The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-10-16


OF recruiting is now going on.
loaded in Beaumont for the Orient and
for the United Kingdom and continent
tai ports. while very large proportion
Of the total of the tank ship commerce
is coastwise. In addition to the docks
Of the Magnolia company. the Gulf
Export and Transportation company,
operating ships on regular sailing
schedules to Mexican ports, has pri-
vately owned docks, where lumber and
other heavy cargoes are handled This
company, With others using the port,
utilize the municipal terminals for gen.
eraI cargo purposes, berthing larger
ships there. All of the waterfront Is
served by the belt-line railway con-
nections. partly municipality owned
"The marine business OF the port Of
Beaumont has grown by leaps and
bounds from the date of its inception
The war added to the volume, rather
than decreasing it, for here was ex-
ported much of the lumber and timber
used by the allied nations, and here
and at other ports of the Sabine dis
trict was handled a tremendous guam
THY of the fuel oils required by the
American and allied navies. An enor-
nous trade was built up with Mexico
during the war. ships operating from
Beaumont maintaining during that
period the sole regular gulf service to
Tampico, Vera Cruz and Tuxpam, and
that trade has since been further i'm
creased by the accession of other lines
than the. original Gulf Export service.
Within the past year trade has been
built UP with the West Indies, and this
Is showing the same tendency to con-
slant increase as was the case with
the Mexican export business. Lumber,
rice and general merchandise cargoea
are handled regularly to the West In
dian ports, while oil well machinery,
automobiles, heavy hardware and gen.
eral merchandise constitute the major
tonnage to Mexico.
Beaumont has been built up as
port along natural lines The World
war brought the shipbuilding industry
to the port. and though, as was the
case with other points on the gulf
coast the building of the wooden ship
was but temporary industry. there
has remained the necessity for maintc-
nance Of a big drydocking and repair
plant, which Is plentifully supplied
with business at all times. This plant
of the Beaumont Shipbuilding & Dry
Dock company handles repair work on
both steel and wooden ships and can
dock any vessel that can come up the
waterway. In the city also are a
number If foundries and machine
shops. boiler plants and similar indus
tries catering to marine service needs
manufacturer of oil well machinery in
Beaumont is a large enterprise of It.
self. and makes the city a particularly
advantageous point of export OF such
equipment.
"As has been said hitherto Beau
mont Is not satisfied with the show
ing made, remarkable though It has
been. There are In the city men Of
large vision, who thoroughly appreci-
ate the value of its waterway. These
men-among the number the members
of the wharf and dock commission
are determined that port expansion
shall 60 on until Beaumont can afford
adequate accommodations to all bust
ness offered They have already Sc
cured approval Of the engineers OF the
war department for the project of
deepening the channel to 80 feet, mean
low tide, from the turning basin all
the way to the gulf and the navIga-
ton district already has 100000 In
hand as nucleus for this work when
congress shall finally approve the en-
gineerss recommendations. which carry
an appropriation Of $4,000. Compre-
hensive plans already made call for the
addition of eight warehouse units on
the docks, wherein may be accumu-
lated cargoes of cotton as well as Of
other commodities. with the building
OF dock units sufficient to allow for
the berthing Of eight or more vessels
alongside railway tracks at one time.
A bond issue of half a million dollars
has already heen voted by the people
to finance these expansions. proceeds
Of which are expected to be available
within q short time. Current revenues
will permit of logical additions, though
additional bond monies viii be asked
for as work progresses. The city al
ready has three units OF 500 feet each
in use. but the purpose IS to add five
or six additional units to this, utilizing