British Whig (Kingston, ON), April 19, 1883

p.3 Repairing The Wharves - The owners of the various city wharves are preparing for the opening of navigation. Messrs. Gunn, Swift, Folger and several others are preparing their properties. The Montreal Transportation Company have extended their wharf to the water line, nearly 200 feet, and also made an L some 75 feet in length. The Locomotive Wharf has also been repaired and extended.

Here and There - The str. Nellie Cuthburt, tied up at Belleville during the winter, sunk yesterday morning, the cause of which is not definitely known.

Pierrepont went to Cape Vincent today. She will bring back a big load of freight.

Inflammation In the Eyes - Capt. Smith of Glenora.

NAVIGATION OPEN.

The time for cracking jokes at the fireplace is over and mariners are preparing to plough the deep. Every vesselman wears a smile in anticipation of a good season and hopes that at its close he will have a balance to the good upon his books. It was thought that the season would be very backward, but navigation has opened quickly after the ice began to go. An early season means low freights, but this year it will be May before the Canal has been opened and consequently there will be far less time in which to carry cargoes. The timber and grain trade promises well. Most men are looking for contracts, but they will not take low offers. Timber men are here, but they are only looking for vessels. They won't quote figures. The grain business as usual will give work to a good many vessels. There is more grain in Chicago than ever before, and after all the fleet there secured there will be over 13,000,000 bushels of grain in the elevators. The rates to Kingston are from 6 1/4 to 7 cents per bushel. The forwarding companies have made all necessary preparations for a busy season, and there is little probability that with the present facilities that delays will occur. With great barge accommodation all the grain coming eastward can be handled speedily.

Vessel Building and Repairs.

There has been little work of importance performed in the harbor this year beyond ordinary repairing and refitting. The only craft newly built is a tug for the Montreal Transportation Company. She will be called the D.G. Thompson. Her appearance is favorable. There are rumors that several barges will be built here during the summer to replace those that go out of the trade. The barges Eagle and Star have been hauled out at the M.T. Co.'s yard, and repairs on them have been so extensive that they may be considered new. Their capacity will remain as before, 21,000 bushels each. The fleets of both the forwarding companies have been thoroughly repaired and they will be able to carry 7,000,000 bushels of grain per season between this city and Montreal. The vessels are bright with new paint. Some of them look really handsome. Those in the lake trade will have all they do in freighting barley, rye, iron ore, timber, lumber, posts pickets and lath. The iron ore trade will be very large this year.

Captains and Crafts.

The following are the Captains of the crafts lying here so far as they can be ascertained:

Tugs - Active, Capt. Simmonds; Bronson, Capt. Murray; Frank Perew, Capt. P. McGlade; Jessie Hall, Capt. C. Martin; Commerce, Capt. T. Donnelly; Mixer, Capt. W. Corrigan; Folger, Capt. C. Martin; Munson, Capt. W. Munson.

Steamboats - Maud, Capt. Hinckley; Pierrepont, Capt. Miller; Watertown, Capt. Nolan; D.C. West, Capt. Noonan; Gipsy, Capt. Flemming; Hero, Capt. Craig; Princess Louise, Capt. Rothwell; Prince Arthur, R. Smith; Rothesay, Capt. Estes.

Steambarge Indian, Capt. Frazer; Consorts R. Gaskin, E. Crawford; Southampton, A. Milligan, Sr.

Schooners - White Oak, Joseph Dix; Acacia, W. Wellbanks; Mary Ann Lydon, Thomas Fox; North Star, R. Cootes; B.W. Folger, W. Dandy; Oliver Mowat, J. Saunders; Watertown, T. Connors; Grantham, J. Marshall; Annandale, F. McMaster; Hyderabad, E. Beaupre; M. O'Gorman, G. Malone; Annie M. Foster, W. Ryan; Wm. Elgin, W. Elman; Forest Queen, E. Yott; A.G. Ryan, C. Allen; Prince Alfred, A. Robinson; Jessie H. Breck, E. Booth; Great Western, James Edmonds; Saint Louis (St. Louis ?), __ Monk; Pride of America, James Macdonald; Eureka, C. Chambers; John Gaskin, J. Geeghan; Glenora, James Smith; Singapore, J. Cochrane; Bangalore, J. McCarthy; Fanny Campbell, M. Patterson; Gazelle, J. Cornelius; Jessie Macdonald, __ Blanchard; Annie Falconer, T. Taylor.

Garden Island Fleet.

The following are the Captains of crafts at Garden Island:

Schooners - Oriental, J. Phillips; Prussia, G. O'Brien; Bavaria, J. Dix; Norway, J. Crawford; Denmark, Louis Julian; Anglo Saxon, James Kennedy; Siberia, Capt. Short; Bismarck, Capt. Milligan.

Steamers - H.A. Calvin, D. Lafaire; John A. Macdonald, Capt. Gignac; Traveller, J. Sullivan; Chieftain, Capt. G. Miller.

Marine Paragraphs.

The Jane Maw lies at the bottom of the deep, blue, Napanee River. A little flood did it.

Chicago sailors receive $1.50 per day in fitting out and trimming up vessels. As soon as the straits are open wages will advance to $2.

The schooner W.R. Taylor that went ashore two years ago on the North Fox Island, Lake Michigan, and was abandoned to the Insurance Companies and towed to Buffalo, has been sold to Capt. Henry Buckley for $4,500. She was pumped out and towed to the dry docks for repairs.

The schooner Hartford brings corn to Kingston from Chicago at 6 3/4 cents.

Capt. A. Robertson, for three years commander of the schooner Samana, will this season have charge of the schooner Jamaica, and Capt. W.F. Andrews will sail the Samana. Both vessels are at Chicago loaded with corn destined for Kingston, the Samana at 6 3/4 cents and the Jamaica at 6 cents per bs.

The Dominion Department of Railways and Canals has issued the following: "For the navigable season of 1883 vessels will be allowed to pass through the Welland Canal without restriction as to fixed or movable bowsprits, other than they have hitherto done. They will, however, as heretofore, be held liable, as provided for in the Canal Regulations, for any damages they may do to the bridges or other works."