The Washington times., 1915-11-26
Avalanche Of Freight for Export
Causes Serious Lack Of
Provisions.
$4,000 CARS CHOKE YARDS
Five Times More Ships Are
Needed to Relieve Conges.
ton at Piers.

NEW YORK. Nov. s-rhe land and
water transportation routes leading
into New York are facing the greatest
freight congestion known IN their his
tory.
The situation Is so serious that n
New York should he visited with even
so brief a blizzard as the one of the
late winter OF 1914 the city would come
nearer to a food famine than II ever
has before.
An avalanche of freight for expor.
is pouring into New Yorks terminals
and piers Consequently. the suppl
of staple foodstufts for local customers
Is at a low point.
The chief cause OF this condition NJ
affairs is the enormous growth OF the
export trade of the United States, on
which has been piled up a growing
domestic business that gives promise
of outdoing all records.
When the United states undertook
to furnish food. clothing, and military.
supplies to the governments Of Europe
at the outbreak Of the war this coun-
try became something like a huge 'rri-
eating system. with New York ar tho
dam and it's docks as the sideways
through which the waters OF our COM
merce could be distributed into the
subsidiary channels OF ocean-going
ships.
All Sections Send Goods.
From New England mills. from
Pennsylvania factories. from plants in
| the Middle West and South. manufac-
tured goods began to flow as brooks.
streams. and rivers OF freight into
the eastbound railway systems Of the
country. On top of this came the
natural products Of the country.
wheat and citrus fruits from the
West. lumber and a thousand and one
things to feed and shelter Europes
war busy peoples.
The port Of New York had to serve
as the great dam behind which all
these products were to be impounded
before being turned into the subsi-
diary channels. The docks were the
sluices through which this enormous
mass OF export material must be pass
ed down into the holds OF waiting
ships SO many ships came to carry
goods away there was no room Tor
them, the freight began to pile up on
lwharves and terminals and freisht
cars began to lengthen their lines on
sidings until tho present climax came
Needs For Ships.
| A, the pre.ent time there Is five times
as much freight ready for export IN the
port Of New York as tho waiting ships
can take. In and around the city there
are $1,000 freight cars standing. which
is twice as many as the amount OF
freight car shortage reported for the
rest OF the country.
| Wherever one goes around the Water-
front Of Manhattan, Brooklyn. JERSEY
| CITY, Hoboken and Staten Island there
Is the same picture. repeated over ano
over again. OF lot OF pysmies to,i,ns
away at removing mountains OF frelght
on which they seem 10 make no i'm
preston whatever. And conditions are
so bad that traffic managsrs are ask. ask.
ing for all kinds OF extensions or time
for delivering local freight
German Docks Are Idle.
broken journey northward through
n the freight terminals make this pano-
= impressive. Passing backward and for
n ward across the ferries. the enormous
y amount Of traffic going on in the North
& river was noticeable, the only blank
h spot in all this maritime activity being
n along the Hamburg American and
g North German Lloyds piers. where IN
o termed ships are lying r.,, IDLE ..-..,
freight. trucks. cxasperated drivers.
and traffic policemen t., trying .,,.x tS kees q;
/. The upper West Side ct Msnhattans
j. river front has two evidences OF tne me
d crowded condition OF the A naroo: ,I,.r: aps aps
~ twn nu, y" Hamburg American liners tied UT
a at a pier there for the hrst time "
lie history, the compaIy .raoI1sr narlhs fS SocII,
1t to rent the space to line OF neutra
" ships that can carry cargo to Euror'
n which the German-owned boats can
IN not. p,,. -,+e,
N front The mass OF freight and truck
n seems quite as bad as along Mes
,s street. while the confusion OF rive
as crS,s Grirr n the fact that there ar
~ more occangoing ships berthed alon
:" the Brookland waterfront than ever pe
fore. there is an G"trapronsr rarrants T., mum an
bcr OF lighters and carnoats IN an
''o over on the Manhattan side Of IN
East River there was swarm OF ~ ~
i cTaf, in front Of tho Ward line pier
RAJ looked as if some terrific storl
had thrown the tugs. barges an
lighters there In inextricable conf"S". @
All sorts Of exnedients have PEE
10 relieve this situation. Including eu
barrocs on castbound goods from IN
ITO far and middle West, and the nkhe ,
W. | charges for cars held in New >ork 'e'
an minaIs longer than fifteen days
rS; Ocean Carriers Required.
hn Put no ono knowsl whether the la
ha named cxrcdicnt will help the situat'o
20 much. while the mention OF the ""I
,S' embargo in connection with freist
H. movements raises objections by sh'i
,h- pcrs and RAILWAYS.
be Only one cure lo' '''' H,,I,g ir
'' the mort OF New York at once OF ~,
rid times as many empty ships as are ne
"" now. And with present Condl'lons
at the ocean carrying trade 'ha' F''''
IL euro il Impossible, ~
So long as the present enormous
mort and domestic business eNtsts, W. ~
ng, so long viii the freight cohsen,m
tor around New York continue I" '''""
ln - L