Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1907-10-09
Tilt BUSIEST SPOT
IN THE WHOLE WORLD
Il Is in Brooklyn. Where a Quarter of
a Square Mile Has More Commerce
and Industry Than Many Prinei-
pality.

lspots, all of them across the water,
lmay be taken as the greatest channels
of polyglot humanity, none of them is
entitled to be called the busiest spot
on earth. While Europe may still lead
in the possession OF points to attract
the wandering tourist and the profess
sional roamer. the place of commercial
supremacy has been captured by the
New World, and it is here that the
busiest spot on earth is to be found.
Naturally the busiest spot in Ameri-
ca is to be found in Its largest city.
though it is not on Broadway, where
the tide of humanity flows in greatest
volume. Quite appropriately a sight of
this hive of industry, so typical of the
United States, is included in the for
eign visitors earliest glimpse of our
shores. Before him as he comes up
the harbor is the Goddess of Liberty,
representative OF our political institu-
lions, while scarcely a mile away, on
I the BROOKLYN water front, Is the buSi-
est spot in the world, the Bush ter
minal-the largest and most highly de-
veloped OF the huge terminals of the
chief port of the United States. BY an
odd coincidence the Goddess gazes di-
rect and fixedly at the busiest spot, as
/ if It were one of her goals.
This center of the country's indus
/ try, so FAR rs il may be said to have a
center. resembles a giant hand stretch
ed forth to draw into the upper bay
the commerce os the Seven seas. The
land property is the palm of the great
hand. while the enormous docks. the
largest in existence. reach out into the
stream like so many powerful. ten
acious fingers clutching at the worlds
cargOes: for the big terminal is liter
ally a clearing house for the commerce
of AZ nations.
Even in bald facts and figures,
stripped of imagination, this spot, typ
Z ical of Americas supremacy, is of i'm
pressive interest. Here the steamships
of twenty lines. and many nondescript
tramps owing no allegiance to any fleet
of trade. deposit their burdens from
every corner of Christendom and
heathendom. Thousands of carloads
of freight are handled here every week
and the annual transfers of merchan-
disc, whether reckoned in dollars or
tons, runs so far into the thousands OF
millions as to render them almost in
comprehensive.
/ Yet with hundreds of steamships
from thousands of ports pouring their
, contents into this busiest spot. it is
not after all of vast extent. That. in
deed. is one thing that makes it so
busy. In area the Bush terminal,
handling more commerce than does
many large port or many a small
country. covers. in fact, a scant quar-
ter of a square mile. But to such
state of development has It been
brought, and so attractive are its IA
cilities to the shipper. that practically
every square foot of its area works
with an efficiency peculiarly Ameri-
can.
In its entirety the terminal consists
of thrca things-its docks, it's ware
houses ard its factories. OF the
wharves. which are first to catch the
eve and excite the admiration of the
approaching vOyager. there are seven.
each built out into the water 10 the
length of 1870 feet, or about a quarter
Of milt. Each is $50 feet wide. and
there is 270 feet of water at an average
depth of 80 feet between each pair of
piers. making a series Of basins in
which can be manoeuvered safely the
largest ships afloat. With commerce
at its height here. where commerce
achieves its maximum, it is no uncom-
mon thing to see two dozen monster
freiShters discharging and receiving
cargo at once-a mere trifle of $4,000
tons. to carry which train of 1000
freight cars each holding $4,000 pounds
would be necessary. Such a train
would be nearly fifty miles in length.
Back of the docks are the ware
houses. 131 in number. with a combin-
ed space available for the storage of
merchandise of 26.OOO.O00 cubic feet.
into which go the strange goods of
barter of the wide world to be sorted
and distributed. So scientifically has
every foot of room been utilized TO
achieve economy and efficiency that
the unit of space for renting is a
block" IL by Is feet. and there are
5000 such blocks" at the disposal of
tenants. Beyond the warehouses. but
still within the magical quarter of a
square mile are the factories. in many
respects the most remarkable build
ings of their kind anywhere. There
are three of them now, while fifteen
more are to be put up. and they con-
stitute the largest flat buildings ever
erected-for the crowding of the |
twentieth century which causes nearly !
n million people in New York alone to !
live in flats or apartments has at last |
produced the factory flat in which |
space can be rented. large or small, as
may be desired. In these modern |
business flats there is no longer any
worry for the tenant as to power and |
light, engineers or firemen's strikes; |
power. heat, and light. are all furnish
ed from a central plant and all the |
tenant has to do IS to utilize them as
his reeds require.
As II this crowded plot Were not al
ready full enough. or needed further /
title to be called the busiest spot on I
earth. there is within its compass a !
complete railway system with more
than twenty miles of track on which I
is hauled up and down. |
delivered or started away. More than |
ESQ carloads of freight are moved each l
day and the connections thus afforded 4
with all the railroads and steamship I
lines make possible in large measure |
the tremendous volume of activities
ce1tered at the terminal. For the in n
1ividual manufacturer. shipper or
handler located there. there is no prob