The New York herald., 1877-02-04
OUR DOCK SYSTEM.
How the Commercial Supremacy Of New
York Is To BE Maintained.
BRINGING THE CAR AND rHE SHIP TOGETHER
The Duty of the Dock De-
partment.

u vssis bs dls sss say ssz.ssres.. 10 ssssnps 10
conceal the fscs that NE eommercinl supremacy Of
Nee York ~ IN danger Al fas same time 10 70 be
observed that shs remedy h 80 simple. and 70 com
plcsciy m The hands of oar nsrshsntx aud business
men, that any fsiiars 10 ss spplicAlon ~i be their
fsuit and theirs sion~. The DuCk Department may
promise tbe splendid balkhsnas and peers the
vorid but msgnnneens aocks wsi sos IN themselves
bsing shipping Comrrehsnslss schemes 20 promote
the casyng trade nay b advocated ~ the cbahcr Of
conmerce and shs Cheap rrsnsperasios Asseeistlou.
bet while the metropolis s scqssns as improved
ninai facilities s essential that commerce should
sunes interruption sna that iss trade should ecn-
tiuvs 70 increase From shss u arpsress<ha ~ha,-
ever Ncw ycrk acquires IN a.. way Of docks
ninai hcisses mast part of ns growth. pre-
hminary 20 the increase and neccsssry the pre-.
scrvation OF our commerce. The fsui Just nov seems
70 bs . disposition 20 employ 80 mnch radical
remedies . radical sprisrssien Of she remedies
which VIII cure the diseased condiuon OF our
trade Tho Department Of Docks has . vast
and comprehensive system, based upon the recon-
ucndasions OF General Mcclellan, whicn n 10 endcav-
orins 10 carry into execution The merchants on the
sshsr hand. oppose this system expensive and
too slow, and would resort temporary expeaicnts
rather than promote permanent structures with
regard 10 terminal facilities there much wise discus.
sion. but practical efforts 10 the interests Of
our internal trade and our iranc. Anybody can
zee that " tho commercial supremacy Of New York
10 be maintained only be by bringing
Tho railroads and tho steamships together and
doing away with expensive modes Of handing
produce in trdns,a from the West 10 Europe where
warehouses necessary all both the car and the
ship must be brought to them ss 10 avoid slower
and moro expensive processes, aud dock system
must be mado to harmonic with this necessity ao-
ho of h. tou.
tsrests of the metropolis
THE CENTRES TRADE.
In suggesting tho improvements necessary 10 the
commerce Of New York theorists generally hold
visionary ideas In regard to change in thc Of
lradc for which they think Il Is necessary to provda
Our dock system. as IL exists paper, In bascd
10 some extent. notions like these, and even
sur merchants share It. as s shown by tho debates of
:he commercial organizations. Some people have an
doa that tho opening Of He'll Gate will transfer trade
the upper part Of tho island and IRON the North to
tho East River Others have such superb faith tho
future greatness and glory OF New York they ex
pect the now dock system TO be carried completely
sound Manhattan Island Trade Is always con-
Bervativo, pnd It's centres change but slowly and
then only in obedience to fixed laws Practical men
like General Newton expect immediate reyo.
mat either the prcscn. or the mex, genera.
hon will much change In the seat OF commerce.
not that the centre trade change
SO far tho city itself IL concerned, but that other
cities will successfully compete with Now York aud
take away at least part OF II altogether This comes
mostly from the charges incident TO our commerce,
which enables other cities successfully to compete
as by SURPRISING us in tho cheapncss with which
shandise and produce transferred and handled.
Whenever realize this fact and show the CONNER.
cal world that the port OF New York Is the cheapest
we'll as tho most commodous In the country all rivalry
with other cities VIII cease
WAREHOUSE THE
II is easy TO say that tho rcmcdy for all this is TO
IN chi In tha Inns Ever vhoSv reea
nizes this as tho prime necessity but nobody seems
bo exactly clear as to the best mode OF It's accom-
Of accomplishing this result" say tho commcrciai
bodies, s TO make the wafer streets Of the city OF
commodation.' Unfortunately a broad and nav,eabIe
river between all tho railroad termn except tho
Hudson River and New York Central, and our business
CENTRE and means have yet been taken enable
trains to pass either above or beneath the stream
The. car the warehouse and tho ship must
rhe Arst thing ior New York to do bcioro
lts commerce can be mado secure is TO reduce
lnsuar position. The merchant ship como up 10
The city to discharge or take cargo, but the
Inc produce with which to load il for It's outward voy
age cut on by the river and stops short at Hoboken
Or Jersey CITY, or at some point in New York city dis
tant from the water front. Ferriage and expensive
efage are the olny at present provided TO bring
the land and ocean trado together, and these aouo
must be constructed to add to our facilities, and when
this Is done It will be comparatively easy TO supply
THE WEST STREET WIDENING.
But even before such means provided for bring
Ing the cars OF the Erie and Pennsylvania and other
railroads into the city the widening OF West street has
become matter OF paramount necessity. Tho legal
width Of West street. as fixed by the commission Of
ISL, is $50 feet and portion Of the bulkhead be-
tween Canal and West Eleventh streets has been built
uDon this line IN stone II the widening COM
pictcd all The way the Battery this magnificent
river street supplied with double track freight rail.
way and all the necessary turnouts and switches tor
reaching the warehouses and piers 1t must DO con-
a AN IN nnF Inn
QUESTION OF the other necessities of our commercial
situation Tho widening OF West street necessary 10
any scheme which has for object the preservation
Of the commercial supremacy OF this metropolis, but
still greater facilities be provided to reap
merchants ought consider this point connection
with the plans they advocating, not forgetting, Of
course, 10 utilize all the means which arc already at
hand.
STONE AND WOODEN BULKmEAps
This brings to the consideration OF the work Of
the Dock Department and the opposition OF the mcr-
Chants 1t Is alleged that the plan under which the
Department of Docks is now pursuing its aDors, and
which calls for stone buikheads would require their
past progress OF about 500 feet per annum
100 years tor Its completion bctweeen Sxtyrst street,
North River around to Fifty.drst street, East River
regarded toe slow meet the present emergencies
and fatal TO It's usefulness as tho overwhelming cost
OF the stone bukhead VIII hich II demands. II Is there
forc proposed DO away with the present plan
altogether and in lieu Of II to build buIkheads made by
such bulk head can he readily built and Sun all cost
while is very durable and rapidly admits Of repairs.
On the other hand II Is urged by MT Salem ii. Wales
The President OF the Dock Commission, that the ma
,onry bukhead from the foot OF West Eleventh street
to thc Battery which the department construct
Ing, only s225 per iineal foot, while no wooden
bulk suitable for the purpose can be built for less
Than $3.50 per foot. which is within s75 OF tho
cost masonry bulkhcad, which would last for thou
sands OF years Tho point here Is In the perma-
Of tho work and the accuracy Of the ngurcs It
Mr. Wales estimates be relied upon the desra-
bhy OF the stone tho wooden bukhcad Is unde-
ninble. As proof OF this, hgures even though they
be assumed, the best evidence. Ono thousand cct
Of bulkhca costing $2 900, ought TO last sixty
years tor repairs OF not than one haif OF
pne per cent or the Insignificant OF 81, 125 fthc
bu khcad lasted years at this ratio we could
expect the wooden bukhead 10 last more than ten
years like per centngc, after which the repairs
would add largely the OF construction until our
piers would be like the boys jackniie which was
Dnco his grandiathors, but had since been supplied
with now blades and new handle. In sixty years
voodon hulk kheads would probablv cost as m uCh for