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22 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. \ Zn : LEERY GOI, LB Q SAYETE ) 1 1 d ' Wee VIGHE ayy tp -- > cS L ee ¢ @ x S \ \ a py 'i N LYS i \ t ri LAKE FREIGHTS--IRON ORE MOVEMENT. No doubt' the lake vessel men who took all the contract ore that was offered to them on the 85-cent basis from the head of the lakes, and all the coal they could get at 40 and 50 cents to Lake Superior and. Lake Michigan ports respectively, are just now quite well pleased with their action in this regard. Some of them managed to fill up almost to the limit of their capacity, and at these rates for the season the vessels of the larger class will show a very fair profit, notwithstanding the delays, both in loading and unloading, which have probably been worse during the past ten days than at any time in the past. The contract rates "look good," as the term goes, not on account of any great decline as yet in the so-called wild freight market, but from the manner in which the ships, constantly increasing in number, and all of the new ones of the largest kind, have demonstrated their ability in the face of the worst delays in port ever known, to show immense gains over all previous records in the amount of freight moved. 'The simple note that in shipments of 863,559 gross tons during May from Two Harbors, one of the several ore-forward- ing ports, the average cargo was 6,000 net tons (even figures), is sufficient to show the influence of the growing fleet of modern big cargo carriers on the lake trade in general. The only decline in freights since the opening. of navigation has been a cut of 5 cents in the ore rates, but another cut is threatened, and this is why the outlook is not encouraging. Large gains in ore and coal shipments with far less grain to move than was expected is the explanation. On June 1 the ore shipments from all upper lake ports aggregated 4,521,576 gross tons, compared with 5,148,137 tons on the same date a year ago, a decrease of 626,561 tons, but this loss in ore, due to a later opening of navigation than in I902, was more than made up in the coal movement, which shows a gain to Lake Superior ports alone of 705,409 net tons over 1902 shipments. It is also true, as shown by the Sault canal reports, that the movement of freight of all kinds on June 1 was as a whole fully up to last year, not- withstanding the later. opening of navigation. Of course everybody connected with the lake trade is dis- posed to look for a great increase every year, but the pace has been so great that there are some fears as to another smashing -- of records this year, and therefore uneasiness regarding the freight market. The policy of the Steel Corporation regarding wild freights this year is surprising. In-the past two years they have made the contract rates and maintained them in day-to-day charters throughout the season. . This. year, although they proba- bly have as much, if not more,. vessel capacity under contract than at any time in the past, they have taken off 5 cents from the contract rates on recent wild charters and' another cut of 5 cents is not unlooked for. This would seem to work into the hands of certain independent ore interests who are competitors of the big organization and who-have practically no vessel ca- pacity under season charter. Bee CAUGHT UP WITH LAST SEASON. Enormous Freight Traffic to and from Lake Superior--All Records Broken in the Past Month's Business at the Sault Canals--Very : Heavy Coal Shipments. All the loss in lake traffic due to navigation having open- ed much later this year than in 1902 has already been more than made up. This is shown by reports of Lake Superior commerce as prepared by canal officials at the Sault. The Lake Superior business is, of course, a fair measure of the whole lake trade. On June 1 the freight that had passed to and from Lake Su- perior through the canals (Canadian and United States) aggre- gated 6,830,856 net tons, compared with 6,764,803 tons to the same date a year ago, showing a gain of 74,963 tons for this year. In other words the loss in Lake Superior traffic during April of this year (it amounted to 687,395 tons) was fully made up in May, which proved the greatest month in the history of the canal, the freight movement aggregating 5,188,017 tons. The increase in coal shipments is a most striking feature of the report. Coal has been going forward since the opening of navigation at a rate that must certainly soon crowd the docks at upper-lake ports if the movement is kept up. On June 1 of this year the ship- ments of bituminous coal to Lake Superior ports footed up 1,403,- 728 tons, a gain of 463,083 tons over the same date a year ago, while shipments of anthracite, aggregating 238,847 tons; show a gain of 142,326 tons. During the entire season of 1902 the ship- ments to Lake Superior were 4,507,530 tons of bituminous and 300,948 tons of anthracite. Of course more coal will be needed this year, as the docks were completely cleaned up on account of as coal strike of last year, but the present rate shipments is very feaVy. ° A few comparisons make the great May traffic of the canals [June 11, OD? Kee CRY AtiENy Aahy, eas ae o SV MBG, IN aces. aD28y MIS My y WAHL WN, Yi CGY hin Uta ; ty, ACD gey5 ANS a: Zz . -- Us WYN ZL, Veg Fe Rela % Z ZAI py Wa all the more interesting and vivid. In the year 1881 the total traffic for the entire season of navigation was 1,567,741 net tons and in 1891 it was 8,888,759 net tons, while for the single month of May, 1903, the traffic reached the total of 5,188,017 net tons. This record, as has been stated, is the largest in the history of the canals. Another comparison is that of the port of Liverpool, which during the entire twelve months of 1902 passed 3,000,000 gross tons--less than the traffic of a single month at Sault Ste Marie and not the best month at that. Of course the Liverpool traffic is made up of all kinds of merchandise, much of it highly valuable, while the great bulk of freight passing at the Sault is iron ore, coal and grain, of low value compared with the Liver- pool freight and readily handled in great bulk cargoes. Summaries of the Sault traffic to June 1 for three years past are contained in the following tables: Movement of Principal Items of Freight to and from Lake Superior. To June 1, | To June 1, | To June 1,. ITEMS. 1903. 1902. 1901. Coal, anthracite; net tons..:......06i6.55 : 238,847 96,521 107,168 Coal, bituminous, net tons 1,403 728 940,645 360,086 Tron ore, met tons". .2-5. 20. as. 4,024,205 4,458,312 1,172,532 Wheat, busbelser 2.050222. ee 15,347,163} 18,761,176 5,959,542 Blour sbanrels- 28s Sond a 1,853,078 1,570,438 921,573 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. To June 1,| To June 1, | To June, ITEMS 1008. 1902. i901. Copper, net tons: 18,890 18,780 8,996 Grain, other than wheat, bushels.......... 5,865,364 3,094,500 2,811,928 Building stone;nettonsi... .05 oii. see ere eS e040, 101 4,280 Plour, bartels. .03. co. eee ean ae 1,853,048 1,570,438 921.393 Tron Ore; net tons... OG eas, 4,024,205 4,458,312 1,172,532 Tron, pigs nettons << oie gin eee eek 180 4,440 2,689 Lumber Mitty Ba Mate eas orate. 160,612 176,957 87,792 Silvernore: mettons (6. ee ele: SR roe ee aes airs er ce Ae Wheat: biughelsc-. er eee de eee ees 15,347,163} 18,761,176 5,959.542 Unclassified freight; net tonS ...:.. 0.60... 15,459 10,348 4,098 Passengers, numbeion sei oe aes 4,611 4,850 2,949 WEST BOUND. Coals anthracite; nettons)..3.) sac ee SG 238,847 96,521) 107,168 Coal bigiminous met fons, 6. o.ccr ek ae. 1,408,728 940,645 360 086 Hlour, Darrels ee eee BO ees 180 Grains Bushtels ve ee ce cree ae eae eG heccate: 23,530 Manutactured iron, net tons. :.....2.5....:.. 18,775 20,294 7,942 Salt, bagels 2) ete a eas 88,568 104,223 99,346 Unclassified freight, net tons... .... era 89,505 106,391 63,347 Passengers, num beriss 4..0e60 5.00 3. oe 4,893 5,974 8,842 Summary of Total Freight Movement in Tons. To June 1,| To June 1,| To Junel, 1903. 1902. 1901. West bound freight of all kinds, net tons... 1,763,849 1,179,458 553,864 East bound freight of all kinds, net tons.... 5,076,007 5,585,435} 1,694,181 'Total treightnet tons 20 habs a ee 6,839,856 6,764,893} 2.248,045 . Total number of vessel passages to June 1, 1903, was 8,785 and the registered tonnage 5,575,513. A GREAT TWO HARBORS RECORD. Duluth, Minn., June 10--Notwithstanding the fears that are expressed regarding the iron ore business of the present season, the movement of the past month from the head of the lakes, espe- cially the port of: Two Harbors, is enormous. The report. of "M. T. Hannon, dock agent of the Duluth & Iron Range road at Two Harbors, shows: shipments of 863,559 gross tons (967,183 tons of 2000 Ibs.) in the month of May. A striking feature of the Two Harbors shipments is the average cargo, 5,330 gross tons, 'showing the great increase in size of vessels now. engaged in Lake Superior ore trade. This average of 5,330 gross tons, with the addition of 1 per cent., which the vessel carries without pay on account of moisture, means just 6,000°'tons of 2,000°'lbs. In one 10-hour day last week 876 'cars of ore, about 27,000 gross tons, were unloaded into the docks, thus breaking all previous records for such work. The Duluth, Mesabi & Northern road, which in spite of the purchase of several heavy locomotives for road and hill service, is short of power, has leased several from the Algoma Central, and these are being delivered from Sault Ste. Marie. M. F. Plant of New York, principal stockholder of the Canada Atlantic & Plant Steamship Co., which owned and operated the steamer Halifax, running between Boston and Charlottetown, has sold out to Boston men, who also take over all the other property of the company.