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ooo Correspondence. — 7 dt, oop hi yr . ‘ responsl way for the views or isha oh oul +e rept eles that all sides question affecting the interests: or welfare of the lake marine ee ‘be fairly represented in THE MARINE RECORD. 4 eee ae ~ EE a eee ee LAKE NAVIGATION SIMPLIFIED. th Deivrn, Mixn., Mareb 14, 1892. To the Editor of the Marine Record, _ aie ; ‘The idea that any avail may be had from the surveys of the Great Lakes, by the Government, and from the adoption of standard time by the railroads, whose officers ia this matter builded better than they knew, seems to be above the capacity, too much for the ken of some of our pseudo navigators. They cannot see the gold thet glitters at their feet, ‘ Every well-informed navigator knows that ‘‘direction” is the ultimate object of all the astronomical work of the ship- master at sea, that all bis observations and calculations are subservient to this one result, and that “place”? and ‘local time” are immedinte and indispensable precedents, when di- rection, (azimuth) ie to be found from the sunor other celestial body. j Now, in the interest of navigation, it should be known that in the latitude and longitude of the lights, as given in the U. S. List of Lights on the Lakes, aud in the standard time now estublished, we have all the data reqnisite for finding ‘‘direct- ion’, and with but a tithe of labor and cost of preparatory training required at sea for this question, To help in this matter, a table has been prepared by reduc- ing the difference of longitude, between the standard time meridian and the meridian of each principal light, to time, as a time correction, and prefixing (o such correction the sign for reducing standard time to local mean time. ‘Then as the nantical almanac for any date gives the differ- ence be'ween mean time and apparent time, prefixing to it the sign for reducing mean time to standard time, we have only to tuke the sum of these two time corrections to find the error of our standard time, on local apparent time. ¢ ‘This operation is so elementary and simple that it would be difficult to find a fifteen year old schoolboy who would admit that he was too tame, or that he had too littlesand in his blood to master it. This little problem, aa we shall see,.is the key that unlocks the treasure that costs so much at sea. Here we muy say that ‘‘direction’’ is of such importance, that tables of the bearing of the sun (that being the most avail- able of celestial bodies to refer to) have been computed for intervals of a few minutes for the whole day, for all declina- tions of the sun and for all latitudes up to about 80°, The tables (called Solar Time Azimuths) of Major General R. Shostrede and Mr. John Burdwood are of marked excel- Jence. An example will best illustrate the cost of finding ‘‘direct- jon’’ on the lakes and at sea, Ex. At Milwaukee, May 10, (no matter for azimuth what year) I wish to swing ship for adjust- ing ship’s compass, referring to the sun for azimuth, whatis the errorof standard time on local apparent time? Latitude 43° N, Loeal time correction, (see table) + 8m, 32s. Eyuation of time, (nautical almanac) + 3m, 48s, Watch slow of local apparent time + 12m. 20s. That is to say, counting 12m. 20s. forward on’ my watch, which had been adjusted to the standard (chronometer) time of 90° meridian, I have local apparent time. With this time, and with the lutitude of the place as given in the U.S. List of Lights, and with the sun’s declination for the date, as given in the nautical almanac, we are prepared to go to either of the aboye mentioned tables for the bearing of the sun any minute of the day, Another and different example. At Duluth, September 25th Latitude 464° N. Required the error of standard .time watch on local apparent time. “ Error of watch on local mean time (Table) Error of mean time on apparent time (N, A.) Standard time watch slow of apparenttime +0m, 6s. The folle wing enumeration will show the cost of fiading the result at sea. - 1. Cost of a sextant, with training to learn its use, the ad- justment of its parts, and the finding of its index error. 2. Making an observation for filtitude, correcting same for semidiameter, dip, parallax and refraction. 3. Use of spherics aad logarithms in computing the time angle of the astronomical triangle, to say nothing of the time and labor requisite to prepare the navigator for this work. If we should have occasion to find the place of ship, while en route between ports, we have the method of Dead Reckon- ng, the same as at sea, and with far greater precision for we have not such currents and tides to contend with. It is far from my object to detract from, or in any way be- little the great worth of nautical astrouy ay, but on the other hand, to show those who cannot engage1u course of training preparatory for attaining to that honor, thu on the lakes and coast of the United States we have all the du. for finding ‘di- rection” which is the one element that suffices for the safe navigation cf the lakes, with but little cost. But our aavigators must not forget the dumb compass in some form, They cannot ayail themselves of ‘direction’ THE MARINE RECORD. without it. ‘To go to sea without it is like going & fishing with- out hooks, like starting on a journey without money, like go- ing to the feast without ‘‘oil in our lamps.’’? Ii. C. PEARSONS. YACHT AND BOAT-BULLDING. The Detroit Boat Works, Detroit, Mich., are exceedingly busy this winter. Their facilities have been greatly increased, yet they are hardly able to take many more orders. For V- Doller, and others in Put-in-Bay, they are building a 96 ft. steel passenger steamer, which will be fitted with a 93, 14}, and 24 by 14 ft. triple expansion engine, (building by 8S. F. Hodge & Co.), and a7 ft. 4 in. by 12 feet, return tubnlar boiler. . The boat will cost, when completed, nearly $18,000, and run at a guaranteed speed of 16 miles an hour, She will be ready some time in May. For Mare Hopkins, of St. Clair, they are building a mag- nificent pleasure yacht which measures 106 feet on the water- line, and 120 ft. on deck. Her beam moulded is 16 feet, depth 8 ft, She will be sparred with pole masts, and have a clip- perstem. Her bull is built on the diagonal plan, of North Car- olina white cedar; her frame work is of white oak, ‘The in- terior will be finished in the best possible style of mahogany and upholstery. While she will be built flush deck, the after cabin will have a trunk skylight about 7 feet wide, which will add to the headroom in the cabin and serve for seats on deck, All deckhouses and skylights will be of mahogany. The ma- chinery of the boat will consist of a 7 by 8 Roberts boiler, and a 9}, 14} and 24 by 14 triple expansion engine, built also by §. F. Hodge & Oo. She will have an independent air pump and condenser, and work under a pressure of 200 pounds. The boat is nearly in frame and will be ready by the 15th. of May. This firm has just completed 8 large gigs and eail boats for the U. S. Lighthouse tenders building at Wheeler’s yard, They have also under contract four metallic life boats for the new Detroit ferry boat, four ditto for the Graham & Morton steamer, the yawls for the! new Auchor Liner’s life boats for the Cleveland Cliff Mining Co’s boat, three life boats for the Detroit & Cleveland Steam Navigation Co., two life boats for the Kasota, a life boat for the Escanaba Transportation Co., one dinghey, one gig and one cargo boat for the U. 8, Lighthouse tender building at the Globe Tron Works Co., four life boats fur the new boat building for the Clark Estate in Detroit, four boats for the new Mackinac car ferry, two yawls for the new boat for the Eddy Bros., and in all over 50 life hoats and yawls. For most of the new boats now building they are also furnishing the steering wheels. Tn the line of pleasure boats they are busier than ever before. For a single-place in Nebraska they are building a fleet of over 60 boats, for other places south, west and east they have booked so far orders for over a hundred boats, including can- oes, racing boats, launches and sail boats. This year’s record will beat anything ever accomplished on the lakes by the firm in this line. 1 te ape U. S. SHIPPING COMMISSIONERS. As no U.S. Shipping Commissioners have ever been ap- pointed for lake ports a brief synopsis of the duties of the office, etc., will no doubt be interesting to readers of THe Marixy Recorp. The commissioners are appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury,and are under the immediate supervision of the Bureau of Navigation, itself a branch of the Treasury De- partment, The law adopted in 1872 provided for the pay- ment of the expenses of the office, as well as the commission- ers’ salary, by the collection of fees from the vessels to whom ofhcial services were rendered. This scale of fees was as fol- lows: For shipping men for vessels bound coastwise or to Canada, Mexico, Central America and the West Indies, one dollar for each man shipped ; for foreign or oversea vessels, two dollars per man, In paying off seamen from vessels of the first-class, twenty-five ceuts, and for vessels of the latter class fifty cents per man was paid, In, 1884 the collection of fees were abolished. The same method of making up accounts prevails, however, at the pres- ent time, Vessels are charged with services rendered as be- fore, although no fees are actually collected from the vessel or the mariners, Yet, the amount due for the officers’ services is deducted, and the balance equaliy divided between the Goy- ernment and the commissioner, The amount due the com- missioner is then forwarded to him by the Treasury Depart- ment. It is provided, however, that no office of the first class, (of which New York and San Francisco are the culy two ports on the list), shall pay its commissioner more than $5,000 per year, and offices of the second class more than $2,500 per annum, All vessels bound to foreign ports are obliged by law to ship their men. before a commissioner, and on their return to a home-port, all accounts and money are turned oyer to him and he pays all wages. Vessels bound coastwise, or arriving from domestic ports may avail themselves of these privileges if they choose, but it is not obligatory. The main advantage in shipping in a government shipping office is in the articles used in signing. In actions at law, other articles, generally faulty as they are, and nearly always unwitnessed, are very apt to be thrown out of court by the judge, but the official articles are accepted as fact without dis- cussion, Matters of dispute are arbitrated before the ¢ and his decision on matters left to him for arbitrati properly signed and sealed, accepted as fact w sion. He stands between the vessel and the an the rights of both, and see that justice is done in all. The establishment of such offices at the several would, no doubt, be of inestimable benefit. Articles signed in the spring and continued in force throu entire season, or by the master noting the changes t place from time to time in his crew, and reporting to the. missioner at any port where such an officer was appoint d such changes every three months. By this means the of the shipping articles, and the terms of service | clearly defined, and the just rights of employer and emp be strictly upheld. 5 Ss PORT ARTHUR GRAIN TRADE. From the sixth annual report of the Port Arthur Board Trade, Mr. George T. Marks, President, it is learned that elevator capacity at Port Arthur and Fort William, whic all come under the Port Arthur Inspection District, is now about 4,000,000 bushels. The Canadian Pacific elevator at point, which has heen idle for séveral years, is being operat and with new and modern cleaning machinery is likely to be great convenience to shippers. The Presideat in his annual report states that more elevators of this kind are required a would be built but there appear to be doubts in the minds of those who wish to build as to whether the Canadian Ps ifie Railway Co. would give independent elevator companies ea! facilities with themselves for the carrying on of their busine Your Board should take this question up vigorously and it settled, a3 ] am positive that independent companies would. immediately commence the construction here of elevators, This means not only the expenditure of large sums of money their construction and in their operation, but the establi ment of a grain market similar to that of Chicago or Duluth, and without doubt this then would soon be the wheat market of Canada, There is now, even without the question of inde pendent elevators, no reason why all the grain business of - Western Canada should be done in Winnipeg, and if the Win- nipeg dealers cannot be induced to locate their headquarters — in Port Arthur, then others should be encouraged to come here and establish the market where nature intended that it should be, and where man will eventually put it. Port Arthur must be the distributing point for the export trade and tke speculative grain market of Canada, vat ee THE HORSE POWER OF WHALES. es Sir William Turner, the present eminent professor of anat~ omy in the University of Edinburg, Scotland, has given mucl attention to the study of whales, their structure and habits, He estimates that the great Greenland whale (average length — 50 feet) attains a maximum speed while swimming of [1 miles | an hour, the ‘‘Finner’’ whale (maximum length 85 feet) often making 12.to 14 miles an hour. Sir William, in one of bis lectures, said that he and Mr. John Henderson, of Glasgow, 4 the well-known builder of the Anchor Line steamships, had spent much time in trying to arrive at/a satisfactory conclusion as to the horse-power exerted by large species of the whale in making a speed of 12 miles an-hour, As a base for their con- clusions they took the size and dimensions of a great “Pinner, which was stranded on the Scotch coast some years ago. Be was 80 feet long, weighed 74 tons, and had a tail which was 20 feet across at the extreme end of its flanges. With these data, they calculated that a whale of the dimensions mentioned in order to attain a speed of 12 miles an hour must exercise & propelling force of 145 horse-power. aw CS. EE LAKE COMMERCE, SrarisTics OF LAKE COMMERCE FURNISHED BY H. Keep, Secrerary Lake Carrrers’ ASSOCIATION, Bu Axo, N. Y., TAKEN FROM A REPORT ON THE “COMM THE GREAT LAKES,” FOR THE YEAR 1890, Now IN COU: PUBLICATION IN THE BuREAU or Sraristics, TREASI DxPARTMENT. : os The remarkable growth of the lake traffic during the | five years, the rapid changes which have taken place character of the vessels employed, the increasing promi of lake transportation as a factor in the, moyemeat 4 and flour to the seaboard, of iron ore to the furn of coal to the people ofjthe west and north-west, hay called attention to the lake commerce. The following tics relating thereto will give some idea of tbe true | tions of the traffic, the instramentalities by whieh ‘it ried on, and the remarkable saving in cost of transp which insures to the benefit of the people of | States from the use of the lake waterways. There was carried on the Great Lakes during th 20,295,959 tons of cargo in the United States co 2,003,047 tons of cargo in the United States foi making the aggregate cargo tonnage 30,299,006 the best way to realize the significance of this t vert it into railroad car loads. If the freight ca Great Lakes in the United States, coastwise and during the season of navigation of 1890 w railroad cars of fifteen tons capacity, the cars 80 aes Holly LI i