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g MARINE REVIEW. CHICAGO LAKE INTERESTS. WESTERN OFFICE, MARINE REVIEW, t No. 13 Western Union Building, CHICAGO, III., June 30. It can be stated on good authority that W. A. Livingstone of Detroit will be offered the management of the World's Fair Steamship Company, which has the exclusive franchise of landing passengers at the word's fair grounds. Mr. Livingstone was here the other day and appeared before the officers of the company, who were favorably impressed with him. No better man could be secured for the difficult position. Mr. Livingstone unites both theory and practice With both of them he has sound common sense; and it would be hard to find a man who could shoulder the great responsibility with greater hope of success than he. What is still better, Mr. Livingstone does not, like so many people connected in the world's fair in various positions, travel on his shape. In this respect he will be quite a novelty around the world's fair headquarters. It is to be hoped that he will accept the place. Chicago marine men have never had such a time with currents as for five days ending on Monday. Navigation was practically suspended during most of that time and an enormous fleet accumulated at the mouth of the harbor and along the docks iu the south branch unable to get either in or out as the case might be. All of this, however, is too well and unpleasantly known by hun- dreds of vessel owners around the lakes to dwell on the misery now. Some of these vessel owners were so very thoughtless as to blame the city government for not having the cofferdam, which had been placed in the river at Van Buren Street some months ago, while the tunnel for the West Side Street Railroad Company was being constructed, removed several weeks ago whey the tunnel had been completed. These thoughtless vessel owners were so foolish as to suppose that the city government of Chicago has anything to do with the river or with anything else for the public good which is not directly in the line of politics. Of course many of these vessel men pay big taxes in Chicago and they naturally suppose that the city government was be- ing run to look after their business interests, and if there was an obstruction in the river, which was of no good to anybody, and which might as well be moved as not, the mayor and commissioner of public works would see that it was moved. Of course, nothing of the kind was done, and the cofferdam. might have remained in the river until the end of time before the city author- ities would ever have made a move to have had it jerked out. The present administration is no worse in this respect than any of its predecessors. Vessel men must understand that if they want anything done they must get up and howl for it, like other people. The city authorities are not going around try- ing to find places where they can do good. On the contrary, they are dodging everything that can be dodged, and will not act on any proposition until pub- lic clamor compels them to do so. It is to be hoped that Chicago vesselmen have learned a lesson from the cofferdam to the effect that they must not wait for somedody else to fight their battles for them, but seek help themselves, forcing the city authorities to take the required action. James B. Kellog, the well known insurance adjuster, who has been with C. W. Elphicke & Co. for several years, and H. N. Robinson, late chief clerk for Crosby, Macdonald & Co., have formed a partnership in the marine insur- ance business, and will have their office at No. 12 Sherman Street. While the firm will deal with marine insurance in general, the adjustment of marine losses will be their principal business for some time. Mr. Kellog is so well known around the lakes that it hardly seems necessary to say a good word for him, however much it might be deserved. Mr. Robinson has grown up in the office of Crosby, Macdonald & Co. and has gained an excellent reputation as a young insurance man. The firm begins its business July 1. If the current in the Chicago river had continued a month longer, tugmen would have become experts in the handling of large craft and it is likely they would have got along without much trouble. Nevertheless the fiye-mile current through a channel not much oyer the width of a boat and as crooked as a ram's horn is not a pleasant thing to tackle. The underwriters who are interested in the Progress are having consider- able difference of opinion on what to do with the wreck. Some of them want to get out as cheaply as possible, sell the boat for what she will bring, pay the loss and close the accounts. It is a little odd that nearly all the big insurance losses this season have occurred on Monday. Capt. Elphicke says Monday is indeed a blue day this year. Lake Matters in Canada. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Krneston, Ont., June 30.--Inquiries have been made here by Buffalo grain dealers with regard to the proposed elevator, They asked for a state- ment showing how much grain would require storage here every season, the cost of construction and if a good site were available on reasonable terms. It is proposed to operate the elevator here in conjunction with those at Buffalo,or in other words for the owners to control the storage of grain no matter which route it may be forwarded by. The probabilities are that Canadians would not submit to the monopoly and that during the coming winter the question will be seriously discussed. The members of the dominion government are unwilling to discuss Presi- dent Hartison's threat of non-intercourse with Canada, and appear to regard it as an election bluff. The government organ at the capitol in referring to the matter says that the pretense that Canadais breaking faith with the United States in the matter of canals is untrue. It is a matter of common knowledge, however, that when a Canadian vessel attempted to use the Erie canal she was stopped at Whitehall and compelled to discharge her. cargo on the plea that | there was no agreement that Canadian vessels could navigate the Hudson river. oe Senator Davis' bill giving the president power to charge toll on freight bound to Canadian ports and passing through the St. Mary's Falls canal is be- ing discussed at Ottawa. One member of parliament remarked chat before congress passed the bill and the president deemed it wise to exercise the au- thority, the Canadian canal at the Sault will be finished, when it will make no difference whether the tolls are charged or not. - The new steel tug recently launched by the Collinsby Rafting Company has been named the Petrel, after the bird which it is claimed takes possession "of the souls of all sailors who die at sea. _ Official Numbers and Tonnage. The bureau of navigation, E. C. O'Brien, commissioner, assigned official numbers to the following lake vessels during the week ending June 25: Steam--Cadillac, Marquette, 1,203.54 tons gross, 1,068,17 net, No. 126,876; John B. Ketcham, 2nd, Toledo, 908.88 tons gross, 778.82 net, No. 77,073; Promise, Detroit, 473.15 tons gross, 295.67 net, No. 150,590; Mary, Toledo, 218.93 tons gross, 184.93 net, No. 92,442; H. H. Leroy, Oswego, N. Y., 78.76 tons gross, 49.74 net, No. 96,081; Wanda, Detroit, 20.15 tons gross, 13.69 net, No. 81,377; Kalista, Cleveland, 9.89 tons gross, 7.46 net, No. 161,026. Grain at Chicago and Duluth. Stocks of grain at Chicago and Duluth on Monday, June 27, were as follows: Chicago. Duluth. Wheat, bu. Corn, bu. All wheat, bu. Tm SCO Cre necaccesfsscmedetaescetetarss 5,756,134 3,726,691 4,260,428 Decrease last week..............0.c0++ DAOSAO T Utee coh etn 77,442 Imenease last weeks cence ccscstacntie ccreossepie sosheed pA Oi Oba meen atc seme Excess over same time last year... 4,580,249 2,563,351 2,028,508 In addition to the above there is 1,235,224 bushels of oats, 166,030 bushels of rye and 17,668 bushels of barley in store in Chicago. Additions to the Lake Fleet. Inland Lloyds July supplement contains the names, tonnage and valuation of over a million dollars worth of floating prop- erty put forth from lake ship yards during the past month. Three of the steamers are the straight-deck package freighters -- for the Anchor Line built at three different yards, and two, the Gilbert and Maritana, are the largest steamers now in commis- sion on the lakes. Following is the list: D mM NAME Or VESSEL. 4 ee VALUE. OWNER AND Port or Hatt. Oo Caialc eenes eater Al 1,068 $120,000 | Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., Cleveland, O. (QOYOKANE Ae coon! ANI 1,800 175,000 | Hrie & Western Trans. Co., Erie, Pa. Mahoning............... Al 1,800 175,000 | Hrie & Western Trans. Co., Erie, Pa. Schuylkill... .......... Al 1,800 175,000 | Hrie & Western Trans. Co., Erie, Pa. AW EACH Otter nse: Al 2,200. 225,000 | Empire Trans. Co., Saginaw, Mich. IMileiri talniciee sess et eae, Al 2,000 200,000 | Minnesota 8. 8. Co., Ashtabula, O. A=VDeCbore tee ee Al 25 11,000 | T. W. Kirby, Grand Haven, Mich. b-J.§. Parsons........ Al 109 5,000 | F, Phelps, Chaumont. CaN DLA wee ee .| Al 354. 18,000 | Comstock, Alpena, Mich. 11,156 $1,104,500 a-tug ; b-schooner ; c-barge ; all others steel steamers. Work of the Ship Yards. The last of the Anchor line steamers, the Schuylkill, build- ing at the yards of the Globe Iron Works Company, Cleveland will be launched Saturday. The Detroit Dry Dock Company launched the Groham & Morton passenger steamer Chicora on Saturday last, and at Davidson's West Bay City yard on Wed- nesday the first of the "Big Three'? steamers, named City of Venice, was floated. SOME figures just prepared from the Inland Lloyds Vessel Register for insurance agents show that since June 30, 1865 there has been built on the lakes sixty-four vessels of 83,323 net registered tons and of value aggregating $7,911,000. When it is considered that this register includes only the larger class of business boats, the record of lake ship yards for the past year can well be contrasted with that of previous seasons of heavy building. Send 50 cents in stamps to the MARINE REVIEW for ten phototypes and gravures of lake steamers neatly bound,