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THE MARINE RECORD. on the clauses, there can no longer be any embargo placed on vessels desiring to render assistance to others “in distress wherever they may be stranded or disabled on - either shore of the lakes. ED oe eo SAILORS’ HOMES AT LAKE PORTS. There is an excellent opportunity at the present time for energetic, trustworthy persons, or one of the several Seamen’s Associations, to start a sailors’ home at any of the principal lake cities or shipping points. One of the many advantages of such an institution, properly conducted, would be in affording a convenience for masters in securing good crews ; also in providing a place for seamen to board, instead of as now, being obliged to locate; in many instances, at cheap saloons and other undesirable boarding places. In this connection it is a congratulatory feature to R point to the good work done by the trustees of the Scan- dinavian Sailors’ Temperance Home, in Brooklyn, who show in their annual report the necessity for building a new home, and call upon all persons interested in ship- ping, yachting and the life of sailors to lend a helping - hand. Since this institution was founded 10,270 sailors have resided there and many thousands of dollars have been saved and forwarded to their families. Hundreds of sick sailors have also received aid in'the form of board and clothing. * Realizing that in time larger and more coinmodious quarters would become necessary, the trustees set aside a building fund, which has increased rapidly by subscrip- tions, until it now amounts to nearly $2,500. The trus- tees say that $12,000 is needed for the purchase of a build- ing site, and that when they have secured this amount they can borrow enough more to erect the new home. What has been accomplished in this direction at. Brook? Tyn, N. Y., could without doubt be duplicated at Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit or Chieago, and the character of the home be such as to endorse the standing of the seamen boarding there. In well advised hands these homes would do more to: raise the status of lake seamen than any other known agency, and it is to be hoped that a hu: manitarian will come tothe front and establish such eluvating agencies in the near future. a MIDWINTER AIDS TO NAVIGATION. We have often launched out into athesis regarding the best methods of keeping aids to navigation in service during mid-winter navigation, or until the last boat of the fleet between any two ports, had arrived safely at her destination ; but, while strenuously advocating all pru- dent and necessary aids to the navigator, it is hardly equitable to advise shifting the burden of hardships from the shoulders of one class and placing it on another. This it would seem has taken-place at Oswego, N. Y,, as all last week the two keepers of the beacon light-house at that Lake Ontario port were imprisoned by the ice. Qn Christmas day they ran up a flag of distress and a re- lief party was organized, headed by Captain Gowan, of the steamer Ksliance, and the captain of the schooner Annandale. They started in a small boat, and aftera terrible battle of three hours with the ice and waves, succeeded in landing the two light-keepers, who had so tenaciously stuck to their post, although they had been without food for three days. The interence is now that light-keepers must stick to their stations as late as possible, but, if they happen to get caught out in the ice they should endure the consequent hardships without growling. We hupe, however, that the brave fellows are none the worse for their three days otf enforced abstinence from solids. EE oe ae. THERE does not seem to have been any improvement in the methods ot construction of wharves, piers, break- waters, etc., on the lakes within the memory of man; in fact, it would appear that we have retrograded in this re- spect, for there are ancient remains of stone work to be found, but everything recent seems to be on the rapidly decaying, soft wood order of construction. Surely there . is room for advancement in this direction especially as we find new work now in progress, that when completed, if not before, will call for an appropriation for repairs and keep up. Visitors to the Columbian Exposition will certainly not compliment the country on the staunchness, permanent looking works or sightly appearance of the soft- wood bird cages resembling dry goods cases bolted to- gether, invariably found at all lake ports with a degree of sameness that carries the mind along to the juvenile pastime of building block houses and forts with pine cubes. We may point with pride to the work at Sault Ste. Marie canal, and then subside, for there is hardly another -boundary, pier, wharf, sea wall or breakwater on the lakes that can hold itself together for the space of five years without requiring considerable repairs. How many times will we have to rebuild already established works _ before a departure on a somewhat more permanent basis of construction will be inaugurated, it is difficult to say ; but, we do know that the time has arrived for dispensing, ee * _ toa great extent, with pile driving, sheet piling, mortis-. ing and tapping iron spikes into asoft wood construction that is innocently calculated to withstand the ravages of time, at least, until the next appropriation becomes avail- able. Now, let an engineer with the courage of his con- victions and a due regard for the science he representa, institute a departure in the building of harbor works and build something to stay, if it only progresses at the rate of fifty feet a year. What is the matter with iron piers, stone jetties and concrete breakwaters, built to meet the special local conditions relating to winds, currents and approaches to each port. Or may such material not be thought of until the forests are becoming exhausted ? Se No good can possibly result from the inflated war scare raised around the entire county, consequent upon the building of three small revenue cuttérs, or fishery protec- tion cruisers, at Owen Sound, Ont./one of which, only, is destined for lake service. United’ States naval and mil- itary officers are also credited with perpetrating the bur- lesque, but, it remained for the fancy-stricken alarmist who edits the Army and Navy Register, at Washington, to circulate an ignorant, biased and totally unealled for attack on the functions of the administration, as follows: “We believe not only that Great Britain now has a dis- guised war fleet on the lakes, but that the British gun- boats would be run into the lakes through the canals be- fore the State Department got its hands off and allowed the War Department, to cut the canals.” We can hard y distinguish wherein the point is raised in the foregoing. Is it belief in a contemptible untrath ? Does it intend to flatter the tactics supposed to be pursued by the British government through the Dominion officials ? Or is it a back slap and warning combined to the United States navy, military and executive departments? It is certain that there are no disguised war vessels on the lakes, and it is also a fact that no British ganboats would be allowed to enter Lake Ontariounder the present phase of the 1817 treaty. It is equally:positive that this war scare busi- ness is a complete humbug, whether got up to iufluence Congressional appropriations, or for any other sinister purpose, it is a fraud of the first water. + cr Ir would seem that there is a wide divergence of pinion regarding the efli ciency of the work done by the fish commissionérs on the waters of the Great Lakes. A practical fisherman, who is also an extensive dealer, avers that a large proportion of the spawn, generated, as it is, in the warm water of the hatchery and deposited in the cold waters of the lake, die outright, and the much- vaunted talk of stocking the lakes is simply so much buncombe, and the methods used are abortive. If such is the case, this expensive commission should be turned down, and a close season enforced to protect the fisheries during the natural spawning time. Artificial propagation may not have arrived at that stage of success for which it has received credit, and it is possible that mutual restrictive measures between Canada and the United States would be found of. much greater value to the in- dustry than the indiscriminate dumping of forced spawn + LAKE seamen need not limit their aspirations in this age of moral, social and political advancement, for, lo and behold, the sockless Jerry of Kansas, not content with a second term in the House of Representatives, now announces his intention of becoming a candidate tor United States Senator. Nothing succeeds like suc- cess, and, from “ padding the hoot” around the decks of an old lake schooner, to the United States Senate, seems but a couple of seasons work for the redoubtable Captain Jerry Simpson, who is a ci-devant wind-jammer pusher of the lakes. The Hon. Jerry did us a good turn in the House last week by speaking in favor of the erection of a house for the light-keeper at Ludington, Mich., and we trust that he will put in a good many other good spokes in due season. ee Tue ship canal conference to meet at’ Washington January 12th has in vi w the survey and final adoption of a route for a ship canal or a deep water channel through United States territory to tide-water. The Hon. George H. Ely, than whom no man is better qualified, has been selected by the Cleveland Board of Trade to represent their city, and an influential delegation in hearty sim- pathy with the movement will no doubt assemble at Washington to initiate a movement which will certainly be accomplished in the course of the next decade. Mr. S. A. Thompson, secretary of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce, has been the moving spirit in the calling together of the convention, and THe REcorD hopes that the most signal suecess may crown his laudable efforts. ED +o + ae ‘tne thanks of Tue Recorp are due to Congressmen Vincent A. Taylor, Tom. L. Johnson and the representa- tive firm of Conger & Conger, Washington attorneys-at- law, for courtesies received at their hands during the week, THE annual winter mooring supplement issued with 3 THE MARINE RECORD at the close of each season, has ; been delayed this week owing to our not receiving, the corrected proof of a port list in time for press. A copy of the supplement, showing the ports at which all lake vessels exceeding one hundred tons are wintering, will be mailed to each subscriber of THe REcoRD with the issue of January 5. re FIRE BOAT EFFICIENCY, From the copy of a letter received from President Codd, the efficiency of a new fire boat built for the municipality of Baltimore, Md., is clearly demonstrated. The boats now being planned and built for lake ports should be kept to the same high stage of equipment. The letter spoken of is as follows: BarrrMork, Mp., December 15th, 1892, Win. Cowles, Esq., President Cowles Engineering Co., Brooklyn, N. Y. Dear sir: Yours of the 14th received. The fire boat Cataract has not been out of commission over twelve days since she was put in commission (about two years ago). She behaved splendidly at cotton fire, running her pumps since Tuesday morning (December 13th) and was running when I passed the fire one hour ago, and presume she will be there the balance of the week, as cotton will burn, water or no water. It is a sight to * behold cotton bales all over the streets in neighborhood of press, and the wharves in immediate vicinity of fire filled with burning and half burnt bales. Our papers here do not give more than a passing notice of fire boat’s work, but our citizens have nothing to say but words of praise. The warehouses where cotton press was located and cotton stored had thick walls—some say 18 inches, but from what Icould see, judged they were 23 inches.. As all theshuttersand doors were of iron, she absolutely knocked a hole through the solid masonry, some five or six feet wide by ten or twelve feet deep. How is that for force? Our papers noticed it by ‘ remarking that the execution of the boat was splendid and then noted the achievement referred to above. Yours truly, (Signed) KE. J. Copp Co. E. J. Copp, Pres’t. The above refers to a half million dollar fire in Balti- more, December 13th, 1892, and is only a small sample of the work done by modern fire boats. ‘The Cataract’s machinery and engines were con- structed by the EK. J. Codd Co. and her hull. by Brustar Bros., both of Baltimore; her fire pumps by Thos. Manning, Jr., & Co., of Cleveland, and her boilers by the Cowles Engineering Co., of Brooklyn. She has two of the Cowles water tube boilers and she was designed and superintended in her construction by William Cowles, constructing engineer and naval archi-" tect and president of the Cowles Engineering Co. rr LAKE COMMERCE. An excerpt from the President’s annual message to z Congress contains the following figures showing that the tonage of the Great Lakes are nearly equ=l to the total foreign trade of the world renowned seaports of London and Liverpool combined. The quotation states that: ‘Tn our coastwise trade a great encouraging develop- ment is in progress, there having been in the last four years an increase of 16 per cent. In internal commerce the statistics show that no such period of prosperity has ever before existed. The freight carried in the coast- wise trade of the Great Lakes in 1890 aggregated 28,295,- 959 tons. ‘The total vessel tonnage passing through the Detroit river during that year was 21,684,000tons. The vessel tonnage entered and classed in the foreign trade of London during 1890 amounted to 13,480,767 tons, and of Liverpool 10,941,800 tons, a total for these two great shipping ports of 24,422,568 tons, only slightly in excess of the vessel tonnage passing through the Detroit river. And it should be said that the season for the Detroit river was but 228 days, while ot course, in London and Liverpool the season was for the entire _ year.. The vessel tonnage passing through the St. Mary’s Canal for the fiscal year 1892 amounted to 9,828,- 874 tons, and the freight tonnage of the Detroit river is estimated for that year at 25,000,000 tons, against 23,- 209,619 tons in 1891.” * In mailing out their season compliments to the trade . the Lunkenheimer Brass Manufacturing Co., Cine! nati, O., state that: ‘The increased demand for the Lunkenheimer brass and iron specialties, and the in duction of new products, has compelled us to double our — capital to $500,000 and as soon as possible our manufac- ~ turing facilities. This will place us in position to all orders even more prompt and satisfactory attention than heretofore. The company will, after Jam 1893, transact its business as the Lasker pany, with officers as follows: Edmund H. Lun! President; C. F. Lunkenheimer, Vice Presid ‘Treasurer ; D. T. Williams, Secretary. A of the liberal patronage heretofor bestowed fully solicited. 7 aF