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STATISTICS OF : AVERAGE DAILY RATES OF FREIGHT. GRAIN, CHICAGO TO BUFFALO. Year. 1878- 1879-1880--i88r_. 1882- 1893-1884--1885.-1886.-i887_- Wiikat. cents. 3-5 2. T 2. 3-6 4.1 Year. 1888.. 1890-1891. 1892- 1893-1894- 1895- Wheat. .7 cents. 5 " 9 " 5 " 2 " 8 " Average sixteen years, 3 cents. (Handling charge to vessels on grain, $3.50 to $4.00 per 1,000 bushels.) COMPARISON OF RATES ON WHEAT AND CORN WITH ORK. Corn. Ore. 1 c. equals.....---------------- $0 40 50 ________________ 60 1 1% u aH 5 5% 5'A 5% 70 80 90 00 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 00 10 20 30 40 Wheat. 1 c. equals. I* 2 *% *x Ix 3'A 4 4lX 4% 4H 5 5H 5lA 5ti 6 Ore. 3733 4666 56 6532 7466 84 9332 0265 12 21 3065 40 4933 5865 6798 7731 8665 9598 0533 1464 24 WEIGHTS OF GRAIN PER BUSHEL. (Official Weights, Chicago Board of Trade.) Wheat, 60 pounds ; Oats, 32 pounds; Corn, 56 pounds; Barley, 48 pounds; Rye, 56 pounds. COMMERCE. 219 FUEL CONSUMPTION OF LAKE STEAMERS. Following is a simple formula suggested by Mr. C. B. Cal-der, superintending engineer of the Detroit Dry Dock Company, for learning how much coal a modern lake steamer should burn per hour: When the piston speed is 500 feet per minute (the usual speed of lake engines), multiply the area of the low pressure cylinder by .5; when the piston speed is 600 feet per minute, multiply by .6. Divide this product by 2, which will give approximately the economical horse power of the engine. As there are few lake engines that develop power equal to their economical capacity, 10 per cent, should be deducted. Multiply this product, if the engines are triple expansion, by 2 and if compound by 2.75, as 2 pounds and 2.75 pounds, respectively, are the fuel consumption per horse power per hour in the best practice. Kxample:—Engines triple expansion 24, 38, 61x42 inches. 61 x 61 — 3,721 x.7854 ^2,922. 2,922x.5= 1,461 economical horse power. 1,461—10% — 1,315 developed horse power. 1,315 x 2 = 2,630 pounds coal burned per hour. NOTE.--This same formula applies to compound engines, excepting, that as stated, 2.75 pounds should be used as the multiplier. The yearly report of twelve lake steamers (the triple expansion engines in which have low pressure cylinders 61 inches in diameter) shows an actual fuel consumption of 2,654 pounds coal per hour, only 24 pounds more than the result shown by the formula.