The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

+ our waterways to an'extent that will enable us to transport commodities in large cargoes and thus lower freight rates so materially as to bring the _producer and consumer practically together. We are accordingly better- ing the condition of the producer, maintaining our advantage in the mar- ket and fostering the labor interests at the same time The lake interests will not contend that liberal appropriations by congress in aid of trans- portation by water is the entire business of our government, but we do claim that whatever tends to develop our resources. is an important ele- ment in the direction of prosperity and should receive the careful con- sideration of those to whom we intrust our welfare. We would certainly consider a colony of farmers very improvident who, after drawing insignificant loads to market over miserable roads and finding they could not compete with those from a different direction who worked over improved highways, would ‘resort to a reduction in the price of farm-labor instead of putting the roads in proper condition for larger loads with less expense. Yet were we to cease our efforts for the itprove- ment of our waterways we would certainly be compelled to resort to some other method of cheapening transportation, and there is certainly none so much in harinony with the best interest of the country as the improve- ment of waterways. In no other way but through personal observation could these gentlemen, the members of congress, gain so much valuable information with regard to the needs and necessities of liberal appropria- tions. It is to be hoped, therefore, that they will in their consideration of these improvements take a broad view of the benefits to be derived from favorable legislation, bearing in mind the fact that the carrying in- terests of the lakes are only benefited in a general way like all others; that their net returns will not be enhanced by a 20-foot channel but, be- ing engaged in this branch of industry, the duty of keeping in line with the demands of the times devolves upon them. J. STONE. CHICAGO LAKE INTERESTS. WESTERN OFFICE, MARINE REVIEW, | j No. 210.So. Water Street, CHICAGO, IIL, J uly 23. t ‘Vessel captains are becoming quite too obstreperous on Chicago river. If their boats are at dock unloading or loading and lie in sucha position as completely closes navigation they have been refusing to move during working hours, even though they keep fifty other boats from passing. They have defied the harbormaster-to move them, and these representa- tives of the city authority have been reviled on many occasions. It has been getting worse all this season, owing to the control of the Chicago river, which has been assumed by the general government. Those ves- sel captains who'rule as kings on their boats, should remember that the city of Chicago denies the right of the general government to control Chicago river, and that all the ordinances of the city are still in force. It is just such tactics as are now pursued by these high and mighty cap- tains, that have kept the lake marine from obtaining recognition and consideration in Chicago. Owners who send their boats here would do well to caution their men that decent behavior with due consideration for the rights of others in Chicago river is the proper thing. This is needed but for a few, to be sure, as most vessel masters are gentlemen, but once in a while there is one who sees nothing but his own interest and would not turn his hand over to accommodate his best friend. The harbormaster was instructed this week to arrest all captains who refused to move when ordered and somebody will soon find that it is best to obey orders from the city’s representatives for a time yet. The other day the captain of a small lumber schooner told a harrowing tale of how he had run on some mysterious obstruction inside the ex- terior breakwater,and he thonght he had hit the wreck of the lost Thomas Hume. His boat went into dry dock for repairs. The papers happened to print the story, and Commander Ludlow, in charge of this light-house district, read the item, and of course began to find out what was in the way. He soon found out. The thing that was in the way was the breakwater itself, and the schooner in question had damaged the outer end and greatly injured -herself. The near-sighted skipper who thought he had hit the Thomas Hume, had evidently been concocting a yarr to save him- self from having collided with a breakwater. SG The City of Milwaukee tried the experiment of giving excursions on Sunday from Milwaukee to Chicago. The scheme was given up Jast Sunday. The excursions were wrong end first. Had they been given from Chicago to ‘Milwaukee they might have proved a great success. Grain rates went to pieces Monday but rallied slightly the next day. Vesselmen have been quite too anxious to crowd in their boats on the miar- ket, which could not stand any such pressure. The grain was skinned out so rapidly that it was soon gone and the fellows who came last were scarcely init. As the call for boats in the grain trade reacted in an ad- vance on ore, 10 one ought to find fault long. It now seems that practic- ally every bushel of grain is going to be rushed to market before the ae crop comes into competition with the old. Grain freights therefore . pend upon tke receipts of grain here. The receipts early in en wee were surprisingly large. If that keeps up there will be plenty of business for the boats, but if a falling off comes, vessels will go begging. MARINE REVIEW. 5 The lake line agents last Saturday advanced the wages of ‘longshore- men from 20 to 25 cents an hour, to take effect August 1. The advance was made voluntarily. The men had been completely routed after a three week’s strike for this same increase in wages. It is not often that strikers after they return to work are freely given the wages they had been fight- ing for. Canal street bridge will remain where it is for some time to come. Monday night the commissioner of public works recommended to the city council that the bridge be removed. His recommendation was re- ferred to a committee and then the council adjourned until September. The absence of Capt. Dunham from the council this year was seriously felt on this occasion, for had he still been a member, no such action would not have been likely to occur. Beforethe council can now act, the re- moval of Canal street bridge will have heen ordered by the war depart- ment. The city is going to fight the claim of the general government fur control of the river and the case will go into the courts. Canadian Passenger Traffic. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. : KINGSTON, Ont., July 23.—It was an unlucky inaugural trip the steam- er Lora made on Tuesday of last week between Rochester and Alexandria Bay. In attempting to make the dock at Thousand Island park she struck what is known as the Oconto shoal and went on with sufficient force to put her bow out about eight inches. She had quite a number of passen- gers on board. She was released by the tug Seymour. The shoal is the same one which sunk the Oconto of the Chicago & Ogdensburg line some years ago. The Lora had been running between Buffalo and Cleveland. Last week the steamer North King (formerly the Norseman) and Maynard had a slight collision on the river. The officers of the Maynard claim that the King’s officers took no notice of the Maynard’s whistles while the North King officials maintain that no whistles were blown and that the accident was not due to any negligence on their part but solely to the fact that the Maynard having approached too close to the larger ves- sel was sucked into her wake and bumped. The damage done was slight. The transhipment of railroad iron here has made a boom for the *longshoremen... The steamer Rosedale loaded 1,000 tons last week for Port Arthur. News of the untimely death of James O’Reilly,engineer of the steamer Campana on Friday last at Cleveland, was received here with sincere-re- gret. Mr. O’Reilley was a native of Garden Island and one of the best engineers in Canada. The remains were interred in this city on Monday last. The landing of steamers at the Thousand Island park on Sundays has raised considerable commotion among the shareholders. Superintendent Brown says no steamers will be allowed to landat the dock on Sundays hereafter. A conference has been held with the officers of the steamboat companies and they have concluded that they had no right to leave pass- engers at the park on Sunday. The charter as given by the state coutains a restriction to that effect. Director Searles says seventy-five per cent. of the lot and cottage owners are against having boats call on Sunday. Capt. Craig, formerly of the Bay of Quinte steamer Hero, has pur- chased the steamer Swan and will put her in commission on the river. The number of steamers of all grades in the excursion business among the islands this season is unprecedented. Sunday outings down the river are patronized largely, the American travel having fairly begun. Last Sunday seven steamers were used to convey western tourists and local ex- cursionists. Travelers come as far as Kingston by rail and take the Richelieu and Ontario navigation steamers to Montreal. Building for the Central American Coast. Special Correspondence to the MARINE REVIEW. West Bay City, Mich., July 23.—It now transpires that the steel twin screw tug building at Wheeler & Co’s. is not for the Nicaragua Canal Company as has been previously announced, but is for Geo. D. Emery, of Boston. Mr. Emery is alarge dealer in mahogany timber, from the Central American states, and the new tug which will be named the Yu Lu, (Span- ish for Mahogany) is to be used in towing on the rivers of the Central American coast Mr. Emery is the owner of quite a large fleet of vessels en- gaged incarrying mahogany timber. The Yu Lu will be launched in about three weeks, and it is expected that she will be in New York City in- side of two months. A local paper announced a few days since that Capt. Davidson ‘would soon commence work on another schooner for himself, but Capt Dayidson pleads not guilty to the charge. Just at present he is engaged in an.able bodied kick over a claim that the board of assessors placed valuations on his property out of all proportion in comparison to that of his com- petitors. He threatens to move out of the place unless it is reduced.” Send 75 cents to the MARINE REVIEW for a Binder that will hold.s52 numbers,