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THE Marine REVIEW Fic. 1--Lumper WHARVES For CoASTING VESSELS ON CHAN ministration of a permanent harbor com- mission, endowed with sufficient authority to direct the symmetrical development of the port facilities, since the year 1863. It is true that the administration of the early harbor boards was crude and faulty and that some regimes in the early days have not left records savoring to any notable degree of honesty or freedom from political taint, but nevertheless the beneficial effects of unified port adminis- tration are everywhere visible. Of late years the administration of the harbor boards has been unusually capable and efficient. It has been said that the de- velopment of a great commercial port on San Francisco Bay has made 'the work of .the State Board of Harbor Commissioners possible, but it is nearer the truth to say that the work of the Board of Harbor Commissioners has been an essential factor in the commer- cial success of San Francisco. In a previous article in this series the writer enumerated the six requisites for a good harbor as follows: (1) protec- tion from storms, (2) ample depth and good anchorage, (3) size, (4) accessibil- ity, (5) sufficient shore line for the con- struction of the necessary docks and wharves, and (6) facilities for handling freight and for the repair of vessels. The Golden Gate. San Francisco Bay is connected with the ocean by a channel known the world over as the Golden Gate. It is only three miles in length and nearly a mile wide at its narrowest point. It has an average depth of 514 fathoms, a max- imum depth of 60 fathoms and a com- modious channel with a minimum depth of 9 fathoms. The shores of the Golden Gate are high, bold and rocky. Outside the entrance and about six miles distant is the bar, on which there is a NEL STREET. se hte depth of at least 33 ft. at low. tide. There is also. another channel of ap- proach to the Gate, known as the North or Bonita channel, which is one-third of a mile in width and has a minimum depth of 54 ft. Ships of maximum draught can enter San Francisco harbor vat all times with safety. San Francisco harbor offers ample protection from the storms which rage on the -Pacific Ocean in winter. The entrance to the harbor is not quite a mile wide at its narrowest part, while inside two islands are placed so as to effectively prevent any storms or heavy ocean swells from entering. the bay. The bay itself, however, is over four miles in width and 37 miles in length, prac- tically unobstructed. This gives plenty of opportunity for the wind to create seas which are severe enough to make February, 1910 the bay untenable for small open boats, | but which have no effect on large yes. sels. Occasionally during severe storms and on account of the unobstructe¢ sweep of the wind inside the harbor, vessels have dragged their anchors, fouled against one another and drifted. into precarious positions. In genera] however, the anchorages are absolutely safe and the protection from storms jg complete. The hills to the west, be. tween the bay and the sea, have an ay- erage height of over 350 feet and a maximum elevation of 2,604 ft. Size of the Harbor. The waters of the entire Bay of San - Francisco cover an area of over 250 square miles, 24 square miles of which are in the immediate vicinity of the city and are now used as anchorage ground, exclusive of fairways, which oc- cupy seven square miles. In addition, there are available for anchorage in San Francisco Bay proper over 40 square miles, while in the adjoining extensions, known as San Pablo and Suisun bays, there are over 20 square miles of addi- tional anchorage ground, making a total of some 100 square miles with depths ranging from 18 to 60 ft. at low tide, The bottom is blue and yellow mud with shells, making an excellent holding ground. San Francisco Bay, with San Pablo Bay, its northern extension, covers an area of 420 square miles. The shore line of San Francisco Bay alone, leaving out of consideration for the time its numerous navigable inlets, measures 100 miles in length. From the southern portal of the Golden Gate at Fort Point, along the. bay shore of San Francisco and San Mateo counties to Ravenswood Point, thence across the Narrows and Fig. 2--Hunter's Point Dry Dock, OPERATED By Union Iron Works.