The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4 MARINE REVIEW. ae ee CHICAGO LAKE. INTERESTS. WESTERN OFFICE, MARINE REVIEW, t No. 210 So. Water Street, CHICAGO, III., Noy. 12. Chicago has been the tail to the Lake Superior kite in the grain trade the past week, and the question of freight rates has been settled, not here but at the head of Lake Superior. I can see no reason for expecting an unusually heavy movement of grain from here for the balance of the sea- son. Four cents is being paid on corn and 44% cents on wheat to Buffalo While these rates are far better than during most of the season they are much less than would have been had the movement of grain come up to expectations in August and September. The western railroads were as wide of the mark in estimating the grain movoment as vesselmen. It may be that the last weeks of the season will see more grain moving from Chicago, but the outlook is not now that way. A report is current that the Rock Island railroad will build a big -elevator on the Calumet river at South Chicago. Although the railroad people profess to know nothing about the matter, still it is certain that there is somethiug in it. The Rock Island has a switch running into South Chicago and an elevator there would be handier than on Chicago river in the handling of cars. Itis certain that if the elevators begin going to South Chicago, Chicago will have a serious rival in the grain trade. The Calumet river may have advantages over Chicago river, particularly the south branch of the latter, which will prove very attractive to the grain trade. Capt. J. lL. Higgie, President of the Vessel Owners Towing Company, in speaking of the proposed removal of the elevators. “It is all bosh. Some of these fellows, I suppose, own real estate in that vicinity and are noising this around to theadvancement of their interests. The grain trade is too well established and towing is just as cheap here as it can be in South Chicago.” Capt. Walsh, of Higgie & Walsh, agrees with Capt. Higgie about the remvval of the grain trade to South Chicago. He be- lieves it merely to be a real estate scheme, and something which will never be done. Capt. John McCarthy superintendent of the Independent Tug line said he would never see. the time when the grain trade went out of Chicago to go down the Calumet river. He had seen many attempts to divert trade, but they all resulted in failures. The grain trade is located on Chicago river and is there to stay. The Lake Line Agents who have thoroughly discussed the question of calling the deep waterways convention to meet in this city, have come to the conclusion that the Lake Carriers’ Association is the proper organi- zation to call the convention. That body represents the entire lake ma- rine interests, whereas the Lake Line Agents’ Association was formed for purely local purposes. It is feltthat the convention had ought to be held in Chicago on the invitation of the Chicago board of trade, but that it should be under the auspices of the lake carriers. On this acconnt nothing more will be done here until the lake carriers act. If they make no move the whole subject will be dropped by the Chicago marine inter- est. This is the situation regarding the convention. The complaint of the Line Agents’ Association against the Fort Wayne railroad bridge near Nineteenth street, has been referred by the war department to Capt. Marshell, the United States engineer here. The position of the marine interests is contained in the paragraph “It is the’ duty of those having bridges over navigable waters of the United States that these structures should conform. to the. changing needs of com- merce.” In this the marine men of Chicago have struck the key note of the present situation regarding bridges. It is likely that the bar which has formed at St. Joseph will prevent a winter line of boats being established between here and that point. Grand Haven is also badly effected by these’sand bars, which have been thrown up at all east shore points, except Ludington, during the fall. Col. Lud- low who has charge of the government work at east shore points, could do no better service to the marine interests than to have dredging done before the close of navigation. Very little work is required to make the harbor at St. Joseph, Grand Haven and Manistee passable for boats during the winter. At present bars extend from the mouth of each of these har- bors, and it is extremely dangerous for boats to enter or leave them when aseais running. I believe that these improvements are so necessary that Col. Ludlow is amply justified in expending the small amount required, under the act of 1884, which provides for emergency expenditures, even if the appropriations are fully exhausted. In fact, it is for just such cases as these that the provision of the act of 1884 was made. If ever an emer- gency in river and harbor work existed, it is at the east shore ports just at present. Kingston Harbor Matters. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. : KINGSTON, Ont., Nov. 12.—Four large western steamers]and vessels have applied for accommodation at the new dry dock during the winter, Among them is the Cibola, the largest craft on Lake Ontario. It was to accommodate her that the dock was enlarged. The dock is now finished, and the total cost is placed at $450,000. James Stewart, agent for the Kingston & Montreal Forwarding Com- pany, Says the recent promptness with which the U. S. government per- mitted that company’s vessel, ashore at Charlotte, to be released by their own steamer, is a strong indication of the desire of the Americans for reciprocity in wrecking. Ten years ago the Donnelly Wrecking Company was kept busy. Wrecks are now so few and far between in this locality that employment calls them away to Georgian bay frequently. The Montreal Transit Company is going to send a tow of laden barges down the Galop’s rapids. ‘The result will be awaited with interest. If it meets with no accident and the trip is considered safe, this channel will be used generally when the water in the canals is low. The huge dredge Sir Hector has been purchased by the contractors at work on the Morrisburg canal. The Union Bank of Montreal has instituted proceedings in re-vendi- cation against the Kingston & Montreal Forwarding Company on 18,518 bushels of grain, claimed to be a balance still undelivered under bills of lading held by the bank. The Donnelly Wrecking Company has purchased the steamer Rothesay, sunk near Pre.cott. They will raise her and. use her for excursion pur- poses. ao : The weather here is still very fine and vessels are plying between here and Oswego carrying coal and barley. The Northwestern Grain Movement. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. DuLurTH, Minn., Nov. 12.—Last week was another big one in the wheat business here. Receipts were not quite so large as for the previous week, but shipments increased 800,000 bushels and were greater than any previous week in Duluth’s history.. This week’s receipts will be fully as great as for the best week, while the outlook is that if the elevators can handle the boats shipments will run to 4,000,000 or 5,000,000 bushels. The great advance in rates has been the principal topic in grain and marine circles. The Buffalo rate got up to 8 cents Tuesday, against 4 cents last Tuesday, and will probably go higher before this letter is printed. The movement for last week and other weeks was as follows: Receipts, bu. Shipments, bu. Hast Weeki scuskivecsavdecetante csaucoes 2,779,367 2,358,301 PreviGus: We@k (452. 2ocsecs cate acscetsas 2,840,409 1,795,855 Same week lastvear ii ccuets wee 624,802 644,063 There were 1,605 cars of wheat received here from Saturday to Mon- day morning. The largest previous record was 1,346 cars. There was in store here Monday morning 3,870,516 bushels, an increase for the week of 357,027 bushels. The Iron Port of the World. ; Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. — ESCANABA, Mich., Nov. 5.—There is no need of statistical data to de- termine that this city is the iron port of the world. Four immense docks at the harbor entrance in addition to the Schlesinger dock several miles north, and the arrival and departure of floating property aggregating 25,000 to 45,000 tons every twenty-four hours, the 23 miles of C. & N. W. Railway yards, the double tracks to the mines—all make up a convincing _ spectacle of Escanaba’s greatness in the ore handling line. In the face of a decreased output and decreased shipments from other ports, it is ex- pected that Escanaba will equal the shipments of last year. The manage- ment of these docks and attention paid to detail of shipments is marvel- ous. Eighty-five different kinds of ore are handled, and the different grades of ore are watched so carefully that mistakes made at the mine are corrected here. No. 4 dock is 2,524 feet long, is 36 feet wide and has 250 pockets. No record breaking reports of fast work are given out from the office, but in course of conversation it was learned that the Maryland had received 3,028 tons in 3 hours and 50 minutes, the Briton 2,600 tons in 3 hours and the Business got 1,397 tons in 30 minutes. Mr. H. A. Barr is superintendent of the docks, aud he is so thoroughly conversant with the detail under his management that he can tell at a moment’s notice how many tons of different kinds of ore there is in the pockets. . 8 The Maryland, Capt. Yax and Engineer M. Conley, that wonderful carvier, is not slow. Running light from South Chicago to Escanaba she makes over 15 miles an hour almost every trip, Another Moolight Rainbow. ) EDITOR MARINE REvIEw: I notice an article in your Nov. 5 issue from a captain who claims to have seen a rainbow at night and fears that in telling the story someone will think he imagined it. If he refers to the evening of Saturday Sept. 17, he is not the only one who saw ‘the phenomenon. The steamer Livingstone was loading at the Washburn elevator and I had occasion to be aboard her at that time and sow the rain- bow in the west at half past eight, standard time. ‘The coloce tue ol them, could be distinctly made out. and the moon was just creeping out. above the horizon and lasted about fiv _ Washburn, Wis., Nov. 7, 1891. Pia ae Beas: 3 Be ene © | ‘ a a see ee