DEVOTED TO LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 409 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, Ohlo, by John M. Mulrooney and F. M. Barton. Single copies 10 cents each. binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. SupscripTion--$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second class Mail Matter. The books of the United States treasury department on June 30, 1896, contained the names of 3,333 vessels, of 1,324,067.58 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, 1896, was 383 and their aggregate gross tonnage 711,034.28; the number of vessels of this class owned in all other parts of the country on the same date was 315 and their tonnage 685,204.55, so that more than 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, 1896, was as follows: on 8 Number. Tonnage. SESUINEVCSSEI Sasa. sosces cteves cas ce savecccicosedleressbeslesvososcoctes 1,792 924,630.51 Sailing Vessels ANd DAarges.........ssscsceessoccescseceeeeceeser 1,125 354,327.60 CATA DOES eee ieee aa tee aa crepe ged sos desseseaa oe saeess 416 45,109.47 TOGA ae tet coe ecehothcs abe takevenesee 3,333 1,324,067.58 The gross registered tonnage of the vessels built on the lakes during the past six YoArs. according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows: Year ending June 30. 1891 204 111,856 45 S ft eS 1892 169 45,968.98 is oe i 1893 175 99,271.24 ' ee SS 1894. 106 41,984.61 en ' s SO iiteeen ote nee coeth vac sreccsee cosues cost 93 36,352.70 : - SOG ESS See sr cake tnent eed aout yehcscaseet 117 108,782.38 PO Ga leseeee tae eee occ nos vag cnt anack dosti ncaeveasesestcens 864 444,216.36 ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ GANAL TRAFFIC. (from Official Lteports of Canal Officers.) St. Mary's Falls Canal. Suez Canal. 1895* 1894 1893 1895 1894 1893 17,956 14,491 11,008 3,434 3,302 8,341 16,806,781] 13,110,366] 9,849,754] 8,448,383) 8,039,175) 7,659,068 231 234 219 365 365 365 No. vessel passages,............ Tonnage, net registered...... Days of navigation.............. >» *1895 figures include traffic of Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie, which was about % per cent. of the whole, but largely in American vessels. More details of the Carnegie-Rockefeller deal are gradually com- ing out. It is known positively that Mr. H. W. Oliver of Pittsburg, who owned half of the Oliver mine, has one-sixth of the stock of the new company and will take for the Oliver furnace interests one-sixth of the ore. This is aside from Mr. Oliver's commission, whatever it may have been, as representative of the Carnegie interests in the trans- action. It is also reported, but not on positive authority, that the rail freight from the mine to Duluth has been fixed at 80 cents per ton, and ' that any "reduction in that rate is to be equalized by adding the amount of the reduction to the royalty. In other words, the Rocke- feller interests get $1.05 guaranteed, as the joint royalty and rail freight. The lake freight is said to be arranged in the following man- ner: The Carnegie interest pays a fixed minimum rate per ton through the season and agrees to make a final settlement on the basis of the average rate of lake freight paid to vessels generally during the season. The bonus of $600,000 is said to represent moneys expended in opening up, stripping and equipping the Mountain Iron mine. It will be noted, therefore, that the Rockefeller party secures a minimum. tonnage of 1,200,000 tons pér annum for their road and steamers, are guaranteed the royalty, and have refunded the whole cost of the mine to them. The Carnegie company has also agreed not to become con- nected with any competing line from the Mesabi deposits to shipping port, and are not allowed to sell any of their ore in open market. Although it is not probable that anything will ke done in con- tracts for moving ore next season until well on towards the opening of navigation, it is quite certain that lake freights will be low. The leading ore shippers of Cleveland talk of a rate of 80 cents or less from the head of Lake Superior. They base this opinion on the general tendency towards lower costs in producing iron and steel, which is best indicated by the recent Rockefeller-Carnegie ore and transportation deal. Pools and combinations of tbe kind that have aimed to include iron manufacturers of all kinds, big and small, will be brushed aside and business will be done largely on the principal of 'survival of fine fittest." It is even doubtful whether the Bessemer iron ore associa- tion, which was thought to be more solid than some of the other pools, will exist another year. But in this drift to low costs of mater- ial there is promise of a big business later on in 1897, and_ the pros- pects of an export trade are now demanding great attention from the leading manufacturers. Southern iron makers are jubilant over large sales of pig iron for export, made within the past ten days, one order MARINE REVIEW. aggregating 10,000 tons. The Carnegie company is evidently paving -- the way for the sale of its products in the leading markets of the world, and other manufacturers must place themselves in a position to meet the competition, notwithstanding some advantages which the leading Pittsburg interest will have over all comers. This will not be done by a reduction in labor which is already low, but mainly by reductions in transportation charges and by lower prices on ore and coke. Erastus Wiman has incorporated the canal company in which he proposes to consolidate the interests of a large number of Erie canal boat owners and also include a fleet of new wooden canal boats. He has some good names in the list of incorporators, among them Charles A. Pillsbury of Minneapolis, Bradford C. Church of Duluth, Elbert A. Young of St. Paul, George H Raymond and Frank Beadle of Buffalo, Samuel B. Hart of Englewood, N. J., and Frank Edson and John A. Cormack of New York. Admiralty Cases in Cleveland. Mr. H. F. Carleton, clerk of the United States district court at Cleveland announces that the following cases on the admiralty docket of the court will be called at 10 a.m., Feb. 2: Willaim T. Baker vs. tug Thomas Quayle; A. A. Pinot vs. tug Patrick Henry; S. A. Murphy vs. tug International; William J. Murphy vs. tug Interna- tional; George Roakes vs, schooner Emma C. Hutchinson, et al.; A. C. Chapman vs. John Corrigan and X. C, Scott; H. D. Turney et al., vs. steamer Wocoken; S. E. Leonard et al vs. tug Griffin; Louis Hausen et al vs. about 180 cords of pulp wood; John Peet et al vs. schooner Monticello; F. B. Hower vs. steamer W. P. Thew; EH. M. Bennett vs. steamer Minneapolis; Albert Van Dusen vs. steamer Torest City; John Dolbear vs. steambarge W. P. Thew; Andrew Anderson vs. schooner John Martin; Paul Olson vs. schooner J. 8. Austin; L. A. Ranney et al vs. Berghold Glatz; John McLaughlin vs. steamer State of New York; Thomas Kelley vs. schooner Julia Willard; Lulu Belle Gray vs. the City of Cleveland; Ernest Tanner vs. steamer Montana; Charles Hughes vs. steamer Post Boy; James H. Normand et al vs. steam tug W. G. Harrow; P. Werner et al vs. tug C. E. Benham; Joseph C. Gilchrist et al vs. steamer Colgate Hoyt; M. A. Bradley et al vs. barge No. 117; Hawgood & Avery Transit Co. vs. steam pro- peller A. D. Thompson; Hawgood & Avery Transit Co. vs. the City of Cleveland; Frank Laughlin vs. steamer Montana; C. L. Parker et al vs. the.Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Ry. Co.; William © Chisholm et al vs. the City of Cleveland; River Machine & Boiler Co, ys. steamer Favorite; Cleveland Sand & Gravel Co. vs. steamer Swan and Theo. Henderson; R. O. Mackey and A. B. Mackey vs. steamer George F. Williams; L. P. Smith and J. A. Smith vs. steamer Rube Richards; American Steel Barge Co. vs. steamer Philip Minch; Chase Machine Co. vs. steamer Maggie Duncan; R. J. Cram vs. the City of Cleveland; Cleveland Saw Mill & Lumber Co. vs. propeller Havana; United States vs. steamer State of Michigan; Merrit Downer vs. steamer Favorite; C. R. Jones vs. schooner Sweepstakes; John Leighton et al vs. schooner Surprise; Bessie Gray vs. schooner Montgomery; Daniel McKinnon vs. schooner H. G. Cleveland; Harris W. Baker vs. schooner Lone Star and cargo; River Machine & Boiler Co. vs. steam tug Jose. Duluth's New Tug Line. Capt. James Davidson of West Bay City will be interested with the Barry Brothers, five or six of whom control the Independent Tug Line of Chicago, in the establishment of a new tug line at Duluth next spring. The report that Mr. A. B. Wolvin, Mr. Tomlinson and others of Duluth were to organize a new Duluth tug line was without founda- tion. Barry Bros. will organize the new company, which will be known as the Duluth Towing and Wrecking Co. They have made arrange- ments to buy from Capt. Davidson the two new wooden tugs, which he has just completed, and also the new tug which he sent up to Duluth late last fall for the Inman line. They have also about com- pleted arrangements with Duluth banks for the purchase of two or three of the best of the Inman tugs which are under indebtedness, and will have in all a fleet of six or seven tugs at Duluth shortly after the opening of navigation next spring. Capt. Davidson will probably get a liberal price from the new company for his three tugs, as he te be interested in the company and give his towing business to the ine. : x - ¥ : ap 2