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Correspondence. #e- We do not hold ourselves responsible in any way for the views or opinions expressed by our correspondents. It is our desire that all sides of any question affecting the interests or welfare of the lake marine should be fairly represented in THE MARINE RECORD. THE COMMON ERROR OF SUPERIORITY. Curcaco, Inn, December 29, 1891. To the Editor of The Marine Record. Mr. Henry Reaney, of the American Shipmasters Associa- tivo, in a communication to Tue Marte Recorp delights in reminiscences like his predecessor Mr. Louch. His maxim “you can only tell the future by the pas’ applied to the period from 1854 up to the present time does not inspire any hopes in the future progress of American foreign shipping, because this period is the period of irretrievable decline down to zero. That, according to him, we have all the higher edu- cation to sail ships, is too much of an offhand assertion to deserve consideration. The fact is, that we have notbing of the kind as long as examination of masters and mates, on the European standard, is not mide compulsory. His article cul- mirfates in the assertion “what we want now is to get more ships on the ocean and give them something to do; that’s the question of the hour.” What for more ships are wauted at present when the few in existence cannot find employment, he does not explain; but falls iu the old error of charging John | Bull with being the only cause of American impotency at sea, 1f Mr, Reaney would but study shipping statistics for the last twenty years, he would soon be convinced of his vain at- tempt of lendiug an air of superiority to the American ship- master. Besides, it may du him and Mr. Louch a great deal of good to note, that according to official statements foreign sailors are preferred in our navy to native born, and are by far iu the majority. (See the House report on the postal sub- sidy bill.) VACTS RELATING ‘TO FORE SHIPPING. It has become the fashion with some people to always refer back to the achievements of those who are long dead, as an excuse for the present dilapidated state of our Merchant Ma- rine in the foreign carrying trade; as if the achievements of former generations were the merit of the living. It is like the baron with a shattered fortune boasting of his ancestors; other people laughing at him. As to our Merchant Marine we have to deal with the following facts from official reports: — 1, United Stetes vessels are unable to find employment in the foreign carrying trade at standard rates; even in our own ports, where foreign vessels are preferred to ours at the rate of five or six to one. 2, United States vessels are commanded by unexamined masters and mates. 3. United States vessels sold to foreiguers find employment at standard rates when commanded by examined officers. 4, In our navy foreign sailors are given the preference to native born and are as two to one in numbers. 5, There is no place in the world where so many abandoned vessels are found as along the Atlantic coast of the United States. As to foreign vessels the facts are:— 1. All foreign merchant vessels are commanded by at least two examined officers. 2, Every vessel under a foreign flag finds employment at standard rates in the foreign carrying trade no matter where she is built. 3. No vessels of any nationality commanded by unexamined officers does find employment at standard rates, if she finds employment at all, In view of these facts, it requires no great acuteness to see that the real cause of the decline of the United States Mer- chant Marine in the foreign carrying trade, is lack of scienti- fic training and absence of compulsory examination of officers in command of American vessels; because, this is the only dis- tinguishing feature between United States vessels and foreign vessels, The fact thatin our navy foreign sailors are preferred to native born; proves that foreigners are superior to natives; from which naturally follows, that foreign masters and mates are so much more superior to natives on account of having passed a strict examination as to their abilities, which natives have not. z Furthermore, it is plain, that the absence of scientific train- ing and compulsory examination of officers, is the only cause of so many abandoned vessels being found under the United Stutes flag along our coasts, the number of which was 352 in 1890, or one vessel every day all the year round. These facts have to be borne in mind, when the causes of the decline of the United States Merchant Mariue in the foreign carrying trade, are inquired into, and superiority of the American shipmaster of our days is claimed by anybody, Joun Maurice, EXTRACT FROM A LOG BOOK. Erie, Pa., December 29, 1891. To the Editor of The Murine Record. I venture to give you some extracts from my note book as pilot of United States steamer Michigan in 1885, it will vary the subject as presented by my more learned friends Maurice and Pearsons, to whom we are all largely indebted for their THE MARINE RECORD. oo exertions in holding up the professional standard of seamen. Erie to Put-in-Bay 8. 77° W., variation 1° E., deviation of compass 26° E., course per standard 8. 50° W., direction of wind 8, W. force 4, increasing during the night hauled up one point for lee way, engines making eighteen revolutions, distance 135 miles, running time 15 hours, made Middle Island directly ahead which was a fine land fall. From Put-in-Bay to Bar Point N. 33° W., variation 1° E., deviation 12° E., course per standard compass, N. 46° W., distance 30 miles, time 3 hours, wind E., foree 4 this course carried me to windward caused by the set of current. Note, | there is only one way to make allowance for these uncertain currents that is to wateh the lay of the fisherman’s buoys, the force of it must be guessed at. Grosse Point to St. Clair Flats Canal NE | E., variation 0° | 25/ E., deviation 20° W., distance 15 miles, time 1 hr, 40 min., steered by standard ENE, ; Batchew auning Bay, August 22nd, made an examination of the ship and found that a compass placed on the poop was not affected by deviation. Batchewauning Bay to Point Iroquois, course S., deviation 2° 30’, steered 8S, | W. Iroquois to Round Island 8. 65° E., deviation 27° W., standard course S. 38° E. Round Island to Boint Au Pins NE } W. per standard NE by E. } b. Point Au Bee Sies for Chicago. Course S. by W. § W. = 8, 16° 527 30/7 W. N., deviation 25° Variation . .. 2 33 00 E, Magnetic. 19°30) Wi Deyiation 2 00 00°F. Standard compass .. 2 19 30 W. Milwaukee to North Manitou NE, by N, } N, 164 miles. NE. by N.}.N. =.. 30° 567 B. Mean of variation. 5 19 E, Magnetic... y. 25 37 E. Deviation .. 3 00 W. Standard compass y. 88 37 E. Carrying all plain sail, wind SE, made allowance of | point for lee way and set of current passed north of Island and between the Foxes. Variation of compass at Milwaukee 6° 22/7 h. OSWEGO HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS. All those who are interested in the improvement of th> inner hurbor at Oswego. N. Y., especially the tugmen, are greatly pleased with the improvement which has been made by Captain Kingman, United States Engineer, in charge in remoy- ing the middle ground shoal, on which dredges have been at work since mid-summer. The shoal occupied the middle of the river, and consisted of gravel and stones, in which were imbedded iarge pieces of loose rock, brought down by ice during past ages, from the water-bed further up stream, and deposited near its mouth, upon the smooth bed rock, which is now uncovered by the re- moval-of this shoal, During the work, 16,755 eubie yards of material have been removed. The depth npon this shoal was only five to six feet at low water, and even the smaller tugs and canal boats, which must use this part of the harbor, could not cross the river wi'hout striking the bottom or breaking a wheel. An evidence of former disasters on this shoal was given by the numerous propeller blades which were brought up by the dredges, together with several broken anchors which had fouled among the pieces of rock, and had been left as memen- toes. Captnin Kingman has taken special pains to have no pro- jecting pieces of rock, and has had a derrick scow at work for a month or more picking up pieces which the dredges could not get hold of or were unable to handle, Some of the largest were slabs 14 feet wide by 18 feet long by 2 feet thick, After removing all which projected aboye the general level, a bar of railroad iron was rigged as a drag and was hauled along the bottom by a tuz to level off the smaller ridges and lumps. To insure complete work, a most effective sounding sweep, consisting of a horizontal pipe, twenty-six feet long with a sounding pole standing up at each end, was moved over the bottom by two boats, and every projecting point was found aud removed, The result has been an ayerage increase of 2 to 5 feet in depth over the entire area. Captain Kingman’s effective interest, in using every means in his power to improye the harbor facilities is highly ap- preciated by vessel men and merchants, re + Ww vre in receipt of a Christmas souvenir trom the Mason ys 7 on at I ea ic at E Regulator Uo,, Bostou, Mass., such tokens grease the wheels Mean of variation equal 4 the sum — 5 19 30/7 Bb, | of industry and mark the ordinary courtesy which should A. J. Lovcu. pervade all trade relations, thanks gentlemen! AN IMMENSE STRAT- TON SEPARATOR. he illustration shows what | is believed to be the largest separator ever built for separating water from dry steam. It was built by the Stratton Separator Company, of New York city, for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Co., miners of copper ore on Lake Superior, Mich. It was constructed under the strictest requirements and ac- cording to the specifications of Mr. E. D, Levitt, consulting engineer of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Co. It is doubt- ful ifa more perfect piece of work could be constructed. This immense separator is 3 feet 8 inches in diameter, 14 feet 5 inches in length over all, for a steam pipe of 21 inches diameter, and designed for a working pres- sure of 185 pounds. The shell is made froma single sheet of steel, and the top of cast iron gun meta’, The Stratton Separator Co., have furnished the Calumet and Hecla Mining Co., several separa- tors for high pressure, thet seen in our illustretion being the most notable, : Steam separators are now be~ ing recognized as a necessary adjunct of a perfect steam plant; the absolute certainty that none but dry steam will reach the engine being duly appreciated by every engineer, and we take pleasure in illustrating a remark- able example of one of the best known forms of separators in the market, Ty a recent salvage case the language used by the captains of the salvage tugs in describing the weather was worthy of a novelist. Itis stated that: ‘The wind blew with hurricane force, a tremendous sea was running, and the air was thick with tor- ents of rain,’ Luoyps underwriters have cer- tainly received a severe shaking up, financially, this year, as by foreign advices we learn that the following underwriters mem- bers of Lloyd’s have given notice of resignation: Mr. E, P. Ten- nant, elected in 1888, Mr. W. Sapte, elected in 1860, Mr. W. Livingston Learmouth, elected in 1886, and Mr. W. H. Pater- son, elected in 1887. This makes alist of eighteen underwriting names giving notice of resigna- tion within a few weeks, ee ee ee ee ee ee ee eae oe i ee PFE CLAP E LS CEMA EM Ana A bed Orbe