The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-17

Eastern concerns Unable to Obtain
All the Ore Desired From Lake
Superior in Spite of the High
TariR-COaI Men Attempted to
Dictate and Made a Serious Mis-
take-Few Wrecks
CHICAGO, July 16.-The lake marine
news bureau tomorrow will say: The
boom in lake traffic has at midsummer
exceeded even the expectations of the
Ing Of navigation last April. The ad-
vance in rates has been steady from week
to week, first in one great line of traffic
and then In another, until it has reached
the highest figures paid during the sum-
mer months in this decade. Still, with the
advancing carrying charges, freight has
steadily accumulated. There is more coal
to be carried than there are ships to take
1t; there is more ore to go from the mines
to the furnaces than vessels, and were it
not for the new position of the great
trunk lines of railroads from Chicago to
the seaboard, grain would be accumulat-
tnG at upper lake ports for lack of tom
mage to carry it to Eastern and foreign
markets. Wages on lake vessels and on
docks have been advanced from 10 to Is
per cent Practically every demand of the
labor unions, excepting that of the grain
shovelers at Buffalo, has either been
granted or satisfactory compromise
reached.
The direct cause of the boom In lake
business is the great activity in the iron
and steel trade. The iron mining compa-
Dies are putting forth every effort to get
down all of the ore possible from the
mines before the close of navigation. Not
withstanding their efforts the movement
of ore is not sufficiently large to meet
the demand of the furnaces. The Illinois
Steel company, at South Chicago, is a
quarter of a million tons short Of what
1t ought to have at this time of the year
The great steel plants in Ohio and Pitts
burg are little better off, but they will
need every ton they can secure Less
than three months ago even vesselmen
believed dollar rate on iron ore from
Lake Superior was a thing Of the past
yet the iron mining companies are now
paying that figure for ships outside Of
their own fleets.
SHORT OF COAL.
It seems likely that the Northwest, sup
Piled with coal from Lake Superior, will
b. in a bad way for fuel, owing to the
steadily advancing figure in coal freights
from Ohio ports. Instead of moving their
stocks early in the season, the coal ship
pers pursued the tactics which they had
found so successful in the wears of de-
preston. They got together and made an
agreed rate, more than which they
would not pay. The result was that when
the coal ought to have been going for
ward, ships were running back to Lake
Superior without cargoes. AT last, when
the coal shippers found that they were
not masters of the situation as they had
been since the panic, they began to bid
up, but in the meantime return freights
had also advanced, and they were as bad
off as before. Vesselmen say it is now
impossible, with the ships to be had, to
take a sufficient supply of fuel to the
Northwest for the coming winter, regard
less of rates.
From now until the close of naviga-
ton there will be nothing but rush in
the lake business. Thus far the losses
from disaster have been exceedingly
small and the season to date is as profit
able to the underwriters as to the vessel
owners.