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Lake Freight Situation. ___ The ore movement is still full 2,000,000 tons short of the output at this time a year ago and there is little hope of making any gain on shipments during the latter half of this season, ex- -cepting at advanced sales, although it is admitted that consump- tion during the year beginning with the opening of navigation must be largely in excess of the previous twelve months. Some ore is being sold at an advance of 25 cents a ton over first sales but the companies that are in a position to make additional sales do not seem inclined to increase their obligations unless the mar- ket shows still further improvement. It is the general opinion that the furnace owners have not bought enough ore, and con- ditions surrounding the freight situation will not warrant the ore companies in making additional sales at anything near pres- ent prices. An immense grain crop is now assured beyond any question of doubt and Europe will want more than the surplus of 140,000,000 bushels of wheat now figured on by the best judges. No better assurance of a fair busines for lake vessels is needed than the gradual advance in ore freights already recorded. Rates are up to $1 from Ashland, 95 cents from Marquette and 70-cents from Escanaba, with indications of an advance in the Marquette rate to $1. This week’s advance in the Escanaba and Marquette rates was secured through the rise in grain freights at Chicago. Although the advance in grain, obtained through labor troubles at Chicago, is not substantial, on account of the small’ amount of grain in store at that point, it is not thought that ore rates will go back to former figures, even in event of a reaction in grain. A good reason for this belief is the fact that boats will not take Marquette ore short of a figure at or near the Ashland rate, and the demand for tonnage at Marquette will thus tend to uphold the Escanaba rate. Duluth had but 1,792,345 bushels of grain in store on Saturday last, as against 2,061,332 bushels the previous week so that there is little to be expected from this source until a movement of the new crop is begun. Vessels to take lumber from the head of Lake Superior to Chicago and Buf- falo, especially the former port, are again in demand, however, and the rate that was down to $1.75 ten days ago is again back to $2.25. The rate on soft coal to the head of Lake Superior de- clined at the close of last week to 45 cents, on account of a short- age of coal and from the fact that shipments of hard and soft coal to Lake Superior up to July 1 showed a gain of 120,000 tons tons over the corresponding date a year ago. The strike in the mines of W. lL. Scott & Co. is at an end, however, and this will have some bearing on Take Superior shipments. Other coal rates are as they have been for several weeks past. Duluth is paying 2% cents on grain but there not enough to go around. Gas Buoys to be Given a Trial on the Lakes. In the last civil sundry appropriation bill the light-house board was authorized to purchase fifteen gas buoys at $2,000 each, and the officers of the board promised to give some of the buoys to the lakes. ‘There has been some delay in negotiations with the manufacturers of the buoys, but Secretary Keep of the Lake Carriers Association was a few days ago informed by Com- mander Coffin, naval secretary of the board, that an arrangement had been made whereby the lake vessel interests may expect six ofthe buoysshortly. Commander Coffin is now making arrannge- ments for their location and, although the places where the buoys are most needed have not as yet been decided upon, it is pro- bable that one will replace the float light at Ballard’s reef, De- troit river, two others be located at the Lake Huron entrance to the St Clair river, for which the range lights at Point Edward are now maintained, two others on Poe’s reef and Graham shoal and the sixth probably on Gravelly shoal. These are all dangerous places where heavy losses have resulted in the past, but there are others, such as Starve island reef and Poverty passage, that are equally deserving ofattention. ‘These buoys have been described in the Review. They are of tank form with an iron frame- MARINE REVIEW. 5 work projection supporting a pipe and burner that regulates the discharge of gas. The gas is made from petroleum and can be compressed so as to admit of a buoy giving light for ninety days without attention. ‘The buoys are manufactured by the Pintsch company, a New York concern that hhs located gas manufactor- ies in different parts of the couutry and has established a success- ful system of lighting passenger trains. It will probably be necessary to take the supply of gas for the lake buoys from a Chicago plant, but the gas system is now being used extensively on railway trains and it may be expected that’gas plants will soon be located in all of the leading cities. Wrecks and Heavy Losses. The sinking of the steamship Pontiac, referred to elsewhere, may not result in the total loss of the boat, as she will probably be raised, although the river current, her cargo and other ob- stacles will make the work difficult. Two other boats that have met with accidents during the past few days will, however, be numbered among the total losses. The propeller Ira Chaffee, valued at $7,500 and owned by J. P. Sullivan of Detroit was en- tirely destroyed at the Sault Saturday, and the schooner Silver Cloud, which went ashore near Port Washington, Lake Michi- | gan, on the 7th inst. with a loss of three lives, has been given up as atotal loss. ‘The steamer Martini, sunk near the mouth of the Detroit river by the steamer Specular, has been raised and will be repaired at Ironton. Her damages are estimated at $1,200. Pushing the Pope. The Dry Dock Navigation Company of Detroit, owning the big steel steamship E. C. Pope, is undoubtedly pushing the boat for a record in the ore trade, and she is doing all that was ex- pected of her. It is more than probable that the object is to sell her. Her big cargoes on the light Lake Superior draft are wonderful and she is making nearly 14 miles an hour over some portions of the Lake Superior run with economy in fuel equal to any of the big boats. : Official Numbers and Tonnage. The bureau of navigation, William W. Bates commissioner, assigned official numbers to the following lake vessels during the week ending July 11: Steam—C. H. Lamb, Erie, 16.09 tons gross, 8.36 net, No. 126,760; Florence, Rochester, 15.23 tons gross, 12.24 net, No. 120,851; Mate E., San- dusky, 13.10 tons gross, 9.17 net, No. 92,340; Paddy Miles, Buffalo, 33.13 tons gross, 16.57 net, No. 150,536. Sail—E.L.G., Rochester, 13.39 tons gross, 12.72 net, No. 136,221. Unrigged—Cora Horn, Sandusky, 242.36 tons gross, 231.18 net, No. 34,219; John Breman, Oswego, 111.83 tons gross, 106.24 net, No. 46,436. Saginaw Valley Shipyard News. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. Wes? Bay City, Mich., July 16.—F. W. Wheeler & Co. received con- tracts for the coast light-ships Monday. Draftsmen are already at work on them, but work in the yard will not be commenced under two or three weeks, or until the steamer now building for the Nicaragua Canal Com- pany is launched. This steamer will be launched about Aug, 1 and fin- ished about Sept. 1. Mr. Wheeler returned Saturday from New York where he went to attend the annual meeting of the Saginaw Steel Steam- ship Company, of which company’s stock Wheeler & Co. hold quite a share. He says that the Keweenaw will probably remain on the Pacific coast and that another of the company’s vessels may also go to the west- ern shore. Work on the lightships is to be completed in ten months from the signing of the contracts. Capt. Cole, owner of the steamer Dove, recently burned, says that he has not yet decided whether he will have the vessel repaired. The Dove is still at Wheeler & Co.’s dock. The F. & P. M. steamer No. 3 is at Wheeler & Co.’s and will receive about $5,000 in repairs. When work on this vessel is completed F. & P. M. No. 2 will be sent here for a $10,000 overhauling. Freight rates show no change and the ’longshoremen still receive 45 cents an hour. The steamer Boyce and tow this week took 2,000,000 feet of lumber to Chicago for their owner, Jonathan Boyce of Grand Rapids. It is reported that Capt. Armstrong will take the steamer Ossifrage to Chicago and run her on the excursion route; with his two steamers now there, the Post Boy and the Newsboy. The boat will remain the property of Wheeler & Co , however, until a purchaser can be found, as Capt. Arm- strong doesn’t care to invest any money in the vessel. Unless she is taken to Chicago the Ossifrage will probably remain idle at this port un- til sold, as Mr. Wheeler says he will not devote his time to keeping her on any route, Sennen enn eee ee SS ee a eae