"More than usual pains were taken by us, during the past season, to procure information on this head and others touching thereto, the result of which we now present in our annual list of new vessels. This season we have ventured beyond the immediate margin of Lake Erie, and those other broad lakes beyond, to Lake Ontario, a knowledge of whose marine is now deemed essential to a thorough understanding of our lake matters.
NUMBER, TONNAGE, AND ESTIMATED COST OF NEW VESSELS BUILT IN 1845, FROM THIS CITY WESTWARD TO CHICAGO.
| Name. | Class. | Tons. | Where built. | Dollars. | |
| Niagara | steamer | 1,075 | Buffalo | 95,000 | |
| Oregon | ... | 781 | Newport, Michigan | 55,000 | |
| Boston | ... | 775 | Detroit | 55,000 | |
| Superior | ... | 567 | Perrysburg, O. | 45,000 | |
| Troy | ... | 547 | Maumee City, O. | 40,000 | |
| London | ... | 456 | Chippewa, C. W. | 46,000 | |
| Helen Strong | ... | 253 | Monroe, Michigan | 22,000 | |
| John Owen | ... | 205 | Truago, do. | 20,000 | |
| Romeo | ... | 180 | Detroit, do. | 12,000 | |
| Enterprise | ... | 100 | Green Bay, W. T. | 8,000 | |
| Empire, 2nd | steamer | 100 | Grand Rapids, Mic. | 8,000 | |
| Algomah | ... | 100 | St. Joseph River, do. | 8,000 | |
| Pilot | ... | 80 | Union City, do. | 5,000 | |
| Princeton | propeller | 456 | Perrysburg, O. | 40,000 | |
| Oregon | ... | 313 | Cleveland, O. | 18,000 | |
| Phœnix | ... | 305 | ditto | 22,000 | |
| Detroit | ... | 290 | Detroit, Michigan | 15,000 | |
| Odd Fellow | brig | 225 | Cleveland, O. | 9,000 | |
| Enterprise | ... | 267 | Grand Rapids, Mich. | 8,000 | |
| Wing-and-wing | schooner | 228 | Cleveland, O. | 9,000 | |
| Magnolia | ... | 200 | Charlestown, O. | 2,000 | |
| Scotland | ... | 300 | Perrysburg, O. | 8,000 | |
| J. Y. Seammon | ... | 134 | Chicago, Ill. | 8,000 | |
| Napoleon | ... | 250 | Sault Ste Marie | 8,000 | |
| Freeman | ... | 190 | Charleston, O. | 7,500 | |
| Eagle | ... | 180 | Sandusky, O. | 7,000 | |
| Bonesteel | ... | 150 | Milwaukie, W. T. | 6,000 | |
| Sheppardson | ... | 130 | ditto | 5,000 | |
| Rockwell | ... | 120 | ditto | 5,000 | |
| E. Henderson | ... | 110 | ditto | 4,500 | |
| Rainbow | ... | 117 | Sheboygan | 4,000 | |
| C. Howard | ... | 103 | Huron, O. | 4,000 | |
| J. Irwin | ... | 101 | Cleveland, O. | 4,000 | |
| Avenger | ... | 78 | Cottesville, Michigan | 3,000 | |
| Flying Dutchman | ... | 74 | Madison, O. | 4,000 | |
| Cadet | ... | 72 | Cleveland, O. | 3,500 | |
| W. A. Adair | ... | 61 | ditto | 3,000 | |
| Elbe | ... | 57 | ditto | 3,000 | |
| Planet | ... | 24 | ditto | 3,000 | |
| Albany | ... | 148 | Raised and re-rigged | 2,503 | |
| Pilot | ... | 50 | Milwaukie, W. T. | 2,500 | |
| Mary Anne | schooner | 60 | Milwaukie, W. T. | 1,000 | |
| Marinda | ... | 60 | Lexington, Michigan | 3,000 | |
| Sparrow | ... | 50 | Chora, ditto | 2,500 | |
| Big B. | ... | 60 | 18 mile creek, | 2,500 | |
| Hard Times | ... | 45 | ditto | 1,500 | |
| Friendship | sloop | 45 | Sheboygan, W. T. | 2,000 | |
| Buffalo | ... | 30 | New Buffalo, Mich. | 1,000 | |
| ——— | ———— | ||||
| Total, 48 vessels | 10,207 | 659,000 | |||
"During the past season we stated that there was employed on the lakes a marine equal to 80,000 tons; we have assurance now that even that large estimate was below the reality. The latest returns to Congress, in 1843, gave 60,000 tons; but, as those documents are always a year or two behind the reality, and embrace dead as well as living vessels, they are of very little consequence. The existing and employed tonnage is what is most desired. The subjoined shows the number, class, tonnage, and cost of vessels built on this and the other upper lakes during the past five seasons. By adding the cost of annual repairs and money expended in enlarging and re-modelling vessels, the sum would reach 2,500,000 dollars. The total number of vessels built during that period is 179.
| Steamers | Prop'rs. | Sail. | Tons. | Dollars. | |
| 1845 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 10,207 | 659,000 |
| 1844 | 9 | none | 34 | 9,145 | 548,000 |
| 1843 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 4,880 | 336,000 |
| 1842 | 2 | none | 23 | 3,000 | 164,000 |
| 1841 | 1 | none | 28 | 3,530 | 173,000 |
| —— | —— | —— | ——— | ———— | |
| Total | 31 | 8 | 140 | 30,302 | 1,880,000 |
"The whole of the above vessels were built above the Falls, at places between this port and Chicago, by capital drawn from the many sources legitimately pertaining to the lake business, and designed as a permanent investment. What has been done below Niagara, in the same field, during the past season, may be seen in the subjoined list of
VESSELS BUILT ON LAKE ONTARIO, 1845.
| Syracuse | propeller | 315 | Oswego, N. Y. |
| H. Clay | ... | 300 | Dexter, do. |
| Hampton | brig | 300 | Pt. Peninsula, do. |
| T. Wyman | ... | 258 | Oswego, do. |
| Algomah | ... | 335 | Cape Vincent, do. |
| Wabash | ... | 314 | Sack. Harbour, do. |
| Crispin | ... | 151 | ditto |
| Liverpool | ... | 350 | Garden Is., C.W. |
| Quebec | brig | 280 | Long Island, C.W. |
| H. H. Sizer | schooner | 242 | Pillar Point, N.Y. |
| Maid of the Mill | ... | 200 | Oswego, do. |
| Milan | ... | 147 | Pt. Peninsula, do. |
| H. Wheaton | ... | 200 | Oswego, do. |
| Welland | ... | 220 | ditto |
| Josephine | ... | 175 | ditto |
| ... | ——— | ||
| Total 15 vessels, | 3,787 | tons. |
"To which must be added the schooner J. S. Weeks, rebuilt and enlarged at Point Peninsula, at a heavy outlay; and also the schooner Georgiana Jenia, at St. Catharine's, which was cut in two, and rebuilt. The Josephine and Wyman are rebuilds, but so thoroughly as almost to fall within the denomination of new craft. The Wyman is polacca-rigged, the only one in service, we think. The Algomah is full rigged, and, like the others, very strongly built. The Quebec and Liverpool are also well ironed, and designed for Atlantic service, when the St. Lawrence locks will admit of a free passage.
"There have been built on the lower lake other vessels than those embraced in the above list, including some steamers; and, in order to give our exchanges an opportunity to present the entire number and amount of expense, we omit any estimate of the cost and general outlay of the vessels named above. Applying our data, however, we make the outlay 25,000 dollars each, for the two propellers, and 127,000 dollars for the fifteen sail vessels, being a total of 177,000 dollars.