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10 MARINE REVIEW. Moral Side of Waterway Improvements, In view of the large appropriations that have been made by the government recently for river and harbor improvments under the sys- tem of continuous contracts, two or three of the railway journals have contained articles questioning the right of the government to make such appropriations. Extracts from some of these artices have been published in the Review. The main claim is to the effect that there is no justice in the expenditure of public money for the improvement and maintenance of water routes that are depleting the revenues of rail routes, and thereby destroying the property of those who have honestly invested their money therein. These claims, as a whole, are well answered in a communication from L. M. Haupt of Philadelphia, a well-known student of matters of this kind, who says: "'T may answer these questoins in the Yankee fashion by asking another, viz., is it right to neglect our opportunities, to bury our talents ina napkin, and to neglect to utilize and develop to their utmost extent the provisions made by an all-wise Creator for the benefit of mankind? Is it not the duty of an engineer, from the very definition of his profession, to apply the resources of vature to the wants of man? Is it morally wrong to improve-and cheapen the cost of transportation for the benefit of humanity? If so, then every railroad which makes an improvement that enables it to carry more cheaply than its com- petitor is working an injury to that organization and committing an immoral act, lawyers and moralists to the contrary notwithstanding. Then all progress which disturbs vested rights, without direct compen- sation, is wrong and the inventor should divide his profits with his competitors in his line of business. What would become of the stimulus to business if this principle prevailed? What shall be said in defense of the patent law, giving an individual a monopoly of his invention for a term of years because he makes a better article than his competitors are able to produce? When it is seen that a waterway can save 60 per cent. on the cost of moving the necessaries of life by rail, shall any one assert that it is immoral to take advantage of this enormous economy for the benefit of mankind merely because railroads are believed to have vested rights which no one and no condition should interfere with ? - "Fortunately, however, the reults is not an injury to the railroad nor the public, for there is a broad underlying general principle which many persons interestd in railroads do not appear to appreciate. They seem to have the idea that a deep waterway would destroy the railroad interests. My belief after years of investigation is that, on the contrary, it will be greatly beneficial to the earning power of the railroad, and _ I will take the liberty of directing those who are of the opposite opin- ion to a paper which Ihave just prepared on 'The Railways in Poli- tics, and to refer to another paper published in thé proceedings of the International Deep Waterways Association, on 'Sectionlaism and Railways vs. Deep Waterways,' giving stock quotations of railways having cheap water competition as contrasted with interior lines having none, which should afford-an index to the result of such al- leged competition in benefiting the railroad. The sooner our country awakens tothe importance of more fully utilizing her natural high ways of commerce the sooner will the long expected boom of pros- perity overtake us, and the harder will it be for adversity to shake our financial institutions, while it will also increase the revenues of our railroads."' Although Chicago receives very little soft coal by lake, on account of ample rail facilities provided from the mining districts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, the receipts of hard coal from Buffalo and Erie by water show a steady increase each year. Figures carefully col- lected from all ofthe coal dealers show receipts of anthracite by lake in 1896 aggregating 1,319,693 net tons. The companies and the amounts they received in tons are as follows: O. 8. Richardson & Co., 234,- 906; Lehigh Valley Coal Co., 201,519; Coxe Bros. & Co., 152,000; K. L. Hedstrom & Co., 150,375; Robert Law, 124,291; Crescent Coal & Mnfg. Co., 116,535; Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co., 113,710; Peabody Coal Co., 80,739; Youghiogheny & Lehigh Coal Co., 57,953; Pennsylvania Coal Co., 43,988; Wm. Drieske, 28,545; Drieske & Hinners, 8,495; Otto Schuenemann, 6,637; total, 1,319,693. ey The J ournal of the American Society of Naval Engineers for Feb- ruary reprints the paper on "Hollow Steel Forgings," which was read some time ago before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers by Mr. H. F. J. Porter of Chicago, who is western agent for the Bethlehem Iron Co. - among marine men at that point. Around the Lakes. The father of Capt. Ole Groh, well known in marine circles on Lake Michigan, died at his home in Sheboygan, Wis., Thursday. There are probably no two vessels on the lakes that resemble egg), other as much as do the steamers J. J. MeWilliams and Lagonda. The Hiram W. Sibley is said to be the only steamer now on the lakes that carries four spars and four top-masts. A few years ago most of the lake steamers carried the large spars. The Sibley is owned by Benj. Boutell of Bay City, and tows the schooner Twin Sisters. A telegram from Marine City to Mitchell & Co. of Cleveland ap. nounces the death of Capt. Chris. Peterson, who has been in eo. mand of vessels of the Gratwick fleet for about six years past. Capt. Peterson was in the steamer McWilliams last season and had been in command also of the Sauber ana the wooden steamer Gratwick. Announcement is made of the dissolution of the Cleveland firm of Bartow & Gilchrist, vessel and insurance agents. Mr. J. H. Bap tow, who recently became associated with the new ore firm of Drake, Bates & Co., announces that he will also continue the business of Bar- tow & Gilchrist in offices that were occupied by that firm, 611 and 612 Perry Payne building. - A letter from Cheboygan, Wis., notes some changes in berths Capt. Connelly, last season in the lumber steamer Joys, has accepted command of the steamer Veronica, Charles Benschneider will be chief engineer of the steamer Omaha, and - the place of second engineer which he occupied on the Philip D, Armour will be filled by Emil Jahn. Mr. W. C. Farrington of thé Northern Steamship Company is now in Europe on a wedding tour. Mrs. Farringon was Miss Jenneson of Bay City. It is again rumored that offices of the Northern Steamship Co. will be returned to Buffalo. Some changes are being made in the Lehigh Valley company, and there are rumors also of a new order of things in the lake affairs of that line. Captains and engineers just appointed for steamers of the Lake Erie Transportation Co., A. W. Colton of Toledo, manager, are as follows: Geo. J. Gould, Capt. Henry Root, Engineer James Miller; 8. 0. - Reynolds, Capt. Walter M. Cottrell, Engineer George-Butler; Russell Sage, Capt. T. C. Herrick, Engineer Joseph Kohlbrenner; John C. Gault, Capt. C. H. Lewis, Engineer John Busted. President Ingalls of the Big Four railway company has arranged with J. C. Shaffer and others of Chicago for the erection of a, grain elevator of about 500,000 bushels capacity in Cleveland. The elevator will be located on what is known as the Cincinnati slip, which is owned by the Big Four company, and the contract for building it will probably be let to John S. Metcalf & Co., elevator builders of Chicago. the fleet of steel canal boats, which has been in operation for some time past between Cleveland and New York. The canal boat company will also have, in the same slip, docks and storage sheds for the hand- ling of package freight. Not long ago the system of skeleton steel frames in the constuction of buildings was confined to massive structures of great height, Then it was extended to manufacturing and power plants where great strength was desired and now it is applied to churches, schools and in fact all buildings that are considered at all modern. The development of this branch of the steel industry is wonderful, and the amount of steel used in it is a big item. One of the pioneer concerns in this line of work is the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. of East Berlin, Conn. Of late this company announces two or three contracts a week for steel work on new buildings in different parts of the country. A catalogue has just been received from Henry R. Worthington of New York, describing the Worthington cooling tower, a water sav- _ ing device which has recently been patented, and which is now being placed on the market. facturers and users of refrigerating machinery may be understood from the claim that it will save from 85 to 95 per cent. of the water required for condensing and cooling purposes in refrigerating and ice making plants, and in locations where the absorption of heat is desirable and there may be a scarcity of water. Solid through sleeping car trains with dining cars attached are ~ operated by the Nickel Plate road between Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo and New York City. Through sleeping car to Boston. 3 Mar 31 It will be used very largely for supplying grain cargoes to' The importance of this apparatus to ice manu-