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24 Mee Rls ie Re Nal FREIGHT SITUATION ON THE LAKES. The freight situation has not shown any real improvement during the past week. The wild rate of ore has continued at 70 cents from the head of the lakes, 60 cents from Marquette and 50 cents from Escanaba, but shippers represent that this rate, slim as it is, exists by sufferance only. Season contract rates were made by the Steel: Corporation upon a basis of 70 cents from the head of the lakes, 60 cents from Marquette and 55 cents from Escanaba. Other shippers made their season contracts upon a basis of 65 cents from Mar- quette and the bulk of the ore will be moved from that port at that figure. The Steel Corporation moves very little from Marquette. Nor is the movement from Escanaba very heavy. Lately what are known as low grade ores have been shipped from Escanaba and for these the market:.is' not active. It is expected that when the season's total is com- puted it will be found that the ranges at the head of the lakes have increased their proportion of ship- ments. Leading interests are now figuring on a total move- ment of 17,000,000 tons of ore for the season. When analyzed this is quite as good proportionately as last year's shipments, as the season this year did not begin until June 15 and last year about 17,000,000 tons were moved after June 15. How- ever, dispatch is a great deal better this year than last and this has operated to create an excess of available tonnage. There is no juggling with the fact that the movement this year is not sufficient to care for all the vessels. Small buyers are making more inquiries for ore, but not in sufficient quan- tity to sensibly affect conditions. However, they are straws which indicate a revival of conditions Immediately after the opening of navigation coal was rushed to upper lake ports in such prodigious quantities as to literally swamp the docks. The result was a subsequent let-up in shipments and it cannot be said-that the docks are yet in good shape. While it is not likely that coal will go forward with anything like the rush that marked the early part of the season it is, however, expected to be steady. The grain trade shows some signs of awakening and rates are stiffening a trifle. One cent was paid one day during the present week from Chicago. FIRE DRILL ON LAKE PASSENGER BOATS. Ever since the disaster of the General Slocum unusual vigor has been exercised by the steamboat inspection service in inspecting vessels. During the past week the local in- spectors at Chicago, Capt. Ira Mansfield and Capt. Royal L. Peck have been putting the crews of various boats through the fire and life boat drill, and the reports taken show the steamers to be well protected. In each case the steamers were boarded without prior notification, but in each instance every- thing was found up to date. The steamer Eastland which was among the first to be inspected made a remarkable record. From the time .-the fire alarm was sounded it required ex- actly I minute and 14 seconds to have six streams of water, four from the steam and two from the hand pumps, in com- plete action and equally good showing was made in lowering one of the life boats into the water from the steamer's hurri- cane deck. This was accomplished in 2 minutes and 4o seconds. The steamer City of South Haven put six streams of water into full action in 1 minute and 30 seconds, and lowered one of the small boats into the water in 2 minutes and 42 seconds. The steamer H. W.. Williams, a much smaller boat, put four streams of water into service in I min- ute and 30 seconds, and the crew occupied 4 minutes and 30 seconds launching one of the steamer's lifeboats. The steam- er C. H. Hackley made the most remarkable time in getting its streams of water into play. Four streams from the steam pumps, and two from the hand pumps were in operation in exactly I minute and 15 seconds. The inspectors say tests will be called for at frequent intervals on all boats during the summer, and where there are any irregularities discovered the owner of the craft will be dealt with summarily. Thus far, the inspectors say, the drills have been performed with wonderful celerity and the work is nothing short of marvelous, considering that the crews of these boats are being changed constantly. How- ever, it has become almost necessary that a man employed on shipboard shall know the rules governing the fire and boat drills, SHIP CANAL AROUND NIAGARA RAPIDS. The Manufacturers' Club of Buffalo is actively promoting measures to secure the adoption by the federal government of a more comprehensive plan for a ship canal around the rapids in the Niagara river at Buffalo than the plan pre- sented to the rivers and harbors committee at Washington last March, which was, in effect, simply a widening of the Erie canal through the city of Buffalo to a connection with Lake Erie, with large docks below the city at Black Rock. The new plan advocated by the Manufacturers' Club provides for a ship canal outside the present harbor and shore line of Niagara river along the entire front of the city. This will be effected by the construction of a steel pier bulkhead break- water along the bed of the river at an average distance of about 600 ft. from the shore line, and paralleling it from the foot of Lake Erie to the foot of Squaw island a short dis- tance below the international bridge--the steel bulkhead or breakwater continuing from that point across the American channel of the river to the head of Grand island, and by the building of a retaining dam so that the depth made by dredg- ing, together with the higher water level produced by the dam, will afford sufficient depth of water for the largest lake vessels, entirely free from dangerous currents. An extension of the steel bulkhead or breakwater from the foot of Grand island to the American shore at Niagara Falls --opposite Goat island and just below the entrance to the Niagara Falls hydraulic power canal--will make the Ameri- can channel safely navigable for large vessels to the southern section of the city of Niagara Falls, and afford lake shipping facilities to the many large manufacturing concerns located at the falls and along the entire river front between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, now seriously handicapped by the swift current. lt will provide a winter harbor large enough for the whole lake fleet, sheltered and safe; it will provide deep water for the largest lake vessels, all the way from Lake Erie to Tona- wanda without locks or swift currents and very little dredg- ing compared with the so-called Black Rock harbor plan. It will raise the water at Tonawanda 4% ft. and make Ni- agara river a feeder for the 1,000-ton barge canal, without using the Erie canal from Buffalo to Tonawanda for that purpose. It will give the 1,000-ton barges entrance into the harbors of Buffalo without any lock this side of Lockport. Congressman Burton, in a letter, stated that he would be in Buffalo the second week in August with a majority of the committee on rivers and harbors to investigate the plan. The steamer Garonne, formerly owned by the North Alaska Steamship Co., which purchased her about three months ago, has been sold to the Merchants' and Miners' Steamship Co. of New York. The purchasing company will continue the Garonne in the Nome traffic, sailing her again Aug. 15. Among the people behind the new company is William F. King, president of the Merchants' Association of New York city. Frank Waterhouse has been elected president of the company. The Hamburg-American Steamship Co. is about to add to its fleet a vessel of 25,000 tons, to be built at Stettin, Germany, and another of 22,000 tons, to be built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast, Ireland.