Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-07-26
NEW FlREPROOF DOCKS.
Well Known Architects Plan
For a Great System.
TENEMENTs ABOVE THE PIERS.

Joseph NJ. Huston Claims His Plan,
II Carried Out, Would BE of Great
Benefit to the Poor-He Advocates
Water Front of Stone, In Which
Danger From Fire Would BE ELM
mated.
Joseph NJ. Huston, the well known
Philadelphia architect. has had copy
righted plans for system of freproof
docks, which docks, If substituted for
inflammable wooden piers now in use,
would eliminate. he says, all danger
from such terrible fires as that which
devastated Hoboken's water front, kill
ed hundreds OF people and destroyed
millions of dollars worth of shipping.
More than that, his system provides
for the housing of millions of persons
in big tenements built upon the docks
and for cold storage and other ware
houses under the tenements, says the
Philadelphia Press. He says these
nOncombustible docks could be built
at cost comparatively low and that
by their use the value of water front
property in the great seaboard cities
would be tremendously increased,
chiefly because of the model tenement
houses to be built on the docks, while
the change from the slums to the wa
ter front would be a godsend to great
numbers of poor people. The build
ings would have electric elevators and
ample skylights and windows.
The company organized to handle
this big scheme has already sent it's
plans to Mr.. Schwab of the North Ger
man Lloyd Steamship company, which
suffered such great loss at the Hobo
ken fire. Mr. Huston has also been
in consultation with some of the lead
ers in New York's municipal affairs.
including officials directly concerned
in managing New York's water front
property. This property is leased to
the shipping interests by the city, and,
including the water front along the
East and North rivers, in the borough
of Brooklyn, as well as Manhattan,
is of enormous value.
Mr.. Huston looks forward to the
time when fireproof decks will sheathe
the water frontage not only of New
York, but of Philadelphia. Boston, Bal
timore, New Orleans and all the sea-
board and lake cities of the United
States. He has recently been around
the world, and he paid particular at
tention to the docks in various ports.
He says nearly all the big seaboard
cities of Europe are ahead of our own
cities in this respect, inasmuch as they
use durable, fireproof construction
throughout. Southampton and Liver
pool for instance. have splendid piers,
away ahead of the timber affairs at
which ships are locked in America.
Even along the Nile are docks that
would make our fiimsy timber piling
look mean and dangerous.
"In Venice" said Mr.. Huston the
other afternoon, 'the people live in
structures built directly along the ca
nails. My plan, If it were carried out,
would work n great change in the
method of housing poor people in great
cities like New York and Philadelphia.
1t provides for big tenements of steel,
fireproof construction based upon the
docks themselves. The docks would
have foundation of heavy pile work,
upon which they would be built up of
granite and concrete. Upon them would
rise the buildings, with open dock
room between, where vessels could dis
charge cargo into spaces left for cold
storage and ordinary storehouses.
These storage warehouses would be on
floors opposite the vessels, underneath
the tenements.
THE tenements would have plenty
of light and air, they would be abso-
lutely safe and fireproof, and they
would accommodate thousands who
now suffer in the slums. On top of
them esplanades could be arranged
My plans provide not only for the
building of such tenements, but great
structures for business purposes could