New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-10
Views of an Expert Who Has
Studied the Peculiar Con-
ditions in This Port
FOR Years.
BY Irving T. Bash.

IT was suggested recently by one student %
the conditions Of modern freight handling that
the solution Of the problems of New York il
this respect would be the construction Of sy2-
TEN OF freight tunnels similar In a general way
70 the system in operation IN Chicago. The SUD
Ject is 50 important to New York that believe
a discussion Of the particular needs OF this COM
munity would be beneficial even If il only re-
suited in calling more attention 10 the problem
The geography Of New York harbor is 50 df-
ferent from that OF any other city and The
geological conditions underlying tho surface so
much more difficult to contend with that the
problem must be treated with ii view to these
difficulties. The soil underlying Chicago is 90
character easily excavated. and the construction
of freight tunnels in that city has been l!kenod
to the burrowing of a mouse through a cheese,
whereas the island OF Manhattan is underaid
almost entirely with solid rock, and the con-
struction Of a freight subway through that por-
ton of the greater city would involve enormous
cost. 1t may also be questioned whether The
construction of the tunnels along the lines fol-
lowed in Chicago would be OF material advan-
tage I believe that the capacity Of the tunnel
system in that city is limited TO small freight
cars which do the work beneath the surface
formerly done by the trucks above. This makes
necessary the rehandlins of the freight at the
railroad station. II has been pointed out by one
writer on freight handling that the cost OF rail-
road freight transportation has decreased ap-
proximately 40 per cent. with little change in
the cost for local handling OF freight. This is
due TO the fact that the greater part Of the cost
Of local handling Is for manual labor. whereas
freight car once loaded can be moved so san
Francisco. if necessary. without rehandling Of
the freight The increase in the size Of the
freight car, the capacity Of the locomotive and
the character OF the roadbed have caused this
important reduction IN the cost of long distance
freight transportation. in local freight handling
none of these economies has been possible. and
under the labor conditions in this country the
cost of this service has increased rather than
decreased.
A freight tunnel system for the collection and
distribution Of local freight is at best a hard
problem, for it is competing with the established
trucking systems Of the city upon cost basis
averaging perhaps five cents for one hundred
pounds. When You consider that a considerable
portion Of this charge is consumed by the cost
# loading and unloading the car 1t VIII be seen
that the room for economy Is not very great
unless the railroad freight can be transported
directly TO the door OF the shipper
The chief difficulty under which New York
labors is it's size and the fact that il, in COM
mon with other great American cities. has had
enormous growth within a comparatively short
period. The citizens and municipal authorities
have within the last ten years suddenly
ton which this growth has thrown upon US, but
4 general appreciation OF the necessity of bring
ing about better system of freight handling
within the city is just beginning TO awaken
Comparatively speaking, il was only few years
ago when practically all of the steamships We're
docked along the Manhattan waterfront, the
commercial interests OF the entire city We're
housed. and its business transacted there. Tho
demand for accommodation for the high priced
passenger steamship, for the local river and
coast lines for piers for local supplies and the
handling OF incoming and outgoing railroad
freight. has one by one driven the steamship
lines carrying the coarser classes Of freight 10
the New Jersey and the Brooklyn waterfront
These same general conditions must eventually
crowd of the Borough Of Manhattan the
wholesale handlers OF merchandise unless some
solution of the freight handling difficulty in that
borough is found. At present the wholesaler or
jObber receives incoming shipments at a dozen
more freight piers along the Manhattan
waterfront. has them carted to his stockroom
and in turn carts back 10 the freight pier that
portion Of his merchandise which is shipped 10
The out Of town consumer. The ordinary cost
for this transportation is wasteful and unneces-
saTy. and II is a burden which business under
the keen competition with other trade centres .
cannot long continue to bear. Some method
must either be provided to get this freight to
and from the freight terminal and the stock
room more cheaply the stockroom must De
removed TO the freight terminal. The railroad
must go 10 the stOckroom or the StockToOm TO
The railroad.