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cars of export freight from West Al- bany through to the company’s over- seas piers at East Boston. The piers on the Boston side of the harbor are served by the Union Freight railroad, a New Haven sub- sidiary, which is used largely for in- terchanging cars between the Bos- ton & Maine at Charlestown and the New Haven at South Boston, This is a marginal railroad extending along the waterfront of the city proper and reaches the piers of the principal coastwise lines, The Grand Junction branch of the Boston & Albany railroad is an outer belt line, starting from the Beacon Park yard at Cottage Farm and ex- tending through Cambridge, Somer- ville, Everett, Chelsea and Hast Boston, forming two-thirds of a circle surrounding the inner harbor. More than 70 important industries are located on this branch. It was originally planned as a waterfront belt line extending from the main line of the Boston & Albany to its overseas terminals at East Boston. Various branches of the Boston & Albany, Boston & Maine and New Haven railroads in reality form an- other detour or outer belt line. At some time in the future no doubt these stretches of railroad will be connected and developed as a unified outer belt line for the port. The three steam railroads serving the port of Boston have direct rail connections with all points in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The service rendered by these rail- roads is exceptional. No major seaport in the United States is more accessible to the Great Lakes, Train loads of cargo for ex- port are delivered at the Boston & Maine and Boston & Albany water- front elevators at Boston 48 hours after the grain leaves Buffalo. Once the grain is elevated at Boston, it is available for loading by conveyors directly into steamers’ holds, and all floatage and lighterage service, and any extra cost and delay incident to such accessorial terminal services, are avoided, There are three water- front grain elevators, two at the Bos- ton & Maine terminals in Charles- town, and one at the Boston & Albany terminal in East Boston. Total capacity of the three is 2,500,- 000 bushels, Through Westbound Service Through westbound train service is maintained to interior key points by the three steam railroads serving the port of Boston, and thus car- loads of import freight, when handled in these through trains on schedule, may be delivered at such points as Chicago the fourth morn- ing after the cars leave Boston piers, Detroit the third morning; Pitts- burgh the third day; and Buffalo the second day. Massachusetts is in a position of leadership in the matter of improved highways. In negotiations leading up to the construction of these high- ways, they have seldom if ever been considered as a factor in promoting MARINE REvVIEWw—May, 1934 4 Above—Boston and Al- bany deepwater terminal at Hast Boston At left — Boston and Maine railroad terminal at Boston, Hoosac docks and elevator A the commerce of the port of Boston. In the last decade, radical changes have occurred in the method of handling cargo to and from the Bos- ton piers. Only a few years ago the trolley lines operated freight service to interior local points like Worces- ter, Lowell and Lawrence. The im- provement of the highways and the advent of the motor truck caused the disappearance of the interurban trol- ley line freight service at Boston and the substitution of the more modern method of handling by motor trucks. The fact that more than 50 per cent of all of the foreign imports handled over the Boston overseas piers is now transported from the piers by motor trucks to the nearby manufacturing cities emphasizes the value of the commonwealth’s im- proved highways as a factor in the building up of the commerce of the port, It is not unusual for one of the powerful modern motor trucks to leave the overseas piers with a string of trailers loaded with many thou- sands of pounds of heavy bulk com- modities such as wool. The Army base at South Boston, now operated commercially by the Boston Tidewater Terminal, Inc., is another striking contrast to the old- er terminals and warehouses, It is about a mile long, has berthing space for nine ocean going steamers, and a water depth of 40 feet alongside. This terminal was constructed by the federal government during the war at a cost of more than $24,000,000. Most of it has now been turned over 19