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' MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE. MARINE AND KINDRED ° INTERESTS. 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. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. CANADIAN government officials as well as vessel owners and others of the dominion interested in the shipping business of the lakes understand fully the importance of the canal toll question involved in the recent reciprocity conference, and there is no need of explaining to them the mistake of the Canadian press in referring to President Harrrison's recent message to congress as a campaign document. There is nothing bearing a sign of politics in that part of the president's message treating of the canal toll question, and the Democratic house, as well as the senate, will undoubtedly give the whole matter careful at- tention immediately. The action of the executive branch of the government is entirely in line with the conservative demands of the Lake Carriers' Association and other leading commercial bodies in all ports of the lakes, who haye been instigative in bringing the subject to the attention of the government. As the president states in his message the final outcome of negotia- tions on the subject is not yet at hand, but he has deemed it proper to place before congress propositions looking to retalia- tion in case the discriminations are maintairied. The resolution dealing with the question, which has just been presented in the senate and referred to the finance commit- tee of that body, provides in effect that after August 1 next, whenever and so often as the president'shall be satisfied that the passage through any canal or jock connected with the naviga- tion of the St. i,awrence river, the great lakes or the waterways connecting the same, of any vessel of the United States or of cargoes or passengers in transit to any United States port, is prohibited or is made difficult or burdensome by the imposition of tolls or otherwise, which, in view of the free passage through the St. Mary's Falls canal, now permitted to vessels of all na- tions, he shall deem reciprocally unjust and unreasonable, he shall have the power, and it shall be his duty to suspend by proclamation for such time and to such extent (including ahso- lute prohibition) as he shall deem just, the right of free passage through the St. Mary's Falls canal, so far as it relates to ves- sels owned by the subjects of the government so discriminating against the citizens, ports or vessels of the United States, or to any cargoes, portions of cargoes, or passengers in tran- sit to the ports of the government making such discrim- ination, whether carried in vessels of the United States or of other nations. In such cases and during such suspensions tolls shall be levied,collected and paid as follows: Upon freight, not to exceed $2 a ton; upon passengers not to exceed $5 each, as shall be from time to time determined by the president; pro- vided that no tolls shall be charged to or collected upon freight or passengers carried to and landed at Ogdensburg or any port west of Ogdensburg and south of a line drawn from the northern boundary of the state of New York through the St. Lawrence river, the great lakes and their connecting channels to the northern boundary of Minnesota. In another part of this issue is published a letter from H. C. O'Brien, commissioner of navigation, on the subject of government investigation and reports of marine disasters and accidents of all kinds. An opinion is asked for. The RkeviEw has repeatedly called attention to the neccessity of such investi- gations and heartily endorses the suggestions of the commis- sioner. A Statement From the Light-House Board. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Wasurnaron, D. C., June 30.--The light-house board decided to have its say also and has given out the following statement in regard to the relief of Col. William Ludlow, engineer corps, U. 8. A., and Commander O. F. Hyer- man, U. S. N., engineer and inspector, respectively, of the Eleventh light- house district: "In January, 1889, a preliminary project costing $60,000 was submitted for the purpose of lighting the St. Mary's river below the Sault. The pro- ject, as stated in the report that accompanied it, was simply preliminary. In March, 1890, a revised project was submitted by the engineer of the Eleventh light-house district calling for thirty-eight lights. This was approved by the light-house board at a meeting in April of the same year, and the following winter congress was asked to make an appropriation of $30,000 for the estab- lishment of these lights. The sundry civil bill, approved March 3, 1891, con- tained an item of $30,000 for establishing "some thirty-seven lights."? In May of 1892 a letter was received from the engineer of the Eleventh light- house district giving the location of forty-five lights, which was far in excess of what the board had approved or of what congress had authorized. The light-house board replied that the number and location of lights must conform to the board's instructions of April, 1890. The district officers then answered that the project of 1890 was only approximate and that the additional lights were necessary for the navigation of the St. Mary's river as it exists at the present time. "On June 2 the light-house board telegraphed: 'Board absolutely re- fuses to put more than thirty-eight lights in St. Mary's river. Confer with in- spector, agree upon, locate and establish thirty-eight lights, each of which may be lighted so soon as set up. Where channels have changed location of lights may be changed after agreement with inspector, to be placed so that the thirty-eight lights may meet as nearly as possible the requirements of naviga- tion, adhering as closely as practicable to the location approved by the board March 29, 1890, of which you were notified April 5, 1890. After the thirty- eight lights are placed forward joint report giving locations thereof and full data of notice to mariners. Any structures not included in the thirty-eight lights agreed upon by the engineer and inspector in accordance with these in- structions must be removed before leaving the river.' On the 6th of June the board telegraphed insisting that its telegram of June 2 be strictly carried out; that the approved project of 1890 was the one to be followed and that the lights shown thereon were to be placed by both district officers acting together; that the discretion granted did not extend to dropping a lightat one point and substituting one at some other point, but only such slight varia- tions of position as might be necessary to meet needs of commerce, but not to change from one site to another wholly different. The engineer replied that the additional lights were absolutely necessary, and that no additional funds would be needed to establish them, but the board did not consider itself warranted in increasing the number of lights over what had been approved. The engineer then tele- graphed that 'safety of navigation calls for adequate provision or none,' to which the reply was made: ' Your telegram of June 10 is uncalled for. Obey your instructions.' On June 13 the district officers sent a long dispatch still urging the location of forty-five lights, apparently without any regard to the instructions of the board to establish thirty-eight, or of its refusal to place more than thirty-eight. Consequently a special meeting of the board was called on June 14 to consider the matter, at which meeting all of the corres- pondence was read and discussed, and'it was finally resolved unanimously that the secretary of the treasury be requested to ask for the relief of the district officers, and that others be assigned in their places, and the secretary of the treasury complied with this request. '"'On June 15, the day after the board had resolved that the district offi- cers be relieved, a telegram was received from them as follows: 'Telegram of 15th received. Section 5358 of revised statute forbids literal compliance with the board's instructions. The Little Mud lake range as prescribed by the board would amount to the exhibition of false lights.' Paragraph 5358 re- ferred to reads as follows: 'Every person who holds out or chou any false light, with intent to bring any vessel sailing upon the sea into danger or dis- tress or shipwreck, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $5 000 and imprisoned at hard labor not more than ten years.' Previous cone spenders between the light-house board and Maj. Ludlow shows clearly that a certain margin of action in the location of range lights on the St. Marys river was left to the district officers of the Eleventh light-house district, and that a literal compliance was not intended by the board. The intimation contains in the telegram was to the effect that the light-house board, by the loe 3 range lights on the Little Mud lake range in the St. Marys river, was guilty of an intent to lead vessels astray and into shipwreck. This fanaa wae ae sidered as entirely uncalled for and offensive by the ene teed bout ation of certain © 1 n the strength of 1s Ne on Bae gth of this last telegram, the secretary of the treasury made a second request that the officers should be relieved without de were necessar Assi sat orari hei : ve ssary to assign others temporarily to their duties until permanent de- ails could be made, and the request was immediately gr v¥ 3 anted by the secretar of war and the secretary of the navy TS lay, even if it - oh a ioe aad, i es a - 4 LS wal ttl die ea Me ae ae ae