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Wit Vil: James J. Hill of Great Northern Fame. James J. Hill of the Great Northern Railway has been prominently connected with the development of the northwest, and within the past few years his connection with lake interests at the head of Lake Superior has made his name familiar in all parts of the lakes. The portrait printed here is reproduced from a publication recently sent out from the city ef Superior, and is not as good a likeness of Mr. Hill as the REvIEW would be pleased to present to its readers. Just now attention is di- rected to Mr. Hill and his operations on the lakes by the an- nouncement that he is about to build a line of passenger steam- ers, to be run between Buffalo and the head of Lake Superior in connection with the freight line known as the Northern Steam- ship Company. In referring to these boats, Mr. John F. Pank- hurst of the Globe Iron Works Company, Cleveland, who re- turned from St. Paul a few days ago said: 3 'The Great Northern Company will very probably build _ two boats at present and more may fol- low. Mr. Hill wants the finest boats that can be built. He does not want them followed in a few years by some- thing better than he has secured. He wants them 360 feet long and capable of a speed of 20 miles anhour. 'To pro- duce such a boat,suited to the St. Mary's Falls canal draft of little more than 14 feet, is by no means an easy task. The livht draft would, of course, limit the diameter of wheel to about 12 feet in a twin screw boat. In this the lake huild- ers will be at a great disadvantage. At- lantic Jiners like the City of Paris and the City of New York have 25-foot wheels aud they are fully submerged. If the boats are built according to the ideas now entertained by Mr. Hill, a full year will be taken up in their con- struction after the plans have all been prepared."' There is little doubt that the Great Northern company is also planning for steamship lines on the Pacific coast and in the foreign trade. Capt Murch of Cleveland who looked after the construction of the Hill freight boats now in operation on the lakes, is about to make a tour of all Atlantic coast shipyards, and it is understood that a part of his mission is to look up a few steamers that may be purchased for ocean service. Furnaces Nearer the Ore Fields. John Birkinbine, an authority on iron matters, said. at a re- cent meeting of mining engineers: "The rapid development of the western portion of our country, particularly that which is tributary to or can be easily reached from the great lakes, may divert from Chicago and vicinity part of the future iron produc- tion to points nearer the ore fields, and yet within convenient reach of cheap transportation for the fuel. Whether this fuel will be transported in its raw state and coked at the blast fur- naces, or whether it will be conveyed as coke, isa problem in process of solution, but I confess to feeling a gratification that the enterprise which I had the privilege of suggesting five years MARINE REVIEW. CLEVELAND, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1892. No:3 O° -ago--viz: The erection of a blast furnace at Duluth, Minn., in which Minnesota ores are smelted by the use of coke made near at hand from Pennsylvania coal carried by vessels to the head of Lake Michigan--has been sufficiently successful to encourage other lake ports to seriously consider the advisability of carry- ing out a similar project." Lake Freight Matters. Notwithstanding continued depression in the market for pig iron and uncertainty as to the demand for iron ore during the fall and winter, lake freights are still ruling strong, and the supply of wild tonnage has been greatly short of the demand for two weeks past, especially in the ore trade. At the rates that have ruled during the past week--$1.15 from the head of Lake Superior and 70 cents from Escanaba to Ohio ports--iron ore shippers have secured probably less than 25 per cent. of the '"wild" tonnage that they would have chartered if the poats - were to be had. 'They are, however, thoroughly earnest in their refusal to advance rates on the shipment of unsoid ore, and if an advance is secured later it will of necessity be the means of still further restricting the movement. l[a- bor troubles in the Pittsburgh neigh- borhood have been referred to as a fac- tor in the question of the demand for Lake Superior ore. It is true, of course, that the Carnegies are large consumers of lake ore. With furnaces running and mills idle stocks of pig iron will in- crease. 'Then too, other furnaces sup- plying the Carnegie mills will show in- creased stocks of pig, but as yet the suspension of work has not gone along far enough to have any particular bear- ing on the iron ore situation. 'The grain movement is still of most assist- ance to the general freight market. A JAMES J. HILL. - large number of boats have been char- tered at Duluth during the week for wheat to Buffalo at 31% cents and Chicago shippers have been caring for all vessels of- fered at the rates that have ruled for several weeks past. On large lots of wheat from Chicago to run two or three} weeks, shippers' option, better than 2 cents has been offered. Light-House Appropriations. As had been promised, the committee on commerce was given a hearing in the house of representives on Tuesday of last week,and Chairman Wise immediately brought up the light-house bill, which has been in committee since the opening of the session. Messrs. Ho!man and Blount immediately began to talk against time, however, claiming that the action of the committee in report- ing a single bill containing a number of items was out of order. They succeeded in having one of the regular appropriation bills taken up, and the light-house measure will again be turned over to another congress. 'There is danger now of losing even the meager appropriations. secured in the civil sundry bill for light- ships at Bar point, the Lime-Kilns and Eleven-Foot shoal, but the lake members are making a strenuous effort to hold them.