New-York tribune., 1909-01-24
BY Edward Stats Luther.

Wireless telephony is the of working a
complete revolution in the methods of handling the
enormous shipping of the Great Lakes Already. at
scores of points along the lakes. the towering poles
OF the wireless telephone system each with its an
tenna Of wires. are being put place, that by
next spring the system will be in use from end to
end of the chain of America inland seas. BY use
Of this system marine insurance rates will be re-
duced to q minimum, owing to the fact that all
storm warnings may be transmitted Immediately
10 lake vessels that they will have ample time
to make safe harbors and. used In conjunction with
the existing land system of wire telephones VIII
make il possible for persons either on the shores OF
the lakes OF hundreds Of miles away to talk with
officers of or passengers any of the vessels en-
gagged IN the lake trade.
Few persons even those directly connected with
commerce Oh the Great Lakes. realize the enormous
interests represented that trade. Eighty per cent
~ oil the water tonnage of North America is car
ried on the Great Lakes Thirty thousand craft OF
all classes to-day are engaged IN the lake trade
and the lake shipyards from one 10 three years
behind OF their orders from lake shipowners Al
though one-half of all the vessels built in the west
a-r TIaroisnhere in 1903 for the Great Lakes
trade the need for more bottoms has become so
acute that steamship companies engaged in the
4rada recently have been obliged to go 10 Ehsl'sh
and Scotch shipyards with orders.
The freight conveyed over these waters ing
zoos mas more than seven times as much as the
whole world carried through the Suez Cahai i"
tho same time -Four thousand 1relShI steai'ieiS'
05O hie steamers anu doo"' -'0'S -
ire and other craft comprise the eho'ii'ous "is'
Les feet which uses upward Of three million tons
IF coal In a single year, or enough 10 neat every
house in Chicago for three years
The Pfttsburg Steamship Company, which Is
,are,v the carrier OF the United States steel
C-ornoration alone owns ships with comblned
capacity of $4,000 tons of ore on Single 'ip,
10 the ships of this company alone were placed
ra 20 end they would cover a distance OF elght
miles and during the eight months Of Great Lakes
ney,igation each wear they carry as much freisht
from Lake Superior 90 Lake Erie ports as All the
vessels of the world take through the Suez Calial
In a whole year. .
In weight of freight annually handled BuiiaIo
epd J,uIufh are the worlds greatest ports "niIe
tho tonnage handled at Ohio ports alone exceeds
tba. of all the ports of France During I'' ap-
v,,p.tel,, 100 600 90 tons of freight were shipped
in Great Lakes bottoms. This wouid De eioIsi
20 fu 2A0oOO 4o-ton freight cars. or train that
Ia afrala the earth and extend from New York
., San Francisco in addition. More than 80 per cent
80 chic Immense total consisted OF S5l360 tons OF
iron ore 100000 OF coal. 1l059ss24 bushels OF
srsi, 4 ISL tons of -four, 14Sss92 bushels OF max
go and more than 1000 100000 feet OF lumber
Greatest of all lines of lake traffic is that IN
iron ore and some eight hundred giant steamers
o-o engaged solely in its carriage Thls ore colh-
,.rce has doubled during the last six years, ana
the steel men believe IT will be doubled again
s,,r, tho next ten for three little patches OF the
s-raat rakes country produced in 1903 nearly half
Of the worlds total supply OF iron
T,,rinr 1898 200 100000 bushels Of grain ano
:, no6 ono barrels of flour were shippedsfrom iaKe
norts the grain shipments from Port Arthur ana
For, william alone being well over S0ooo.o6o oush-
els. At least 10000 900 bushels of wheat 6oooo.-