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SITUATION ON THE LAKES. The strike which is now affecting all the yards of the American Ship Building Co. with the exception of Milwaukee, Bay City and Chicago and the Ecorse yard of the Great Lakes Engineering Works wil! have no serious influence upon lake trade during 1907. The trade can get along without the vessels on the stocks, and many vessels that were turned over for repair can get along for another season without any alterations if need be. The difficulty on the lakes has never been with 'tonnage, but rather with terminal facilities. The docks, however, are stead- ily improving their equipment, and dur- ing last year it was common practice to unload a 10,000-ton carrier in one full day. With such dispatch as this the available fleet will be able to handle any reasonable increase in the movement of 1907 over that of 1906. There is no in- dication of a compromise, the employers feeling that they have the situation well in hand. The ice fields are quite extensive, and navigation will probably not be in full swing until the latter part of April. There is no profit in trying to force the opening of navigation with the lake steel freighter. Two years ago this was tried at a cost of about $1,000,000 to the ves- sel owners. The latest reports are that the average thickness of ice in St. Marys river is 29 in., while the fields in Lake Superior extend beyond vision. -- The Pittsburg Steamship Co.'s en- gineers are at work fitting out, but other owners have not as yet begun to get their boats in shape. No chartering has been 'done since that which was recently an- nounced. IRON SITUATION. Although prices show little change, pig iron has shown an unmistakable evidence of growing strength during the past week. Valley producers of Bessemer pig iron, who have only about 20,000 tons unsold for the first half of the year, have fixed the second quarter price at $22 furnace. large interests in the south are very firm in their prices. The monthly blast furnace statistics of The Iron Trade Review indicate an average daily pro- duction for February of 73,108 tons, against 70,155 tons in January. The urgent demands of the railroads for delivery of rails is indicated by the ac- tion of the Carnegie Steel Co. in plac- ing its combination mill at Youngstown on rails after operating it for some months in sheet bars. Official an- nouncement is made of an_ increase in freight rates, averaging 10 cents on pig iron and all kinds of iron and steel products, effective June 1. An advance of five cents on coke in the Connells- ville, district will become effective "TAE. MarRINE REVIEW April 15. The blowing out of a num- ber of furnaces for repairs has de- creased the demand for coke and prices of foundry coke show a sharp decline. THREE LAKE LAUNCHINGS. The steamer Thomas Lynch, building for the Pittsburg Steamship Co., was launched at the Chicago yard: of the American Ship: Building Co. on Satur- day last, and was christened by ' Mrs. Roy A. Williams of Cleveland. The THOMAS LYNCH. Lynch is the second of the four 600-foot- ers now building for the company to be launched. This new steamer is 600 ft. over all, 580 ft. keel, 58 ft. beam, and 32 ft. deep. Her engines are triple-expan- sion, with cylinders 24, 39 and: 65 in. diameters by 42-in. stroke, supplied with steam from two Scotch boilers, 16 ft. by 11 ft. 6 in., equipped with Ellis & Eaves draft and allowed 170 lbs. pressure. Her sister ships, the Henry Phipps, building at Bay City, and the George F. Baker, building at West Superior, are progress- ing rapidly. Capt. E. M. Smith will sail the Lynch and A. L.' Eggert will be her . chief engineer/ The . Toledo. ' Ship Building Co. launched on Saturday last the steamer Charles Hubbard, building for the L. C. Smith Transportation Co. No ceremonies marked this launching. The Hubbard is 460 ft. over all, 440 ft. keel, 53 ft. beam, and 29 ft. deep. Her engines are quad- ruple-expansion with cylinders 16%, 24, 35 and 50-in. diameters by 42-in. stroke, supplied with steam from two Scotch boilers, 12 ft. 6 in. by 12 ft. equipped with Ellis & Eaves draft and allowed 210 lbs. pressure. Capt. Ralph Lyons of Lorain will sail the Hubbard. The steamer D. O. Mills, building at the Ecorse yard of the Great Lakes Engineering Works for Pickands, 21 Mather & Co., of Cleveland, was launched without ceremony Tuesday morning. 'The Mills is 552 ft. over all, 532 tt. keel, 298 ft beam amd ae ie deep. She will have triple-expansion engines with cylinders 24, 37 and 65 in. diameters by 42-in. stroke. Steam will be furnished by two Scotch boilers, 16 ft. diameter and 12 ft. long. SUBMARINE SIGNALING. The United States lighthouse board has arranged with the Submarine Sig- nal Co., to equip with submarine bells all important lightships not already equipped. This includes the light-ves- sels south of Hatteras; those on the great lakes, and those on the Pacific coast. The Point au Pelee lightship, Lake Erie, which is maintained by the Lake Carriers' Association in, Cana- dian waters, has been equipped; and work is in progress on Bar Point (head of' Lake Erie); Lake Huron: and Poe Reef (Lake Huron); Gray's. Reef, White shoal, Lansing shoal and Eleven Foot shoal (Lake Michigan).. These vessels will .be ready when they go on the station at the opening of navi- gation. The Pacific coast light-ves- sels will be equipped as opportunity offers. The five new light-vessels will be supplied with submarine bells. be- fore leaving the ship yards. In short the entire coast of the United States is to be protected by submarine sig- nals; and Canada having made simi- lar arrangements, all North American waters will soon have the advantage of such protection. BULK FREIGHTER J. H. SHEADLE. No work which the Marine REvIEw has latterly put out has met with a more cordial reception than the book describing the bulk freighter J. H. Sheadle in detail.. It gives a complete description of a lake freighter in such a manner as to interest not only the ship builder, but the layman as well. The price is 50 cents. Anyone desir- ing a copy will have to order it quickly. . oe . Four range lights will be construct- ed on the Niagara River this summer under, the provisions of the bill intro- -- duced by Representative Ryan and passed during the last session of con- gress. These lights will enable ves- sels to pass Strawberry Shoals at night. One will be placed on the high- lands at Germania Park, two will be located on the edge of the water down below and one will be located at the shoals. Capt. Harris W. Baker of Detroit has purchased the steamer H. B. Tuttle at marshal sale for $2,500. 1