The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

MARINE REVIEW. Ven V.- No. 10. CLEVELAND, OHIO, THURSDAY, MARCH 3. 1802. Contract Freight Matters. A feature of interest in the freight market is a contract for _the transportation of a block of Marquette. ore running through- - out the.season at $1.15 a ton. This rate is in proportion with | "the figure of $1.25 from the head of Lake Superior, although it' was thought some time ago, when the feeling as to freights was stronger than at present, that Marquette shippers would be com- pelled to pay a contract rate almost equal to that ruling from _ Ashland, on,account of the indications of low water and a light movement in coal to Marquette, As far as can be learned, only one Marquette contract has been made, however, and it is be-. tween. a vessel owner and the purchaser of the ore. The market for pig iron is still depressed under increasing stocks and: no in- dications of improvement in prices.' "lines of vessels running to' Escanaba and Marquette have un- - doubtedly provided for their own tonnage to some extent and have made agreements with certain owners to whom a stated amount of business is guaranteed on the basis of rates that may Ore shippers operating - be fully established in the future, but there is no ore to come. from these places offered to outside boats. A change in the re- lations between the ore producers and the pig iron makers, who are placed at a disadvantage on account of the. condition of the 'iron market, must come about before more chartering 'can be looked for from Escanaba or Marquette. dozen boats were placed at the dollar rate from Escanaba when $1.25 was first paid from Ashland, and it is more than probable that tonnage could now be secured at 95 cents or possibly a slightly lower figure. 'There is no ore offering now from Ash- land at $1.25, and boats wanting single cargoes of grain from Duluth at 4 cents are unable to secure them, although there is no talk of shading these rates. a3 Following the establishment.of 50 cents as the contract rate _on coal, to the head of Lake Superior a few boats were placed for first trips in the spring ata like rate. Nothing has been done in coal freights to Lake Michigan. Lumber is Largely Carried by Rail. » "Were it not for the development of timber lands tributary Not more than half a> to the lakes in Minnesota and, Wisconsin and the great increase in lumber shipments from the head of Lake Superior during the © past few years, vessels engaged in the business of carrying lum- ber on the lakes would fare badly. With the steady decline in - the pine industry of the Saginaw valley and the increasing ten- 7 dency to make shipments by rail, on account of a saving in hand- ling charges, the vessels have been getting only a small portion , . of the lumber trade, as compared with water transportation in other lines. 'The following figures show the total lumber pro--- duction on the Saginaw river in years named, and the water and _rail shipments, ,in feet : Water Rail . Feet cut. shipments. shipments. 1885 Seema een eee, «. 728,498,221 659,665,000 149,672,900 ~~ TOGO Stee nce se cocteoe ese qets ss 798,826,224 591,013, 100° 176,500,000 EO Tcknssecsdaveccwsevercss sss: 783,661,265 era 185,000 261,900,000 EnGOSkeasee-os-= eee at ta 880,669,440 451,391,000 304, 362 3500 1889 Bee eet rece cass cider emer § 851,623,133 432,130,000 352,500,000 T8QO......2eceeeecetees erences 815,054,465 409,972,000 401,847,000 ~ PAN fe oaks. ois a2 s- 750; 0105948 404,577,000 ~ 405,258,000 7 'This table shows the diversion of more than one-half of the the Saginaw river output from water to rail transportation. Affairs in Admiralty. BIG STEAMERS DO NOT OWN THE WATERWAYS. The federal courts seem determined that vessels of high speed shall not be run to the disadvantage of smaller craft in narrow channels. Judge Lacombe ofthe circuit court of appeals, second circuit, hands down a decision of interest in this regard in a case s appealed from the Uuited States circuit court for the southern district of New York. The ocean steamship Majestic, passing up New York bay, when near Bedloe's island overtook and passed atug witha heavily laden canal boat lashed on either side. A displacement wave produced by the steamship, 3 feet or more high, struck the tug and threw her with such force against one of her tows as to break in the side of the tow. 'The officers of the steamship testified that she passed the tug half a mile to the westward and that her speed had been 11 or 12 knots an hour but was' reduced to 7 knots ata point below Bedloe's island. The weather -was fine and the bay smooth and there was nothing to render navigation of the bay by the tug or her tows on that day imprudent. The court held that the steamship was liable for the injuries to the tow, and that it was no defense that her displacement waves did not render navigationin the bay more peril- ous for tugs and tows than would a high wind, nor that she was navigating at a speed customarily adopted by vessels of her class. The tug was not in fault for failure to turn the stern of her tows directly to the wave, she being the overtaken vessel and her master having the right to assume that the steamship would take proper steps to avoid disaster; and this, though the master saw the wave some little time before it struck, as he might rea- sonably expect a decrease in the wave before it would reach his vessel. The steamship Thingvalla when in mid-ocean discovered the white light and both side lights of an approaching steamship, the Geiser, so situated as to indicate to the navigator of the Thingvalla that the two vessels would meet end on, or nearly so. The Thingvalla altered her course to starboard in order to keep out of the way, and continued to swing to starboard, although . the red light of the Geiser disappeared indicating that she was swinging in the same direction, until, although the engines of both were reversed, they came into collision. Circuit Judges Wallace and Lacombe of the court of appeals, second district, held that whether the two vessels were meeting end on, or on-cross- ing courses, in either case, the change of course of the Geiser was in violation of rules 16 and 23, requiring her to port if meet- ing endon and to held her course if on crossing courses; and that, as the navigator of the. Thingvalla did not know but that the Geiser would change -her course so as to conform to the rules, she was not in fault for not changing her course to port as soon as she saw the mistaken maneuver of the Geiser. The circuit court of appeals, second circuit, on hearing a short time ago acase appealed from the United States court, eastern district of New York, reduced a salvage award and held that, although the amount of salvage rests in the discretion of the court awarding it, an appelate court may reduce the award, ifin making it there was a clear and palpable mistake, violation of just principles ora departure from the path of authority. The case was that of a vessel at anchor in New York harbor, laden with petroleum in wooden cases which took fire and which, but for the prompt services of tugs which came to her assistance, would have been totally destroyed in a few moments. The sav- - ing to the owners was ascertained to be $81,400,and $20,000 was awarded to the tugs as salvage. 'he vessel was of iron and iron rigged. 'The salvors encountered no peril to person or property, and the extinction of the fire required no extraordinary exertion on their part. The salvage award was pronounced excessive and was cut down to $12,000. - Among the holders of maritime liens equal in dignity he shall be preferred who first institutes proceedings to enforce his claim.