!/

PVOL,

Houston--The Inland Port

\

SHIP OPERATORS’BARBOUR TERMINALS

Location at the

STRATEGIC POINT ON THE GULFIn that part of the world where industrial leaderspredict the greatest development will take place in thenext 25 years, there is an area that will increase invalue more rapidly than any other. Already forward-

looking shippers and manufacturers arethemselves in this area. They realize that the mostsirable water frontage will soon be in the hands ofand can then be obtained only at exhorbitant

8ARBOUR PROPERTIES THE GATEWAYBefore you consider Barbour Properties study maps of other great harbors. Themore thoroughly you do this, the more you will be convinced that the mostdesirable shipping location on the great Houston Ship Channel is the BarbourTerminals. What is the most valuable terminal property in New York harbor?What is the most valuable terminal property at the harbors of Philadelphia, NewOrleans, San Francisco, Boston, and any number of other great ports? Theinvariable rule is that the most desirable terminal location is at the point wherethe time element is one of the most important considerations, and where theroutes to the open sea are direct and safe.

CONSIDER THE POSITIVEADVANTAGES OF THE BARBOUR PROPERTIES(1) Its location is right at the head of the channel to the Bay, which navigable night and day, the channel being lighted all the way to the sea. The

Some of the Industries in this $200,000,000.00 Area:

Port City Compress Co. Magnolia Petroleum Co. Haden Lime Co.Ralston Purina Co. Lone Star Cmt. Co. o[ Tex. Shell Petroleum Corp.Armour ~Fertilizer WorksAmerican Maid Flour Mills Terminal Compress &Houston Compress Co. Carnegie Steel Co. Warehouse Co.Ship Chan. Compress Co. Manchester Terminal Corp.W.D. HadenThe Texas Co. Sinclair Relining Co. Sun Oil Co.Humble Oil & Refg. Co. Houston Ltg. & Power Co. Clarion Oil Co.Gul~ Ref;ning Co. Crown Ol & Refining Co. R’o Bravo Oil Co.Texas Chem;cal Co. American Petroleum Co. Houston Oil TerminalDeepwater Oil Refineries The Davison Chemical Co. Company

long, tortuous navigating to locations farther inland is saved. The sailing timefrom Barbour Terminals to the open sea is only 21;~ to 3 hours.

(2) The Galveston-Houston and San Antonio (Southern Pacific) Railway oper-ates through the property.

(3) The Port Houston Belt Line Railroad, which is in operation to withinnine miles of the property, connects at Houston with 18 trunk railroad lines.

(4) Concrete highways serve the property from all points.

(5) The property fronts on the Houston Ship Channel on 30 foot depth andwith a bottom width of 250 feet or more from Morgan Point to the Gulf.

(6) When the Intra-Coastal Canal System is completed, the vast transportationsystem of which Houston is the neck of the bottle, will soon be breaking evenmore foreign and domestic commerce records. The BARBOUR TERMINALS,because of its time-saving location, possesses a strategic advantage in relation to theIntra-Coastal transportation system tie-up, which will feed the Houston ShipChannel East and West.

700 ACRES . 26,000 FOOT FRONTAGEThe Barbour Terminals has a frontage on San Jacinto Bay of 14,000 feet, andan additional 12,000 feet of a dredged slip 350 feet in width, with a turningbasin 30 feet deep and 1,000 by 1,500 feet.

For Information, Address

BARBOUR TERMINALS837 FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING, HOUSTON, TEXAS

November, 19Jl HOUSTON PORT AND CITY 1

BEARD & STONEElectric Co., Inc.

HOUSTON WACO DALLAS

Complete Stocks ofAutomobile Supplies For Any

Mal~e Car

GARAGE EQUIPMENT

Phone F- 6191

Houston

DELCO BATTERIES

SOUTH TEXASCOTTON OIL CO.

Head Office, HOUSTON, TEXAS

Cable Address, ’tSoTEXOIL"

Mills at Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Victoria,Valley Mills, Hearne and Taylor, Texas, and Eunice, La.

Refinery at Houston, Texas

Manufacturers and Refiners of

Cotton Seed Products, Vegetable Oils and Fats,Hardened Oils

~’PANcRUST" ’eCRuSTENE" t~MAGNOLIA"

SHORTENING

"PLATO" SALAD OIL

Office and Refinery: 3500 Clark Street

Mill and Ice Plant: 26th and Ashland Streets

Telephone: Capitol 6381

SOUTHERN STEAMSHIP CO.(HOUSTON’S PIONEER STEAMSHIP LINE)

STEAMERS

City of Houston ..... 4,100 Tons Wichita Falls ...... 4,100 TonsCity of Philadelphia .... 4,100 Tons City of Dallas ...... 4,100 TonsSan Antonio ....... 4,100Tons City of Ft. Worth ..... 4,100 Tons

West Texas ....... 4,100 Tons

BETWEEN

SAILING EVERY WEDNESDAYAND SATURDAY FROM PHILADELPHIA, PA. (Pier 46, South Wharves, Foot

of Washington Avenue)

Harvey C. Miller, President ............................................ PhiladelphiaGeo. W. DeLanoy, V. P. and T. M ................................. PhiladelphiaW. B. McKinney, Asst. to President .............................. PhiladelphiaT. A. O’Brien, Gen. Ft. Agt .......................................... PhiladelphiaF. M. Booth, Gen. Agt ................................................ PhiladelphiaJ. M. Shindler, Jr., F. C. A ............................... PhiladelphiaG. L. Wilson, C. A ................................................ PhiladelphiaP. F. Courtney, Agent .............................................. PhiladelphiaPhelps Cree, C. A .......................................................... New YorkKenneth Cree, T. F. A .......................................... New YorkL. I. Coughlin, C. A ........................................................ BostonC E. Spangenburg, D. F. R ............................................ BuffaloR. D. Jones, G. A ..................................... Chicago

H. T. Lindsey, G. A ............................................ HoustonD. D. Karn, Agent ............................................ HoustonH. K. Sherfy, C. A .................................. HoustonW. F. Schwarting, S. F. A ..................... HoustonW. M. Vaughn, C. A .................................................... DallasJ. L. Parker, T. F. A ....................................... DallasC. W. H. Johnston, S. F. A ...................................... DallasE. M. Sones, C. A .............................................. FortWirthG. R. King, T. F. A ......................................... Fort WorthW. A. Bielstein, C. A .................................. San AntonioJ. F. Nash, T. F. A .............................. San AntonioH. P. Buell, T. F. A ..................................... San AntonioV. A. Lamark, D. F. A ....................... Pittsburgh

ANDSAILING EVERY MONDAY H 0 U S T 0 N, T EX A S (From Municipal Dock No. 3, Foot

AND THURSDAY FROM of Seventy-fifth Street)Freight Received for all Points in Arizona, California, Colorado,

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah SouthboundNorthbound to Seaboard Territory Points Except New York City

GENERAL OFFICES: PHILADELPHIA, PA.

2 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 1931

VlNSON ELKINS SWEETON

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

NIELS ESPERSON BUILDING

HQUSTON, TEXAS

& WEEMS

TOSCO LINETosco Steamship Line, Inc.

Established January, 1928

Direct Cross Gulf Weekly ServiceBetween

HOUSTON, TEXASand

NEW ORLEANS, LA.

SAILING FROM

Houston Tuesday NoonNew Orleans Saturday

Evening

ARRIVING AT

New Orleans ThursdayMorning

Houston Monday Morning

Through Billing in Connection With Class A MotorFreight Lines at Houston and Various Water

Connections at New Orleans

ROUTE VIA TOSCO FOR SERVICE ANDECONOMY

OFFICES AT:

Houston, Galveston, Dallas, Waco, San AntonioNew Orleans and Birmingham

COMPLETE

COLD STORAGE FACILITIESIN THE HEART OF HOUSTON

Contiguous to the Local Wholesale Groceryand Produce District

Rates on all Commodities Furnished Promptlyon Application

"J 8 Years in Business"

HOUSTON ICE & COLD STORAGE C0.HOUSTON, TEXAS

REFERENCES:Any Bank or Financial Institution in Houston

"Courleous Service"

CARD G. ELL1OTT S.M. DOLAN

G. F. COTTER SUPPLY CO.

Railway and Industrial Materials and Supplies

Machine Tools, Milling Cutters

Union National Bank Building HOUSTON

November, 1931 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY 3

The

Union NationalBankThe

Union National CompanyHOUSTON, TEXAS

]ESTABLISHED 1827

BAKER, CARVER & MORRELLOF TEXAS, Inc.

.,÷~~+÷.

WHOLESALE MERCHANTSSTEAMSHIP SUPPLIES

"÷÷X÷*’

Cable Address: Bacarmo

3205 Harrisburg BoulevardHOUSTON, TEXAS

GALVESTON, TEXASPORT ARTHUR, TEXAS

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS

WILKENS & BIEHLSteamship Agents

Representing

FERN LINENew Orleans--Galveston--Houston--To

Japan and ChinaLiner Service By Fast Motor Ships

TROSDAL, PLANT & LAFONTAGeneral Agents

NEW ORLEANS, LA.

SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN LINENew Orleans-- Galveston-- Houston- To

Rotterdam, Holland (Direct), and Copenhagenand Baltic Ports

AMERICAN-BALTIC CHARTERING & SHIPPINGCOMPANY, Inc.

General AgentsNEW ORLEANS, LA.

NORTH GERMAN LLOYDDIRECT PASSENGER AND FREIGHT SERVICE

From Houston and GalvestonTo Bremen and Hamburg

OZEAN LINE(Under Management of the North German Lloyd)

DIRECT PASSENGER AND FREIGHT SERVICEFrom Houston and Galveston

To Bremen and Hamburg

UNTERWESER REEDEREIDirect Cargo Service

From Houston ~Galveston~Corpus ChristiTo Bremen and Hamburg

WILKENS & BIEHLHouston--Galveston--Corpus Christi--Dallas--Lake Charles

4 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 1951

Men follow Payrolls ,, ,,¢~ ~ and payrolls follow

the Power Lines

ONE OF THE most vital factors in making cities attractive is electriclity. It makes

men more productive, enables them to earn more. It reduces home drudgery,

and gives their wives more time for pleasure. It helps build prosperity. Hence popula-tion has flowed to centers with dependable power supply.

Now power is reaching out to the smaller places. Suburbs, towns, villages andfarms are being supplied with service that, a few years ago, only the big cities enjoyed.And as that development goes forward, it will have a broad influence on the movementof population--for men follow payrolls and payrolls follow power lines.

HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER COMPANY

SHIPSIDE WAREHOUSEPatrick Transfer & Storage Company

Specializing in General Commodity Storageand Handling

250,000 SQUARE FEET STORAGE SPACE

FIREPROOF REINFORCED CONCRETE WAREHOUSE

v Y~TT ~ VTVV V V ~ ~ ~ ~

Electric ConveyorsLeading To and From

Ships Berth

Usual Handling ChargesApply

No Extra Cost BetweenShips and Warehouse

EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER

LOCATED AT SHIP SIDE

Floor Level 35 Feet Above Mean Low Tide

TRACKAGE CAPACITY 84 CARS

Phone connection to all ships berthed atour dock

Import and ExportShipments Handled

Free or Bonded

P. O. Box 1412

Uptown Phone Preston 0111

Shipside Phone Wayside 1869

November, 1931 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY 5

CHAS. EIKEL.÷~÷.

Ocean Freight Brokerand

Forwarding Agent

Lessee Manchester Wharf

HOUSTON

GALVESTON BEAUMONT CORPUS CHRISTI

VITA FRESH VACUUMPACKED

"Good to the~ast ~Drop "

MAXWELL HOUSEPRODUCTS CO., Inc.

"A Houston industry ~ serving CI’exa~"

INDUSTRIAL SITESon

HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL

A Mileof

Channel Frontbetween

AMERICAN MAID FLOUR MILLand

MANCHESTER TERMINAL

Good Highways, Port Belt Railwayand all Public Conveniences

Available

ATTRACTIVE PRICESto

BONA FIDE INDUSTRIES

X’s indical; about 1500 /eel o/ ..... property. Manc/oe,,t,’r Terminal .... t Dock., a:ljoJn. () ..... ’gie WOULD CONSIDER LEASESteel Plant, Morgan Line Docks with large slip immediately opposife.

For Further Information, Call or Write

MANCHESTER CORPORATION, Owners902 Second National Bank Building HOUSTON, TEXAS Phone Fairfax 7355

6 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 1931

Dredging--Filling--Land

Reclamation--Canals--Port Works

As pioneers in the development of hydraulic dredging, we havebeen identified since 1899 with the largest and most conspicuousworks done in this country to reclaim waste lands and to improvethe navigation of rivers and harbors by this method.

Our years of accumulated experience, and our trained organi-zation are available to any undertaking that involves hydraulicdredging anywhere in the world.

ATLANTIC, GULF & PACIFIC CO.15 Park Row, New York Scanlan Building, Houston

CONTRACTORS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

W. J. KEARNEYPresident

RICHARD R. OLMSTEDVice-President

A. J. SUBERBIELLE, JrS’ec’y.-Treas.

SHIPSIDE CONTRACTING CO.

PERSONALSUPERVISION

CONTRACTING STEVEDORESCAR LOADING

Phone Preston 3841

310 Marine Bank BuildingHOUSTON, TEXAS

ESTIMATESFURNISHED

Cable and Telegraphic" Address ~TERMINAL" Housfon

The Texas Transport & Terminal Company, Inc.REGULAR STEAMSHIP SERVICE TO THE PRINCIPAL PORTS

IN EUROPE AND THE ORIENT

Cotton

Exchange

Building

HOUSTON

Texas

AGENTS:

Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (French Line)Holland-America Line

Navigazione Libera Triestina (N. L. T. Line)Yamashita Shipping Co.

United Ocean Transport Co., Ltd.Armement Deppe

OFFICES:New York, N. Y.Philadelphia, Pa.Baltimore, Md.Savannah, Ga.New Orleans, La.Galveston, TexasHouston, TexasSan Francisco, Cal.Dallas, Texas

November, 1931 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY 7

~~InThe HeartO’ Houston

~,;’,,;: In the heart of downtown Houston,*,,,,- convenient to all places of interest,’2b,’,,I this institution offers you a com-

plete Financial Service.

EspersonBuildingBanking, Trust Inves/mentHome of

Guardian Trust Co. and Real Estate Service

Prompt Service on Real Estate Loans.

Checking and Savings Accounts Solicited

GUARDIAN TRUST CO.Esperson Building Fairfax 5101

Texas GulfSulphurCompany

INCORPORATED

Second National Bank Building

HOUSTON, TEXAS

Your Vessel will be met at the Bar and Piloted to the Port of Houston by

HOUSTON PILOTS

HOUSTON608 Marine Bank Building

¯ ii 1 ii r i , i ii ii i i

PHONE CAPITOL 1424

PILOT No. 1 or No. 2Houston, Texas

8 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 1931

SHELL, Spledge of quality and service

OSimplyas a matter of proper crudes to thegood business, Shell has final inspection of re-established the unvary- fined products, stricting policy of supply- supervision is exercised.ing petroleum products The resources and tech-of the highest quality nical knowledge of thethrough numerous con- Shell organization as-veniently located out- sure you of fuels andlets. lubricants that are cot-From a selection of the rect for every purpose.

SHELL PETROLEUMCORPORATION

Shell Fuel Oil and Shell Diesel Oil are availabh, for bunkerson Hoe Houston Ship Channel and at Galveston

NATURAL

A. F. KATTMANNTENT & AWNING CO.

INCORPORATED

MANUFACTURERS

Tents, Awnings, Pennants, Flags

Sails, Boat Curtains and Covers

WE MAKE ANYTHINGOUT OF CANVAS

GAS.. an added advantage of the HOUSTON SHIPCHANNEL as an INDUSTRIAL LOCATION

In addition to the ’shipping facilities

of a deepwater port, the area along the

Houston Ship Channel has another ad-

vantage for Industry... an abundant

supply of Natural Gas, the clean, effi-

cient, economical fuel.

A dependable supply of Natural Gas

for this area is assured by our inter-

connecting pipeline system which brings

gas from a number of different pro-

ducing fields. That the supply shall

always be adequate to meet the de-

mands is insured by the unified control

of the three most important phases of

Natural Gas service, viz: production,

transmission and distribution.

If you are interested in a location in

this area, our engineering department

will be glad to furnish full details of

our perfect service on this perfect fuel.

HOUSTON GAS & FUEL COMPANYA UNIT of the UNITED GAS SYSTEM

No’vember, 1931 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY9

,, ,,The Port Director s Page ,, ,,A MEASURE Of the magnitude of the business

through the Texas ports was indicated in theMay issue. The tonnage through the several

gateways exceeded 55,000,000 and valued at over$1,360,000,000 for the year 1930.

Included therein is all tonnage: oil, petroleumproducts, grain, cotton and general cargo. In gen-eral, the oil and petroleum products are handledover privately owned and operated facilities. Ingeneral, the grain, cotton and general cargo is han-dled over publicly and privately owned rail-waterterminal facilities, operating under Texas LinesTariff, which fixes the practices of the rail carriers,but, in general, the truck practices are unregulated.

This large volume of trade and the large prop-erties required to adequately handle it offer admin-istrative problems without end. Destructive com-petition can impose on all terminals serious financialburdens unless co-operation is brought to bear onthe intricate and complicated business involved.

In The Galveston News for Sunday, Novem-ber 1, 1931, a news story sets forth alleged con-ditions at Galveston and comparisons made withother ports.

In The Houston Post-Dispatch for October30, 1931, a news article outlines alleged conditionsat Houston and some theories and comments onport practices indulged in.

The tenor of these two reports is critical. Oneconcerns a property, ably managed and self-sus-taining from its operating revenues. The otherconcerns a public property and ship channel, builtand largely operated on a public basis.

Unthinkingly some are prone to criticize un-justly. Among the most critical port communitiesin this country are Charleston, Mobile and Galv-eston. All are desirous of growth. All are the samesize. All well situated. And the tonnages of eachare comparable and in each there are elements dis-satisfied with the port management and blame itfor lack of community growth.

In Charleston and Mobile demands for publicownership were met and as a result a burden hasbeen placed on the taxpayers, which they do notbear with a smile, and at Galveston a privatelymanaged corporation has avoided the necessity ofthese same burdens, which have proved distastefulin the two above mentioned ports. At Houstonthere is a combined industrial, port concentrationand shipping center, which finds its outlet to thesea through the Houston Ship Channel. The pub-licly owned and publicly developed waterway alongwhich many private industries derive great material

benefit, will for all time, serve as the gateway tothe world commerce and the initial investment re-quired to produce it can well be borne by thecommunity.

Supplementing the ship channel are publiclyowned physical facilities, such as railroad, ware-houses, grain elevator and wharf and dock facilities,and for that portion of the Houston tonnage, in-cluding cotton, grain and general cargo, these facil-ities are in direct competition with many privateinvestments, and in administering such a diversifiedproperty, great care must be exercised that over-charges do not prevent movement of cargo andundercharges do not destroy private investments.In inducing concentration of grain to Houston, anexpensive process was necessary, and in attractingthe ships to carry this grain, an augmented andbetter steamship service was made possible, and anyinvestment which may have brought about thesetransportation improvements can well be justified,but once this initial development stage is passed,there can be no reasonable justification for a policywhich causes heavy burdens on the public. Consid-ering wharf and dock properties, there can bejustification for initial investments under whichnew lines, new business and new services are at-tracted to Houston, but there can be no justifica-tion for a direct subsidy from public funds to wellestablished tonnages of cargo moving through theport. These several classes and distinctions demandgreat care in administering, and in this day andtime of specialists in all branches of industry, agreat step forward has been taken in the Texasports by a well-founded effort by the many Texasports’ managements to establish a policy of opera-tion which is based on the knowledge that the flowof tonnage through the Texas ports will continueto grow rapidly for many years and that any bur-den on the public, assessed by lax managements,cannot be justified, and that the only policy is oneof furnishing first-class service on a remunerativebasis, a basis satisfactory to private capital and abasis which removes the necessity of public subsidy.No well established business can possibly object tothe assessment of terminal charges on an out-of-pocket cost or remunerative basis.

10 I-IOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 19J1

THE CAPITAL OF

OILDOM

1

6Money Making Reasons

whyOil Men make Houstontheir Headquarters

HOUSTON IS THE CAPITAL OF OILDOM because it is the center of an oil empirem of a six hundred mile radius, within which is produced one-half of the oil of the world.

In this Kingdom of Oildom are the great oil fields of Texas, Mexico, Oklahoma,

Louisiana, and Arkansas. HOUSTON WILL ALWAYS BE THE OIL CAPITAL OFTHIS RICHEST KINGDOM ON EARTH.

HOUSTON IS ONE OF THE GREATEST OIL REFINING CENTERS IN THEWORLD. Why do refineries locate here? Because pipe lines meet shipping lines hereat seaboard. Converging at Houston are pipe lines from all parts of this Kingdomof Oildom . . . and from beyond the Kingdom, one of the lines coming from far

Wyoming. Up and down the ship channel mammoth refineries are the focal pointswhere pipe lines, ship lines, and rail lines meet.

THIS CAPITAL OF OILDOM IS THE THIRD PORT IN THE NATION IN POINTOF EXPORTS. Naturally, oil refineries are attracted to a port that offers suchfacilities.

AS THE ROMAN ROADS WERE GIANT FINGERS OF TRANSPORTATIONholding together their mighty empire, so in this Kingdom of Oildom there are nineteenrailroads converging at its capital . . . trunk lines comprising one-fourth of all th~railroad mileage of the nation.

THE CAPITAL OF THE KINGDOM OF OILDOM presents its skyline to the worldwith many of its skyscrapers dedicated to the oil industry. Huge cathedrals ofcommerce built by the vast industry that has rocked empires.

b IT IS BUT NATURAL THAT THE LEADING OIL COMPANIES OF THE WORLD

SHOULD LOCATE THEIR MAIN OFFICES AT THIS OIL CAPITAL. That theyhave done so is made manifest by the fact that altogether fifty active oil companieshave their headquarters here. Three of these are actually the world’s largest producersand transporters of oil. Houston, therefore, attracts oil men and oil companies becausethey find it easier to make trade connections, easier to do business, whether buyingor selling, in an oil capital wher;e are found oil money, oil refineries, producing andleasing headquarters . . , in fact, every department where men must go, and do go, totransact oil business.

November, 19J1 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY 11

IT PAYSIN REALDOLLARS to locate in the

CAPITAL OF OILDOM!

When you want to do oil business in Houstonyou will find everything centered in one place.You don’t have to run to another city to seea certain oil company. You don’t have to runto still another city to buy oil field supplies.Everything that an oil man needs to do busi-ness in a money making way is centered here.

Above all, don’t forget that it pays in realdollars to locate in the oil headquarters of theKingdom of Oildom... Houston. By buyingin Houston, you hold the advantage of timeover every competitor when you want tomake a quick deal, and time is the essence inthe oil industry.

Locate your oil business in the Capital of the Kingdom ofOildom . . . the oil capital of the world ......

HOUSTONThe Following Oil Companies Are Sponsors of This Article:

GULF REFINING COMPANYC. Louis KERR, Dist. Mgr.

HARRISON OIL COMPANYDAN J. HARRISON, President

HEEP OIL CORPORATIONHERMAN F. HEEr,, President

CROWN CENTRAL PET. CORP.FRANK C. CLARK, Traffic Mgr.

CLARION OIL COMPANYJ. C. McKALLIP, President

GAYLOR OIL COMPANYWILLIAM C. GAYLOR, President

COCKBURN OIL CORPORATIONHOe, TON C. COCKBURN, President

OKLAHOMA PRODUCTION CO.J. W. COLVIN, President

PHILLIPS PETROLEUM CO.JOHN K. GIBSON, Supt. Terminals

ROBERT BUCKNER MORRISCollector U. S. Cusloms, 22nd Dist.

12 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 1931

| | | | |

PHOTO BY R. M. LUSTERA SECTION OF PUBLIC TERMINALS SHOWING GRAIN ELEVATOR AND LOADING FACILITIES

"Advertising Houston to the World"

USPORT and CITYOFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE PORT COMMISSION

HOUSTON, TEXAS

N

VOLUME NINE NOVEMBER, 1931 NUMBER Two

FOREWORDThrough the cooperation of the shipping and industrial interests of Houston, the Port Commission has been en-

abled to arrange for the publication of this book twice annually.Its purpose is to inform shippers and all others interested in the Port of Houston of its development, charges and

other matters of interest, and inquiries will at all times be welcome.Address the Director of the Port, Court House, Houston, Texas. i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

The Port Director’s Page ................................ 9

Directory of Port Officials ............................. 15

Administration of the Port .............................. 17

Description of the Port ................................. 17

Privately Owned Terminal and Industrial Faciliti’s .......... 22

Public Wharves .................................... 24

Private Wharves ................................. 24

The Houston Chamber of Commerce ..................... 26

The Advantages of Creosoted Timbers ..................... 27

Map--Showing Port of Houston Industrial District ........ 28-29

The Commerce of Seven Seas and Twelve StatesFlows Through Port Houston ...................... 30

Page

Houston Air Port Makes Great hnprovements .............. 31

Pipe Lines Cross Houston Ship Channel .................... 32

The Cement Industry of Houston ........................ 34

Railroad Service at the Port ........................... 37

Houston Is First Texas Port and Third Export Portof the United States ............................ 39

Pilotage ........................................... 41

Tug Boat Tariff for Houston Ship Channel .............. 41

Charges for Mooring and Unmooring ................... 43

Table of Steamship Lines ........................... 44-45

Table of Tanker Lines ............................. 45-48

Rates, Rules and Regulations--Public Wharves .......... 49-56

Index to Advertisements ......................... 48

HOUSTONPORT and CITY

This book is published in May and November of each year under contract and authority of the Navigation and Canal Commission.As the official magazine of the Houston Port Commission, this publication is intended to carry authoritative descriptions, notices

and articles in regard to the activities of the Port Commission and the port development, however the Commissioners cannot be re-sponsible in 811 respects for the contents thereof, or for the opinions of writers to which expression is given.

The publication is distributed free to maritime, transportation and industrial interests in the United States and foreign countries.Additional copies of this publication may be had upon application to the Director of the Port, Courthouse, Houston, Texas, or to

~ny of the advertisers.

14 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 1931

\

\

$..-I

November, 1931 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY lJ

Directory of Port Officials

For the convenience of those wishing to communicate by telephone withvarious harbor interests the following directory is furnished:

Port Officials

DIRECTOR OF THE PORT ................. J. RVSSELL WAITOffice: Courthouse. Telephone Preston 3241

SUPERINTENDENT OF WHARVES ........... J. T. HANWAYOffice: Wharf No. I. Telephone Wayside 3011

SUPT. GRAIN ELEVATOR DEPT ............. GEO. S. COLBYOffice: at Grain Elevator, Wharf 14.

Telephone Wayside 2146

HARBOR PATROL OFFICER .............. L. A. McMtLLIAN78th ~q Avenue "B". Phone Wayside 1608

FIRE BOAT "PORT HOUSTON"Phone Preston 2323 Sta. 21

HOUSTON PORT BUREAU .......... ]. Russell Wait, ManagerOffice: Courthouse, Houston, Texas

I--I. S. CRAWrORD, Asst. Manager ........ Telephone P.3241

T. P. BARTLE, 433 Board of Trade Bldg., Kansas City, Mo.JOHN C. MAYFIELD, Whitehall Bldg., New York, N. Y.

United States ServicesEngineer Officials in Charge of the Construction of the Houslon

Ship Channel:

MAJOR MILO P. Fox,Corps of Engineers, Galveston, District Engineer. Tel 8200

JOHN EHRHARDT, U. S. Junior Engineer,in charge of field office, Houston, Tel. Wayside 1583.

E. S. LANPHIER, Supt., Eighth District,U. S. Lighthouse Department, New Orleans, La.

COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS ................... R. B. MORRISOffice: Federal Building, Galveston, Texas. Telephone 5254Houston Office: Old Postoffice Bldg. Preston 6724

DEPUTY COLLECTOR ...................... G. J. GEYEROffice: Old Postoffice Bldg .... Telephone Capitol 7296

HARBOR OFFICE: Wharf No. 3..Telephone Wayside 5435

BAYTOWN OVFICE, Baytown ............ CHARLES R. Fox

CUSTOM APPRAISER’S STORE .............. H. L. BOWER

Telephone W. 2297

DEPUTY SHIPPING COMMISSIONER ...... H. G. REINHART

Office: Sea Service Bureau ..... Telephone Wayside 5000

SEA SERVICE BUREAU .......... Telephone Wayside 5000Office: 1214 75th Street

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ................ DR. S. H. MOOREOffice: Medical Arts Building Telephone Fairfax 5232 t

WEATHER BUREAUOffice: Post-Dispatch Building Telephone Capitol 6919~

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCEBureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Ernest L. Tutt,

District Manager, Chamber of Commerce BuildingCapitol 6271

UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION SERVICEOld Federal Building. Preston 2426 i

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUREBUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY ........ DR. C. F. PaLs

6th Floor Milam Bldg .......... Telephone Fairfax 5000

PLANT QUARANTINE & CONTROL At)MR.H. C. MTLLENDER, Inspector in chargeOffice: Wharf 3 ............. Telephone Wayside 3435

MiscellaneousHOUSTON PILOTS, Marine Banl~ Bldg. Telephone Capitol 1424

HOUSTON MARITIME COMMITTEE OF T HE COTTONEXCHANGE AND BOARD OF TRADE

]. M. Lylees, Chairman; F. R. Dalzell, SecretaryCotton Exchange Bldg. Preston 5517

SEAMEN’S CHURCH INSTITUTE, U. L. Taylor, Manager75th and Beaumont. Telephone Wayside 2295

Foreign ConsulatesBRITISH: Mr. G. Rees Hughes, Vice Consul

1505 Cotton Exchange Building Preston 9144

CHILE: Mr. T. L. Evans, Consular AgentChamber of Commerce Building Preston 5111

COLOMBIAN: Mr. T. L. Evans, Vice ConsulChamber of Commerce Building Preston 5111

COSTA RICAN: C. A. Miller, Vice-Consul408 First National Banl~ Building Capitol 5811

DOMINICAN: Mr. T. L. Evans, Vice-ConsulChamber of Commerce Building Preston 5111

DENMARK: Edmund Pincoffs, Consul425 Cotton Exchange Building Preston 8191

ECUADOR: T. L. Evans, Vice-ConsulChamber of Commerce Building Preston 5111

FRENCH: G. P. F. ]ouine, Consul1926 Post-Dispatch Building Preston 5600

GUATEMALAN: Mr. T. L. Evans, ConsulChamber of Commerce Building Preston 5111

HAITI: Mr. T. L. Evans, ConsulChamber of Commerce Building Preston 5111

HONDURAS: Mr. T. L. Evans, Vice ConsulChamber of Commerce Building Preston 5111

ITALIAN: Prof. D. Vitale G. Gallina, Vice ConsulI 109 Post-Dispatch Building Capitol 0751

MEXICAN: D. Garza, ConsulStandard Printing Co. Building Fairfax 1700

NICARAGUA: Mr. T. L. Evans, Acting ConsulChamber of Comm’erce Building ........... Preston 5111

NORWAY: Newton Rayzor, ConsulCotton Exchange Building Preston 7571

PANAMA: Leopoldo Castellanos, Consul620 Marine Banl¢ Building Preston 6405

J PERU: Leopoldo CasteUanos, Consul620 Marine Banl~ Building Preston 6405

/ SALVADOR: Mr. T. L. Evans, Acting ConsulChamber of Comm’erce Building ............ Preston 5111

VENEZUELAN: F. Galvan, Consul1406 Cotton Exchange Building Preston 4171

16 ~-IousTON PORT AND CITY No~’:’mber, 1951

DOWNTOWN HOUSTON FROM THE AIR--PHOTO BY SOUTIIW1 ST AIR SERVICES

--PHOTO BY SOUTHWEST AIR SERVICESUPPER EN!) OF I-IOUSTON HARBOR

November, 1951 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY 17

The Port of HoustonAdministration of the Port

T HE Port of Houston is operated by the Navigation and Canal Commission of five members, serving without pay, who are appoint-ed two by the City and two by County Commissioners and the Chairman by the City and County Commissioners in joint session.These Port Commissioners serve for a period of two years, the terms expiring alternate years. Under this Board the affairs are hand-

led by the Director of the Port. The Navigation District includes all of Harris County.The Board controls the commercial activities of the Port and the construction and maintenance of the terminal facilities, and

through co-operation with the Federal Government the construction and improvement of the waterway.The wharves and railroad facilities constructed and operated by the City of Houston in 1915 and 1918 were transferred under a

lease agreement to the Port Commission on October 1st, 1922, for a period of 30 years, the City to be paid the net revenue after opera-tion and maintenance charges were deducted from the gross receipts. All further construction will be under the direction of the Navi-gation District.

Board of CommissionersJ. W. EVANS, Chairman

R. J. CUMMINS, Vice Chairman W.T. CARTER, JR., Vice ChairmanK. E. WOMACK, Commissioner S.P. FARISH, Commissioner

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

H. H. RosE, Chief ClerkJ. T. HANWAY, Supt. WharvesGzo. S. COLBY, Supt. Grain Elevator Dept.

OFFICE--FIFTH FLOOR COURTHOUSE, HOUSTON, TEXAS

J. RUSSELL WAIT, Director of the PortCHARLES CROTTY, Assistant

I). A. SIMMONS, CounselH. L. WASHBURN, Audito~

Description of the Port

LOCATION

The Port of Houston is located in Lat. 29° and 45’ North andLong. 95* 17’ West. The entrance to the Gulf Port is througha tidal channel extending from the Gulf of Mexico through thejetties between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula across Gal-veston Bay, a distance of 25 miles, thence up the San Jacinto Riverthrough low lying marshes and shallow bays to Ly~chburg a dis-tance of 9 miles, then up the historic Buffalo Bayou passing the fa-mous San Jacinto Battleground to the Turning Basin at Houston,a further distance of 16 miles, making a total distance of 50 milesfrom the Harbor to the Gulf. From Galveston Bay to the Turn-ing Basin the natural channel has been deepened, widened andstraightened and the banks from 8 to 30 feet in height offer splen-did locations for industrial development with rail and water con-nection.

ORIGINAL CONDITION

Gah’eston Bay has a natural depth of from 8 to 10 feet andthe San Jacinto River from Morgans Point to Lynchburg wasoriginally about 12 to 14 feet with a width of 400 to 800 feet;the shallow bays along this section are two to six feet in depth andcover an area of about one mile on either side of the channel. Thelow islands and peninsulas are from4 to 10 feet above the meanlow tide. From Lynchburg to the Turning Basin, the naturalstream had a depth of 8 to 16 feet and width of 200 to 400 feetwith banks ranging from 6 to 40 feet in height. The harbor andturning basin is located at the east end of Houston a distance offour miles in an airline from the Courthouse. The light draft ex-tension of the channel up the natural course of the Buffalo Bayouextends from the harbor to :he foot of Main Street vcith a depth of8 to 10 feet and a width of 60 to 100 feet.

PRESENT DEPTHS AND WIDTHS

The Ship Channel now has a uniform depth of thirty feetthroughout its length, barring slight shoals that occur fromtime to time, which are promptly removed by Government dredges.

The width is 250 to 300 feet on the bottom from BolivarRoads to Morgans Point, and 150 to 180 feet on the bottom from

Morgans Point to Turning Basin, all with side slopes of one footvertical to three feet horizontal. Tile Turning Basin has a diameterof 1100 feet, and depth of 30 feet.

THE PORT

Terminal facilities, both public and private, have been locatedat various points along the channel between the Turning Basin andMorgans Point, a’distance of 25 miles, and the entire section issusceptible to development in a large degree for both shipping andindustrial purposes. The soil a’.ong the channel is composed of sandand clay, there being no rock to make construction work expen-sive. The Port of Houston being situated within a few miles ofthe Gulf of Mexico in a natural valley with a gradual slope to thenorth and west and at a point where the great transcontinentalrailroad lines reach east and west across Texas and out to thePacific Coast, and with the other trunk lines extending northward.westward and southwestward in a fan shape to the great agriculturallive stock, mineral and oil producing centers of the great south-west, is most admirably located from a geographical point of viewfor a great industrial center and assembling point for both rawmaterial and manufactured articles.

The climate is most salubrious, the temperature seldom risingabove 90°, or below 30°--hence work of all kinds can be carriedon through the entire year.

CHANNEL CONSTRUCTION

The use of the Houston Ship Channel as a waterway datesback to the early settlement of Texas, sail boats working theirway up the meandering tidewater stream of Buffalo Bayou a~early as 1825; this was later followed in the sixties and seventiesby steam boat traffic; a line having been established at one timeby Commodore Chas. Morgan between Houston and New Yorkusing shallow draft side wheel steamers. However, this type of ves-sel was soon obsolete and as the condition of the stream would norpermit the entry of deep draft ships, the traffic was limited to tugsand barges. Houston being a great concentration point for cottonkept a large fleet of barges busy conveying the cotton from the com-presses and warehouses to shipside in Bolivar Roads and Galveston.

18 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, 1931

By the River and Harbor Act passed by Congress March 3rd,1899, a project for the construction of the Houston Ship Channelto depth of 25 feet was adopted and construction commenced afew years later. However, progress was rather slow and it was notuntil 1910 when the local interests proposed to share with theGovernment half of the cost of the construction and completionof this 25 foot channel that serious and determined efforts weremade to complete it promptly. Congress then appropriated $1,250,-000.00 and the Navigation District comprising Harris County is-sued bonds to the same amount and contracts were let for the en-tire project. This 25 foot channel was completed to full depth andwidth on September 7, 1914.

In 1919 this channel proved inadequate for the traffic de-veloped and Congress approved the project on March 2nd of thatyear for deepening the entire channel to 30 feet and widening itto 250 feet across the bay and 150 feet from Morgans Point tothe Turning Basin. The local interests were asked to contributethe sum of $1,365,000.00 toward the cost of the work, which wasestimated at about $4,000,000. The 30 foot channel was completedin September 1925.

The total expenditures for the construction and maintenanceof the Houston Ship Channel to June 30, 1930, amounts to ap-proximately $15,000,000.00 of which the local interests of HarrisCounty have contributed approximately $3,200,000.00. In additionto the contribution of funds towards the construction of theChannel the Navigation District has furnished all rights-of-wayfor widening the waterway and has purchased suitable dumpingground for deposit of material at a cost of about $1,000,000.00.

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS

The River and Harbor Act approved July 3, 1930, provides forwidening the Ship Channel to 250 feet from Galveston Bay throughMorgan cut and from 150 feet to 200 feet from Morgan cut toBaytown, a distance of five miles, and the further easement ofbends at Lynchburg, Norsworthy, Manchester and Harrisburg, atan estimated cost of $954,000.00.

Funds have been appropriated and bids advertised for thedredging and improvement of the channel, and work will probablybe under way in a few weeks.

EXAMINATION AND SURVEY

The River and Harbor Act approved July 3, 1930, providedfor "Preliminary examination and survey of the Houston ShipChannel with the view of its further improvement to provide forpresent and prospective commerce." In accordance with the aboveauthorization the District Engineer held a public hearing onSeptember 18, at which time the various shipping interests pre-sented their plea for improving the Ship Channel to a full depthof 32 feet throughout and widening from 250 feet to 400 feetacross Galveston Bay and from 150 feet to 250 feet from MorganPoint to Green’s Bayou, a distance of 16 miles, and a furthereasement of bends from this point to the Turning Basin.

The above dimensions were considered necessary to providefor safe navigation day and night and to take care of the rapidlyincreasing traffic of the port.

A report and recommendation will be made by the DistrictEngineer to the Chief of Engineers and by him to Congress.

The Dredge DUPLEX, constructed by the Nashville Bridge Company for the Sternberg Dredging Company of St. Louis, represents a new departure in the dredgingfield, as this dredge combines several features not heretofore embodied in other plants. It is self-propelled and is equipped with a large swinging boom, which canbe used in handling a six yard clam shell bucket, and by placing a ladder on the front with shaft, cutter and suctiont pipe, is then equipped as a hydraulic pipeline dredge with a 24" pump and 22" discharge line.

The mechanical equipment consists of large Diesel engines and electric motors, together with the usual equipment for swinging and for raising spuds, and so on.This plant will begin work at Morgan Point under contract of the Sternberg Dredging Company with the United States Government and will widen the channelfrom 150 to 250 feet through Morgan Cut and 200 feet thence to a point about 4,000 feet above,Baytown, after which it will ease the bends at Lynchburg,Norsworthy, Manchester and Harrisburg, the total contract involving the excavation of about 5,000,000 cubic yards at a cost of about $425,000.00,

November, 1931 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY 19

THE HOUSTON TURNING BASIN AND PUBLIC TERMINAL FACILITIESPHOTO BY SOUTHWEST AIR SERVICES

FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

By an Act of the State Legislature approved by the Governoron March 26, 1927, the State of Texas ceded to the Harris CountyHouston Ship ChanneI Navigation District all the state ownedislands and submerged lands under the shallow lakes and bayslying between Morgans Point and San Jacinto Battle Ground, to-gether with all rights of the State in the main channel and tribu-tary streams, all for the purpose of development of commerce, theState reserving all mineral and oil rights.

This Act makes available a total area of about 11,000 acresof land and water suitable for development into a vast public ter-minal, which fully utilized will provide berthing space for aboutfifteen hundred vessels with necessary sheds, warehouses and rail-way connections.

The Navigation District will develop this as rapidly as need-ed, or will execute long term leases to private parties for industrialor terminal purposes.

PUBLIC TERMINALS

All the terminal facilities around the Turning Basin are undercontrol of the Port Commission and consist of Wharves 1 to 5,7 and 8, 10 to 15 comprising 7401 lineal feet with berthing spacefor 17 vessels.

During 1930 the public grain elevator in rear of WharfNo. 14 was enlarged from a capacity of 1,000,000 bushels to3,500,000 bushels and the ship loading facilities on the water frontextended downstream a distance of 225 feet to provide loadingberths for two large vessels or three smaller ones.

Wharf No. 3 was rearranged to provide for a steel shed35,422 square feet in order to provide space for the north-bound

traffic of the Southern Steamship Lines. The construction of thisshed required the rearrangement of railway tracks and the easementof curve in the main line, adding approximately 26 cars storageat this wharf.

Four miles of additional railway switch tracks were built inthe port yard to take care of urgent needs, especially during thegrain exporting season.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PUBLIC WHARVES

Wharf No. 1--This wharf is 819 feet in length, constructedof creosoted pile with wooden deck served by a concrete warehouse100 by 425 feet in size, together with additional galvanized ironsheds containing approximately 35,000 square feet. This wharf isequipped with cottonseed cake grinding equipment on the eastend. A pipe line for handling crude molasses is also providedon this wharf.

Wharf No. 2--522 feet long, concrete construction, withtransit shed 105x483 feet in size. Two railroad tracks reach theship side. This wharf is used for miscellaneous cargo.

Wharf No. 3--799 feet long, concrete construction, for openstorage and railroad connection. Two tracks reach the ship side. Onthe east end of this wharf there is a galvanized iron transit shedwith approximately 15,140 square feet of storage area. Oil pipelines for loading and discharging vessels and for bunkers are locatedon this wharf.

New steel iron clad transit shed has been constructed at westend of this wharf 400 feet long and 95 feet wide with an area of36,521 square feet.

Wharf No. 4~777 feet long, concrete construction, witha concrete transit shed fi62x100 feet in size. There are three in-

20 HOUSTON PORT AND CITY November, I951

clined conveyors here from ship to shed. No railroad tracks reachthe ship side, but behind the shed are five tracks spanned by atwenty ton electric traveling crane and two trucking bridgesconnecting the transit shed with a concrete warehouse 600x400feet in size, U shape, served with three railroad tracks betweenthe wings and two on the east side. A large inclined travelingconveyor with a capacity of 100 tons per hour has been installedto carry cargo from ship to warehouse in a continuous movement.Portable conveyors and a stacking machine have also been pro-vided to facilitate the movement and placing of freight. This wharfand warehouse are designed for general merchandise.

Wharf No. 5.--104 feet long and 40 feet wide, but with ad-ditional pile clusters, provides a berth for oil tankers to dischargecargo through large pipe lines into the tanks of the Houston OilTerminal Company, located on the top of the hill at southwestcorner of the property, where it is distributed by other pipe linesto the bunkers and into railroad tank cars, for shipment.

Wharf Nos. 7 and 8.--120 feet wide, 800 feet long, creosotedpile construction with wood shed, fire wall in middle and alongrear, transit shed 94x800 feet, supported in the rear by threecotton concentration sheds, 650 feet long and 120 feet wide, andthe two compresses of the Turning Basin Compress Company,which provides storage for about 50,000 bales of cotton.

Wharf No. 10.--600 feet long, concrete pile and concretecross wall construction containing three shipside tracks and steelshed with 72,700 square feet of storage space.

Wharf No. 11.--530 feet long, concrete pile and cross wallconstruction with concrete one story transit shed, roof with loadingof 300 pounds per square foot designed to be floor second storywhenever conditions warrant construction.

Wharf No. 12.--Same description as Wharf No. 11 with theaddition of a second story containing some 66,000 square feet,which has been equipped with a modern cotton seed cake grindingplant installed by the Maurice Pincoffs Company, who operatetheir cake exporting business from this wharf under lease.

Wharf No. 13.--480 feet long, same description as Wharf No.11. Fitted for grain loading berth.

Wharf No. 14.--Open wharf constructed of concrete, 500feet in length, equipped with two railroad tracks on the apron totracks in the rear of Wharves Nos. 13 and 15. This berth isespecially designed for the handling of grain, the grain galleryfrom the Elevator being constructed on this wharf and extendingfrom the center of Wharf No. 14 to the upper end of WharfNo. 13, and downstream to Wharf 15, providing a loading berth fortwo or three ships with 14 dock spouts. Provisions are also madefor extending the grain gallery downstream over No. 15 when addi-tional loading facilities are required. Bulk cargo, such as coal, ore,sulphur, fertilizer, phosphate, etc, can be handled over this wharfto or from ships and cars.

Wharf No. 15.---This wharf, of the same description asWharves Nos. 11 and 12 is 460 feet in length and provides anadditional berthing space for the handling of general cargo througha shed which contains 65,640 square feet of area.

Manchester Wharf, located two miles below Turning Basin.--This wharf is of concrete, 500 feet long and 200 feet wide, with a

steel transit shed 480x180, served by three tracks from the rear.A belt carrier house for grain connects the wharf with the Ameri-can Maid Flour Mill plant, 600 feet in the rear of wharf, whichhas a storage capacity of 1,000,000 bushels.

Channel Fuel Wharf.---An open deck creosoted pile wharf 250feet long, berthing space 500 feet long, railway tracks in rear, bulkcargo terminal.

Main Street Wharf.--573 feet long, designed for barge andlight draft traffic. Located on the upper channel, seven miles fromthe Turning Basin and deep water channel.

BUNKERING FACILITIES

Houston is essentially an oil port, being located in the midst ofall the coastal oil fields, with pipe lines radiating in all directionsto the great producing fields of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma,with one pipe line extending to Wyoming, there being a storagecapacity of something like 35,000,000 barrels located adjacent tothe Ship Channel. Exceptionally convenient bunker facilities havebeen provided by the Houston Oil Terminal Co., at the TurningBasin with approximately 128,000 barrels of fuel oil storage andpipe lines extending on to all the public wharves on the south sideand to the Houston Compress Company wharves, through whichvessels can be furnished bunkers at the rate of 2,000 barrels perhour, while taking on or discharging cargo. These lines have beenextended to serve the new wharves on the north side of the channel.

Bunker oil can also be obtained by private arrangements withsome of the oil refineries located further down the channel. U.S.Shipping Board Vessels are bunkered under contract at Houston.

PUBLIC BELT RAILROAD MAIN LINE

The main line of the Public Belt Railroad extends down thesouth side of the Ship Channel to the east line of the Shell Refinerytrack, a distance of approximately 12 miles. This belt line servesthe public facilities on the south side of the Turning Basin andat Manchester and also the various private terminals along thesouth side which have their own industrial spurs branching fromthe main line into their plants or water front terminal.

On the north side of the Ship Channel the Public Belt Railwayhas been extended from the turning basin to a point across andnear the mouth of Green’s Bayou, a distance of about eight andone-half miles.

A three mile section was also built from the basin to theCarnegie Steel Company Plant on the north side, near the channeland considerably south of the main line.

Additional extensions will be made from t!me to time as theneeds of commerce and industrial development require.

On July 1, 1924, there was put in operation the PortTerminal Railroad Association, which operates all the facilities ofthe Public Belt Railroad connecting with the main trunk linesentering the city and providing for a neutral sv~tching organizationto handle all traffic to and from the port terminal and industrieswith equal dispatch and without discrimination. The Board ofControl in charge of this Association consists of a representativefrom each of the trunk line railroads or member lines with theChairman of the Port Commission as Chairman of the Board ofControl. This arrangement is proving a very satisfactory solutionof the railroad and port terminal problem and through this serviceevery industry is guaranteed the maximum of efficient railwayoperation.

The large classification yard, known as the Port Yard, islocated north of the Turning Basin with a present capacity of1,350 cars and an ultimate capacity of over 4,000 cars. Thisclassification yard is the clearing house of the Public Belt Railroadand the various lines serving Houston. On the lower end of thisyard several lead tracks reach the water front to serve both sidesof the Ship Channel as well as the Public Terminal. The arrange-ment of switch tracks at the Public Terminal is rather uniqueand peculiar to this port in that a set of three spur tracks serveseach wharf unit with two main leads which enable each shipberth to be switched without disturbing the car set-up of theadjoining berths; this being a very important feature in handlingcotton and general merchandise which requires frequent movementof loads and empties.

Provision is made for the following sets of tracks:1. Two tracks on the apron at shipside.

2. Tracks behind the wharf sheds.3. Tracks behind the warehouse area which lies in rear of

the wharves.