The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-11
EXCEEDED ALL RECORDS
LAKE TRADE FOR LAST YEAR
GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE.
First Detailed Reports of Shipments
of Principal Commodfties-WOn-
dcrful Ore Trade Figures.
,ecial to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-The
of the great lakes in the navigation season
of 1900 has exceeded that of any preceding
year. The report of the Treasury Bureau
of Statistics covering the business of the
principal ports. combined with the reports
of the officer in charge OF the Sault Ste.
Marie canal. for the year ended Dec 81.
1900, and comparing those figures with
those of preceding years, fully ~justifes
this assertion. The work of the Bureau of
Statistics during the season 1900 was the
first attempt to classify and study the
movements in the great articles Of COM
merce from port to port upon the great
lakes, and while it was not found practical
BILE in this experimental year to include In
this work some of the minor ports or to
obtain data in all cases for the opening
month of the season. the figures may be
accepted as presenting a fairly accurate
view of the port to port of the
articles and classes of articles which form
the bulk Of the traffic on this great inter-
nal waterway.
According TO the figures secured by the
Bureau of Statistics, there were received
by vessels at the thirty-seven principal
pOito III luC SICdl lohCo OCtWSch <hpAh -
1900. and the close of the year, a total of
1,266, 234 tons of -four, 52,SS4,25 bushels Of
wheat, 20. sos, sol bushels OF corn, 80, 29o. 7s7
bushels of oats, 1l,526, sol bushels of barley
and 1.S4O,S 92 bushels of rye. These figures
relate purely to the movements between
United States ports. and do not. therefore,
include the shipments 10 or from ports on
the Canadian side of the canals or through
the Welland canal. The great bulk of the
grain traffic originated at Chicago and Du-
luth and had Buffalo as its point of des-
tination. So far as can be judged from the
discrepancy between the figures represent
ative OF shipments and receipts, respective
ly, after making allowance for the grain in
storage on vessels both at the beginning
and close of the season, and the shipments
from small ports not included in the sea-
sons compilation, the movement of grain
via the Canadian water routes did not
reach the proportions which had been pre-
dicted for It.
The receipts of iron ore by water at the
ports embraced In the bureaus compila-
ton reached a total of 16. 26S, 027 tons, and
this may be accepted as about So per cent.
of the entire movement of iron ore both by
rail and water. All the principal ore-re-
ceiving and shipping ports are covered by
the bureau statement. OF the 16,26S, OF
tons handled. Is, SAG, 6S1 tons are shown to
have been shipped from the six ports of
Two Harbors, Duluth, Escanaba, Ashland,
Marquette and West Superior and 3,623, 600
tons at the six ports of Ashtabula. Cleve-
lG1A0s - StAt1oSo 4DAlLaiO
and Erica remarkable exemplification of
the extent to which the iron ore traffic is
! concentrated.
Many different classes of commodities,
such as provisions, dry goods and hard
ware, are reported under the general head
of unclassified freight. This movement at
the principal lake ports during the past
year reached tho aggregate of 3,41, l31 tons.
In this traffic the city of Chicago led, with
4 ,221 tons. The receipts at other ports
We're: Buffalo, Cos, S31 tons: Cleveland, 275,-
673 tons; Detroit, 234 ,4S2 tons: Milwaukee,
325. 12i tons.
In view of the effort being made by the
owners of the lumber-carrying vessels on
the great lakes to effect a combination
with the purpose of maintaining rates, it
is perhaps interesting, as illustrating the
scope of this branch of inland
to note that lumber shipments were made
during the season from thirty-two Of the
thirty-Seven ports. the of which
the Bureau of Statistics kept a record, re-
ceipts being recorded at an equal number
of ports. The total receipts aggregated
2, 122, 400 thousand feet.