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and bonded warehouses, with offices at 611 Smith street, Brook- lyn, N. Y. and ten warehouses on Smith and Bay streets, operate six electric trucks, load carrying type, for all of their materials handling work. They are situated on the Gowanus Bay canal at Smith street and Hamil- ton avenue. All kinds of merchandise is shipped in to them via barges and automobile trucks. As soon as a barge is made fast to their wharf, gang planks are used to bridge the gap between the barge and the wharf. The number of gang- planks used varies with the tide. When the tide is high, three planks are used, making a grade of almost 20 per cent that the trucks must ne- gotiate in order to run on to the barge for a load. After the truck is driven up the gang plank, on ta the barge, it is load- ed with whatever commodity happens to be on the barge. It might be a load of cocoa beans weighing 2000 pounds, or it might be a load of metals weigh- ing 6000 pounds. The truck then starts its journey over rough cobble stones to one of the ten warehouses, varying from 100 to 1000 feet distance from the wharf. These warehouses line Bay and Smith streets, making it necessary for the trucks to operate in the street most of the time. When the truck arrives at its des- tination, it is driven in the warehouse to the proper storage bay where the material is unloaded and stored away. If the trucks are not loading or un- loading barges, they are loading or unloading automobile trucks. The au- tomobile trucks back up to the ware- house door, their loads are transferred B=, E-MORTON’S Stores, free Finished lumber, in bundles, protected by layers of two by fours ST TTTTTTTTTLITTTETTTTTITETTTTTUTTILUMnrTUIMNTUUTUNOTUOTONT UCT HIS page is to be devoted to short items on all matters having to do with the more efficient turn- around of ships. These items are in- tended to be of a helpful nature. We will welcome for this page brief descriptions, illustrated if possible, of any better or safer way of perform- ing any function in cargo handling. Also, any questions submitted will be answered by the editor. QUUDENLUNGLUOUULUEONULEUGLONNULOEALOOUNLUTTEU OTOL EEUU TEEN TOUT NTU Baffles on Pier 9, Baltimore, to pre- vent locomotive smoke from spreading to storage areas. Smoke drawn through openings in ceilings to the electric trucks and are then transported to storage, or else the electric trucks bring loads from stor- age to the automobile trucks. In 1929, 60,000 tons were handled in and out of the various warehouses, making a total of 120,000 tons in all. Compared with some _ installations, this tonnage is small, nevertheless, because of the long hauls and the rough roadways, these trucks show a very substantial saving over hand labor. Stevedores at Wilmington, Dela- ware, found it advantageous to use gravity cranes for loading steel. Slings for Loading Cars NE of the accompanying illus- trations of the Tidewater termin- als pier at Norfolk, shows the method used in loading Ford automobiles. The sling used is easily hooked on and unhooked, while at the same time the car is protected from any kind of damage. This particular shipment was des- tined for Maracaibo, Venezuela and MARINE REvVIEw—March, 1931 Havana, Cuba. From 500 to 600 Ford cars were being shipped monthly last year through the Norfolk Tidewater terminals to these ports. The cars are assembled at the Norfolk Ford plant. The practice of strapping lumber in units of equal size and length by use of steel straps and seals continues to grow on the Pacific coast. The units are shipped intact, grade marked, and reach the consumer in that form. Shortage and damage claims are prac- tically eliminated and handling costs are reduced. Cargo Booms and Hatches HE placing of cargo booms the. length of the.booms and the num- ber of them at each hatch. is import-. ant. Ten years. ago the standard length of a cargo boom was such that it would swing eight feet over the side when topped at a 45 degree angle. Today this is not enough, sixteen to twenty feet is required. Ten years ago two booms and winches were ample for each hatch, today twice that number are required if the gear is to be ade- quate. Hatches should be made as large as possible, trade conditions permitting, in order to reduce the distance be- tween the bulkhead and the hatch coaming. Transportation of cargo from the hatch-coaming to the bulkhead should be provided for by overhead monorail transportation, to avoid han- dling of cargo on other cargo and the swinging of slingloads and consequent dumping of slingloads. Hatch covers should be of steel and *tweendeck hatchbeams' should _ be made to slide in the hatch coaming to avoid lifting them up. Special slings for loading Ford cars at Norfolk Tidewater terminals 47