Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-08
COMMERCE OF THE LAKES
RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE
=,r-r :
PRINCIPAL PORTS.
Statistics for the Closing Year of the
Past Ccntury-ChicaEO Well
in the Lead.

The commerce Of the great lakes for the
closing year of the century seems likely to
show larger tonnage movement than IN
any preceding year. The figures just COM
pleted by the treasury bureau of statistics
and which cover the entire navigation sea-
son up to December 1. are especially inter-
esting as demonstrating the relative i'm
portance of the principal ports as handlers
of the water-borne commerce of the in
land seas. Chicago remains well In the
lead receiving port for hard coal,
total of G1s,094 tons having been unloaded
on her docks. Milwaukee ranks second,
with receipts of 476,502 tons, and then
come South Chicago and Duluth In the
neighborhood of two-thrds of the hard
coal moved was sent from BuHaio'
the shipments from that port aggregating
Los 72I tons. Erie, Pa. the only other
shipping port of any prominence. has had
during the season movement of 4SS,1 1873
tons.
The water transportation of soft coal pre-
sents radically different conditions. West
Superior is at the head of the list of re-
ceving ports, with record of 1.2IO.1S3 tons.
Milwaukee comes second. with 126,O44 tons,
and Duluth is a close third.
BY reason of the rail competition in
VOWED the movement of flour by water
presents some interesting features. Ihere
have been transported by lake carriers dur
1 a total of 1177,S5O tons of flour. The
heaviest shipments have been from Du-
luth, which sent out 331, 449 tons. and from
her sister port. West Superior. with a total
of ID $50 tons OF the entire shipment OF
-four $50, 1913 tons We're unloadcd at Buffalo.
The extent TO which the great vessels on
the nations most important interior water
way are holding their own against the rail-
roads as grain carriers is most strikingly
evidenced by the showing made by the
principal grain-shipping ports. A summary
of shipments follows:
n Wnsat rnssaIs n osts F Rs51sy
Duluth IL. 693 1913 5,i3,2s3 3&9.s3o 25l 500
AErsss s.sS ssai
W.Suprr,11 o6l.3 1oo1.o79 100000 1, 166. o95
Buffalo so nearly monopolizes the unload
Ing of this grain that it Is scarcely worth
Will" to consider the arrivals at other
ports The receipts at the elevator center
al the eastern end of Lake Erie aggregated
To December l a total of 43.S1i,o19 bushels
of wheat 81 17l.r9 bushels Of corn, 26,-
1::.!, l24 bushels of oats and 9,41G,4JI bushels
OF barley
In the shipment of iron ore it would seem
probable that two harbors will hold the
years record. Up to December that port
had shipped 3,G52,:.:6 tons while Duluth
had sent forward 3.510,7S1 tons, and Es-
canada. 2.S16E's tons. Ashtabula. on the
south shore of Lake Erie. which has for
several years ranked as the greatest ore
OF ;:.41:s.676 tons. and Cleveland presents a
total of :,036.1l1 tons. At the Carnegie
port of Conneaut Ohio 2.3SS. ..i3 tons We're
received and at South Chicago. where the
ore can be unloaded direct from vessels to
furnaces. there We're handled 2,"22. 292 tons
Almost every port on the upper lakes
has this year made fairly heavy shipments
OF lumber, Duluth alone sending out 3J9,-
16i 900 feet. Almost half of the total lum-
be: movement wa, directed to either Chi
cago or Cleveland. The former city re-
ceived :ssS.2i6,u0O feet, and the latter port
i3o.32n.r1 feet
OF the leaders in the movement of I'M
CasSed freight, Buffalo shipped G4I.645 tons
and Chicago io2,>>9 tons. Chicago had re-
ceipts of 1!s,,!s9 tons and Buffalo co., ST.
tons.
From the standpoint of vessel movement
Chicago is preem!nently the leading port
of the great lakes. a total of 1893 vessels
entered the harbor of the western me
tropolis I'M to December l. Buffalo, Cleve-
land and Milwaukee We're close rivals for
second place, is evidenced by the rec
crds. which show 3,6S4 vessel entrances at
Buffalo :;,:'43 at Cleveland and 800 a Mil
Waukee