The Cairo bulletin., 1909-02-16
GREAT LAKE TRAFFIC
is INCREASING RAPIDLY, ACCORD
ING TO CENSUS STATISTICS.
Nearly Three thousand Vessels OF
Five Tons and More Now In Com
DISTINGUISHING Of the
Sailing Craft.

Washington.-An extended report
on waterway Transportation, II
which the great lakes and st. Law
renee river division is treated of al
great length has been issued by the
census bureau. 1t covers all docu
mcntcd and undocumCntcd craft OF
five tons net register or more except
fishing vessels and vessels owned by
the government.
In presenting the statistics the re
port states that they indicate the ex
traordinary development that has
taken place in the commerce OF the
great lakes" This growth is declared
to exceed that of the water born
commerce Of any other of the grca
system in the country, with the eA
ception of the Atlantic coast. Anon
the causes are the immense increase 0
population, the resources and pre-
duction In such staples as iron ores
wheat and corn, and the generous e2
penditures for the improvement of han
bors and canals in deepening an
widening channels and the construt
ton of dock and wharf facilities.
The report continues by stating tina
there are $3.50 steam, sail and I'm
rugged vessels of a gross tonnage o
2,392 S63 operating on the great lakes
and st Lawrence The vessels are
valued at sl30,S05,6 and their gross
income at $65,274, ZOE The number
of employees is given at 2i,916, and
their wages at sl3,2S0,7l6,
The shipping interests on the
great lakes represent from one-sixth
10 one-fourth of the totals for the
United States, the percentages vary
ing from III per cent of the total for
the number Of men employed to 25.s
per cent. for the value OF vessels, ="
continues the report The average
tonnage per vessel on the lakes is
much greater than for the country as
a whole, the average value per ton
also Is much higher
The development of water trans
portation on the lakes has naturally
been attended by change and improve
ment in types of vessels. The transi
ton of shipping from the old to the
new exhibits much the same aspect OF
change as in other fields of maritime
comerce.
The propulsion power Is gradually
passing from sail to steam, while the
material of construction shows
steady increasing proportion of steel
The average tonnage per vessel, ex.
cept for unrigged vessels, has stead
lily grown larger, The sailing vessels
are diminishing in Importance There
were III schooner barges on the lakes
with a gross tonnage of 10000, and
value of $5,273,SS4, at the time of the
report.
An official of the steamboat In
spection service, of 80 years eApe
rience in navigating the lakes, de
scribed Buffalo harbor and river a,
crowded with sailing vessels 40 years
ago. with only occasional steamers
and this at that time was the condi
ton in all lake ports" continues the
report
Since that time sailing ships have
been disappearing probably hecaus
they are unequal TO the competition o.
the large modern steamers IN freigh'
traffic. Some of these sailing vessels
have been reconstructed into barges
many have been wrecked and Others
laid up as useless. Many of the sail
ing vessels now In commission are
practically "tramps," picking mp oc
casional cargoes of posts, cordwood
stone, etc. for short voyages. Others
are engaged in business of a specula |
tive character, purchasing farm pro
duce for sale in city market, Their |
work is spasmodic and unreliable |
The decadence in tonnage of sailing |
vessels has been accompanied by an
enormous increase in that of steamers
and the explanation lies almost en-
tirely I'm the immense development Of |
the traffic in iron ore. coal grain and
,tha- {r,p,rtavt comuodftfcc