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tal THE MARINE RHCORD. 5 ee below her course, and got on the reaf near the mouth of the harbor. She was pulled off by a tug, PARKE. NEAVY PASSENGER BUSINESS ANTICIPATED. Special Correspondence to I'he Marine Record. Kineston, Ont.—Patrick Harty, Esq., of Ottawa, Lighthouse Inspector, was in town this week on a busi- ness tour. He visited the False Duck’s Lighthouse, and placed P. M. Farrington in charge, vice W. H. Lane, who resigned his position after long service. Mr. Harty called on all his Kingston friends, who were very glad to see him hale and hearty, as of old. Harbor Master McCammon has received instructions from the Marine Department, Ottawa, with reference to the placing of the buoys in the harbor here, which inform him that in future the buoy regulations recommended by the International Congress, which met in Washington, in 1889, are to be adopted, in Canadian waters, with the exception of doing away with mid-channel buoys, the new regulations are very similar to the old ones. The schooners B. W. Folger and Eliza Fisher are load- ing coal at Charlotte for Kingston. Richardson & Sons shipped 140,050 bushels of barley to Montreal this week per Montreal Transportation Co.’s barges. Captain Mawédesley is in town to take charge of the tug James A. Walker and Captain James McMaugh arrived yesterday from St. Catharines to take charge of the propeller Glengary. All of our steamers in the harbor are carrying their flags at half-mast out of respect for the late William Edgar, General Agent G. T. Railway, who died at his home in Montreal on Thursday. The Donnelly 8. & W. Co. (Id.) released the schooner Snowbird from the beach in Corsecon bay, where she had lain all winter. It was their first wrecking job of the season, and next week they commence operations on the schooner A. G, Ryan, sunk in the bay of Quinto, near Deseronto. Your correspondent was invited on Saturday to visit the steamer Islander, of the Thousand Island Steamboat Company, as she lay at the dock with her colors flying, previous to starting for Clayton to commence her sea- son’s work on the route between Clayton and Alexandria Bay, in connection with R. W. & O. and N.Y. Central R. R., and although nearly all of our river steamers in this vicinity are kept clean and in good order, we wish to say that without any exception the Islander is the clean- est, neatest and best equipped passenger steamer for river service it has ever been our pleasure to visit. From the keel and floor timbers to the masthead every portion of her hull and outfit was in perfect order, and while paint and varnish had been laid on with good taste to please the eye of the summer tourist, it was a pleasure for practical men to see, that in the case of this steamer, strength and stability had not been neglected. Every portion of the vessel’s hull, inside and out, had been well scraped and oiled, and from the limbar chains to the linen in the washrooms, from the hose of the fire-pumps to the hatchet in the life-boat, there could not be found a single fault. The work was done under the direct supervision of Captain Andrew Miller, who will com- mand the steamer this summer, and Mr. Folger, the gen- eral manager of the company, assured your correspond- ent that he was proud of the appearance of the steamer: The other steamers of the Line will commence work on the first of May. Captain E. A. Booth, Jr., has been given the contract of placing and looking after the buoys in Kingston har- bor and vicinity, and has commenced the construction of fifteen new spar buoys, to be placed on the two lower shoals in the harbor. The platform buoys will be at once placed on the Myles, Penitentiary and Bolivar shoals, and the spar buoys on the other shoals as soon as the buoys are made, With these buoys in position, and the range liglits lit Kingston harbor ought to be a per- fectly safe one for navigators. Mr. W. A. Geddes and Captain J. V. Trowells, of Tor- onto, were in town this week, and called te see their numerous friends. The gentlemen predict a very heavy passenger business at Toronto this season, and as they are both in that business, we hope their prodictions will be verified. The fleet of the Montreal Transportation Company» consisting of the steamers Glengarry and James A> Walker, with consorts Minnedosa, Glenora John Gaskin, Kildonan, Maggie and Bella leaye for Port Arthur on Tuesday. They all go up light to load grain for this port. MAGNET. LAKE ONTARIO NAVIGATION, Special Correspondence to The Marine Record. Toronto Ont.—Capt. James MeMaugh, of the steam- er Glengary, and Capt. J. Mawdesley, of the tug Walker, were in the city last week on their way to Kingston to join their steamers. _ Capt. William Cavers, of Black Rock, N. Y., was in town last week. He was on his way to West Superior, where he willl take charge of one of the whalebacks being built to run between Gladstone and Buffalo. Mr. A. W. Hepburn and Capt. O'Brien, of the steamer Empress of India, were in the city on Tuesday arranging for wharfage accommodation for that steamer for the en’ suing season. Mr. Hepburn has made many improve- ments in this steamer during the past winter, consisting of new wheels with feathering buckets, new deck, stan chions and covering board; her cabins have been refurg nished, and everything done to meet the increasing demand of the large passenger trafile from this port. ‘The officers of the Empress willbe: Captain, George O’Brien; first engineer, R. McCall; purser, J. Me- Cool; steward, Thomas Pickering; and the genial W. H. Smith will look after her business interests ashore. The name of the schooner Jessie II. Breck has been changed by order in council to that of H. M. Stanley. She will tow with the steam barge Africa. The Africa left here on Tuesday for Buffalo. She will proceed from there to Amherstburg, where she and her consort will load stone for the new Canadian lock atthe Soo. Capt. John McNabb, with his mate and wheelsman, have ar- rived to fit out the 8. S. Campana. ‘They will be ready to start about May 15th. Capt. Mann, of the schooner H. M. Stanley, died very suddenly last week. He was at work fitting out his ves- sel when he was taken sick, and on being removed to his home died in a few hours. He had only sailed on the lakes for the past three years, having come here from New Carlisle, N.S. He was very highly respected by those who knew him, being of a very quiet unassuming nature, and his sudden death is greatly regretted. The steamer D. D. Calvin with the schooners Ceylon, Valencia and Norway arrived last week to load timber for Garden Island. After loading to about eleven feet, the depth of water at the Queen’s wharf, they had to go | | turtle deck and raw-bow, and is fitted with three Nor- outside the harbor where they came to anchor, and com- pleted their cargoes. They lett on Wednesday for Garden Island. The steam barge Armenia also loaded timber for Gar- den Island. She had a rough trip coming up the lake, heavy head seas were encountered which detained her so much that her supply of coal ran out and she had to re- turn to Kingston for a fresh supply. Capt. H. W. Jackman has been appointed to the com- mand of the tug Dolphin, succeeding Capt. Frank Jack- man Sr. deceased. The Dolphin will be employed at the Government improvements at the Island. The schooner Grantham, Capt. Thomas Crawford load- ed timber and cleared for Kingston. The Welland Canal opsned on Tuesday so that naviga- tion may be said to be fully opened on Lake Ontario. The schooner Flora Carveth has had an overhauling at the dry dock and cleared for Whitby. The schooner Gleniffer is in dock for caulking. The following vessels have arrived with coal: Annan- dale, Jessie Drummond and Lady Macdonald. The Albacore arrived light from Cobourg, and loaded 20,000 bushels wheat for Kingston at 11¢ cents per bushel, Messrs. Thomas Marks, W. H. Laird, A. Wiley and G. Thomas, of Port Arthur, and W. H. Plummer, of Sault Ste. Marie, are seeking incorporation as the Canadian Steel Barge Co., (limited). The capital stock is to be $128,- 000, headquarters at Port Arthur. A despatch from Duluth to the local papers states that Capt. Alex. McDougall will enter patent infringement suits against whale-patterned vessels being built at the Doty ship-yards at Toronto, and also against the straight back building at Cleveland. Mr. Doty states that Capt. McDougall had probably noticed the article in Tae MAr- INE RECORD, in which it stated that the Doty Co. were about to build a steamer after Mr. Redway’s designs for Mr. Thomas Marks, Although no contract has as yet been signed still if one should be closed they will build and not infringe any one’s patent. Mr. ©. A. Jaques, of the firm of Messrs. G. E. Jaques & Co., of Montreal, was in the city on Tuesday. He left for Hamilton in company of Mr. W. A. Geddes to look after the interests of the Merchant’s Line. Capt. Sandy Irwin and Capt. J. Clifford, residing at St. Catharines, had hard luck last week, when their residence was burnt down and no insurance on either building. We are very sorry to hear of their serious loss. The steamer Garden City, built by Messrs Doty & Co., was successfully launched from theirship-yard last week, The steamer Lakeside brought a large party of excursion- ists from St. Catharines to witness the event. All the ceremonies attending the launch passed off in a very happy manner. Miss Daisy Kerr, daughter of the Rey. Mr. Kerr of St Catharines, had the pleasure of performing the christening ceremonies. As soon as this act was per- formed Mr. J.C. Mathews, president of the company, for whom the steamer was built, ran a large blue ensign bearing the ship’s name up at the prow and called for three cheers for the Garden City, and ere these were given with the accompanying “tiger” the vessel was atloat. On account of the low water she had to be launched without her boilers or machinery being in position. ‘These are all ready for her and will be put in at once so that she may be ready for business at the earliest. possible date. An interesting event occurred the evening of the launch. Mr. W. E. Redway, designer and builder of the Garden City, being presented with an address and a handsome dia- mond ring by the employes of the ship yard, to show the high esteem in which he is held by those under his or- ders. The steamers of the Niagara Navigation Go. that have for many years taken their departure from Milloy’s wharf have made arrangements to run from Geddes wharf in the future, where they wili receive increased facilities for handling their large passenger business. This wharf is the favorite with steamboat men trading to Toronto on account of the excellent, accommodation afforded their steamers, and the care with which their business interests are looked after, Mr. Geddes being noted for his careful management of ali the varied interests with which he has connection. SPARTA. THE CANADIAN CRUISERS. Special Correspondence to The Marine Record, Orrawa, P. Q.—As a great many of our lake ship- builders and mariners are interested in the building of cruisers on the lakes it might interest them to know how the Canadian Government is providing for the In- land Lake Service. In October last year the Polson Iron Co. launched the steamer Constance from their shipyard in Owen Sound. This steamer is 125 feet over all, 19 feet 8 inch beam and 11 feet 3 inch depth of hold, fitted with compound vertical engines with cylinders 18 and 36 by 24 stroke, The boilers are 10 feet 9 inch in diameter by 10 feet 6 inches long, carrying 115 pounds working press- ure. Three weeks supply of coal can be carried and the bunkers are so arranged as to afford shot protection for the machinery. She is rigged schooner fashion with a denfeldt guns. The captain’s quarters are forward; the store rooms and magazine room, aft in the lower hold and and the saloon and officers quarters between decks. She is expected to steam 14 knots per hour, easily, and she was built for the Georgian Bay & Lake Huron Service, her steel bottom has been sheeted with three inch elin planking. Some miscalculation was made inthe design- ing of this boat in not making her more beam and when she was launched the builders came very near having a serious wreck on their hands and the hull was so crank that without ballast it would not stand upright. She also drew 10 feet of water nearly instead of eight feet as specified, and as she would not be of service in our shal- low waters, the Department of Marine turned her over the Custom’s Department and on the Ist of May she will leave Owen Sound for the St. Lawrences river below Quebec to be employed in watching the whisky smug- glers who will be able to keep out of her way by taking many a short cut with their shallow draft boats, which the deep draught revenue cutter cannot follow. Profiting by this experience the Department of Ma- rine at once contracted with Messers. Polson to furnish another steamer to be used in the Georgian Bay Service. This cruiser No. is 22 feet beam and 10 feet 3 inches depth, but in other respects is of the same dimensions and oufit as the Constance with a much lighter draught of water. Cruiser No. 2 has been launched and is now being fitted for service on our inland waters and will be in commission about the Ist of June. The Polson Co. have also secured the contract for the building of Cruiser No. 3 and have just commenced the construction. This vessel is of about the same general dimensions as the other two and is to be fitted in the same manner. It is intended to use her for the Fisheries Protective Service on the Bay of Fundy, and she will be even more speed than Cruisers 1 and 2. Her engines are direct, acting compound surface, condensing 18 and 38 by 22 stroke with cylidrical boiler 10 feet 9inches by 10 feet 6 inches allowed. a working pressure of 120 pounds of steam. It is expected this steamer will be ready about the end of August, and as the crews of these steamers will all be drilled in navy tactics the little fleet will be well able to watch Canadian interests in the St. Lawrence River and lakes, the length of the vessels allowing them to canal easily up or down the whole system of canals. Oonsiderable rumor has been going the rounds in this locality about the action of the United States Govern- ment in building up the fortifications at Sackett’s har- bor and Carleton Island, and as it is now understood in Ottawa that the American Government have voted $140,000 to fortify the former place and even a larger amount being contemplated for the erection of defences on the latter Island it is thought by some that the Cana- i vernment should build better and larger cruisers Pererdaks service. Strategists say that with Carleton Island well fortified with modern guns, the United States Government would hold the key to the situation 3 and control both channels of the St. Lawrence Hoe ia thereby cutting off all communication between river and lakes. Whether there is anything in it or not the posi- — bility of such a thing happening has been brome tothe — notice of the Canadian Militia Department and is being freely discussed in official circles. CRUISER, a