The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

"TRAE MarRINE. REVIEW | 19 were frequently delayed one-half hour or more in passing through the narrow side channels. The large ocean going vessels were blocked from going through the draw. The new Scherzer rolling lift bridge which is rapidly nearing completion remedies this condition completely, as it provides a clear channel for navigation 150 ft. wide measured between protection fenders. This wide clear channel enables the largest ocean-going vessels to pass the bridge easily and rapidly. The very extensive manu- facturing and other interests located along Newtown Creek waterway are already realizing the benefits from this im- portant improvement, and the work of removing the remaining center pier swing bridges will be undertaken as rapidly as possible. FUTURE OF THE LAKE FLEET Buffalo, Aug. 8.--The future of the lake fleet, as affected by supply and demand, is always one of the leading topics and matters of concern with lake men, and there is a special reason for this from several standpoints. The chief outside reason for this is that of curiosity border- ing on astonishment. No industry that we know anything about has developed so fast, and none has maintained so well the sort of staggering gait that has characterized it for the last score of years. There have been many times when the most sanguine and the most experi- enced have predicted disaster on account of overbuilding, but there has been little of that sort of experience yet. The difficulty facing us now is on account of the sud- den appearance of heavy carriers, which are crowding the smaller ones to the wall. Their influence on busi- ness at this port is shown largely in the hard-coal trade. It used to be common for the tonnage to be needed so largely in grain or ore, or the soft-coal ports needed it so entirely that a sharp advance in rates was necessary to bring boats enough here to take care of the coal of- fered and as it was then fairly unheard:of for down car- goes to give out, there was business in plenty in 'both directions and profits were sure. But the carriers of 5,000 tons capacity and more, have changed all that, as has beén amply proven here 'this season. The coal shippers understand it and take en- tire possession of the situation. They begin by offer- ing a moderate rate at the opening of the season, con- siderably lower of course than it used to be, and they figure on shipping pretty nearly all their coal for the season on that rate. The sliding-scale of prices has helped the idea considerably, as it has induced the smaller ports to buy early and not wait to bunch their orders in October. With the old style of selling on a uniform price it was common for the old fleet to push up rates early in the fall and sometimes at any time whenever it was found that coal was accumulating on the docks here. It can no longer be done. For instance early in July the coal shipments ran down to about a third of what they had been averaging in May and June. The ship- pers made no effort to cut down the rates, for they did not consider them high, and besides they like a steady rate, as it facilitates the fixing of prices and the keeping of books. With it they know beforehand how much the coal will cost them at upper-lake ports. Then the big carriers come to the rescue and make uniform rates on coal easy. When there was a shortage of coal the big fellows went up light and asked for no coal, but when, late in July and continuing into August, the coal supply ran up again, the big carriers took a load of 6,000 to 9,000 tons occasionally and the rates remained unchanged. This is a fine thing for the business as a whole, but it helps kill off the small carriers, for they are entirely at the mercy of the shippers. If they will not accept the regular rates the big carriers will and they can tie up. I find that opinions differ as to the effect on the lake trade of the big additions to be made to the lake fleet next season. Looked at on the basis of this season's business and it would be expected to swamp the entire fleet of 4,000 tons capacity or less, but there is going to be much more grain to carry then than there is now and the amount of ore will increase a good deal, if the business in iron continues. As against the estimate that we shall bring down 28,000,000 to 30,000,000 tons of ore this season it is estimated that there will be an average of 40,000,00 tons established inside of five years. If other freight-stuffs do not increase at all, here is a large extra amount to move. There is a stir among the lumber carriers that means practically the same thing that it does in the ore, coal and grain trade. Vessel owners are saying that it is still possible to make something with a vessel carrying a mil- lion feet of lumber, where one of 700,000 ft. capacity or so would starve. The lumber fleet suffered primarily by the setting up of a few big fleets by upper-lake men who usually had their own lumber to carry, but they handle for the most part the old-style wooden boat, which must go out in a short time. Then there will be something in the business again for the big steel lumber carrier, so long as the lumber supply keeps up reasonably, which will not be long. The small carriers will be gone and the others can go into oré. So the future of the lake fleet is soon to be resolved down into a large amount of tonnage in 500-footers, a moderate amount of the smaller sizes, all able to make a living and the size and growing importance of the lesser lake ports to determine how many of the smaller craft is needed. We note as a sort of oddity that influence from New York city is trying to secure a possible depth of 14 ft. in the enlarged Erie canal, entirely oblivious that such craft is already.disappearing from the lakes. JoHN CHAMBERLIN. On July 25, at 3 a. m., the Norwegian steamer Tricolor, bound from British Columbia to San Francisco with a cargo of 6,500 tons of coal, went ashore almost within a stone's throw of the Cape Mendocino lighthouse, off the coast of central California.. The master and crew, with the ship's log, the instruments and some baggage, food and water, fearing that the vessel would be pounded to pieces by the breakers, put off in three boats and in a few hours reached the lightship, where they remained 'till taken off by the tug Ranger and conveyed to Eureka. The weather was very foggy and the captain attributes the disaster to the fact that the whistle on the Mendocino lightship was not in operation. He says that the whistle is of no use to mariners, as it is placed too low and between deck houses, which deadens its sound. The steamer Chico recently towed a barge, formerly the ship Tidal Wave, from Fort Bragg to San Francisco, the barge carrying 600,000 feet of lumber. The old ship Dashing Wave is now a barge and was recently towed to Nome with a load of cattle by the steamer Elihu Thom- son. In a heavy gale the towline parted, but by good fortune the barge was recovered and the cattle saved. The boiler shop of Theodore Smith & Sons Co., Morris street, Jersey City, the Brown Dry Dock Co., adjoining, and the James McWilliams Towing Co. were severely damaged in a fire last week. The total loss will reach $100,000.