The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-09-26

| Ownership. -- The striking fact
about Philadelphia Is the ownership
of the frontage. The city owns less
than 4 per cent of the developed
Delaware river frontage. ana us
iboldings are mainly narrow ana
practically unavailable street ends.
The CITY has 10 general piers on
the Delaware. which Is the import
ant frontage. out of over 5000
feet owned By the city on that river
only 400 are not leased. IL also
owns 3 ferry piers on the Delaware.
ON the Schuylkill II owns about g.
| gOO feet out Of about $4,000.
The railroad holdings are very
large or nearly seven miles OF the
most highly developed part OF the
delaware river frontage. railroads
own over as per cent ana occupy
! still more. On the Schuylkill they
own about $500 feet. All but one
of the transatlantic steamship lines
use the railroad terminals. Coast
and river lines own. lease, or occupy
about Is piers. There is consider
able active frontage controlled by
industrial concerns.
The attitude OF the railroads as to
their frontage holdings has been
highly exclusive and adverse to gen
eral water traffic. Railroads, as a
rule. refuse any use OF their piers
for freight not going over their par
ticular lines and oppose independent
llighterage Thus. lighters can not
come TO n railroad pier TO get freight
for independent water or rail lines.
The results are important. In view
of the extensive railroad control OF
water terminals. Most OF the intra-
harbor transfers. therefore. are by
railway switching or by drayage.
thus reducing the coordination by
water. Another result Is that there
Is almost no pier room for indie
pendent or tramp vessels.
The Philadelphia situation has
Hong been one OF almost complete
absence Of public control Of the
water terminals and OF dominance
OF water terminals by railroads. az
fecting unfayorably general water
traffic as distinguished from exclu-
sive water lines affiliated with rail-
roads.
Baltimore is also one OF the So
called Atlantic portals" (Boston.
New York. Philadelphia and Balti-
morel. IL Is a river harbor. closely
connected. however. with Chesa-
peake Bay. II has a very large
Through transatlantic traffic. giving
II an important commercial" fune-
ton. aud has also n very consider
able Industrial use.
Its organization Is rather above
the average. There is considerable
separation OF the two prime func'
tons.
| Ownership the entire harbol
frontage. the city nov owns ? pei
Icent. the railroads II per cent. ans
other private interests "a per cent
In the last division there Is con
siderable frontage occupied by In
dustrial concerns. notably chemical
ice. and fertilizer companies. Their
are two or three large dock compa
MES. with considerable holdings. an,
with a number of wharves. some o
them with rail connections.
After the great fire OF 1904 III
city entered upon an active municl
lpal wharf policy under the directio
OF the harhoT commission. aided b
ltHt NulUN Mt'tlAft AONlMANrElOIs n
plans called for the construction O
six large piers and certain additions
, bulkhead frontage. and the widenin
OF adjacent streets. Up 10 1871
there had been expended In the az
lquisitiOn OF water front. In widenin
: streets and In construction of pier
, about s6.5O6.OO0. Five OF thes
/, lpiers have been completed. AppaI
emily four OF these have been lease
, 10 private parties for terms OF Art
, years each. Tho city holdings. apaI
, from this new municipal pier sys
tenn. are much scattered. There ar
, at least three open piers.
! Much OF the Norfolk clty-owne
!, frontage Is under practically per
n petual leases. at low rates. 20 rail
= roads. water lines. and industrlall
Railroads and steamship lines con
/ troll a very large proportion OF IN
2 Norfolk frontage. the Seaboard Al
Line owns the greater part OF IN
I Wharf frontage az Portsmouth. Their
I is a marked insuficiency OF indie
lpendent wharf front There Is n
open public pier az Norfolk
q As a rule there r. very little mu
nic.pal ownership OF water front 4
q these ports. At Portland. Me. IN
! water front is all private. about one
, half OF Il owned by railroads. A
l Bangor the frontage Is nineteenth
lpriyate. and much OF II railroai
holdings At Providence the de
yeloped frontage IS practically al
private. with very large railroai
/, frontage. and many OF the wharye
occupied by Industrial concerns
There are no open" piers. A larg
proportion of the best harbor front
age OF the ports OF Long Islam,
Sound is owned or controlled by tn
, New York. New Haven and Hartford
Railroad company. largely through
is subsidiary rail and water lines.
Il At New LonGon, conn. there 4
practically no city frontage. most 0
il being under railroad control. Mos
of the important New Haven front
age Is railroad-owned. and this 4
even more true of Bridgeport. Conn
On the Hudson river, the Alban,
frontage is chiefly private, much o
L railroad. At Troy, n. Y, the cit!
owns only narrow street ends; thu
rest is mainly Industrial. The Hud
son river frontage in general, at tn,
chief cities, is mainly private. beinl
largely held by steamship lines, rail
roads, and industrials. The front
age OF Burlington. on Lake Cham
plain, Is nearly all railroad. A
H.. ~