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» from the president. MARINE REVIEW. VoL. XIII. CLEVELAND, O., MAY 28, 1896. No. 22. Lake Freight Matters, With the Carnegie Steel Co. and other large furnace interests still holding off in the matter of ore purchases for 1896, it is surprising that the lake freight market has held up so wéll under the additional disad- vantage of avery marked falling off in the demand for grain carriers. This is especially true in view of the fact that even the ore companies that are in control of docks are bringing down little, if any, unsold ore. Conditions now prevailing in the iron industry are certainly not as favorable to a heavy ore output as they were two months ago, but the business of making iron and steel is not to be suspended indefinitely, and the furnace companies that have not as yet bought ore for 1896 must soon come into the market. There is no thought of any reduction in the prices of ore fixed by the association. Even the furnace men are not suspected of any attempt to break these prices; but it can not be denied that their delay in making further purchases is a source of considerable worry to the ore dealers. It is now thought that purchases by the Car- negie company, which have been expected from day, to day will be made after the first of the month. Just now the furnace men would be at a dis- advantage in purchasing, as they avoid a month's payments by waiting till the first of June. Officials of United States Courts. (FROM "BLUE BOOK OF AMERIBAN SHIPPING,' TO BE PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE REVIEW AND NOW IN PRESS. ) The following list of United States courts, with names of judges, clerks and marshals, refers only to the districts bordering on the lakes: UNITED STATES CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS. Second circuit, including northern district of New York--Justice Henry B. Brown and Judges Wm. J. Wallace, E. Henry Lacombe and Nathaniel Shipman; clerk, James C. Reed, New York, N. Y. Sixth circuit, including northern Ohio and eastern and western Mich- igan districts--Justice Henry B. Brown and Judges Wm. H. Taft and Hor- ace H. Lurton; clerk, Frank O. Loveland, Cincinnati, Ohio. Seventh circuit, including northern Illinois and eastern and western _ Wisconsin districts--Justice John M. Harlan and Judges Wm. A. Woods, James G. Jenkins and John W. Showalter; clerk, Oliver T. Morton, Chi- cago, Ill. Eighth circuit, including district of Minnesota--Justice David J. Brewer and Judges Henry C. Caldwell, Walter H. Sanborn and Amos M. Thayer; clerk, John D. Jordan, St. Louis, Mo. UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTS. Northern district of New York--Judge Alfred C. Coxe, Utica, N. Y.; clerk, Charles B. Germain, Buffalo; marshal, Fletcher C. Peck, Elmira. Northern district of Ohio--Judge Augustus J. Ricks, Cleveland; clerk, H. F. Carleton, Cleveland; marshal, M. A. Smalley, Cleveland. Eastern district of Michigan--Judge Henry H. Swan, Detroit; clerk, D. J. Davison, Detroit; marshal, Eugene D. Winney, Detroit. Western district of Michigan--Judge Henry F. Severns, Grand Rapids; clerk, John McInewan, Grand Rapids; marshal, Charles R. Pratt, Grand Rapids. Northern district of Illinois--Judge Peter Grosscup, Chicago; clerk, T. C. MacMillan, Chicago; marshal, John W. Arnold, Chicago. Eastern district of Wisconsin--Judge Wm. H. Seaman, Sheboygan ; clerk, Edward Kurtz, Milwaukee; marshal, George W. Pratt, Milwaukee. Western district of Wisconsin--Judge Romanzo Bunn, Madison; clerk, F. M. Stewart, Madison ; marshal, F. W. Oakley, Madison. District of Minnesota--Judge William Lochren, St. Paul; clerk, Wm. A. Spencer, St. Paul; marshal, Richard T. O'Connor, St. Paul. It is to be hoped that there is sufficient grounds for the confidence of Mr. Burton and other members of congress in the ability of advocates of the river and harbor bill to pass that measure in both houses over a veto Of all the men who have ever gone to congress from the lake region, it can truthfully be said that few, if any, of them have ever worked as hard as Mr. Burton has worked during'the present session to advance lake interests. All active members of the Lake Carriers' As-. sociation know that his labor has not been for Cleveland alone, and on this account he is deserving of the support of everybody who is in any way interested in the lakes. Value of the Business Fleet of the Lakes. (FROM "BLUE BOOK OF AMBRICAN SHIPPING," TO BE PUBLISHED BY THE MARINE REVIEW AND NOW IN PRESS.) Although reports of the United States commissioner of navigation show a total of 3,342 vessels of all kinds owned on the lakes on June 30, 1895, it is understood, of course, that this includes a very large number of small steam and sail vessels, yachts, unrigged craft, etc., that can not be included in the class of ships that carry freight and passengers between distant points, and which may be termed the business fleet of the lakes. The number and vaiue of vessels composing this business fleet is best un- derstood by reference to the Inland Lloyds Insurance Register, which aims to class all lake vessels that are entitled to insurance. This register, as revised on May 1, 1896, contained the names of 1,493 vessels, valued at $56 776,000, to which have been added, in the following table, the number of new vessels unfinished in the ship yards on the same date, making in all 1,544 vessels valued at $64,415,000. Number. Value. Steam vessels classed in Inland Lloyds Insurance Riesister, May, le 18o0e= meme a ee se ee 875 $48,951,000 Steam vessels under construction, May 1, 1896---- 44 5,764,000 Sail vessels and barges classed in register, May 1, 1896... 2-4 SE ee ee eee 618 7,825,000 Sail vessels and barges under construction, May 1, 1896-2 oo ee Be ee ee ee ee 17 1,875,000 POtal S22 eee soe se oe 1,554 $64,415,000 It can not be said that the foregoing figures represent the entire value of lake shipping. Few low-grade vessels of the B2 class, such as engage on short routes in the lumber trade, are given a place in the register re- ferred to. The summary represents, however, the value of vessels that. care for probably 80 per cent. of the freight and passenger traffic on these waters. A large number of harbor tugs, fishing tugs and pleasure craft are not included in the summary. Neither does it take in any of the unrigged craft that are used by the dredging interests. It is, in short, a summary of values pertaining to only the best vessels of the lakes that are manned by crews numbering six to twenty-five hands. Referring tothe big car ferry, with tracks for thirty cars, that is being built by F. W. Wheeler & Co. of West Bay City for the Flint & Pere Marquette Railway, the president of the railway company says in his annual report: "It is expected that this boat will be ready for service during the coming autumn, at which time connections with the rails of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway and the Wisconsin Central Railroad will be made at Manitowoc. Under favorable conditions two round trips a day will be made by this steamer. Arrangements have been concluded with the Ann Arbor Railroad Co. for the use of its valuable termina] property in Toledo, and of its right of way and track from Alexis to the city. This will enable the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad Co. to secure, at a moderate outlay, an independent entrance to a large and prosperous city, and a direct connection with the rails of the Columbus, Hocking Valley & Toledo Railroad, Pennsylvania Company, Wheeling & Lake Erie, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, Michigan Central Rail- way, and Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw Railway; also {with Wheeling and Michigan central belt lines, through which the other railroads cen- tering in Toledo are reached." It is plainly evident now that the car dumping machines are to re- place, almost entirely, the old systems of loading soft coal at Lake Erie ports. Probably not less than ten of these big machines will be in opera- tion before the present season is atan end. The machine that is to be operated by the Cuddy-Mullen Coal Co. on new docks erected by the Pennsylvania Company, within the eastern erm of the breakwater, Cleve- land, was given twoor three trials at loading vessels within the past week, and its operation is highly satisfactory. This is a side-dump machine, designed and built by the McMyler Mnfg. Co. of Cleveland, but not of the same type as the machine which that company built at Ashta- bula some time ago. The Cuddy-Mullen company, through its arrange- ments with managers of the Pennsylvania railroad and the Northern Steamship Co.,, has laid the foundation fora big dock industry in the outer harbor at Cleveland, and they should be encouraged by an extension of the eastern arm of the breakwater, so as to insure smooth water at the docks throughout the season of navigation.