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8 MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO*YTHE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED. INTERESTS. JOHN M. MULROONEY, F. M. BARTOon, HoMERJ.Carr, - - - Associate Editor and Manager Chicago Office, 210 South Water Street. Published every Thursday at No. 510 Perry-Payne Building, Cleveland, O. SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on application. \ PROPRIETORS. The books of the United States treasurg department contain the names of 3,600 vessels, measuring 1,154,870.38 tons in the lake trade. In classification of this fleet the lakes have more steamboats of 1,000 to 2,500 tons than the combined ownership of this class of vessels in all other sections of the country. The number of vessels of 1,000 to 2,500 tous on the lakes on June 30, IggI, was 310 and their aggregate gross tonnage 512,- 787.58; in all other parts of the country the number of this class of ves- sels was, on the same date, 213 and their gross tonnage 319,750.84. The classification of the entire lake fleet is as follows: Class. Number. Tonnage. TRAVERSE Gi) i555 ii ienedscccesneets i piece aso 1,592 756,751 -53 AUST VESSOUS) ty asic vorekneps = dr scakeraitee senses 1,243 325,131.06 WATIAUP DOA USs Megs dese ccc c tutes. dnecs pcccaralPae aa 703 72,515.42 IBAMBOS. fete spear. ect aitin tat Sissasts diveeletnesnenes 62 20,472.37 4 ; DPotals asc! « oot apeinueittagateid aa dat as vata 3,600 1;154,870.38 Tonnage built on the lakes during the past five years, according to the report of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows : No. of boats. Net Tonnage OO reteset as etets cena desis sone ad s'adlead eins 152 56,488.32 10512) Ogpor Enc aeee EE uote ae eee re eee ee 222 IOI, 102.87 POS ostargtet cima evade mabt + cabins ss au jain vans 225 107,080.30 TAGW ee eens sees ss Oe nia Five cgi Sass Sane 218 108,515.00 POO Mey sitters sataeenuiaes Sims tcg sy a Paacacues 204 111,856.45 PROLALS stvecsatee sien: eee gna 1,021 485,042.94 St. Mary's Falls and Suez canal trafic: Number of boats through St. Mary's Falls canal in 1890, 234 days of navigation, 10,557; tonnage, net registered, 8,454,435. Number of boats through Suez canal dure 1890, full year, 3,389; tonnage, net registered, 6,890,014. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. WHEN the vessel interests of the lakes began two or three years ago to assert their rights to appropriations for river and harbor improvements and other aids to a commerce that is now more important than the inland shipping of any country in the worid, they secured a share of the distribution of government funds for such purposes. They have since learned that with a commerce so important to the whole country their humble pleading before Congress with hat in hand was not only un- called for but had lost for them advantages that were going to the Mississippi river and other sections. 'The equally import- ant shipbuilding interests will, unless the signs are misleading, find that a vigorous policy of this kind isneeded of them. A few weeks ago representatives of sthe different shipbuilding companies on the lakes met in Cleveland and contented them- selves with adopting a series of resolutions against a single bill aimed against this industry. A half dozen or more of such bills, all of the free ship nature, have been introduced in Congress since that meeting. Among these measures are House bills Nos. 5,441 and 7,023. The first of these is what is known as "the free ships" bill, providing for the free admission to the American registry of boats built in foreign countries. information regarding this bill is that it has been acted upon fa- vorably in committee and is likely to be soon reported. The bill No. 7,023 is in the general direction of breaking down the pres- ent opposition to "free ships" and is an insidious attempted sop to American shipbuilders. The shipbuilders of the lakes may claim that legislation of this kind does not concern them as much directly as it does the coast builders. They know, how- ever, that even under present laws and the present condition of waterways to the seaboard many vessels of a poor class have been brought to the lakes. They are letting these matters drift along while the "free ships" people and those interested in getting registers for foreign-built ships in individual cases, are getting be killed in committee. _ will devolve upon Detroit vessel owners to prepare, either for The best. in their work daily before the committees of Congress and are making progress with little or no apparent special opposition The Democratic party, as a party, is committed to the"free ships' 4 policy and it is a question that is gaining ground in' spite of general protests and the general well-known policy of the Republican party against it. If the ship builders a forging establishments and other interests in this line on the -- lakes allow this movement in Washington to go on further with- 4 out opposition they will find probably when it is too late, that the enemy has established a solid footing through its present _ progress. Counsel should be secured and these bills should a Ir is announced from Washington that Senator McMillan -- and Congressman Chipman have assurances that the bill requir- ing vessels to report every time they enter or leave port, which -- has passed the Senate and has been reported favorably to the - House, will not be called up for passage in the House. - Senator McMillan is said to have interviewed Senator Sawyer and Repre- sentative Lind on the subject, and it is claimed that he has | secured from them consent to have the bill amended so as to : apply to reports of this kind in large cities and not to small ports _ where vessels stop along the river. It is to be hoped that no-- such amendment will be made in this bill. Better not pass the bill at all than have it stand in the way in the future ofa measure that will bring out statistics of the entire commerce o the lakes. An amendment of the kind proposed would only tend to complicate matters and still secure only a partial report of t volume of business on the lakes. This proposed law is not altogether satisfactory to the vessel interests and it is especially - * objectionable to the Detroit & Cleveland Steam Navigation -- Company on account of the business of that company at small -- : ports along the St. Clair and Detroit rivers. Through the 'new organization of vessel owners in Detroit, the Detroit & Cleveland - Company has worked up some opposition to the bill, and Senator McMillan's personal interest in the company prompts, of -- course, to some extent, his special efforts in opposition to the measure, but neither this company nor the Detroit vessel owners should overthrow the aim to satisfy all interests in the popular demand for reliable statistical reports from the lakes. The bill, it must be admitted, is open to objection, butif it is to be laid aside no bungling substitute should take its place, and the duty the present Congress or at the earliest possible date, a better measure. : In discussing the plans of the transportarion department of the World's Columbian Exposition for exhibits of a marine kind from different parts of the country, Lieut. Baker, U. S. N., who has been given charge of the marine display, said toa New York newspaper reporter: " By far the most interesting part of the display must come from eastern states. 'The commerce of the great lakes is of such recent origin that it can not make a dis- play of great interest to the student and historian.' Unless we are greatly mistaken the marine department of the fair had assurance of exhibits from lake shipbuilders before eastern people were heard of in the matter and before Mr. Baker was -- hired in connection with the work. The lake exhibit will be of a creditable character also, and the new manager of the depart- ment is undoubtedly making a mistake in belittling itin the hope of interesting eastern builders who have long refused to take an interest in the fair. ' At the Clyde yard of J. & G. Thomson, Limited, there has" just been launched for the British government the warship Ramillies a vessel of 14,000 tons. This boat will have seventy- eight separate engines and will cost £843,000, or about $4,215) i ooo. The keel was made in August 1890 and plans to the num- ber of 5,000 have been used in connection with the work, 4 4 7 a 4 ;