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MARINE REVIEW. 9 Conneaut Car Ferries, Although specifications and drawings of the new car ferries, to run between Conneaut, O., and Port Dover, Ont,, were sent to lake ship build- ers several days ago with the understanding that bids were to be submit- ted by Monday last, there has been no announcement of a contract or any reports of bids received. Itis understood that the new company has been trying to float bonds in the amount of $400,000 for the building of boats, and that the builders will be expected to take some of these bonds as part payment, so that there is, of course, considerable question about the financial part of the enterprise being sufficiently advanced to warrant an early beginning of work on the boats. Col. Dick, president of the Pittsburgh, Shenango & Lake Erie Railway Company and the principal promoter of the car ferry scheme, said recently that negotiations were pending for the charter of one of the Toledo & Ann Arbor ferries, to be used on the Conneaut--Port Dover route during the coming winter, but as there has been nothing done at Conneaut towards the construction of slips or railway approaches for a ferry service, it would seem as though some rapid work would be necessary to bring about an actual movement of cars across the lake before another season comes around. Underbilling of Coal. One vessel owner, Capt. M. W. Humphreys of the Sulphite Fiber Company of Detroit, owners of the steamer John F. Eddy and consort Shaw, has taken a stand in the matter of underbilling of coal cargoes, by which it is claimed vessels have been defrauded of their freight on a dif- ference between the amount carried and that indicated by the bill of lading. Of course, there is some question about this case or any other of its kind ever getting into court, although the owners of the coal have begun suit against the boats. The Eddy and Shaw took coal from San- dusky to Milwankee for the Columbus & Hocking Valley Coal Company. Capt. Humphreys insisted upon having a man selected by him tally out the cargo. Thecoal company refused to permit of this, and work was stopped for twenty-six hours, until it was found that the boat had the legal right to have a representative record the weights. Captain Humph- reys claims that the Eddy unloaded 122 tons more than the amount called forin the bill of lading, and that the Shaw's bill of lading was 106 tons short of her cargo. A part of the Shaw's cargo, about 333 tons, was held to cover demurrage, amounting to $350 for delay of the boats, and also 'to cover freight on the excess of cargo. The coal was taken to Chicago, _Capt. Humhreys preferring that suit should be brought against the boats there. The coal company claims that the weights on which the coal was billed were mine weights, and refused to pay freight on any other weights If the case is ever brought to trial, the details of it and the outcome will be very interesting to vessel owners who have heard complaints of under- billing of coal for many-years past. Notes of Interest to Mariners. Fog signals at Beaver island light station, Michigan, reported as dis- abled, have been repaired and are again in operation. Following are widths between piers, at entrance, at Pierhead light stations on ake Michigan: Charlevoix pierhead light station, 160 feet; Portage lake harbor pierhead light station, 370 feet; Manistee pierhead light station, 185 feet; Ludington pierhead light station, 250 feet; White River pierhead light station, 190 feet; Holland pierhead light station, 220 feet; Kalamazoo pierhead light station, 225 feet; Port Washington, pier- head light station, 170 feet; Sheboygan pierhead light station, 270 feet; Two Rivers pierhead light station, 245 feet; Menominee pierhead light station, Green bay, 360 feet. . Announcement is made of the intention of the light-house board to establish one of the St. Mary's riverlights that has been very much needed. A notice announces that about Oct. 1 a fixed white light, with two fixed red sectors, will be established on Churchville point, the east point of Sugar island. The light will be shown, at a height of 30 feet above the water, from a lens lantern on a post rising from the center of a square lamp house. The post will be natural color and the house white. The southerly red sector will cover the black spar buoy, No. 49, off Church point crib, and mark the turning point to and from the channel between Squirrel island and Church point. The northerly red sector will cut the southerly red sector of Manhattan shoal light and mark the turn of channel midway in the bend. : Learman's Helmet. In the REvIEW of May 10 a combination life jacket and helmet, patented by George Learman of Cleveland, was illustrated and described. Mr. Learman holds that people who are drowned in surf and heavy sea meet death on account of the smothering action of water splashing into the face, more so than from the inability of the wearer of the jacket to keep above water. His helmet, attached to the life jacket, is made of oil cloth, and means are provided for sight and air through glass covered holes in front of the eyes and an air tube above the head. A trial of the helmet was made in Cleveland, Monday, by one of the members of the Cleveland life saving crew, who from the life boat jumped into heavy breakers at the mouth of the harbor and remained full five minutes in the water, face to the seas. Upon being taken into the life boat again the surfman's head, after removal of the helmet, was almost as dry as when he entered the water. The contrivance seems to be of con- siderable merit. Iron Mining Matters. As had been expected,Milwaukee holders of second-class bonds of the Chapin Mining Company are planning to have their say at the sale to take place next month. One firm of attorneys, Timlin & Glicksman, have sent out a circular to all holders of second-class bonds proposing that holders of these bonds contribute in cash 25 per cent. of the face value of the bonds, for the purpose of paying off the first mortgage bonds, or to bid in the property at sale. As there are various complications in the affairs of the company, especially as regards its relations toward the fee owner, it is not probable that the Milwaukee schemes will carry against the people who are now practically in possession of the mine. The announcement that the receivers of the Colby and others of the Penokee and Gogebic Consolidated mines are about to turn the properties over to the stockholders is a little premature. Mr. Rand, one of the re- ceivers of the company, was in Cleveland during the week, and itis known that matters pertaining to the receivership, or reorganization as it may be called, have been progressing satisfactorily, and a settlement among stockholders may be expected after the close of navigation. It is a family affair, anyhow. During the period when boats to take ore from the head of Lake Su- perior were very scarce last week, shipments from the Biwabic mine, Me- sabi range, had to be suspended entirely, on account of dock pockets be- ing filled. Another mining company has paid a dividend. A division of $la share was made by the Lake Angeline company a few days ago. A: Very Fast English Boat The Engineer of London describes a steam launch, owned by R. H. Lebat of Hampton Wick, and named Hibernia, that may be regarded as a competitor of the Fiseen and other fast boats of similar construction that have attracted a great deal of attention of late in New York. The length over all ofthe British-built boat is 48 feet 3 inches; breadth, 7 feet 3% inches; draught, 1 foot 4% inches, and depth of propeller below the water line, 2 feet 5inches. The boiler is of steel, locomotive pattern, with bar- rel five-sixteenths inch thick, quintuple riveted in longitudinal seams. The engines are two-cylinder, both high pressure, 74-inch diameter, stroke 6 inches, revolutions about 750 per minute up to 1,050 revolutions per minute when doing the highest speed. The propeleller has three blades of hammered double shear steel, with carefully prepared surface and knife edge, keyed in a wrought steel boss and accurately balanced. The engines are of small dimensions, except in the wearing and hard working parts, and here the dimensions are very large, and at first glance disproportionately strong. At ordinary speed the Hibernia behaves like an ordinary boat, cutting her way through the water and leaving a moderate impression in the form of shore waves. With a touch of the regulator she leaps forward, and as the speed increases, she gradually sinks a little by the stern, rises a little at the head, until at a certain high speed the bow rises clean out of the water, and the boat flies along at the top of it, throwing a double wall of spray. Foor steel engravings of U. S. war ships and a color plate of the steel steamer Gratwick will be forwarded by MARINE REVIEW, 516 Perry-Payne Bldg., Cleveland, O., to any address on receipt of $1. Details of ship-canal schemes may be had these days in job lots. One of the latest is among the most ridiculous. A dispatch from Elkhart, Ind., talks of a canal being built through private enterprise from Michi- gan City, on Lake Michigan, to Toledo on Lake Erie. $1.50 to Niagara and return and $1.00 to Buffalo and return are the exceedingly low rates the Cleveland and Buffalo Line announces for their excursion Saturday night, Sept. 29. Steamer leaves wharf, No. 137 River street at.6:15 p. m. and returns in time for business Monday morning, al- lowing the entire Sunday for sight seeing at the Falls, This is the lowest rate ever made from Cleveland for the Falls trip. AN EXCELLENT LIBRARY FOR A MARINE ENGINEER, CHEAP--KEY TO ENGINEERING; WHAT AN ENGINEER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ELEC- TRICITY; ENGINEERS' CATECHISM. ANY ONE OF THESE ARE WORTH A DOLLAR, BUT ALL THREE CAN BE HAD FOR $1. SEND TO THE MA- RINE REVIEW, 516 PERRY-PAYNE BUILDING, CLEVELAND, 0. MONEY REFUNDED IF NOT SATISFACTORY.