The sun., 1918-07-24
NEW YORK;S INADEQUATE AND CON.
CESTED FREIGHT FACILITIES
Comprehensive Scheme for the
Modern Requirements.

structive factor in our country's de-
lvelopment?
| Perhaps the management OF some
railroads may have been unprincipled,
but 1t is poor policy to starve the
COW that supplies us with sustenance
because 1t strays from its pasture.
The piers on the East and North
rivers and the adjoining streets OF
| West, South and Front are a confused
mass Of struggling humanity, horses.
automobiles mixed with profanity,
Most Of New York's piers should
be widened and extended and provided
with a shed the full length and an
electric freight track on each side.
Each shed should be equipped with
half portal electric or roof cranes
every 100 feet, similar to those used
at Liverpool.
These dock sheds should be divided.
part for freight ready to load and
space for cargo to be discharged The
electric cranes will load or discharge
directly from ships to shed or freight
car on the dock, eliminating expensive
handling by longshoremen with hand
trucks.
Before a ship arrives freight shipped
! by coast steamers or barges throu1h
the canal for reshipment or export
may lie alongside the piers and the
| cargo may be hoisted and swung over
the railroad tracks into the sheds by
the electric cranes.
Speaking of barges, 1t Is pathetic
that the waterways OF the United
States, second to none. have fallen into
disuse. Special rates should cover all
water inland shipments. sufficiently
| profitable to induce shipbuildinR Of
this kind and low enough to encourage
the routing Of merchandise and
freight which does not require Quick
railroad service.
The present antiQuated buildings
on West street to Washington and
South to Front should be displaced
with modern warehouses, equipped
with large elevators capable Of carry
ing a loaded freight car and ramp.
to enable a motor truck to enter from
the street and unload or load on any
floor.
Front and West streets should be
closed for vehicle traffic and used
exclusively for electric freight tracks,
These warehouses would be desig-
rated by numbers and sufficient space
assigned to accumulate freight orig
mating in New York for shipment in
carload lots.
Holyoke. Mass. for example, would
be represented by Floor "B" Ware
house 81. and all freight for Hol-
yoke originating in New York city
trucked there and freight from piers
for the same destination brought
from the various docks by electric
freight cars and unloaded in the
same place. AS soon as sufficient
freight has been accumulated to mako
solid car. it would be loaded on
the floor, lowered to the street by
elevator and taken to the nearest
New York. New Haven and Hartford
freight yard to be assembled with
other cars for the same division.
Where there Is not sufficient freight
for small towns. they would be con-
veniently grouped together to elimi-
nate the unnecessary expense Of hand
ling less than carload lots at transfer
stations.
New York can never develop in the
unless something more than store
delivery" is offered. There has been
too much sectional and ignorant pretu-
dice displayed when Improvements for
New York have been suggested. Every
dollar invested increasing the ports
capacity will pay dividends IN Chicago,
st. Louis and in far ALASKA. Our city
Is the eastern portal of the United
States and to neglect it is a foolish
rs the members which. in the old
fable, warred against the belly. New
York exports jumped from Sl,792Qlo-
900 in 1915 to s2,s9s ,0O0, 900 in 1911.
baltimore from $lS4, 100000 to S377,-
900 900.
II We expect to maintain our pre-
tige, with ability to grasp the higEc..
foreign trade opportunity that ever f.
to the lot of man, in the name of l.X-
celsior. merchants p ID bankers Of y \.
York wake up anu demand that ~ 3"
fair city is supplied with mod
equipment necessary TO assume va
| is rightfully hers and sufficient n,
gin for abnormal conditions anu
normal growth KNICKERBoCKE:
New YORK. July 20.
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