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Lake Michigan Improvements. Improvements will be made this season in the harbors of Charlevoix, Frankfort, Potage Lake, Manistee, Ludington, Pent- water, White River, Muskegon, Grand Haven, Black Lake,South Haven, St. Joseph, Benton Harbor and Michigan City, ports on the east shore of Lake Michigan, under charge of Col. William_ : Ludlow, and the work will be directed from the government en- gineer’s office, Grand Rapids. At Charlevoix the channel will be dredged, and the piers and revetments will be re- paired. At Frankfort the piers will be ‘ repaired and strengthened, sand fences will be erected, and the revet- ments put into shape, all requiring a great amount of pile driving. The Portage Lake. harbor will be dredged and the piers strengthened. At Manistee the north pier will be ex- tended 200 feet, the channel will be deepened, and the work will all be done by contract. The Ludington harbor will be dredged. The improvement at Pentwater will be repairs, piers and revet- ments. Into the White river harbor, the outlet for Montague and Whitehall, much sheet piling will be put, a piling in which heavy sawed boards are used as well as round logs, the better to shut out the sand. At Muskegon the old north pier will be torn out and 320 feet of new crib work put in. The north revetments will be extended by sheet piling 1,000 feet toward Muskegon lake. At Grand Haven three 50-foot cribs will be put into each of the two piers. The inner end of the north pier will be extended by 1,500 feet of sheet piling, and the channel will be dredged. The improvements at the other har- bors will be in the nature of repairs and dredging. Private Steam Yachts. Two of the handsomest steam yachts on the lakes were in the Cleveland dry dock last week—the Say When and the Winifred. ‘The former was the work of the Herreshoffs and the hull of the latter was built in Brooklyn while the engines were built by Clough & Witt,and as far as being economical is concerned 1ey cannot be surpassed. The fuel costs five cents per mile and ee years the repairs have cost $5. About $200 is the cost of tting out the Winifred in the spring, making her practically as dasnew. ‘A steam yacht is one of the most economical luxuries’ said Capt. Williams “‘if she is handled properly. The trouble is that many owners are levied upon for about 50 per cent. more than costs business boats for supplies, etc,, merely because any one considered wealthy enough to have a steam yacht is regarded as lawful prey. A great many more men would own steam yachts if this was corrected.’’ In many cases this condition is the result of the owner’s extravagence, telling his captain to spare no expense, and being dissatisfied if common material is used. A new coat of paint was being spread on the hull of the Say When. One of the men remarked the quality of it, saying that it was worth $4 per pound and the varnish that was used to mix it was $4 per gallon. There are quite a number of steam yachts building on the lakes. One is nearly completed at East Saginaw for Isaac Bearinger, and the Chicago Ship Building Company has one on the stocks for Mr. Porter of the Illinois Steel Company. ‘The yacht building for J. H. Wade at the Cleveland Ship Building Company’s yard, will no doubt surpass anything on the lakes, It is pretty certain that another wealthy Cleveland gentleman will place an order for a steel steam yacht within the present year. A Daring Trip on Lake Michigan. Moritz Zimmerman has been held at Milwaukee to trial in Michigan federal court on charge of having stolen the pro- peller Deware, half interest of which he claims. Application has been made to bring the case before another court. ‘The interest of the case centers in the experience Zimmerman had in obtain- ing possession of the steamer. The owner of the other half was MARINE REVIEW. . line of the Norfolk & Western R: in possession of the Deware and ran her into Frankfort harbor one night. Zimmerman watched an opportunity when every one had left, and getting up steam ran the boat out in the lake. Just how he steered her out of the harbor and managed the en- gine at the same time no one knows, but after getting outside the piers he lashed the wheel, darkened the windows and paid most of his attention to firing up, and running the engine, going to the wheel-house occasionally to’unlash the wheel and alter his course. ‘The chances of being run down by other craft led him to the conclusion that he had better display a light after he was out of reach of pursuers. As he was lowering the lantern from the spar the rope broke and it fell, striking him on the head and knocking him senseless. Here was a steamer running at full speed in mid-lake without a light displayed and the only man aboard lying senseless on the deck. In course of a half hour he revived and the next morning put into Sturgeon Bay, where the boat was turned over to the sheriff, who took her to Milwaukee. Previous to September there was no law under which Zimmerman could be prosecuted, but a recent act of con- gress provides prosecution for taking a boat while on a voyage. The Deware is valued at $7,000, and has been used in the passenger trade. Insurance Matters. There will be little if any change from last year in cargo in- surance charges, as far as ore and coal are concerned. The gen- eral agents of companies engaged in this business on the lakes have made preparations for it and their instructions to local agents are to charge last season’s rates, 20 to 22% cents per $100. The business is covered by “blanket” policies or contracts that cover the business of shippers for the entire season. If there is any shading of these rates it will be very light and only on ac- count of the depressed condition of the lake trade generally, as underwriters claim that severe competition in this line of late years has brought charges down to avery low basis. ‘The 20- cent rate is given to shippers doing a big business in either coal or ore and employing only the best class of vessels with star rating while the greater charge, 22% cents, applies to the less important carrying trade in which canal schooners and the poorer grades of vessels are engaged. Here is an important change in the hull tariff. ‘‘For agree- ment to make loss or damage by fire settled under conditions of | special clause add 75 cents to the season rate, with pro rata de- ductions for months expired. This clause to be attached to such marine policies only as include the fire risk. A rebate of 25 cents to be allowed if risk terminates Nov. 30, at noon.” This is to save vessels from getting caught in the way the Roanoke and the Reynolds were, where cargo was sacrificed to save the vessel when afire. The former rulings obliged such losses to be settled on the fire policies alone, which do not recognize general average. The Reynolds has already settled the claim against her, and the case of the Roanoke is in court. . Detroit insurance agents have agreed upon the following rates for cargo insurance out of Detroit. The rates are for straight A vessels and twenty-five cents will be added for A 24 vessels : . Steam. Sail. To Cleveland.siicciscaccenissenecpete 20 RG To Buffalo... ciincntan es eooduececateehen tantra 30° de ee To Lake Ontario 4o RO To, Ogdensburg. ..ccsc. ccs 45 Se, 60k ae To Montreal :..:s:s0scssassauneabueeneeneabe aera 70 go At a meeting of the marine underwriters at Chicago, day, the following trip rates on grain were adopted and a in effect: To ports on Lake Michigan, 25 cents; to poi Lake Superior, 40 cents; to Huron, Sarnia and I cents; to Georgian bay, 30 cents; to Lake Erie, Ontario, 40 cents; to Ogdensburg, 40 cents; to M A recent issue of the Richmond trated article and description of th dustries along its line that company is not first in that field of enterpris dent, Norfolk & Western | paper mentioned, _