The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-02-22
LAKE TRAFFIC GAINS.
NEARLY 10 PER CENT INCREASE
IN 1907 OVER 1906.
Department Of Commerce and Labor
reports Volume OF Shipments
Reached Total Of s3,3s7,st9
Tons Last Year.

Washlnaton.-Lake commerce dur
ins the eo7 season, as measured by
the volume of shipments from the
various lake ports and reported by the
bureau o statistics of the department
OF commerce and labor, reached the
unprece urnted total of S3.3S7,9l9 net
tons. THIS Total is almost ten per cent
larger lhan the corresponding 1906
total an about 20 per cent in excess
OF the 1908 shipments.
The increase is due mainly to the
larger ORE and coal shipments. though
the movement of grain and miscel
laneous uerchaudise likewise shows
larger totals than for the preceding
seasons the only items showing small
er shipments being lumber and -four.
The ,guu ore shipments by lake for
the year exclusive of about 275. .00o
tons exported to Canada We're 40. .12I,
9l2 gross tons; the largest shipping
ports, in The order of their impor
tance. We're Duluth, Two Harbors and
Superio West Superior
The eastward grain movement for
the season included 63,349, ,5S5 bushels
OF whedr. compared with 47,726, 1IS
bushels shipped during the 1906 sea-
son, the main shipping ports. in the
order OF their Importance, being Du-
luth. superior and Chicago, which are
credited in the aggregate with over
SO per cent of the total wheat ship
ments by lake. The corn shipments,
44,335,990 bushels, about 81 per cent
of which originated in Chicago. We're
somewhat larger than the 1906 ship
ments of i2,51l $40 bushels.
The shipments of oats, 20,6S0, 1SS
bushels mainly from Manitowoc. Mil
waukee and Chicago, We're 5S per cent
below the 1906 total. while the barley
shipmenJs. l3,564,074 bushels mainly
from Superior and Milwaukee. show a
26 per cent decrease as compared with
the 1906 figures.
The Importance of Buffalo as re-
ceiving port for grain shipped from
the upper lakes is seen from the fact
that s. per cent of all the wheat GA
per cent of ali the corn. 50 per cent
of all the oats and So per cent of all
the barley received by lake is credited
to thai port.
The lumber shipments for the sea
son, $50 2S4 900 feet, show con
siderable decrease compared with the
total of The preceding year. 1907 $50, =
900 feet The gradual exhaustion of
the lumber supply in the territory
contiguous to the great lakes is seen
from the fact that the lake shipments
OF this article have decreased about
A. per cent since 1901-the first yeai
for which the bureau has complete
record of the lumber shipments by
lake.
The westbound traffic was made up
largely of soft coal shipments from
Lake Erie ports to the upper lake
ports. the principal shipping ports in
the order of their importance being
Toledo, Cleveland. Ashtabula. Lorain,
and Huron, the aggregate shipments
from these five ports constituting over
IS per cent of the total shipments.
la.309,237 tons. The hard coal ship
mcnts for the year. 4,079177 net tons,
proceeded mainly from Buffalo. The
destinations of these shipments We're
largely the head of the lakes Chicago
ami Milwaukee.
The vessel movement on the lakes
aggregated 73,769 vessels of 99,16G,-
400 net tons register cleared from the
09I vessels of 94094.316 net tons
register cleared during the preceding
season.