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10 MARINE REVIEW. MarRINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Den ee a as Sone . . , = 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. Steamevesselsic tins Pt.cccssoctessvevesacess I,592 756,751.53 Sailing vessels............: ESadesun Me ocege eee 1,243 325,131.06 Canale bo atone Worcs qeminccnmcansamsescsscetacs ces 703 72,515-42 IBA ES krsenc cacti cet cade serfoares see elec dor ete esle ie 62 20,472.37 AMO Lalene sci Succ eeke eat ease ore ncscieauemes 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. TIS Optiarc cise sssretr- tice ecmisacielercit 152 56,488.32 TS BO ciciecte sideaeus vials stor ona case cealesnesaseaas 222 IOI, 102.87 TOOO er sedesusensntotonsensc ii lemem es meone nance es 225 107,080.30 TOOOR reece reich seemeree saceacsenssces 218 108,515.00 LOOM a eeeaettee ecco saceere oct tree eseactone 204 I11,856.45 A Otal se nccssentccrs cere oncete catenee 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. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. Ir 1s NoT probable that President Harrison or the state de- partment will be prompted by any influence from lake shipping interests in considering the latest action of the Canadian cabinet with reference to the canal tolls question. Ata special meeting of the cabinet in Montreal Saturday it was decided not to inter- fere with the rebates at present, but the existing system of rebates will be terminated at the end of the present season, and an assurance to that effect will at once be given to the United States government. A proposition will also be submitted to the United States government that a conference shall be held between representatives of the two governments at Washington during the coming winter to discuss the whole question of rail- way and inland navigation. The dominion cabinet refers to large contracts made by Canadian dealers in grain, as an excuse for immediate action in abolishing the rebates. No protest to the acceptance of this proposition by the Washinton government may be excepted from United States shipping interests on the lakes, but sufficient time not having elapsed for consideration of the Canadian offer by the state department, any definite opinion from these interests as yet would, of course, be considered pre- mature. Ifthe matter is allowed to go over to the coming winter, it would seem that the United States government should use its influence when the whole question of inland navigation comes up to secure for Canadian commerce full and equal rights with American commerce in the New York state canals. Canada finds little use for the New York canals but on the claim that Canadian vessels have been deprived of equal rights in these canals, and on this claim alone, has the dominion govern- ment found any excuse for its present policy regarding tolls in the Welland and along the St. Lawrence. Te St. Mary's river has been partially lighted and boats loaded to the limit of water in its deepest cuts have begun to run the treacherous channels by night. A feeling of unsafety in some cases and prejudice in others will cause delay in a general use of the lights by all vessels but it will come before another season has passed,and in the meantime the members of the light- house board will find that they have undertaken the greatest lighting project ever attempted in this country. The work should be handled with care and its detail should be looked after by the district officers who have gained a knowledge of the river through several years of experience with its naviga- _ tion. EveRvsopy interested in lake shipping knows that there is no truth in the charge that politics has had to do with the action of the present administration relative to the Canadian canal tolls. It has again been proven, however, that Canada can not enter on a war of commercial non-intercourse with the United States, and would not ifshe could. The authorities on both sides have shown the best of judgment in handling this ques- tion, and if the latest proposition from the dominion government, to discuss the whole subject of inland commerce next winter, is accepted the results may extend further than. the mere settle-_ ment of canal tolls. A piscussion of St. Mary's Falls canal traffic during 1891, printed elsewhere in this issue, shows that on a total of nearly 9,000,000 tons of freight passing through the canal during the year the average cost per mile-ton was 1.35 mills. The total amount of freight charges paid was $9,849,022.81 and the total mile-tons was 9,292,462,269. 'The report made public for the first time in this issue of the REVIEW, is one of the most inter- esting statements as yet sent out regarding the canal traffic. The detail regarding work of certain large steel steamers in the Lake Superior trade is also very interesting. On WEDNESDAY, the roth inst., eighty-eight vessels were locked through the St. Mary's Falls canal. With the water at 14 feet 9 inches and steamers running the river by night, the canal may be expected to make a wonderful showing in freight traffic during August. It might be well to note also that these new conditions will have an effect on freight rates. Notice to Mariners. _Capt.Andrew Hackett,keeper of Bois Blanc island light,has located another Detroit river obstruction. A tow going up the river a few days ago was just above the Bar point light-ship when a stop was made to shorten up the tow line In starting up again the tow line brought to the surface a large wooden stock anchor, but it fell to the bottom again before it could be secured. It is about 800 feet to the northward of the Bar point light-ship and about half way between the red stake at that point and the course followed on the Amherstburg ranges. _ Inits monthly bulletin, date of August 1, covering changes in aids to navigation during the month of July, the light-house board calls attention to the temporary disablement of the fog signal at Outer island light station and to the establishment of a fog signal,(a bell) at Sherwood point, south side entrance from Green bay into Sturgeon bay. 'This bulletin, which is now is- sued monthly from the Washington office of the board, and can be had on application to the Washington office or to the district officers on the lakes, also contains this month full information regarding the shoal at Wangoshance, Lake Michigan, recently located by Commander Ludlow. 'The exact position of the buoy locating this shoal is as follows: Waugoshance light station, S. K. by S., 1% miles ; St. Helena light station, E. N. E. 4 E.,12% miles; White shoal light vessel, N. W. by N., 25% miles ; Grays' reef light vessel, W. S. W. 3% W., 4 miles. _ __ The board has also issued a circular giving location and other information relative to the thirty-eight lights in the St. Mary's river, with the aid of which some vessel masters have run the river by night. As there is little doubt, however, of a number of changes being made in the present system of lights on the river, the notice from the board may be considered only tem- porary.