The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-12-11
PENSACOLA, THE NATURAL DEEP
WATER HARBOR OF THE GULF
Excellent Article by
Pensacola Chamber of Commerce in the
Gulf Ports Magazine.

sacola, the Natural Deep Water Har-
libor of the Gulf" by ]. B. Morrow. in
dustrial commissioner Of the Chamber
Iof Commerce.
The article is profuscly illustrated
the first Illustration a general view OF
Pensacola, showing the waterfront and
export wharves, including the Pensa
cola Shipbuilding company, the Bruce
Dry Dock and the fuel oil station OF
the Texas Oil company; the terminals
land open storage space Of the Gulf,
4 Florida & Alabama railway; the War
ZEN Fish company, the Palafox wharf
owned by E. E. Saunders company;
the Pensacola, st. Andrews and Gulf
steamship wharf; the Tarragona street
wharf of the Louisville & Nashville
/ railroad, and the Commandments wharf
and Muscogee wharf coal tipple, of the
| i. & n. In addition there are several
other pictures Of Pensacola terminals,
and a fine view of the RED Mountain
while being launched at the Pensacola
| ShipbuildinR company's plant.
The purpose of this article is to give
demonstrate facts. and straight-from-
the-shoulder statements and figures
will be relied upon to offer the read
/ ers of Gulf Ports Magazine" a con-
crete idea of the facilities for quick
! and profitable dispatch Of shipping and
the potential industrial advantages of
| Pensacola.
/ The wharves of the City of Pensacola.
cover an area of two and one-third
miles, with a water depth at mean low
tide of from % to 80 feet. In addition
to this there is available two-thirds Of
mile Of wharfage for vessels of light
er draft, with a water depth ranging
from 10 to IS feet. The berthing space
afforded by these wharves gives 16, $50
feet at 30-foot depth; 4,500 feet at 25-
foot depth; 1878 feet at Is to 25-foot
depth; 2,661 feet at 10 to 18-foot depth,
or a total Of seven and four-fifths miles
of berthing area. The trackage on piers
is 90549 1ineal feet, or more than IT
miles,
on these wharves Is provided ware
house space totaling over 100000
square feet, while back of these
wharves and at other points closely as
ISOLATED with the wharves, are addi-
tional warehouse facilities aggregating
$4,000 square feet.
Natural Harbor Advantages.
Pensacola's claim as the Natural
Deep Water Harbor" of the Gulf is
predicated upon fact. Comparisons at
all times are odious, and the people Of
Pensacola feel that whatever compart-
sons are made originate in natural
pride that, among the great gulf ports
her natural harbor advantages stand
out pre- eminently.
That this is borne out by the fact is
evidenced in the following statement:
Within the anchorage area of Pen
sacola there is TIP miles (square) of
water OF a depth of s5 to Sc feet and
10 square miles of water Of a depth
Of 20 feet and over.
A landlocked harbor in which the
commercial fleet of the nation might
easily ride; it's great wharves in the
center of the city, but a scarce eight
miles from the open sea. The entrance
to this magnificent harbor is through
a channel 1000 feet wide with a max
imum of 500 feet width, and depth at
mean low tide Of 80 feet.
Is it necessary to go further to prove
Pensacola's advantages in the matter
Of Deep Harbor' facilities?
Rail Terminal Facilities.
One of the principal features the
ship owner, the exporter and importer
seeks, is the car storage capacity con-
tigous to the wharves. In this Pensa-
cola is fortunate for there is provided
within, and closely associated with the
dock area, storage room for 1900 cars.
Availability of open storage is an
other prime consideration. Again Pen
sacoIa is fortunate, for there is, served
by trackage, etc, 1853, 600 square feet
of open storage or TIA acres, over go
of which is directly contiguous to the
wharves of the city; and there is open
storage for 100000 superficial feet Of
lumber in the shipping and wharf area.
Equipment for Handling Coal.
Pensacola's facilities for export of
coal mad for bunkerage are most ad-
as the following win evidence:
Pensacola has two coal piers, one
owned by the Louisville & Nashville
railroad, and the other by the Gulf,
Florida and Alabama railway.
The Muscogee Wharf.
The L. & n. coal pier is known as the
Muscogee wharf. This coal dock is
2,440 feet long, with width at sea end
OF 14U IGSl. In6f6 are Oh TINS WIdI1
seven railroad tracks, aggregating IL
500 lineal feet, of which five tracks are
on the lower level, and two tracks are
on the upper level Of coal chutes for
handling coal, and four shutes for
handling grain. The arrangement of the
wharf is such tina vessels can take
bunker coal from the upper trestle
while loading a cargo from lower
trestle. This coal chute has a capacity
of 400 tons per hour.
G. F. & A. Pier No. I.
The G. G. & A. pier No. 1 is an cleo
trically operated travelling coal derrick
with two travelling tipples, all coal be-
ing handled over conveyor belt from
three horpers, with capacity Of 600
tons per hour under normal operations.
The AIuscogee wharf and coal dock
has a coal hoist consisting Of 2 - ver-
teal double bucket HOSTS, which
HOSTS they have ten coal chutes oper-
ated from an elevated coal trestle or
wharf. and these can be worked any,
we fe 100 20 2oa tons per hour.
accordi1e 70 the cars These chases