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1901.) | LAKE. SHIP YARDS MAY AGAIN BE FILLED UP. Tn 'view of the manner in which a late opening of navigation and continued prosperity in all steel and iron lines have upheld freights on the 'gréat lakes. for another season, it would not be at all surprising to find 'the lake ship yards filled with work for 1902 before the present season is half' over with. The ball was set rolling a few days ago when Capt. John' Mitchell' of Cleveland placed an order with the American Ship Building' 'Co. for two freight steamers that are to cost something more 'than half 'a' million dollars and which are to be ready for the opening of favigation next year. It is understood that officials of the big ship build- ing organization have negotiations under way that are expected to result in an order for ten vessels that may be used in either lake or ocean traffic and that orders for two more large lake freighters, one of them for Diake & Maytham of Buffalo, are also near the closing point. The tiew Mitchell steamers will afford a special opportunity for comparisons between Howden and Ellis & Eaves systems of forced draft. Hulls of the 'new vessels are to be the same as those of the steamers Holden and 'Albright, built last winter for Mitchell interests, but engines and boilers are to be like those in the steamer Black, built by the Detroit Ship Building Co. It happens, therefore, that the new steamers will:be prac- tically the same dimensions as the Black, and with machinery the same the two 'systems of draft will be tried under equal conditions. The Biack is looked upon as a very economical freighter. Dimensions of the néw steamers are 416 ft. keel, 50 ft. beam and 28 ft. depth. The Black is of the same beam and depth and there is only 2 ft. difference in keel . length. She is 414 ft. keel. Mr. W. Wallace, representing John Brown & Co., Ltd., of Sheffield, England,-who control patents on the Ellis & Eaves draft, was in 'Cleveland. when the contract for these two vessels was placed and is to take especial interest in their power equipment. Thevengines, alike to those of the steamer Black, are to have cylinders of 22;.35°and 58 in. diameter with 40 in. stroke; two Scotch boilers of 13 ft. 2 in. by! 11 ft. 6 in.; steam pressure 170 Ibs. The steel steamer building in the Jenks ship yard at Port Huron for Capt. Samuel Neff of Milwaukee was launched Wednesday and chris- tened 'C. S. Neff. This steamer is designed for the lumber and salt trade 'and is 212 ft. tong, 38 ft. beam and 14 ft. deep. She has fore-and-aft com- pound ergines. PLEASING INCIDENT ABOARD THE ERIE. -» A very. pretty incident occurred on the City of Erie during the race with the*Tashmoo on Tuesday last. 'Capt. William McKay, the dean of side-wheel. captains, was aboard. It had been the custom of Com. George W. Gardner of Cleveland to take several trips during the year with Capt,. McKay, no matter what his run might be, and at any rate to take one trip during the year. Twenty years ago Com. Gardner pre- sented the captain with a gold badge, bearing the word "commander," _the letters being cut out of solid gold. It was an exquisite bit of work, -and the old captain wore it for years upon his cap. He said during*the trip that it was the only bit of jewelry he ever possessed and that he 'prized it more highly than anything else. He wanted, however, now that he had retired from active service, to present it to 'Capt. Hugh Mc- Alpin of the City of Erie. The presentation was made in the captain's office by Com. Gardner. Capt. McAlpine was taken entirely by surprise and responded in as few words as possible. After the presentation a 'number of stories of Capt. McKay's bravery were told. One of them, told by Com. Gardner, was 'particularly good. "One Saturday afternoon," said Com, Gardner, "we were shipping a ~eargo to Buffalo. There was a-terrible storm outside. We had just promoted a young fellow to captain, and I called him aside and told him that the trip was not a matter.of life and death and that he had better 'wait until the storm abated. "He was ambitious, however, to make a record and insisted upon going out, saying that he could land the cargo 'in Buffalo easily on Monday morning. _He hadn't been out but a very ._few hours when I received word that a vessel was in distress off Euclid Creek and that the crew were lashed to the cross-trees. The vessel was rolling frightfully and the crew were being submerged half of the time. _I made up my mind that that was-our brig, the Sultan, and I went down to the river to see if I couldn't get some one to go out to help her. The . only steamer in was the Northwest. I asked the captain if he would go out but he was afraid he would get stuck on the bar and declined. There was one tug near the government pier and I asked the captain of her if he wouldn't go out: He said that his insurance wasn't high enough. I asked him how much more he wanted and when he said $4,000 I vol- unteered to get it and to pay the premium on it and to go out with him. ' He then said that the sea was too high and that he wouldn't risk it. I - had to' wait then until 4 o'clock in the morning when the Detroit & = Cleveland steamer came'in. She stopped at the government pier, as was "her custom then, to discharge freight. In a moment or two Capt. Mc- ' Kay came down on the dock. I related the circumstances to him. He * didn't wait for me to ask him to go out but said very quietly: "I'll be ready to back out in three minutes." He then asked me if I had a sharp knife. I told him I would have one by the time the steamer reached the - wreck. When we got to the wreck there was only one man lashed to ' the rigging left. The rest had been drowned. The captain said: "I am going to run her nose across her quarters, so you lean over and cut that man loose from the rigging. You'll have to work quick for I shall have +o back out at once to save myself from being crushed.' Well, he sent -. her bow over the boat and we cut the man loose. He was unconscious - but we had some brandy on board and soon revived him. That is only --one incident of 'Capt. McKay's bravery." 'For the rescue of this man and for other gallant acts Capt. McKay was. presented with a gold watch and chain, suitably inscribed, in Octo- ber, 1864. He exhibited the watch to those present in the cabin and tears rolled down his cheeks as he listened to the recital of events in his active life. .:.» One fare for the round trip to the Pan-American exposition at Buf- ~falo via the. Nickel Plate road beginning June 1 and continuing the entire _summer; good returning within ten davs from date of sale. Write, wire, .. phone or-call_on nearest agent, or E.. A: Akers, C. P. & T. A., Cleveland, a0 ee ee phriaeics Hi 84, Aug. 1. MARINE REVIEW. AZ NOT HALF AS MUCH AS LAST YEAR. MOVEMENT OF FREIGHT OF ALL KINDS TO AND FROM LAKE SUPERIOR--. FULL REPORTS FROM THE CANAL OFFICIALS.; Reports from the canals at Sault Ste. Marie show that the movement of freight of all kinds to and from Lake Superior is not quite half what it was on June 1 a year ago. The figures are 2,248,045 net. tons on June 1, 1901, against 4,565,879 tons on June 1, 1900, and 2,908,068 tons on June 1, 1899. Causes of this shortage are, of course, well understood--the engineers' strike and a late opening of navigation. The decrease applies to all lines of freight but is, as might be expected, especially marked in the big items of iron ore, coal, grain and lumber. The iron ore ship- ments (net tons in the canal reports) foot up only 1,172,532 tons thus far this year, against 2,733,525 tons a year ago; bituminous coal, 360,086 tons, against 724,958 tons; anthracite coal, 107,168 tons, against 155,082 tons; wheat, 5,959,542 bushels, against 14,216,221 bushels; flour, 921,573 barrels, against 1,194,183 barrels. The movement of all kinds of freight for three years past is fully set forth in the following: tables: i MOVEMENT OF PRINCIPAL ITEMS OF FREIGHT TO AND. FROM LAKE SUPERIOR. To Junel, | To June 1, | To June 1, eee. 1901. 1900. 1899. Coal, anthracite, net tons............... - 107,168 155,082 128,789 Coal, bituminous, net tons............ 360,086 | 724,958 317,201 Tron-ore, et tons...5.cs..7.0208 31 "1,172,532 2,733,525 1,619,394 Wheat, bushels...... Gd dossoeseecosesiccarsass|) 0,900,042 | 14,216,291 8,443,388 Hlour, bartelS.:...:.....ccc. ieeeaserke ceiles 921,573 | 1,194,183 773,238 REPORT oF FREIGHT AND PASSENGER TRAFFIC TO AND FROM LAKE SUPERIOR, FROM OPENING OF NAVIGATION TO JUNE 1 OF EACH YEAR FOR THREE YEARS PAST. EAST BOUND. : oe To June 1, |} To June], | To June:1 ee Doster). AGOf sh e990." Copper viccci., secs escscaes Net tons....| . .. 8,996 - 19,423 10,833 Grain, other than wheat Bushels.....; 2,811,928 2,383,301 8,335,892 Building stone............ Net tons... 4,280 2,396 923 PlOUr, deve saae Barrels...... 921,393 1,194,073 773,238 Tron Ore .os. ce ites Net tons... 1,172,532 2,733,525 1,619,394 THOM; PIG. sssccteseesecessa ce Net tons... 2,689 2,744 2,347 Te MIN DEL vik; , .-yaccccevenscs M. ft. b. m. 87,792 120,832 _ 97,266 Silver Ores. oc.:c.- 5. NEU TONS oii cisei se ccsecece los: iwecccsteuccueess nese oe de ae Wheaties. .....5.cccecees ..|Bushels.....| 5,959,542 | 14,216,221 8,448,388. Unclassified freight .....) Net tons... 4,098 8,364 | 28,347 PassengelrS.........sceseeees Number.... 2,949 Ti23)| | = B67 WEST BOUND. a A : : Coal, anthracite.......... Net iGns::. . 107,168 - 155,982 128,789 Coal, bituminous......... Net tons... 360,086 724,958 . 317,201 Flour Batrelscea ae O0e) eee OO i chi Grain Bushels..... 2 ZS NBO: | os testers ceca tenes 4,000 Manufactured iron...... Net tons... 7,942 24 838 17,043 Salt ne ae ee eae Barrels ..... 99,346 67,217 75,465 Unclassified freight..... Net tons... -- 68,347 77,603 67,838 Passengers... .0icfccecs cee! Number... 3,842 1,730 1,443 SUMMARY OF TOTAL FREIGHT MOVEMENT IN TONS. To June 1, 1901. | To June 11900. | Te Jane 1, 1600. East bound freight of all kinds, net tons......... eee 1,694,181 3,573,228 2,365,806 West bound freight of all kinds, net tons..........0+.. _ 658,864 992,651 542,262 | 9,948,045 | 4,565,879 2,908,068 Total number of vessel passages to June 1, 1901, was 2,103 and the regis- tered tonnage 2,080,517. : oo It is in order, now that the Tashmoo-City of Erie race has shown all that may be expected of the fastest side-wheel passenger steamers of the great lakes, to hope that the advertising agent's stories of speeds ranging anywhere from 25 to 30 miles an hour will be set at rest--at least until some new flyers are built. The actual maximum speed of a trifle more than 22 miles an hour, or possibly not quite 22 miles if the distance run by the véssels was a little over-stated, fixes the speed of these ships for all time, as a race was never run under more favorable conditions and the power and endurance of machinery in both vessels was developed to the limit. The all important statement to lake vessel interests of iron ore ship- ments to June 1, compared with the shipments on June 1 a year ago, is not as yet at hand, but it is still probable that the total will fall short of 1,500,000 tons, as against about 3,500,000 tons on June 1, 1900. Unofficial returns from three ports at the head of -Lake Superior--Duluth, Two Harbors and Superior--show a total of 788,549 tons, compared with 1,790,999 tons last year. : i POt pie a i950 Det TAA 12%