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4 MARINE REVIEW. B i Regge TET SEIT Strong Fight Needed on the Line-Carrying Projectile Law. It would seem from present indications that the vessel owners of the lakes will meet with difficulty in their efforts to procure a repeal of the line carrying projectile law, so far as the lakes are concerned. Senator Frye seems determined that the law shall apply to steam vessels of the lakes as well as the oceans, bays and sounds. He shows decided opposition to the measure which proposes to exempt the lakes. As the law under present conditions goes into effect on Feb. 1, there is no time to be lost. The last congress passed a law making the use of these projectiles compulsory and stipulating that the law should go into effect on February 1 last. As the time for it to go into effect came near, it was found that the owners of the projectiles had formed a combination, advanced prices and seemingly had the vessel-owners at their mercy. A storm of indignation was aroused and the facts were laid before congress. Senator Frye prepared a bill suspending the operation of the law for one year, and it was passed through the ‘Senate in short order. Maj. Farquhar hurried it through the House, had it engrossed at once, and on the same day (March 29) it became a law, the Presi- dent having approved it. Thus the combine was beaten out of at least one year’s businses. In May the Senate committee on commerce gave a hearing to those interested to learn whether or not the law requiring the use of these projectiles should not be repealed. The hearing was well attended, the vessel owners contending that there was no need for the projectiles, and laying great stress on the advance in prices. The manufacturers denied that prices had advanced. Since then the matter has been allowed to rest, but Senator Frye now seems set on having the law stand. Lake Traffic Comparisons. By taking the figures showing the lake traffic for one year and using a pencil some interesting facts may be produced. An extremely careful and reliable statistician showed in a recent re- port that during the season of navigation 36,203,606 tons of freight were transported by water on these great lakes. ‘That attracts attention, but consider that if the freight had been loaded into railway cars it would have made a train that would extend from one side of the earth to the other, and would stick out two thousand miles at both ends. As a total, that gives the most astonishing result. But the ore carried from upper to lower lake lake ports would, if shipped by railway, have made a train reach- ing from New York to Sacramento, Cal. The grain carried by lake vessels this season would fill ten trains reaching from Cleve- land to Buffalo. ‘The coal taken up the lakes during one season would fill enough cars to reach from New York to Queenstown, if there was a trans-atlantic railway. Of course, an immense lake fleet was engaged in this work, but figures are at hand showing the amount of ore carried-by three steel steamers, making 106 trips. Ifthe ore carried by these vessels had to be transported by wagon, it would have required a string of teams and wagons that would reach from Cleveland to Escanaba and back. ‘This is only clothing the figures representing this immense commerce with comparisons. Names Upon Each Bow and Stern. - Among the bills passed by the House during the past week is that providing for a change in the revised statutes to have “‘the name of every documented vessel of the United States marked upon each bow and upon the stern. These names shall be painted, or carved and gilded, in Roman letters in alight color on a dark ground, or in a dark color on a light ground, and must be distinctly visible. The smallest letter used shall not be less in size than four inches.” A penalty of $10 is to be imposed for each name omitted. The present law provides for the name and port of hail on only the stern of schooners while steamboats are permitted to have colored letters on the pilot house. If the bill in question becomes a law it will necessitate many changes in the painting of names on lake craft. Small Wheat and Corn Stocks. There is very little encouragement for vessel owners, who are considering next season’s business, in reports of grain stocks. Advices from Duluth are to the effect that the elevators there contain about 4,000,000 bushels of wheat or 1,000,000 less than the amount in store there a year ago. Reports to Bradstreets indicate a total of 47,116,940 bushels of available wheat in the United States and Canada, east of the Rocky mountains, on Jan. 3, 1891. This is 7,110,236 bushels less than were reported at like points of accumulation on Jan. 1, 1890, 5,623,463 bushels less than on Jan. 1, 1889, 22,662,690 bushels less than on Jan. 1, 1888,and 40,439,804 bushels less than on Jan. 1, 1887. The increase in available wheat stocks from July 1, 18go, to the close of the calendar year was 20,470,842 bushels, as compared with increases of 33,832,627 bushels and 20,168,814 bushels, respectively, in the latter halves of 1889 and 1888. Corn stocks at fifty-two points of accumulation in the United States and Canada, east of the Rocky mountains, aggregated s5,- 066,902 bushels, or 10,400,498 bushels less than were stored at these points one year previously, a decrease as compared with Jan. 1 1890, of 67 per cent. In fact, corn stocks are small even when compared with Jan. 1 accumulations for any one ot the seven preceding years. During December, 1890, stocks of corn decreased 151,283 bushels. Available stocks of oats in the United States and Canada, Jan. 3, 1891, at fifty-one points east of the Rocky mountains, amounted to 6,040,520 bushels. This total is less than was held available one, two, three and four years ago. SOREN aR No Change in Names of Low Grade Vessels. The House has just passed the bill introduced a year ago to govern the changing of vessels’ names. According to this measure, ‘vessels that have had accidents afflictive to the public, or been burnt, sunk or abandoned as wrecks, and such as have not been inspected nor classed in an American register for ma- rine insurance, and those once classed that have lost their rating or had it suspended, and all that shall be rated below the grade ‘ of A2 by the Record of American and Foreign Shipping, or the Inland Lloyds Register of lake vessels, or fail to be worthy of such grade, shall not be allowed a change of name. Vessels and : boats of past and present good character and rating, seaworthy | in all respects and free from debts, and whose owners shall offer substantial and satisfactory reason therefor, may have their names changed by the commissioner of navigation, but all new names given must be unlike those of any vessel hailing from the same port. Legislative Matters. : The senate has passed Mr. Burton’s bill providing for a patrol steamer to replace stakes and buoys on St. Mary’s river. An important resolution introduced by Mr. Burton has also been reported favorably by Representative Stockbridge from the com- mittee on commerce. It is the measure providing that the $60.- ooo heretofore appropriated by congress for building a lighthouse on Simmons’ reef, Lake Michigan, be applied for the purchase of three lightships, to be stationed at or near- ‘Simmons’ reef, Gray’s reef and White Shoal. Mr. Sherman a few days ago presented to the senate a me-. morial from the Vessel Owners’ Association, of Cleveland, favor ing the transfer of the revenue marine to be navy dips Work of the Ship Yanda: ; It is said that Messrs. Ketchum, Hadley and oth ledo, owners of the big steamship G. G. Hadley, ar for one or more of the four boats under way: at apt idson’s West Bay City yard. © i Capt. Devney has the frames up ut Ashta’ ula. will be 56 feet overall, 124 ft. beam, and 5 ft. hold,