The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-18

Uuihy H6TCudnQlSe WHICH must US stored In warehouses separated by con- siderable distances from the piers where the ships dock and of the lack of concentration in the matter of rail road and shipping facilities, must con- vince one that the metropolis Is any thing but an ideal terminal" accord ing to the definition of the Commerce Commission.
 The separation of the three functions of a terminal occurs in New York as its does nowhere else in the world where such an immense aLs0mt of commerce is moved, and 1t involves a greatly increased cost of handling goods. IA bill of particulars such as the city commission brings in recent par tial report shows two essential fact: First, that Manhattan Island Is avail able for handling advantageously only such freight as is needed for local pur- poses, as distinguished from that which goes through New York eitherR rail or water borne and that which constitutes the supply and product of the factories which make the city the greatest man. ufacturing point in the country. Sec ond, that the shores of other boroughs, particularly the deep water frontage of the South Brooklyn section. are cap- able with improvement of providing for any increase of freight which the fu- ture may bring. One other fact Is of vi- tai importance in any analysis of the situation. that the real wealth and i'm portance of any port lie in its volume of the heavier and cheaper grades of freight rather than in the more expen- slve classes, which can sustain the cost of expensive handling.
 The abandonment of Manhattan Isl- and as the center of movement for more than an absolutely indispensable amount of freight Is not an arbitrary judgment of theorists, but is patent to the most casual observer as inevitable. The passenger steamship lines have claimed the island as their own because they must land their passengers hard by the hotels, the railroad passenger terminals, and the offices and stores of the city In addition pier rentals which the passenger lines are willing and ready to pay are prohtbitive for the freight llnes and are driving them out, Knowledge of the requirements of an ideal terminal in the union of the three functions of receipt, storage, and shipment will suggest by inference many other reasons why Manhattan | can never fill the requirements. Exper- 1 fence has shown that the freight car must literally be brought to the steam 1 ship to provide the best in economy and facilities when water borne com merce needs the agency of the rail- road for further movement or when ex- port shipments reach port from va rious sections of contributing territory on their way to be eliminated, since 1t is always costly and often as expen- sive as the transportation costs over long distances by rail or boat, So much applies to through shipments, An enormous amount of freight must be held in New York awaiting future shipment, and 1t Is essential that stor- age be provided at the point of ship ment and receipt, and not in ware houses mile or so away Similarly, If the factory is to compete on advan- tageous terms it must receive its raw materials and ship it's product with no extra charge for trucking.
 As an embodiment of these principles of modern freight-handling facilities, and as an example to be followed by the city in suggested public improve
 ments, the City Commission cites the
 Bush Terminal enterprise in South
 Brooklyn, extending from Twenty eighth street to Fifty-second street
 This plant has been built to order SC
 to speak, without having to contend
 with all the physical limitations impos- ed by patchwork growth, and has adopted out of hand every valuable
 idea suggested by, experience. Receipt
 storage, and shipment are here united in the most economical manner.
 There are six piers, each 1,340 feet
 a quarter of mile-in length, 150 fee
 in width, and with 270 feet of watel
 space between each pair. Six 400-foo
 vessels may be docked at each pier
 three on a side, and can load and un IOHQ BlfIlultaHeuuSiys LHcFe lS dilpA'
 room even with six steamships fo
 each slip for lighters to work upon tn
 water side of the boats. Dowr !, the length of each pier is rail
 road track, upon which may be run { freight car to or from any part of tn
 country, and this car once loaded a the ships side with merchandise iron Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, Rus ' sia, or any other part of the world, 1 ' ready without further handling of it
 freight to be dispatched to any desire l point
 ) Back of the piers, separated only b , plaza sufficiently wide to facilitat local movement, Is a group of 121 ware } houses, providing 26,OOoOOO cubic fee a of storage for such inbound or out l bound freight as must be held. Fac t warehouse is provided with railroa [ spur, and, like the ships at the pieri discharges or receives freight directl f ] to the car door. Back of the ware