386 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



which for the most part are under the control of private interests. Into 

 these free ports of entry ships could come from all over the world, 

 just as they now go to Liverpool, London, Bristol and Hull. Here 

 their cargoes could be placed in warehouses not dissimilar from our 

 present bonded warehouses, without the payment of customs duties. 

 Here they might remain for an indefinite period. In other cases ships 

 could break their cargoes, transship a portion of them to another vessel, 

 or add to their existing cargoes before they continued their voyage. 

 Or a cargo could be discharged and another assembled cargo from vari- 

 ous parts of the world could be loaded for some other destination. The 

 free port would become not unlike the Bush Terminal, New York, not 

 unlike the ordinary railroad freight station in which miscellaneous con- 

 signments of goods are collected preliminary to shipment to their des- 

 tination in bulk. 



A short description of the free port of Hamburg indicates the opera- 

 tion of this system. The free port consists of a large number of basins, 

 many of them cut into the land, with quays jutting out into the river. 

 Upon these quays are railroad tracks with cranes for the easy transfer 

 of freight into the near-by sheds. In the larger outside basins are many 

 mooring posts which provide anchorage for vessels transshipping car- 

 goes in the stream. A number of warehouses are operated by the port 

 authorities as a part of the free port. Goods are stored in these ware- 

 houses for re-export or for ultimate consignment into Germany or other 

 countries of Europe. 



The free port is considered by the customs department as foreign 

 territory. It is surrounded by a customs line, guarded by customs oiS- 

 cials. The line is designated by high iron palings along the land side ; 

 and along the river is a floating palisade guarded at either end by cus- 

 toms officials. At the land and water entrances of the free port are 

 customs booths at which duty is paid on goods when they enter the 

 harbor. 



All of the harbor pilots are ex officio customs inspectors. Under 

 their guidance ships pass to their berths in the free port unmolested 

 by customs officials. There are no declarations of dutiable goods to be 

 made; no customs officials are taken aboard with the delays attendant 

 upon their presence. When a ship is cargoed ready for sea, a customs 

 pilot takes her to the mouth of the river. There is less hindrance to 

 the free movement of the ship within the free port than in England. 



The free port contains a number of industries incident to the care 

 and feeding of employees, shipyards for repairs, and other industries 

 relating to the outfitting and provisioning of ships. Big river barges 

 of from 600 to 800 tons capacity move from ship to ship for the trans- 

 shipment of freight. 



The free port is in the hands of public authorities, although it is 

 partially privately operated by the warehousing company which has 

 erected warehouses upon public lands. 



