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October, 1916 THE MARINE REVIEW 477 RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION TUG LIBERTY USED BY THE COWLES TOWING PASS UNDER BRIDGES ment of the old Follette line, and many of their boats are only three years. old.': It- has in mind the con- struction of additions to its floating equipment but is not ready as yet to embark upon that extension. The Shippers line uses its steamers for power, pushing one and pulling four' barges. Such: .a- fleet - makes 2 full lockage. Only when it is neces- sary to drop a-barge off at an inter- mediate point for receiving or dis- charging freight does the line make use of the state towing facilities. This line has joint rates and through traffic privileges with the Great Lakes Transit Co., Lehigh Valley Trans- portation Co., Detroit & Cleveland and the Cleveland & Buffalo lines over the lakes. It has similar through trafic agreements with the Clyde, Mallory, Morgan and other coastwise lines on the Atlantic. The through rates via the Shippers line on grain and grain products are 4pproximately 20 per cent below the rail rates. When a full barge-load of pig iron, or other commodities, is taken at Buffalo or New York for a strictly canal trip a special rate is (uoted which is said to be much less than 20 per cent below the rail rate. The westbound traffic has not been 4s heavy as the eastbound, but it 1s understood to have been profitable. It is said that every fleet leaving New York during the season of 1919 has had a full cargo awaiting it at Buffalo for the eastbound movement. The Tine as not carried much grain. Its chief movement has consisted of iron, Steel and salt. Beginning about July 15, 1919, the "anal lines were offered more east- bound traffic than they could accept. At that time a movement was started to clear' the elevators. at: Buffalo to prepare for the receipt over the Great Lakes of the great grain crop to be harvested this fall. The railroads shut off the movement of grain and agreed to accept shipments of wheat only. The canal line owned by the railroad administration was compelled to re- ject a shipment of about 750,000 tons of grain in one day. The independent lines insist that it will be impossible to do a pros- perous business so long as the rail- road administration is permitted to operate on the canal. Under the state charter for building the canal, it is provided that its facilities shall be closed to the railroads, but open free of charge to independent barge lines. When the canal was opened for traffic, however, the war was on and no prospects were in sight for making practical use of it. The state appealed' to the federal government with the ultimate result that orders were issued to build barges and tugs. This work was done under the ship- ping board, and the operation left to a body known as the New York and New Jersey canal section. While this section had no connection with the railroads as such, it has been under the direction and supervision of the railroad administration. Tech- nically, it may be claimed, the rail- roads are not now operating on the canal, but for practical purposes the independent lines consider it other- wise. Terminals built by the state at Buf- falo and New York are offered to the barge lines operating on the canal. Piers 5 and 6, at the lower end of Manhatten have about been completed LINE--THIS CRAFT HAS AN UNUSUALLY SHORT STACK TO ENABLE HER TO for this purpose and the space divided between the three independent lines. The railroad administration, however, resented the manner of the division of the pier space and rented a part of Pier 7, Manhattan, from the Erie railroad. These latter operators in- sist. that the -pier space should be apportioned in accordance with the number of barges operated and not equally among each line. With the prospects of a big grain movement this fall, the barge lines find themselves hampered by the lack of proper terminal facilities in the harbor of New York. It is said that had New York elevator facilities at all compared with the elevator facil- ities at Buffalo the traffic would be greatly facilitated, the rates be kept down to a minimum, and all the lines would make money. The barges, how- ever, are often held for long periods of time and transfers from pier to pier are made in some cases as often as three times. Due to the inadequate terminal facilities, the barge lines have been compelled to adopt de- murrage rules similar to those of the railroads. They allow free time of 10 days on export shipments and two days free on domestic shipments. The operators are of the opinion that had the harbor of New York proper elevator facilities to store grain as it is received, they could save one round trip for each barge in the period of two months. The barge lines were compelled to receive and deliver over an uncovered pier at Pier 5 for a long time this past summer. But this pier was equipped with two auto-cranes. Work was rushed on Pier 6 with the ex- pectation of completing it before fali.