The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-01-12

greatest shipbuiding center, Bay City and
West Bay City come next, and then follow in
the order given Detroit and its suburbs
Buffalo, Milwaukee, Marine City and tho
ports of Gibraltar and Trenton on the St Clair
river There are about 1900 American and
500 Canadian boats on the lakes. The
largest ones are the Owego and Chemung,
which run between Buffalo and Chicago,
They cost 1850 600 each and are 357 tot long.
Their capacity Is ., 200 tons and they ere made
Of steel The largest carrier. however, is tho
iron steam barge Onoko, which Is owned in
Cleveland II was built in 1881 and has trans
ported l03, 900 bushels Of wheat, or 5000 tons,
in one cargo
The finest passenger steamer on the lakes is
the City OF Cleveland, which makes regular
trips during the season between Cleveland
and Detroit. She is finished and furnished in
beautiful manner and cost about $4,000,
Notwithstanding the popularity OF tho
northern fishing resorts and the extent OF tho
travel each year the accommodations for pas
seugers is wretchedly inadequate The reason
is that freighters are more profitable. FRO
pellers plying from Buffalo to Duluth, which
carry both passengers and merchandise, do a
very thriving business during tho months of
June, July and August, and staterooms are
engaged weeks in advance. Chicago, though
the largest city on the lakes, cuts one Of tho
smallest figures in marine circles for tho rea-
son that but very little construction Is done
there During the season Just closed $780,
600 tons of iron ore were shipped from the
Lake Superior region TO points south
east and south. During the same time about
100, 000, 900 bushels Of grain and its equiv
alent came down from the upper lake ports
10 Buffalo and Erie. Chicago shipped nearly
all the corn and most of the oats and barley,
and Duluth the wheat. Considerable grain
was also sent to the leading Canadian ports
from Chicago. Recently a vessel has been
sent to Liverpool with n cargo direct from
ako port, which has occasioned considerable
speculation W to what will he done in the flu
ture in this direction However, the under
taking did not have tho virtue Of originality,
for vessels were plying betr een Liverpool
and the large ports on Lakes Erie and Michi-
gan nearly forty years ago. Tho schooner
Dean. built In Cleveland for G. j. Kershaw,
of Chicago, was perhaps the first boat to mako
the trip The voyage was made by way Of
thu Welland canal and the st. Lawrence
river. The Dean occasioned some surprise in
Liverpool WIS SDll tlltIs.
season the bark G. j. Kershaw was loaded at
Chicago with lumber and slaves and sailed
over the same course with equal success. In
1858 ten vessels made the trip across tho At
lantic. Al carried lumber and slaves, and
six returned with iron, salt and crockery, the
remaining four being sold to the English
1t was long time after steamboats, were
snorting and blowing from port to port be-
fore tugs, the switch engines OF the harbor,
were thought Of The first one appeared
about the year lSi7 and was simply canal
boat with an engine in her bold. Improve
ments followed rapidly, and soon 'warping"
with the capstans from dock TO dock was
abandoned and tugs did the work in ono
fourth the time, much to the delight of all
Now every harbor swarms with
tugs, and at large ports there are tug trusts,
and if one wants to DO moved he NUT pay
the regulation price for the service For
several years past vessel property has been
rather profitable, and capitalists who like adj
venture and large returns have been invest