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Page 9 patrolled this area and all was tranquil, they would yell to other police on duty, "all quiet along the Potomoc!". Because of the steady stream of ships and material plying the Detroit River and putting into the Port of Detroit, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Commission was created in November, 1933 by public referendum. The Port Commission is vested with the duty to control and manage the port district, which includes all the thirty-two miles along the river. This control and management includes planning and making improvements to port facilities and waterways for harbor purposes, regulation of structures in navigable waters, representation of the port district before federal, state and local agencies, advertisement of the business of the port district and cooperation with other public agencies in port improvement matters. The Port Commission then and now holds the unique position of administering to a port that is made up of private operators. In fact, the Port of Detroit is the largest privately run port in the world. To strengthen the Port Commission's authority, they attempted twice in the late 1950's and early 1960's to create a publicly-owned Port of Detroit. Had these referendums passed, the privately-owned facilities would have been purchased from those owners by the State of Michigan. The operators objected to this vehemently and through efforts of their own, succeeded in convincing the House Committee investigating the Port of Detroit to vote down the proposal. In 1973, the metropolitan Detroit area accrued almost $49 million of economic benefits that are directly linked to shipping activities in the Port of Detroit. These moneys were produced by private enterprise. If indeed the port had gone public, all financing would have come from the taxpayer's wallet and the returns would have been the same. With a smooth-running operation now functioning, why try to change it merely for the sake of change? But now, we're deviating from history. Historically, Detroit's waterfront had another claim to fame. It was a great shipbuilding center. In fact, Detroit at one time was the greatest ship building port in the United States. Hundreds of ships were built along the waterfront. In 1907, twenty-one of the largest ships sailing the lakes were launched in Detroit. The waterfront was dotted with shipbuilding rigs, launching docks and drydocks. To aid the war effort in both World Wars Detroit yards turned out military vessels. The last shipbuilding firm in the Port of Detroit, the Great Lakes Engineering Works, went out of business in 1959. One third of all marine engines built in the United States from 1897 to 1920 were built in Detroit. Some of these famous builders were Riverside Iron Works, located at the foot of Chene Street, Frontier Iron Works, situated near Belle Isle, and the Dry Dock Engineering Works, located at the foot of Orleans Street In 1956, there was an attempt to create a rival port, located where the Detroit River meets Lake Erie. It was proposed by Robert C. Begail, who created the concept of Port Everglades in Florida and Port Longview in Washington state. Begail's proposal was grandiose. It included hotels, marinas, a helioport, docks for ocean-going freighters, etc. In fact, he planned on a whole new community because he included private residential dwellings to surround the new port. One gentleman from Michigan thought the project a good one. Gerald Ford said, "The project is a worthy one." However, as so many plans go, so went this and it was dropped. It was just too expensive to carry out. However, today there is another threat to Detroit's port, present in the technology of transporting material. It is called containerization. With this concept, goods are placed in containers that are standardized to fit on ships, trains and over-the-road trailers. The containers are taken off ships and then because of their design are placed on land transportation carriers. There is no need to unload the material out of the containers until they reach their destination. The concept is called landsbridge. In Baltimore Harbor there is a large sign proclaiming it as the "Gateway to the Midwest". They are, in essence, saying it is faster and cheaper to ship from Europe to Baltimore to our midwest than from Europe to Detroit, which is the midwest. This has caused shipping to decline in the Port of Detroit for the last few years. Hopefully, new technology and procedures may come along that will be in Detroit's favor, yet the history of the Port of Detroit remains rich in adventure and achievement.