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MARINE REVIEW. Vou. fil. CLEVELAND, OHIO, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 18or. No. 8. Marquette’s Big Ore Docks. There is presented with this issue three views of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway Company’s big ore docks at Marquette. The views are interesting as showing the manner of construction as well as extent of the docks. We are indebted for them to the Engineering and Mining Journal, of New York. The finished dock which was in operation during a portion of last season is shown in Fig. 1, while Figs. 2 and 3 show how the dock was framed and raised much after the manner followed in constructing the skeleton of a frame building. ‘The dock con- tains wood, such as sills, posts, planks, etc., to the extent of 4,125,000 feet, broad measure, in addition to 100,285 lineal feet of piles, while the chutes, hoists, tiller ropes, bolts and other iron and steel weigh 680 tons. The contract price of the struc- ture, complete, with equipments, was $250,000, not including the cost of dredging, which labor was performed under the separate contract, and was done to make the dock accessible to vessels of deep draft. The structure extends from the shore adjacent to the business portion of the city of Marquette into the harbor. in a line parallel withjthe Ridge—a very desirable residence portion of the city—its east side facing Lake Superior and its west the other docks of the railroad company. The Raleigh’s Ore Contract. Since the transfer of the propeller Raleigh from James Corrigan, of Cleveland, to N. S. Whipple and others, of Detroit, several stories have been circulated regarding an Escanaba ore contract involved in the sale. The most plausible of them is that Mr. Corrigan, who is engaged in the. business of shipping ore, agrees to give the boat a trip a month for six months from Escanaba at 90 cents, he taking the chance of losing or gaining whatever difference there may be in the 90 cent rate and the rate that will rule next season. The difference can not be very great in any event. Another rumor says the boat will engage in towing the schooners Sheldon and Camden between Escanaba and Detroit on a 92 cent contract. Allowing that either of these versions of the deal are true, there is nothing upon which to predict ore freights. Such contracts would have little bearing on the general trade. Gas Buoys for the Lakes. The application of the Cleveland vessel owners to have the government place a light-ship on Ballard’s reef, Detroit river, and thus relieve them of the cost of maintaining the float light at that point, maintained for several years past by private expense, has brought up the question of adapting gas buoys to the light- ing service in connecting waters of the lakes. The senate amendment to the sundry civil appropriation bill,through which it is hoped to secure several important light stations and fog signals for the lakes, will contain a provision for fifteen gas buoys, and Congressman Burton, who has sought to have an ap- propriation for a light-ship at Ballard’s reef included in the amendments, has a promise from the light-house board that one of these buoys will be stationed at Ballard’s reef and four others at different points. If a gas buoy would serve for Ballard’s reef, there seems to be no good reason why a second one could not be stationed at the mouth of the Detroit river, Bar point, where the vessel owners have maintained a light-ship for two seasons past. The light-house officials in Washington, as well as Major Overman, engineer of the Fenth district, recognized the necessity of maintaining a light of some kind on Ballard,s reef, even after the range lights are established at the head of Grosse Isle. The distance between the proposed Grosse Isle ranges and the Duff & Gatfield ranges on the Canadian main land below the Lime-kilns is full six miles and it is impossible in thick weather to keep these ranges and clear Ballard’s reef at all times, especially in coming down when the current is against the ship’s port quarter causing her to veer to the westward or toward the reef. Gas burning buoys have for some time been manufactured and used in Hngland. A few have recently been brought into this country by way of experiment, but none have yet been tried on the lakes. Recently parties in the United States have se- cured the right to manufacture these buoys, and it is expected that they will be extensively used, for their value to navigation cannot be questioned. The buoy is made of iron and filled with compressed gas, and will burn for 120 nights without being re- filled. The price of these buoys heretofore asked was $2,750 each, The agents of the American manufacturers propose to fur- nish fifteen at a cost of $2,000 each. The Bituminous Coal Situation. Lake shippers of bituminous coal have about concluded that they will also be compelled to share in the general labor troubles, not only in view of the proposed eight hour move- ment but on account of other demands made by the United Mine Workers. ‘The miners demand higher wages for all kinds of machine work and have advanced the general mining rates in addition to demanding that coal be weighed before screening. What bearing these demands will have on the lake trade next season can not be considered at this time. The hope of an early settlement for the coming year’s work among the operators and miners when they meet a few weeks hence is certainly very slim. The lake dealers are also interested, of course, in the out- come of the big strike in the coke district. The position which W. J. Rainey occupies in the strike is characteristic of his gen- eral attitude in the coke business, and has been the subject of a great deal of comment. Mr. Rainey has certainly pursued a very shrewd policy for several years past in the manner in which he has treated Frick & Co. and the other leaders in the coke combine. It is estimated by some Cleveland men of coal and iron interests that he has made half a million dollars within the past year, and all on account of the advantages taken of the combine. He is certainly a thorn in the eyes of Frick & Co. Although his plant is third in acreage in the coke district, he has persistently refused to affiliate with the pool but has always profited by keeping prices up to the highest mark, and now he takes advantage of the plans of the combination in dealing with the strikers to keep his own plant working. The coke barons have repeatedly tried to buy him out without success. He will not place a price on the property. It is said that a short time ago the furnace men conceived the idea of buying Mr. Rainey’s property with a view to using it in their fight against the coke combination. When they called on him his only answer was: ““Gentlemen, if I should make a price on the property it would startle you,’’ i