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8 MARINE REVIEW. MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. JOHN M. MULROONEY, ROPRIETORS. F. M. BARTON, \p Published every Thursday at No. 510 Perry-Payne Building, Cleveland, O. Lake Tonnage from Lloyd’s American and Canadian Insurance Registers for 1890: Number SF Kote: Net tonage. Value. AMMCMCAN: iS iccccssicevontsints 2,053 846,489 $58,113,300 Onbadidti rit. ic 647 132 971 3,989, 130 AAPURM Gi ssiidiaseis sci wodoe 2,700 979,460 $62,102,430 According to the report of William W. Bates, United States com- missioner of navigation, 46 per cent of the new tonnage of the country was built on the lakes during 1889. This is a percentage greater than the work of the Atlantic coast and western rivers combined, and almost equal to the whole work on the Atlantic and Pacific coast. In 1890 the tonnage built on the lakes is but very little less than that built on the Atlanti and Gulf coast. Tonnage built on the lakes during the past five years was as follows: No. of boats. Net Tonnage. DORs ss cc kcsnkecicp ich schece vie ccsissbia casas sss 85 20,400.54 DOF ecec cos Wicks sauces iassasadevageesweessc 152 - 56,488.32 DOB Ssrddiuianied iikndcwskall ssteecesk saws vasigski 222 101,102.87 Des iis Kelainn cok ennEdnntn sess doinareesae 225 107,080.30 MASS IO ea eeu s oie voles casa ces can sc suscocesusnsuees 218 108,515.00 OU ica cicaiess cedppnevcknaspbsindsats 902 393,597-03 _ Annual tonnage entries and clearances of the great seaports of the world, for 1889: New York, 11,051,236 tons; all seaports in the United States, 26,983,315 tons; Liverpool, 14,175,200 tons; London, 19,245,417 tons. St. Mary’s Falls and Suez canal traffic: Number of boats through St. Mary’s Falls canal in 1889, 234 days of navigation, 9,579; tonnage, 7,221,- 935. Number of boats through Suez canal during 1889, full year, 3,425 ; tonnage, 6,783,187. Tonnage passing through Detroit river during 234 days of naviga- tion in 1889, amounted to 36,203,606 tons. Ten million tons more than the entries and clearances of all the seaports in the United States, and three million tons more than the combined foreign and coastwise shipping - of Liverpool and London. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. If iT is true that the subsidies proposed by the shipping bill, which is now demanding attention in congress, would enable the owners of Cuban iron mines to enter into active competition with the Lake Superior ore producers the question of passing or defeating the bill should demand immediately the attention of all lake interests. It is said that under the proposed law vessels in the Cuban trade could be loaded with 500 tons of Cuban ore, pay the duty of 75 cents a ton, and yet have 75 cents a ton bounty for carrying this ore. Figures with regard to the bounty that would result to the Cuban trade are not presented in connection with this conclusion, but, if it is true, there is every reason to believe that passage of the bill would result in the transfer of a very large portion of the iron business to the Atlantic coast. The loss to the lakes through an immense importation of for- eign iron ore will be readily understood, when it is known that the commerce in iron ore forms about one-third of the entire transportation business of the lakes. That iron ore of the best quality can be obtained in abundance from Cuba there is no doubt, and it behooves lake interests to at least investigate this matter. ‘The shipping bills present to lake commerce no benefits . of a direct kind. Some plan must be devised, and that shortly, for the collect- ion of reliable statistical information regarding lake commerce. It is doubtful if the bill recently prepared by the Milwaukee chamber of commerce will meet with united approval from lake interests, on account of the clause which compells all vessels to make a report to customs officials through an agent of some kind every time they take on or discharge cargo. ‘This would be well enoungh for propeller lines having established agencies at inter- mediate ports, but the masters of “wild” carriers would undoubtedy be put to great inconvenience to find anyone to make a report for them at some places where cargo is taken aboard and unloaded. Statistical accuracy has become a proper basis of business calculations as well as of. legislative action. Leading industrial bodies recognize this, and the different associations on the lakes should give earnest attention to the bill in question. Only a few days ago the National Board of Trade united with kindred commercial organizations in a memorial to congress calling for a revision of the present census and proposing the establishment of a permanent census office. Situation Among Pig Iron Producers. The American Manufacturer, of Pittsburgh, presents some interesting reading regarding the situation among pig iron pro- ducers in the Mahoniug and Shenango valleys. The first reason why they cannot continue operations under present conditions, is the large amount of southern iron being shipped into that district. They assert that since May 20, 1890, from 40,000 to 50,000 tons of this iron has been received. in the valleys. For months a fair quality of southern iron was delivered at the Youngstown mills for $14, and at this price large sales were made. Last week, the prices quoted were $13.25@$13.85 for Alabama pig, of a quality which permits of the run of 25 per cent: asa mixture in making a very good grade of bar iron. Southern railroads. virtually enter into partnership with the furnace men. Ironis hauled from Birmingham, Ala., to Youngs- town, O., a distance of about 800 miles, for $4.10 perton. ‘The rate paid on pig from Youngstown to Pittsburgh, 65 miles, is 80 cents per ton. In one case this is 1% cent a tona mile, in the other 1.23 cents. Pocahontas coke is sent into the Chattanooga district at the cost of Connellsville coke in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, though. the distance in the one case is 424 miles, and the other 130. In many cases Southern pig iron has to bear but one profit, while the Northern producer must pay a profit on each of his raw materials. The sliding scale, which fixes freight rates according to the selling price of ifon, is an- other feature. In selling ahead furnaces are protected by the railroads, even if in affording such protection the sliding scale has to be suspended. . ss In answer to the argument that they are being squeezed out by the inevitable changes in the trade, and the natural advan- tages of newer districts, the valley futnacemen say that, being situated midway between the ore and coke supplies, with the best facilities for distribution, they should be able to produce iron in competition with any part of the North, and would do so, were they protected from Southern inroads. In the total ‘cost of making a ton of iron, the Mahoning valley has an advantage in the price of limestone. Taxes and land are lower, freight on ore is also lower, but that is made up in the higher cost of coke. Present rates of freight to the valleys are as follows: Freight on ore, 62% cents per ton; freight on coke, $1.35 per ton; freight on iron to Pittsburgh, 80 cents per ton. It is claimed that a reduction of 25 cents per ton in coke freight, and a reduc- tion of price of coke to $1.50 per ton f. o. b., with a reduction of freight on iron-to Pittsburg and Cleveland, will enable the ‘val- ley furnaces to continue.. The recent reduction in coke, it is held, was merely the official ratification of the actual price which had prevailed for some time previous, and therefore did not affect the situation. : Engineers and Stokers on the big Atlantic Liners. On the steamship City of Paris there are sixty firemen, who feed fifty-four furnaces, that create steam in nine steel boilers. Fifty coal passers shovel the fuel from the bunker to the furnace doors, and the firemen toss it in. Nearly all the stokers on the City of Paris and the City of New York are between twenty and thirty years of age. They receive $20 a month and their board. Service in-the fire room is divided into six watches of-four hours each. The fireman works and sleeps every alternate four hours. After the first day from port two out of every six furnaces are raked out to the bare bars during the first hour-of each watch. Thus, in a voyage, ‘all the furnaces are cleaned once in every twenty-four hours. ‘The stokers shovel into the furnaces fifteen _ tons of coal every hour, or 340tonsaday ‘The ship usually takes 3,000 tons at Liverpool, and has between 500 and 800 tons left. in her bunkers when she arrives in New York. On the City of Paris there are twenty-six engineers, including hydraulic and elec- trical. They are all machinists, so wheneverthe ship breaks down they know how to repair the Gaagyes s+ et eR ee ee