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MARINE REVIEW. sous IV. CLEVELAND, OHIO, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1801. Average Freight Rates on Grain and Ore. Iron ore was carried at very low rates during the past sea- son, notwithstanding the heavy grain movement. ‘The following table, prepared from daily records of charters in the offices of three vessel brokerage firms in Cleveland, shows the average “wild” rates as well as season contract rates from the different shipping ports for 1890 and 1891: Average Average single trips. contract rates. ORE SHIPPING PORTS. 1891. 1890. 1891. 1890. Ashland and Two Harbors. .......... $1,055 | $1.135 $ .97 $1.35 MAPGHette ss ........ ose. edccu see oveeeseines 1.021 1.078 -90 1.25 Escanaba and Gladstone.............. 833 .887 65 1.10 Some of the companies had their ore carried at figures even lower than the above rates, as the average on contracts and “wild” rates combined would result lower. + Ashland shippers were especially fortunate in getting their ore down early and avoiding high fall rates, as shown by the lew average on ‘‘wild”’ freights from that port. No single trip charters were made from Ashland after Oct. 31, and the closing rate was $1.40. Chartering from Marquette ended with the middle of November, and the highest rate was $1.35. . On one Marquette cargo later in the month $1.75 was paid but it was not a regular rate in the market. From Escanaba $1.30, paid during the latter part of November, was the highest rate. One charter from Es- ccanaba was made on Nov. 25 at $1.50 but it was a deal between vessel owners who arranged to carry a contract load. Fluctuations in rates during the season were as follows: ESCANABA AND ASHLAND AND Two GLADSTONE. MARQUETTE. HARBORS. May Laiscciccvccuecvsces May Mee or ae $ -90 May Tove cvsncssceese $1 oo May 29 - 55 June “OVE RE rn FP .80 May 9 Selanne miginap ain ee go JUNE 24.cceeeeeseeee 65 Aue 20.03 cece se .9O June 9 80 NAW Mo ovess sees ese «° 75 Le 6 eae aaa .95 MUMC “TOs ees go JUG: 21... ./ scones ons 80 TatG. 2022s 1.00 SERED emer aAl OS araains 1.00 PALLY ZO: case weeosees 85 Fly 3h eh 110 M119) Joatgeshesaeecass 1.05 PMID s Qresncyysgapeoes 1.00 UE. Tossscssscsnicess TO DE ee ra Rear ais 1,10 AISA ncenccarsesees I.IO BIG. Go vcnsan sities 15 TW AOn ects ies nanos Ls BGS, DB. co ecerconsess 1.00 ANG, 19:05-:060 I.10 SMSC ean tee Ae nr I 20 > AUG. 12.03.0000e.ce0 go RG 90... eneceecss 1.05 Aug. ere peer 1.15 Sept. 10.....-.0s4.--- 1.00 Set, 0: <-ssit nis 1.15 Sept. TOsee es ak 125 Sept. 23....-.sce0+0 1.05 ODE 22 iyo sanersetre 1.20 Sept. OS a oe 1.40 SEDC 26;.05 ca sencese 1.00 SET, BO. csinciemcanas 1.15 Sept. BOstrsa ones 1.25 sta pe CEE Ae OC re go Sept, sOns iiss sine 1.00 BEDE. 30..-cercereness Ts OCT Ricwens scepeat se oe 85 Oct Soe ee 80 LB t a eae, ssanesencs I.10 ICE 8s css cceespewcees, 75 Qrhion..- 1.00 Oct TOSS eters T.00 OCB FIO; oes cheese es 65 WOOT 3O:55 55 caswssasine 1.20 CYC REOW RARE Py 1.30 WOOT ET2) 75 Nine se gee: 1.25 Ort 20 tec: ones 1.40 Oct. Za -rccvecrrecrees 85 Nov. WERE RS 1.35 Oct. Ba necsevcevevee: 1.40 MCE 90. ose. 8o COREA ns cis eonenes: 85 NOV5 Desc: ss tengsssee go PHOS 37-5 cidensees 1.00 ING, Gs ccccconsesaes 1.20 NOG T0-essens-ssc0ee 1.25 INIGW: TD cess ssaacacses 1.30 INV, LQl...sckees<es 1.25 INV 22s vetsapenes sis 1.30 The highest and lowest rates on corn out of Chicago for the months named during the past two seasons were as follows: No. 25. , SEASON OF I89gI. | SEASON OF 1I8go. ‘MONTHS. | ; Highest. Lowest. | Highest. Lowest. ADEN cvecey danvan cates 13% cents 1% cents. || 3% cents. 1Y% cents. MAY i505 5s Setet seiccevs osepee 1) era I fs | 13% 1% JUMCAse ses seaceesciceves vs 1%. * I a ae 1 IMU ee eceras ence seeer yok: 2 Im es a ato 1, ga AUR USE. Wi iset iss eerveserd 3 cr pa tele ym “ Eg September, i.). cel. cs5 sae Be. Ch gees 2 $ 1% * Octoberciauieveusseccrs 2% § Lig ee £ 5 Ges NOVEM DEEs rise cvsssaces. 4 2% = a fy ra These figures on grain were prepared from the daily trade bulletin of W. M. Egan, shipping and commision merchant, Chi- cago. Improvements toward the close of 1891 makes the one for the season better than that of 1890. Steel Castings. al In his annual report, just received George W. Mellville chief of the bureau of steam engineering, Uuited States navy, says: ‘“‘I amagain obliged to report that we are having most discouraging experience with steel castings, and that the state- ments in former reports concerning them can be repeated almost without change, for in some cases parts designed of cast steel have been builtup of forged or rolled steel; in others the castings have been reinforced with plates of rolled steel; and in still others the castings have been made abnormally heavy.and reduced to size in the shaper or planing machine. It can not be too strongly emphasized that the only reason for using cast steel instead of cast iron is that advantage may be taken of its greater strength to reduce weights. There can be no greater adsurbity than to make steel castings of the same size as those of cast iron with a view to greater safety if the strength of the cast iron is ample; steel castings cost four or five times as much as iron ones, and it would be a deliberate waste of public money to use material in this way. The same is true of the plan of making pieces of sey- eral parts bolted together. I am loath to believe, however, that we shall be obliged to permanently abandon steel castings, for if the processes of manufacture can be improved so that absolute reliance can be placed on the product, the question of light ma- chinery for war vessels.is rendered much easier of solution. Moreover, it has always been found possible in other promising lines of work to ascertain the causes of first failures and to remedy them, and I am inclined to believe that in time this will be done for steel castings, since one firm has already successfully produced forms that the other makers said could not be cast, and their manager has stated that it is simply a question of time and the education of superintendents and workmen before we can safely count on the production in cast steel of any form now made in cast iron.” This bureau has always maintained that the best designer of marine machinery is the man who has learned by practical ex- perience at sea andin charge of it, what to strive for and what to avoid. He knows that efficiency does not follow as a matter of course from complexity, but that simplicity, accessibility for inspection, facility in overhauling, and the smallest number of parts are the prime requisites. Many designs look very attrac- tive on paper to the disastrously ingenious draftsman who has never seen them utterly fail to work at sea, but the trained en- gineer, whohas lost hours of important time in repairing such puzzles, learns to avoid them almost by intuition.—Report of Chief Engineer Melville, United States Navy.