Marine Losses

Chicago, Dec. 12.- During the seaaon of lake navigation, now at an end, 204 Uves have been lost on the iulanrt seas and not less than $2,500,000 worth of property has been destroyed. 8eventy-three vessels, aggregating 20,687 registered tona, hare ceas, 'ed to exist, as compared with fifty-seven vessels and 17,070 tons in 188& The total losses comprise sixteon steamers, fortythree sohooners, six tow barge-, and eight tngtooats, represenling a finunclal loss ol $792,000 on hulla, and $108,400 on oargoes. Bat despite this large total destruction of vessel property the tounage that has passed ont of existenoe is muoti lesa than one-half of the aggregate new tonnage that has been built at the lake sliip-yards this year and put in coinmissioa Bince the opening of navigation last spring, forfcy-seven steamers, four tow barges, and two tugboita, agfrregating 52,254 tons, and costing $5,525,000, have been launched and completed, and there are now on the stocks, in various stages of constrnction, an al most eqaal amount of new tonnage. Consequently, the 20,687 tons of floating property that has been biotted out by storms thia year will, by next spring, be replaced by upward of 100,000 tons, and, as most of the new tonnage is steam, while most of the old was all, there will be a much larger gain in tonnage than the tigures actnally repre'■ent, for one ton propeiled by staam is fnlly equal to three tons that depend enttrely upon the ction of the wind for propelling power. The lossen show that the earnings and a big slice of the reserve funds of nearly every company engaged in lake underwriting have been eaten up. The following is a table of tüe total losses and their canses on the five great lakes during the year: ? g! ? ■25? Tolal BOW LOST. : .0 5' i-O. Burned ñ I .. 1 .. $ 89,000 Sunk 2 : .. .. 111,(100 Ashore U 4 911 2 09.9110 Founderod 6 8 112 211,100 Collision 2 3,509 Total 2n 14 1-1 lh 4 8734,500 In addition to the above, two vesse.ls went ashore in the Straits and in the Georgian Bay, and one vessel was burned at Chatham, Ont, causin? an addition to the above total of $66,000.