4- THE MARINE RECORD. 4 £he Marine Record, Published Every Thiirt;el»y »t 144 Superior Street, [Louder Building.] L A. POHEROY, Editor and Proprietor. TERMS OF suiisciurnoNi ::<& Olio year, postage piM • ,......... 8lx months, postsgo psld ..........»...... iBTsrlnbly In adiaut*. v, ThaMAIUNEKECOllDcanbo lound for isle Mtlu following places: O P Ilowmanrcornor ol Petti »nd fiotxolt lU., Clove- land, Ohio. Joatpb Gray, No. S8» South Water itrMt, Chicago C. Itohmor, Mlahlgun Btrcet 8»lig Bridge, Buffalo, Now York. t>. UcHutsrs 4 Co , Barnla, Ontario. Wm Qo.Ho)", Dcanaba, Michigan f J. E Bomenrille, finnistoo, Mlcblgon Articles, letters »nd queries on all subjects are sollcl- Ud. »WTho hdlior nwiiiies no rosponelblllty (or Iho opInlooB of correspondents. To Insure notlg), contributors must BlTB namo ^ adilrwi, anil write on one sldo ol Iho paper only BRANCH OFFM F„ 2« SOUTH WATER STHF.I.T. CHIt'AOO. ntrnn»portiitlpii cpllipiiny ilmll UicliiUe nil railroads or waterways In uto by auoh com- pnny, whi'ihei owned by It or hold under lease, Pooling nnd combinations iiro 'pro¬ hibited In strict and comprehensive tcrins no mutter wlnit form or character such •uliemea mny assume. The bill appropriates sixty thouaiind dollars to stnrt the commission In business. It iooms to cover all the ground so ■far ns the regulation of the railroads Is con¬ cerned. That its pasBngo would bo an ex¬ cellent thing lor navigation Interests I hero seems to be no doubt. talliy. Doubtless the Govornnrei|t'was too poor then, but It l» not now. Let the hos¬ pitals stand for the free use of indigent Bail¬ ors, now that they nro In existence; but do not require sailors to lake care ot their own poor, a duty which does not; properly de¬ volve upon them, and Iroin which I hoy should bo as exempt as any other class of wbrkaen. When sailors are sick theyv should pay lor tholr treatment like other people, and when thev aro hot able to pay the corporation should take care of them, THE MARINE HOSPITAL TAX. Changes have been bo rapid during the past quarter of a century that every now and then the present generation Is called upon to wonder ut the institutions wltb wblcl It U surmnnded. For this reason our younger Ballots cannot ncoount for the tax I on the 4lh of October, that U levied upon them for the support of Mr. Smith whs connected with the Courier DEATH OF JOHN C. SMITH It was with sincere regret, that we received tho New York .Maritime Register lust week in morning over the death of Its founder and njilef; managing editor John Courier Smith, which took • place-, on the 27th of March* nt the age ot Gl yearn, he having -been bom 1822. In eurly life ADVEIITISING RATES. Tan cent! por lino, nonpareil measurement, or 11.20 per inch, each insertion, lour wools 84 00, with a liberal discount on orders amounting to MO 00 or over Fntered al thajost Office at Clorelanil as aecond- clflsa mall matter. ' _______________ INTERSTATE COMMERCE. '1 he Inter slate i onunerce bills belore Con grew, numbering about half a dozen, have a murine hospital; In fact, they can find no ground fot the existence of a marine hos¬ pital that depends for suppoit upon dues levied upon them by the Government. They live in an age when this sprtof piitcrnul care la Irn coucilable with their ideas of free¬ dom. If the Government lakes care of a salloi the ml lor oligbt ceitalnly to recom¬ pense it lor that care, but whut right hits the Government to assume control of the -allots as a cIiisb, ami then levy a tax on them to defray the expense? This Is a question which our young sailors cannot answer. They profess to be men, and to be fully as capable ot taking care of themselves as other men. 11 they get sick they prefer to select their own hospital or go to thelt up to the present time been }\\ a somewhat | 0,v" llomes " tlley '••'i0081". "'»' P'tf the" scattered condition, but the matter will now assume a more concentrated shape II favor¬ able action can bo secured lor Senator Col¬ lin's contemplated measures As a sub stltnte of the whole fleet, of bills.which have reached the" bow ol the Senate commerce dbimnltlce be has completed iidiaft of an entirely new measure-. Its provisions are directed almost entirely towanl the govern¬ ment of the ruilioads, is we run find nothing In a pretty lull syi npsls ol the measure re lnting expllclllj to navigation companies, further than that they me Included In the general appelatlun as "irntispiutiillon coin, panics engaged In hitot-siate commerce.'i But marine men must not feel hard over this seeming neglect Bj It (,hey ale regarded as nor needing special liglslallon, that tliej lire moie siiini-il against t'<an Binning, and that If the rallmid companies can be kept Irom cutting the tluoats of one another and eve.y body el.-e marine Inlet ests will naturally tight themselves without Inter- Icrcicc. The bill provides for the cieation ol a cominlsloii ot live members to hold olllce tor live jears and\to he paid a salary ol $7,"00 each, logefltgr with a secretary at %J,t>00,» aud other necessary employes, the tlitty of which commission is lo pi event or punish extortionate charges and unjust disci Inilnalldns by transpoitatlon companies engaged in Intel -stale tciminerce. Exioitlon is liellned us dunging "more than a reasonable rate of compensation" for haul¬ ing fi eight or cars, and iiirjust (ilscilmina- lion Is defined as charging, dliecily oi in directly, one peison a grcatei compensation for any service than Is cluirgid any other person for like service niidei sinilhii oiteiim. Blames, or refusing to lurnlsh llui same facllllles to oue person that tin! company furnishes anyolher peison. tor handling freights of the same class. The commission Is to act as arblti nloi pr prosecutoi, as circuit)' stances mav warrant. Upon receivingiP complaint they are lo Invite a leplyftoni the railroad and If the latter makes lestltutlon tho llrst ollense rests, If llieie Is failure to adjust, tho ooinmlSBlon must investigate aud assesB fines. If fines are, not paid the district attorney shall sue for them in tho proper district United States court, and upon convic¬ tion the rallioud must pay not more than $1,- 000 as a-fine, and costs, and pioper damages lo complainant. The commission may make investigations In all parts of the country, or appoint n suu-comiiiltlee to do so, send lor pel sous and papers, administer oaths and coinpol tho production of books. Railroads must mako annual reports to the commission of all Its financial aflalrs, aud these shall in¬ clude all Inlormatlon concerning, freights, agreement, contracts and such other matter as the commission, may require. The loule ol own way by their own manly providence and forethought. It there Is a distinctive trait of out Government it Is that it permits Its citizens to enjoy tills Ircedom. Granting this right, why should sailors be selected as a class upon which to levy a tax of tills kind—as a class that must puy its doctor bills befoie it gets sick? We have heretoloie assumed that Inasmuch iib the Government him Interested itself in the sailors so far as to establish hospitals nnd call them ' mailite hospitals," It should give the lull incus uie of lis earcbv relieving the sailors of the taxation considered necessary for the sup¬ poit of the hospitals, except In Instances wheie the sailor Is ahJo to pay for the tteat- meut In case.he elects to go into the hospital pointed out lo him, the same as* any other citizen would do, thus relieving him of tht lax li t his iiw n hem fit, until he actually le- quin « that benefit He Is not a paiipci ot tramp lo be suppotled by the Government, I'heie may beu few sailors who require aid, but to tank the whole clasB as depentent Is an Injustice which they us a body would be morally sine to resent. These isolated cases the counties and corporations most assuredly should take care of. as they do oi othci unfortunates but the sailors as a class should not be taxed to support them. The only leasnti then, for this lax, miiBt be sought in some peculiar Interest whlih the general Government has In mil sallois, and ut must conless that we cannot discovei any such Interest. The marine hnspltels were built many yoats ago, when our country was more-or less Imbued with the mailtlmo idiosyucracies ol England. Por nearly as manj centuries as we number decades that country lias taken great pi Ide aud a lalherly Interest In Its sallois It was no more than her duly. She impressed sea- ineii Into service, emplojed all means to Ucep theln and did no more than was right hi taking care of ihein after they were worn nut. Her ideas dominated Intelligence as her ships dill the seas.and It was quito natural that our young coining should have become permeated with England's "poor Jack" no¬ tions In its younger days. And this Is what built the marine hospitals for "poor Jack" when he becomes sick of disabled. But we have no tars of this description now, 8teat>>, which has so nearly supeiseded sall,changi)d the nature of (lie salloi. If iheie are left- any American sailors of the old school there is no longer any rent on why the Govern¬ ment should not suppoit them, although this Is exactly what its paternal measure does not do, us tlicy. being worn out and in¬ digent, are excluded Irom the hospital tux, and thcreloro from I lie mitrlie hospitals. It was but a half-hearted interest that, having built lilt' hospitals, demanded pa) for hospl- aud Enquirer in |in editorial capacity, and subsequently became marine editor ol theNewYoik World. Mr, Smith, while in charge of the marine nev\s columns of the World coneelvGd'tlio Idea of establishing ft' buieaii for the dissemination of ship newsi and became the moving spirit In the found¬ ing and in mage incut of the old Merchants, Exchange and News Boom, which wasnlter- ward merged Into the present New Yoik Maritime Exchange in 1873,vt which Institu¬ tion ho became superintendent, which position he held up to the time othis d atti. Mr. Smith's ability In bringing (ogelhershlp news Itom (ill parts of the„woild, the dis¬ tinguishing featuieaf the journal which he so ably conducted together, with bis Industry and manliness of character conduced very materially to the prbsent prospeiouscoiidi lion of the journal and his death Iwlll make vacant o place In marine joumall»m that will not readily bo filled. In token oi the respect in which Mr. Smith was held the Maritime Exchange adopted resolutions and attended the luneral In a body. -----, — ^ ' THE PETER SMITH. The opening of nuvlgallon at the p ort o Cleveland has In on attended with a builer explosion horroi on the tug Peter Smith, enuring the lossot three livos Captain Geoigu Nntth, John Perew- add J. Hencour,.uiid inure or less injuring Captains Hobson ami Dwyer and the Sullivan brothers, although the lu|iired men ate about as usual. On Satiuihiy evening the tug lelt port loi Toledo i*ith two llglueis In tow. The regular irew was Composed o( Captain John Hob- son; the englneei, John Perew, and llieuian James Reucour. In addition to these there were lour men on board, volunteers for passage lo Toledo. Alter leaving tills port, trie Peter Smith met with nothing otu of the way ol ordinaly events until altei Vttrmllllon had been passed. It was l lift) about sum ise, and only one lighter was lound to be attached to the lowllne. Tim lug put about, ran hiuk six miles, lecovered the lighter, and was opposite Vermillion again on her way to '1,'oledo, when the explosion took place. Captain Thomas Dwjer, Dennis Svlllvuu, Mid-John Perew, the engineer, were asleep on the lockers in the engine room, the funnel be¬ lore the engine, and the two latter, Bide by side, aft of the'machinery John S^llvan, ufter putting a few sliovelluls ol coal In the holler I'm uiiLc. climbed out ol the lire hold, nnd walffjetl to the rearo( the cabin. Itan- cour was on watch at the engliio. Captain Hobson being obliged to leave the wheel for 4i minute, gave It into the charge of Captain Smith. The last seen of the luttei, ho Wus Bitting on the pilot house lookei, smoking. Captain llohson walked aft and, meeting John Sullivan, asked him if he had slept well during bis watch oft. Before Sullivan could answer they felt a dull, heavy con¬ cussion, and both were blow n over the stern. Sullivan was struck.at the base of the back, with a piece of cabin and hurled fifteen feet into the lake. Hobson, however, was only puhscd on by the force of the loi us his feet touched the rail at the stein, ho spriujg as fur out Into the water iib he could. Captain Dwyer know nothing ot the explosion until he found liiinselt floun¬ dering In the lake twenty feet listen) of the tug. He lelt the forcewjf the explosion, and was barely conclous of a. terrible (light through the air belore he struck Hie water. The escapo of Dennis Sulljviiu was marvel¬ ous. When t.he boiler exploded he was asleep beside Perew. He, too iclt the con¬ cussion, and knew he was being hurled through space. He landed" in tho lake ten feet ahead of the tug entirely unliarmod. Perew was not soon again. When these four men had recovered from the shock, and arisen to the surface-, nothing was to bo' seen of tholr three comrades", and all that remained to tell Where the tug floated a minute before, was n lew splinters of boards. They were all gotid swimmers. Hobson and John Sullivan fought through the' Icy water to the largest piece ot board they could find " and flouted on that towards the nearest light¬ er, one hundred feet distant. As they neured' ^ It t|ie plank began to sink, nnd Hobson wus nearly drowned by being drawn under the » flat boftom ot tho craft. He, struggled out and was draw.it on the lighter by Dwyer. The Investigation into the cause ot the explosion was begun yesterday by Major Eggleston before Inspectors B. A. Stanard and Thomas Fltzputrlek. Although the In¬ vestigation has not been concluded up to the time of going to press, it hue solved the luct that the assistant engineer, Mr. Rancour, who was killed, bad no license to act iib en¬ gineer. In fact license bus been refused him two successive Bcasons. 'Captain Hobson can in no wise bo held accountable for this fact as it did not devolve on him to employ the engineers. CAPTAIN COMPASS KUtTLA \ D'S TEST. Captain Chas.E. lyliilanil, the well-known Milwaukee wieuklng-uiaster, has invented an Instalment lor the purpose of testing t)ie marine compass. The Invention has been tiled on the propel lei City of Ludjiigton and lias-piou'O what the Inventor claimed foi It, v I?., Mint It would show the exact vnratlon of every compass. All expeiienced naviga¬ tors well understand the variation ot the compass on vessels especially steam craft, caused by local all i actions. Very lew vessels on the lakes sleei it I rue chart course accord¬ ing to their compass, as the loud at.racilon often changes the needle U*-rfn uuceitain de- giee, and thus it Is lluitfcir mauv disasters occur, especially In loifl«J weather occasion¬ ing loss of lite and desli notion of much valu¬ able proper!}. Onl) last season the steam¬ ship 11. J Jewett went aslunc on Lake Un¬ ion causing great loss. Tie disaster was lound to have been caused by a vatiation 111 her compass. A* staled jibove, the vailaliou of a compass, Is u"oertuii\ and ihe Invention of Captain Klrtlaiid Is to show the, exact variation, no matter how much Ihe needle 1b aflectcd by the magnetism ol the ship. Ills Instrument, the base of which Is a round Iron plate, Is set on a Hue lore-iii>d-aft on the deck with the "lubber mark" lorward. Over the Iron plate Is a compass card attached to u standard several leet in length, at tile top ol which is a slight-bar about two feet in length with a sight on each end. The bar Is so attached as to be parallel! with a line from the north to the south points, of the compass card^below. The north star is what the test depends on, and, consequently, the test can only be made at night time. On a clear night (he mirth star can be easily found. The sight- bar parallel witli the north and south line ot Ihe oomcass card on the test, when biought to hey cm the north slur, bo that It can be seen through the sights, will show the exact course of the vessel, and the point on ihe compass card to the "lubber maik" ut the busuot the lest, must be theHiuecouiSP, and thus the vessel's compass, compared wjth the test, will show tliei'xuct valutlon. [Coiiciaded /iom 1st page.] "Chin ters: • buhoonei A.J. lingers takes wheat to Ogdenebiirg at O^c; schooner I. N. Foster, wheat to Cleveland at 1>bC. Captain Moses W. Umphrey, nn honored marine master of Ashtabula, Is taking up Ids residence in far west Kansas. J. W.H. WINDSOll. Special to the Marine Record Tho schooner Benedict, Captain Maloett, Is getting extensive iepalrs, comprising new deck and deck I rallies, elanchloiiB, rail, cov¬ ering hoard, cauls and celling nit to bring her up to standard for grain cuirylng. BilUiU. Special to f/i« Marine Semi. Perry & Dj ble, shipbuilders, have given the tug Kitty Ilulght, ol the Moflut lino, Port Union, a tboiough overhaul and re¬ build. Tlioy ur'o doing some repairs on tho steamships United Empire, Ontario nnd Myles and have done considerable work on the propelleis Illuwiiiha and J.-C. Clark. They aro putting new tlmbei por|sluto the stcainbargo Tecitmseli, anil wood work around a pah ol hoisting engines, which have been placed In her hold to facilitate