now under way at Sault Ste.Marie, isan argument in favor of the gathering being held in some northwestern city. In Cleveland Messrs George H. Ely, M. A. Hanna, B. L. Pennington and other members of the board of trade and vessel owners’ association have recom- mended that the Detroit bodies be assured of full co-operation, and similar assurances have been forwarded from Duluth, Su- and other cities, but there is no suggestions as yet as to the place for holding the convention. It is more than probable, however, from the drift of opinion among those who take most interest in such matters that Chicago or some northwestern city will be selected. Our Supplement of the Virginia. With this issue the MARINE REVIEw presents a photo-gravure supplement of the twin-screw steamer Virginia, the elegant passenger boat recently built by the Globe Iron Works Company for the Goodrich Transportation Company of Chicago. The boat has been fully described in former issues. This engraving, how- ever, is from a painting that has been thought worthy of repro- duction. It represents a night scene on Lake Michigan, and was made by H. F. Sprague, Huron, O., for General Manager Pank- hurst of the Globe Iron Works Company. The boat with her grand electric light equipment is shown in every detail, the en- graving giving a fair idea of the effect of these hundreds of lights in the painting. The Virginia carries two 4oo-light dynamos, driven by Payne automatic engines, her electric plant, put in by the Mather Electric Company of Chicago, being one of the most complete ever placed aboard a steamboat. Whalebacks for the Northern Pacific—Grain Movement. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. DuLUTH, MINN., Oct. 1.—Capt. McDougall has announced that he has contracted to build four steamers for an outside company, unknown, but supposed to be the Northern Pacific Railway Company. They will be 306 feet long, and have a capacity of 2,500 tons on 14 feet 6inches. This will make fourteen vessels the works of the barge company will put out by next spring. %: The movenient of wheat in and out of Duluth has kept up to former high figures. Indeed the week’s shipments were over 518,000 bushels greater than for the previous week. The vessels coming here had all they could do. Many were delayed a day by the scarcity of wheat for shipment, owing to the large amount going forward and it was a lucky vessel that did not have to go to at least three different houses before its cargo was complete. The rate to Buffalo remained at 4 cents until after the Chicago break when it dropped to 3% cents. The present week’s shipments will be large, but probably will not equal the big record of last week, which, I think, beats anything in the history of the Duluth wheat market. It is thought by some that the receipts will fall off somewhat on account of the late rains in Dakota, which have stopped threshing and selling for the time being. On Wednesday last 611,000 bushels were loaded out and on Friday 497,000 bushels. The total shipments for the week were 2,298,417 bushels, against 1,779,377 the previous week. Re- ceipts were 2,298,093 bushels against 2,273,368 bushels. Tide Water Impressions. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. NEw York, N. Y. Oct.1.—In crossing the North river the first remark of alake man is concerning the facility with which ferry boats, tugs, barges, oyster sloops and all classes of craft dodge one another. There is a continual interchange of passing signals. This may be complimentary tothe men in charge of the hundreds of craft in this great harbor, but it is the humble opinion of the average visitor from the lakes that even the metropolis might profit by some of the modern methods in inland transportation and not least of these is the matter of handling cargo. It seems as if everything had to be transferred here if — for no other reason than to employ the thousand and o1 e( barges that skin around from slip to pier. Enough vas carried 01 the single mast to create the impression that the barge can but the chiefend of the spar is for block a: winch, which is operated by the first and second posed 6f one: maniacs) High With a few exceptions however greatness in the marine line. Ove bona fide 30-mile yac! COPY OF THE