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The Welland ship canal may open its gates April 1 to permit passage of boats to Thorold for paper loading, according to E. C. Little, canal superintendent. Already engineers of the Upper Lakes and St. Lawrence Navigation Co. have been shipped on the fleet which wintered at Port Colborne. Crews for fitting out the vessels of several lines have been working on the freighters in anticipation of early opening of navigation. ICE CONDITIONS Solid ice at Fort William and Port Arthur is reported in greater volume at present than at any time since Feb. 1. The harbors are completely frozen over and ice averages 18 inches to two feet thick. There is a lead of open water in Thunder Bay from Welcome Island Light Station to- north of Clavet Bay and from Welcome Island to Pie Island. Other Lake Superior harbors report much lees than seasonal average ice. Some of the harbors are entirely free with no great fields of drift ice in the lake. Northwest, north and northeast of Whitefish Point, open water extends beyond vision, and there is open water for about five miles out. East and Southeast of the Point. To the South of Whitefish there is open water about % mile wide. Whitefish Bay is filled with crushed ice. With crews shipped and fitting out, Port Colborne and other ports where their fleets have wintered, Colonial Steamship Lines and Sarnia Steamship Lines are prepared for an early opening of lakes navigation and expect to have their vessels carrying through cargoes by April 1. Appointments of masters and chief engineers to ships of the Colonial and Sarnia fleets have been posted as follows: S.S. Dayton, J. H. Glass, master, and KT"S7 Demille, engineer; Bennett, J. E. Stewart and O. Williams; Laketpn, C. E. Misener and D. Barclay; "Mathewston, W. J. Moles and S. DavidSOn1;" "Koyalton, C. R. Alvinson and V. Parker; Burke, W. Cornet and J. Calvert; Drumahoe, J. Halstead and E. J. Springthorpe: Fairlake, L. E. Pain and J. G. Irwin; Fairriver, C. H. Cole and R. Brett; Giletinft, A. G. McLean and C. Dunnett; Houson, W. A. Stewart and A. Pruder; Lockwell, E. S. Bailey and J. McEwenTTBisener. F. J. Brady and A. McLa'fen'f McKellar, A. R. Rafuse and A. Lyon§7~Port-welL. D. L. Wilson and J. FinTay; Starwell. J. A. Austin and R. M. Crawford. limestone in schedu:ed to lower wafers Great Lakes freighters, facing a auota of 1B2,00C,C00 tens of coal, Iron o':e, grain and 1044, are tentatively begin navigation in next week. Declaring lakes "shipping lanes must o^iMorced open at the earliest possible,€ate this year," L. C. Sabin, vice-president of the Lake Carriers' Association, said shippers hoped to begin operations in lower rivers and on La',v Erie Monday, move thruugh the Straits of Mackinac by Tuesday and Operate as far as the St. Mary's River by Wednesday. I The car ferry §t£»jyiari.e, chartered from- the State of Michigan by the U.3 Coast Guard, is due to join a fleet of five coast guard cutters in ice-breaking activities in the Mackinac area Friday and may be joined by a second chartered car ferry, if necessary. Cutters Arrowwood and Plaintee are e finish opening the route oetween Lakes Erie and Huron to-day. The cutter Chapparel is operating in the ice-lock"ed St.'Mary's River, gateway to Lake Superior, and Cutters Sweetsum and Blackhaw are expected""""!"' complete overling of Green Bay to-day.