The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-30
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Direca~r.
Washington, d. O
A GOVERNMENT FERRY BUSINESS

the versatile old gentleman aSton1Sheo
himself the other day by discovering
that one OF the legacies left him by
the war administration was a full
sized municipal ferry line which hasn't
the remotest connection with any
known function of national govern
ment The ferry line is at Norfolk,
Va, connecting that thriving city with
its jealous sister city, Portsmouth, a
mile away across the Elizabeth river.
Uncle Sam now finds himself. not
only operating this municipal utility,
but doing so at a handsome profit to
himself. Any government enterprise
that actually pays dividends in hard
cash into the treasury is such rare
phenomenon that the Norfolk-Ports-
mouth ferry line is in danger OF be-
coming a congressional pet
The history of how the government
acquired this ferry line. with its fleet
of boats. its passenger terminal sta
tons, ticket chopping machines, and
all the rest, is an entertaining one.
When the United States declared war
a gainst Germany, it seemed as tho
every single agency of the government
which had anything to do with the war,
picked out the lower Chesapeake bay
district as the scene of one or more OF
its most important operations
The navy established its great sup
ply base there and also a mine assem-
bling plant, and it already had the
great portsmouth navy ydEu
The shipping board placed some of its
most important shipbuilding contracts
at Newport News. The supply divi-
sion of the war department located
it's greatest export base at Norfolk.
The ordnance bureau established a
great supply depot there. The Cngi-
neers also located their chief export
depot there. The transportation
service created one Of its chief ports
of embarkation in that district. There
s-T,l Il, L-Il
school, an artillery ira ming camp, and
numerous other war enterprises
The uudirected congestion of war ac-
tivity around the lower Chesapeake
cost the government heavily in money
because of the dislocation OF the local
markets for labor and materials. But
it did more, it put sort strain upon
the public utilities in the cities OF the
district. None OF these utilities felt
the strain more than the ferry line
The Portsmouth navy yard had great
ly expanded. and many of the navy
yard workmen had to use the Terry
and night
Ferry Breakdown Threatened.
The ferry line belonged jointly and
to the city OF Portsmouth and
the county of Norfolk For many years
il had been the practice to lease the
ferry to the private operating COM
pany which bid highest for the privi-
ten years. Before each new lease was
made the city and county would fix
up the equipment, but the lessee, to
make as much money for himself as
possible, would put just as little money
into maintenance and upkeep as he
had to in order to keep the boats run
ming.
In 1918 the ferry threatened to
break down under the load. 1t was
within six months of the time of the
viii IF ha laCSaa'S
the equipment was badly run down.
The rotten old hulls barely stayed
afloat. and the machinery was nearly |
worn out. The government demanded |
went to New York and bought two |
East River ferryboatS, old, but in good |
condition, on the agreement that the 1
sity and county would take them over /
when the lease expired. But the gov
srnment needed still more equipment, |
md the lessee could not supply it. |
rhe government therefore stepped in, |
paid the lessee a small sum in eX- |
change for his anticipated final six
profits, bought the two new
cred into a contrac' with the city
md county to operate the line under
he same rental agreement.
Among tie agencies of the govern
nent at work in the district was the
United States Housing Corporation,
suburbs of Cradock and Truxton to
house navy yard workers This agency
vas organized as a corporation and
vas therefore well fitted to be the
,perating agency for the ferry line.
rhe housing corporation took over
he property on n lease and then pro-
.eeded to spend $1,10o,000 in rehabil-
tating the line 1t junked about half
he old equipment and rebuilt the rest,
md then purchased two more ferry
in New York and whRn If e
hru spending money it had practical
Y a new establishment The old prop
irty had been appraised at $165, 900.
The new was worth more than a mil
ion.
When It leased the ferries the Hous-
ng Corporation put in two young men
o run them-CharIes U. Freund, who
lad been an assistant to the president
f the Housing Corporation, and w.
4. Cooper. the auditor in charge of
he housing operation at Truxton.
rreund went in as manager and
cooper as his assistant and office
A Two-Man Proposition.
When the hurry of war was past,
hese two operators settled down to
heir job with great interest to see if
hey couldn't make the only govern
lent-owned municipal ferry line in
he United States a proposition that
7ou1d not be ashamed to hold up its
cad in the company of other public
tilities privately owned and operated.
They fired most of an diversified
ffice force and, keeping only three
r four clerks, made the enterprise
radically twO-man proposition,
ding most of the overhead work
themselves. They inaugurated num-
rous economies unheard of by the |
Iorfolk ferryboat crews before the
dvent of the government For one
hing. they slightly cut down the
peed of the boats, and in the course
T a year saved hundreds of tons of
GAL They adopted the plan of COM
etitive bidding for orders for all sup
lies Neither of them had often
cen a ferryboat before they took
barge, but now New York ferry OPP
rators visit them and go back home
9TH their heads fnll of ideas.