PORT OF

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JANUARY, 1965

SERVINGAMERICA’SHEARTLAHDAnd,,,We’re on the,Job Every Day!Is it true what they say about Houston?

Yes! The sun does shine most ofthe time!

To tell the truth, we do have a bit of fogthat may shut down the port for a fewhours, but such an event is such a rarityit rates page one in the Houstonnewspapers.

The Port of Houston is blessed. Theweather is grand and this man-made portis fifty miles inland -- safe and securefrom the wrath of the hurricanes.

Come to see us]

PORT OF HOUSTON OFFICES AREAS NEAR AS YOUR TELEPHONE

HOUSTONGeorge W. AltvaterGeneral Sales ManagerJohn R. WeilerDistrict Sales ManagerC. A. RousserDistrict Sales Representative1519 Capitol Ave.Telephone CA 5-0671

NEW YORK CITYEdward P. MooreDistrict Sales ManagerFrank WardAssistant Sales Manager25 BroadwayPhone BOwling Green 9-7747

CHICAGOHume HendersonDistrict Sales ManagerBoard of Trade BuildingTelephone WEbster 9-6228

Always Specify Via The

PORT OFHousrI~oNPride of the Gulf

2PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

MANCHESTEROffers You ijiiiiiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiL <i

At The

HOUSTON

If you have shipping that needs fast, economical loading or

unloading facilities, you’ll save time and money by using

Manchester Terminal. Here it is easy for ships, trucks and

rail cars to load and unload cargo with no delay.

¯ Concrete wharves

¯ Two-story transit sheds

¯ High-density cotton compresses

¯ Automatic sprinkler system

¯ Large outdoor storage area

¯ Rapid truck loading and unloading

¯ Modern handling methods and equipment

For complete cargo handling service, use Manchester Terminal.

Manchester TerminalP. O. Box 52278Houston, Texas 77052

CorporationGeneral Office: CA 7-3296Wharf Office: WA 6-9631

JANUARY, 19653

we usingwalkie-talkiesto give you evenfaster fueling!Your fueling instructions are radioed instantly fromthe Humble terminal to pipeline crews on the docks¯This innovation at Port Houston is a logical develop-ment in Humble’s continuing effort to give the verybest bunkering service possible¯ In practically every in-stance we can have fuel moving from our pipeline intoyour vessel’s tanks within a few minutes after receivingyour fueling schedule- and this can be done regard-less of weather conditions¯

For the fastest delivery of the "World’s First Choice"fuels and lubricants specify Humble.

HUMBLEOIL & REFINING COMPANY

¯ . . AMERICA’S LEADING ENERGY COMPANY

South Africa?

DIRECT... FAST¯ .. DEPENDABLE SERVICE TO BUILD BETTER

BUSINESS FOR SHIPPERS AND CONSIGNEESRegular Sailings from Houston, Galveston, NewOrleans, Charleston, Baltimore,Philadelphia and New York.Direct to Capetown, Port Elizabeth, East London,Durban, Lourenco Marques and Beira.AGENTS AT: Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, S. C., Cleevland, Detroit,Jacksonville, Fla., Los Angeles, Newport News, Norfolk, PanamaCity, Pensacola, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Savannah,

Seattle, Tampa, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, B. C.GULF AGENT: Hansen & Tidemann, Inc.Corpus Christi, Dallas, Galveston, Houston, Memphis, Mobile,New Orleans, Sabine District.

South African Marine Corporation (N. Y.)17 Battery Place ¯ DI 4-8940 ¯ New York 4, N. Y.

CHICAGO OFFICE: 327 South La Salle Street

TO MAJOR WORLD MARKETSAmerican Flag Ship Service

CONTINENTAL EUROPEMEDITERRANEAN " UNITED KINGDOM

INDIA - PAKISTANALSO, PACIFIC COAST TO FAR EAST

WATERMANSTEAMSHIP CORPORATION

GENERAL OFFICES: MOBILE, ALABAMA

HOUSTON: COTTON EXCHANGE BUILDINGBranches in Other Principle Cities

...... i

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

SERVICES FROM HOUSTONand other Gulf ports

INDIA SERVICEKarachi ¯ Bombay ̄ Colombo ̄ Madras

Calcutta E RangoonAlso calls Mediterranean and Red Sea ports

PERSIAN GULF SERVICEDammam ¯ Kuwait ̄ Basrah E Khorramshahr

Bandar Shahpour ̄ Abadan ̄ BahreinAlso calls Mediterranean and Red Sea ports

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SERVICE*Honoluru ̄ Port Alien ¯ Nawiliwili

Hilo ¯ Kahului¯ lsthmian.Matson Joint Service

World Wide Cargo Services fromAll Coasts of the United States

Intercoastal Services

I Baltimore

FresnoBeaumont GalvestonBetween Gulf and B ...... ille Houston

Pacific Ports Bo~olo Long BeachCalexico Los AngelesChicago MemphisFrom Pacific Lumber Cleveland Mobile

Ports to Atlantic Ports Dallas New Orl ....Detroit New York

NorforkPhiladelphiaPortland, Ore.San FranciscoSeattleSt. LouisTampaWashington, D. C.

BERTH AGENT¯

COTTONEXCHANGEBLDG., HOUSTON

JANUARY, 19655

ESTABLISHED 1905

FERN LINE .................... GULF/FAR EASTNOPAL LINE ........... GULF/EAST COAST SOUTH AMERICAHAMBURG AMERICAN LINE ........ GULF/CONTINENTAL EUROPENORTH GERMAN LLOYD LINE ...... GULF/CONTINENTAL EUROPEOZEAN/STINNES LINES ......... GULF/CONTINENTAL EUROPESIDARMA LINE .................. GULF/MEDITERRANEAN

MAMENIC LINE GULF/WEST COAST, EAST COAST CENTRALAMERICA

EAMSHIP AGENTS O’ BROKERS~V~6TH FLOOR WORLD TRADE CENTER

HOUSTON, TEXAS PHONE CA 2-9961

REPRESENTING

SCIDA STEAM NAVIGATION CO., LTD ............. GULF/INDIA

OZEAN/STINNES LINES .SOUTH ATLANTIC/CONTINENTAL EUROPE

BARBER MIDDLE EAST LINE .......... GULF/MIDDLE EAST

L. SMIT & CO.’s ........... INTERNATIONAL TOWING SERVICE

SMIT-LLOYD, N.V ................. SUPPLY BOAT SERVICE

C. CLAUSEN STEAMSHIP CO., LTD. LIVESTOCK CHARTER SERVICE

HOUSTON ¯ NEW ORLEANS ¯ GALVESTONBEAUMONT ¯ MOBILE ¯ BROWNSVILLECORPUS CHRISTI ¯ MEMPHIS ¯ DALLAS

CABLE ADDRESS: BIEHL, HOUSTON ¯ TELEX 077-412 ¯ TWX 1172

~one of the U. S. GULF PORTS

brought closer to world markets by

Lykes 6 World Trade Routes with regularlyscheduled sailings between U. S. GULF PORTS

and the world -

U. K. Line Africa Line

Continent Line Caribbean LineMediterranean Line Orient Line

Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., Inc.

Offices at: NEW ORLEANS, HOUSTON, GALVESTON, NEW YORK, Beaumont,Brownsville, Chicago, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Kansas City, Lake Charles,Memphis, Mobile, Port Arthur, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, D. C.OFFICES AND AGENTS IN PRINCIPAL WORLD PORTS.

Dalton Steamship CorporationSHIP AGENTS AND OPERATORS

TERMINAL OPERATORS AND STEVEDORES

Agents for

BOOMERANG CARGO LINE

COLDEMAR LINE ¯ CONCORDIA LINE

N.Y.K. LINE ¯ POLISH OCEAN LINE ¯ ]UGOLINIJA LINE

Seventh Floor, WORLD TRADE BLDG.HOUSTON 2, TEXAS

Cables "DALSHIP" ¯ Teletype 713-571-1421-1422 ¯ Telephone CA8-866110 LINES

Offices in GALVESTON, BEAUMONT, PORT ARTHUR, DALLAS, NEW ORLEANS, MEMPHIS,MOBILE and NEW YORK

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE6

PORT OFHOUSTON

Official PublicationOf the Harris County Houston Ship Channel Navigation District

Volume 7

Directory Of OfficialsFOR THE

Port of HoustonPORT COMMISSIONERS

HOWARD TELLEPSEN, ChairmanW. N. BLANTON, Vice ChairmanR. H. PRUETTE. H. HENDERSONW. D. HADEN H

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTJ. P. TURNER, General ManagerVERNON BAILEY, Assistant General ManagerJ. L. LOCKETT, JR., CounselSAMUEL B. BRUCE, AuditorTRAVIS SMITH, Engineer and Planning ManagerRICHARD LEACH, Chic/ EngineerROBERT W. ROBINSON, Accounts ManagerKENNETH W. STEPHENS, Personnel Manager

and World Trade Bldg. Mgr.T. E. WHATLEY, Administrative AssistantVINCENT D. WILLIAMS, Administrative

Assistant

PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENTLLOYD GREaORY, Director o/ln/ormationTED SUMERLIN, Editor o! MagazineVAtI6HN M. BRYANT, Director o/

International Relations

SALES DEPARTMENTGEORCE W. ALTVATER, General Sales ManagerEDWARD P. MOORE, District Sales ManagerFRANK WARD, Assistant

25 Broadway, New York, N.Y.HOME A. HENDERSON, District Sales Manager

Board of Trade Building, Chicago, Ill.JOHN R. WEILER, District Sales ManagerC. A. ROUSSER, JR., District Sales

Representative1519 Capitol, Houston

OPERATIONS DEPARTMENTC. E. BULLOCK, Operations ManagerT. H. SrlERWOOD, Manager o/Grain ElevatorJ. R. CURTIS, Terminal ManagerWALLACE J. STAGNER, Manager-Storage

WarehousesCABL L. SHUPTRINE. Chic] Security OfficerW. E. REDMON, Maintenance Superintendent

WORLD TRADE CENTEREDWARD J. FAY, Director

EXECUTIVE OFFICES1519 Capitol Avenue at Crawford Street

Telephone CApitol 5-0671P. O. Box 2562, Houston, Texas 77001

JANUARY, 1965

January, 1965 No. 1

One Day In The Life of A Pilot .......

Bremen: The Key City ..................

News In Views ................................

Veteran Railroad Man Bosses Port Terminal ...................

The Houston Port Bureau Reports ..............

Houston-Based Humble Oil Fleet Is 50 Years Old ............

Houston Steamship Agents ................

Port of Houston Shipping Directory .......................

Sailing Schedule of General Cargo Ships ..................

8

11

14

15

16

17

30

31

32

THE COVERJim Rankin shot this month’s cover from a helicopter hovering over the new

ESSO HOUSTON as it came up the Houston Ship Channel. For more about thisship and the entire Humble Oil Company fleet see Page 17.

The PORT OF HOUSTON Magazine is pub-lished monthly and distributed free to mari-time, industrial and transportation interests inthe United States and foreign countries. Itspurpose is to inform shippers and others inter.ested in the Port of Houston of its develop-ment, facilities, plans and accomplishments.

This publication is not copyrighted and per-

mission is given for the reproduction or useof any material, provided credit is given tothe Port of Houston.

Additional information or extra copies ofthis magazine may be obtained by writingThe Port of Houston Magazine, 3005 Louisi-ana Street, Houston, Texas 77006.

He Tells His Family Good Bye . . .

ONE DAYIn The Life Of A

PILOTBy CARL D. BOND

International Relations Representative

"Pilot for the KRISTINA" were the magic words thatcaused the guard at tile terminal gate to relax and wave thecar down to the waiting vessel. For without the pilot aboard,no ship can move in tile Houston Ship Channel.

Even as he approached the wharf, Captain Zane Skinnerwas sizing up the Norwegian tanker lying at the Hess Ter-minal mooring. A word and a waw" to his wife as she droveoff, and Pilot Skinner headed up the gangway where the mateawaited him.

With him he carried the small travel bag that is almost thebadge of the Port of Houston pilot. It contained three radios,a length of rope, notebooks on the channel and other thingsSkinner thought he might need during his time of duty.

Packed in Skinner’s brain, as it is in every member’s brainin the Houston Pilots’ Association, was a complete mentalpicture of the entire length of the Houston Ship Channel anda feeling of how different ships react under all conditions ofload, power, current and wind.

In addition, his radio.s would giw~ him direct contact withtugs and direct bridge-to-bridge contact with other pilots onthe Channel over the new 156.65 megacycle frequency onlyrecently restricted to exclusive navigational safety used bythe Fe~teral Communications Commission. They would alsobring him weather reports, U. S. Coast Guard announcementsand conversations hetween other vessels in the area overmarine band radio frequencies to keep informed of all activi-ties that might effect the safety of his ship.

Once aboard the KRISTINA, Captain Skinner went directlyto the bridge. There he pulled out his short range radio andcalled the two tugs standing by, directing them into positionto pull the ship away from the mooring and to swing it aroundin the Channel. A series of orders to the tug captains, to theKRISTINA’s helmsman and to the ship’s mate standing bythe telegraph to the engine room soon had the tanker headeddownstream toward the open Gulf of Mexico.

Helmsman Does The SteeringContrary to popular opinion, the channel pilot never ac-

tually takes the ship’s wheel, himself. The steering is doneby a" helmsman of the vessel’s crew to whom the pilot conveysinstructions as be moves about the bridge in order to see allactivity on the channel and during mooring and turning.

Captain G. P. Valsbaard, ship’s master, had hovered in thebackground during the delicate turning maneuver but as thevessel steadied on course in the Channel, he quietly said, "welldone," and relaxed, knowing his ship was in good hands.

As the ship moved along, Captain Skinner, who had beena sea captain for Lykes Brothers Steamship Company beforebecoming a pilot, and Captain Valsbaard talked about the)orts they had visited around the world and about the ships

¯ . . Directs The Ship’s Departure

Bridge-to-bridge radio communica-tions between ship pilots on the Hous-ton Ship Channel is being explainedto the llarris County Houston ShipChannel Navigation Commission, sit-ting as a Pilot Commission, by Cap-tain Roy Murray, presiding officer o/the Pilot’s Association. Using Citi-zen’s Band Channel ]3, which wasrecently set aside by the Federal Com-munications Commission /or marinenavigational sajety use, the trans-ceivers have a range o/ /our to sixmiles. The Pilot Commission author-ized the local use o/ the equipmentand ,a roundtrip jee o/ $2.50 pervessel.

8PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

¯ . . And He Conns The Vessel/is The Captain Watches

they had seen or sailed. The conversation was punctuated bycourse-change or speed change instructions from Skinner tothe helmsman or to the engine room.

Once Skinner ordered the ship to dead slow as he easedaround a dredge in the channel. Several times he walked overto the whistle to signal his intention to pass other vessels orbarge tows in the channel.

The vessel’s captain had some coffee and cookies sent upto Skinner and between sips Skinner talked about the manysmall but important things a pilot has to watch out for. Windydays and times when the tide runs strong are days that causethe worst problems.

Strong winds can cause barge tows to swing erraticallyacross the Channel. Strong tidal sets can push a deeply ladenvessel around like a toy if not carefully watched.

Small Boats a ProblemThe pilot must be constantly on the alert for small boat

operators. Small outboards will dart out in front of the largevessels or 20-foot sailboats will demand the traditional right-of-way sailing craft have over power vessels, apparently neverrealizing that it often takes a heavily loaded steamer a mile ormore to stop or that the big vessel has to stay in the 400 footchannel and cannot dodge around like a small boat.

About an hour and a half away from the sea-buoy, CaptainSkinner tuned in on 2.738 megacycles with his marine bandradio to monitor calls between the pilot boat waiting offshoreand any incoming ships, and to hear what he could aboutother vessel movements.

Soon the air was filled with the cross talk of the marineworld.

Two tug boat captains agreed on a place to pass in tileIntraeoastal Canal.

JANUARY, 1965

Then a tanker out ill the Gulf of Mexico started calling forthe Houston Pilot Boat, requesting a pilot in about an hour.Captain Skinner listened carefully and smiled when he heardthat he would take the inbonnd ship as soon as he left theKRISTINA.

Back on his short range VHF radio, Captain Skinner startedcalling the pilot boat to make arrangements to be taken offthe KRISTINA. The pilot boat would approach on the bigship’s port side.., the downwind or lee side.

All the while, Skinner kept a sharp lookout as the trafficin small boats and shrimpers increased. Also word came viaradio that another ship would be clearing Galveston Harborabout the same time the KRISTINA would be entering Boli-var Roads, where the Houston, Texas City, and Galvestonchannels meet.

Large ships can pass easily and safely in the Channel, ifthey are handled correctly. Generallv the pilots hold theirvessels in mid-channel until -to the "inexperienced--it looksas if the two ships will crash head on. At the right momentthe ships start swinging to their respective sides of the Chan-nel with the forces generated by the bow waves helping forcethem away from each other.

Hardly do the vessels start to turn when the pilots orderheading to take them back into the center of the Channel.The eombination of rudder action and underwater forcescreated by the ships’ movement holds the two vessels awayfrom each other and the sides of the Channel until they havesafely passed each other.

Accomplishment of the maneuw~r requires shrewd judge-ment on the part of the two pilots, and instant reactions andno second guessing from the ships’ helmsmen.

The ship handling skill of the members of the HoustonPilots Association is shown in the low accident rate on the

Looking over the pilot’s log sheet are Captain C. T. McMains,left, a former presiding officer of the Pilot’s Association andRobert S. Smith, agent for the association.

Channel where dozens of ships, barge tows and other vesselsmeet day after day.

Captain Skinner put his radios back into his bag, askedthe ship’s captain to sign his trip ticket and left the bridge.A seaman lowered Skinner’s bag over the side to a waitingcrewman on the pilot boat moving along side. At the sametime Skinner clambered down the side of the KRISTINA viathe rope or Jacob’s ladder to the upper deck of the pitchingpilot boat.

With Skinner aboard, the pilot boat sheered away fromthe large ship and set course to meet the inbound vessel visi-ble on the horizon. Captain Skinner just had time to gulpdown a couple glasses of milk before he was climbing up theladder of the inbound ship.

Four Thousand Times a YearCaptain Skinner’s round trip voyage oil the Houston Ship

Channel is repeated, with variations, nearly four thousandtimes a year by members of the Houston Pilots Association.The 40 licensed and accredited members of the Associationwork on a rotation basis, taking ships as they come. Normallyeach pilot makes an outbound and an inbound trip, remain-ing on the pilot boat while waiting for an inbound ship.

Pilots are accredited both by the State of Texas and theU. S. Government. They are individuals who can meet rigidrequirements of seamanship in handling ocean-going vesselsand who have gained a thorough knowledge of the HoustonShip Channel. Mostly they are men who have been mastersof ocean vessels or men who have operated large inland ves-sels in the Houston Channel for long periods of time.

Use of a pilot is compulsory in the Houston Ship Channel.All pilots who handle ships in foreign trade belong to theHouston Pilots Association.

Vessels in coastwise tratfic are allowed to use licensed pilotswho arc not members of the Association and some of the oilcompany-owned tankers have masters who have pilot licensesand who bring in their own vessels.

The Houston Pilots’ Association was organized in 1919with 18 members. Membership is increased at the discretionof the Association. Replacement members are added when

10

needed. The Houston Pilots is a voluntary, unincorporatedjoint stock association composed of members elected to mem-bership by existing members.

When a man has qualified for his Federal pilot’s licensehe is eligible to make application for membership in the As-sociation. The prospective pilot must be sponsored by threemember branch pilots. Anyone seeking entrance to the Hous-ton Pilots is subject to examination and approval by the Boardof Pilots Commissioners which consists of the members of theHarris County Houston Navigation and Canal Commissionacting as a Pilot Board.

If accepted by the Pilot Board and by four fifths of thevote of the Pilots Association the prospective pilot serves asa deputy pilot to one of the branch pilots for one year. Underthe state statute authorizing the pilot service each branchpilot is allowed two deputy pilots. Normally there are not overthree or four deputy pilots in service at any one time unlessan expansion in membership is imminent.

Branch Pilot’s ResponsibilityThe branch pilot assumes responsibility for the acts of his

deputy pilot during his year of junior membership. At theend of the year the deputy pilot is eligible to apply to fill anyvacant position in the branch membership.

Pilotage fees are based on the draft of the vessel during eachpassage. Rates for vessels to or from the Gulf of Mexico are$7 per draft foot, for vessels to or from Bolivar Roads, $5per draft foot.

All fees are paid to the Pilots Association with each branchpilot receiving an equal share after operating expenses havebeen met by the Association. Deputy pilots are paid a fixedsalary until they become branch pilots.

The Houston pilots maintain three pilot boats, all equippedwith three separate two-way radios, radar and other naviga-tional aids. One pilot boat is stationed at the offshore channelentrance at all times, except, of course, during hurricanes.

HOUSTON PILOT NO. 3 is a 110 foot vessd with accom-modations for pilots and is the boat that usually stays on sta-tion, coming in only for refitting and refueling. The pilots alsoown a somewhat smaller craft the No. 2. an ex-fishing boatthat is used as a standby.

Pride of the Pilots’ fleet is the two-year-old HOUSTONPILOT NO. 1. Of all aluminum construction, the No. 1 is ahigh speed (27 knot) 55 foot craft that makes the run fromthe pilots’ dock in Galveston out to the bar in about 1,5 min-utes. It was especially designed and buih for the HoustonPilots.

Boats No. 3 and No. 2 have full time cooks aboard and ahot galley stove at all times when they are on station. Boatcrews work 12 hour shifts with changes at 5 a.m. and 3 p.m.The No. 1 is used as a courier for making shift changes andto take pilots to or from the bar when required.

Have Own HeadquartersThe Houston Pilots have their own headquarters building

at 6302 Gulf Freeway with dispatchers on duty at all times.The dispatchers have full two-way radio communication withthe pilot boats and all other marine radio operators.

The Houston Pilots have a reputation for offering the bestpossible service. In 1945, the pilots, on their own volitionbegan offering night piloting service. Now, many steamshipcompanies plan their ship movements at night in order to takeadvantage of daylight hours for cargo handling. The Asso-ciation was among the first to use radio. In addition, theHouston Pilots are active in the Channel Safety Committeethe Propeller Club and the World Trade Association.

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

The busy Port ofBremen looking from

the headquarters of theBremen Warehouse

Company toward thesea. The busy activity

is typical of thishustling, bustling

North German port.

LOOKING FORWARD WITH

ii!,~iii

CONFIDENCE

The ’Key City’ For World TradeIs Preparing For The Future

BY VAUGHN M. BRYANTDirector of International Relations

Bremen, Germany’s oldest harbor town and second largestseaport, is today a thriving, growing city of more than a half-million people and one of the principal port’s in the Port ofHouston’s busy European trade.

While the Port of Houston celebrated its first fifty yearsof progress only two months ago, Bremen has been a busyport for more than 700 years and a trading center since itsfounding 999 years ago.

Situated some 45 miles up the Weser River which flowsinto the North Sea at Bremerhaven, Bremen has ever beenone of Europe’s great handlers of goods. Through it merchan-dise for centuries has flowed to the far corners of the world,and from those far-off ports back to Bremen for widespreadinland distribution.

Key Is The Symbol"Venture and Win" is the motto of this ancient city-state

member of the old Hanse League and today its leaders haveset another standard for themselves--"Master the present toprepare for the future." With it, the coat of arms of a silverkey lying diagonally across a scarlet field seems fitting -aKey City in the flow of goods between Germany and theworld.

Ships with the Key of Bremen on their bow are a familiarsight at the Port of Houston where, among others, vessels of

JANUARY, 1965

the German-based North German Lloyd and Hansa Linesarrive regularly. Actually, more than one fourth of the Ger-man merchant fleet calls Bremen home port and nearly three-fourths of the Bremen merchant fleet is engaged in regularliner services.

These cover 173 overseas routes with more than 340 sail-ings a month in addition to 50 coastal routes with another240 sailings monthly. All told these 223 liner services aremaintained by 288 companies to 422 ports in 81 foreigncountries, Same trades operated jointly by several companies.

Liner Services DominateThough liner services dominate the Port of Bremen’s ship.

ping, tramp sailings account for one fourth of this activity.Also, Bremen’s true international stature as a port is re-flected in the 48 different nations whose ships call regularly.

Although, like Houston, Bremen lies some 45 miles inland,the Port of Bremerhaven on the coast with its world-famedpassenger terminal, is also under the authority of the FreeHanseatic City of Bremen and figures in the totals for whatis known as the Bremen Port Complex.

In Bremen’s world-wide liner services those to the Gulfrank high with 30 sailings per month, or an average of asailing per day, by thirteen liner services. They play asignificant part in Bremen’s handling of some two thrids of

The famed Rathaus or Town Hall, in the market square,built more than 500 years ago and a jewel Flanders Renais-sance architecture. The ornate facade was added between 1609and 1612 by the master mason Luder yon Bentheim. In itsbasement is the famed Rathskellar with one of the world’slinest wine cellars.

tile foreign trade of West Germany, since North America isby far and away Brcmen’s principal foreign trade partner.

Iron and steel products and automobiles, trucks and busesdominate Bremen’s exports to Houston, comprising more than90,000 of the 112,000 tons of cargo shipped, and $30 millionof the $37 million value. On imports, cotton, carbon black,hides and skins and wheat, barley and rye head the list fol-lowed by rice, synthetic rubbers and construction and miningmachinery. These make up 163,000 of tile 210,000 tons ofcargo imported from Houston and $20 million of its $29million value.

Bremcn’s overall trade shows iron and steel products andfertilizers the leading products among its exports while onthe import side cotton, lumber, cellulose, paper, tobacco andfruits and vcgetahles are among the principal items.

Actually, the more than a million balcs of cotton importedannuallv "from some 45 countries make Brcnlen Germany’sleading~eotton port by far and it is also the principal tobaccoport, as well, with the recent dixcrsion of lndoncsian tobaccoshipments to Bremen enhancing that position.

Total transhipments at the Bremen Ports for 1963amounted to 15.1, million tons of which 8.6 million tons wasgeneral cargo and bagged goods. Bulk goods of grain, ore,coal and coke comprised the remainder.

Of this total tonnage, 13.2 million tons was handled at thePort of Bremen. itself with 7.1 million tons of that in general(:argo. At Brcmerhaven 2.2 million tons was transhipped ofwhich 1.5 million tons was gcneral cargo. About 11.000 ships,including coastal craft, called at the Bremen ports duringthis period.

The modern Port of Bremen dates fronl 1888 when itspresent form was established and it has cver since strived toprovide the most modern transhipment facilities available andfast, efficient service at all times. This is a tradition in whichthe Port of Bremen takes great pride.

Port Offers 31 Foot Draft

Since 1888 the Wcser Iliver has becn constantly deepenedto accommodate larger and larger vessels and now offers adraft of 31 feet at flood tide. The general cargo docks, lyingfurthest inland at the City of Bremen, proper, are ownedby the municipality and operated by the Bremen WarehouseCompany on commercial lines.

Along the Weser, from Bremen to Bremcrhaven and thesea, lie groups of docks operated by industrial and tradingeolnpanies whose premises adjoin them, concerned chieflywith the transshipment of ore, oil and lumber. Bremerhaven,itself, is chiefly renowned as a great passenger port, handlingmore than 125,000 passengers yearly or 80 per cent of allsea travellers to and from Germany.

The Bremen City general cargo docks offer 17,000 feet ofwharf and a covered shed area of 270,000 square yards. More

An aerial view of the Bremen docks looking downstreamaud showing the "Weserbanhof" rail yards and other facilitiesof the Port. Across the river in upper center is the dredgingand construction going on for five new docks and completetranshipment facilities.

i!

12PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

than 200 mobile cranes, three 150-ton heavy-lift floatingcranes and more than 300 fork-lift trucks, pallet trucks,outriggers and other special handling equipment make uptheir impressive facilities.

The transit facilities are supplemented by warehouses withsome 200,000 square yards of floorage, Bremen also offersthe most modern grain handling plant on the Continent,which can discharge up to 30,000 tons of grain (1.2 millionbushels) per 24 hours from ship to silo or directly to barge,truck or freight car.

Bremen is essentially a rail port and most of the cargotrans-shipped there is by rail. The German Federal Railroadscarry export and import goods at special rates to providelow-cost connections between Bremen and the industrial cen-ters on the Rhine and Ruhr, in South and Southwest Germanyand in Austria and Switzerland.

Barge traffic also plays a role, however, via the canalizedupper Weser, the Mitteland Canal and the Coastal andDortumund-Ems Canals which link Bremen to the entireEuropean inland waterways system. Also, trucks are playinga role of growing importance in Bremen’s transshipments.

Bremen takes particular pride in its transhipment of railcargo from car to ship or vice versa by what is popularlyknown as the "Bremen System."

Incoming cargo arrives at the huge "Weserbahnhof"freightyard adjoining the docks area and the mixed con-signments are sorted and regrouped according to ports ofdestination, then reloaded on freight cars and shunted di-rectly alongside the proper vessel.

Cargo Docks "Free Port" Area

The tracks along the wharves run under the traveling luff-ing and slewing cranes, which adjoin transit sheds with plat-forms on each side. The general cargo docks are considereda free port area so that customs formalities are eliminateduntil the merchandise is about to be taken inland.

A moving scale mechanical model of this entire operationis one of the impressive sights a visitor views at the head-quarters of the Bremen Warehouse Company. Actual min-iature cargo is moved on and off vessels by tiny mechanicalfigures in a fascinating, effective display of just how the"Bremen System" operates with typical cargo.

Bremen is looking ahead to its need for more dock areaand already on the left, or west, bank of the Weser hasconstruction well underway of five deepwater docks, and thefirst 1600 feet of wharf at one of them is already in use.Construction of the transhipment facilities in the new dockarea will begin this year.

The Old And New Meet

No summary of the historic Port of Bremeu is completewithout mention of the picturesque and thriving city, itself.Called both an "Ancient Town and Modern City," Bremenis indeed both, and its historic market square with the Rathaus,Schutting and famed stautue of Roland are familiar totravelers the world over. Further out, however, a new andmodern residential city has risen to accommodate Bremen’sgrowing population.

¯ Equally modern is the new industrial Bremen which hasrisen from the ruins of World War If air raids. Bremenpitched into the post-war task with typical Bremen vigor andefficiency and has expanded and widened the base of itsindustry so that today more than 100,000 are employed inher industries compared to 40,000 in 1947. Shipbuilding andother heavy industry, production and building account for40 per cent of Bremen’s economic activity, but an equallyhealthy activity of banking, insurance, trade and communi-cations accounts for another 40 per cent to give a soundhalance to the overall economic picture.

JANUARY, 1965

This view of the town center of Bremen in 1574 graphicallydenotes the proud and ancient history of this famed Germanport which has been a world trading crossroads for nearly 1000years. The copper engraving is by Franz Hogenberg.

Hundreds of Volkswagen automobiles await shipment on theBremen docks for Houston and other U.S. ports. Handling200,000 cars a year, Bremen is a leading port in the exportof automobiles, as well as of steel and steel products.

The Bremen grain facility is the most modern on the Conti-nent and can handle direct loading of grain from ship to siloor truck or barge or rail car, moving 30,000 tons of grain per24 hours.

13

J. G. Skaaren, right, manager of the export division ofStran-Steel Corporation, received a Citation of Appreciationfrom tbe U. S. Department of Commerce for participating inthe 1963 International Trade Fairs program. George Mahlerbe,director of the Houston field office, Department of Commerce,presented the award. Stran-Steel, and its subsidiary, MetallicBuilding Co., participated in the Third International TradeFair of Peru, held in IAma. The buildings Stran-Steel built forthe fair served two purposes: to dramatize the use of metalbuildings and to house the products and crafts displays inside.

NEWS

IN VIEWS

AROUND THE

PORT OF HOUSTON

Tile Italian Consul General in New Orleans, Baron FerdinandoQuaranta di San Severino, left, who includes Texas in his terri-tory, visited in Houston recently and met with Mrs. Rose MarieRicbardson, Honorary Vice Consul and Arcbille Arciciacono,trade delegate for Italy in Houston, who are shown with himhere at a reception in his honor at tile World Trade Club.

?

Two ferryboats built by the Todd Shipyards Corporation’sHouston Division for Harris County, Texas, are shown as theygo into service for the toll-free transportation of vehicles at theLynchburg Ferry Landing on the Houston Ship Channel. In tileforeground is the William P. Hobby, flanked by her sister vesseltile Ross S. Sterling. The ferryboats are of all welded steelconstruction and can accommodate two lanes of vehicles oneach side of the 20-foot pilothouse.

All smiles, A. M. Alvarez, left, Nopal Line manager in Hous-ton, John Wilkenson, center, Houston Junior Chamber of(~ommerce, and Captain Sverre Fasmer of the M.V. NOPALREX take part in ceremonies in recognition of the vessel’smaideu voyage to the Port of Houston recently.

14

Arthur J. Fritz, right, president of Arthur J. Fritz & Co.,Custom House Brokers and Freight Forwarders, visited thecompany’s Houston Office on a recent tour of the organizationsten offices. Greg E. Posey, left, company vice president andmanager of the Houston office, confers with Fritz concerning anoffice expansion.

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

No. 56 in a Series Men Who Make The Port Of Houston Hum

Veteran ltailruad ManBusses Purl Terminal

By LLOYD GREGORYInformation Director

With exeeption of three and one half years in the U. S.Marines during World War II, Cecil L. Brown, Port TerminalRailroad Association general manager, has been "railroading"since he was 20.

Mr. Brown served in the South Pacific and was a staffsergeant when discharged. Oddly cnough, he succeeded asgem~ral manager of the PTRA anolher Marine sergeant, stal-wart C. E. (Chuck) Bullock, now operations manager of thePort of Houston.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Brown, Mr. Brown wasborn and reared in DeQuincy, Louisiana, where he playedright emt on two football teams that went to the state cham-pionship semi-finals.

His first job was as a clerk with the Missouri Pacific inDeQuincy. After returning from the war in 1945, Mr. Browntook a brakeman’s job with the Missouri Pacific in DcQuincy.He worked his way up as yard master, assistant train mas-ter, train master, and assistant superintendent, living in LakeCharles, Memphis, St. Louis, and Dupo, Illinois.

Mr. Brown took his present job October 15, 1959.The Port Terminal Railroad Association is made up of

these lines: Missonri Pacific’, Southern Pacific, M K & T.Santa Fe, Fort Worth & Denver, Rock Island, Houston Beltand Terminal.

The P.T.R.A. feeds the booming Port of Houston and themulti-billion dollar industrial complex forever expandingalong the ship channel. It operates over 257 miles of track-agc. of which 140 miles is owned by the Harris CountyHouston Ship Channel Navigation District. and the balanceby private industries.

The P.T.R.A. pays the Navigation District a rental based,,n the valuation of the District’s rail facilities.

Operation of the P.T.R.A. is big business. On any givenday, there will be between 8,500 and 9,000 railway cars onits trackage. Between 1,000 and 1,500 cars are interchangeddaily in its north yard. The Port Terminal Railroad servesboth sides of the channel: on the north to the San JacintoOrdnance Depot; on the south to Barher’s Terminal. It has515 employes, many of them operating personnel.

All members of the Port Commission are on the Board ofControl of the P.T.R.A., with Chairman Howard Tellepscnalso chairman of the Board of Control. Railroad members,,f the board are:

Harry L. Schaeffer, Missouri Pacific; B. S. Sines, SouthernPacific; J. M. Spann, Rock Ishmd; J. W. Terrill. Fort Worth& Denw,r; T. S. Carter, M K & T; Kelley M. ’Fogg, SantaFe; R. H. Anderson. Houston Belt and Terminal.

The brown-eyed, hrown-haired Mr. Brown keeps up withfootball, and finds time for an oc, casional round of golf. Mr.and Mrs. Brown live at 8107 Anacortes. They have three sons:Steve. 19. who made his daddy proud by going into theMarines; Rodney, 18, a senior at" Milby High; and Randolph,1l. a student at Bonner.

The Browns are meml)ers of the First Christian Church. CECIL L. BRO~NJANUARY, 1965

15

GREEN COFFEE IMPORTS continue to climbat Port of Houston toward status of sec-ond-ranking port in the nation on thiscommodity. Overall coffee imports in 1963were 184,014 net tons, exceeding allprevious years, with prospects of claiming

in excess of 200,000 tons in 1964. Com-petitive position of Houston with otherport ranges has been improved with recentrate adjustments to Iowa, Wisconsin, Illi-nois, Indiana and Kansas.

NEW MAXIMUM FREE TIME at the ports willbe investigated by the Interstate Com-merce Commission under I.C.C. Docket54522. The new rule, which became effec-tive December 1 at all United Statesports, placed a restriction of seven daysfree time, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundaysand holidays, on all export cargo movingin any type of rail equipment. The rulealso eliminated the average detention planat the Texas ports. In the various peti-tions filed by shippers and port inter-ests, it was contended that the carriersaction was in violation of the InterstateCommerce act with respect to reasonablerules and regulations and also that car-riers exceeded their prerogative and in-

16

fringed upon authority left only to theCommission by law.

AN I.C.C. HEARING EXAMINER has foundthat an assailed transit tariff applyingon iron and steel pipe for account of OilField Haulers in Texas has not been shownto be unlawful. This case involves a ques-tion on interstate versus intrastate char-acter of hauls from motor carrier storageyards in Texas to ultimate destinationsin the state, wherein the Railroad Commis-sion of Texas alleged that pipe movinginto such storage yards and subsequentlyshipped out to various Texas destinationswas an intrastate movement in character.

A PROPOSED 24 CENT multi-car exportgrain rate from Kansas City to BatonRouge, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Beau-mont and Port Arthur has been cancelled byrespondent railroads, effective November30, and the proceeding (I&S 8120) is dis-missed. The rate was the subject of an in-vestigation and instituted early this yearand has been held under suspension byorder of the Interstate Commerce Commis-sion since that time.

ALLOWANCES TO SHIPPERS paid by railroadsfor trucking cotton to compress points inlieu of rail service, has been found un-lawful by the Interstate Commerce Commis-sion. This was Examiner Dahan’s reportand order, released December 7, in I&S8008. The proceeding has been under in-vestigation since September of last year.

REDUCED PORT CHARGES at Port of Houstonare effective on three commodities. Tinplate, palletized in 3,000 pound units,will be handled across wharves at 7~ centscwt., effective November 4. Carbon Black,palletized in 600 pound units, was reducedto 7~ cents cwt. for handling on November18. Also, on November 4, wharfage chargeson petroleum wax, when received by rail,was reduced to 2 cents cwt. This chargewas already effective on shipments re-ceived by truck. Scheduled to become ef-fective January 5, canned pineapple andpineapple juice will be handled for 7~cents cwt. when palletized in 2,500 poundunits.

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

From

Tankers

To

Super

Tankers

HOUSTON-BASED HUMBLE OIL

FLEET IS FIFTY YEARS OLD

Two giants in ocean transportation,the Humble Oil and Refining Company’s(ESSO) tanker fleet and the Port Houston, are celebrating fiftieth anni-versaries-and each is doing it with abig building program.

Typical of Humble’s construction isthe ESSO HOUSTON, which came tothe Port of Houston on her maiden voy-age in December. The 800-foot longautomated tanker loaded 582,856 bar-rels of petroleum products at Humble’sBaytown Refinery on the Houston ShipChannel.

Only a month before, the Port ofHouston observed its fiftieth anniversaryby starting construction of three ne~Twharves and two transit sbeds at a costof $1.2 million.

Humble’s newest vessel is the first tobe built of a new class designed specifi-cally for the company’s Gulf to EastCoast run. The new ships are expected tocompete favorably with pipelines in car-rying oil products from the Gulf coastproduction centers to the Northeasternconsumers.

JANUARY, 1965

The Humble fleet is the largest pri-vately owned tanker fleet under theAmerican flag. It traces its beginningback to 1914, when Standard Oil of NewJersey put into service a 12,000 tontanker, the JOHN D. dRCIIBOLD,which was named for Jersey’s then pres-ident and later was torpedoed and sunkin World War I.

Today, the Humble tankers range insize from the 66,700 D.W.T. ESSOHOUSTON to one remaining T-2, a16,500 D.W.T. World War II vessel.

Included in tile Humble fleet are theESSO BALTIMORE and the ESSOBOSTON, 48,800 D.W.T. supertankerswhich went into service in 1960. TheESSO BOSTON has a capacity of 409,-500 barrels, and during its first fouryears delivered more than 33 millioni)arrels of crude petroleum and oil prod-ucts from Gulf Coast to East Coast ports.

An equivalent amount of gasolinewould fuel all of the approximately fivemillion passenger cars in New YorkState for about five months. In the samebrief span, the ESSO BOSTON steamed

more than 350,000 milcs, the equivalentof 14 globe-girdling trips.

By way of contrast, the Humble fleet’soldest ship, the T-2 ESSO SCRANTON,has a capacity of only 138,000 barrels.Because of its smaller size and slowerspeed, its annual cargo capacity betweenBaytown and New York City is only 3.2million barrels compared to 11.5 mil-lion barrels for the ESSO BOSTON.

Four of the Humble vessels--theESSO GETTYSBURG, ESSO WASH-INGTON, ESSO JAMESTOWN, andESSO LEXINGTON are fast, modernsupertankers built in 1957 and 1958.

These 37,800 D.W.T. ships are amongthe highest-powered bulk oil carriers inthe world. Their design includes nationaldefense features which make them espe-cially suitable for government service intime of emergency. They can make atrip from Baytown to New York in aboutfour days. Normal cruising speed is 18.3knots.

Included in the Esso fleet are ten ves-sels of the 27,300 D.W.T. class. Thesewere among the first oil carriers to be

17

ii~iii~

First ship in the fleet of Standard Oil of New Jersey was the JOHN D. ARCH-BOLD, above, wbich is shown just before it was launched on January 28, 1914. TileESSO SCRANTON, below, a T-2 type tanker, and the oldest ship in the presentfleet, is tied up at dolphins to discharge a cargo at Tiverton, R.I.

called supertankers, and when they en-tered service in the late 1940’s and early1,950’s they set new standards of econ-omy in operation and crew comfort.

Most of the vessels in this class oper-ate in what is known as "clean service’"

that is, they carry refined productssuch as gasoline, kerosene, home heatingoil. jet fuel, alcohol and solvents.

Two of the vessels, the ESSO BAN-GOR and ESSO HUNTINGTON, areespecially equipped to carry lubricatingoils and petrochemicals and have largedehumidifying systems to keep mois-ture out of their cargo compartments.The ESSO HUNTINGTON has loadedand discharged as many as 31 gradesof lube oils and waxes on a single voy-age.

ESSO ttOI/STON, new queen of the5.2 million barrel cargo capacity Hum-ble fleet, is the largest tanker ever builtin the United States.

In maiden voyage ceremonies atHouston’s Navigation District Wharf No.1 on December 19, Humble BoardChairman Carl Reistle, Jr. called thegiant ESSO HOUSTON a backbone ofthe American domestic oil industry. Hepraised the existing labor harmony thatallowed the automated vessel to be usedin its most efficient and economical way.

Mrs. Reistle, who christened the shipat its launching at Newport News onSeptember 26, 1964,, presented the ship’scompany with two large color photo-graphs of the City of Houston duringthe Port of Houston ceremonies.

The ESSO HOUSTON features themost modcrn of engineering improw’-ments from her bulbous underwater no.-~’to her special 25,470 pound stern an-chor.

Equipment for cargo handling is soeiticient that the vessel can load or un-load 66,700 Ions of petroleum in com-plete safety in less than one day. Belowdeck pump rooms have been eliminatedon the ESSO HOUSTON,. Instead, thefive-story high cargo tanks arc fittedwith deck-mounted steam turbine-driwndeep well pumps. Four 7,000 gallons-per-minute pumps are used for petro-leum and two 1,400 gallons-per-minutepumps are used for special cargoes. Allcargo pumps are fitted with auxiliaryair-driven reciprocating (last gallon"lst rippers.

A completely separate ballast systemp~ rmits ballasting and deballasting whiledischarging and loading, with no riskof product contamination or oil pollu-tion of harbor waters.

The ship is so equipped that all load-ing and unloading operations can becarried on ~ilhout opening the tanksand allowing dangerous vapors to ac-cumulate on deck.

All tanks and lines are internallycoated with Humble’s own Rust-Bar1

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Tied up at Humble Oil’s Baytown Refinery on the Houston Ship Channel isthe ESSO CHESTER, one of the well-known ships in the big fleet.

iil i

191, an inorganic zinc coating for pro-tection of both product and equipment.

The propulsion and machinery com-ponents which drive the ESSO HOUS-TON are the ship’s most outstandingand unique features. The basic conceptof using a single automated boiler, incontrast with the two boih.rs employedon many other ships, is being used forthe first time on an ocean vessel of theESSO HOUSTON’S size.

The ship’s machinery spaces havebeen simplified for the possible opera-tion of the entire plant from a singlecontrol console. Steam for the two-stageturbine of the main propulsion unitcomes from an air encased boiler sup-plying 1~0.000 pounds of steam perhour at normal operating pressure of585 pounds per square inch.

Tile turbine spins a 23-foot, four-bladed, manganese bronze propellerweighing 35 tons.

All the latest navigation equipmenthas been placed aboard the vessel. Shiphandling is simplified by steam drivenwinches on tile mooring lines. The sternanchor will provide all additional safety-factor feature for handling the ship inports that have high speed, dangerouscurrents.

A twelve-station public address talk-hack system provides for intra-ship com-munications. It is particularly usefulduring mooring and unmooring oper-ations.

Crew comfort is of the highest order.Each man aboard ship has his individualcabin. Recreational areas even includea photographic darkroom. Every efforthas been made to give living areas afeeling of warmth through use of colorand simulated wood paneling.

The first ESSO IIOUSTON was builtin 1938 and lost during World War II.Her cargo capacity of 105,415 barrelswas less than one fifth of the presentESSO HOUSTON.

Humble’s fleet is manned by about1050 American seamen and officers. Thecompany’s marine division, headquar-tered in Houston, is headed by GeneralManager Joseph Andreae, who was re-cently appointed to the President’s Marltime Advisory Committee as one of fourmanagement representatives.

In a recent talk to Humble’s MarineDivision personnel, Mr. Andreae citedthe intense eompetiti,,n now existing be-tween pipeline and tanker transporta-tion. He said that Humble’s decision tobuild two new U. S.-flag super-tankersis indicaliw, of the companv’s faith inthe future of tanker transporiation.

"This is lhe best imtication we cangi~e," he said, "that we intend to stayin the tanker business. We still feel thatlankers can be competitive with otherforms of transportation in moving crudeoil and products."

JANUARY, 1965

It was a day for celebration when the ESSO HOUSTON arrived last month atHouston on its maiden voyage. On the speaker’s platform Captain Fred G. Smithis receiving a nmiden voyage plaque from Dan Clinton, president of the HoustonJunior Clmmber of Commerce. To the left is Port Commission Chairman HowardTellepsen and to the right is Port Commissioner E. H. Henderson.

The ESSO HOUSTON, above, is being escorted by tugs to its dock as scores ofwell-wishers wait to greet the new sifip. Typical of the supertankers is ESSOGETTYSBURG, shown on the preceding page, and the ESSO BOSTON, below.

Lykes PlanningBig Sea-Barges

A new way to handle cargo to speedup the movement of ships from port toport, called tile Sea-Barge Service, hasbccn announced by Lykes Bros. Steam-ship Co. Inc. and the U. S. MaritimeAdministration.

A ncw type ~essel is involved whichis dcscribed as a large, double-deckedcarrier suitable for carriagc of com-mercial cargo over long sea passagesin specially designed barges.

In operation lhe Lykes Sea-BargeClipper would service only a minimumnumber of terminal ports, both hereand abroad, being submerged at specialterminals so as to ttoat-nn and float-offtire barge type cargo carriers. Whilethe carrier would steam to its next portthe sea-barges would bc towed to theirtinal destination, thereby separating theocean carrier and warehouse functions.

"The integrated system cffieiencics in

Ship ViaNORDANA

LINEU. S. Gulf/Mediterranean ServiceBARBER STEAMSHIP LINE

GENERAL AGENTS

FUNCN, EDYE & CO.AGENTS NEW ORLEANS

FOWLER & McVITIE, INC.Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi,Brownsville, Port Arthur, Memphis,

Dallas, Beaumont

Raymond G. Auwarter, left, secretary of the Madden Corporation, New York, im-porters of Finnish newsprint, questions Navigation District general sales manager,George Ahvater, about wharf facilities during a recent visit to the Port of Houston.

the Lykes Sea-Barge Service portendreal and substantial redactions in thecombined total cost of transportation inthe foreign trade," said Solon B. Tur-man. ehairlnan of Lykes Bros.. said.

AmericanWarehousesOpen New Offices

A handsoIne concrete-block officebuilding, completely functional in everyrespect, is the new headquarters forAmerican Warehouses, Inc. of Houston.said John I)oggett, president, who de-scribed the 5000 Square foot building asthc latest addition to American’s ware-housing facilities.

Brokers’ offices are. separate from thecompany offices, but both are directly

accessibh’ from the beautiful entrancelobby. In tire center of the building isa large clerical area surrounded by sixprivate offices for American Ware-houses" supervisory personnel. A newl~-inch vacuum-tube svstem has alsobcen ins:tailed ~hich can relay writtenmessages to any shipping area withintire 365,000-square-foot warehouse in amatter of seconds.

RIG FOR OFFSHOREThe Houston 1)ivision of Todd Ship-

yards Corporation recently signed acontract with the Offshore Company,a Houston based international drillingcontractor, for the construction of anoffshore workovcr rig. The new rig isthe first mobile unit specially designedfor marine workoww inwrlving second-ary drilling operations for the repairof existing oil wells.

lmmedia

~ustworthy

r~gs20 PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE