South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-04-20
AWAKEN To CALL
OF NEW MARINE
Half-forgotten Ports Will be
Restored to Former
High Estate.

The rehabilitation Of the Ameri-
can Merchant Marine will not only
send American ships into commerce
upon the seven seas but will restore
to their former nigh estate many
Of the new half-forgotten ports OF
the great seaboard of the nation.
Portland, New Bedford, Glouces-
ter, Marblehead. Bath, Rockland,
Thomaston, New London, still pos
sess the natural advantages that
made their names as familiar 10
seafaring men in the days of the
Yankee clipper ships as are New
York, Boston, Baltimore, Norfolk.
Philadelphia, New Orleans, Calves
ton and san Francisco to the pre-
sent generation.
Some Of these old ports, which
once shrived and prospered through
I their overseas trade, together with
| dozens of others, perhaps never
/ known TO fame, already feel the
| quickening influence Of the new
/ birth of our merchant navy upon
the seas. All possess deep, shelter
ed water and form gateways TO i'm
1 pOrtant industrial or manufacturing
regions.
There is no nation so bountifully
blessed with natural harbor pros
poets as the United States. It's
$1,000 miles of coast line, washed
by the waters of the clustering At
lantic, the placid Gulf OF Mexico ant
the lazy rollers of the Pacific. j.
serrated with. landIocked bays and
broad estuaries that offer safe har.
Dor for ships of all classes.
The British Isles, lacking most OF
these natural ADVANTAGES. are never
theless bound round with Gordon oil
ports and harbors. Virtually every
dent in the rugged coast Of these
islands has been utilized for the &C
comm odation of the ships Of haI
| merchant fleet. and all these port;
and harbors serve their purpose il
| the complex but smooth-runnine
| machinery of Great Britain's over
| seas trade.
What Great Britain has done il
the upbuilding OF the port and har
Dor facilities of the British isles tho
United states Will do in meeting tn,
| demands OF her rapidly expanding
| overseas merchant marine and al
ready the Port and Harbor Facilitie:
/ commission of the United State:
shipping board has listed II ports
! and harbors on our coasts capable
] of accommodating vessels of 5,0OC
I lightweight tons.
I ,1f,f Of 4 ha m.
and harbors now listed and CLASH
\ fed, and others that may be located
/ in the future at advantageous points
! will depend upon development OF
! harbor facilities. such as dredging
| operations and the building of piers
| docks, warehouses, elevators ant
termini of railway lines, and will bt
largely in the hands of citizens, cor
porations and individuals interested
in such port or hdrbor.
The ports and harbors now hste,
with the shipping board as pos
Il sessing facilities for overseas trad
are divided into four classes. Their
are "a in Class A, 10 in Glass y, 2
in Glass G and eight in Glass ID. Il
the latter class are listed Bahi'
Honda and St. Josephs bay in Flor
ida: san Pablo bay in California
Coos bay in Oregon, and Grays mar
Dor, Willapa bay, Port Gamble an,
Port Madison in Washington-neN
! names, surely, to the average citi
: zen VINO believes himself we'll pOste,
in the sec graphy and commercia
! history of his country.
Among the 'comc-b backs of tn
old days of the maritime glory O
! she nation may be mentioned Alex
andria, Va. a few miles down tn
Potomac river from washington
Alexandria once ranked as city an
port of Importance, but is now al
most forgotten as ever having bee
the haunt OF sailor men 1t finds
, place in Class c and again ma
c know the departed activities of al
rivals and sailings of vessels in over
seas commerce.