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15> a MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. tas a ee ee PROPRIETORS. = ML, rs 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. SteHMIVESSel Sic s soc ai tnaiecarss Vscces ses ovaueesce 1,592 756,751-53 Sati orvesse lary vsitccccah acct Favb anes sokerecne + 1,243 325,131.06 Pan alighoatare. css. sce. erancactisnadvdnobed danesseen 703 72,515-42 AGO Cre astsnneateccrc eens covespe ca ssiec cence ssenee.' 62 20,472.37 AL OCA, cc Gene eet ee edae lone have 3,600 1,154,870.38 Tonnage built on the lakes during the past five years, according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows : No. of boats. Net Tonnage. MOO Jose eet te ce racnesaeasecae nafieas casera oa 152 56,488.32 MO OGre Aree ae eee es tains Ge cant nce esee ence 222 IOI,102.87 OOO sre ine da st toch eet le =< dais poet easandaceecs +s 225 107,080.30 TOO OM ssagoseek Noes segesecesssereuasocsteeeecsces 218 108,515.00 MSO Ti se sees. socernmamaseess Gees ott seccwotes 204 111,856.45 Ota cree ec oer ee 1,021 485,042.94 St. Mary's Falls and Suez canal traffic: Number of boats through St. Mary's Falls canal in 1890, 228 days of navigation, 10,557; tonnage, net registered, 8,454,435. Number of boats through Suez canal during 1890, full year, 3,389; tonnage, net registered, 6,890,014: Number of boats through St. Mary's Falls canal in 1891, 225 days of navigation, 10,191; ton- nage, net registered, 8,400,685. Number of boats through Suez canal dur- ing 1891, full year, 4,207 ; tonnage, net registered, 8,698,777. Lintered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. In Aprit, last the United States Senate asked the Secretary or War for a copy of the report and the proceedings before the board of engineer officers convened for the purpose of consider- ing and determining as to the constructian of a bridge across the canal through Minnesota point in the city of Duluth. The re- port was submitted a few days later, and was found to be ad- verse to the bridge project, on the ground that it would be a se- . rious obstruction to navigation. Says the report, "Ifa bridge were authorized over the canal at Duluth there could be no reasonable objection to permitting such a structure at any other exposed harbor entrance on the lakes; and, without doubt, ap- plications for authority to bridge over harbor entrances would rapidly follow upon the granting of such privilege at Duluth, thus leading to a condition which would be unendurable." Lobbyists sent to Washington by the municipel authorities have tried to overrule this report from the engineers, but Congress has refused to establish such a precedent. Now these same offi- cials of Duluth, who are indebted to lake commerce for 90 per cent. of the great progress of their city within the past ten -years, have the effrontery to declare that they will go ahead with the building of a bridge, notwithstanding the federal authority. They will find that they are treading upon danger- ous ground, but their actions in this matter will nevertheless bear careful watching by lake shipping interests. Gen. Sooy- Smith, a civil engineer of Chicago whom the Duluth people have recently called to their assistance, is said to have given it as his opinion that the city should build a timbered tunnel. 'This could be done, he thinks, for about $500,000. 'The cost of a tuntfel with steel supports would.be at least $1,200,000. For sensational newspaper stories Canada, as well as Chi- cago and other cities on this side of the border that are noted in this line, can furnish its share of ridiculous reading matter. A dispatch from Ottowa a few days ago dealing with the canal tolls question announced that the British government was urg- ing the government of Canada to hurry the work of deepening the St. Lawrence canals to 14 feet '"'that they might be available next year for the passage of British gunboats in event of their being required for lake service."' Canada has been for years trying to raise money enough to complete the work of deepen- ing these canals, and the shipping interests of the United States on the lakes will rejoice with the people of the Dominion when the dimensions of the Welland are made uniform.throughout the St. Lawrence. Reciprocal trade relations in other directions will undoubtedly guarantee to the United States full use of the improved canals, but unfortunately the work still requires an expenditure of full $12,000,000, and there is no telling when it will be completed. ; AppropRIATIONS for lake lights in the civil sundry appropri- ation bill will become available just as soon as the officers of the -- light-house board can formulate plans for the expenditures authorized in the act. Provision is made in the bill for mainte- nance of the float lights at the Lime-kilns crossing, and there seems to be no good reason why the government cannot relieve vessel owners of this expense at once. The small light-ships now in use at the crossing can probably be purchased at less cost than would be required to build new floats, and the appointment of the present keepers of these lights for the government service would undoubtedly be eminently satisfactory to the shipping in- terests. As regards the Bar point light, however, relief from. the present private expense can hardly be expected until next season, as a new light-ship must be built for this point. 'Three sets of new ranges for the Detroit river, also provided for in the bill, can hardly be expected before next season. Apvyices from Washington in another part of this issue are most encouraging regarding the case of Col, Ludlow and Com- mander Heyerman, recently removed from the light-house ser- vice on the Jakes. Asa result of Col. Ludlow's call to Wash- ington by Secretary Elkins, the matter has again been taken up by the light-house board. 'This move is the result of persistent efforts on the part of lake shipping interests to secure for these officers a hearing on the St. Mary's river lighting question, and there is hope that not only will this hearing be granted, but that the officers will be reinstated as an act of justice. HASTERN papers are liberal in their praises of the first of four steel light-ships built on the lakes by F. W. Wheeler & Co. of West Bay City, Mich., for coast service. The vessels are the finest of their kind in the world, but it isa mistake to _ say that they are the first steam: light-ships of the continent. Three light-ships which took stations in the Straits of Mackinac last fall are provided with power for propelling purposes in go- ing to and from their stations, and the same power is used for -- the fog signal apparatus which they carry. Lloyds Supplement for August. The names of seven new boats are contained in the August supplement to the Inland Lloyds Register. - Three are of iron and four of wood, the iron tonnage amounting to more than half of the aggregate of 6,130 net tons, and covering two-thirds of the valuation of $666,000. In the August supplement for 1891 the tonnage of new vessels was 7,148 net, and the valuation $555,000. 'The new vessels with tonnage, etc., are: Name. Port of hai , Net i t of hail. Owner. tonnage. Valuation. ACele tare ec Grand Rapids,Mich.|D. A. Blodgett 18 $ 9,000 ah pecs pon ' |D. A, OU ce ceascse ses v4 Giron Venlegs Pee Bay City, Mich.........)James Davidson............ 1,771 135,000 TORT. Reheee es Port Huron, Mich....|Jenks Ship Building Go.} 355 - 35,000 AISI stro OO arcaaets ......{Oraig Ship Building Co.. 780 75,000 PG es cessessnornetneasave South Haven, Mich.|Ed. E. Napier................. 64 12,000 Re av mevsteenh at eee Butalo NY hoe Minn. St.P.& B.8.S8.Co.| 1,571 200,000 ashbunny se eos Buffalo, N. W000" Minn. St.P.&B.S.8.Co.| 1,571 200,000 6,130 $666,000 ty ee