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24 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. ONLY HALF A MILLION INCREASE. General Movement of Freight on the Great Lakes wonld be less than last Year but for the Heavy Shipments of Coal to the Northwest-- Sault Canal Figures. A very heavy movement of coal to the northwest has cer- tainly been the mainstay of lake commerce in the present season. This is proven by the Sault canal reports, the best index of lake commerce, which show to Oct. I a gain in the freight movement as a whole to and from Lake Superior of only 580,898 tons (2,000 Ibs.), while the increase in coal shipments is 1,965,950 tons, of which 1,186,980 tons is soft coal and 778,970 tons hard coal. Added to the large shortage in iron ore, due in part to the strike of a week ago, is a decrease in Lake Superior business alone of 10,000,000 bu. of wheat, 1,380,000 barrels of flour and 1,125,000 ft. of lumber. The Lake Superior coal shipments to Oct. 1, 1903, included 4,642,588 tons of bituminous and 893,158 tons of anthracite, as against 3,455,608 tons of bituminous and 114,188 tons of anthracite on the same Gate "in Yoo2 © Tie increase' in' coal' tsi) Of *éourse, largely due to the shortage that existed at this time a year ago. As showing the immediate effect of the recent strike of masters and pilots, it is noted that the Sault traffic for the month of September aggregated only 4,265,650 tons, compared with 5,403,- 808 tons in August, or a difference between the two months of 1,138,158 tons. years past will be found in the following tables: _ Movement of Principal Items of Freight to and from Lake Superior. To Oct.1, | To Oct. 1, | To Oct, 1, ITEMS. 1908. 1902. . 1901. Coal-anthracite; net tons. 47...-.5..5....... 893,153 114,188 529,788 Coal, bituminous, net tons ..... err 4,642.588 3,455,608 2,896 483 Tron ore, net tons. 32-22: se: ..| 17,745,150} = 18,586,170} + 13.588,867 Wheat: busitelsi:- 2 ee 30,421,255} 40,444 267) 28,663,694 Blour:banvelssu ns. ik eee se 4,507,452 5,887,591 4,986 ,228 Report of Freight and Passenger Traffic to and from Lake Superior, from Opening of Navigation to Oct. 1 of,Each Year for Three Years Past. EAST BOUND. Complete summaries of the traffic of both canals. at the Sault, Canadian and United States, to Oct. 1 during three. To Oct. 1, | To Oct. 1, | To Oct. 1, ITEMS 1903. 1902. 1901. Copper, net tons. 60. ee es 76,359} - 85,060 61,893 Grain, other than wheat, bushels.......... 13,790,255 6,616,911 9,859,324. Building stone; net tons: <3. 206... f 9,640 80,322 32,709 OUR ARTOIS cio caac es esi cy seek ee ves 4,507,402 5,887,456 4,985 883 Iron Ore: aertons: 6602223 ee. 17,745,150} 18,586,170] 18,583,867 Troniole; net tons. a er Ci es | 11,878 22,746 qumier Viettby MM CON Ne eae maa 713,107 834,216 771,577 Silveriore Met tONs <r. ees ee Ms Dc: Wheat buslielS:.. 4... fee 80,421,255) 40,444,267) 28,663,694 Unclassified freight, net tons....... .. .... 69,863 91,852 43,629 Passengers,number. ........ 26,437 26,796 24,387 WEST BOUND. Coal, anthtacite;net tonsi:::..7.6.......... 893,153 114,188 529,788 Goal; bituminous; net tons...22-. el. 4,642,588 3,455,608 2,896 483 lour, DAnbeISs 8) eee. Se OP 50 135 845 Grain, bushels .... Bs ee iataneres cba 1,290 13,627 56,430 Manufactured iron, net tons.......... ....5: 111,876 122,720 90,244 Salty bAIreIS; (6 ee ees 800,668} - 826,339 347,017 Unclassified freight, net tons.......... ..... 377,753 425,878 . 834,780 Passengers, number. ............. 25,869 26,187 26.329 Summary of Total Freight Movenient in Tons. To Oct..1,{| Lo:Octs 1. |To Oct. 1; 1903. 1902. 1901. West bound freight of all kinds, net tons... 6,075,465 4,166,078] 3,904,553 East bound freight of all kinds, net tons... 20,818,355] 22,146,844] 16,464,512 otal freight, nettons. <9 ee. sees 26,893,820) 26,812,922} 20,369,065 MO Octet 100s eo ces yak Vessel passages. Registered tons. eer 14,554 21,652,286 To Och 1 MWOd oe bess aes 17,164 23.473.501 To Oct AvOl coy a sigew ent 4 Pee 14,561 17,706,056 CURTAILMENT OF MINING OPERATIONS.. Duluth, Minn., Oct. 7--The curtailment of mining opera- tions in the Lake Superior region continues, but on a moderate scale and at properties that either have large unshipped and un- demanded stock piles, or that are making grades of ore at pres- ent unmerchantable. The list of mines reduced in force or closed down entirely is about as follows: Vermillion range--Soudan closed, 500 men out. Mesabi range--Nothing as yet, though of course steam shovel mines will be idle as soon as navigation ceases and some others will be curtailed. Gogebic range--Iron- wood group of the Oliver Iron Mining Co.; 500 men out; Ash- land mine, 250 men out; other producers, 200 men out. Mar- quette range--Negaunee groups all running full; Ishpeming group, Oliver Iron Mining Co., has closed its Section 21 mine, also its Volunteer and will shut down its Winthrop at the close of the shipping season, as it always does, but the close of ship- ping season from Winthrop is early this year. Those three prop- erties employed nearly 500 men. The same company's Section 16 mine, Lake shafts, and others have been cut 190 men. . The Cleveland-Cliffs Co. has cut its Ishpeming mines by 370 men, most of whom come out of the Cliffs and Lake mines. There will be a reduction in outlying portions of the Marquette range, though this is a small matter. On the Menominee range there [Oct. 8 is to be a cut at Crystal Falls mines, excepting two or three, the cut approximating as nearly as can be ascertained . 400. men, Several small properties and explorations that have been on the point of closing down for some time will now be closed, letting out perhaps 250 men. These are chiefly development proposi- tions that have been more or less hopeful but have finally been passed upon (aside from any conditions other than those di- rectly connected with their own appearance) as fruitless. The Michigan will close, letting out 60 men. There will be a small cut at the Chapin and possibly at the Pewabic; possibly also later at the Aragon. The number of men to be let. out. of these mines will be comparatively small, and cannot now*be ascer- tained. The Iron River group will: be materially reduced, pos- sibly by 300 men, and the Cundy mine is closed, letting out 145 men. - \ LAKE CARGO RECORDS. New cargo records on the lakes are probably at an end for the present season, as the stage of water in the rivers is not fa- vorable to deep draught after the middle of the season. The steamer Wm. Edenborn's cargo of 8,807 gross or 9,864 net tons of ore stands at the top of the list. The steamer Cornell, also of the Steel Corporation fleet, took a large cargo of grain (241,- 453 bu. corn and 47,025 bu. oats) out of Chicago the other day, but it was not a record breaker. The number of tons ip this cargo was 7,513, as against 7,532 tons of corn moved in'a single load last season by the steamer Simon J. Murphy, and' 7,520 bu. of oats and corn moved by the steamer Douglas Houghton. The records that will very probably stand for the present season are: Iron ore--Steamer Wm. Edenborn, owned by Pittsburg Steamship Co., A..B. Wolvin of Duluth, manager, 8,807 gross or 9,864 net tons, Escanaba to South Chicago. Grain--Steamer S. J. Murphy, Donora Mining Co., Duluth, 269,000 bu. of corn, equal to 7,532 net tons, South Chicago to. Buffalo; steamer Douglas Houghton, Pittsburg Steamship Co., A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, manager, 308,000 bu. of oats and 60,000 bu. of corn, equal to 7,520 net tons, Manitowoc to Buffalo... Coal--Steamer I. L. Ellwood, owned by Pittsburg Steamship Co., A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, manager, 7,688 net tons anthracite, Buffalo to Duluth; steamer John W. Gates, Pittsburg Steamship Co., A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, manager, 7,659 net tons of bitumi- nous, Lorain to Duluth. 4 PROFITING BY DROP IN PRICE OF CEMENT. Duluth, Oct. 7--In June last the Duluth contracting firm of Hugo & Tims were awarded a contract for the construction of a concrete breakwater at Sand Beach, Mich., which is to be one of the largest pieces of concrete construction in the world. The breakwater is to be 8,000 ft. long, 38 ft. in width and Ig ft. deep. This will take an immense amount of cement. been the drop in the price of cement since the work was let to this firm that there is now a profit of $80,000 on account of the cement alone. It is not necessary that the contractors begin work on their concrete erection for another year, and there is no telling, of course, where the price of cement will go before that time, but it is exp#cted that it will not advance much from present figures. This drop;in the price of cement is largely due to the great increase .n the number and output of cement works in the United States in the past year or so. DULUTH FURNACE PROPOSITION. Duluth, Oct. 7--There has been some speculation since the decline in the iron market and the reduction in the price of pig iron as to whether the Zenith. Furnace Co., operating a blast furnace at Duluth and erecting here large by-product coke ovens and a chemical plant, would be able to continue business without a loss on the present practice of selling its product in the east. W. L. Brown, A. B. Wolvin and other men prominently identi- fied with the lake marine and with ore and steel are interested in this company. It is generally understood that the plans of the company do not contemplate selling pig iron in its raw state very long, but that works for putting it into a finished state are in contemplation. next, and at that time the company is under contract to sell the city of Duluth a portion of its surplus by-product gas for mu- nicipal- use at 40 cents a thousand feet. tion. NAVAL TRAINING STATION FOR THE LAKES. The board appointed a year or so ago, of which Rear Adiniral H. C. Taylor was the senior member, for the purpose of examin- ing and reporting upon a suitable site for a training. station on the great lakes, has made its report to Secretary Moody. The board has carefully considered the many propositions submitted and suggests the selection of a site on the shore of the southern half of Lake Michigan, about 25 miles above the 42° of latitude. The board makes no further recommendations but leaves the selection of the actual location to be determined by congress. Secretary Moody will submit the report to congress and recom- mend an appropriation of $250,000 for the establishment of the station. It is wise, indeed, that the board has concluded not to recommend the establishment of the station at any large city. A suburban location is the ideal one for a training station. Such has The present additions, in the way of coking' plant, chemical works, docks, etc., will be running by Jan. 1 : : Connections between the city mains and the furnace works are now under construc-