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<a “DE JOTED.TO- COMMERCE, ENGINEERING AND SCFENC VOL. V. NO. 52. AROUNDTHE LAKES. CHICAGO, Spectal to the Marine Record. Captain E, B. Williams, marine diver and wrecker, paid Chicago a visit on Thuréday last. His schooner, the F, H. Williams, is laid up at Manitowoc and the worthy cap- tain has had a very successful season at wrecking in the Straits, The tug Alpha, of the Chicago Dredging and Dock Company, will do the work at the crib for.the city authorities this winter, her contract of $400 to keep her ready whet re- quired and $4 per hour when at work, hav- ing been accepted. B. F. Davison, of 232 south Water street, has completed a splendid picture of‘ the Morinette Barge Line Company’s tug J. C. Perritt and her tow of fiveof the company’s barges, The picture is excellently done and is pronounced a great succesa by Captain J. C, Perritt, the company’s superintendent, whom the tug was named after, and. by all others: who have seen it. At the Vessel Owners’ drydock the schoone: J. B, Roeder will have a new keel “ box, new. keelsons, three streaks of.plank:on each side of, bilges; new, frames and ceiling and calking; the schooner C. A, King got new hatch combings and plankshear: ‘The schooner North Star, Captain Rice, which arrived here last week lumber laden from Pentwater, is lying at the market with her argo still on board. The scow Restless, which arrived on the same day, is also at the market loaded with lumber. Captain Casey, of the steamship Cham- plain, returned to Chicago on Monday from Manitowoc. ‘The Champlain has been laid up there and will get a thorough rebuild at Rand & Burger’s shipyard during the win- ter. The snow and bad weather during the past week has prevented them from moving to unload. At the Chicago. drydock the schooner Newsboy is in for a thorough rebuild; the Reindeer for new frames fore and aft and new ceiling; schooner William Jones is hav- ing her ceiling calked; schooner J. B. Wil- bur is. getting her ceiling calked; schooner Colonel Ellsworth is receiving new knight- heads and some new plank in her bow. At Miller Brothers’ drydock the schooner G. S. Hazard is getting a new forefoot, new rudder stock, some new plank forward and her butts calked; the tug Alpha is getting a new shoe and rudder; tugs Admiral and W. L. Ewing are in for calking and new iron- ing; schooner H. C. Richards having had repairs completed, went out on Monday; the scow Moses Gage, after having a thorough rebuild, went out of dock on Friday last. DETROIT. Special to the Marine Record. The recent and latest cold snap has pret- ty effectually closed navigation at all pointe, the finale of the occasion occurring on 'l'hurs- day last, December 20th. It rarely occurs that navigation winds up earlier than the last month of the year. There have been in- stances, however, when it has taken place during the middle or latter part of Novem- ber, as was the case in 1842, when the sea- son closed on the 18th of that month. The following schedule presents the opening and closing of navigation as appears from the records: 1873 Opened April 28; closed December 3. 1874 Opened April 18; closed December 28. 1875 Opened May 12; closed December 1. CLEVELAND O. DECEMBER 27, 1883 1876 Opened May 6; closed December 11. 1877 Opened April 17; closed December 31. 1878 Opened March 13; closed December 31. 1879 Opened April 24; closed December 20. 1880 Opened April 5; closed December 3. 1881 Opened May 3; ‘closed December 81. 1882 Opened March’ 26; closed December 7. 1883 Opened April 25; clesed December 30. Navigation, in the general sense of the term, is considered as open when there is an unobstructed thoroughfare between Buffalo and all points westward. ‘The reepective rovtes leading to Lake Michigan, Lake Su- perior and the terminus of Lake Erie are de- layed beyond all others. ‘I'he month of April usually finds the Straits of Mackinaw clear as well as the Sault river. During the year 1801 Buffalo was icebound until June 1st, and in 1811 until June 4,. The winter of 1845 was in a manner free to boats until the commencement:of business. in the fol- lowing spring. ‘The stexmer United States, H. Whitaker, master, performed one trip during each month, which is the only in- stance of the kind on record, presumably for the reason that the experiment was never attempted; and under any and all circum- stances it is a foolhardy. undertaking. The stenmer in process of construction at. the Detroit Drydock ts-all ta*vatne and rib* bound, and her'lines show off to a good.ad- vantage. She is the sixty-seventh vessel that has been placed-on the stocks at this yard since the commencement of operations by the present company which date3 back to 1858. The barge Merrimac is in one of the companies’ docks, and is having forward cabins placed on her besides other repairs. At their dock in Springwells they have also another steamer in frame, which is ot the same dimensions as the one at the upper yard. Both of these steamers will be com- pleted and ready for business on the open- ing of navigation in the spring. In point of strength and in quality of material they will have no superior on the lakes or elsewhere, which may be considered as big talk, but I know what I am talking about. The barge Middlesex has taken on board for winter storage 40,000 bushels of choice wheat, and other vessels are being filled up in like man- ner. ‘The cold snap during the past ten days filled the Detroit river with floating ice from Lake St. Clair, but now that pond has frozen over the river is again clear and will proba- bly remain so until spring. ‘l'o-day the steamer Excelsior made a trip to Wyandotte and returned. Notably the last disaster ot the season took place in the Straits; the steamer Algomuh’s damages are stated to be about $3,000. ‘The schooner Mary A. Hul- burt, lost on Lake Superior, was built at Sandusky in 1856, and was eighty-two tons burden: ‘The tug George H. Parker, which was selzed early in the fall by the collector of -customs at Windsor, has been released and her fine remitted. Soon afterward she was taken to Algonac, where she will be re- built during the winter. he damage by fire to the tug Balize, at Detroit a few days since js placed at $2,500, and to the tug Glad- jator at about $300. ‘he schooner J. N. Car- ter, ashore near Goderich, Luke Huron, has become a total loss. The large railroad steamer built and launched at Wyandotte a few days since was brought to this city and is now at the Detroit Drydock Co.’s yard for completion--such as cabins and other outside work. PORT ARTHUR. Special to the Marine Record, Navigation may be considered over for the $2.00 Pek ANNUM SINGLE Copixs 6 Cents season here. The propellers Argyle, E. M. Foster, Kincardine, tugs Siskiwit Silver, Spray, schooners Mary Grover, Morrison and Belle Mitchell are all due here on their last trips, and will lay up on arrival. The worst disaster that has ever occurred on the north shore of Lake Superior, happened on the evening of the 13th inst. seven miles off the east end of St. Ignace Island, when the schooner Mary Hulburt, of Marquette, in tow of the propeller Kincardine, and bound for Michipicoton river with a general curgo, foundered with her crew of five men and fif- teen railway navies who took passage on her at Silver Islet. The achooner was 28 years old, was built in. Marquette, and was about 150 tons burden. The reason has been a very busy-ene since the opening of navigation, There-have been 100,000 tons of coal received here since the lst of August, mostly from Ohio porte; about 50,000 tons of steel rails from Buffalo; ; 10,000,000 feet of lumber from Georgian Bay ports, beeides the Beatty line of steamers from Sarnia, the Canada ‘Transit Line from Collingwood, the Owen Sound steamship line from: Owen Sound, all ot which have had all the freight they could carry.. both ways. THe Wester Express “Line from Montreal, also did a large business. This line is-composed of four propellerg trading to Lake Snperior and five to Lake Michigan ports, and is expected to eventually develop into the best paying steamboat line in Cana- da. In addition to the above boats there are already in winter quarters here the propel- lers Acadia and Georgian, schooner Mid- land Rover, tugs ‘Three Friends, Salty Jack and Champion. LUDINGTON. Special to the Marine Record. The two F.. & P. M. steamers, and the City of Ludington of the Goodrich line, are running from here to Milwaukee once a week. Lake Michigan was visite] by a violent east wind and snow storm last Saturday night and Sunday. The Wisconsin, from Grand Haven, was driven down the lake to Washington Island. Stmr. No, 2 was 20 hours out. The City of Ludington made Milwau- kee Sunday at 10 a. mn., after having demol- ishec the cook stove and all movable turni- ture. The steambarge Marshall F. Butters, from Ludington to Milwaukee with lumber, lost her rudder and part of her deckload. She came to anchor and tugs towed her into Milwaukee Monday evening. ST. LOUIS. The harbor Loat did not go to the relief o¢ the yacht Rambler, around below the city, as reported, the trip> being considered too hazardous, It has been ascertained however, that the Rambler and the accompanying tug Illinois are in no danger of being cut down by ice, as they are out of the channel, and the people aboard can get ashore with- out danger if they desire. WINNIPEG. The steamer Kincardine, in trying to force her way through the ice at Jack fish | Bay, hada hole atove in her bow, fill d | rapidly, and sunk. Her stern lies in| twenty feet of water, at the entrance to | Jackfish Bay. She cannot be raised this | winter. No cargo nor lives lost. [t was the Kincardine that had the schooner Mary Ann Hulburt in-tow when the latter foundered with her crew. of twenty men. The Kincardine measures 191 tons. She was built at Port Dalhousie a oe in 1871 by Andrews, and is owned by Jones, of Goderich. As indicated, she isa Canadian bottom. Her rating was Bl, and she was valued at about $11,000. WAUKEGON, The schooner Capilla, owing to.inclement weather preventing the unloading of her cargo, has not yet been rescued from the beach. She will in all probability be saved, as no serious damage has so far been dis- covered. BUFFALO. The owners of the barge H. J. Mills have libeled her cargo of lumber for $1,330, being the amount claimed for demurrage and general average expenses. Mr. John L, Wi'liama, Secretary of the Western ‘Transportation Company, states that the rumor that-S.D. Caldwell, now manager of the Red Line, is to become manager of the Western ‘Transportation Company is false. Mr. John Allen, jr., its President and present manager is a large stockholder and has no idea of resigning. Mr. Lamay, owner of the barge S. D Hungerford, which has been missing the past three weeke, received a dispatch that she was-wrecked ou-the ‘Soitth Manitoulin Island. The créw are safe. ST.. IGNACE, The transfer ferry Algomah, ashore at this place, is stillon. The tug Charles West is at work on her and the tug Saugatuck is fitted out and will be ready in the morning. She lays on a rocky bottom and is exposed to easterly winds, She had the transfer in tow when she struck, and the loaded cars were thrown into the lake. ‘Total loss, $4,- 000. She-is a large terry steamer, fitted up especially for hard weather and ice. She measures 360 tons. She was built at Detroit by the Detroit Drydock Company in 1881. She is owned by the Mackinaw ‘Transporta- tion Company. The crew of the steamer Siberia passed down through this place Monday trom the Sault Ste. Marie. About: 10,000 bushels of the Siberia’s cargo of wheat are datnaged, and will be sold. The steambarge Tecumseh, Canadian, is ashore near the Sault. MILWAUKEE, The schooner Porter is chartered for 50,- 000 bushels of wheat to Buffalo. The Green Bay tug Henry Marshall has been seized on a claim of Joseph Dennis for $2,000. A scow owned by Dennis broke adrift from the Marshall on Green Bay and was lost. PORT ROWANs Of the schooner Fitzgerald and Vander- bilt, which went ashore near here some time ago, nothing remains above the water, ‘The Siberia is standing it well, and unless heavy ice does her damage she may still be got off in the spring. SAND BEACH. Navigation closed here last Stinday, the steamer M. D. Wood being the last boat to arrive here The fishing tugs Sea Wing, | Wayne, Isabelle, and George E. Fisher will winter here, and fish if possible. ‘The harbor is free of ice. During the season just closed 1,140 craft of all classes, with an aggregate tonnage of | 323,926 tons, entered this harbor tor shelter. EAST TAWAS, The little schooner Democrat dragged an- chor and piled on the ice about Emery dock in bad shape. ‘The crew are ashore at Tawas Bay.