DEVELOPMENT OF A MERCHANT MARINE AND COMMERCE. 233 



struction of a series of new piers only 125 feet wide and 1,000 to 1,300 feet long, with 

 inadequate provision of railroad trackage. Should piers be designed for this same locality 

 with adequate railroad tracks upon each apron and down the center of the structure, provi- 

 sion for the quickest ship turn-around would require that the width be fully 500 feet, and this 

 with a two-story transit shed. 



This matter has been expanded on a pamphlet on the subject of water terminals suit- 

 able for various purposes, about to be issued by the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Har- 

 bors of the War Department. This publication cites examples to bear out its contention, 

 among the most notable of which is the design of the quay and transit sheds along Dock 

 No. 9 of the Manchester Ship Canal, where the available floor area per foot of berth is con- 

 siderably greater than the figures just stated. : 



Admiral Rousseau has stated that delays in port mean lessened revenues and increased 

 expenses to ocean carriers, which may in general vary from $1,000 to $5,000 per day per 

 vessel. This is an important truth which should be brought home to all those interested in 

 shipping. i 



About two years ago the Port Facilities Commission of the Shipping Board took up 

 the subject of economies to be effected by the more rapid turn-around of vessels in United 

 States ports. Endeavor was made to find the complete expense account of a typical ship. It 

 was not practicable to get exactly what we wanted, but the record was foimd in the Ship- 

 ping Board files of a 6,450 deadweight-ton, coal-burning vessel, which came into New York 

 harbor from Genoa, Italy, carrying 2,713 tons of miscellaneous cargo, consisting of wines, 

 hats, cherries, marble, etc., and departed fifteen days later for Archangel, Russia, with 3,783 

 tons of miscellaneous supplies, such as sugar, cocoa, canned goods and Red Cross articles. An 

 analysis of the charges showed that the daily expenses against the vessel, inclusive of such 

 overheads as interest on investment, depreciation, insurance, etc., and such other charges 

 as stevedoring, wharfage, vessel supplies, port pay roll, clerking, winchmen, watching cargo, 

 lighting and watching ship, amoimted to $2,066.26 per diem. It was felt that no records 

 would have been broken if the complete port tum-around of the ship had been six instead 

 of fifteen days. Under these circumstances, the saving in expenses was estimated at $18,- 

 596.34. The complete argument as drawn up in this case was shown to a prominent ship 

 operator, who was much interested. He stated that he had not been in the habit of looking 

 at the subject in just the same way, but that a ship of the size and type that we had used 

 should at the time have produced a profit of $2, 000 per diem. Under such conditions, it is 

 plain that we should add the profit to the expense to show the actual loss of keeping the 

 ship nine unnecessary days in port. In other words, the total loss, inclusive of expense and 

 profit, was over $36,000 for this particular voyage. 



It has repeatedly been demonstrated on the Great Lakes that with special type vessels, 

 and with proper equipment designed to suit these vessels, bulk cargo can be handled so rapidly 

 that a 10,000 ton ore carrier can be turned around in the upper lake ports in a few hours, 

 and the average for the season kept at something like twelve hours per ship tum-around. 



The problem of handling miscellaneous cargo is not so simple, but proper design of our 

 port terminals, plus efficient operation and management, will unquestionably produce results 

 that are well worth while, and those interested in ship operation should give the subject of 

 port facilities their best attention if they would effect all possible economics in ship operation. 



The President : — The next written contribution is from the American Association of 

 Port Authorities, through its president, Mr. Benjamin Thompson. 



