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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1921)
UNEXCELLED HARBOR EQUIPMENT AIDS DEVELOPMENT Municipally Owned By O. B. Harardt, Chief Engineer, the Cemuilftslun uf Public Docks. DURING the last six or seven years the Pacific coast has witntssed a concerted and enormous growth In port development, large sums have been expended by the major ports In the provision of modern facilities for the handling of Its rapidly expand ing water-borne commerce. Practi cally all of thi3 vast terminal work has been done by the municipalities, or the state In the ease of San Fran cisco, construction by private Inter ests during this time having been ex ceedingly email. ctlitiea for the purpose of entering Into competition either with railroads cr privately owned docks, nor are they built with the Idea that they will become a source of revenue to the municipality. They are rather provided to meet a public demand and furnish modern and Increased fa cilities which shall be available to any vessel entering the port. They are now universally conceded a ne cessity and. It may be said. that, as auch. they have'become a fixed policy of all Important f ports. While in soma ports In this coun try the'e public facilities are self sustaining. In the majority of cases. It is believed, they are not eo now and In some cases they probably never will be. Notwithstanding this, the peopl have fresly voted the funds necessary to provide, such terminal facilities, feeling that the collateral benefits which the ccnmunlty at large will derive through them, by the lncreass in the port's commerce and the upbuilding of its industries, fully justify the large expenditures that are being made for that purpose. Voters Keek Efficiency. The funds voted and expended for municipal, commercial water ter minals at this port in a most prac tical way Indicates a liberal policy and the dealrs on the part of the voters of the city of Portland to have their port brought up to the high est standard of efficiency for the .accommodation of shipping, the lat est facilities to be provided beins both in retpect to magnitude and convenience, equal to any on the Pa cific coast. It is gratifying that the people at home are learning to appreciate more and mora the ex cellent advantages which this port possesses and to know that the port and its facilities are being used at the present time to a much greater extent than ever before. This condition becomes still more ncouraglng when we consider the large number of regular steamship lines which nave established, perma J im , , VJLfJt.L Tons Ttirs2i?ie &?cjV?. J?. j j Tfiree VsjjeZ? C&p&czYz of 2??c& Jfo.J &tJUk v 9 ggjgea . I L. v - ymcm v --- 1 Hifesm 1 i mw? iwmCT r-rfai S Sail Provisions of Port of nent service wfth this port in the last 12 months. The earliest waterfront develop ment of the port was provided for the purpose of furnishing facilities required for the shipment of the principal commodities pr duced loca ly and in the port's tributary grain and lumber but with the constantly Increasing commerce of the port, additional facilities were rapidly constructed until 1910. when the com. mission of public docks was created there had been developed by private interests, a water frontage of more than four and one-half miles which was being used by vessels ranging from the usual type of river steamers and coasting vessels to the large ocean-going carriers. Large Sams Appropriated. Since 1912, when the commission of public docks, the official body charged with the reconstruction of the city's waterfront, entered the field as a municipal agency to provide the port with modern and efficient shipping facilities, the people have voted the sum of 110.500.000 for such work, and from expenditures made to December 1, 1920, there have been provided the following publicly owned and oper ated municipal port terminal facili ties, besides others which are now under construction and will be com pleted during the early part of 1921: Municipal terminal No. 1, a quay dock 955 feet in length, with transit shed 100 feet by 915 feet; a pier 464 feet in length, with transit shed 176 feet by 330 feet and a warehouse 190 feet by 200 feet. This installation furnishes a very compact term'naL with rail trackage accommodating at one time .J standard freight cars and a harbor frontage affording berthing space for three large vessels. The total general cargo capacity of this terminal is 20.500 tons. Municipal terminal No. 2. a two level quay dock, (26 feet In length, covered with transit shed 104 feet in width the full length of the dock. The dock has trackage for placement of 20 cars and a general cargo ca pacity of 9000 tons. Municipal terminal No. 3. a quay dock 540 feet in length, with transit shed 100 feet by 440 feet, trackage facilities for 27 freight cars and a general cargo capacity for 5500 tons. These terminals were constructed previous to 1916 and are considered as general cargo docks and are not, as a rule, used for the handling of grain. Export Facilities oncrirtraiod. When, in 1916. it became apparent that the old method of transporting the grain crop of the port's tributary territory to tidewater in sacks would soon be done away with and the uni THE Portland for Handling versal custom of handling this com modity in bulk, both rail and export, be adopted, the commission of public docks took necessary steps to con- . struct elevator and pier facilities for the proper handling of the grain. At the same time it decided to concen trate, as far as practicable, at such terminal, later designated as municl pay terminal No. 4, its main facilities for the accommodation of the port's principal import and export business, and for this purpose obtained a site containing approximately 160 acres with a harbor frontage of 2730 lineal feet in length, with transit shed 175 Municipal Terminal No. 4. This terminal, when fully completed, will consist of five piers and three slips and will afford berthing space at one time for 17 500-foot vessels, with about 20 miles of railroad tracks on the terminal site, serv'ng the piers, elevator, bunkers, vegetable oil plant, etc., together with the 50-acre In dustrial section of this terminal. At this time there have been com pleted and are in operation at this terminal the following facilities: 1 Pier No. 1, 1500 feet i length, of which 600 feet has two levels, cov ered with a transit shed ISO feet in width ana 1500 feet in length. The total general cargo capacity of this pier Is 35,000 tons and If used for sacked grain and flour, 56.000 tons. Pier No. 2. This pier has a length of 1500 feet and -vidth of 225 feet, the eubstructure of which has been CHANNEL modity in bulk, both rail and export, I 1 WP-tdK' J $mB JK. a&sW "wsumi iiifeL ""W be adopted, the commission of public W Pit j$C "5k. W0'Wr' jBHHL SHB&jK docks took necessary steps to con- " M i .9 1 amy'WJm):! I iiiNiiiiUi;iiuiiiiMiiuiiiMiyiiiuiiiiitiiiiii'iutiiniti,iiiiniiiiiiiiiiiii:niaiiiiiiiiii;:iiiiiiiiiiiiNi!tnini!iii;i Port and Dock Commission THOUGH defeated at the November election, the proposal to place the now divided authority and responsibility of the Port of Portland commission and the commission of public docks in one consolidated com mission is a living project in the minds of thousands of Interested Portlanders and particularly in the minds of the members of the port administrative bodies. The vote rolled up for and against the port consolidation measure showed clearly that the electorate of the Port of Portland district is heartily in favor of the consolidation and of the attendant project of improving the harbor in the vicinity of Swan Island. The proposals were defeated by vot ers outside of Multnomah county. As It is the local voters who will pay the Increased taxes if the con solidation Is effected and bear the entire expense of the proposed im provement, it is held by the friends of tbe scheme that it la their vote 3IORXLVG OEEGONIAX, SATURDAY, .TAXUARY 1, 1921 I "l UiIInaMMONHMMMKIIIII I II Htm.il Vast Comhterce Include Four Terminals, Two Drydocks and a Grain Elevator With 1,000.000 Bushels Capacity S" (ifi JVftCcC T" laiisaaasaaaaaaaaasBasKPW - .c , II Fier- jVb.l Termini ronj of flour-. completea, and construction is un der war on the outer one-half of the pier of a transit shed of the same width as that on pier No. 1, or 180 feet. Pier No. 5. This pier has a length of 665 feet on the harbor line and 900 feet along slip Nj. 3. The harbor line portion of the pier is completed and In operation and the 900-foot extension along the slip under con struction is to be completed early in 1921. Grain elevator of 1,000,000 bushels' capacity, capable of del'vering bulk grain to vessels at the rate of 20,000 bushels per hour. For the handling of vegetable oils and molasses 11 steel storage tanks of 1,072.000 gallons' capacity have' been installed, together with two 60-ton scale tanks for weighing of oils, complete pumping and dis PROJECT Consolidation Would Carry Swan Island Proposal that matters, not that of the outside counties, whose voters and taxpayers are not vitally affected by the mat ter one way or the other. Therefore, they are determined to carry out the will of the people of the port district and effect the consolidation of com missions through action of tbe state legislative assembly. The bill that will be presented to the legislature is already being framed by a committee of attorneys, among whom are Gus C. Moser, ap pointed by the Port of Portland; J. B. Kerr, appointed by the committee of fifteen, and W. P. LaRoche. appointed by the commission of public docks. The Swan island project, with which the consolidation measure is insep arably linked, provides for the open ing of the west channel In the Wil lamette river around this island, closing of the present narrow and tortuous east channel and deposition of the spoils of dredging on the low lands ef Guild's lake and Mock's bot Vb. Jfolcfr a tributing mains, car cleaning pit, track scale, etc. As a necessary adjunct in the operation of a terminal of this mag nitude a large administration build ing, a cafeteria or restaurant seat ing 250 people and a welfare build ing have been provided, together with many other conveniences which add materially to successful terminal operation. For the purpose of having facili ties available in the port which would insure the rapid) handling of certain bulk commodities, such as phosphate rock, sulphur, coal, etc, in the most economical manner, the commission has constructed on pier No. 5 a most modern bunker storage plant having capacity for 12,500 tons. The unloading of cars is accom plished by a special machine costing 365,000, which empties a car in about UP TO LEGISLATURE ifii uiiarsii if iii i un: ii em h)i F! urui i riTun i iitiiittci?ftiiit:M tom to make these now idle proper ties available as sites for docks, ter minals and Industries. That the consolidation measure re ceived a majority of votes In Mult nomah county Is probably due to the action of Frank M. Warren, chairman of the port commission, who gave a formal pledge that no bonds would bs issued for new development work without being first specifically au thorized by the voters of the port district. This pledge received the signatures of all members of the present port and dock commissions, which men will constitute the new board under the consolidation plan, and was therefore binding. Mr. War ren pledged the commissioners to sub mit to the people a choice of three possible methods of proceeding with the development. These three meth ods ars: First, purchase of the Mock's bottom end Guild's lake lands by the port commission: second, leaving the lands in the hands of their present owners and calling upon these own tmiumimimnmiHnnmniiuuMjmtiiniw seven minutes. . The conveyor ma chinery of the plant delivers the bulk freight to vessels at the rate of 300 tons per hour and automatically trims it in the vessel's hold. The plans of the commission con template the entire completion of term'nal No. 4 in the near future. In municipal terminal No. 4 the city of Portland has provided a self contained, combined rail and water terminal of great flexibility and ex pansive possibilities, where all serv ices incidental to terminal operation can beperformed with economy and dispatch, where ample space will be available for all classes of cargo and d iiiiij ijjiii if 1111 iri i:t tfiiriitiiitiiiiiiLiiitif u iJUiruttiiraiiiMsiiii iijiiu :j 1111 1 ihit ft: to Straighten River Route ers to pay a portion of the cost of improvement, and, third, donating to the owners of the property the spoils of dredging. As it will be submitted to the leg islature, the bill will embody all of these changes, as did the measure passed upon by the voters at the No vember election, and also all reser vations or pledges to which the com missioners were bound. Other m'.nor improvements in the proposed piece of legislation are being worked out by a committee appointed by H. B. Van Duzer, president of the Portland Chamber of Commerce. F. W. Mulkey is chairman of this committee. Other members are: Joseph Simon, Wentworth, George Lawrence, George W. Joseph, J. W. Ganong, B. W. Slee man. S. M. Mears, Mrs. C. B. Simmons, John F. Daly, W. D. Wells and W. C. Huegnitz. These committeemen are co-operating with the committee of 15 appointed by Mayor Baker more than a year ago to work out s com prehensive plan of harbor development. irtiiiiiiiuiniiiiiiiiimiiil commodities, under shed or for open storage, without congestion, and where present as well as future re quirements can be provided for. Mechanical Equipment Complete. As mechanical equipment of munic ipal terminals, cargo hoists, electrio winches, freight piling machines, electric trucks, tractors, ramps, ele vators, cranes and conveyers and locomotive cranes are well distrib uted among the terminals. At ter minal No. 4 the commission main tains its own switching engine, flat cars for transfer between piers and dump cars for handling ballast, to which will be added, as required, such other equipment as will Insure the expeditious and economical han dling of cargo. There Is now in operation a five pontoon floating drydock capable of handling vessels 500 feet long and of 10,000 deadweight lifting capacity, and another floating diydock of 15, 000 tons' capacity is under construc tion. It will be ready for operation about April 1, 1921. The municipal terminals, with ex ception of terminal K.. 3, are pro vided with automatic sprinkler sys tems and are otherwise protected with most modern fire protection de vices. While the municipality has sup plied the port with i -.odern and most efficient water terminal facilities, private Interests have, as already noted, developed more than four and one-half miles of the port's water frontage, and a brief description will here be given of those which are be ing utilised in connection with the deep-sea shipping oi the port gen eral cargo, grain, lumber and fuel docks. Five general cargo docks have a total bsrthing space tit 2395 lineal feet, with a total cargo space under shed of 400.750 square feet The 11 grain and flour docks, with a total berthing space of 5415 lineal ' a ISA r7y v t m feet, have a total cargo space under shed of 1,086,750 square feet. There is also a grain elevator of ISO, 000 bushels capacity. The large sawmills of the port have eight large docks with a total berth ing space of 4742 lineal feet. Private Docks Developed. These private general cargo and grain docks have a combined capacity for 262,050 tons of cargo at one time. Four fuel oil docks, with a total berthing space of 1542 lineal feet. Total crude oil storage 17,756,341 gal lons and refined oil of 6,562,878 gal lons. Modern coal bunKers with 300-ton per hour ship delivery. A lew-water depth of 10 feet Is main ained at practically all of the port's commercial docks, thus insur ing the safe berthing or tne largest vessels, regardless of tidal or rivsr co.-iditions. While the port at this time is well supplied with waterfront facilities to csre for the large commerce of the port, it is evident that with the pros pective Increase of shipping which undoubtedly will soon develop on this coast that additional facilities will have to be provided and the policy of the commission is to at all times keep abreast of actual requirements and to supply such standard and special equipment as will meet ths demands of shipping for the economical and expeditious handling of cargo at this port. And when the further fact is taker Into consideration that on tbe entlr Pacific coast of the United States, be tween Vancouver island and Mexico some 1500 miles, the number of first class harbors through which tbe com merce of the orient as well as othsi nations of the world must be han dled is so very limited, the further and extensive development of thSBo ports will, undoubtedly, in the near future, er.ga-c the serious attention of the respective port authorities.
