WHEAT IN WESTEEN CANADA ^ 



XII. Lake Steamers 



Upon the Great Lakes, there is a large fleet of boats 

 especially constructed to carry commodities in bulk, such 

 as coal, iron ore, and grain. The distance between ports 

 is short and the lake boats, as compared with ocean-going 

 boats, therefore, require but little coal for each journey. 

 In consequence, the amount of space devoted to coal in 

 any ship is small whilst the cargo space is relatively 

 large. 



Each vessel is an elongated shell with its machinery at 

 the rear end and the living quarters for the crew placed 

 on deck. The hull is divided by two or three transverse 

 walls from the bottom of the vessel to the deck, so that 

 the number of holds is usually three or four. The deck 

 completely covers these holds, and is provided along the cen- 

 ter with a series of hatches which may be opened for the 

 introduction or removal of the cargo. When a vessel is 

 being loaded with wheat, the grain is spouted into the 

 holds from the shipping bins of an elevator until all the 

 holds are full. Three or four spouts may be discharging 

 wheat at one and the same time. When a boat has been 

 loaded, the hatches are put on so as to close the holds 

 tightly and thus prevent rain or snow or lake water from 

 entering and damaging the cargo. From time to time, 

 great storms rage upon the lakes, and many of these vessels 

 have been wrecked. 



" The capacities of these ships," says Piper, " are 

 enormous. An average car-load of wheat is a little more 

 than 1,200 bushels. The average train load consists of 

 about forty cars or 48,000 bushels. The larger boats will 

 can-y over 300,000 bushels of wheat equivalent to seven 

 train loads, or about three hundred cars. The largest 

 boat now on the lakes will carry nine train loads. The 



