118 COMMERCIAL SUPREMACY OF S. I. WATER FRONT. 



The adjacent shores of Brooklyn are better situated for storage. 

 The Atlantic docks contain a large basin surrounded with long rows 

 of "warehouses, in which a great extent of storage is enclosed, and 

 along the river front also as far as the Navy Yard are brick structures 

 full of the wealth of the world's products. In New York the only 

 direct lines of the railroad entering in, are from the North, there are 

 none that reach the Brooklyn warehouses, all freights from the rail- 

 roads must be carried in and out in barges or small vessels ; the 

 freight charges are therefore enormous and burdensome. From the 

 Atlantic docks Southward the Pier lines, as established by law are at 

 no great distance from the mainland, and the difficulty of reaching 

 them, have prevented any development. In addition to this the 

 prevailing winds, during the winter are from the West, and during 

 the time when the ice is running it is nearly always driven over to 

 the Long Island shore, which would often impede the movements of 

 vessels. On the Jersey shore, from the Palisades to the Central 

 Railroad docks, the whole front is filled with docks. Numerous 

 ferries ply from hence to New York ; steamship and passenger depots, 

 coal docks and two railway elevators ; but in all these there are no 

 such storage room or facilities as would make the reception and 

 delivery of merchandise and products to the greatest advantage, and 

 at the least cost. From the Central docks to the mouth of the Kill 

 Tan Ku!l, the shore recedes, so that between it and Robin's Reef 

 there is a space of about a mile ; the entire inland water is very shal- 

 low and a great storage Company proposed to fill in a large portion 

 of this space, and dredge a deep channel to the main channel of the 

 Bay. It was found however that underlaying these shallows was a 

 bed of rock so hard that it would have to be blasted, and although 

 much money has been spent nothing of a permanent character can 

 be accomplished, and to fill in this great area to the main channel 

 would be entirely too costly ; the railroads therefore are forced into 

 a contracted space, and occupy at their outlet but a small portion of 

 the water front. Leaving the New York, Long Island and Jersey 

 shores, the remaining water fronts of Staten Island take at once the 

 foremost rank. Isolated as they formerly were, they were of no 

 value. Less than ten years ago a considerable piece was sold at a 

 referee's sale for less than $5,000, which was subsequently sold for 

 more than §100,000. The prospect] of extensive storage facilities due 



