The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-23
On Terminals
Report by Committee of Engineers Appointed by
Mississippi Valley Terminal League
No. z

minal cost. (d1 To extend the benefits
of the cheaper water rates.
Encouragement Of River Traffic
| Public terminals create water-borne
tonnage. The floating wharfboats
used as river terminals by many OF
| the operating boat lines are only ter
minals for wagon-delivered freight,
which Is limited to certain cOmmod-
! tiles, and restricted in its develop
ment of river tonnage.
Railroad connected river termin-
ais, on the other hand, connect the
boats with the rail system Of the
country and bring carload freight to
the boat lines, offering unlimited de-
velopment.
"Provision of Warehouse Space for
Boats and Shippers.-The modern
city owned terminal warehouse gives
protection to the shipper; permits, if
properly located, an easy haul to and
from warehouse and at any time con-
venient to shipper, giving the shipper
means OF profiting from the cheap
er water rates without inconvenience
to himself.
"Public Terminals Insure Low Ter
minal Cost to the Boat Lines.-Only
the public can provide adequate river
terminals as only the public has
complete control over all of the fea-
lures comprising river terminals,
such as location, wharfage charges
and leases, switching service and
switching rates.
"Only the public can afford to
build modern substantial river ter
ninals in view of the future gain in
commerce. And the substantially
built terminal insures lowest main
tenance cost. Provision for mechan-
ical freight handling is essential as
railroad connected river terminal,
and only the public can make these
provisions insuring the boat lines a
low handling cost.
Extension of Benefits Of the Cheap
er Water Rates-Economica public
terminals are essential for short wat
er hauls and of equally good value to
long water hauls, inasmuch as wat
ter-borne freight must bear the ex-
pense of loading and unloading.
"The handling expense and ter
minal cost, whatever it may be, must
come out of the water rate; and as
water rates are lower than rail rates,
the water haul must be sufficiently
long to save enough out of the trans
,portation, maintenance and overhead
cost to pay this double terminal hand
ling
1.-The lower the terminal cost the
less must be set aside for terminal
handling and the shorter the distance
over which the lower water rates can
be applied. And although long water
hauls can pay higher terminal cost
than short water hau1s, any saving in
terminal expense is Of equally good
value to the long water hauls, and
can be applied eventually in lower
water rates.
"Chapter l.-River terminals may
be classified according to the charac-
ter of service to be rendered, such as
passenger terminals, freight ter
minals and their variations. They
may also be classified according to
the annual tonnage it is expected to
move over them. A division into such
classifications makes easier the dis
cussion of their several requirements
and their limitations; their advant-
ages and their disadvantages.
"a passenger terminal is well illus
trated by the purely passenger fer
ries and excursion boats. They may
vary from the slips and end discharge
from one or from several docks at
the same time through piers and
lateral discharge to the ordinary levee
with snubbing posts or rings and
gang plank discharge, with shelter