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THE MARINE RECORD. 5 88 eee 4 DETROIT, MICH. Special to The Marine Recora. TuE Anchor Live steamer Mahoning, building at the Wyandotte yards of the Detroit Dry Dock Co., is now all in frame and some of her bottom plating on. _ Lizutenant Baker, U.S. N., detailed in charge of the World’s Fair exhibits, visited the city Tuesday, and called upon the representatives of the Detroit Dry Dock Co., who intend making a thorough representative lake mar- ine exhibit. He also called upon the Davis Boat & Oar Co., the Detroit Boat Works, and other extensive firms. Harvey C. Beeson intends making a display of marine literature, including books, charts, naval and mer- eantile marine historical works, and a general literary branch of the marino exhibits. ‘The Lieutenant left for Cleveland on Tuesday night well pleased with his visit and reception, and more than ever eager to see that the lake marine end of his duties are well kept up. CHICAGO, ILLS. Special to The Marine Record. Capt. H. H. Bennett, formerly of the steamer S. 8. Wilhelm, will command the steamer Folsom, in winter quarters at this port. The Vessel Owners’ Towing Co.’s tugs will be supplied with the Beck steam steering gear, built by Pawling & Harnischfeger, of Milwaukee. Oscar Clow, ship carpenter, is doing considerable work on the schooner J. H. Mead, comprising new decks, hatch coamings, stanchions, stringers, covering board and rail pawol posts and bitts, and other necessary repairs amount- ing to nearly $3,000. The trial for conspiracy of the officers of the Chicago Seamen’s Union is set for Monday next, March 7th, The Seamen’s Union is about ready to go into conyen- tion to determine what action may be taken to conserve their best interests during the coming season. It is learned that two dollars per day will be the wages asked for, as few of the members care to even think about work- ing for less pay. The Lumber Shover’s Union and the Longershoremen are also getting in shape for the opening work, and the latter organization will probably demand 30 cents an hour, and hope to obtain this without creating any friction among the agents of the large lines MANITOWOC, WIS. Special to The Marine Record. Rahe Sons, the Manitowoc brewers, have purchased the cargo cf coal brought here by the schooner Marion W. Page. $. Burke, manager of the Northern Michigan Line, was here last week looking after the work doing on the steamer City of Charlevoix. George P. Roth, the new chief engineer of the Good- rich Co.’s steamer Virginia, chief engineer John Durr of the steamer City of Racine, chief engineer Raymond Flint of the steamer Indiana, chief engineer Thomas Dorey of the steamer Muskegon, and chief engineer F. Neider of the steamer Chicago, are here fitting out the machinery on their respective boats. S Chief engineer John McCoffery, of the steamer City of Charlevoix, has resigned to take a position in Chicago. Capt. Micklen is here from Detroit fitting out the steamer De Pere, recently purchased by Capt. S. B. Grum- mond, Detroit. Capt. Alex. Cunnings, of the tug Bruce, is here from Ford River. Capt. Ed. Carris is here, he will command the steamer Hunter of the Booth fleet the coming season. Messrs. H. B. & G. B. Burger, shipbuilders, are very busy and have been doing lots of work all the: winter. The steamer Hiram Dixon is in dock for lengthening 30 feet amidships, new steel straps with pointers 10 inches by 5g, new stanchions all around, new cabin her full length and recalking allover. The tug Bruce is in dock for new top plank, stanchions, stringers and rail, new deck, fender strake, stern bearing and stern pipe, and recalking all over, The schooner Fearless is or the dock; she has re- ceived two strakes of outside plank and new stanchions, stringers, rail and plank shear. The firm is building a new tug 60 feet over all, 15 feet beam, 7 feet hold for Knapp & Gillen, of Racine, also a tug 70 feet over all, 14 feet beam, 64¢ feet hold, for Capt. Shipmanof Escanaba. The scbooner John Kelderhouse was in dock and received new floor ceiling, new deck frames and decks, hatchways, plank shear, stanchions, stringers and rail and recalking. The steamer City of Chareyoix was in dock and had her machinery and boiler taken out; she will go in again to receive a new engine and boiler, also extensive repairs to her cabin, and other necessary repairs and a new mast. ‘The Jog scow City of Manitowoc, is receiving athorough rebuild. The barge Kewenaw will go in dock for new keelsons and shelf pieces and recalking. The _ tug Peter Coates will go in dock for new ceiling, new house and necessary repairs, and will receive new ma- ehinery by the Montague Iron Works, and a new boiler H itowoe Steam Boiler Works. The tug Mon- received new fender strakes and general repairs. lta received new fender strakes and 3 new tow-posts. The steamer De Pere received new whale strakes all around and a general overhauling. The schooner South West has received some new planks on her top sides, and new plank-shear, stanchions and rail. The steamer Hunter received some alterations to her cabin and a new dining room. The schooner Marion W. Page will go in dock and receive repairs to damage done when ashore on Point Peninsula in December last. Burger & Burger have also commenced lengthening th eir dry dock. It will be lengthened 60 feet, and when com- pleted will be 320 feet Jong. Capt. John Williams, of the Marion W. Page, is spend- ing the winter here. WILLIAMS. KINGSTON, ONT Special to The Marine Record. Mr. W. A. Geddes, the well-known vessel owner of Toronto, was in town this week on busiaess, and his many friends here were pleased to see him looking so well. Mr. Geddes says that the coming season will be agood one in his Line, and predicts a very large passenger business between Chicago and Montreal, Capt. W. R. Taylor, formerly Inland Lloyds’ Inspector, is very ill at his home here and as the old gentleman is over 81 years of age some fears are expressed as to his recovery. We sincerely hope he may be spared to visit his friends as in the past, his cheery face always bringing sunshine to the marine offices which he daily visited when in health. The Donnelly Salvage & Wrecking Co.’s divers are engaged repairing the pipes of the Brockville Water Works and Capt. John Donnelly is superintending the work. Messrs. Howard and Benny Folger have left for an extensive trip to Florida and then to San Francisco. We hope the gen- tlemen will have a pleasant time, and bespeak for these officials of the Thousand Island Steamboat Co. a weleome in marine circles such as they are always ready to grant strangers visiting this city. At the annual meeting of the Richelieu & Ontario Naviga- tion Co. held in Montreal on the 8rd, exception was taker to the report submitted by the directors, on the ground that as there was an apperent surplus of $300,000, a dividend should have been declared, and an advisory committee was appointed to take the matter into their consideration with full power to look carefully into the company’s financial standing. Their report has just been rendered and it shows that the balance of the credit of profit and loss account for 1890 was $186,000, mak- ing with the balance for 1891 ($120,000) the sum of $306,000 surplus over all liabilites equal to a dividend of 221g per cent on the whole capital, But this surplus includes $44,000 bad or doubtful debts and $130,000 for improvements and also $22,- 000 loans to the company. This, the report says, cannot be included as surplus, and when deducted leaves the actual sur- plus $110,000, and a dividend can only be declared on this amount. The committee state that with reference to the extra improvement account of $130,000, they are doubtful whether such a large appropriation was either necessary or expedient, and that in their opinion the improvements and outfitting should be limited to the strictest requirements consistent with efficiency. With reference to the building of the new steamer to cost $120,- 000, the committee are of opinion that before incurring such large expenditure, the matter should have been referred to the share-holders for their approval, as this expenditure is a ser- jous additional tax upon the revenue of the company. The report has caused a good deal of comment among marine men in this section, but all agree that the advisory committee did their work well and fearless of criticism, Last August, the town of Brockville invited a regiment of volunteers from Montreal to visit Brockville at the expense of the citizens. A committee, with Mayor Booth as chairman, was formed to receive the soldiers, and the steamer island Queen was chartered totake them among the Islands for a sail. Before the accounts were all paid, the funds ran out and the owner of the Island Queen could not find any one who would pay her charter, so this week he sued the whole committee, Judge Webster gave judgment with costs against Mayor Booth and told the latter he had better look to the rest of the commit- tee for their share. E. Taylor has been appointed chief engineer of the propeller Celtic. Large repairs are being done on the steamer Maud consisting of new deck-frames and deck throughout, The steam- er Pierrepont of the same Line is receiving new iron wheel boxes. The steamer North King was floated off Davis’ Dock this week and the Hero put on. The latter will receive large re- pairs to the hull and new guards both sides, Davis & Son have commenced rebuilding Mr. Newton’s fine steam yacht with the object of increasing her speed. A new engine will also be put in by the same firm, MAGNE’. + BAY CITY, MICH. Special to 1he Marine Record. The Vandalia Line of steamers, F. W. Wheeler, owner, con- alttigg of the steamers Ossifrage, Lora, Minnie M. and Soo City, will be placed on the Milwaukee route this season, Dock property has been purchased at the latter port, and a brisk trade is certain to develop. Capt. James Davidson has returned from his trip to Bermu- da much improved in health and ready to meet another season’s business with his usual energy and vim, The large wooden steamship which is being constructed at Wheeler & Co.’s yard for McBrier and Mitchell, is to be eall— ed the Uganda. This is after a lake in Central Africa. Mr. McBrier is the owner of the steamer Nyanza, also built at Wheeler & Co,’s yard and named from the same source. The Dry Dock Engine Works of Detroit are building two of the engines for the new steamships at Davidson’s yard. Hodge’s works are building the other. The first of these boats will be ready to receive her machinery in about two weeks, the plank- ing being now well under way. A Shore Line of steamers will operate this season between this port, Saginaw and Alpena. Maxwell and Lee will con- trol the steamers Metropolis and R. G. Stewart, and ihe out- look is said to be most favorable, The four lightships building at the yards of FP. Wheeler & Co., to the order of the Light-house Board for coast service are getting well along in their constructicn, being all plated, When the ice clears No, 51 will be ready for launching, 52, 53 and 54 following in close order. ee CLEVELAND VESSEL OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION PRO- TEST AGAINST THE INNOVATIONS OF THE FRYE BILL. The Bill embodying the recommendations of the United States delegates to the International Marine Conference intro- dneed by Senator Frye has met with extreme opposition at all lake ports, Ata meeting of the Cleveland Vessel Owners’ Association, held on Tuesday afternoon, tho following protest against the passage of Senate Bill No. 1755 was adopted. The document will be reproduced in pamphlet form and widely circulated: Your committee have given the entire bill very careful study. So far as it relates to sea-going ships we do not express any definite action, not being sufficiently familiar with the practi- cal details of the construction, equipment, handling, and business of vessels engaged in that service. We do not hesi- tate to say that there is manifested throughout the bill a like want of familiarity and experience on the part of its framers with the character of the lake commerce and its necessities, growing out of the quick dispatch in port and the frequency of the trips made, the suort distances between ports of safety and repair, as well as with the practical details of the con- struction, equipment, handling, management and manenyer- ing of the vessels now in use upon the lakes. Such an experi- ence of many years has convinced us that there is need of less rather than of more regulation of these matters. In the main the present system of inspection works well, but there are many details of it which could be dispensed with with safety to the public generally, and with convenience and profit to the owners and managers of our vessels, This is especially true of the immense fleet of steamers and barges used exclusively in the freighting business carrying bulk cargoes of grain, iron ore and coal. Cheap as the rates are for lake transportation the rate must depend to an appreciable extent on the freedom of these vessels from inconvenience, delays and expense, which bring with them no compensation in added safety. In this connection it is plain that the kind of inspection provided for steam boilers would-require at least two days for each steamer to be taken out of the busy season, and which would require more than double the present force of inspectors to accomplish the work in such a district as our own. Our first ground of protest then is, that the bill interferes with the rights of the owners, officers and crews of every class of vessels employed on the lakes in respects very much beyond the present requirements of the rules, and that in no particular is there need for euch additional regulation or legislation. It adds unnecessarily and unjustly to the expense of operating these vessels, makes unreasonable and unnecessary require ments as to qualification in the men who gain their livelihood on these vessels, puts unnecessary expense upon the owners, involves the Government in an enormous annual expense, causes delay to our vessels, puts it in the hands of any dis- affected person to bring about a breach of the law in some of the minute details of it, es, for instance, with reference to the draft marks, creates a system of espionage, re-establishes the moiety system of dividing fines with informers, a system which was for good reasons long ago abolished in other departments of the Government, and so far as our lake commerce is con- cerned, it is our opinion that the provisions of this bill do not add to the safety or convenience of anyone directly or indi- rectly connected with it. Your committee do not know and haye been unable to find any reason for the inspection by the Government of freight tow barges and sailing vessels employed on the lakes, or for regulating their draft of water. We are deeply interested in the safe navigation of our vessels, and owners are in the main quite as competent to determine the proper qualifications in officers and engineers as would be the inspectors required by the law, besides being infinitely more interested than they in the securing of proper, officers, engineers and men on board of the vessels. The officers and engineers on our yessels have grown up under the present system, and we venture the opinion that nowhere in the merchant marine of any country can there be a higher or better class of officers than those on our lake vessels, These men asaclass are competent and efficient, have been and are doing their Work well and _sutis- factorily to those having the deepest interest in it, and such ‘requirements as the bill provides would be in the highest de- gree oppressive and unjust to them, and in a large measure it would be prohibitory to their following their profession. 4 There are even requirements in this bill that to fill certain positions on « lake steamer 9 man should haye had training on — asea-going ship; for example, in the case of engineers, as shown in section 150, If that section means what it says, that aman to be chief engineer for machinery of 2,000 indi-— cated horse power, or less, must have served at least three years or five years in a sea-going ship, according to the horse — power of her engines, under such a law there are but few — engineers who served last season on lake steamers who could - qualify no matter how competent they might be. Nor is ¥ Continued on page 9.