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8 MARINE REVIEW. ee MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO THE LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. JOHN M. MULROONEY, F. M. BARTON, HOMER J. CARR, - - - Associate’ Editor and Manager Chicago Office, 210 South Water Street. Published every Thursday at No. 510 Perry-Payne Building, Cleveland, O. hae \ Proprinrors. SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 per year in advance. Convenient binders sent, post paid, 75 cents. Advertising rates on application. Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. THERE is now no doubt of success attending the convention of lake interests to be held in Detroit on the 17th inst. The De- troit promoters of the convention are making every effort to se- cure a representative gathering, and it is expected that in addi- tion to the delegates from commercial organizations there will be representatives appointed by the governors of the different states bordering on the lakes. It may be expected also that the apparant opposition from the Lake Carriers’ Association will be overcome by an understanding of the position taken by the man- agers of that organization, and that by the time the convention assembles the result of this understanding between the different interests will be harmonious action, at least as far as the mat- ter of a twenty and twenty-one foot channel throughout the lakes is concerned. The Lake Carriers are opposed only to agitation of the question of a deep water outlet to the seaboard, on the ground that such agitation at this time would jeopardize the chances of securing the completion of improvements: already under way. This is shown by correspondence from Secretary Keep of the association, who says in addition to a letter printed elsewhere : “Of course, every manager of the Lake Carriers’ Associa- ‘tion would be enthusiastically in favor of a convention called to _ deal with a twenty-one foot channel alone. Action taken by such a convention in preparing a strong address to Congress, setting forth the reasons for prompt Congressional. action in securing such a depth of water on the lakes, and in appointing a delega- tion representing all important lake ports to appear at the pro- per time before the river and harbor committee of the House and the commerce committee of the Senate, urging such action, would be a most important factor in bringing about the results’ in which we are all interested. The position which the Lake Carriers’ Association now takes, and which certainly appears to have a great preponderance of the vessel owning interests behind it, is that while a convention called to act on a twenty and twenty-one foot channel would be most desirable and useful, a convention which is to couple action on this point with resolu- tions in favor of large local harbor expenditures and particularly with resolutions calling upon Congress to take the initial steps to secure a deep waterway to the seaboard would be worse than no convention at all.” The position taken by the Lake Carriers certainly demands the greatest consideration. In all preparations for the conven- tion there has been doubt as to whether it would be advisable to take up the question of an outlet to the seaboard before improve- ments under way on the lakes are completed. Would it not seem better, therefore, that the representative organization of vessel owners, instead of appeariny in opposition to a convention of any kind, should join in the movement for a completion of improvements now under way and present in fair discussion its opposition to the scheme for an outlet to the seaboard? Our advices from Buffalo, Thursday morning, were to the effect that a conservative estimate placed the amount of wheat there at 9,000,000 bushels, with about 3,000,000 bushels to arrive in vessels now on their way down. As the movement towards the seaboard affords practically no relief, on account of a great scarcity of cars and most of the grain being consigned to. the elevators of the New York Central and Erie railways, some idea can be formed of the trouble that is bound to increase with the additional arrivals of vessels next week and continue for some time to come. The railway managers who made contracts for the transhipment of this grain to the seaboard knew that they could not handle it. They are responsible for the loss to vessel owners, and the determination of Cleveland owners to apply for remuneration and test the question in court if.it is not granted will be watched with interest. A Submarine Boat. At the yard of the Detroit Boat Works, Detroit, a few days ago the submarine boat, about which a great deal has been writ- ten, was launched. The boat was designed by Fred. A. Ballin, naval architect, and is the property of George A. Baker of Chi- cago, who wishes to use her for testing an invention upon which he has been at work for a long time past. The invention con- sists in reversible propellers, working on each side of the boat amidships. ‘Their duty is to propel as well as regulate the de- sired immersion. ‘The boat is 4o feet long, 9 feet wide and 14 feet deep, and was built of wood instead of iron or steel tor economy sake. The power is steam, a Roberts safety pipe boiler and Willard engine being used. Compressed air can be stored in the hull. Notice to Mariners. The light-house board gives notice that the rear light of the Niagara river range has been transferred to the new structure erected on the range line, 23 feet above the present structure. The structure consists of a triangular skeleton pyramid, painted brown, carrying near the top on its channel face an elliptical gridiron day mark, 8 feet by 12 feet, with slats painted alternate- ly black and white. The elevation and characteristics of the light will remain unchanged. The office of the inspector of the Ninth light-house district, Commander Nicoll Ludlow, has been removed to No. 1 306 Chamber of Commerce building, Chicago, III. In General. Inland Ocean is the name of a new weekly publication of Superior edited by F. W. Street of that city. An early issue presents several statistical articles carefully prepared. From Superior itis said that the American Steel Barge Company is planning for the establishment of three shipyards in different parts of the country, in addition to the plants at Su- _ perior and Everett, Wash. but recently condemned and sold. Corrugated furnaces are rapidly gaining favor in every in- dustry, and the Continental Iron Works of Brooklyn, N. Y., find orders coming in freely for them. ‘The Lake Erie Boiler Works of Buffalo recently ordered six, to be used in the new boilers they are constructing for the Metropolitan Elevated railway of New York city. Dec. 1, Buffalo had shipped by lake 2,396,380 tons of hard coal. The port of Superior at the head of Lake Superior had received on the same date 1,140,000 tons of both hard and soft coal. These receipts are entirely irrespective of Duluth and were divided as follows: Lehigh Coal and Iron Company, 485,- ooo tons; Northwestern Company, 405,000 tons; Silver Creek and Morris Coal Company, 160,000 tons; Ohio Coal Company, 90,000 tons. The great bulk of Superior’s receipts is soft coal. _ The report of Capt. L. G. Shepard, chief of the revenue ma- rine, recommends, as had been expected, the building of four additional revenue cutters, two for the lakes and two for the Pa- cific coast. If the cutters for the lakes are built after the plans suggested by members of Congress who last year opposed. the building of what was termed a “cheap” boat for Lake Michigan, they will be formidable war vessels. It is proposed to have the two new vessels replace the revenue steamer Johnson on Lake Michigan, and the Bibb, formerly in service on Lake Ontario, ea ee Send suunees 75 cents to the MARINE REVIEW for a binder that will hold 52