New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-12
LOSS TO PORT PREDICTED
Pier Decision a Blow, Says
Steamship Official.

When it became known yesterday that
| the Secretary Of War had denied the APP
| plication Of the steamship companies for
pier extension in the North River, julius
p. Meyer, of the Hamburg American Line,
which is most directly affected by the re-
fusal said
! We have heard from Washington that
/ the Secretary OF War has denied orr
| application for temporary pier extension
| but we understand that the matter has
! been referred again TO the army engineers
\ 10 arrange for permanent piers capable
| OF receiving the big ships.
! The Hamburg-American Lines new
| steamship Imperator. the biggest mer-
,'chantman in the world-9l9 feet long-is
/ due here from Hamburg in May. Mr.
J Never was asked If the refusal OF pier
| extension would prevent the departure
| Of the leviathan from Hamburg. He said
! he might be able 10 make a statement
about the Imperator after he had the
| official refusal from the War Department
which is expected from Washington to-
| day.
| The North German Lloyd Line, which,
/ with the Hamburg Amerioan, the Hol-
| land-American and the Scandinavian
/ american llleS, occupy DIdCtlCblIy all tDe
steamship pier and dock space on the
/ HOboken shore, showed no concern over
| the refusal of pier extension. 1t was said
at the company's Office yesterday that the
| line had ample room at its piers in Ho-
! bOken to accommodate its biggest ship
| now building
I'VE have piers in Hoboken now" said
Mr.. Won Helmolt, the American repre-
sentative of the line, ito accommodate a
ship 9Oj feet long. We don't contemplate
building a vessel longer than that just
now, so we are not disturbed over the
refusal OF pier extension"
The piers mentioned by Mr.. Won Helmolt
could practically take the Imperator now
with 15-foot extension.
! p. A. S. Franklin. vice-president and
general manager OF the international
Mercantile Marine Company, whose per-
sistent efforts brought about the tenn
porary grant for a 100-foot extension n
year ago for the Olympic and the Titanic
said the report of she Secretary of War
seemed to indicate that the steamship
companies probably would be denied the
/ privilege Of proper terminals at this port.
! Mr.. Franklin said he understood that the
matter would be referred TO the Joint az
visory commissions appointed by New
York and New Jersey for the improve
ment He said the refusal of the War
| Department would mean a loss of millions
of dollars to this port. He could not I'M
derstand, he said, why the government
should spend vast sums for the Panama
| Canal, which would help make New YORK
greater port than II is, and then with
hold proper terminals for the big steam
ship lines.
The White Star Line will have had little
benefit from it's temporary pier extension
granted for year. The temporary extern
sion. which expires in June 1913, was
made TO accommodate the Olympic and
| the Titanic The Titanic went to the
bottom on her maiden trip and the
! Olympic, tied up for months by strikes
and for repairs due to mishaps, never
occupied the extended pier for its full
time. She was Withdrawn from the ser
vice about two months ago, and will not
arrive here again until April 9 OF next
year.
which will not require pier extension until
the early part of 1914, were no more con-
cerned over the action yesterday than was
the North German Lloyd. The statement
made by the line a year ago about going
to New London was reiterated yesterday.
New London is a logical terminal"
said a representative OF the company,
and we will go there with the Aquitania
when she comes out in 1914 II the port OF
New York by that time has not made con-
venient and adequate facilities for dock
| ing her"