The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-02
Reticence of Commissioners On
Mclaughlin Proposal For
Terminals Yet Unexplained.
OTHER PORT CITIES ACT
Tampa and Jacksonville Have
Provided Means Facilitating
Greater Shipping Business.
GERRY sToDpARD.)


tions are passing resolutions urging
the city commissioners to build muni-
cipal docks, Tampa is going ahead
with plans for the development of a
complete terminal system. The port
commission has already been author
lied to spend sum in excess Of a
million and a half dollars. Gen. w. G.
Black. port engineer for Tampa MAS
completed detail drawings for the
proposed terminal. and these have
been adopted by the port commission.
The plans submitted by General
Black are built around single slip.
$50 feet across, with warehouse on one
side, cold, storage on the other and a
warehouse at the head of the slip.
The slip. a diagonal cut. runs in
from the channel about S25 feet TO a
six-story warehouse which is more
than ESQ feet long by about as feet
wide. Back of this warehouse runs
Thirteenth street
Along the south side of the slip
runs a warehouse, two stories high.
approximately 500 feet long with a
30-foot loading platform. and one rail-
road track alongside in front. Back of
it runs two lines of railroad track and
Mckay street. which becomes Elliott
street with an elbow at Thirteenth.
Lafayette street runs into Thirteenth
about 300 feet further south
On the north side of the slip the
plans call for a coal storage yard $50
feet long by about IS feet wids. Back
of this are six lines of railroad track.
The only use for the west half of the
north 950-foot frontage is a phosphate
elevator space that utilizes about fs9
feet. Into this run two railroad tracks
According TO the plans no provision
have been made for a naval stores
yard, cotton compress. lumber ward.
etc, and these VIII be added.
Jacksonville has built and is optr-
ating municipal docks. and these are
doing so much business that the Sea-
board Airline railroad Tuesday de-
clared an embargo against them TO
give the authorities time in which TO
clear their docks of more than 400
freight cars loaded with goods and
for which ships were awaiting turn
to load.
The Seaboard has more than 100
cars of freight consigned to Cuba and
routed to the municipal docks whicA
the railroad is holding up in the yard
until the congestion is relieved.
In the meantime. Pensacola never
hears Of port commission; her ship
ping facilities are never congested;
her bay is never crowded with ships
awaiting their turn for railway cars.
There has been no Dort Dian worked
out and port improvements have been
made only because of the initiative Of
private concerns. such as the Bruce
Drydocks Co, though the city did
build a wooden wharf suitable for
small boats to land alongside.
Tere should be a port commission
with authority relegated to it by the
state This commission should be
of men who are big enough
TO be successful in their own bust
nesses and who want to see the port
grow. Men who have adopted the at
titude that they have made theirs
and don't care what becomes OF the
future Pensacola" have no place on
the port commission which Pensacola
needs. There are a few men of that
type in Pensacola. Thev are not satis-
fled with riding but they want to drag
their feet.
Citizens of Pensacola voted $40O.-
300 bond issue several wears ago. this
sum TO be used in building municipal
docks connected with a beItline rail-
road. Since the passage of the bond is
sue no other step has been taken by
the city commissioners towards com
pleting the project. Before the recent
election all three commissioners were
open in statements that they were
going to work on the project at once.
This pledge had been made by them
several times previously. but no action
has been taken.
Since the election. the question OF
docks has been raised only
by the offer of Mr.. Mclaughlin OF
tract of land. stone covered and ready
for the erection of docks. TO the city
in fee simple, with the single stipula-
ton that Pensacola build the docks
thereon. The land was appraised by
government engineers at over $500. 900.
The commissioners refused to accept
the offer. merely stating that the tract
1f land was not wanted for that pur-
pose. Another tract of land was sug-
yested by the commissioners to be
purchased by the city of Pensacola
Tor several thousand dollars. This tract
IS unimproved and would have to be
sxcavated and a rock foundation re-
placed instead of the sand before the
base for the wharf and warehouses
could be built.
The Chamber of Commerce and
other organizations recommended that
the Mclaughlin offer be accepted and
the bonds floated at once preparatory
10 beginning the erection of the docks
The recommendation was presented to
the city commissioners with the Nc