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

8 MARINE REVIEW. 5k i iil ccs TT ee MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. JOHN M. MuULROONEY, _F. M. Barton, ‘ HOMER J. CARR, - - - Associate Editor and Manager Chicago Office, 210 South Water Street. Published every Thursday at No. 510 Perry-Payne Building, Cleveland, O. Rae \ Proprimrors. SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on application. The books of the United States treasury department contain the names of 3,510 vessels, measuring 1,063,063.90 tons in the lake trade. In classification of this fleet the lakes have more steamboats of 1,000 to 2,500 tons than the combined ownership of. this class of vessels in all other sections of the country. The classification is as follows: Class. Number. Tonnage. SHLCAIM- VESSEIS o3. fics esets dis csentistelccssgnevesawe 1,527 652,922.25 OBITS VESSOIBacio oe cuss dics de isesevaanssaes vies 1,272 328,655.96 SANA DOAUS seccinuss vo. ciceks dus csubesveesns bau caahins 657 67,574.90 BSE EICS hava caciss vccupy ska va teuesy oso PEMORMENES Mies 54 13,910.09 MOLAR seid joi scan steenwteer tects s 3,510 1,063,063.90 According to the report of William W. Bates, United States com- missioner of navigation, 46 per cent. of the new tonnage of the country was built on the lakes during 1889. This is a percentage greater than the work of the Atlantic coast and western rivers combined, and almost equal to the whole work on the Atlantic and Pacific coast. In 1890 the tonnage built on the lakes is but very little less than that built on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Tonnage built on the lakes during the past five years was as follows : No. of boats. Net Tonnage, MES Ss obtain seh te abe cabeGs csinnnascetelanarter 5 ; 20,400.54 DASIOG cade on nes sah s6s baste scvasecksdeonticss 152 56,488.32 Bose cspckssssccscwssccvcqauiten. cise ssatesneeines 222 IOI,102.87 BUM once sku sensu icc aphueicns ++ .«scduatapeenes 225 107,080.30 MPN aac iS oor ewes scans gs cas ssncsaedecopeeete 218 108,515.00 OPAL cis sapesso tees cessscispeessones ox go2 393,597-03 Annual tonnage entries and clearances of the great seaports of the world, for 1889: New York, 11,051,236 tons; all seaports in the United States, 26,983,315 tons; Liverpool, 14,175,200 tons; London, 19,245,417 tons. _. Tonnage passing through Detroit river during 234 days of naviga- tion in 1889, amounted to 36,203,606 tous. Ten million tons more than the entries and clearances of all the seaports in the United States, and three million tons more than the combined foreign and coastwise shipping of Liverpool and London. _ _- +$t. Mary’s Falls and Suez canal traffic: Number of boats through St. Mary’s Falls canal.in 1890, 234 days of navigation, 10,557; tonnage, net registered, 8,454,435. Number of boats through Suez canal during 1890, full year, 3,389; tonnage, net registered, 6,890,014. ” Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. SENATOR SHERMAN was instigative in causing the defeat in the last Congress of a bill calling for the transfer of the revenue marine from the treasury department tothe navy. ‘The measure passed the house, and the proposed transfer has for years past been favored by secretaries of both the navy arid treasury, as well as the great majority of officials in both of these branches of the government. Petitions favoring a bill prepared for the present Congress with the same end in view, are again being cir- culated and a very large number of signatures have been secured - among the shipping interests of Cleveland and other lake ports in Ohio. These petitions are addressed to Senators Sherman and Brice of Ohio, and as they come direct from an important part of Senator Sherman’s constituency, they should be of some weight. ‘There can be no doubt of improvement in the revenue marine service in event of its transfer tothe navy, and any measure that tends to relieve the treasury department of such branches as have outgrown connection with the finances of the government will meet with favor from the merchant marine. At Port Huron a few days ago, John Cole, a sailor on the steamer Scotia, was taken from his boat to a hospital, fatally injured. After death, his wife, who resided at Ironville, O., in- formed the hospital authorities that she was too poor to attend to burial of the remains, and in accordance with Michigan laws the body was turned over to one of the medical institutions of the state. The sailors in the merchant marine of this county built up through contributions trom their earnings in past years a ma- rine hospital service that has since cared for them in time of sick- ness. The government a few years ago undertook the mainten- ance of this service, but it is nevertheless a fact that the institu- tion is one founded by the sailors themselves. It certainly seems strange that a decent burial cannot be provided for the sailor who is worthy of care in time of illness, In its estimate to Congress the light-house board includes an estimate of $8,600 to acquire an outfit and maintain four lights now maintained at Ballard’s reef, the Lime-Kilns and Bar point. The board has also authorized the expenditure of $60,000, heretofore appropriated for Eleven-foot shoal, for the purchase of two light-ships, one for service on the shoal and the other to be placed where the board will determine. It is more than probable now that both of these projects will receive the approval of Congress, as would have been the case in the last Congress if the board could have seen its way clear to make such recommendations. Persistent effort on the part of the represen- tatives has brought about this result. In Washington, one day last week, the wife of the late S. S. Cox, was presented by the officers and men of the life saving service with a magnificent vase of silver. It was a fitting tri- bute to the memory of a great statesman. Lake Improvements and the Composition of Congress. A demand is being made upon Congress for additional ap- propriations for the improvement. of lake waterways, and al- though there is as yet nothing definite as to what will be done in Washington, the discussion attending the waterways conven- tion indicates a great deal of uncertainty, even among leading vessel interests, as to what course to pursue. One aspect of the question, brought out by vessel owners who are of the opinion that a very conservative course-should be followed, is based upon the composition of the present Congress. The claim is made that it is evident that Congress is going to make an attempt to get the appropriations down to the smallest possible figure; that the Democratic majority intends to go to the country next year in a presidential election on an issue of economy in expenditures and that every dollar of expense that can be thrown into the future will be so treated. The report of the secretary of the treasury is referred to, showing that that the estimated receipts of the government for the next fiscal year will not exceed Sie estimated expenditures by a sum sufficient to satisfy the require- ments of the sinking fund law, and yet in the estimated expen- ditures he has included greatly decreased sums for river and har-. bor work and for light-houses and public buildings. Attention is also directed to the large amount of river and harbor work at. Philadelphia, Galveston and St. Mary’s Falls, already authorized _ and contracted for, and for which appropriations must be made. In view of these facts, it is claimed that it will certainly bea hard struggle to wrest anything liberal. from Congress for new projects, and it is on these grouuds, partly, that serious objection. is raised in some quarters to agitation of the question of an out-. let to the seaboard. On the other hand, a great deal of good. work in the way ot enlightening members of Congresss on the needs of the lake marine was accomplished during last summer, through the excursions on lake vessels of congressmen and | newspaper representatives from all parts of the country. The great justice of all demands for improvements. on the lakes has. been demonstrated. Appropriations thus far received, either for river and harbor work or for light-house purposes are - meagre In comparison with the great saving in transportation charges and the long line of coast involved. This side of the question is foremost with another and an important element. among the vessel owners, who believe that the present Congfess is favorably disposed toward the lake marine, and that anyhow. the demands that are just should be presented and urged with. the earnestness of which they are deserving. It is to be hoped . that before the time arrives for active work before the commit- : tees of Congress a definite plan of action will be arranged upon . which all interests may be united, as the aj is. end for the general welfare. ees rena ae sea ~