The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-08-27
loorrespondence sows-Democrat J
OK BOARD STEAMER MAsABA, /
1OnN


| OK BOARD STEAMER MAsABA,l
August, 1891.
|, l left Canton the hottest day of che
second day after, l found it necessary to
my comfort, to change my undercloth
ing to woolens, with which had pro-
vide1 myself at the suggestion of a
friend who had been here before The
captain wore a buffalo-skin overcoat.
The vessel, the hospitality of which /
am now enjoying, Is what Is known as
an iron.clad. The bottom, sides and
floor, stays and stanchions are iron; no
wood In her construction, except the
births on the upper deck, and the mast.
She Is built for the transportation of
/ iron ore from Lake Superior, and be-
side accommodation for the crew, has
rooms fitted up for half dozen friends,
stockholders or others to whom they
may extend their hospitality. They
carry no pay passengers.
| The "Masaba," an Indian name i'm
| plying "high point of land" which the
| tribe applied to the hill covering the
Lake Superior mine owned by the COM
pany, is 307 feet in length-tbe distance
from the Eagle Block corner
to Dumont's grocery. She has
an engine of 1000 horse power. The
crew consists of "a men. Captains pay
$1,000 a year; engineer 1850; first
mate 800 a month; second-mate S75;
cook S75. 1t requires thirty-six tons of
coal to run her "a hours, and her ordi.
nary speed is from fourteen to sixteen
miles an hour. She is lighed by elec-
tricity, both arc and incandescent
lights, and requires an independent en-
CINE of twenty horse power to drive
the DYNAMO. She carries from two to
three thousand ton Of freight, depend
ing upon the draft. BY means of steam
and improved facilities attached to the
vessel, she can be loaded in four hours
and unloaded in twelve. Her cost was
S225, 700.
The company which own ard con.
troll these vessels, of which there Is half
dozen or more have been taking up
the lakes, members of Congress and
press reporters, with view, no doubt,
of bringing an influence to bear 1pon
Congress for more liberal appropria-
tion toward the Improvement OF navi-
CATION. amSinformed that theitonage
OF the $500" for the eight months of
navigation, exceeds the amount that
enters Liverpool during the whole year,
and heretofore it has always been con-
ceded, that the commerce OF Liverpool
is more than that of any other city in
the world Government is now con-
structing another and much larger
canal at the Falls to meet the demand
for increased Accommodations for ship
ping. 1t is gratifying to a Stark coun-
ty man to know, that Stark county men
have had charge of the construction of
the improvements on the upper lakes,
the erection of light houses and the
construction of the canals, refer to
Gen. Raynold2 and Gen. Poe, both grad
yates of West Point, and members of
the Government engineer corpB. Gen.
Poe has charge of the new canal now
being constructed, which it is expected
will take four years to complete, and it
is estimated to cost "a 100000.
A number of Indians may be seen
about the town Of Sault Ste Marie, 10
Gated on st. Mary's river, connecting
Lake Huron with Lake Superior. They
are mostly half-breeds and descendants
of the Chippewa tribe, which, within
the present century, roamed over our
section of the country. l heard OF an
old chief, said to be a hundred years
old, and his wife near the same age,
who were often visited by parties pass
ing through. Had time permitted /
should have paid them a visit, and as
certained whether they were not of the
number who were IN the habit Of drop
ping into Canton, and picking upsix-
pences and shillings by hitting them
with an arrow when set up as a mark.
Jerry Lind and Tom Patton, spared
monuments of former generation
still with us, will bear testimony to hav-
ing lost many sixpence In testing the |
skill of an Indian with his bow and ar
row.
Passing up the river separating Can
ada from the United States, quite con-
trast Is observable In the evidences OF
prosperity. While there can be no ma
terial difference in the quality Of the
land, the American side, In the growth
of the towns and rural improvements,
has certainly far outstripped our neigh
Dor. The causes which contribute to
bring about this difference, 1 leave as a
subject for discussion with the younger
people to occupy the time devoted to
progressive euchre.
Your readers would be surprised to
see the great number of beautiful and
expensive summer resorts erected on
piles, in the st. Clair Flats; hotels and
club houses, for the heaccommodation of |
yachtmen and sportsmen. All this has
been built up within the last ten on If
teen years.
The cuisine furnished on this line of
lake vessels would satisfy Epieurus
himself. The white fish, served when
fresh, broiled on Goals, is in my esSima-
tion, ahead of any eatable produced in
in the west. Those we buy in Canton,
out of the water several days, have a
very different taste.
My trip extended to Marquette on
Lake Superior, about 800 miles above
Cleveland. 1t is beautiful place of
10000 inhabitants, supported chiefly
from the iron ore, timber and stone
found in the neighborhood. The
churches and school buildings far exc
In beauty those TO be found In towns of
the older states of double the popula-
ton. They have shospital support
ed as was informed, by the sale of an
nual tickets at SO, which entitled the
holder to bed and treatment, should he
be taken sick during the year.