British Whig (Kingston, ON), 14 Jun 1897

p.4

IN MARINE CIRCLES.

The tug Bronson, Montreal, with six light barges, arrived this morning.

Called at Swift's wharf: steamer North King, Charlotte to Kingston.

The tug Thomson left for Montreal this morning with three grain laden barges.

The steamer Aragon brings corn to Kingston from Chicago at two and a half cents.

The steamer Erin and consort Danforth, light, were expected to clear for the west today.

The schooner Acacia and the steamer King Ben have arrived with coal from Oswego and Charlotte for Swift & Co.

Arrivals: schooner Echo, Cobourg, 3,000 bushels of wheat; schooner Ballou, Picton, peas, consigned to Richardson & Sons; sloop Maggie L., Trenton, lumber.

Called at Craig's wharf: steamers Persia, Montreal to Toronto; Ocean, Hamilton to Montreal; Cuba, Toledo to Montreal. Each carried freight and passengers.

On every day, except Mondays, from this date until the close of navigation, the R. & O. steamers will run between Toronto and Montreal, one vessel going each way, on six days in the week.

Welland canal report - steamer Rosemount, Kingston to Fort William, light; schooner Annie Minnes, Pelee Island to Kingston, wheat; schooner C.C. Barnes, Toledo to Kingston, coal.

The sailing yacht Papoose, owned by commodore John T. Mott, of Oswego, N.Y., is at Gunn's wharf today. She will remain here till tomorrow, when she clears for her home port.

The new ferry steamer Jubilee, built by Macaulay & Howard, Portsmouth, for Capt. Craig, will be ready to begin duty this week. She will run between Kingston and Gananoque. The vessel is small, but snug and strong.

The steamer Passport, of the R. & O. line, cleared from Swift's wharf at 3 p.m. today on her first trip this season between Montreal and Toronto. Capt. McGrath is in command and his officers are: First mate, W. Corrigan; second mate, H. Smith; first engineer, A. Milne; second engineer, A. McBride; Steward, W.J. Newman; purser, J. Sewell.

The rise and fall of water in the St. Lawrence river is ever a topic of discussion. The river annually reaches its highest point in June. It remains stationary until the hot weather begins and then commences to recede. The water is now thirteen inches higher than at this date last year, with a prospect that it may rise two or three inches more. Measuring from the lowest point of last year, the river is (line missing or unreadable)

The Elevator Scheme.

Kingston, June 14th - To the Editor:

I notice in your issue of Saturday some remarks by "Citizen," who seems to be advocating the case of Prescott against Kingston, as the most suitable point for the transhipment of grain, and I would like to point out how Prescott got its elevator. The McKay milling company of Ottawa wished for some place to store their supply of wheat for milling in the winter season, and with this in view began the erection of a private elevator to supply their own requirements, and after it was erected, outsiders, including the transportation companies, asked to be allowed to store some of their grain there until they could get their barges ready to take it to Montreal. This, I am informed, was what happened in Prescott. Now that elevator had neither a barge line nor did it control the destination of lake steamers; it was simply a question of facilities offered as vessels preferred to go there at the same rate of freight so that they might be unloaded with more despatch than they had been getting at Kingston. Should the elevator be built here, the vessels would come to Kingston the same as before, as the dangers of river navigation are very great, and upper lake captains are not familiar with it. One has only to look at last season's record of accidents to grain-laden boats to understand this. Of course I can see also what advantage there is to the transportation companies to carry from Prescott to Montreal. They can make three trips in the same time as two from Kingston, but not at any lower rate. As soon as an elevator is erected here and proper facilities offered, the rates from Chicago and Duluth to Prescott will be higher than to Kingston. It is not the shipper of grain who makes the rates but the vessel owner and captains, and they do not care to go down the river if they can come here.

In view of what Prescott has accomplished why should not the M.T. Co. and K. & M. F. Co. turn in and help with their barge lines and connections and make Kingston's elevator a success? They cannot expect to do the business very long for Prescott, as that elevator company is now having a steel barge line built to run to Montreal, and naturally would give the carrying of their grain to their own boats.

Unless we make a start some time we will never secure the grain trade, and I would like to see elevators in connection with all the transportation companies. The citizens, I think, will understand this, and they should vote on Wednesday and thus help along what means so much for Kingston.

ANOTHER CITIZEN.

Wind Wafts - Capt. Dunlop left yesterday for Sorel to take charge of the R. & O. steamer Algerian, which will begin her season's work tomorrow.

Prof. Dupuis says that Knapp's roller boat is mathematically correct, but he cannot see how it can be propelled in face of a head wind.