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1901.] MARINE REVIEW. , 17 STEEL CORPORATION'S ORE POSSESSIONS. According to calculations made in Duluth the United States Steel Corporation holds nearly 70 per cent. of the ore mines of the Lake Supe- rior region on the basis of last year's production. The great corporation is still engaged in buying mines and closing options. The largest option was that upon the large Cleveland-Cliffs property but this as will be noted elsewhere in this issue is off. The steel corporation is also said to have options on Brotherton and Sunday Lake mines for $1,000,000 and on three outside Mesabi properties, Roberts, Hale and Kanawha, for a smaller sum. It has options also on other old properties on the Gogebic and Menominee ranges and has a $500,000 option in Canada. Following is a summary, given for what it is worth, of properties controlled by the corporation. The table shows interests from which the mines were secured and their product in 1900: MESABI RANGE. Tons. Adams GRockefeller). 23. 27..." Sol owe oe De A eer 777,346 PCA ee ae ee eee Auburn CVainnesota Tron): {.0....60.0 2. Oy eee ne .. 268,692 Biwabik, one-fourth (National Steel) ..... Cae ae Coe oe 235,000 Canton (Minnesota Iron) 2.3... ee ee ee ee teens Glark (Steel & Ware) 450-603. ee es eG 63,071 G@loguet (Rockefeller)... en ee ae Day (Rockefeller) ....... BO a ance ca a eae Bs ee Diluth CRockeleller) 2 ea ee 128,587 Bayal (Minnesota tron) 00,0 2 Pe 1S, 1,252,004 Genoa (Viinnesota Iron) 24.0.5... 253,651 ibake Superior (Rockefeller) .2.5...23.5.00) ©. RC h et eine ey eeenlem Mahoning, one-fourth (National Steel). ...-.0..5.......05.0. 23. 228,000 Minnewas (Rockefeller) ..2.......... eae Pega ea er oh ae Mountain iron (Carnegie) ....5...105..... oe e. Te ey 1,001,824 Norman GCarnerite) 2.5.5.4. Eee ae eee Lac Olio. (Garnecie) 6.2... se ees So ae ees : 172,597 Oliver (Garnegie) 2... eee OU ee ce an cao 244-816 Pillsbury (Rockefeller) ...%>.... odors cha. Da ees oe LOL082 Daudiry. Goteel cc Wire) 2. oe Ge . 681,560 Sellers (Rockefeller) ........ PO oe ae Lee Sa 56,280 Spruce (Rockefeller). .2......... ee eo aoe wee LOLGUD Union, one-half (Steel Hoop) ..... et ea i cae es rs 4,149 VERMILLION RANGE. Minnesota «(Minnesota Tron Co.). 2 08 ee 7s i ie . - 825,020 Ciandler (Niinnesota [ron Coa 2.2 Vile ee 644,801 Pioneer (Carnegie) 6... 2: ie ee PO eee oe. 450,794 marcy AC ote gin) a ee pees oe 19 116 Gemitn Ceatmecie) 2 ke et Sate oes ae 60,089 GOGEBIC RANGE. Atlantic: (Steel & Wire) o...4 2): Rie se ee Gee eo Gan Aurora (Carnegie) 2 2... .....-. Cie come, eae eos coos MOB IT Wore (Carnegie) )........ 2) Pee ee Ae ee 666,389 Pabst (Carnegie) ...... Sy ere eee Se eee 239,242 Tylden. (Carnecie) ......... Me Poe eee ee Set aa eo 481,909 MARQUETTE RANGE. Hartford (Carnegie) ....... Sars ee Dae oe Ee isake Superior (Carnegie). 20 Bee se 709: 148 Negatinee, (Steel & Wire)... 2555 3). A. A ee an 126,829 Regent: (@amecie.t:. 35 eee ie 398,298 Winthrop National: Steel) e843 ee 148,945 MENOMINEE RANGE. Aragow (direct purchase). .... 47.25... eee eee 404,645 Chapin (National Steel) 2... es 926,937 Comm bia (Carnegie) 88.5 5 ee, Sociale ets 97,531 Cult (Steel & Wire) 3.2. 5, OE te ees Se oe oo 88 209 Gundy (Federal Steel) ..:....... ee ee Dares ae ALAA Wobets (Carmerie): 55. eo ee <i Gceee: eas 49 203 Hilltop (Steel & Wire) ....... eee eka ea 6,410 Mansheld (Carnegie) ........ 2... ot cc es Se Cotte 90,155 Pewabic, one-half (Carnegie) ....... See ee ae ae 187,022 Riverton (Carnegie) .3........ Sia ar oe Po eee 71,004 Total for United States Steel Corporation ........ po 12,724,979 AROUND THE GREAT LAKES. Capt. John Ivers, who sailed the steamer Merida last season, will command the new steamer D. M. Whitney. 'An Ottawa dispatch again makes the announcement that the Welland canal will be opened April 22 and other canals of the Dominion May 1. The Graham '& Morton Transportation Co. of Chicago has purchased the steamer City of Louisville 'back from the underwriters for $6,000. The latter recently paid a fire loss of $40,000 on the craft. The John Schroeder Lumber Co. of Milwaukee has bought the steamer A. C. VanRaalt from Charles Leihy of Bayfield for $12,000. Frost & Sprague of Cheboygan have bought the tug Merrill from the Milwaukee tug line. : The steel tug Ewig was launched at Johnston Bros. ship yard at Ferrysburg, Mich., a few days ago. She is owned by Ewig & Sons of » Port Washington and is built for fishing purposes. Her length is 80 ft., beam 16 ft. and depth 8% ft.; the cost was $15,000. Capt. J. M. Fields, who introduced on a large number of lake vessels last season the Fields reversible dial compass and course corrector, has returned from California and will this season engage in the work of cor- recting compasses. His headquarters will be at the Hotel Bethel. W. J. Farasey, 107-115 River street, Cleveland, representing the Lackawanna Green Bay line of freighters, announces that his warehouses are now open and that the first boat of the line will leave Cleveland about* April 22 for Mackinaw, St. Ignace, Escanaba, Menominee, Mari- nette,'Green Bay and points beyond in northern Michigan and Wiscon- sin. Mr. Farasey has been appointed agent at Cleveland of the Rutland Transit Co. (Ogdensburg line). The "first boat of this line will leave Cleveland about April 22. BLOCKED BY FLOATING ICE. In some years the lakes below the St. Mary's river are almost entirely free of ice about the middle of April. Then again the first of May finds the connecting rivers between Lakes Huron and Erie almost completely blocked by floating and grounded ice. A condition now existing at head of Lake St. Clair is pictured in the accompanying engraving. Vessels often meet with rough experiences in such places. The initial trip of the steamer Arundel on Sunday last out of Detroit was attended with considerable interest. The steamer had 400 passengers on board and was resolved upon the experiment of forcing itself through the St. Clair ship canal. The vessel reached the canal just at the time that the big break in the ice came. Indeed when within 200 ft. of the canal she was carried back by the weight of the ice and the force of the current which was estimated to be about 10 miles an hour, The angles of piling at the upper end of the canal shot the ice into the center of the cut and it fairly boomed as it came through. It was heavy chunk, pack ice, some of it 4 and 5 ft. thick. The Arundel could make no headway against it and she drifted back out into the lake. A second attempt was made an hour later, but without success. ' ( OBSTRUCTIONS CHARGED TO LIGHT-HOUSE OFFICIALS. Editor Marine Review: Through the columns of your paper I desire to protest against the United States light-house department placing any more dangerous obstructions to navigation in Lake St. Clair. It has been the custom for years to drive clusters of piles on which to establish lights in this shallow lake during the season of navigation. Every winter these piles are pushed over or cut off by the ice, in either case leaving just below the surface a; hidden danger to any vessel, large or small, chancing to strike them. | In addition to these dangers to navigation, some two or three years - ago: the light-house. department planted six massive timber cribs, filled _ with stone, three on each side of the 20-ft. channel, on which they erected Pintsch gas lights. The heavy ice has carried off the top of every crib, leaving just below the surface a dangerous menace to navigation. Several vessels have, I believe, struck these obstructions, and at least one yacht has been sunk, and should a large steamer take a sheer and run upon one of these sunken cribs, it would surely result in great damage to the vessel and perhaps sink her. : It seems strange that while the government is spending millions of dollars to remove obstructions to navigation from other channels along the chain of lakes,a part of this money should be spent to place other dangers. Steps should be taken at once by the proper officials to remove these obstructions. RICHARD P. JOY. Detroit, April 17, 1901. DETOUR LIGHT--DANGEROUS CRIBS IN LAKE ST. CLAIR. _Capt. George P. McKay, chairman of the committee on aids to navi- gation of the Lake Carriers' Association, has received the following letter from Com. J. C. Wilson, inspector of the eleventh light-house district: I am in receipt of your communication of the 13th inst. in regard to changing the characteristic of the Detour fog signal so that it will indicate the absence of fog in the river, etc. I shall look into the matter. further and if I consider it practicable, shall recommend to the light- house board that the characteristic of this fog signal be changed, and Mine such change is authorized the usual notice to mariners will be issued. c "Referring to the request that the remains of the crib at the head of Russell island and those in Lake St. Clair be removed, I have to state in regard to the one at the head of Russell island that it has been recom- mended to the light-house board that as soon as practicable after the opening of navigation the old light be re-established on this point on a pile structure 'driven as close as possible to the remains of the old crib. In regard to the obstructions in the 20-ft. channel I have reported to the board upon the danger of these cribs. Before the close. of navigation last year No. 1 was rebuilt with the idea of determining with certainty whether or not it would stand through the winter. Should it have stood the pres- sure of ice all of the cribs would have been reconstructed. The engineer of the district is now absent on duty, and as soon as he returns I intend to take this matter up for further recommendation to the board,"