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MARINE REVIEW. [August 15, MARINE REVIEW Devoted to the Merchant Marine, the Navy, Ship Building, and Kindred Interests. Published every Thursday at No. 418-19 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, Ohio, by THE MARINE REviEW PUBLISHING Co. SupscRiPTION--$3.00 per year in advance; foreign, including postage, $4.50, or 19 shillings. Single copies 10 cents each. Convenient binders sent, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. The present week has borne witness to a significant triumph of Amer- 'ican manhood. The workman has proved himself to be greater than his union, When Mr. Shaffer issued his amazing call to the amalgamation last week the country was simply astounded at its provisions. This man, supposed to be the representative of American labor, called upon the members of the amalgamation to repudiate their contracts with the United States Steel Corporation. From the moment that call was issued until the day set for it to take effect the American workman was on trial before the bar of public opinion. To his credit let it be said that he declined to obey the call. It is true that there has been some deflection from the ranks but the majority of the American workmen have remained at work. The amalgamated association hoped to bring out one-half of the mills of the Steel Corporation and it succeeded in stopping only one-sixth of its great operating force. Even at that the major portion is unskilled labor which, of necessity, had to be thrown out of employment. The strike is clearly confined to the Pittsburg, Wheeling and New- castle districts and the gas belt in Ohio and Indiana. The struggle is not likely to spread beyond these geographical limits. The great protest against the unwarranted action of the leader of the amalgamation came from the west. A considerable portion of the mem- bers of the amalgamation in Chicago, Milwaukee and Joliet did not accept Shaffer's view of the case. They simply stated that existing contracts forbade their striking. When Shaffer heard of this he said, "I cannot understand the action of our western men, but if it is true that they are at work I will not be satisfied until the men in the slave pens of the trust assert their manhood." Mr. Shaffer has very curious notions of manhood. Moreover his language in referring to the mills as slave pens is scarcely becoming. Most of the men working in them were very glad to get their positions and it has probably never occurred to any of them that they were slaves. They will not welcome the suggestion from Shaffer. These self same mills have been paying the highest wages known in the steel world, and they have, as a general thing, a contented and independent class of workmen. Ww What is the present situation? There is not a constituent company of the United States Steel Corporation which has not"one or more plants . in operation in face of the strike-order and the largest and heaviest ton- nage producing companies are running in full, What is the lesson to be. derived from the strike? This is a point that is of as great importance to the workmen as it is to the employer. The country has seen a strike precipitated without just cause. It is because it is so grievously unjust that it is going to fail. The workmen of the country have seen the name of labor attached to the most dishonorable proposition that has ever been presented to a civilized community. With the union as a unit some have indorsed it; but it is inconceivable that with the individual as a unit it could possibly be indorsed by anyone. It is doubtful if Shaffer could find a single adherent.. As far as Shaffer has been able to dictate the policy of the union he has said that contracts entered into by the union are binding only upon the employers. They may be revoked at will by the workmen. This is an entirely new view of contracts and that it is entirely at variance with the constitution of the United States, which holds as one of its most precious guarantees the sanctity of contract, does not disturb Mr. Shaffer in the least. It might well disturb the workman, however. Mr. Shaffer in seeking to do a considerable injury' to the United States Steel Corporation has succeeded only in doing a very great mischief to the cause of organized labor. He has said in so many words that the amalgamation recognizes no obligation except the obligation to itself. We doubt very much whether the workmen care to subscribe to any such sentiment as that, or indeed to belong to an organization which includes it among its tenets. The lesson is, in the future, to look to the individual workman. After the present experience no employer can be blamed for looking with distrust upon a contract made by the union. He cannot help it. He will look to each man individually. With such a policy as this few contracts will be broken. Shaffer has written the death warrant of the amalgamation. Senator Frye is planning a meeting of the friends ot the shipping bill to be held in Boston during the first week of September. The purpose is to get the bill in preparation for presentation early after the opening of congress and to receive the suggestion of the members as to the best form in which to introduce it. Among the more important matters which will be considered at the Boston conference is a provision in favor of ves- sels engaged for the greater part of the year in the coastwise trade and which wish to engage in the foreign trade during a portion of the year. The bill will be introduced in the senate by Mr. Frye but it is not yet determined who will introduce it in the house. It is barely possible that the bill may originate in the house for parliamentary reasons. With Petti- grew, Butler and Allen out of the senate, friends of the bill believe its prospects of passage at the next session are favorable. GRAIN ELEVATORS OF THE GREAT LAKES. AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE INSPECTION OF THEM, HARBOR ENGINEER JOHN KENNEDY RECOMMENDS FOR MONTREAL AN ELEVATOR SIMILAR TO THE GREAT NORTHERN AT DULUTH. The harbor commissioners of Montreal recently made a tour of the great lakes to inspect the grain elevators and terminal facilities. Mr. John Kennedy, the chief engineer of the commission, who accompanied the members, has made the following instructive report upon fireproot grain elevators of the lakes: The grain elevators examined were in the cities of Duluth, Minneapo- lis, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo, and they comprised examples of all the chief types of elevators of wholly fireproof materials, which are known to have been built, or are being built on this continent. For convenience of description and consideration the elevators examined may be divided as regards bin construction into four types: (1) Those having rectangu- lar grain bins built of steel plates; (2) those having cylindrical bins, com- monly called tank bins, built of steel plates; (8) those having cylindrical bins built of tiles strengthened with steel hoops, and (4) those having cylindrical bins built of concrete strengthened with steel hoops. Of the first type, or those having rectangular steel bins, a notable ex- ample is the Great Northern elevator at Duluth. It is of 3,000,000 bushels capacity, and is the largest and amongst the first of its kind. The bins are 14 ft. 9 in. square by 85 ft. high, holding 14,500 bushels, except a few which are of two-thirds, half or quarter capacity. The bins are arranged in straight rows lengthwise and crosswise and they are formed of steel plates of such lengths as to reach from corner to corner, the corner junc- tions being formed with four angle bars and rivet fastenings. The plates . are stiffened by angle bars riveted to each side and by flat tie bars reach- ing across the bins, placed edge up. For the smaller bins, the space of two standard bins is divided into three, one is divided into two, or one intc four. The bins have steel plate hopper bottoms at suitable height for allowing cars to pass beneath, and they are carried on steel columns reaching through the ground floor to foundation piers beneath. The floor which covers the heads of the bins and the next above it are, for some un- explained reason, of wood plank on steel joists, but all other floors are of steel or other fireproof materials. There is no framing or walls surround- ing the bins, but they are protected from the sun and weather by corru- gated iron sheeting attached to them in such a way as to give a 6-inch air space all around between the sheeting and the outside plates of the bins. The framing of the building above the bins is of steel covered with iron sheeting and fireproof roofing. The elevator legs and heads, the garners, weighing hoppers and spouting are all of steel. With the ex- ception of the two wooden floors, the wooden casings and frames of the cleaning machines, the elevator belts, driving ropes and a few small wooden sills for machinery, everything worth noting, of both building and machinery, is of non-combustible material. The elevator is fitted for re- ceiving from cars and delivering into large boats. For receiving it has two tracks extending through the building lengthwise, and holding nine cars each, and for delivering it has telescope spouts supported by cranes and convenient tackle. The machinery is all of the most improved de- scription and largest capacity, and is driven by electricity. Construction was commenced about two years ago, but owing to delays in obtaining steel and difficulties incident to a novel character of construction, it is hardly yet completed. About a fourth of the bins and machinery have been in use, and are found to work well, and the remainder are very nearly ready for use. ' At Minneapolis there are also examples of elevators having square steel bins, in which the square bins are essentially the same as those in the Great Northern elevator of Duluth, but the Minneapolis elevators, as a whole, differ from the Great Northern in having only part of their storage capacity in square bins, and the remainder in round bins. In the Pioneer steel elevator of Minneapolis, for instance, finished about a year ago, and of about 1,200,000 bushels capacity, there is a central working house, which contains the receiving and delivering machinery, which is fitted with square steel bins, but they are of only 200,000 bushels aggregate capacity, and the main storage capacity of the elevator is in ten circular steel bins of 100,000 bushels each, arranged in two annexes of five bins each. The square bins of the Pioneer are built and supported in sub- stantially: the same way as those of the Great Northern, but their outer sides stand open to the weather, without walls or sheeting of any kind. In the working house containing the square bins, the ground floor is of concrete and upper house floors, frames and sidings are of steel. Every- thing about the whole elevator and annex bins is of non-combustible ma- terial, except the belts and cleaning machines. Another Minneapolis ele- vator, of 1,800,000 bushels capacity, under construction, is to be of prac- tically the same construction as:the Pioneer, except that the tank annex is to be all at one end and everything but the belts will be non-combustible. Even the cleaning machinery will have steel casings and frames. The ele- vator is notable as being mainly owned by its builders, who are known as elevator builders of great skill and experience, and who may be con- sidered as building that which their skill dictates as best suited to the requirements of the place, and most likely to be profitable as a venture. Of the second type of steel elevators, or those having circular bins of steel plates, amongst the early examples are the electric elevator at Buf- falo, and the Canadian Pacific railway elevator at Fort William, Ont. Later examples are the Great Northern of Buffalo, and the storage annex of the Pioneer steel elevator at Minneapolis; and the latest are the Ameri- can Linseed Co.'s, and the Buffalo Elevating 'Co.'s elevators under con- struction in Buffalo, and the annex of another under construction in Minneapolis. In all of these, except the Great Northern and the Buffalo