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as strong and con- Proteus, which was ‘Sound, THE MARINE RECORD. ON POLAR EXPLORATIONS. WwW. Greely does not believe that the expedition will prove of any value or even a minor degree. He regards Dr. as difficult as that made by Lieutenant Peary. n bases his belief that this current will float the North Pole on the alleged fact that drift were found near Julian’s Haab, in Greenland. sumes that these relics were carried to the coast nland from the opposite side of the polar sea on of ice. There is absolutely no evidence that the were from the Jeanette. They may have come the Proteus. Engineer Melville wrote to Dr. sen and agreed to make a journey of five hundred s in this coun- to any Danish ulate where ‘he relics have ney- identified, Dr. Nansan regards clusive rests on very secure foundation. “Probably | drift articles were found, but it is more rea- mable to suppose they come from the wrecked in Smith about one thousand miles north of Julian's Haab. ‘The drift of the Resolute in 1853, of the Fox in 1859 and of the Polaris in 1872 show, what is well known from other sources, that there is a steadily growing current south- ward from Smith Sound into the Atlantic, The Proteus sank in July, 1883, so that a drift of eleven months must have brought southward many articles. Besides, if the articles were really from the Jeanette, there is no reason why they should not have taken a route down Kennedy Channel and by way of Smith Sound and Baffin Bay, and not across the North Pole. Such a route is hundreds of miles shorter than the one Dr. Nansen suggests. A distance of a hundred miles in the polar ice pack is quite a consideration:”’ re NAVY APPROPRIATIONS. Commodore Farquhar, chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, in his annual report to the Secretary of the Navy, expresses regret that the appropriations for the maintenance of navy yards and stations is so limited that it has not been possi- ble to keep pace in repairs with the de- terioriation. Great permanent improve- ments have been made, however, in the several yards. The commodore says there is a great necessity for a dry dock on the New England coast capa- ble of taking the largest battleships, and he points to the _ possibly disastrous results of a naval combat off that coast without facilities for repairs. The same could be said of the necessity of a dry dock on the gulf coast, Stress is laid upon the necessity for an increase in the number of civil engineers to meet the demands of the service, and _ legislation is suggested looking to the increase of the corps to twenty, twelve to be civil engineers and eight to be assistant civil engineers, the assistants to be se- lected from graduates of the Naval Academy showing an aptitude for civil engineering and given a course in ‘some civil engineering school. Vacancies in the grade of civil engineers to be ‘filled by promotion from the grade of assistants, after examination. The estimates for the various yards and stations are as follows: Bos- mn, $127,500 ; New York, $193,000; League Island, 396; Washington, D. C., $55,193; Norfolk, Va., 000 ; Mare Island, Cal., $238,938; Key West, Fla., ; Port Royal, S. C., $10,243 ; Puget Sound, Wash., WHALEBACK LUMBER CARRIER, WHALEBACK LUMBER CARRIER, “WHALEBACK” LUMBER CARRIERS. (Illustrated.) Lumbermen are beginning to purchase and run their own vessels on the lakes, but, in line with the ore, coal and flour trades the American Steel Barge Co. are now about cutting into the lumber carrying industry on the coast as well ason the lakes. The accompanying illustrations are after the design of the vessels intended for the Pacific trade between Puget Sound, Australia, China and the West Coast ports. While Capt. McDougall did not admit that the whale- backs would carry lumber to Buffalo for $2 a thousand or 25 cents less than the minimum rate this last summer, yet, it is understood that will be the price charged, and it is even surmised by some that the freight rate may LIGHT. fall below that figure. A barge and her tow will carry about 2,000,000 feet of lumber, and the trip can be made in quicker time, by about one-third, with no more. fuel and no larger crew than are required of the old-style boats carrying 500,000 or 600,000 feet. It is still fresh in the minds of all about the lakes how the whalebacks, when they first made their appear- ance, were ridiculed. That was in 1889-90. Now 27 of these monstrous tubes, these cylindrical steel vessels, are in commission. The whalebacks are now almost the arbiters of freight rates, and, as we have said ina previous issue, are more than likely to command the sit- uation in the future, especially, if building is kept up at such a lively rate as in the past, and there are no pres- ent indications of its slacking off anything. Asan immediate instance of this fact, it may be cited that up toa couple of weeks ago, rates on wheat to Buffalo were running along easily and smoothly at four cents aaa ae per bushel. But several of the McDougall whalebacks arrived in port, whose combined capacities equalled a half million bushels or more, and said ‘‘we will charter to Buffalo for 34 cents,” thus establishing a closing rate for the season on a declining scale, and every other vessel in the trade was obliged to follow suit. In speaking of the whalebacks as a factor in the car- rying trade of the lakes the Worthwestern Lumberman, of Chicago, states : “Precisely what has been accomplished in the cereal traffic will be duplicated in the lumber earrying busi- ness. Forest products will be moved from one point to another on the Great Lakes at a nominal cost. While to-day it costs from $3.25 to $3.75 to ship lumber from the head of the lakes to Lake Erie ports or to Chicago or South Lake Michigan ports, it will be but a short time before these rates will be materially lowered if not split in two. One of the principal items of cost is for loading and unloading vessels, and it will be so until LOADED. some inventive and ingenious Temple or Linderman -de- vises some means by electric cranes and swinging der- ricks, endless chains or other mechanical device for that purpose. This is a feature of the business that has been badly neglected. While the modern saw mill is supplied with machinery as complete and perfect in its operation as a printing press, vessels are still being loaded in the old-fashioned way by the Dutch and Nor- wegian elevators at from $3 to $5 a day per elevator.” The determination of the American Steel Barge Com- pany to construct these wonderful carriers for the lum- ber trade will give to the lumber business at Duluth and Superior and i1 the northwest a new impetus. Heretofore deemed the best manufacturing point on the chain of Great Lakes, the city will now have an addi- tional advantage in this increased facility for market- ing her lumber, and in delivering it to the consumer or dealers in other towns at $1 to $2.50 a thousand cheaper in freight rates than at present. With the northwest clamoring for the cheaper grades of lumber and all the second qual- ity stuff that can be turned out, and the east brought very near to the mills by the genius and entet- prise of McDougall, the Duluth and Sup- erior lumber man __ has reason to cong- ratulate himself, and to reach out for all the stumpage he can carry in the future. ra THE DEEP WATER CHANNEL. The contracts for the twenty and twenty-one foot channel project between Buffalo, Chicago and Duluth will be awarded ‘in eight distinct sections, and work must be begun by May 15, 1893, and completed within three seasons of 200 working days each, between May 15 and November 30. Congress has limited the cost of the channel to $3,340,000, of which $375,000 is now available. The first section comprises the improvement of two shoals in St. Mary’s river above the canal. The upper shoal lies northwesterly and the lower shoal northeast- ertly from the old Round Island light-house. The work to be done consists in excavating a channel within the side and end lines, the estimated excavation being 90,000 cubic yards. The second section comprises the improvement of Little Mud lake, bet- ween the lower end of Sugar island and the lower end of the Dark Hole, St. Mary’s river, the es- timated excavation being 380,000 cubic yards, The third section comprises the im- provement of a reef abreast of Sarton Encampment island, St. Mary’s river, the estimated excavation being 90,366 cubic yards. The fourth section comprises the im- provement of a shoal about one and one- half miles below Sarton’s Encampment in Mud lake, St. Mary’s river, the estimated excavation being 67,100 cubic yards. t The fifth section comprises the improvement of a number of small shoals at the foot of Lake Huron, the estimated excavation being 256,000 cubic yards. yi The sixth section comprises the improvement of the St. Clair flats, the estimated excavation being 950,000 cubic yards. fs The seventh section comprises the improvement of Grosse Point flats, the estimated excavation for the width of 300 feet being 120,000 cubic yards. The eighth section comprises the improvement of the bar at the mouth of the Detroit river, the estimated ex- cayation for the width of 300 feet being 11,000 cubic yards. —— eas ; Davin Vance & Co. have forwarded to the owners the Gilcher a draft for $25,000, representing the mercial Union’s risk on the lost steamer. Crosb; Donald & Co., of Chicago, have done the same,