The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-08-21
Terminal Facilities.

In the year 1874 the American Society of
Civil Engineers appointed committee to
devise ga plan for the best and cheapest
method Of delivering, storing and distrib-
uting goods and freight in and about the
city of New York" Their report was some
time delayed, and in excuse therefor the
committee had to acknowledge that 'the
magnitude of the investigation had enabled
them only to remove some of the rubbish
which had accumulated about the ubject'-
rubbish" being evidently intended to
signify crude theories and much idle
talk. The report embodied, however,
many interesting and valuable facts
and some useful deductions, which,
had they been better needed by our mer-
chants and shippers, might have brought
forth better fruit. 1t is one Of the high
privileges Of humanity to grumble, and
since no one grumbles at himself he must
needs seek elsewhere an object. The mer-
chant and shipper are apt to find it in the
railroads.
Everybody knows, even without consult
ing the report of committee of engineers,
that our terminal facilities are by no means
what they ought to be; that they are not
equal to the requirements of our commerce
nor up to the times; that they are IN
worthy of great city, and that, owing to
their imperfection, the cost Of handling
merchandise in the port of New York is so
great as to be n serious drawback to our
mercantile interests, and is so much above
thot e har IN III han 70
cure great deal Of business which would
otherwise naturally fall to us. The plans
now in use for receiving and handling
large portion of the produce and goods
arriving in the city of New York, for export
and for distribution, are behind the age
and are inconsistent with the reputation Of
our merchants and people generally for en-
terprise. They were designed with sole
reference to water transportation. Thoy
have been fairly outgrown by our enormous
increase of trade and wholly changed con-
ditions, due to the introduction of railroads
and their rapid development. The result
is great Inconvenience and needless cost.
Our merchants are largely to blame: for
they leave the railroads to do i'm
perfectly what they themselves should
do well. Is there any reason why
our merchants and shippers should
not have suitable storage facilities of their
own in the vicinity of the various points of
delivery? But few of these points have
storehouses adjacent, as they are found
in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and
Montreal. Hence two carriages are required
and four landings, instend of two hand
lings and perhaps no carriage at all. II is
estimated that in the item of -four alone
nearly half a million dollars might be saved
annually by suitable storage facilities in
the items of extra carriage, handling and
recoopering, which is about seven cents
per barrel more than in any other city. In
the matter OF cotton very moderate
amount of enterprise would prevent carriage
to the cellars about Hanover square from
the waters edge and carriage back again
for shipment and this not unfrequently
in the very line which originally brought
the cotton into port. If this excessive
handling and carriage and consequent loss
in various ways were obviated by suitable
terminal facilities it is estimated that there
would be saving of from thirty to forty
cents per bale. And, again, in the matter
OF grain. the railroads are obliged to do