Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-17
Marine Items,

The Detroit Free Press has the following
in regard to the opening of navigation;
aNavigation is now fairly opened with
the St. Clair river and Lake Huron ports, as
we'll as with Sandusky, Cleveland and Dun
kirk, besides other ports on Lake Erie, by
means of steam craft. Sailing vessels nave
not vet gone into sea room, spreading their
sails to the breeze and ploughing up the
waves at the command OF commerce. But
they are making the necessary preparations,
and q score or more have recently hauled
out into the stream, opposite this city, and
the Jack Tsrs and Triggers are busy bend
ing on the sails and rigging. Caulkers
hammer and thump at their oaken sides;
driving home the fsesmer,' and following 1t
I'D with well D oakum, till the seams and
Joints are driven tight and warranted water
proof. The schooners Globe, Star of Hope,
knight Templar, Swallow and others, lie IN
the stream nearly opposite the Ferry Dock,
most of which, in addition to their rigging,
sails and other outfit are receiving new
coats of paint, of gay and gaudy colors,
among which green seems to be the pre-
dominant, this Just now being a tavorIte,
or we should say, epidemic color.
1.-THE sail lofts are busy delivering work
already done, or finishing that ordered;
dray loads ofnew canvass, with well-tarred
bolt-ropes, old sails, withdrawn from store
houses, repaired and patched up for an
other seasons wear and service, crowd to
the docks where they are transferred to
yawl and quarter-b boats, and carried
aboard their respective craft. The buckets,
marlin, Selling, spun yarn and marlin
spikes take their place alongside the buck
cts of oil for ~'drippings' to be used for
'slushing' the masts and spars, in order to
prevent decay and friction Of those parts
exposed to the wear and tear ofthe running
gear and rigging, and taken altogether,
everybody, captain, mate and all hands,
are fully employed. The larger class Of
grain vessels will be ready as soon as the
lev embargo of Msckinaw is removed, to
TO take their usual cargoes from the grain
cries of the West to feed the hungry in
habitants of the East"
The following interesting letters from
Mackinaw and the Saul, indicating an ex-
ceedingly severe winter to have been ex-
p~erienced, predict a late opening of navi-
gatien to the upper lakes;
MAcKIEAw, March Is, 1886.
It may be of some interest to the com-
merce of the lake to learn the condition of
the ice and the prospect of the opening of
navigation in the straights of Mackinaw.
Your readers can form their own opinion
from the following facts The ice is 20 to
"a inches thick, firm and solid as it has
been any time during the winter. The
mercury stood So below zero on the morn
ing of the 9th, and this morning at half
past 5 O'Clock, 100 above. Snow has com
menced falling, with wind northeast. The
snow is -four feet in the woods, and Is inches
on the ice. Unless we have warm, copious
rains the ice will remain from Is TO 80
days.
Our mails leave Saul st. Mary on Mon
day OF each week. MAcEISAw.
Another letter reads as follows:
SAUr STE. MARIE, April l, 1866.
The weather has been severely cold dur
ing all the past winter. The snow, lying
from four to five feet deep on the level, has
Just to-day begun to melt. We have from
80 to SO inches of ice in the river and bay,
with from G TO II inches Of snow lying on
top. Capt. Caldwell, just down from Round
Island Light House, reports the ice firm and
solid from the head Of the Rapids all the
way up to White Fish Point. The Captain
predicts a very late opening of navigation.
A new lumber establishment has been
started this winter by Messrs Campbell d
Bigger, Of Marquette, at a point a few miles
below the White Fish River Light. They
have plenty of excellent pine, and will have
a large steam mill built and running by
August next.
The same mail that brings the above fur
nishes US also with the result of the election
at Mackinaw:
MAoKINAw, April 4, 1866.
James Larley, Union, was elected Super
visor without opposition. The whole Union
ticket was elected by over so majority.
For many years this village has gone
Democratic, but this time the influence of
returned soldiers, and their friends, was so
decided that the opposition left the field and
we had it all our own way.
A letter received in Chicago from the Ma
rine Inspector of the Board of Lake Under
writers at Mackinaw, under date of April
4th, says:
As regards the ice, it is about two feet
thick, and solid, with from one to two feet
Of nov on il, which, if it melts and freezes,
will make it still thicker. No water was TO
be seen last week in Lake Michigan from
Beaver Islands, and no water can be seen
now from the highest point of this island in
Lake Huron. l have lived here all my life
and don't remember seeing a spring look
more backward for navigation than this
does. 1t will require q great thaw contin-
ually to open by the first of May, yet it is
impossible to predict with any certainty
when navigation will be open at this point
Fapry NavrcaTrox oF TEE IAyFs Thu