The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1916-09-29
MUNICIPAL DOCKS At
JACKSONVILLE ARE
NEARLY COMPLETED

WEAKLY COMPLE lED
Jacksonville, Fla, September 81.
The Board of Port Commits
sioners of the Port Of Jackson
vile have just made the an
nouncement that the most mod
ern and up-to-date facilities for
handling commerce to and from
all parts of the world, which have
been under construction for the
past two years, are now ready for
business. 1t will be remembered
that the citizens of Jacksonville
through its Board of Trade Sc
cured a special session of the leg
islature, bearing the entire ex-
pense of same, which passed acts
authorizing the city to issue
bonds to the amount of one and a
half million dollars for the pur-
pose of acquiring site and con
structing docks, belt line, cotton
and merchandise warehouses,
congresses, etc. At the subse-
quent election the vote For
Bonds" carried by an overwhelm-
ing majority of the large vote
cast, and later the bonds were
sold at splendid premium.
Fifteen Of the most prominent
business men in the city were
elected as Port Commissioners
to eXpend the money and con
struct the docks under their SUI
peryiSion. Competent engineers
were, employed and the first pill
ing was driven in October, 1914.
The site purchased is located on
the river front on Talleyrand
Avenue, three and three-sevenths
miles from the City Hall, with
full riparian rights to the thirty
loot deep water channel from the
city to the seas, now being dredg-
ed by the U. S. Engineers, with
a minimum depth at the present
time of 20 feet. One mile of wat
er frontage for the accommoda-
ton of steamers at bulkheads and
piers has been secured. At the
present time there is docking
space for fourteen average sized
freight steamers, with three-quar-
tiers of a square mile of thirty
loot depth anchorage in front of
the docks in a magnificent land
locked harbor of safety. Two
piers each 100 feet in length by
260 feet in width are ready for
business. One is an open pier
for handling lumber, rosin, tur-
pentine, ties and other commodi-.
ties not injured by the weather,
and the other has two immense
steel warehouses 800 feet long by
q feet wide. Both piers are pay
ed with vitrihed brick set in ce-
ment, and have plenty of railroad
tracks connecting with the Mu-
nicipal belt railroad. All piers,
warehouses, yards and cotton
storage and compress buildings
are equipped with modern fire
fighting appliances connected
with powerful fire pumps and
with water from an ever
flowing artesian we'll with flow
of two and half million gallons
per day. One reservoir concrete
tank has capacity of 100000
gallons and another tank elevat-
ed 100 feet has a capacity of So,
600 gllons. AS a result of the
complete fire protection afforded
the insurance rates on goods stor-
ed in the reinforced concrete cot
ton warehouses are the very low
est than can be obtained. The
Port Commission has Just issued
its Tariff No. |, effective Septem-
Der LIST, showing very reasonable
rates for storage and handling.
Copies of this tariff can be obtain
ed OF the General Manager on re-
quest.
The total acreage comprising
the terminals is IA, of which
about 80 acres is land reclaimed
from the river. The right of way
for the belt line operated by the
city leads to a section Of the city
where it connects with the Sea-
board Air Line, Atlantic Coast
Line, Southern Railway, Georgia
Southern & Florida East Coast
Railway. The Commission owns