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‘poration as “aged, decrepit and worn-out sailors.” | MARINE REVIEW. _ The Outlook in Lumber. There is little in the way of an understanding regarding freights between lumber shippers and vessel owners. The move- ment will be heavy, as sales have been active, but some of the poorer class of ore and coal carriers will seek refuge in the lum- ber trade, especially from Lake Superior, and shippers are ac- cordingly talking of reducing the opening rates to a basis of $1.50 from Bay City to Buffalo and Tonawanda. ‘This would be 25 cents below the rate ofa year ago, but vessel owners do not as yet agree with this view of the situation. Shippers are still decidedly opposed to the plan of the Saginaw Valley Vessel Owners’ Association to have all lumber placed free on rail and the outcome of this important question will be watched with interest. It is reported that the Canadian Pacific Railway is tapping the lumber regions in the Sault district and has already secured 20,000,000 feet at Bay Mills, which, if it proves true, will make quite a difference in the season’s business. It is con- ceded that for eastern points not reached by canal or lake, this road can carry lumber as cheap as the barges. The Ashland News says that the actual amount of lumber from the district at the head of Lake Superior already purchased by Chicago parties is about 30,000,000 feet, 10,000,000 of which is last year’s stock, the other 20,000,000 feet being of the coming season’s cut. It also claims that at present there are fully 50,000,000 feet of first class lumber on the different docks on the bay that is for sale, while the major portion of the present season’s cut, which at the lowest estimate is 200,000,000 feet, remains unsold and ready for purchasers. The Sailors’ Snug Harbor. In answer to an inquiry from a correspondent it can be said that lake sailors are not admitted to the Sailors’ Snug Harbor, the Staten island institution of great fame. ‘The persons for whose maintenance and support the asylum was established, are described in the will of its founder, and also in the act of incor- No person is admitted who is afflicted with any contagious disease, or who _ is possessed of adequate means of self-support, either by his own . _ labor or from other sources. _ Or, if a foreigner born, who cannot furnish satisfactory evidence of his having sailed for at least five years under the flag of the United States, either in the merchant or naval service. Every applicant must present letters from at least two parties for whom he has sailed showing him to be eligi- ble for admission to the institution under the above rules, stat- ing how long he has sailed for them, and that he is unable to ob- tain a livelihood for himself. Applicants must- apply in person at the agent’s office, No. 74 Wall street, New York. An Old Time Admiralty Case. Capt A. W. Rossman, who is superintending the building of the Atlanta at the Cleveland Dry Dock Company’s yard and who will sail her when completed, tells of the following experience, which occured when he was sailing the brig Illinois, thirty years ago. Some of the crew got drunk at Milwaukee and were dis- charged. In revenge they made a claim for wages and the sheriff went aboard the vessel to tie her up. Capt. Rossman was aboard the tug,the only one in Milwaukee,which started to tow the vessel out as soon as the sheriff set foot on deck of the Illinois. When outside and clear of legal jurisdiction the captain was put aboard his vessel. The sheriff served the papers, but the captain ignored him. Of course, he was sorry he couldn’t land until they reached Racine where he had a few barrels of salt to put out. The pier at Racine ran outside several hundred feet and the brig was put alongside without trouble But Racine was under the same authorities as Milwaukee and the sheriff went up the piers to get assistance in capturing the buccaneer. In course of a half hour the sheriff returned with a crowd of thirty or forty men. ‘The salt was unloaded and the topsails had been left up and the wind was off shore. The lines were thrown off and the brig moved -away from the pier. Then the sheriff returned to Milwaukee and fell upon the tug. The matter came into court and the claimants held that the tug was responsible for towing the vessel out when the officer was aboard. Then came a crushing defense. It was shown to the satisfaction of the court that the tug hada line to the brig and also had such a head of steam that the throttle had to be opened and the tug started in order to prevent a disastrous explosion. Therefore it was held that the tug could not be made responsible. Mr. Pennington on the Steering Question. EDITOR MARINE REVIEW :—Much has been said and written in re- gard to the necessity of uniform steering; necessity if confusion and disaster, frequently resulting from the use of two systems, is to be avoid- ed. In order to preface and make plain the points I shall endeavor to make in this article, I shall here state the two methods in use on the lakes with their respective commands, viz: Steering as a vessel, straight chains—Command, “ Starboard!” wheel is put to port, rudder and bow come to port. Command, “Port!” Wheel is put to starboard, rudder and bow come to starboard. Steamer steering with crossed chains—Command, “ Starboard!” Wheel is put to starboard, rudder and bow come to port. Command, “Port!” Wheel is put to port, rudder and bow:come to starboard. So it will be seen that in steering with straight chains the wheel, the rudder and the bow are turned in the same direction, while with cross chains the rudder and bow turn in the opposite direction from the move- ment of the wheel. In all cases however the command is the opposite from the change of course desired. It will also be observed that when steering with cross chains, the command and the direction of the wheel” agree, while with straight chains they differ. Yet in each case the com- mand is the opposite to which the bow and rudder are to be turned. Now, any system that may be adopted generally, to bring about uniform steer- ing, will fall short of the best results, if it does not include also the com- mand of the officer to the wheelsman. At the International Maritime Conference held in Washington, D. C., in January, 1890, Mr. Goodrich, of the United States, proposed the follow- ing amendment to the “sailing rules:” ‘The command ‘starboard, shall mean that the wheel, rudder and bow of the vessel are to be turned to starboard; and the command ‘“ port” shall mean that the wheel, rud- der and bow of the vessel are to be turned toport.” Mr. Goodrich urged adoption of this amendment, and claimed that “it would simplify matters. ~ and make a uniform method of ordering, among all the maritime nations.” Capt. Malmberg, of Sweden, stated that the system was already in use in Swedish, French, Austrian and Italian vessels. He said: ‘When we say ‘starboard’ we mean that the ship’s head is to be turned to starboard, and when we say ‘port’ we mean that the ship’s head is to be turned-to port.” The foregoing is high authority for the change of steering rules, so that the command, the direction of the wheel and the turning of the rud- “ler and bow of the craft, may be in agreement. The discussions on the lakes as to “ uniform steering” have had a narrower scope, and only in- volved the question whether there should be uniformity between the motion of the wheel and the «irection of the rudder and bow, on all lake crafts, as is now in vogue on sailing vessels. The factor of “command” has not, so far, entered into the discussion, and perhaps it had better not. foratime. There are two systems in vogue—one of them should give way to the other for the sake of uniformity. That is, perhaps, as radical: » achange as should be made at one time Sailor men have inherited the old methods, as we inherit our superstitions, and accept them as a matter . of course. They get used toa method and its operation becomes auto- matic, and however absurd it may be in theory, the wheelsman guides the ship in safety. But when he ships on a boat using another system, he “automatically” turns the wheel in the wrong direction, and an expen- sive disaster possibly ensues. I suppose the driver of a team on the public highway could, with his lines crossed soon learn to drive with safety, and if driving was done in nother way it might be safer to so continue. Butif a simpler and more reasonable method was also in use, what sane man would not say there should be uniformity and that the former method should give way to the latter. The method of steering in use on vessels is more reasonable in that the bow and rudder obey the direction of the wheel. Furthermore, sailing vessels cannot change their method except at a large expense; therefore the uniformity of steering, so much desired by all, must come about by all steamers adopting straight chains. After thisis done and all wheelsmen get used to the change the factor of the “command” shoyld, _ Italian vessels. not earlier than the twelfth century, and the instrument undoubtedly came known in Europe efore the | is fabled to have bronght it in his in my opinion, be taken into the account, by the adoption of the more _ simple and rational system now in use on’ Swedish, French, Austrian. nd G B. L. PENNINGTON.* |