The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

January, 1927 MARINE REVIEW 53 The board fully realizes the big, things they must do to properly take: care of the general cargo business, of the port of New Orleans, now the second port of America. They are keeping a close watch of other, developments, having a bearing upon! Steam fire boat DreLuUGE of the board of com- missioners of the port of New Orleans— Largest fire fighting tug in the world—Ca- pacity 14,000 gallons per minute of July 31, 1926, amounted to $3,- 423,013.56. The board’s grain elevator has the reputation of being one of the clean- est and best operated elevators in existence. Until 1921 New Orleans had no satisfactory or efficient method of handling either bunker or cargo coal, no satisfactory land storage. The steamship interests felt that a public coal plant to handle bunker and cargo coal was a necessity if the port were to maintain its place. The dock board, always anxious to equip the port to the best of its ability, ac- quiesced in these views and as a re- sult the plant now termed the public coal and bulk commodity handling plant was constructed. The construc- tion of this plant was commenced on Sept. 38,. 1919. The board’s capital investment at the public coal and bulk commodity handling plant, exclusive of real estate, as of July 31, 1926, amounted to $1,200,139.98. ‘Inner Harbor Developed Looking forward with prophetic vision the board of commissioners of the port of New Orleans undertook on May 15, 1918, the construction of the inner haybor-navigation canal. As of July 31, 1926, $18,462,067.02 had been spent upon this great undertak- ing. In creating the canal the board has amply guaranteed the port against failure to provide any facility the future may demand. The board has already commenced to create on its banks the most convenient and eco- nomical port in existence. The Gal- vez street wharf, the first public wharf to be constructed on the canal, was completed Aug. 31, 1925. It cost $1,603,031.39. It is considered the most modern wharf in America. It their problems and have authorized their engineers in their program of new construction to keep five years ahead of the actual requirements. Today the board of commissioners Dock board’s inner harbor—navigation canal—CoMMERCIAL PATHFINDER first ship with cargo is 2400 feet long and 265 feet wide. While these great port facilities described above were being provided by the board there were being con- structed on a tremendous scale, a splendid system of public wharves and steel transit sheds. These wharves and transit sheds stretching as they do for miles and miles along the river front present one of the most impres- sive sights in America. As of July 31, 1926, the board’s capital invest- ment in the dock department, exclusive of real estate, was $10,847,192.09. As of Aug. 31, 1925, the board owned and operated 5,991,473 square feet of wharves with 4,264,100 sq. ft., shedded. of the port of New Orleans are own- ers and operators for the state of Louisiana of the largest port termi- nal properties in America under one management. The bonded indebted- ness of the board as of July 31, 1926, was $39,012,000. The properties cre- ated by the board would probably have today as replacement value, a value of perhaps $50,000,000 and the board has lands which are worth per- haps another $50,000,000. In addition to the board’s investment at the port of New Orleans, millions have been spent by private concerns and by the government in providing still other port facilities and improvements. Entrance: to $20,000,000 inner harbor navigation canal at New Orleans. This canal is being developed into a great industrial and commercial harbor