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eo MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. 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. Single copies 10 cents each. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on appli- cation. 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. Mee Tee cee crth crac dee esas insane sete sien owwai'e rs 152 - 56,488.32 TOGOSA es pi oeeerastee cannes eas eacseesetecnss 222 IOI, 102.87 MEOQ urea iio tccscteonastr: aesawn steer encursets 225 107,080.30 HS Oe eee oiteeereay Nannie 5s dedsatisnceee 218 108,515.00 ACO Meee ieanie case se esiesasa oat smecage cnicen ede 204 111,856.45 OR Galera cea cstusenckc een iee st cavevoncs 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 HAS been rumored for some time past that a represent- ative of the great British insurance institution, Lloyds, would visit the lakes this winter, with a view to extending classifica- tion to steel vessels here. It is now officially announced in English exchanges that Mr. Harry J. Cornish, assistant to the chief surveyor of Lloyds Register, will make this visit shortly and will spend some time in investigating very thoroughly the practice of lake builders. Considering the large number of lake ~ steamers already insured .at Lloyds, it is a wonder that the officials of that institution in charge of the register did not long ago take steps in this direction. With the appointment ofa Lloyds surveyor for the lakes, which will very probably follow the visit of Mr. Cornish, all of the standard classification agsoci- ations of the world will be represented here, and the under- writers who have been doing business under old methods may as well make up their minds that it is only a matter of a season or two at the outside when all steel vessels will have a rating in one or more of these registers, and their owners will be taking insurance abroad, unless the home companies can so adjust their system of doing business that they can compete in rates with the foreigners. This does not refer, of course, to wooden boats, whose owners will be compelled to do business as in the past with the general and local agents of home companies. Some owners. of steel vessels may be com- pelled to make a few changes in their boats in order to secure low rates of insurance through the classification here referred to, and some new features of strength may be intro- duced in steel vessels to be constructed in the future, but owners of these vessels will find no trouble in getting insurance, and this is why they show no interest in the plans for a revised Inland Lloyds. Unless expressions of opinion fromfthe officers of steel steamship companies is misleading, the meetings of vessel owners and insurance agents held in Detroit and Cleve- land recently will be of little assistance to the home under- writers in holding the business of risks on steel boats. 'The steel boat owners will in most cases refuse to pay for the pro- posed inspection, and the loss of 1% cents a ton from the bulk of this tonnage will cause a marked reduction in the fund which it is expected to raise from inspection fees. 'There are still grave doubts of the Inland Lloyds being re-organized. UNLESS the war department differs with the officers of the Lake Carriers' Association regarding the intention of congress in making the appropriation for a 20-foot channel between Duluth, Chicago and Buffalo, a means has been provided for securing the 0 es necessary funds to widen the channel at "collision bend," St, Mary's river, where the Susan E. Peck was sunk some time ago and where numerous expensive collisions have since occurred, It is proposed to use a small portion of the 20-foot channel appro- priation for this purpose. The act granting this appropriation provides simply that it shall be used on the big channel in the connecting waters of the lakes, and as the present chartnel at this point will undoubtedly be used by light-draft vessels bound up the lakes when the new waterway is completed, it certainly seems reasonable that a small part of the funds, of which there will undoubtedly be a surplus, should be applied to this purpose. Secretary Keep, whois now in Washington, has already sub- mitted the views of the officers of the association on this subject to Gen, Poe, and will bring the matter to the attention of Gen. Casey, chief of engineers, The main object of Mr. Keep's visit to the capital is to be in attendance to-day (Thursday) at a meet- ing of the senate committee on commerce, at which arguments will be heard upon the Harter bill relating to contracts of com- mon carriers of merchandise between ports of the United States and foreign ports, making it unlawful to insert any contract in any bill of lading relieving the owner of any vessel from liability from loss or damage in transportation. This bill, which has al- ready passed the house, is especially detrimental to line boat in- terests, CHICAGO's city council decided some time ago to demand a license fee from harbor tugs. The supreme court of Illinois up- held the city in its action but William Harmon, who was the representative of the tug owners in legal proceedings brought against the city, took his case to the United States supreme court, and a decision from the highest authority now reverses the opinion of the state court. ONE OF the largest bills of expense in the accounts of the Lake Carriers' Association during the past year is charged to legal proceedings against four union sailors who "pulled" the crew of the Mable Wilson at Buffalo. 'The association was finally successful, however, in the conviction of two of the men at Albany, N. Y., Tuesday. They were fined and will be im- prisoned in the Erie county (N. Y.) jail. Lake Fisheries. By the resignation of J. W. Collins of Maine, there is a va- cancy in the office of assistant United States fish commissioner, and representatives of this industry on Lake Erie are making a united effort to have an Ohio man, State Senator W. C. Gear of Upper Sandusky appointed to the position. Some figures re- cently prepared by dealers in Cleveland to show that in this city alone, the capital invested in nets, tackle, and other equipment, exclusive of storage houses, is about $200,000, and the value of the aggregate annual products for three or four seasons past has ranged from $250,000 to $300,000. 'The aggregate investment in the industry at all Lake Erie ports is certainly not less than $2,000,000, and in asking that Ohio be represented among the government officers connected with the commission, it is desired that attention be directed to these facts. Mr,.Gear has the unanimous endorsement of the dealers of Toledo, Sandusky, Cleveland, and in fact the entire lake region, as it is understood that he has the support of fifteen United States senators, all of the Ohio congressmen and members of both branches of the Ohio legislature, irrespective of politics. As Hon. Marshall Mc- Donald, United States commissioner, has held office under two administrations on account of the high order of the work of the commission, it is generally expected on the lakes that the recommendations of those engaged in the business will be con sidered and Mr. Gear appointed to the assistancy. SEND ONE DOLLAR IN STAMPS TO THE MARINE REVIEW FOR TWENTY PHOTOTYPES AND GRAVURES OF- LAKE STRAMERS NEATLY BOUND,