The Saint Paul globe., 1904-01-24

H.
ID mort that a number of the steam
ship men in New York are con-
sidering the advisability of sending
their largest ships to the port OF Bos-
ton instead of New York-"not as
matter of choice, but Of necessity, as
an official of the International Mer-
camille Marine company has put 1t
has aroused hopes in the New England
metropolis that the growth OF its port
will be vastly accelerated in the next
few years. The United States war De
partment as has been announced, mas
made a rule forbidding the city or new
York to extend It's wharves to lengtn
sufficient to accommodate the 7OO ana
SO0-foot steamships that are now pelng
built to compete for the carrying traue
of the North Atlantic. Already IL Is
costing enormous sums TO get oUV-ioot
wharves along the New York water
front, and the final decision OF Secre-
tary Root is believed to mean that the
city will have to buy 200 feet back from
the waterfront, digging out some OIL
the most valuable property IN New
York at an expense of not less than
$1O,000,0 600 and thereby infilctnS vast
burden upon the taxpayers. without
some such drastic proceeding, every
SOO-foot steamer afloat, so shipping
men say, will have to go to Boston.
The port of Boston, for its part
claims to be able to handle the biggest
steamship ever built. 1t now has the
largest dock in the world. The state
of Massachusetts stands ready to Dulld
more such docks as fast as they can pe
profitably leased. The charge furthef-
more for such leases will be far below
the New York rate. The present COM
monWealth dock, owned by the STATE
is nearly twice the size of any dock III
New York, being 1,200 feet long, ana
fine state can with encouragement
build 1,20O-foot piers all along the
South Boston and East Boston water
front. The war department, 1t is au-
thoritatively stated, cannot pronlplt
work within what is known as the mar
Dor commissioners lines.
Another great advantage Of the port
Is that with the completion of the snort
cuts to deep water by way OF Broao
sound it will be possible for vessel TO
go from ocean to dock in, say twenty
minutes, whereas in New York 1t taxes
several hours under the most faVoraole
conditions Then, too, Boston is much
nearer to Liverpool, so that OF course
a change to this port would not simply
give better dock facilities. 1t would
mean quicker time across the ocean,
from dock to dock.
In any event, whether a stampede OF
the great steamship lines to Boston
takes place-a rather unlikely occur
rence-or whether only the normal eX-
pansion continues, there is no question
but that most visitors are impressed
with the growth of its port quite as
much as by the stock historical Tea
lures which attract so many sightseers
from all parts of the United States
Almost any day, especially when some
great convention is in town, you may
see pilgrims about the historic old
wharves, the scene of the Boston Iea
Party, or thronging through the United
States navy yard and clanpeflns
aboard the peaceful hulk of Old IRON
sides; and these visitors-those espe-
cially from Western cities-are usually,
even if they do not like to confess 1t,
quite as interested in the signs of pres
ent activity as in the relics of the past.
A considerable number of the steam
ships of very large class already make
the harbor their western terminal. In
particular, the recent coming OF the
White Star line has done great deal
to increase the present prestige OF this
ancient seaport, which, in colonial and
Revolutionary days, played SO important
ID
along the Massachusetts coast, were
the pride of the seven seas.
Oftentimes, 1t comes as a revelation
to the man from Illinois or Iowa Who
visits Boston merely for the sake of
seeing the cradle of liberty and score
or two of the other historical things
described in the school histories, to
note that the harbor is alive with
traffic more extensive, if less pic
turesque, than that of the palmiest
days of Yankee seamanship, and that
all sorts of port naprovements-bett
dock terminals, floating dry docks, deep
er channels and the rest-are being
constructed or promoted as means OF
adding to the city'S prosperity.
Although there has never been time
when the wharveS of the New England
disuse, as has happened in Portsmouth,
Newburyport and many other ancient sea-
ports along this shore. there were some
decades in the last century when the
maritime interests did not increase in pro-
portion of the increase at ports farther
South. The present renaissance of BoS-
ton as shipping center may be Said to
have begun about 1880 Previous to that
date, although considerable freight traf-
fic was carried on, only one steamship
line carried passengers, and that on its
smallest and poorest boats. OF local mari
time enterprises hardly anything was
New England population during good
many years nearly all went into the con-
struction of railroads, mining enterprises
and the building of cities in the great,
prosperous West.
Even today, although some local capi
tai is enlisted in certain coastwise trans
portation companies, Boston owes its i'm
portance as a port very largely to COM
panies that have come in and built up for
themselves q big business over the
through lines from the West The Ley
land line. for example, which since the
early '70's. has been engaged in freight
traffic between this port and Liverpool
began shortly before 1890 the experiment
of putting on a few passenger ships, and
then little later the Dominion Line COM
pany, which was organized originally to
prosecute trade with Canadian ports and
New Orleans seemed to discover in Bos-
ton favorable conditions-a city that is
nearer. to Europe by nearly a days sail
than New York; and he that has at the
same time an ice-free harbor-an advan-
tage which does not go with the Cana
dian ports. It was furthermore found
that the railroad companies at Boston
were energetic in cooperating with the
steamship people and that the facilities
for shipment of cargo, no .lighterage
charges being necessary, were excellent.
In such circumstances the Dominion line
inaugurated a service which has done
much to restore to Boston its position of
commercial Importance.
In view of what has been accomplished