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3 , MARINE REVIEW. Still Working on Questions of Insurance. Again the hopes of Lake underwriters for an agreement with vessel owners regarding the establishment of a new system of in- spection and the publication of an Inland Lloyds register on re- vised plans have been disturbed, and in a few words this latest failure in an attempt to bring the varied interests together can be ascribed to the fact that in the proposition made to the com- mittee of owners at Detroit, there was neither an inducement nor an obligation submitted for consideration. Owners still show a dis- position of indifference, and this condition is especially remark- able among the owners of steel vessels. As Mr. Ll. C. Hanna, president of the Mutual and Menominee transportation com- panies remarked in connection with the discussion at the Cleve- land meeting Thursday, the owners of steel vessels are not bor- rowing any trouble, as might be expected, on account of the anxiety among underwriters. 'There are at least eight or ten millions represented in steel vessels on the lakes," he added. "Steel is the material of the future, and no matter what the un- derwriters may do it seems highly probable that within twelve months this class of owners will insure their own property. Three officers would do all work connected with such insurance for the present steel fleet. An inspector, a man with a knowl- edge ofinsurance business and a clerk would be all that would be required."' The meeting which was held in the rooms of the Excelsior Marine Benevolent Association Thursday, was attended by only five representatives of shipping firms out-side of Cleveland. They were Capt. James Millen and Gilbert N. McMillan of De- troit, Edward Smith and C. H. Keep of Buffalo, and F. W. Wheeler of West Bay City. The report of the Detroit commit- tee, which proposed in substance that vessels pay half the cost of inspection and have a representation of three members on the executive committee, aS against virtually four members from the underwriters, was read by Mr. H. Coubly of Pickands, Mather & Co., Cleveland, and then followed a lengthy discussion, in which all of the perplexing questions that have been brought up during the past three months were reviewed. Objection was raised to the underwriters having control of the executive board in the proposed organization, and a great deal of talk was in- dulged in about the estimate of the underwriters as to the cost of inspection, and the question of giving them the deciding vote in the executive board. The general opinion following the dis- cussion was that the underwriters were asking a great deal with- out presenting even a good argument as to inducements for hav- ing vessels pay a cent or a cent and a half per ton for inspection. The gathering, although only meagerly representative of the entire shipping interests of the lakes, was disposed, however, to look upon the action of the general meeting of vessel owners in Detroit as favorable to the underwriters who have been doing business on the lakes in the past and proceeded accordingly, at an afternoon session following the general talk in the morning, to take up the committee's report. In view of the fact that the underwriters were determined to have a majority of the board controlling inspection, it was agreed to substitute a metal builder for one of the vessel owners on the board, which would make the representation three underwriters, two vessel owners and one builder, with the underwriters further fortified by the president of the association having a vote. M. A. Bradley of Cleveland and Capt. James Millen of Detroit were selected as members of the committee for the vessel owners, and the metal ship builders will be asked, through Messrs. Wheeler and McMillan, to meet and select one of their number for the committee. /T'he builders will not be asked to bear any part of the expense. 'The name of C. H. Bradley of Bay City will be suggested as vice president of the organization, which office, however, is simply an honorary one, the vice president having no vote. On motion of Mr. B. L. Pennington of Cleveland it was agreed that the executive com- mittee shall have full authority to carry into effect the whole system of inspection and classification as well as appeals and any other detail. It is expected that the ship builders will select their representative before the annual meeting of the underwri- ters in Detroit, and that the underwriters will be consulted re- garding the proceedings of the vessel owners so as to complete details pertaining to the proposed organization before the Detroit meeting, if matters as they now stand are accepted by the under- writers. The whole question is still an open one, however, as vessel owners are not bound by anything that has been done. There is simply a feeling that everybody who has taken part in the de- liberations will, as a matter of principle, consider themselves bound by any mutual agreement that may be reached. It is cer- tain that many vessel owners, especially those whose boats have already been classed by the standard classtfication associations, will not pay for the proposed inspection. Sales of Vessel Property. The following sales of vessel property have been reported within the past few days: Schooner No. 56, building at the yard of Capt. James Davidson, West Bay City, to W. C. Rich- ardson and associates of Cleveland, $52,000; schooner Our Son, Henry Kelley of Milan, to Gurdon Corning of East Saginaw, $20,000; schooner Genoa, to Capt. John T. Edgar and others of East Saginaw, $15,000; schooner C. G. King, Capt. Jeremiah Green of Cleveland to John T. Edgar, Gurdon Corning and others of Kast Saginaw, $5,000; schooner Camden, W. B. Hale and others of Cleveland to John F. Wedow and others of Cleveland, $16,000; schooner Joseph Paige, John W. Warner and others of Cleveland to John F. Wedow and others of Cleveland, $15,000; steambarge Preston, P. F. Thrall of Green Bay to J. M. Jones, Jr., and others of Toledo; steambarge S. C. Clarke, Detroit parties, to J. W. Squires of Marine City, $11,000; schooner Richard Winslow, J. L,. Crosthwaite of Buffalo to Capt. Peter Wex, $20,000. The schooner purchased from Capt. Davidson by Capt. W. C. Richardson and associates will be a consort for the J. H.Outh- waite, and is to be completed on the opening of navigation. She is now in frame and partly ceiled. Her dimensions are 222 feet keel, 19 feet hold and 36 feet beam. Sheis arched and strapped, will rate Ar* and will carry 2,200 tons on 15 feet draft. The Our Son and Genoa, which were sold through H. J. Webb & Co., will be consorts for the steamer C. H. Green, commanded by Capt. J. C. Garey of East Saginaw. The Richard Winslow will tow with the Inter Ocean, controlled by Capt. Wex. Trade Notes. The American schooner John A. Matheson, American ship St. David and British schooner Minnie were classified and regis- tered last week by the American Shipmasters' Association, New York. Capstans are coming into use for various purposes. The American Ship Windlass Company recently received an order from the Pennsylvania company for two or their machines to be used for switching cars in and out of paint shops. ee Roberts water-tube boiler has hada notable success, and the inventor of it, H. FE. Roberts, has undoubtedly a larger num- -ber of them afloat than any other maker. 'The boilers. have so few disabilities and so many valuable 'features, that when they are better understood there will be no other in use, certainly not for marine purposes.--Engineer. An apology is due the Penberthy Injector Company, Detroit, for stating in a recent issue that they would send their calendar to any one asking for it and mentioning the Revimw. Their statment to us that they only issued enough to supply their regu- lar trade was misunderstood. 'They state to us now that they do not like to refuse requests, but the large number of them men- tioning the REVIEW has made it almost necessary. Any one fail- ing to receive a calendar will please blame the REvIEw and not the Penberthy company. Thos. Drein & Son, Wilmington, Del., have received the following orders recently: Twenty 20-foot beaded bottom me- tallic life-boats for the world's fair whaleback passenger steamer ; twelve 22-foot boats of the same kind for the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior Transit Co., Chicago: two 20-foot metallic life boats, four large sized rafts and fit-out of cork life preservers and rings for the Williams 'Transportation Company, and a duplicate order for the Holland passenger steamer. In addition orders have been placed for outfits of steamers building at Wheeler's yard, West Bay City, Mich. 'These areall for lake steamers, and the company has an equally good lot of orders from coast yards,