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12 MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. tar wa eno PROPRIETORS. ae HOMER J. CARR, Associate Editor and Manager Chicago Office, Western Union Building, 110 LaSalle Street. Published every Thursday at No. 516 Perry-Payne Building, Cleveland, O. SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on application. The books of the United States treasury 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 tons on the lakes on June 30, 1891, 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. MIRCHI VESSCI Gt niin -frccndaamecnetaar cd. neces 1,592 756,751-53 Sailitig VESSals. sacesupsseccacer heectbeaesescae tock 1,243 325,131.06 Canal boats: chins coc hc eeinow eens 703 72,515-42 AGES kot teo sat oR eal hag ence eebeeeete 62 20,472.37 POLE aames Cin seth vcs wan tiem cowenitacasseves 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, MSP towa ana Cader cestonos wi banat act orn setae 152 56,488.32 USSScctsieriet racecseaneia cases escent eeeat oat 222 IOI, 102.87 TOOQueteyahes che ha sesectecereiteewotisenetnees 225 107,080.30 TO GQOme ce aes nenacsene recs c onan cas eee es oeatens 218 108,515.00 MOO Marsa teaeseacepe cin eecne a ieee teehee 204 111,856.45 al Otalles reaccteaeh uate sets coins er 1,021 485,042.94 Lintered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. In another part of this issue will be found a plain statement of facts relative to the action to the light-house board, treasury department, in relieving Col. William Ludlow, corps of engin- eers, U. S. A., and Commander O. F. Heyerman, U. S. N., from the duties, respectively, of light-house engineer and light-house inspector in the Eleventh district, comprising Lakes Huron and Superior and the St. Mary's river. To put it mildly the action of the board in this case is the stragest proceeding ever attemp- ted in the service, and it would not be surprising to those inter- ested in the matter to learn eventually that there is a spirit of spitefulness or at least undue antagonism back of the whole affair. However this may be, it is certain that if such a thing is possible, through the unanimous assistance of the shipping inter- ests directly concerned, these district officers will be given a hearing before being turned down on such causes as those appearing in their action toward the board. Since the an- nouncement of the action of the board, protests in the form of: telegrams and resolutions from leading vessel owners and com- mercial bodies in all parts of the lakes have been pouring in upon Secretary Foster, the board and members of the senate, and Vice-President H. M. Hanna with Secretary Keep of the Lake Carriers' Association are now in Washington, as the spec- ial representatives of lake interests, to ask that Col. Ludlow and Commander Heyerman be summoned before the board for a full investigation. An investigation is all that is asked, and if it is to rest upon the question of insubordination on the part of the district officers, there should be no trouble in proving to the secretary or fair mimded members of the board that false lights should not be shown no matter who orders them. 'There was, however, no insubordination intended but an earnest en- deavor on the part of the officers to discharge an impottant and difficult duty while seeking to save the board itself from most damaging action. Av last President Harrison has sent to congress a message covering the matter of Canadian discrimination against American citizens in Welland canal tolls. He recommends that congress, with deliberation and yet with promptness, take such steps as may be necessary to secure the just rights of our citizens. This simply means retaliation if the Canadian government per- sists in its present course. President Harrison's statement of the subject is entirely in line with the claims which the shipping interests of the lakes have been pressing upon the state depart- ment for two years past. On July 1 the contract for patroling St. Mary's river will expire, and as far as wecan learn no appropriation has been made to continue the work. This is a matter that should demand the immediate attention of vessel owners. The care of the pres- ent contractor in attending to the buoys has undoubtedly saved the vessel interests from many losses and costly delays in the river. 'This work should not be stopped for a single day, but it will undoubtedly be suspended on the first of next month if not temporarily provided for. CANAL street bridge in Chicago, against which the marine . interests have waged war for two years, is being replaced by a bridge of the jack-knife plan, which gives one wide draw in the center of the river. So much for the disposal of one trouble- some bridge question. Case of Col. Ludlow and Commander Heyerman. Circumstances connected with the dismissal of Col. William Ludlow and Commander O. F. Heyerman from light-house ser- vice in the Eleventh district, reference to which is made editor- ally in this issue, were as follows: Some two years ago the light-house board approved a crude plan for lighting the St. Mary's river with thirty-eight lights. This plan was was form- ulated without a close inspection of the river or careful considera- tion as to the actual number of lights required and their loca- tion, it being intended to do this in the customary manner after the appropriation was made and the work ordered. Early this spring Col. William Ludlow, engineer for the light-house board in the Eleventh district, was ordered to the Sault river to erect the necessary range lights preparatory to the lighting. Upon getting actively at work he discovered that the thirty-eight lights would not answer, changes in the channel having been . made by the government dredging which were not taken into account at the time of the original location of the lights. The result of his work led him to adopt a plan consisting of forty- four lights, and under the modified scheme, by reason of the increase of lights on the shore and doing away withcertain piers near the channel, the cost of establishing the whole system, con- sisting of forty-four lights, was about $1,000 less than that re- quired to build under the thirty-eight light plan. Col. Ludlow reported this to the light-house board, but was instructed that the thirty-eight light system must be adhered to. 'To this he protested, but without avail. 'The board instructed Commander O. F. Heyerman, inspector Eleventh district, U. S. N., tosdisit the Sault river and confer with Col. Ludlow in regard to the lights, the result of which conference was a united protest by both of the district officers, Ludlow and Heyerman, to the board against carrying out their orders to erect only thirty-eight lights as directed by the board. 'This protest was of no avail with the board, who ordered them to proceed with the work as directed. To this the engineer and inspector, who were on the river, signified a willingness to put up such of the thirty-eight lights as would not be misleading to navigation, but declined to erect those which if followed would carry boats away from the chan- nel of the river and onio the rocks. 'The location of the ranges thus brought prominently into dispute, and which the officers declined to erect, were certain necessary ones at the "Black Hole"' and Topsail island, two of the most dangerous places, as every Lake Superior sailor knows, on the Sault river, In reply: to the stand taken by Col. Ludlow and Commander Heyerman the light-house board relieved them from their duties and order- - ed them to report at Detroit and await the arrival of their sue- cessors.