Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-08-18
6ener0l GntelIioenfe.
FIFE GRAIN BUSINESS OF NEW YORK

THE GRAIN BUSINESS OF NEW YORK
Where the Grain is stored-Extent of
the StorehOuses-The Elevators
Capital Employed In Handling the
Products of the West.
The New York Times has an interesting
article upon the grain business of that city,
from which We extract the following para
graphs in relation to the storehouses, which
are mostly in Brooklyn:
The estimated value of wharves, land
and buildings devoted to storage in Brook
lyn is about ten million dollars. The grain
storehouses are mostly built in the neigh
borhood of
THE ATLANTIC DOCKS.
This famous basin is situated in South
Brooklyn, adjoining the ferry from HanniI-
ton avenue to Whitehall street, and covers
an area Of forty acres. It has upward of
three miles of wharf accommodation, and
within its warehouse-walled sides vessels
lie as quietly as would any small boat
moored in a millpond. There have been
at the Atlantic Docks, at one time, one
hundred and thirty sea-going vessels, and
from one-tenth to one-ei9hth of all the
vessels in the port of New York locate
there. The grain warehouses are built on
the piers which inclose the basin, so that
boats may come directly to the wharves,
and be there unloaded of their grain car
goes by means of steam elevators, or ships
may lay alongside the piers and receive
their cargoes direct from the store lofts
During the receiving season, say from Oct.
10th to Dec. 10th canal boats may be seen
arriving here by the hundred, daily, each
master anxious to have his vessel discharged
and to return for another cargo. On the
closing of canal navigation, as many as six
hundred loaded boats have found home
in the basin, the larger portion to lie up
with their cargoes until they could be sold
during the winter.
FLOATING TOWN.
These boats, when congregated together,
present curious and interesting feature
of one phase Of metropolitan life Cen
orally, the Captain of each boat lives on
board, with his family, and the hands en-
ployed to assist in navigating the craft board
with him. Tho cabins are neatly fitted
up for this purpose, and although the ac-
commodations are not as ample as those |
provided for residence on land, each boat
affords a comfortable home for its inmates. |
The women members of the families visit
and enjoy each others society with appar-
emily as much pleasure rs is observable /
among ladies who move in the higher Cir
o.
over the decks with as much hilarity rs dis
tinguishes the more favored youngsters
whose homes are on Brooklyn Heights. -
Almost every family has one member who |
can play the violin, and the sounds of
merry music that emanate from the cabins
after nightfall tell plainly the content that |
peculiarly characterizes the 'jolly boat |
man." The s'fleet," as it is termed when |
the boats are collected in the basin, is, in
reality, a small floating town.
GRAIN STORAGE.
1t was estimated that, three years ago, |
there were held, afoat, at the Atlantic
Docks, u, 500, 600 bushels of grain-wheat,
corn, oats and barley-worth S25, ,000 600. |
There are here, also, large accommodations
for storing West India goods-sugar,
molasses, &c.-Tobin's stores, on the front
pier, covering about two acres. The stores
of General Pinto, devoted also to this
class of merchandise are next in capacity |
There is ample room also for the storage Of
salt. guano and bulky goods, the estab- |
lishments of Messrs. Woodruff q Robin |
son, VIM. p. Barber and others being de-
voted to this purpose. The Onondaga Salt /
Company also have depot here.
The greater portion of the docks proper |
ty. however, is devoted to grain storage !
and the handling and transferring of the |
cereals form Che bulk of the business done |
here The aggregate capacity of the docks |
warehouses is about $4,000, 900 bushels |
Among the prominent firms engaged in !
this trade are Messrs G. B. Lockwood & |
Co., proprietors of the Masters Stores
known as elevator A., whose establish |
ment covers an area of about two acres, is
four stories in height, and will hold 2,000.- |
600 bushels of grain.
The elevator of this institution will take |
up from q vessel 3, 600 bushels of any kind |
of grain per hour, clean, weigh, convey |
and deposit it in its appointed bin, 800 feet |
from the point whence it started. The ca
pacity of this single warehouse is equal to |
that of a field of eight acres, supposing the
grain to be piled thereon to the height of
ten feet, or to line of loaded canal-boats |
of the ordinary tonnage five miles long |
This same firm has additional stores with
an aggregate capacity of about halfas much |
more rs the main establishment. Messrs. |
r. Fl. Lambier & Co have two elevators, |
with warehouse capacity equal to Lockwood |
lS Co s elevator A. Messrs. Shaw & |
Co 5 Excelsior Stores on the south pier
run from No. 20 to No 90, and will accom-
modate about /, 500, 600 bushels. One
huge elevator does the transferring Tor this
establishment, and there are provided hero
and every facility for preserving grain.
There are, also, many smaller stores, the
general operation of which is upon the
same principle as that employed in the
aforementioned establishments.
THE TRANSPORTATION OF GRAIN
to New York was, for many years, monopo'
lized by the Erie Canal; but lately the
railroads are beginning to freight it hither,
and we announced only the other day the
abandonment of this part of the canal
transportation, the competition between
the railroads having reduced treights so
much that the boats cannot afford to carry
it. 4 great bulk Is, however, still brot by
water. 1t is estimated that the value OF
the boats engaged in freightng gram to
this city through the canal is about SlS,-
600, 600. The daily arrival OF these, known
IN the trade as "a tow, averages eighty
boats and each tow is worth, at a rough
estimate. about half a million dollars. The /
buIk of grain afoat seeking port, frequent
II amounts to five million bushels ut one
fine LARGE stocks of grain are accumu-
iated in the warehouses during the latter
,,,,t of the Fall season for use during the
Winter months, when it is removed as oc-
casion demands.
THE OLD HANDLING SYSTEM
Formerly the whole system OF Loading
and unloading the vessels was done by
canes of Iaborers. The process was a slow
one. and entaiied q vast expense on the
owners of cargoes. About twenty years
ago the steam elevator took the place OF
these Iaborers or grain shovelers, and,
while it materially lessened the cost OF
transferring, performed about twice the
amount Of labor that was formerly done by
hand Nine or ten men employed IN feed
ing aud tending an elevator can now ac-
1oihptsh IN one day as much work as a
gang OF one hundred men could before the
present system was adopted. In Iiyerpool