Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-14
COMMERCE. ON GREAT LAKES.
Figures Showing Shipments Between
United StateS Ports.

Figures Showing Shipments Between
United States Ports.
The commerce 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
ending December 81, 1900, and comparing
these figures with those of preceding years.
fully justifies this assertion. The work or
the bureau of statistics during the season
of 1900 was the first attempt to classify and
study the movements in the great articles
from port to port upon the great lakes and
while 1t was not found practicable in this
experimental year to include in this work
some of the minor ports, to obtain data
In all cases for the opening month of the
season, the figures may be accepted as pre-
senting fairly accurate view of the port
to-port commerce of the articles and classes
of articles which form the bulk of the traf-
fic on this great internal waterway
According to the figures secured by the
bureau of statistics there We're received by
vessels at the thirty-seVen principal ports
on the great lakes, between April l, 1900,
and the close Of the year total of 1,266, pa
tons of -four: 1884 256 bushels of wheat,
TO- S05 SO1 bushels of corn, 81 29O 767 bushels
Of oats, 1,526,5 sol bushels of barley and
1,S4O, S92 bushels of rye These figures re-
late purely to the movements between
United States ports, and do not, therefore,
include the shipments to or from ports on
the Canadian side of the canals or through
the Weland canal. The great bulk of the
grain traffic originated at Chicago and Du-
luth and had Buffalo as its point of destina-
ton. So far as can be Judged from the dis
crepancy between the figures representative
of shipments and receipts, respectively,
after making allowance for the grain IN
storage on vessels both at the beginning
and close of the season, and their shipments
from small ports not included in the sea-
sons compi alton, the movement of grain
via the Canadian water routes did not reach
the proportions which had been predicted
for 1t.
The receipts of iron ore by water at the
ports embraced in the bureaus compilation
reached total Of 16, 26S OPT TONS and this
may be accepted as about 50 per cent Of the
entire movement Of iron ore both by rail
and water. All the principal ore receiving
| and shipping ports are covered by the
bureau statement. OF the IL, OPT tons
handled II, Si3 6S1 tons are shown to have
been shipped from the six ports of Two
Harbors, Duluth Escanaba, Ashland, Mar
quette and West Superior. and 1863. SOY
tons were received at the six ports of Ash
tabula, Cleveland, COnneaut, South Chicago,
Buffalo and Erica remarkable exempliti-
cation of the extent to which the iron ore
| traffic is concentrated.
Many different classes of commodities,
| such provisions. dry goods and hardware,
| are reported under the general head of I'M
| classified freight This movement at the
principal lake ports during the past year
| reached the aggregate of 3,471, 131 tons. In
| this traffic the city of Chicago led, with
81, 221 TONS The receipts at other ports
were: Buffalo: 1871 tons: Cleveland, 275.-
673 tons: Detroit. 234, 49, tons. and Mil
| waukee 325 124 tons.
In view of the effort being made by the
owners Of the understanding vessels on
| the great lakes to effect combination with
! the purpose of maintaining rates, 1t is per-
haps interesting, as illustrating the scope of
| this branch of inland commerce. to note
that lumber shipments were made during
| the season from thirty-two Of the thirty
| bureau of statistics kept a record, receipts
| being recorded at an equal number OF ports.
| The total receipts aggregated 2,122, 4O3
thousand feet. soiy}