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12 MARINE REVIEW. 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. ' Susscriprion--$2.00 per year in advance. Single copies10centseach. Convenient binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. 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 Fross tonnage 711,034.28; the number of vessels of this class owned in all other parts of the country on the same date was 316 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: Gross Number. Tonnage. cam Rese Fetcetes seu regr savenes Serdthivdicccoesé i 924,630.51 Sailing vessels and barges........... Richetocintbecuiccekssansare ; 1027. Canal DOAtS........056.--.sseeeescees Bae eatcernttens ae eenaie phash 416 45,109.47 ; Totall.....csseoe Sergi ee 3,333 1,324,067.58 The gross registered tonnage of the vessels built on the lakes during the past six years, according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows: : ear ending June 30. 1891 204 111,856 45 Yea nee 1892 169 45,968.98 1D ' 's 1893 175 99,271.24 aS oe re 1894 106 41,984.61 " nf s§ 1895 9. 36,352.70 os of ss 1896 117 108,782.38 PRO LBB eeeac ec saves Savess ons sctsscaceccsscescesecsee ceessrsss 864 444,216.36 "ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ CANAL TRAFFIC. (From Official Reports of Canal Officers.) St.Mary's Falls Canals. Suez Canal. 1s96* | 1895+ 1894 1896 | 1895 | 1894 Number of vessel passages 18,615 17,956 14,491 3,409]. 3,434 3,352 Tonnage, net registered......|| 17,249,418] 16,806,781) 13,110,366)| 8,560,284) 8,448,383] 8,039,175 Days of navigation...... vetees 232 231 234 365 365 365 *1895 and 1896 figures include traffic of Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie. --_- ---------- A correspondent in Washington, writing for one of the Detroit news- papers, has met James A. Dumont. Nobody was ever more obliging to the newspapers than the chief of the steamboat inspection service, and if it was simply a matter of courteous treatment to everybody in office, they would all be fighting to help him keep his job. He captured the Detroit man, for this is what he wrote home: 'Those fortunate to have the ac- quaintance of Mr. Dumont cannot but be impressed with his general knowledge, his quickness at grasping a subject, and his ability to meet with effective argument anybody who encounters him. But it must be remembered that he has held this important position about twenty-five years, that he has had to fight hundreds of enemies many of them intent on ousting him, and that he has during all that time come in constant contact with the brightest minds in the country. He is a thorough steam- boat man, a lawyer, in fact, if not in practice, and a diplomat, and it is no wonder that through all administrations he has been able to hold his pos- ition while everybody else has been thrown out." Not long ago it was found that the fleet of steel vessels on the lakes had grown to such an extent that the number of vessels of the first class --1,000 tons and above that figure--owned on the lakes was greater than the number of vessels of the same class owned in all other parts of the country. Now the United States commissioner of navigation, who has just figured up reports from collectors of customs throughout the country, announces that during the year ending June 30, 1897, there was more tonnage built on the lakes than in all other parts of the country. The figures are 120 vessels of 126,937 gross tons for the lakes, against 771 vessels of only 115,296 tons for all other parts of the country. During the past decade the steam tonnage of the country has increased 816,000 tons, of which increase 500,000 tons belong to the lakes. It is not probable that the merchant marine of this country will be rehabilitated by the scheme of discriminating duties. The idea is a very pretty one no doubt, and may recommend itself to certain congressmen as a means of making political capital for themselves, or as a help in fur- thering the interests of the western railroads in overcoming competition with those of Caada. The ability to grasp the subject of how effectively to build up our merchant marine, does not seem to be possessed by the average congressman. We do not, however, despair because of this. Some day, in the near future, it is to be hoped, the shipping question will be given the intelligent consideration by congress that is due to it. In the meantime let nostrums of the discriminating duty kind be avoided. --Maritime Register. Great Britain's naval programme for the present year provides for an expenditure of $27,500,000. The ships to be built include four battleships, four armored cruisers and six light-draught river boats. The four cruis- ers and one battleship are to be built by contract. The gunboats for river service are an entirely new type, being 180 feet long and 33 feet beam. They are to have a speed of 12% knots with 1,300 indicated horse power, and are to be fitted with water tube boilers of the small tube type, working at a pressure of 250 pounds per square inch. They will have a draught of 8 feet, with 700 tons displacement. Until recently only a few lake vessels carried oil to be used for quiet- ing waves in time of storm. 'Now the number carrying oil bags is quite large, especially on Lake Michigan, where a list made up a few days ago included the steamers Madagascar and tow, the boats of the Biglow line, the Fanny Neil, S. M. Stevenson, Arizona, Plymouth and Scotia. The tugs of the Dunham towage company all carry oil bags. With tows of one or more vessels the use of oil from the steamer has been found to be very beneficial in protecting the boats in tow from receiving the de- structive seas on their decks. FFs Before taking further action in the matter of fireproof wood, the navy department is awaiting the receipt of a report from Mare island , where a structure made of the wood and representing a deck is under- going a severe test. This report is expected early in October. It will be recalled that early in August the department took steps to restrict the use of the wood and it is said by the officials that its employment here- after will be confined to the interior work on board vessels. Captain James Parsons of the steamer Chas. Hebard, writes Gear McCurdy, of Chicago, as follows: "In looking over the disasters in the locality of Point Aux Barques, Lake Huron, I think you will note that the majority of them are occasioned through thick weather, and a fog whistle at that point, it seems to me, is more necessary than at either Point Austin or Sand Beach. I sincerely trust the government authorities will look into this matter, as it is very important. oe After many trials on the Seine and in the open sea off Havre the roller steamer Ernest Bazin has realized a speed of only 8 knots. The experi- ments have been conducted by several engineers. in the service of the French government. Notwithstanding their inability to get speed out of the experimental vessel, these experts conclude that M. Bazin is right in principle, and that the use of the roller displacement economizes 70 per cent. of the power. Rt. Hon. W. J. Pirrie, mayor of Glasgow, and managing partner of the firm of Harland & Wolff, Belfast ship builders, has been interviewed by a New York reporter, and is quoted as saying that a mate for the big Oceanic, building at Belfast, will very probably be ordered soon by the White Star management. He also says that he looks for an 800-foot steamer one of these days. Let all the steamboat men who want to serve Uncle Sam as inspectors post up on rules of the road and engineering problems before February next. It is announced that during that month examinations of candidates for positions on local boards of the steamboat inspection service will be held in all parts of the lakes, under the direction of the civil service com- mission. The Kaiser Frederick, another big passenger ship for the North German Lloyd Co., which is expected to be about as fast as the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, was launched at Danztic, a few days ago, but will not be ready for service until next spring. Folger will probably be the name given to the revenue cutter which the treasury department is about to build for the New York station. Fast Ships Approach Each Other Rapidly. In a recent number of Cassier's Magazine, Lieut. James H. Scott of the United States revenue marine service refers to the danger of col- lision at sea between fast steamers--those of the 20-knot kind. In one paragraph he directs attention to the rapidity with which such vessels approach each other after the lights of one have beén sighted on the other. He says: "Two steam vessels, each having a speed of 21 knots an hour, ap- proach each other, at night, end on, proceeding in opposite directions. These vessels complying fully with the law, have the masthead lights visi- ble at a distance of five miles and the side lights visible at a distance of two miles. The night is dark, the atmosphere clear, and the men on lookout pick up the lights the instant they become visible. When the vessels are, say five miles apart, the lookouts will report the masthead light of the approaching vessel to the officer on the bridge, who is able to see it immediately. He will, however, be unable to tell the other ves- sel's direction until her side lights are visible. These he will see when the vessels are about two miles apart, and are approaching the point of collision at the rate of 42 miles an hour. There are available two min- utes and twenty-eight seconds for the ships' officers to see the lights, to make up their minds how they can best avert a collision, to give the order to port the helm, for the man at the wheel to obey the order, for the vessel to obey her helm, and for the ships to go clear. Does anyone say that the time is sufficient for all these agents to perform their several functions in ample time to avert a collision?" Portage Lake Canals. In the building of new breakwater piers at the upper entrance to the Portage Lake canals and the extension of piers at the Keweenaw en- trance, the government will make approaches to these waterways safe in all kinds of weather. This is one of the main features of the project which Major Clinton B. Sears, government engineer, has in hand. The project also provides, ultimately, for 20 feet navigation all the way through the canals, with a bottom width of about 125 feet, and to ease off the sharp bends. "We have practically, now, through the waterway," Major Sears says, "16 feet navigation, but the channel is narrow in places, and the bends are somewhat sharper than we intend to have them, ultimately. It 1s well buoyed and fairly well lighted, but over the buoyage and lighting, of course, the engineer office has no jurisdiction."