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fs ? : CHICAGO LAKE INTERESTS. WESTERN OFFICE, MARINE REVIEW, No. 13 Western Union Building, Ca1caGco, Il., May 26. { There seems to be good grounds for believing that better business will be done after June 1. If the wet country roads get dried out a little so that farmers can haul their corn to market and sell it to the shorts on the Board of Trade here, who are crying for corn as loudly as the children of Ireland did in '47, there will be any quantity of corn in Chicago elevators by June 1. After the eorner has been ended by the close of the month all this corn will have to go forward at some figure, and a big business for vesselmen ought to result. Wheat, too, shows a disposition to go forward, and if wheat and corn both get started at the same time all the present dullness will be recompensed by a big boom. The water transportation to the world's fair is a mystery to the uninitiated. Over a month ago the contract was awarded to the so-called Henry syndicate, but it is not known yet if the contract has even been signed. Mr. Henry an- ° nounced that the syndicate would have boats in service by May 1, but no boats have yet appeared. In the meantime the outside boats are preparing for a lively season. The Ivanhoe, Chief Justice Waite and Corona will land at a pier just north of the fair grounds. Piers will also be constructed south of the grounds. Boats are also landing at the fair piers. It is said that the syndicate is insisting that the world's fair people protect the syndicate's boats from this outside competition, and that is where the hitch comes in. The fair directors disclaim responsibility for piers outside the park grounds, and say the syndicate must fight its own battles. It now Jooks as if the exclusive priv- ilege would amount to nothing this season. At any rate the outside boat owners have recovered from their panic and are in for a fight with the syndi- cate. It will cost $100,000 for. proper facilities down town and a viaduct over the railroad trucks on the lake front. and the world's fair in the present state of its finances is not likely to expend a dollar on this most important work. Until that is done owners of the outside boats will have as good a chance as anyone for a good share of the business. When the Maritina is launched by the Chicago Ship Building Company next week, the occasion is going to be made a notable one by the reorganized a gala day. Emmons Blaine, son of the secretary of state, has taken a very active interest in ship building, and as president of the company he is proving himself a hustling business man, i ' ; If the marine reporters of the various lake papers want to see a marine reporter in fiction the ought to get John MeGovern's "David Lockwin,"' and then read what wonderful things a marine reporter can do. 'This particular marine reporter could not speak a correct sentence, he was the toughest of the tough, was elected to the legislature by the Seamens' Union, made up his accounts of wrecks out of dime novels and was generally a very curious indi- vidual. His only redeeming trait was that he died as the result of a good deed. Your correspondent took McGovern to task for drawing such a picture of marine reporting, but Mr. McGovern stoutly insisted that his picture was drawn from life and was a fair representation of a marine reporter many years ago on the Chicago Tribune. It is almost needless to say that this marine re- porter is now dead, else he would be hunting the novelist with a double- barreled shot gun. Nevertheless, 'David Lockwin" is well worth reading, and the shipwreck of the Africa is very graphic. If marine reporters do. as Mr. McGovern seems to think they do, a very fair description can be cribbed right out of this novel on the next shipwreck that comes around. The Increased Draft of Water. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Drrrorr, Mich., May 26.--A captain of a lake steamer defends the St. Mary's Falls canal officials against the charge that they have been over zealous in their efforts to protect the lock from injury through vessels overloading. The captain is quoted as saying: 'The water fluctuates constantly, and the depth today may not be that of tomorrow." What looks strange in this mat- ter, however, is that the water should have been repoxted at 13.6 every day for more than two wecks, although it is asserted that during that time a num- . ber of boats were locked through drawing 13.8 and 13.9, and furthermore, that the second day after the subject was brought up at the meeting of the Lake Carriers' Association in Cleveland, the water was reported 15.8 and has not since been reported lower. If boats could have been permitted to carry 100 to 150 tons more freight each trip without endangering the lock, it can easily be figured what a heavy loss the owners have sustained. If this loss was unnecessary there should be some vigorous action taken before the question is dropped. That no injustice should be done towards Supt. Lynch or any other official, it is highly proper that the proposed investigation be made as soon as possible. Vessel owners and masters are to be congratulated on the rise of water in the rivers which appears to have come to stay, for the inclination is still up- ward, Jt is thought that boats drawing 16 feet can now come over Grosse point crossing. A striking example of the ease with which false reports relating to marine matters can be originated and put in circulation, came out here on Monday. MARINE REVIEW. | | | 7 The story was told and generally credited, that the Norwegian steamer Werge- land had been sunk by collision near Marine City and that her spars and fun- nel could be seen above water. All this was related in good faith by one of the officers of a boat which arrived here that morning. It was not yet daylight when he passed the supposed sunken steamer, the river was covered by a low dense bank of fog and the man actually saw the spars and smokestack of the Wergeland, but she was lying at anchor, her hull completely hidden by the fog. It was a case of optical illusion, so frequent and puzzling on the water. Business at the Detroit dry dock is lively these days. As fast asa boat goes out another is ready to take her place. Frequently two atatime are taken in. The new force of calkers are doing excellent work. Heavy Grain Movement Through Canada. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Kinestron, Ont., May 26.--During the last week grain has been fairly pouring in here from the west, and day and night the forwarders had to work in order to give dispatch. Word from Montreal has been received to the effect that at present, even though the rebate is not allowed, there are over 200,000 bushels of Montreal grain stored at Ogdensburg, and that much is be- ing shipped via the Erie route. Montreal thus loses considerable trade because there is no elevator in Kingston. Had there been an elevator here the surplus grain would be stored, and the rebate not only saved but the trade retained. Heretofore the trade at Montreal was divided as to the ad- visability of the government allowing the rebate on grain stored at Ogdens- burg; now it is a unit in advocating elevator capacity in Kingston. Certainly the grain leaves here as quickly as it comes, but a difficulty exists when there are no steamships into which to empty the barges. The facilities for elevat- ing in Kingston and Portsmouth were never so thorough as they are at present. Lumber shipping at Ottawa is very quiet this spring. There are about fifty barges lying idle waiting for orders from American ports. Scarcely any such orders have been received and it is feared there will not be many. The forwarders are loosing considerable money as the crews of the barges haye to be paid, work or play. The presidential campaign is blamed for the dul spell. The quantity of sawn lumber shipped to Europe thus far, however, is large. 'The quantity is 18,600,000 feet, all of which went to Montreal in barges. The Canadian cruiser Constance, built by the government to protect the fisheries between Anticosta and Quebec, has passed here for her destination. She is a pretty little craft, and is supposed to be able to overhaul the fleetest smuggler with ease. Her speed is placed at 15 miles an hour and her com- pound engines furnish 320 horse power. She is fitted up with speaking tubes, and is commanded by Captain George May, who has sixteen officers and men. Young Naval Constructors for American Yards. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Wasuineton, D. C., May 26.--The first three of the students sent to Europe by Secretary Tracy for special training in their profession of naval construction have just completed their course of study in Glasgow. One of the three assistant naval constructors, P. W. Hibbs of Minnesota, has just ar- rived and has reported for duty at the navy department, whence he will short- ly be ordered to duty at Norfolk as assistant to Constructor Bowles. Mr. Hibbs is a graduate of the Naval Academy, where he stood No. 2 in his class and subsequently became an assistant engineer. He took a special course at Glasgow for preparation for work in designing, and therefore did not come into competition with the members of the regular class. His ifstructors state that if he had he would nndoubtedly have carried off the highest honors. Two other construction students, Messrs. G. H. Rock of Michigan and T. F. Ruhm of Tennessee have also completed their course and taken their degrees at the university and are now returning. In their class, which was composed of ten members, Mr. Ruhm stood number one and took the prize for the high- est honors, and Mr. Rock passed number two. These two young officers will be ordered, one to the navy yard, New York, and the other to the navy yard, Mare island. Two other Glasgow construction students, Naval Cadets L. Spear of Ohio and R. M. Watt of Pennsylvania, are about returning to the United _ States to get five months' experience in our shipbuilding yards. The time has now come when a young constructor may acquire experience in our own yards quite as valuable as that to be obtained in European yards. These young men will return to the University of Glasgow to complete their course next year. The authorities speak in the highest terms of the successful work performed by all American students. The American Steel Barge Company recently wrote to the treasury depart- ment in regard to the free entry under section 8 of the tariff act of materials and machinery for use in the construction of vessels at Everett, Washington, where the company has established a large shipyard. Assistant Secretary Spaulding has informed the company that rivets, iron or steel, can not be ad- mitted under the section in question; that the materials enumerated in that section can be admitted free whether they are to be used in the construction of the hull or of the engines and boilers; that the term "'equipment," as used, is not understood to include donkey engines, pumps, windlasses, steam steerer and other machinery, but does include anchors, chain cables, boats, life-saying apparatus, nautical instruments, signal lights and similar articles.