New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-27
RAIL VS.. WATER LINES
Commissioner Smith on Trans
portation Problems.
NEW YORK HARBoR NEEDS
How Existing Conditions Ham
per Business-Some I'M
provements Suggested.

,,-,,,.-,r-,, SEM es--Probably the
r~oatas+ single deterrent 10 water terminal
s.szance in the United States Is TIE presel'
adverse attitude or rail lines toward moe
rendent water traffic in their exclusive con-
troll OF frontage, II refusal or neglect 20
coordinate with general water traflic' anu
IN refusal 10 rro-rate generally With water
lines in through movement Of traffic
This is one OF the conclusions OF Her
bert Knox smith Commissioner of Cor
porations. in the third part Of his report
70 the President on water transportation
in the United States. After an exhaustive
inquiry into the harbor situation Of the
country and an analysis Of conditions, Com
missioner Smith deals with water ter
T1inals and he finds five salient facts re-
s-ardinc them. as follows: That terminals
are as important as channels; that the
harhors Of the country have not fully de-
veloped their terminal frontage nor are
they properly organized or controlled; that
railroads largely control water terminals.
often TO the disadvantage Of general water
traffic thai there is almost no linking I'D
OF the raj ana general water systems at
me waters edge. but rather the opposite
Tendency. and that there is little co-opera-
ton by localities with the federal gov
eminent which improves the channels.
Relating 10 railroad cooperation. Com
missioner Smith says Until this underly-
ing relation OF ran 10 water systems is ad-
Jas1ed on some common sense basis OF. har-
hlonE there Is little hope Of great advance
n water terminal conditions
New York Harbor Conditions.
The report treats in detail of conditions
a The more Important ports and suggests
improvements Of New York Commissioner
smith says in part
New York is. Of course. the most i'm
terminal organism its cornplexity and
CNersltN make II z most interesting study
= - a .eIlllLls. not only Of the important
Y -llh Ia4lr0ddS and OF many Of the leading
ocean steamship lines l,lr Of large num-
Ter 81 coasrwlse lines, and. furthermore, Of
me -rle canal. The CONGESTION of business
Is further complicated BY an enormous vol
l1Le OF local passenger traffic z large PRO
portion Of which. until the recent Con7Dle-
non or tunnel systems; was handled by
-+iiies- thus requiring a considerable pOr-
ton OF the waterfront in The most central
SIN seriously aEEravates the confusion Of
BUSINESS on marginal streets.
The terminal problem at New York is
L-er interesting because Of the adoption
lt NeW York Clty OF a comprehensive pol
10y q municipal ownership. much u7odi-
ed however, py long term leases Of the
The congestion Of traffic AZ present IS ex-
IRENE. especially on Manhattan Island
very defective. except as 10 the rail con-
--1lleC terminals for through traffic. There
= practically no belt railroad, and very
-liLe ran connection between the water
terminals and local industries. Perhaps
the highest terminal development has been
reached IN IRE so-callsc Bush terminals
on he Brooklyn front. This is an impOT-
tsni dock COMPANY, holding % blocks IN
South Brooklyn. with a frontage Of $40
let. with EIers 10 warehouses. q ter
minal railroad with large car yards. spur
tracks on and about the docks and in The
10
cars ana a number Of car floats. II has
excellent mechanical transshipptng equip
rnent, and its entire system Of docks, ware
houses and equipment Is wei co-OTdlnaUe0
with the trunk line railroads It's terminal
railroad connects with the Brooklyn ter
lnlna-s OF about eight or ten railroads and
acts as their terminal agent Most Of its
WARES are leased 10 ocean steamship
lines The cirv is ar the present time build
Ing series OF large docks adjacent 70 the
This absence Of any general rail-water
Uo-0rd ination and the present lack Of or
Eanizsrlon Of the harbOr with respect 70
Its i'm porIanr functions undoubtedly exert
2 deterrent effect on the commerce Of the
port This Is especially true because the
present system necessiuares very large
amount OF rather expensive lnJra-1aT Dor
transfer alo Iellandllng ny llgllefa&e ana
drayage. IN the current phrase, freight
IS brought from the interior TO Jersey City,
stored IN Brooklyn ana shipped from Man
haitian an expensive process which in
wolves great deal OF rehanGlluE and itself
indicates a lack q harbor organization
For z number OF years II has been the
policy Of The city % acquire important por-
tons Of IL waterfront particularly on
Manhattan Island In 1905 r was stated
in a published report that out Of a total
Of 2H piers on Manhattan Island the city
owned ~ AT present G9l9b, taking per
hans the most important section, there are
about $50 uiers from West 70lh street 70
the Battery and thence Up 10 East 42d
street. and OF these the city owns about
- Railroads occupy comparatively
small frontage ia New York "a bout five
snG a third niles. but that part is very
important constituting about "a per cent
The harbor. About ten railroad systems are
located Chere.
Possibilities Of Improvement.
There are many possibilities for improve
rleut IN conditions ar New York One
would lie II removing al least q part q the
commercial use Of the harbor-thst is the
through rra fflc--0 d point away from the
more central district. tl1us relieving the
congestion there and allowing q wider IN
dus-rial use In making such separation
90 is q course. the general rule that the
through terminals are the ones which can
BE- moved since the Industrial traff Is
more directly bound I'd with ire central
economy OF the municipality and much less
cansble q a change Of location.
The State Of New York IN 1893 apuTopTiat-
90 over sI0oG0oea5 for enlargIng the Erie
canal anG construction work Is now in
0rerafiCn Even with this Improvement.
however. transportation by the Erie Canal
VIII depend largely upon the condition Of
SIS terminals al New York and Buffalo and
upon the control OF those terminals. The
canal. as q rival Of parallel railroads. Is
naturally an object Of great interest 70
those roads. and there are strong indica-
-iors that their policy has been 20 suppress
canal traffic ny control Of the terminals
and by influence upon the floating equip
-lenr az vel as by active rate competition