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8 ' “MARINE REVIEW. nn MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. JOHN M. MULROONEY, 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. SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on application. Ne \ Proprimrors. 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. RPOLG AINA VESSELS esis 555.05 ib ses bess saceeesdevscsecs 1,527 652,922.25 ROPUMLGTTS WOBSCISycaiwsces elusasce devevee sees cance ots 1,272 328,655.96 RSHMAL OO EB itis oven coven bcdedes Sseenveesiveaessesese 657 ' 67,574.90 PSHE EB sean snocss sacs ceteerl se dewanexkscstvscscewundes 54 13,910.09 AMEE Soke cc, coca se acenssmossduscevuvsclves 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. BISSUAW sc fpccacscacccuessusseuswsnuts tevscievessct 85 20,400.54 BPSD gs baptavcyscisss<nsccesssedncss6s<sasanecssss< 152 56,488.32 TES: cxvens soveee rue a MabeR NOs cunsveee vepesesanes 222 101,102.87 BPRS ig ECE gs cp nivescscstescsonciccccestssss 225 107,080.30 RRP ciie teases ee ccccbeee suis sases eck (scses cesses 218 108,515.00 OUD ss swis onesie cats .a conn dv eaebe 902 393,597.03 Tonnage passing through Detroit river during 234 days of naviga- tion in 1889, amounted to 36,203,606 tons. Ten million tons more than the entries and clearances of ali the seaports in the United States, and three million tons more than the combined foreign and coastwise shipping of Liverpool and London. ; St. 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. : fintered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. WE printed last week a communication from Hon. William Smith, deputy minister of marine of Canada, on the subject of the wrecking laws of the Dominion. One important point of Canadian law made plain in the communication is that bearing upon cases where life or property is in danger. In all such cases Canadian law will admit a foreign vessel of any kind rendering assistance. Referring to the case of two vessels in distress dur: ing a heavy storm off Goderich, Ont., several weeks ago, the deputy minister says there was no need of thelocal customs of- ficer telegraphing to Ottawa for instructions as to whether he should hire an American tug to “render assistance. It was enough for him to know that the vessels and crews were in dis- _ tress and a Canadian tug suitable for the service could not be secured. The law would bear him out in hiring the American tug or giving her permission to go to the distressed vessels. In argument along this line the Hon. Mr. Smith objects in a very fair manner, on the part of Canada, to severe criticism in a pre- vious issue of the Review of the wrecking laws of both the United States and Canada as they are now enforced. The fact remains, however, that the government officer at Goderich did telegraph to Ottawa before permitting an American tug to go to the assistance of two vessels laboring in a heavy sea, in im- mediate danger of going down with their crews before communi- cation could be had with authorities many miles from the scene of the accident. This is not saying that an American officer might not follow the same course under similar circumstances. It is the zeal on both sides to enforce these laws with a spirit of antagonism, on account of several bad features in them, that has brought so much ill feeling where none should exist. : Canadian and American shipping interests on the lakes find little cause for disagreement except in this matter of wrecking laws. An interchange of commerce already large is increasing gor ctae and in many places along the Detroit, St. Clair and St. Mary s river the relations between citizens of the two countries are alike to that of one people. Reciprocity in wrecking will be one of the features of the proposed conference between representa- tives of the two countries on the whole subject of reciprocal re- lations, and the state department of our government will find no objection from lake vessel interests if a great deal in the way of towing privileges and even some features of the coasting laws are relinquished for a settlement of the wrecking question. IN CONNECTION with a Christmas editorial it wouldn't be very riduculous to synonomize the work ot the waterway’s con- vention, held at Detroit recently, with the knitting of a Christ- mas stocking forthe Great Lakes. Ex-Senator Palmer set the needles and told the delegates the number of stitches to take on each needle. Every delegation had different yarn of local manu- facture but they were not allowed to use any but 20-21-foot channel yarn. Who rounded off the toe? Nobody. The toe was left open because if Santa Claus Congress puts the three and one third millions necessary for the 21-foot channel into the stocking it will not stay there but fall right through, benefitting the whole United States in cheapened transportation. The ship builders of the lakes have stockings comfortably filled with con- tracts and owners can afford to make a few presents from their 14 to 20 per cent. earnings for the past season. Some captains and engineers will be presented with new boats and machinery now building in ship yards and engine works, and all together can rest with the assurance that next season will be a good one. This prediction is presented to our readers with best wishes for a happy Christmas. GENERAL Poe is quoted as saying vessels engaged in the Lake Superior trade would undoubtedly have carried 1,000,000 tons additional freight during the past season if the draft of water in the canal and other shallow places had been equal to that of previous years. The water level records show that the mean depth in 1889 was 15.14 feet, in 1890 15.06 feet and in 1891 14.42 feet.. The difference in water levels does not seem great but Gen. Poe’s estimate of the loss to shipping on account of this difference will serve to show the importance to the entire country of an increase from 15 to 20 feet of water in the connecting chan} nels of the lakes. SENATOR Gray has again introduced a bill in Congress for the transfer of the revenue marine from the treasury department to the navy. With leading commercial bodies in all parts of the country favoring the change it seems strange that Senator Sher- man should hold out against it. Only a few days ago the Cleve- land board of trade adopted resolutions in favor of the transfer, and other business organizations of cities on Lake Erie will un- doubtedly follow this example, although the measure was talked to death for some unknown reason by Ohio’s leading statesman in the last Congress. Under the head of miscellaneous Gen. Casey, chief of the engineer corps, recommends to Congress that the appro- priation for the survey of the lakes be increased from $12,000 to $53,000 and gives the following reason for it: ‘"Ihis increased appropriation is asked for in order that certain special aréas may be reexamined for the benefit of the enormous. commerce now upon the lakes. The draught and size of vessels carrying the commerce has considerably increased in the past few years, and will again be increased when the new lock in St Mary’s river, now under construction is completed Localities deemed perfectly safe for navigation when the maximum draft of vessels was 12 feet, are regarded with rsa is one-half or more ea suspicion when the draft aye Consequentl ai ear t aminations should be made.” a y certain special re-ex- Oe eee