Morning Oregonian., January 02, 1922, New Year's Edition, Section 3, Page 2, Image 18

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I PORTLAND'S HARBOR AND RIVERS ARE MOST RICHLY ENDOWED
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I Few Domains of Western Hemisphere So Favored by Creator Man's Mastery Over Channel Obstacles and Skill in Placing Modern Equipment Combine to Provide Present Unexcelled Facilities.
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By O. B. IlrKnrflt. Chief Knuinfw, Port'
land. C'omniittion of Public Dorks.
-ORT FACILITIES!
J That Is a phrase probably few
busy Portlanders pause to analyze.
To a. majority of residents of the city
nd etate It Is not grasped, as they
are not bound by personal Interests
to maritime affairs. Their general
.measure of vort facilities may be
aummeji up as necessities for mooring
ships, adequate gangplanks for pas
sengers and plenty of hand trucks for
moving cargo.
Even some having considerable
. upon which to depend in a business
way with the water borne commerce
of the mighty inlet from the Paclfio
are perhaps not acquainted with de
tail. They are concerned with the
prompt delivery, in good condition, of
commodities they distribute, or If in
timately tied up with steamship op
eration, have, in numerous cases, only
a, superficial insight into the situa
tlon, not alone as to the presence of
facilities, but the possible speedy use
of them to expedite the arrival and
departure of ships.
On public bodies charged with mari
time, responsibilities, therefore, has
fallen the mission to provide, with
the sanction of taxpayers and guided
by Judgment and experience, the
need for shipping. To those of such
bodies Is naturally accentuated what
has been accomplished to make Port
land, a first port of the Pacific today
and the state of Oregon a field of pro
duce and land for the absorption of
commodities from elsewhere.
Gazing over the harbor or steam-
( jub ckiuiiu inn jijameLie ana V.ium
bia rivers the realization must be
borne In mind that the creator was
generous, indeed, as the master work
man In laying the groundwork for the
appreciable strides attained toward
the goal of commerce. Mere man, as
a. puppet In fashioning only a few of
the improvements that make the
etream a gateway now, must realize,
whether he be engineer or laborer,
that few domains In the. western
hemisphere were endowed as welj.
Obstacles there have been in the
way of opening this gateway. In the
main they were channel obstacles.
jiut now much easier has It been to
construct dredges and move sand and
gravel from the pathway so the
levlathlans of the deep-water zones
might ascend some day, than has
. been, and will be, the work of many
other porta In blasting away rocky
barrlera to afford the same freedom
of movement.
May pardon be craved In this con
nection for reverting to things identi
fied with the creation of this mun
dane sphere, but In dwelling on the
outcome of years of effort one's mind
doubles back to the dayi when much
of the effort was In an Infant stage,
particularly when a start was made
on opening the lane to the state's
commercial wealth with the early
work on the entrance to the Columbia
river.
Back In 1888 the Columbia river bar
boasted a low water depth of 20 feet.
In 1921 the depth attained was 43
feet at mean lower low water, and
that for a width of 6000 feet.
Th bar was the lock of commerce
and man fitted the key that forever
opened It. Truly, the men who had
the foresight to glimpsa what the
future might be commercially began
at the beginning In undertaking the
entrance problem at the time. With
man's mastery attained over impedi
ments there, the remainder has been
comparatively .simple and this period
witnesses abundant water, abundant
facilities for immediate requirements
and abundant commerce to keep such
facilities engaged to their reasonable
maximum.
It would be amiss to scan over
30 years of port building to depict
sorno of the accomplishments for
they have been accomplishments in
graduating the harbor from a third
or even fourth-class port to one of
he flrat magnitude. About SO years
ago pride was felt that some of the
sailing fleet engaged In the grain
trade pigmies of ships when along
side the floating warehouses of this
period could be accommodated, while
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we have utiiy recently gotten through
with the dispatch of carriers that
would have a mere start with ballast
if they loaded the entire cargo of
a square-rigger of 30 years before.
It has been the fortune of the writer
to have been connected with activities
having to do with the development
of the channel and. the establishment
of terminals during the 30 years re
ferred to and it was his pleasure to
participate in the solution of nu
merous problems that smoothed the
way to a condition that now draws
to Portland the commendation of
other ports.
The 20-foot ruling depth at the
mouth of the Columbia in 1888 was
a condition that made It most un
favorably known to shipmasters and
operators. That obstacle threatened
for years to eliminate Portland as a
serious competing factor in commerce
necessitating the utilization of deep
draft vessels, which not alone Influ
enced the movement of products of
the territory, but worked to the ex
clusion of the district from partici
pating in the transshipment of cargo
moving through Pacific coast ports.
Many and vexatious were delays
vessels were subjected to and are
plainly recalled, so that only the com
bination of a high, tide and smooth
bar made it possible for them to tow
to sea. Delays there were of weeks
and ofttimes a month awaiting favor
able conditions, the bar tug making
dally trips from Astoria to near the
entrance to scan the situation. With
sailing vessels making up the fleet
it was necessary for much more fa
vorable weather In which to start
them on their way than is the case
now, with principally steam tonnage
in the trade.
Occasionally the prevalence of a
strong east wind an offshore breeze,
as the deep-water men call it would
witness the clearing up of carriers
detained in the lower harbor, as it
would "smooth down" the rough seas.
With the land breeze to help, tugs
would tow one or two ships seaward.
and others have been known to sail
out, following the tug and tow
truly a beautiful sight.
Such conditions" prevailed largely
during the heavy grain-shipping sea
son between October and May.
And the channel troubles were not
confined to the entrance, for the
marine road between Astoria and
Portland afforded a depth of only
20 feet, and frequently vessels were
but partly loaded at Portland and
then sent to Astoria, the remainder
of their cargoes being floated down
on barges and the stowage finished
at Astoria.
There were limited dock accom
modations In those days. To many,
such well-known moorings as Green
wich, Victoria, Columbia, Montgom
ery, Alaska, Alblna, Mersey, Irving
and others were rated as good docks,
but some were utilized exclusively
for grain storage. The transition
from .those structures to the mod
ern terminals of 1921 Is most marked,
yet in earlier days the principal docks
were looked on as the last word in
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wharf construction an
patch of vessels with
sacked grain speed
fas shown so
that Portland easily held her own
in that regard.
But it was a case of limited docks
and gear. It resulted in many ships
being anchored in the stream, await
ing berths, while some loaded were
held there for crews and it was not
unusual to see 20 to 30 "sailers," and
even more, in the harbor at a time.
It was an era' of the sailing vessel
which meant different conditions,
less need for hasty dispatch and with
a feeling that each ship would make
only one voyage from here "home"
in a season. From those carriers
of 2500 to 3000 tons deadweight, the
commerce of the port has come to
be moved In steamers here frequent
ly of close to 10,000 tons capacity
and even some up to 18,000 tons have
been dispatched.
With channel conditions and port
facilities at Portland! and Astoria
keeping pace with demands of com
merce, the Columbia and Willamette
d in the dis- i
cargoes of
TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT SELLING
I Since Joint
Arrangement of Freight-Soliciting Plan Became Effective Story of City's Famoas Fresh-Water Harbor and Magnifi-
cent Terminals Has Been Carried by Duly Appointed Representatives to Foar Corners of the World.
LIKE3 a railroad without passenger
and freight-soliciting agencies
would be a port without a traffic
department, for only in the maximum
utilization of its facilities can a profit
be made, and profit is the ultimate
goal of all industrial endeavor.
No matter how modern its docks,
terminals and cargo-handling facili
ties, or how favorable the depth,
width and safety of its harbor, but
limited patronage of a port can. be
expected unless it sells itself to the
shipping world.
The Port of Portland, reprejentlng
an expenditure within the past decad
of approximately $16,000,000 of public
funds in municipal harbor, channel
and terminal improvements and main
tenance, besides many millions In
vested In privately-owned facilities,
stands today as. one of the leading
porta of the Pacific, and probably as
modernly equipped as any in the
world with its . developrnent having
been directed along lines of prepared
ness, building in advance 'of actual
demands and in anticipation of fu
ture water-borne traffic.
Early in 1920, realizing that the
port was ready for business and that
unless its facilities were utilized to
capacity the Investment of the tax
payers" money would be jeopardized,
the port's commissioners decided that
it must establish a selling agency or
traffic department.
As the successful operation of a
port consists of economical and ex
peditious interchange of shipments
between rail and water and the solici
tation of cargoes is similar to that of
rail shfpments, naturally the ranks
.THE MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY, JANUARY
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river district is recognized through
out the shipping world as one of the
best on the Pacific, to which the
largest vessels in flhe trade may
come without delay and be handled
with the most modern facilities in
existence, operated under system and
conditions that insure dispatch com
parable with any.
A review of channel conditions and
port betterments at the close of 1921
presents one of the most remarkable
achievements in port development.
That is not a viewpoint of local ori
gin, but Is based on the verdict of
some of the best known port au
thorities who have visited here and
made studies of the conditions, fa
cilities and equipment, some for
adoption in other districts where
similar natural advantages exist.
The construction of two jetties and
dredging at the entrance to the Co
lumbia, representing a combined cost
of about H6.000.000, eliminated any
of the railroad fraternity were
searched for the right man to at as
traffic manager.
The selection was made of Harry Xi.
Hudson, former general agent, oper
ating .department of the Union Pa
cific system in Puget sound territory,
who also had had water traffic ex
perience as dock agent of the Union
Pacific dock at Seattle.
Mr. Hudson was especially well
qualified, for the position, having alBO
been identified with one of the' north
west's leading importing firms, to
gether with practical first-hand
knowledge of oriental markets and
shipping through extensive travel In
Japan. China and Manchuria, and
being recognized as one of the leading
authorities on the Pacific coast in
matters pertaining bo marine traffic
rates, regulations, customs, negoti
able documents, trade exchanges, etc
In April, 1920, the. traffic depart
ment of the Port of Portland and the
commission of public docks was
established with the expense of its
support borne Jointly by those two
governing port bodies, and from its
inception unto the present has been
functioning successfully, and with
much of. the present magnificent rec
ord of the port due directly to this
sales department.
While undoubtedly 90 per cent of
the duties of the trafflo department
to date have been along missionary
lines, pioneering in foreign and do
mestic fields for traffic to be routed
through thl port, and educating the
shipping public to the opportunities
offered by this comparatively new
port, yet its actual achievements have
been most satisfying.
The traffic department maintains
sucn l barrier as a bar several years
ago and the entrance channel is per
manent. It means that always there
Is sufficient water for the deepest
draft ships that come here to move
in or out at any hour, daylight or
This situation can be more forcibly
brought home through comparison
with entrance depths at such ports
as New York, where there is a low
water dept of 40 feet for a width of
2000 feet; San Francisco, with 34 feet;
Liverpool, with 33 feet; New Orleans,
30 feet. The river channel between
Portland and Astoria today affords
a governing, depth of 30 feet at low
water with a width of 300 feet in
certain cuts, though there are many
places between these cuts, in which
depths range from 40 to 100 feet
and widths extend, to 1000 and even
2000 feet. These figures, ranged
alongside known depths at some of
the principal harbors where similar
conditions pertain, such as in the
AGENCY OF PORT AND DOCKS)
branch offices at Kobe. Japan, and In
New Tork city, and plans are now
under way for similar representations
m Australia and South America.
These branches are In charge of high
ly trained, experienced and efficient
traffic salesmen who are steadily
spreading the &ospel of the Port of
Portland. These salesmen, like those
at the home office, carry their sam
ple in The form of port literature
photographs, tariff' sheets, etc. They
call on the individual steamship line,
shipper, exporter, importer, foreign
trade department of banks, chambers
of commerce, manufacturers and their
agents In fact, they are conscien
tiously peddling their wares among
prospective buyers and are slowly but
surely selling the goods.
Effective efforts are continuously
under way to find new markets for
manufacturers' wares, whether a for
eign market for local goods or a
local market for foreign goods.
While the traffic department is sup
ported by the municipal government
bodies of the port, its efforts are not
confined to the advancement of. the
municipal facilities of the port alone,
as it U working in the Interests ot
the ent.re port and its facilities, both
municl sally ani privately owned. It
alms to co-operate with all of the
port's shipping agencies. Its indus
tries, its exporters, importers, steam
ship operators, owners, etc. It strives
to keep in touch with all traffic pac
ing through the port, investigating to
see that consigrae and-consignor are
satisfied with the services rendered
' The sale of the Port of Portland
mesne more or less the Introduction
of new goods among the buyers of
shipping service for the Port of
2, 1922
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W K. ft .,
Thames river at London, where 2
feet la the low-water depth, with
tides varying from 18 to 20 feet, are
most satisfactory. Then at Ham
burg, on the Elbe, the low-water
depth is 29 feet, and Montreal, known
as the "wonder port," being 1000
miles from the sea, now gets along
with a low-water depth of 29 feet,
with, project for a 35-foot depth.
It Is well to record that notwith
standing the disadvantages of Mon
treal as a seaport, due to the ob
struction of the harbor bv Ice during
five months of the year, entirely sub
pending navigation, It is in point of
monthly volume of business the sec
ond largest in North America and
aside from London and Liverpool, li
the largest port In the British empire.
Portland, having accomplished
wonderful results In a channel way.
with the assistance of the federal
government during the formative
period of its development, may be
Portland Is little known beyond the
immediate waters of the Pacific, and
r jrthermore, has been seriously
handicapped by much misinformation
rurrent in ahlpp.ng circles regarding
Its harbor, and especially about the
true conditions existing at the Co
lumbia river entrance channel.
As publicity and advertising are a
recogniz-d necessity In successful
merchandising today, the traffic de
partment mainttins a publicity bu
reau, which, besides issuing and dis
tributing attractive photographically
Illustrated literature of the port, li
constantly furnishing material for
articles in various publications, both,
local and forelgr and in the industrial
as well aa the snipping and maritime
ields.
This bureau among its other ac
tivities, has conducted a campaign t
nf'set the misinformation which ex
isted relative to the Columbia river
entrance channel by substantially
placarding with latest corrected
United States coast and geodetic sur
vey charts thos places in the ma
jority of the world's ports where they
will be brough: to the attention of
navigators. Tnose charts, together
with letters explaining the campaign
to offset the misinformation, have
been sent to the United States consult
in all world porta, as well as being
distributed among the leading ship
ring Interests of this country and the
crient.
Today the port is served by 31 es
tablished steamship lines with cred'.i
for the establishment of several of
the new ones diiectly due the traffic
department, as well as for the locat
ng of numbers of new shipping con
cerns and other port-using agencies.
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fully depended . upon to keep pace
with any further ship channel deep'
enlng that may be required to meet
the demands of the rapidly expanding
waterborne commerce.
In contrast with the few scattered
grain docks, which In 1888 were ade
quate to handle the port's grain busl
ness, there has been developed, by
private Interests and the city, a har
bor frontage of nearly five miles, of
which practically one and one-half
miles of berthing space has been pro
vided by the municipality, which, In
the near future, will add 2000 lineal
feet more of dock space.
The private general cargo and
grain docks have a combined capacity
at one time under shed of 262.0S0
tens of cargo. The municipal termi
nals, four In number, are new and
modern structures, provided with me
chanical freight handling equipment
to economically and expeditiously
take care of various classes of. com
modities passing through the port
The largest and most complete termi
nal occupies a site containing 160
acres where there already has been
constructed three largo piers, each of
1500 feet berthing space and transit
sheds 180 feet in width; one of the
most modern grain elevators of 1,000,
000 bushels capacity; bulk storage
plant of 18,000 tons capacity for han
dling phosphate rock, coal and such
commodities; a large vegetable oil
srbrage plant and similar modern fa
cillttes, together with a terminal
.trackage of 13 miles.
On that terminal alone there has
been expended In excess of $5,000,000
and to fully complete it will require
an additional outlay of approximately
$2,000,000. Then will be available a
terminal capable of accommodating at
one time 17 vessels each of 500 feet in
length, with terminal trackage in ex
cess of 20 miles.
Nineteen twenty-two also finds the
port most advantageously situated as
regards the care of vessel work, prin
cipal among the port appurtenances
of that charaoter-being two floating
dry docks, the one that has been In
service for a number of years having
been built to lift 10,000 tons, while
the new dock, constructed by the com
mission of public docks for Joint op
eration wrth the existing dock under
the direction of the Port of Portland
commission, was designed for a lift
ing deadweight capacity of 15,000
tons, a plant that compares with any
on the Pacific side that Is utilized for
lifting commercial carriers. The new
dock will accommodate ships up to
525 feet in length.
The close of the year witnesses the
port's business being handled In
steamers of from 8800 tons dead
weight to a few of close to 20,000
tons, and a loaded draft of from 24
to 30 feet. It Is well to remember
that In the period from 1889 to 1894
up to 1913 to 1918 the average length
of freight carriers of 5000 tons dead
weight and over was increased 71S
feet, or 16.8 per cent, the average
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width 14.2 feet, or 29.8 per cent, and
the average deep-draft load 25 feet
or 9.5 per cent, so the tendency foi
longer ships has been taken Into ac
count here in ull plans relative te
water terminals.
To many the roust ruction and op
eration of the major terminal, known
as terminal No. 4 and situated at Kt.
Johns, has been most Impressive, and
thoy may be inclined to regard that
as wholly Important In conjunction
with the port's places for handling
ships, yet it must he acknowledged
that the terminals with which the
present system acquired Its Initial
growth, terminal No. 1, located at the
foot of Fifteenth street, and terminal
No. 2, at the foot of Kast Washington
street, have met all requirements a
far as capacity permitted and now are
filling highly Important demands In
the commerce of the district.
No. 1 has become an intercosstal
terminal, where the hulk of freipht
routed via the Panama canal between
the two coasts of the United States,
and Europe, is taken care of. No. 2
has automatically becomo established,
after being used generally for freight
and storage purposes, as a terminal
for Pacific coast vessels and virtually
all the space Is taken week in and
week out.
To the uninitiated a visit to any of
the terminals would perhaps, be char
acterized by a feeling that an enor
mous amount of freight could bo
stacked beneath the roof and to those
who are on hand when cargo (s mov
ing, with every nook and corner
crammed with its burden, leaving
only aisles or alleyways between. It
must seem as if there is a limit to
the capacity. All of which Is true as
far as it goes, but such Impressions
would receive enlightenment wl)en It
Is shown that considerable quantities
of cargo seldom are held long, but
shift across the dock into cars or
trucks and are moved on to destina
tion.
Thus, while the combined capacity
of the terminals are expressed In
round figures, they rolate only to the
amount that could be taken care of
at a single time, with groat possi
bilities of multiplication when the an
gregate amount for any one year is
summarised from the mathematical
proof available in reports of the ship
ments cheeked on and checked oft
each 12 months.
This summary of more than 30
years of personal Interest and con
cern Is offered with the hope that It
may prove of interest and aid in
bringing home to some greater ap
preciation of the city and state's
standing In the shlrplng world today
and should it appear that only the
best accomplished has been set forth,
it can bo credited to enthusiasm and
pride In being a lone resident of a i
community that has developed and.
through its Independent efforts of
fered commerce to the world and
made conditions attractive in which
to receive it.
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