The San Francisco call., 1910-08-24
GREAT SHIP CANAL
W|LLC0STM MILLION
Richrnonds Natural Deep
Water Frontage Being
Added To by Dredg-
ing Three Miles Of
Channels

RICHMOND, Aug. 23.-The ship canal
now under construction here will cost
about s1,0O0,000 when completed and
will be one of the most perfect har-
bors in the world.
1t will lead into and from an entirely
land locked harbor, being protected
from the wind, which sometimes causes
the smaller craft trouble in the open
bay
One hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars has already been spent toward the
completion of this ideal water front.
and the Point Richmond Canal and
Land Company promises to continue
this work until the canal is absolutely
finished
When this is accomplished the canal
will be 80 feet deep, one mile and a
half long and 900 feet wide. This will
give a docking capacity of over three
miles and will allow vessels of the
largest type to load and unload at the
wharves on it's sides. Rails can be
brought to these wharves and goods
transported from ship to freight car
without the handling of trucking and
lightering. This last mentioned hand
ling is no small expense and doing
away with it in Richmond is an item
of great Importance.
At present in the canal is the dredger
Oakland, working "a hours day. This
dredger is the largest machine of Its
kind on the Pacific coast, having a
horsepower rating of 1000 The mud
and water pours out Of pipe % inches
In diameter, at the rate or 3o,Oo0 gal
Ions a minute.
The developing of this canal will
give Richmond three miles additional
of deep water front and will put 1t in
the very heart of the city, where rail-
roads can load without trouble and
wagons will have but short hauls TO
the merchants. Many factories will be
located along this canal before it's COM
pletion. and the products therefrom
NAV be transferred to other places at
the, very smallest possible cost to the
manufacturer
The Shaw Harrison engine company
| is at present shipping gas engines,
manufa ctured for the local market for
the farmers and ranchers of the San
I JOAQUIN valley, by way of this canal.
The Richmond canal. as projected,
lis really not a canal at all. but is in
| the nature of an inner harbor. The
! idea is to bring the bay of San Fran
| cisco in behind the hills and up in the
city This will make 1t the same as
| the Chicago river is TO Chicago, or the
! Oakland estuary Is TO Oakland, but it
does not affect the original deep water
| frontage, of which Richmond has Il
| miles and which is the cause of Rich
| mond's existence. 1t was this deep
water front which attracted the Santa
Fe railroad. the Standard oil company
| the California wine association, the
| Arctic oil company, the Porcelain COM
| pany and, in fact, all of the large in
| dustries which are now established in
Richmond.
| The value of this splendid water
| front can not be overestimated, and the
inner harbor, which will be connected
and be a part of the canal offers a
/ safe harbor for small craft, river
! boats, lumber schooners. engaging in
/ bay. river and coastwise trade, as well
! as larger vessels engaging in foreign.
/ The people of Richmond have the
| right spirit for while God made the
! location and the deep water, man made
Richmond, and as history repeats itself
| a great manufacturing city must lie
on the mainland side of this, the great
| est bay in the world.
The people of Richmond seem to
| realize that the opening of the Panama
canal will be wonderful factor toward
! developing trade with the orient and
| are determined to take advantage of
| this opportunity, of being in a position
| to ship goods manufactured not only
! in the east but also In the west directly
| from their own water front. and they
feel that it is going to be a great bene-
| fit by furnishing Richmond with an
| inner harbor, as we'll as the natural
harbor which has always been in ex-
| istence, but undeveloped until the rail-
road connected with 1t.