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12 MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 409 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, O by John M. Mulrooney and F. M. Barton. SUBSCRIPTION--$2.00 per yearin advance. Singlecopies Io cents each. ees binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on appli- cation. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. The books of the United States treasury department on June 30, 1895, contained the names of 3,342 vessels, of 1,241,459.14 gross tons register in the lake trade. The number of steam vessels of 1,000 gross tons, and over that amount, on the lakes on June 30, 1895, was 360 and their aggregate gross tonnage 643,260.40; the number of vessels of this class owned in all other parts of the country on the same date was 309 and their tonnage 652,- 598.72, so that half of the best steamships in all the United States are owned on the lakes. The classification of the entire lake fleet on June 30, 1895, was as follows: Gross Class. Number. Tonnage. Steam vessels.......cccccccccsscccsssccscsscscsecces «1755 857,735-13 SSAUIMI, VESHCINs,..-0.ccrscccnencscesesosecesconssss 1 LOO 300,642.10 NOAA ecco rcrerssecovscnsccocscocboasscaccusvsccese 487 83,081.91 TROT poneanconncnascaandcopanoccoonasncnoodn -- &ye¥ile 1,241,459-14 . The gross registered tonnage of vessels built on the lakes during the past five years, according to the reports of the United States com- missioner of navigation, is as follows: Number. Gross Tonnage. Year ending June 30, 1891.........0.s00000. 204 TI1,856.45 ss wy Sf TSO 2receersesiieccesseer 7 4109 45,968.98 sf ss § TSQZssscccscccreccoses' 175 99,271.24 sf s es TOQAtsesesessesseeevess = LOO 41,984.61 ss ie ss ISOS eoscscceasessessacs = 93 36,352.70 iotalicccstcssscssesdsccorscotssestese mn 7A, 335,433 98 8T. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ CANAL TRAFFIC. (From Official Reports of Oanal Officers.) St. Mary's Falls Canal. 1895.* | 1894. 1893. 1895. 1894. 1893. No.vessel pass'ges} _17,956/ 14,491} 12,008/ 3,434] 3,352} «3,341 T'n'ge,net registd]16,806,781|13,110,366|9,849,754||8,448,383|8,039,175|7,659,068 Days of Navigat'n 231 234 219 365 365 365 Suez Canal. * 1895 fizures include traffic of Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie, which was about 4% per cent. of the whole, but largely in American vessels. FINES are being levied by the government upon some of the fast freight steamers for violation of regulations governing the navigation of St. Mary's river, and a cry has been raised in a few cases against the rules. But there will be no change in the regulations for the present season. The principle inyolved in this question is of the highest importance, as shown at the recent meeting of executive officers of the Lake Carriers' Association, held in Cleveland. Let us first state the cause for the meeting, and give a few facts regarding the regulations. A few days ago, John C. Shaw, admiralty lawyer of Detroit, representing the Eddy fleet of steamers, stirred up Detroit newspapers to a claim that the regulations were entirely too stringent and should be modified so as to admit of-greater speed in some parts of the river, and so as to bring about also some marked changes in rules relating to the passage of vessels in the river. It will be remembered that these regulations, which have been in force since the opening of navigation this spring, were prepared by a committee appointed at the last meeting of the Lake Carriers' Association, the committee consist- ing of Capt. W. 8. Mack, Thomas Wilson, Geo. P. McKay, James Davidson, W. P. Henry and James Calbick. The first work of this committee was to secure the passage of an act of congress giving the secretary of the treasury the right to make and enforce rules for the navigation of St. Mary's river. Then a set of rules prepared by the Lake Carriers' committee were approved by the Ship Masters' Associ- ation and adopted by the treasury department, after a conference in Washington between representatives of the lake interests, the com- missioner of navigation, supervising inspector-general of steam vessels and-officers of the reyenue cutter service, who were to enforce them, Capt. Davis of the revenue cutter Johnson was entrusted with the duty of enforcing the rules, and it was agreed that they should remain in force for one season, with the understanding that representatives of the same interests should meet again during the comin @ winter, and if it was thought advisable modifications could be made. These facts were reported to a special meeting of vessel owners and officers of the Lake Carriers' Association, held in Cleveland, Monday. It was also explained that Mr. Shaw, who had been to the Sault, had succeeded in prompting Capt. Davis of the revenue cutter service to recommend to the treasury department the change which he (Mr. Shaw) desired in the regulations, and it was stated that one of the Eddy fleet of vessels represented by Mr. Shaw had been fined three times this season for violation of the rules. The statement that the Eddy steamer had been at fault in violating the rules probably had some effect on the action of the meeting, but it was agreed anyhow, by the vessel owners, that other fast steamers in the association outnumbered those of the Eddy fleet by hundreds, and as there was no formal complaint, excepting from this one source, decisive action was taken against any change in the regulations at present. The treasury department was asked by resolution to take no action on the recommendation of Capt. Davis. The committee to which was originally entrusted the work of prepar- ing the regulations was empowered to go to Washington, if necessary, to prevent any change in the regulations. It will thus be seen that whatever may have been the disposition of the Lake Carriers' Associ- ation regarding a change in the rules, Mr. Shaw made a mistake in taking up this matter in the newspapers when the owners of vessels which he represented were members of the association. So much for the circumstances that have prompted the association of vessel owners to declare against any change in these regulations. Now as to results that have followed the enforcement of the rules this season. As the number of fast steam vessels in the Lake Superior trade kept increasing in previous years owners declared against high speed in the Sault river and against vessels passing each other at a high rate of speed in narrow places. They even adopted rules which were known as rules of the Lake Carriers' Association, But. these rules had not the force of law. Little attention was paid to them, Some captains took chances and rushed their vessels through the river regardless of the right of tows or other vessels that were not among the flyers. The orders of owners regarding speed were said to be in- sincere. But the owners, with few if any exceptions, were sincere, and they showed their sincerity when they secured the passage of an act of congress to regulate the navigation of the river. What has been the result during the present season? Not a tow line has been broken, not a single tow parted, and no collisions have occurred that can be attributed to causes which these rules were intended to cover. This is why it was decided at the Cleveland meeting that any propo--- sition to change these rules should be handled with the greatest care, as it was already shown that the loss of time in the river under the rules was nothing as compared with the danger of loss of life and damage to vessel property that would attend reckless navigation in this crowded waterway. PREPARATIONS are again being made by Secretary Keep and Treasurer McKay of the Lake Carriers' Association to secure more appropriations for aids to navigation. <A list of new lights, fog sig- nals, gas buoys, etc., some of them intended to replace private lights, has been prepared and the urgent need of all of them will be explained to members of congress who will have to do with these matters in the next session. Messrs. Keep and McKay were in Detroit, a few days ago, and they find that in nearly all cases the district officers of the light house service on the lakes haye recommended the aids to navi- gation for which vessel owners are seeking appropriations. VESSEL owners who have met Col. G. J. Lydecker of Detroit, have left him with the impression that his treatment of representatives of the shipping interests on the lakes will be of the same courteous kind that caused the late Gen. Poe to have a friend in everybody con- nected in any way with the vessel business. The lakes have been specially favored of late years with army engineer officers who were not above their positions in dealing with the common-place men of business. But not so much can be said of a few naval officers who have spent brief periods on the lakes. GREAT speed is expected from the cruiser Brooklyn now nearing completion at the yard of the Cramps, Philadelphia, and which will be tried next month. Her contract calls for a speed of twenty knots, but there are some officials at the navy department who believe that she will make 214 knots.