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STATISTICS OF LAKE COMMERCE- 217 SOME AVERAGE LAKE FREIGHT RATES. Prepared by the Marine Kkyiew, Cleveland, (). In the accompanying tables there is presented average rates of freight on iron ore, soft coal and grain. The averages of daily rates, or rates on wild cargoes, is made up by collecting from several shippers and brokers their lists of charters during the season, from which a general list is prepared, that will include in nearly all the cases actual charters for every day of the season. The sum of these daily rates divided by number of days, gives the average quoted. These averages are, then, what may be termed daily averages, and not, as regards ore and coal, which are largely covered by season contracts, the figures at which the entire tonnage of either of these commodities was moved. The great bulk of the ore moved from the head of Lake Superior, as well as Marquette, during 1893 was covered by freight contracts, but from Escanaba there was only one contract for the full season, that made by the Milwaukee vessel owners with the Pewabic Mining Company. It will thus be readily seen that the average daily rates from Marquette and the head of Lake Superior are far from representing the rate at which the entire shipments from either of these points were, moved by water. With this point in view, the Review secured from all shippers who moved ore from the head ol the lakes—Two Harbors, Ashland and Duluth—the average rate in the case of each shipper on both contract and wild or^,as well as the several amounts shipped. From these figures it was found that the a erage freight rate by water on all ore moved from the head of Lake Superior during 1893 was 94.1 cents. Following are the tables: AVERAGE FREIGHT RATES, IRON ORE, PORTS NAMED TO OHIO TORTS. Ykar. ESCANABA. MARQUETTE. Ashland and other Ports at thk Hkad of Lake Sufkkiok. Wild or daily rate. Contract rate. $2 OO I 40 I 20 I 00 90 90 I 85 1 75 1 40 1 00 1 10 90 1 05 1 40 90 1 00 I JO 65 I 00 85 Wild or daily rate. C011 tract rate. Wild or daily rate. Contract rate. 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 18S0 1881 1882 188 3 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 189T 1892 1893 1894 1895 $1 36 I 13 86 98 81 1 25 1 70 1 36 1 04 1 22 87 78 1 28 1 59 1 05 1 01 89 84 74 56 f 1 93 1 50 1 35 1 41 1 22 1 83 2 26 2 05 1 26 r 40 1 08 98 T 51 I 87 I 30 I 19 I 07 I 02 98 71 $2 75 1 75 1 50 1 40 1 30 1 40 2 75 2 45 1 75 1 20 1 35 1 05 1 20 1 63 1 J5 I TO I 25 90 I 15 I OO $—-I 25 1 78 2 23 J 43 1 34 1 17 1 11 I To 77 ------- 1 15 1 20 2 00 1 25 1 25 1 35 1 00 1 25 1 00 (Charge to vessel for handling ore, 19^ cents.) Average ore rates for the entire period of twenty years: Escanaba, contract $1.17, wild $1.07; Marquette, contract $1.50, wild $1.40. Average for past ten years: Escanaba, contract, 99^2 cents, wild 96 cents; Marquette, contract I1.18, wild $1.17. Ashland averages for nine years are $1.27 contract and $1.36 wild: