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harbor just after the close of bridge hours 'are likely: to encounter freight boats going out. This causes confusion and delay for. both, which would be avoided if the passenger boats were not requiréd to observe bridge hours, and could enter the harbor in advance of the time 'that the freighters may pass out through the bridges. "It .would seem to be a reasonable proposition to ask that bridge hours be done away with for passenger boats, at least from.the mouth of the harbor to Wells «street. (* -* .>* "The, vessel interests generally, freight as well as passenger, think they are en- titled to a modification of the bridge hours. They contend that doing away with bridge hours altogether. would in- convenience the bridge-using public much less than is popularly. supposed. It would seem that the subject should at least be taken up for careful consideration by the council committee on harbors, wharves and bridges, and all interests given a hearing. DIFFICULTIES THAT BOATS ENCOUNTER. "The freight boats encounter a mul- titude of difficulties in attempting to do business in the Chicago harbor. Their troubles are greater in one re- spect than those of the passenger boats in that they are obliged to go much further up the river to receive and un- load cargoes. In the first place, the _largest boats on the lakes cannot enter the Chicago river at all. Those that do get in are beset by the difficulties of a narrow and tortuous channel that increase the liability to damage and consequently raise the insurance rate. The current in the south branch is the cause of 'very much complaint and is said to constitute the chief basis for the higher rate on coal. Boats regularly charge 10 cents a ton more for carry- ing hard coal from Buffalo to points on the south branch of the Chicago river than they do for cargoes from Buffalo to Milwaukee or to South Chi- cago. An increase of 10 cents a ton means an addition of about 25 per cent to the water rate from Buffalo. Ves- sel managers generally have an aversion to entering the Chicago river, because of the difficulties encountered, and will go to competing ports in preference if cargoes are to be had in them on as favorable terms. Bridges and bridge hours and tug bills are more serious burdens «to navigation. in the Chicago harbor than in any other lake port. Mr. Johnson, Chicago agent of the An- chor line, testified before the commis- sion that the towing bills. chargeable to a. vessel. of his line from the time of entering to the time of leaving the harbor was likely to be $250. He cited TAE MaRINE REVIEW one instance where the expense for towing -was $320. The time consumed is even a more important considera- tion.. In Duluth vessels can load and unload quickly: and it is uncommon. for a steamer to require the use of a tug in that port. The package freight boats find the necessity. of moving about so much within the Chicago harbor in or- der to receive and discharge their car- goes objectionable: There are still not enough turning basins. It is difficult to secure satisfactory dock facilities at prices within reason from the boat point of view. The package freighters suf- fer especially from the inadequacy of warehouse facilities. In Chicago, where a boat takes goods from és railroad, it pays for unloading the car,' a usage that prevails in no other port on the lakes: This charge amounts to about 14: cents a ton. While the rate to the shipper is the same from one port to another, it will be seen that the boat line has. an object in diverting traffic if it can to a port where it does not have to meet this charge. RAILROAD TRAFFIC MANAGERS. "The railroad traffic managers do not undertake to defend this usage. They merely treat its existence as a fact that has developed out of past conditions. It would seem, therefore, that organ- ized efforts on the part of the lake lines to put an end, to it might be successful, INTERESTING PROJECT FOR WAREHOUSE FACILITIES. ei "An interesting project for furnish- ing warehouse facilities and better con- nections between lake and rail lines is that of the Chicago River & Indiana Rail- road Co. This company, which operatesa switching line, has erected during the summer of 1908 a warehouse 800 ft. long by 100 ft. wide on land adjoining the Santa Fe slip, near the point where the river joins the sanitary district ca- nal. It is the idea to have this boat landing the meeting place for lake and rail lines. The Chicago River & Indi- ana Railroad Co. derives its benefit from the project out of the $3 a car switching charge for moving cars 'to and from the warehouse. Only two railroads--the Santa Fe and the Bur- lington--are as yet making use of _this warehouse, although it is hoped that all may do so in time. The boat lines gen- erally approve of this project. They would sooner have a common meeting place and interchange point with all the railroads than be required to move about from one dock house to another to put off and take on cargo, The railroads, however, are not so enthusi- astic over the project. They have to business in that port. pay the switching charge, which would be saved if the boats called at their own dock houses. They also argue that in times of congestion they may lose con- trol of their cars if taken off their own lines. A further objection is that the railroads are put to less trouble and expense in loading. and unloading cars -- at their own terminals than is the case where they make use of a common dock house. "It would seem that the railroads _would be more likely to enter into ar- rangements for the joint use of a com- mon dock 'house if the plan were work- ed out under public direction, with rail- road co-operation, instead of being launched as a strictly private undertak- ing. "Duluth clearly has the best. harbor on the lakes. After it would rank Buf- falo. Such harbors as South Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee would con- stitute the next lower class. The Chi- cago harbor ranks below all these in point of excellence of facilities. » Of course this was not always so. With reference to shipping needs of earlier days Chicago harbor was the equal of any on the lakes. But the harbor im- provements have not kept pace with the progress of ship building, so that with reference to the needs of today our harbor facilities are antiquated and in- sufficient. * * * * * <% * "The managers of the regular freight boat lines do not hesitate to say that they divert traffic from Chicago to Mil- waukee where they can, because of the greater ease and economy of doing A concrete illus- tration of the inadequacy of Chicago's water terminal facilities is furnished in the action of the International Harvest- er Co. in sending goods from Chicago to Milwaukee by rail to be loaded on the boat at that point for water ship- ment. During one week in August 65 carloads of machinery were thus sent out from the Deering plant located on the north branch. The explanation is that the difficulty of reaching the Deer- ing plant by boat was too great to war- rant the effort. ~ "Tt is not uncommon for the boats to deliver at Milwaukee carload consign- ments for Chicago, and have the deliv- ery made by car from Milwaukee to Chicago. This is in cases where the receiving house in Chicago has a loca- tion on a switch track. ae WATERWAYS AND TERMINALS. "The federal government constructs or improves waterways. It does not supply terminal facilities. Those must be provided if they are to be had at all by private agencies or by state or local