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Houston~an Inland Ocean Port A Railroad Center Brought to Ship's Side—Every Convenience, Safety and Wharf Facility Furnished Shipping — A Progressive Sea Port MR RAILROAD center’ brought to ship’s side through the enterprise of its citizens and the aid of the Federal gov- ernment may fairly, if rather roughly, describe Houston, Texas. Port of Houston is located in latitude 29 degrees and 45 minutes north and longitude 95 degrees and 17 minutes west. The entrance to the port is through a tidal channel extending from the Gulf of Mexico through the jetties between Galveston island and Bolivar peninsula acrosg Galveston bay, a distance of 25 miles, thence up the San Jacinto river through low lying marshes and shal- low bays to Lynchburg, a distance of nine miles, then up the historic Buffa- lo bayou at Houston, a further dis- tance of 16 miles, making a total distance of 50 miles from the harbor to the Gulf. From Galveston bay to the Turning basin the natural chan- nel has been deepened, widened and The author, Burt Rule, is publicity director of the chamber of commerce, Houston. This article was especially prepared at the request of the editor. By Burt Rule straightened and the banks from 8 to 80 feet high offer splendid loca- tions for industrial development with rail and water connection. The ship channel now has a uni- form depth of thirty feet throughout its length, barring slight shoals that occur from time to time, which are promptly removed by government dredges. The width is 250 to 300 feet on the bottom from Bolivar roads to Morgans point, and 150 to 180 feet on the bottom from Morgans point to the Turning basin, all with side slopes of one foot vertical to three feet horizontal. The turning basin has a diameter of 1100 feet, and depth of 30 feet. Ample Room for Expansion Terminal facilities, both public and private, have been located at various points along the channel between the turning basin and Morgans point, a distance of 25 miles, and the entire section is susceptible of development in a large degree for both shipping and industrial purposes. The _ soil along the channel is composed of sand and clay, there being no rock to make construction work expensive. The port of Houston being situated within a few miles of the Gulf of Mexico in a natural valley with a gradual slope to the north and west and at a point where the great trans- continental railroad lines reach east and west across Texas and out to the Pacific coast, and with other trunk lines extending northward, westward and southwestward in a fan shape to the great agricultural, live stock, min- eral and oil producing centers of the great southwest, is most admirably lo- cated from a geographical point of view for a great industrial center and assembling point for both raw mate- rial and manufactured articles. The climate is salubrious, the tem- perature seldom rising above 90 de- grees or below thirty degrees—hence ° work of all kinds can be carried on through the entire year. The use of the Houston ship chan- nel as a waterway dates back to the early settlement of Texas, said boats Turning Basin—Houston’s Ship Channel—Old River Bed Deepened and Widened to Make Seaport MARINE REVIEW—July, 1929 51