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‘se of New Ports on Pacific ypified by Olympia, Wash. By Robert C. Hill LYMPIA, capital of the state, is. one of the oldest cities in Washington, but it is less than five years since it began to figure as a deep sea port. It is at the head of Puget sound, 167 miles from the Pa- cific with the wide, deep channels of the sound leading to its very doors. Publie-spirited citizens of Olympia in 1924 decided to obtain for their port the share of deep sea traffic to which its advantageous situation en- titled it. The first step was the organi- zation of a Port district. By concerted effort federal appropriations were ob- tained whereby a channel was dredged to a depth of 22 feet at low tide from deep water into the inner harbor where the proposed terminals were to be con- structed. The port issued bonds in the sum of $155,000 for dredging a turn- ing basis. With the material obtained from this operation a fill was made, giving an area covering approximately 33 acres. With this fill as a basis, a comprehensive scheme of port devel- opment and improvement was adopted under which a capacity of 24 vessels was provided. For the construction of terminal facilities, a second issue of bonds was sold in the sum of $250,000. An open wharf, 500 feet in length, was built to accommodate vessels loading lumber. In recent months the government has further improved facilities at Olympia by dredging the entrance channel to a minimum depth of 27 feet at low tide so that with an aver- age tide range of 14 feet the largest vessels can now enter Olympia harbor. The port is also further enlarging the turning basin so that there is now no difficulty in maneuvering any sized deep sea carrier in and out of the port. The Lighthouse service has installed powerful electric lights for ranges marking the center lines of the chan- nels. In addition suitable flashing sig- nals have been placed along the route leading to Olympia. Port Facilities at Olympia At the present time Olympia’s fa- cilities include the following: A wharf 1850 feet in length. This terminal is equipped with double ship- side tracks, with crossovers every 200 feet, so that cars can be switched to and from individual hatches without disturbing the operations of other ves- sels at the wharf. Transit sheds “A” and “B” of 3000 tons capacity each. Cold storage “A” of 140,000 cubic feet capacity with special rooms and equipment for freezing and storage of berries, eggs, etc. An open storage yard of unlimited capacity for storage of lumber and wood products not requiring protection against the weather. Mechanical equipment consisting of a 30-ton locomotive crane, @ 60-ton loco- motive, as well as tractors, trailers, elevators and stackers necessary for the economical handling of cargo. The port owns and operates all of the railroad trackage on its property and maintains switching service at all hours for the convenience of steam- ship customers. Deep Sea Tonnage Handled While the Port of Olympia terminals are the only wharves at which large vessels berth, there is considerable deep sea tonnage handled over another dock in Olympia that is transshipped from other ports by small vessels but at through rates. For this reason the total of 1,322,426 tons, shown in gov: ernment records, for 1930 is consider- ably larger than the total over the oo ot SER kan oer eg nm port’s terminals, although the 263 deep sea vessels shown in the port’s figures, were the only overseas carriers enter- ing Olympia’s harbor. Illustrating the growth of Olympia, the following comparative figures are furnished, covering only the business handled over the Port of Olympia ter. minals: For the Year 1927 No. Gross Lumber’ go— Destination Ships Tonnage Board Ft. Tons Orient: {3 cansass 28 149,174 58,069,376 _........ POUYODC cccvecsssess 22 129,122 12,247,637 451 Coastwise ........ LOS ECB 218,284,087.) Intercoastal .... 15 77,815 41,279,680 52 So. Africa -..::;. 6 26,856 3,863,746 454 Australia:: <...c% 9 89)869° LL ALOT 90 440,348 130,155,303 957 For the Year 1930 Dnients dscns 47 296,988 173,123,740 30 Burope= s.ccissase 128 785,406 65,454,681 6,796 Coastwise ...... 49 108,544 16,185,047 1,801 Intercoastal .... 85 200,807 56,819,192 1,115 So. Africa ...... 1 5,425 210 465° 535° So. America... 38 15,568 1,425,948 80 263 1,407,738 213,229,073 9,822 The purpose of constructing the first unit of the Olympia cold storage plant was to accommodate the agricultural industry of Thurston county and re- lieve the high cost of transporting goods requiring refrigeration to plants at other Puget sound ports. This movement has increased to the point where Olympia’s refrigerator facilities are able to accommodate about 25 per cent of the tonnage originating in its own county. Plans are now under way for the building of additional cold storage units so that in the not distant future all the products of the contigu- ous territory can be held in Olympia. Up to the present only a small tonnage of cold storage products has moved from Olympia by water but it is be- lieved that since definite schedules have been established from Olympia for the large passenger and refriger- ated vessels plying to Europe, increas- ing shipments of perishable cargo will be handled through the port. The manager of the Port of Olympia is Ernest C. Gribble, who not only laid out the plans for developing the harbor and establishing facilities but has. since been successful in obtaining busi- ness for the port, which is being con- servatively managed with an eye to the future. Port of Olympia, Wash.—Terminals for Ocean Ves 44 MARINE REVIEw—September, 1931 sels Built and Managed by Commissioner Appointed by the City