The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-12-11


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EARLY TYPE
portatien of iron ore, which, BY. the
way. centers at Cleveland, and not Chi
cage. was booming too. Captains in no
cases had to hustle for business. On the
contrary, they had to hustle ito keep up
with the business that was waiting to
be done. The near approach of the Chi
cage World 5 fair contributed its share
to the rush, of course, and it seemed to
all concerned-transpor firms and
companies, shippers, captains and sail
ors-as if there could be no diminution
in the rate of development of inland
navigation.
I have not the totals Of the lake bust
ness done in 1892, but there were 10 =
800 arrivals at this port, the freights
amounting to 5, $50, 626 tons. This was
the largest tonnage ever recorded here,
though in the earlier days Of smaller
vessels the arrivals one year ran up to
u, 600 and more The big business Of
1892 proved great stimulus to vessel
building, and in 1898 the total tonnage
Of the lakes amounted to 1861, 600
The Future of Lake Navigation.
Still Captain Durham does not de-
spair regarding the future development
Of lake navigation He believes that the
general business Of the country viii inn
prove from this ON, and with it, of
course, the shipping Of the lake ports.
He has been interested in fresh water
vessels for many years, and he delights
to talk Of old times, but it pleases him
still more to talk of the future.
t'The time is coming. - he said to me
today, when the steamships of the
lakes viii be almost as large and almost
as swift as the big liners of salt water
Some Of our present boats are wonders
It would not have been believed a half
dozen years ago that such craft as are
now numerous enough to form consid-
cradle fraction of the whole would ever
bebuiIt and sailed here.
s. notable feature Of lake navigation
is the dispatch with which the work is
done. Nowhere else are cargoes loaded
or unloaded as rapidly as here You see,
the open season is only about eight
months, and we must be busy every
minute of that time, or we fall behind.
Therefore we have reduced the handling
Of grain, coal, iron ore, lumber and
package freight to a more or less exact
science. Our vessels are unloaded inn
mediately upon tying up at the dock,
and the work of reloading IS begun just
as soon as the last of the incoming cargo
has been taken out. For this reason,
even though our season is short, our
1relghts are lower than any others.
Quick Work the Lakes.
A year or two ago a big grain carry
ing steamer was loaded with 115, 600
bushels Of wheat in 50 minutes at Du-
luth, and defy the shippers Of any ocean
port to show any such record. We do
not often live up to that standard how
ever. The loading of this vessel in that
as q test. The grain was put aboard
from an elevator. Of course, and ten
spouts We're utilized.
Duluth. I should explain. has the
best facilities for rapid loading and I'M
loading of all the lake ports from the
fact that her harbor was opened later
than most Of the others, and her docks,
warehouses and elevators We're designed
on more modern lines and better ar
ranged with reference to location one
with another. Twenty hundred
tons of coal have been unlOaded there
from one vessel in 4 hours, and that is
quite as noteworthy a feat IN its way as
the rapid loading of wheat of which
have told you, but not all the phenom-
email records as to dispatch IN loading
and unloading have been made at Du-
luth- The c. A. Pope a year or two
ago took 100, 600 bushels of grain to
Buffalo, 1000 miles, in three days,
travelling as fast as a freight train. Ar
irving in the morning, she was unload
ed and reloaded with return freight the
same day and was here in Chicago
again in just week. The time usually
consumed for this trip. however, is nine
days
Chicago Not ship Owning Port.
Although Chicago is the largest port
on the lakes. it is not a specially
strong ship owning port. Cleveland
leads in this respect That is because
the Cleveland men were the first to see
that there was great future in the iron
ore commerce and hustled about and got
control Of il by building the boats and
going into the business. But Of course
the iron ore trade is dead at this time
I should say 1t has been more depressed
during the season of 1894 than the grain
business or general freighting. Buffalo