The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-10-18

Cities. two or three thousand miles
away. are being built UP at the ex-
pense of seaport cities. Railroads
care nothing for the success ana
prosperity of any particular city.
Their business is to transport pas
sengers and freight for hire.
YOKE BEGINS TO GALL.
.sThe cities at many of the prin-
cipal seaports have allowed the last
yestige of water front to pass out OF
their hands Now the yoke they nave
thus placed upon their necks has be-
gun to gall the donors Of these priv
ueees. The railroad systems or com
binations have a strange hold upon
the rery arteries of commerce ana
can suck the life blood out OF local
industries. This is the reason some
of the principal cities OF the great
northwest are willing to pay mPst any
price 10 purchase their freedor9 These
cities see they must obtain possession
If the toll gate that opens out upon
the lirnitless commerce of the seas
on the one hand, and upon the great
highways Of inland trade, on the otn-
er.
WHERE IS THE BENEFIT.
pensacola is located on one OF the
most MAGNIFICENT God made bays or
the Gulf Coast, and yet. the city o.
Pensacola Is little more than
stevedoring center. Commerce from
off the seas passes through your por
10 inland cities. Commerce from IN
land sections passes through you
port for points across the seas VIVA
benefit does Pensacola derive iron
this outside of the wages paid Z
stevedores? Pensacola has slept up
on it's rights. You do not reach on
and take hold Of those things within
your grasp. You allow your magni
ficent harbor to lie open to the raw
ages of private interests. You DO nc
develop your natural advantages
You do not safeguard your own IN
terests against combinations from In
outside. without safeguards. you ar
at Che mercy OF outside prey. VIVA
your city requires is a publicly owne
system of docks, served by pubic
w owned belt railroad which will ais
serve every railroad, every depot, ev
cry wharf. and every private facilit.
which. IL developed along moder
lines. will prove the most valuable al
SET owned by the city. and will be
safeguard to every invested intere
within your city.
SEE PRESENT NEEDS.
eft would not be good busine
nolicy to expend money to build =
far In advance of your needs. %
modern wharf, constructed on SUI
mans as will last the longest, al
give the best service for modera
expenditure of money, for nanoii
general cargoes. and one open 90
for handling naval stores ana lur
her. will no doubt. serve your nee
for the next few years. sins
track of belt line, about seven mi
long. connecting the proposed ioe
ton of municipal docks with All
present docks, industries ana "a
.asd. with Goulding, will serve yc
present needs.
al the point where 1t has be
.,grested that a general cargo VIII
he constructed, the distance from
shore to pier head line Is about .,
feet AS this location is at pc
oe land the water is shallow up
,,ithin about six or eight hund
feet Of the pier head line. The 81
low portion can be filled In with
material that comes out of the sr
In excavating them to form the ca
mel alongside of the wharf The en-
mel from the pier head line inl
for a distance of 500 or 500 feet.
he dredsed to so or more feet, and
next 500 or 500 feet can be dred
IN % feet, and the next 500 or
feet inland can be dredged, say
feet. and the balance up to six
eight feet deep. This would pro
room for the berthing of two so
6raft. two 25 IT., two 20 #. fou
10 90 it. draft boats.
COST 100000.
TT is impossible to estimate to
close certainty what the cost Of |
a wharf as this would be. on acc
of the filling in of the material.
excavating the channels. The cos
dredging may vary considerably
account Of material encount'
Roughly. I would place an estil