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8 MARINE REVIHW. Building Capacity Increased. Special Correspondence to the MARINE KEVIEW. Derroit, Mich., Oct. 13.--The statement that the Detroit Dry Dock Company, on account of the great amount of work they had on hand, would not be able to take any more contracts for boats to be ready for the early part of next season, should be corrected. With the completion of a new slip at Wyandotte, the company's yard facilities at that point have been doubled and the new engine and boiler shops built during the summer give them almost three times the former capacity for turning out work in boilers and machinery. In case the Wyandotte yard is filled it is understood from reliable sources that a steel plant would be arranged for on the site of the Orleans street wooden - yard. The rumor that the Detroit Dry Dock Company will build four steel steamers for the Ogdensburg Transit Company, is founded only on the fact that the transit company needs more boats, having chartered two Lehigh liners for loads from Cleveland to Chicago this fall. If a contract is made it will undoubtedly be with the dry dock company and it is not improbable that a contract for one boat will be made. -- 5 The Pioneer has taken the fancy of one of Detroit's vessel owners, and he is quite in the notion of haying one like her. This and some consideration of a line of steamers to run across Lake Michigan from South Haven to Mil- waukee, is about all the stir in proposed new work here. The Detroit Boat Works closed a $40,000 contract this week for twenty- five launches for the Electric Launch and Navigation Company, to be run on the lagoon at the world's fair. Each launch will be 36 feet long, making over a sixth of a mile of boats, if placed in a line, to be turned out during the com- ing winter. The recent race on Long Island sound between a paddle steamer and a propeller in which the latter won, and the advantage in comfort ona stern- wheel steamer in heavy weather has caused some comment among vessel own- ers in Detroit as to the action of the Detroit & Cleveland Steam Navigation Company in building the two paddle wheel boats to run between Toledo and Mackinaw, it being the intention to extend this line to Toledo next season. The difference in speed with the same power and additional carrying capacity are advantages, however. The new boats will appear almost exactly like the _ City of Cleveland and Detroit with the exception of having but one stack. _ There is probably as little complaint now from passengers carried by the Detroit, Belle Isle and Windsor Ferry Company as from any public carrier in the country. Comfortable cabins are provided on the boats and even the nervous systems of passengers are taken into consideration, for in a set of rules put up on each boat the captain is commanded not to keep his boat headed into the course of the boat from the opposite shore, the rule adding that it may be safe enough but that it distresses timid passengers. The new foundry being built by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company for S. F. Hodge & Co., is nearing completion and when it is finished it will be the most complete foundry for exclusively marine work on the lakes. An im- mense engine building plant is also contemplated. Against Free Logs--Canadian Marine. . Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Kinaston, Ont., Oct. 13.--Gilmour & Co., the large lumberers, have ad- dressed a letter to the board of trade saying among other things; "We view with alarm the large quantity of unmanufactured logs being shipped annually from Canada to the United States, and the great disadvantage Canadians are at in bidding on limits put up for sale by the government, owing to there being a duty of $1 per thousand feet on lumber, while there is no export duty on logs,'"' The letter further asks the board to co-operate in getting the govern- ment to postpone the sale of limits until some satisfactory arrangement has been reached between the two governments concerning the canal tolls, so that the matter can be intelligently discussed. 'Either that,"? continues the letter, 'or make it compulsory to manufacture the logs in Canada before they can be exported."' Hugh Ryan, contractor for the Sault Ste. Marie canal, had a lengthy con- ference recently with the minister of canals. The object of the consultation was to settle the terms on which the contractor would agree to rush the work through to completion in order to give Canada an independent highway to Lake Superior. So far as can be learned an arrangement, mutually satisfac- tory, was arrived at, Mr. Ryan agreeing to have the canal ready for use by the autumn of 1893. Upon what terms he agreed to forestall by two years the stipulated time for the completion of the contract has not transpired, but it is claimed that the consideration is based on a very close estimate of the extra expense likely to be entailed, and that is said to be very much below what was at first generally supposed to be the figure (250,000) at which it would pay to put the work through next year. Recently a lively discussion took place here as to whether a tow of barges could be taken down the river St. Lawrence without the American channel be- ing used. The matter has been practically settled. On Wednesday one of Calvin & Co.'s steamers towed a large raft down the river, en route to Quebec, without the use of the American channel. The Canadian route is somewhat intricate, but this trip has shown it to be perfectly safe. A survey of the American channel is now being demanded. for boats drawing 16 feet of water or more, ane safe for big steamers. Falls canal in September was and 427,900 tons westbound. The present one was not charted 1 there are many spots in it un- St, Mary's Falls Canal Traffic in September. The total number of net tons of freight passing through the St. Mary's 1,661,303, of which 1,233,403 tons was eastbound Following is a classification of the tonnage: Eastbound. Westbound. My ail ee cc cd ehuasobhedaneayee Wana pEsssereg 363,673 tons. | ; ee eae copes pea gene ee at 755,802 bbls. 120 bbls. Coins ie ee ee eee aoe 16,660 bu. Coe ee Crean gneetane sais 425,476 bu. eevee ee hyo ecosenacneuneccupseocenecumbagun ct 3,998,318 bu. ---- ssereeeee Building stone.........scereeeeeeseeee 6,702 toms, © eee: COppel...--sceeeeeeereesnee cereeeeenees 8,628 tons. coe Manufactured iron......ceeeeeseereee ceeseeeeee ees 12,802 tons Tron, O1€....0eeeeeeeeneeenseeretternecees 812,153 tons. © «...eeeee [Dp recess sete have dee onieitas sane 9,525 tOD8. -- ceneereee ss eee onion sate Said bbls [eam Gtr eee seesesencene Bees eupcgaieas 96,080 M feet © -:.. <2 Silver OF€....-.eecececeeceeereenenceenes 290 tons. reseeneeey Unclassified freight.............++++ 15,748 tons. 46,277 tons. Passengers. ....seceserscsreeeeeecenenn ers 1,497 1,472 Coal Movement to Lake Superior. As shown by the following table, coal shipments, hard and soft, to Lake Superior ports from the opening of navigation to Oct. 1, were 313,008 tons in excess of shipments on the "comes sponding date in 1891: 1892, 1891, Months. net tons. net tons. PAV Oya one anne toons Nan a atin ery 151,495 10,919 May ..:..- LGA resaasheae se ede ares ' 401,729 404 698 SJ ATTN Ge aks ales Sees a ee 462,564 390,674 gill areeenes -scasee ace scerdoeececeredr a. 542,003 436,254 PANGS ice cas cpciecs dasem nee tena: 414,448 428 842 September........... mehaD Poe ees 363,675 301,517 Motalesaeein ce et ie 2,335,912 2,022,904 The figures are from the monthly statements of Sault canal business. On Oct. 1 hard coal shipments from Buffalo to all up- per lake ports were only 174,585 tons ahead of the movement on the same date last year, so that it is still evident that the great bulk of the gain in Lake Superior shipments is soft coal. Facts about Buoys and Fog Signals. Following are facts about buoys and fog signals given out by the United States light-house service: The siren foghorn, under the most favorable circumstances, can be heard thirty miles. 'There are now nearly seventy whistling buoys on the Unit- ed States coast. 'They weigh six tons each, and cost $1,000 each. ein the buoy service of the United States there are of all kinds nearly 5,000 buoys, maintained at a cost of nearly $400,- Ooo a year. Whistling buoys are so constructed that air is forced upward through an ordinary steam whistle, when the buoy rises and falls with the waves. The bell buoy is an iron float carrying a 300-pound bell. Ona plate under the bell, a cannon ball is free to roll around and strike the bell as the waves disturb the buoy. : | the Jnited States has beaten the world on fog signal de- vices, and they are being adopted by European nations. Of the signals in the United States service there are 100, and their cost was $700,000. _ Bell buoys are best adapted to shallow water, where the whistling buoy could not ride, and are preferred in rivers and harbors, while the whistling buoy is required in the open sea or in roadsteads. The service has about seventy-five bell buoys, which cost $300 apiece. The manner of marking buoysis also a guide to the mariner. Red buoys with even numbers being placed on the right hand side, and black buoys with odd numbers on the left hand side of channels, approached from seaward. Buoys painted with red and black horizontal stripes are placed on shoals or wrecks, hav- ing a safe channel on either side, while perpendicular stripes in- dicate that the only safe channel 'is close to the buoy. » Rw x " - . ° . MARINE Review for one year and Patterson's Nautical Dictionary for $6;