a good diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-may page 1 to 18.pdfthe cover spring is...

18

Upload: others

Post on 08-Jul-2020

0 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion
Page 2: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

520

A Good DiagnosisThis team of specialists at the Port of Houston can write the prescrip-tion that will cure your shipping worries. We have experts trained inevery field, backed up by the most modern facilities and equipment, tosee that your cargo gets the right treatment. Let us diagnose yourshipping ills. Houston is the all-commodity port to handle anythingfor shipment by water.

P()HT IIOUSTONContainerPort of The Gulf

P. O. Box 2562, Houston, Texas 77001Telephone: (713) 225-0671

Field Service Office: 25 Broadway,New York, 10004Telephone: (212) 269-7747

Page 3: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

do you remc\

when skirts were long ? cars were puddle jumpers?

when an ITT Tug helped the¯ ¯ IIConshtuhon up the

Houston Ship Channel?

INTRACOASTALTOV~ING& TRANSPORTATION CORP.

Houston ¯ GalvestonFreeport ° Corpus Christi

MAY, 1972 3

Page 4: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

Your Vessel will be met at the Barand Piloted to the Port of Houstonby

HOUSION6302

-k

PILOTSGULF FREEWAY

HOUSTON, TEXAS 77023

\S H l P S U P P L l E S ::.

You never experience a delaywhen you order from TexasMarine because we carry one ofthe nation’s largest stocks ofmaritime supplies. We havespecial departments for deck& engine, provisions, electrical,steward sundries and fire pro-tection under one roof to giveyou quick service. TEXAS MARINE & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY COMPANY

8050 Harrisburg ¯ P. O. Box 5218 ¯ Telephone: 713-WA 3-9771

Houston, Texas 77012

f

STEAMSHIP AGENTS & BROKERS6TH FLOOR WORLD TRADE CENTER

ESTABLISHED 1905

BARBER LINES ............................. GULF/FAR EASTNOPAL LINE ............... GULF EAST COAST SOUTH AMERICANOPAL WEST AFRICA LINE ........... GULF/WEST AFRICACOMBI LINE (HAPAG.LLOYD/HOLLAND AMERICA LINE) ...................... GULF/SOUTH ATLANTIC/CONTINENTAL PORTSSPANISH LINE ................ GULF/SPAIN-PORTUGAL SERVICESIDARMA LINE .................. GULF/MEDITERRANEANMAMENIC LINE .... GULF/WEST & EAST COAST CENTRAL AMER.

HOUSTON, TEXAS PHONE 222-9961

REPRESENTINGSCINDIA STEAM NAVIGATION CO., LTD.. GULF/INDIAKOCTUG LINE ........ GULF/TURKEY AND EAST’MEDITERRANEANBARBER LINES .......................... GULF/MIDDLE EASTFARRELL LINES ............................ GULF/AUSTRALIAGULF ALASKA LINE .................... ALASKA SERVICESMIT INTERNATIONAL ............ OCEAN TOWAGE & SALVAGESMIT-LLOYD, N.V ..................... SUPPLY BOAT SERVICEC. CLAUSEN STEAMSHIP CO., LTD...LIVESTOCK CHARTER SERVICE

HOUSTON ̄ NEW ORLEANS ̄ GALVESTON ̄ BEAUMONT ̄ ORANGE ̄ MOBILE ¯ BROWNSVILLECORPUS CHRISTI ¯ MEMPHIS ̄ DALLAS

CABLE ADDRESS: BIEHL, HOUSTON ¯ TELEX 077-412 ¯ TWX 910-881-1711

4 PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Page 5: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

TheBANK LINE Ltd.Regular Service from

U. S. Gulf Ports to

Australiaand

New Zealande Brisbane

¯ Melbourne

¯ Auckland

¯ Lyttelton

¯ Sydney

¯ Adelaide¯ Wellington

¯ Dunedin

[] [] []

General Agents

BOYD, WEIR and

SEWELL, Inc.

New York

[] [] []

Gulf Agents

STRACHAN

SHIPPING CO.

Houston - Galveston - Mobile

Memphis-New Orleans-Dallas

Chicago - Atlanta - St. Louis

Charleston - Greenville

A Subsidiary ofSwedish American Line of Gothenburg, Sweden and

OY Finniines, Ltd., Helsenki, FinlandRegular Freight, Container and Refrigerated Service

toLE HAVRE - ANTWERP - GHENT - ROTTERDAM

BREMEN - HAMBURGOSLO - GOTH ENBURG - COPENHAGEN -MALMO

STOCKHOLM - HEI.SINKI - GDYNIASTRACHAN SHIPPING COMPANY

GENERAl. AGENTSHouston Office

1400 Cotton Exchange Bldg. CA 8-1431Other Offices

Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile, Jacksonville, Savannah, Dallas,Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, Charleston-Greenville

Miami: Shaw Co. Tampa: Luckenbach Steamship Co.New York Agents

Boise-Griffin Steamship Co., Inc.

Fast Freight, Reefer, Deep Tank and Passenger Service

U.S. GULF/ FAR EAST SERVICERegular Sailings From:

HOUSTON ̄ GALVESTON ¯ BEAUMONTNEW ORLEANS

MANILA ¯ HONG KONG ¯ BANGKOK ¯ SINGAPOREPORT SWETTENHAM ¯ PENANG ¯ BELAWAN DELl

Other loading or discharging ports called if cargo warrants.

Agents Agents:

BARBER STEAMSHIP LINES, INC. BIEHL & COMPANY17 Battery Place, New York, H. Y. 10004 Sixth Floor, WORLD TRADE BLDG.,(212) 944-1300 HOUSTON, TEXAS

CApitol 2-9961

MAY, 19725

Page 6: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

ServingtheGulf CoastSince1880

CORPUS CHRISTI * TEXAS CITY

GALVESTON * FREEPORT * HOUSTON

SEnVlCESFROM HOUSTONand otherGulf portsINDIA SERVICEKarachi * Bombay * ColomboMadras G Calcutta * Rangoon

World Wide Cargo Services from

All Coasts of the United States

BaRJmoreBostonBrownsvilleBuffaloChicasoClevelandDallas

DetroitGalvestonHoustonLong BeachLos AngelesMemphisMobile

New OrleansNew YorkNorfolkPhiladelphiaSan FranciscoSeattleWashington, D. C.

BERTH AGENTS

COTTON EXCHANGE BLDG., HOUSTON

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Page 7: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

PORT OFIIOUSTON

Officialof the Publication @Port of HoustonAuthority

Volume 16

Port CommissionersAnd Staff

FENTRESS BRACEWELL, ChairmanR. H. PRUETT, CommissionerW. D. HADEN, II, CommissionerE. JACK WALTON, CommissionerJAMES W. FONTENO, CommissionerJ. P. TURNER, Special Consultant to the Port

CommissionGEORCE W. ALTVATER, Executive DirectorC. E. BULLOCK,

Deputy Port Director--OperationsRICHARD P. LEACH, Deputy Port Director--

Engineering and PlanningMILTON K. ECKERT, CounselMICHAEL SCORCIO, Assistant to

Executive DirectorVAUGHN M. BRYANT, Director o/

International RelationsHENRY S. BONNEY, International

Relations RepresentativeHENRY M. BROADNAX, Director o]

Trade DevelopmentC. A. ROUSSER, JR., Western Sales ManagerHUME A. HENDERSON, Midwestern

Sales ManagerWILLIAM H. LAWDER, JR., District

Sales RepresentativeJ. K. HENDERSON, ControllerK. P. RODEN. Manager. Grain ElevatorWALLACE J. STAGNER, Manager, Storage

WarehousesJOHN R. SPOLLIN, Chie/EngineerALTON B. LANDRY, Personnel Manager and

World Trade Building ManagerJ. R. CURTIS,

Terminal Manager--North SideW. D. DUNNAHOE,

Terminal Manager--South SideR. J. SHIROSKY, Superintendent,

Bulk Materials Handling PlantL. T. FRITSCH, Purchasing AgentC. L. SHUPTRINE, Chie] Security OfficerA. J. M. VAN DE VEN

Maintenance SuperintendentLouis F. BROWN, JR., Chie], Fire Protection

and Traffic Control OfficerC. G. SEAMAN, Superintendent, Sa]ety and

EfficiencyV. D. WILLIAMS, Administrative AssistantLLOYD GREGORy, Director o/ln/ormationS. G. FULLERTON, County AuditorNEW YORK SALES OFFICE25 Broadway, New York, N. Y. 10004

Telephone: (212) 269-7747EDWARD P. MOORE, Eastern Sales ManagerFRANK WARD, District Sales ManagerEXECUTIVE OFFICE

1519 Capitol Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002P. O. Box 2562, Houston, Texas 77001

Telephone: (713) 225-0671TERMINAL OFFICE

Telephone (713) 672-8221

MAY, 1972 No. 4

CONTENTSDelta Lines Select Houston As West Gulf Terminal ....................... 8Important Container Seminar Opens May 16 ............................. 9"Mini Bridge" Starts At Port of Houston ................................ 10Captain Barbour’s Dream Is Coming True--50 Years Later ................. 12Bill Robb Is Veep of Young & Company ................................. 13Visitors See The Port of Houston ....................................... 14Scene At The World Trade Club ....................................... 15Port’s Modern Facilities Shown To European Group ......................... 16Customers At Dallas Are Entertained .................................. 17The Houston Post Bureau Reports .................................... 18Port of Houston Directory ............................................ 19Norwegian Seamen’s Service Director Entertained ....................... 23Statistics For December, 1971 ....................................... 24Statistics For Last Year ............................................. 25Houston Area Friends Tour Port Facilities ............................. 26Sailing Schedule For General Cargo Ships ............................. 36

THE COVERSpring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which

blooms in profusion over the hills and dales, the fields and roadsides of theLone Star State. H. S. Bonney captured this scene behind the Port of Houston’sOperations Building giving the illusion of a vessel literally sailing through asea of the waving blue flowers although it is actually moored at Wharf 26.

The Port of Houston MagazineTED SUMERLIN, Editor

Published monthly by the Port of Houston Authority, the PORT OF HOUSTONMagazine is distributed free to maritime, industrial and transportation inter-ests in the United States and foreign countries. This publication is not copy-righted and permission is given for the reproduction or use of any originalmaterial, provided credit is given to the Port of Houston. Additional informa-tion, extra copies or advertising rates may be c~btained by writing the PORT OFHOUSTON Magazine, 3901 Westheimer, Houston, Texas 77027.

MAY, 19727

Page 8: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

Far Bar0e/Enntainer Vessels

I1ELTA STEAMSHIP LINEN SELEETHflUSTflN AS WEST 6ULF TEBMINAL

THE PORT OF HOUSTON Authority’snew multi-million dollar facility at

Barbours Cut has been selected as theWest Gulf terminal by Delta SteamshipLines for their new large container andbarge-carrying vessels when they go intoservice the first of next year.

In a letter to Port Executive DirectorGeorge W. Altvater, Delta’s PresidentJ. W. Clark said the decision had beentaken after "exhaustive studies of allmajor Gulf ports" and that the Port ofHouston had met all requirements.

Ill addition to existing and plannedport facilities, Captain Clark said Deltawas interested in cargo concentration,growth potential, market trends and theability and energy of a port’s personnelto "get the job done."

"Our selection of the Port of Houstonas the West Gulf Terminal point forour LASH/Container operations is indi-cative of the fact that your port has notbeen found wanting in any of theseareas", Clark said.

Delta’s announcement was the fourthin a little more than two months by asteamship line selecting the Port ofHouston as its West Gulf terminal forfull-scale container or barge-carryingoperations.

Ill January the COMBI Line, a com-bination of Hapag Lloyd and the Hol-land American Line, named Houstonthe West Gulf port for its LASH ves-sels and two weeks later SEATRAINLine chose Houston as its only Gulf portfor a full container service and beganservice in early February. In mid-Marchthe Intercontinental Air, Sea-Land Cor-poration announced sailings from Hous-ton in early April of its full containerservice.

All three services will call at northernEuropean ports and COMBI and SEA-TRAIN will also call at U.K. ports.Deha’s service is to West Africa, eastcoast South America and Puerto Rico.

(~("~TE ARE ELATED by Delta’s choiceYY for their new service", Altvater

said. "It is further evidence of the wide-spread acceptance the Port of Houstonis receiving for its leadership in thewhole container and barge-carryingmovement. Delta is the most recent ofthe steamship companies to justify ourfaith in the facilities we have completedand in those we are undertaking.

"All of this swing to Houston simplypoints up the dynamic importance ofHouston’s industrial district and distri-bution center, as well as the great South-west, in the international traffic pic-ture."

The letter LAST stands for LighterAboard Ship and the new Delta vesselwill be unique in that in addition to be-ing full barge- or lighter-carrying shipsthey will also carry containers in theirforward holds. At present, the newLASH and container ships of other linesare either all barge or all container.

These new ships will be nearly 900feet long and 100 feet wide with amaximum draft of 37 and a designeddraft of 28 feet. They will carry 26,700tons of cargo at a speed of 22 knots plusand can accommodate 74 barges and288 containers.

The Port of Houston’s Barbours Cutfacility is located 25 miles down-streamfrom the Turning Basin and is also just25 miles in a straight line from theGulf of Mexico to a point where tileShip Channel enters Galveston Bay.

Dredging to accommodate the deep-water ships was completed early this

year and construction is underway ona U-head wharf which will serve bothLASH and container ships.

The COMBI Line’s first LASH vesselwill dock at Barbours Cut in early Julyand a second vessel will be completedfor the service later in the year. Delta’starget date is January of 1973, at whichtime the Port of Houston will have theU-shaped feature of its wharf head com-pleted to accommodate trucks on whichthe containers can be carried. A fouracre container marshalling area near thewharf will also be ready at that time aswill an additional barge fleeting area.

I N ADDITION to the present facilitiesunder construction, Barbours Cut has

been authorized for Phase II of its de-~eloplnent by the Port Commission andplans and specifications for that workare now underway.

Phase II, as plans are now develop-ing, will include two wharves which willeach be 1000 feet long as the newLASH/Container vessels coming off theways arc running between 800 and 900feet and may grow larger.

There will also be spacious pavedareas immediately adjacent to thewharves for the marshalling and handl-ing of the containers and a 1200 footbarge slip within the wharf area to pro-vide for loading and unloading bargesat the ship’s location. Also there will bea transit shed with 200,000 square feetof space, and four container cranes.

Across the way on the north side ofBarbours Cut Phase II will provide anenlarged barge fleeting area and au-thority has been given to proceed withthis dredging immediately to give Hous-ton, all in all, a LASH/Container fa-cility unequalled in the Gulf.

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Page 9: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

Important Container Seminar Opens May 16

By HENRY M. BROADNAXDirector of Trade Development

As general chairman of the South-west’s first Container Seminar, to beheld in Houston at the Houston OaksHotel on May 16th through 18th. Iwant to urge everyone who is interestedin hearing about the latest in intermodalocean shipping to attend this significantmeeting.

It is fitting that the Port of Houstonshould be tile site for the first seminarin the Gulf Coast area on the excitingnew concept of intermodal transport andshould be joined by the Houston Cham-ber of Commerce and the World TradeClub of Houston in its sponsorship.

From the beginning Houston has beena leader in the whole intermodal trans-port picture, dating back just sixteenyears ago this month when the S.S.PAXTON arrived with the first fullcontainer cargo ever shipped in May1956.

That marked the beginning of Hous-ton’s coastwise service with Elizabeth,N.J., started by Pan-Atlantic SteamshipCorporation which is today the Sea,Land Service, and which pioneered thewhole idea of moving containers by theshipload.

Today the Port of Houston standspre-eminent in the Gulf with not one buttwo container cranes--the second oneonly just going into service some threemonths ago--and with container mar-shalling yards, new and modern openwharves for the handling of containersand years of experience in the entirecontainer field. These facilities aregreatly enhanced by the six main linerailroads and over 37 common carriermotor freight lines serving the port.

Just downstream, where the HoustonShip Channel joins Galveston Bay, weare completing the first phase of workon our Barbours Cut Terminal to handlethe giant new LASH ships and laterthe huge new container-carrying vesselswhich are coming so rapidly onto thetransportation scene.

The first of these LASH vessels, theM/V BILDERDYK of the Combi Line,which is of course a combined serviceof the Hapag Lloyd and the HollandAmerica Line, will dock at Barbours Cutnext month and will be joined a fewmonths later by its sister vessel the M/VMUNCHEN.

Our facilities at Barbours Cut pro-vides a 40 foot channel and a U-headpier at present, together with a bargefleeting area, and as construction con-

MAY, 1972

Ahvater Hearn Hazard

tinucs will have facilities by Jan. of1973 for loading and unloading con-tainers, as well.

The first of the new vessels to usethe Barbours Cut facility which willcarry both containers as well as bargeswill be the Delta Line’s new service dueto begin operations here early next year.By that time our facility will have afour acre container marshalling yardnear the wharf as well as roadways ontothe wharf head for moving the con-tainers.

Our Barbours Cut facility as it pro-gresses in its development will be uniquein the Gulf if not in the entire country.Meanwhile, container activity continuesto gain momentum at our facilities up-stream at the Turning Basin where Sea-train Lines early this year began a full,direct container service between Hous-ton, as the only port in the Gulf, andports of northern Europe and the UnitedKingdom.

This augments the full container ser-vice by Sea-Land on a coastwise basisas well as on a trans-ship basis toEurope, and has laid the groundworkfor the development of the "mini-bridge" concept between Houston, theWest Coast and Europe.

This highly successful service, de-scribed more fully elsewhere in thismonth’s issue of the Port of HoustonMagazine, is a through-billing servicefrom West Coast to northern Europeand vice versa by Seatrain and theSouthern Pacific Railroad. Other Euro-pean container carrying services arealso interested in this new concept as isthe Santa Fe Railroad, and we look fora steady increase in this business whichcuts more than 10 days from the oldrouting via the Panama Canal and nomore expensive and, in some cases, evencheaper.

Other container services to Europe arenow being operated by Atlantic Gulf

Service, Cartainer Line, Central GulfLines, Deppe Line, Independent GulfLines, Gulf Container Line and LykesBros. Steamship Co., Inc.

It should also be mentioned that Lykesberthed its "Seabee" vessel DOCTORLYKES in the West Gulf this month.This mammoth barge-carrying vesselwill serve Houston’s customers andhe joined this summer by the ALMERIALYKES and the TILLIE LYKES.This system of carrying barges wasinaugurated about two years agoby the Central Gulf Line’s ARCADIAFOREST and the ATLANTIC FOREST,in the European service, which has beenserving Houston.

The case for the Port of Houston asa leader in the intermodal transport con-cept could be developed further but Ifeel the above cited examples areenough to show that it is fitting, indeed,that the first Gulf Coast area seminaron the subject should be held here.

During this seminar leaders in allphases of the intermodal traffic patternwill participate as speakers of panelists.The three-day meeting will cover tileimpact of this method on the new lookin world trade, on the Gulf Coast ports’share in the whole intermodal shippingscheme and on the Gulf Coast as atransit point for intermodal shipmentsand its importance for the container andLASH/Seabee traffic.

The seminar moderator, Marc Felice,editor of Container News, is a maneminently qualified in his field to leadthe discussions, luncheon speakers willbe John L. Hazard of the Departmentof Transportation, Commissioner GeorgeH. Hearn of the Federal Maritime Com-mission, and our own Port of HoustonAuthority’s Executive Director GeorgeAltvater. They are but a few of theoutstanding leaders of government, in-dustry, port, rail, truck and steamshiplines who will be on hand to speak andanswer specific questions from the floor.

9

Page 10: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

Mini-Bridge Starts At Port of Houston DocJ

,i

By H. S. BONNEYInternational Relations

Representative

T HE POUT OF HOUSTON-West Coast"’Mini-bridge" has crone of age.

It was back in tile summer of 1970that the concept--the rapid, direct trans-portation of sea-l)orne goods by train,especially in containers, between Hous-ton and the U. S. West Coast--beganto take concrete form.

It has been c(meei~ed some yearsearlier as a cross-continent rail bridgebetween the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,but the much shorter Houston-WestCoast overland haul achieved a largedegree of sneeess on an experimentalbasis.

In recent months this shorter, newerconcept has really come into its ownwith an agreement on freight rates be-tween the container-carrying SeatrainLine and the Santa Fe and SouthernPacific Railroads.

The latter was the pioneering railwaywhich several years ago formed a sub-sidiary, Southern Pacific Marine rI’rans-portation Company (SPTMC), for theexpress purpose of developing the mini-bridge traffic between Houston and theWest Coast.

10

The initial experiments by SPMTCresulted in irregular but successful move-ments of such diverse 1)rodncts ascanned fruits and vegetables, driedfruits, diatomaceous earth, liquor andautomobile tires--all bmmd to and fromCalifornia and Europe in containers andvia the Port of Houston.

Early this year when Seatrain Linebegan its operations out of the Port ofHouston on a direet service to and fromEurope, the mini-bridge concept wasmore than vindicated with a numberof large rail movemenls }~etween Honstonand the West Coast.

Rail and maritime ottlcials say thatthese shipments will continue at an ac-celerated pace now that shippers areaware of the success of the operation.

The two major benefits accruing toshippers using the mini-bridge, they say,,are money and time.

The "Mini-bridge" rail tariffs agreedupon for the Houston-West Coast tran-sit are either equal to, or less than, theequivalent distance rates charged byocean-going vessels moving from theU. S. West Coast via the PanamaCanal to Europe, and many days areeut from the travel lime inw~lved.

Seatrain Lines’ M/V SPINDRIFT ISLE is shownhere at a Port of Houston open wharf after load-

ing the first major shipment of containers overthe Houston-West Coast "Mini-brldge." The Pacecocontainer crane in the background is the Port ofHouston Authorlty’s second and newest containercrane.

For example, the first Seatrain Linescontainer movement on Southern Pacific,some 54 carloads, took about ]0 daysless than if it bad t)een routed Ihr(,ughthe Panama Canal.

Other steamship lines have ext)ressedinterest in the mlni-bridge operation.

Arthur J. Fritz & Company, a SanFran(:iseo based foreign freight for-warder and customs broker with officesin Houston, has formed its own non-vessel-operating common carrier(NVOCC) subsidiary company, theLand-Bridge Corporation, which will bedeveloping busimess between the WestCoast and Europe via Houston.

Officials of Seatrain Lines say thatthe intermodal concept has been at-tempted not too successfully by severalmajor carriers in the past and attributetheir own breakthrough to the coopera-tive and partieipating efforts of the rail-road industry.

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Page 11: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

~.nd Travels West To California By Rail Car

One factor heretofore involved wasthat railroads could not afford to gearup for the direct container service untilsteamship lines and the ports involvedhad developed their own facilities.

This has been accomplished, espe-cially at the Port of Houston, whoseofficials point to their two containereranes, the numerous container marshal-ling yards, the growing container-hand-ling expertise of both port and steamshipoperators, the multi-million dollar con-tainer and barge, terminal downstreamat Barbours Cut closer to the open Gulf

of Mexico, and the many other container-orientated facilities developed and inoperation.

L. C. Hudson, vice president-traffic,of the Santa Fe, noted in an article ina recent issue of the American ImportExport Bulletin: "... The Texas portpeople are very enthusiastic and we in-tend to offer them every cooperation intheir efforts to build service there thatwill be eompetitixe . . . They haxe madeimpressive strides in gearing up . . .whieh shouht rcsuh in increased trafficfor them."

At a Southern Pacific railyard a piggybackunloader easily handles the Seatrain containerand bogie. Here a truck cab will take over,hauling the container to Seatrain’s marshallingyard at the Port of Houston or, perhaps, directlyto a Seatraln ship waiting to load it.

The first major "Mini-bridge" trainload of con.tainers between Houston and the West Coast wasbrought in by Seatrain Line on the SouthernPacific Railroad. Here the 54 container ladenrail cars cross one of Houston’s freeway systemson their way to the Port.

And Then Returns To Houston For Export¯ ¯ ¯

MAY, 1972 11

Page 12: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

Captain Barbour’s Dream

Is Coming True--

Fifty Years Later

Editor’s Note: When the Houston Port Authority announcedits plans ]or a dramatic new terminal at Barbours Cut, esti-mated to cost $100 million or more when completed, mem-ories o] the late Captain Clyde A. Barbour, who first devel-oped the area, were brought to mind. Here Lucile BarbourHolmes, daughter of Captain Barbour who now resides atOaklawn Gardens on Irish Bend near Franklin, Louisiana,writes ]or the Port o] Houston MAGAZINE o] her lather’sdreams ]or Barbours Cut and o] his li]e in developing rivertrade and industrial empires. (For the sake o] consistency, thePort o] Houston MAGAZINE uses the U.S. Army Corps o[Engineers’ punctuation rule o] omitting apostrophe’s on placenames, hence Barbours Cut instead o] Barbour’s Cut, asemployed by Mrs. Holmes here.)

BY LUCILE BARBOUR HOLMES

The great activity now under way at Barbour’s Cut, LaPorte, Texas, is the culmination of the dream of one man,Captain Clyde A. Barbour, who in the 1920’s was foresightedenough to see the need and potential of this development.

He was familiar with the great industrial center of Man-chester, England, and he wrote in his first plan for Barbour’sCut ".... the dream of another Manchester has cometrue! Each year brings more industries to the Ship Channeland $6,000,000 have been made in improvements. Anothergreat development project has been launched by C. A. Bar-bour and associates just above Morgan’s Point, at La Porte.Faith in the Houston Ship Channel has been justified."

The founder and original developer of Barbour’s Cut wasborn in Jeffersonville, Indiana, on the Ohio River in 1874.Captain Barbour had the unique experience of working as ayoung boy on the produce boat of his father, James A.Barbour. This was a traveling wholesale store supplying thetowns along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

The large boat would float down South in the spring andsummer and be towed back to Indiana in the fall. YoungClyde would then go to school in New Albany. The story istold of his being so familiar with currents and eddies of theMississippi that he would be awakened and asked to helpsteer the boat safely through the night.

During his twenties he owned a tow boat business and hadstern wheelers and barges operating on the bayous and lakesof South Louisiana, where transportation was primarily bywater. Moving to Houston around 1910, one of his businessestook him to Mexico where he barged petroleum into Tampico.Here he became acquainted with many of the early oil pro-ducers of that day.

There are two memorials standing to Captain Barbour.Barbour’s Cut, the hundred million dollar development, andOaklawn Manor, the antebellum sugar plantation home onBayou Teehe, near Franklin, Louisiana.

As a young steamboat captain he would pass the whitecolumned brick house with its huge live oaks growing downto the water’s edge and, turning to his young wife besidehim would declare, "Jennie, some day that is going to beonrs ["

He returned in 1925, restored the manor, grounds andgardens and filled the house with European furnishings andjewels "fit for the Queen of Bayou Teehe".

When Captain Barbour passed on in 1931 at the earlyage of 57, the Houston Chronicle wrote in part--"CaptainClyde A. Barbour was one of the builders. Wherever he sawa new and ambitious project for development was planned,Captain Barbour was in the forefront of those who hoped tosee growth and progress ....

"Captain Barbour was a pioneer of industry, fearlesslystriking out on untried paths in an effort to create capitalfor the development of the Southwest. He prospered as SouthTexas and Louisiana changed from an agriculture state toan empire of industrial development. In bringing about thatchange, he did his full share."

The stern wheeler JENNIE BARBOUR, named in honor of Capt. Barbour’swife, takes on a load of sugar cane on Bayou lethe.

12 PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Page 13: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

Another In A Series Men who Make The Port of Houston Hum

H,’s Vi~e Pr, esid.nlfl[ Yuunq g, Eumpany

By LLOYD GREGORY

Information Director

B1LI, I{OBB, a slurdy ,%:ol, who is superintendent and vicepresident of Young d Company, stevedores, had an ill-

teresting World War II career. For example:

He was a mate on a British merchant marine vessel sunkon a Friday, the 13th day of tire month, in 1942. A Germandive bomber turned the trick when tire shill was putting troopsashore in Bougie Bay, North Africa. The British h,st 17 men.

"That incident convinced me there is something to thegenerally held opinion that any Friday, the 13th, is badluck," Mr. Rohb commented.

Young & Company does the stevedoring for Biehl & Com-pany, steamship agents representing numerous steamship lines.Both companies have offices on the sixth floor of the WorhlTrade Building.

T. E. (Ted) Dugey is president of Young & Company, andexecutive vice president of Biehl & Company. Both outfils

have offices in Houston, Galveston, New Orleans, Beaumont,Port Arthur, and Orange.

Mr. Robb was born in 1923 in Edinhurgh, Scotland. Afterattending a private school, he earned his male’s license at theNautical College of Leith on the East Coast of Scotland.

After nine years of service on British ships, he was awardedhis master’s license in 1918.

Captain l{obt~ moved to Houston in 1948 as stevedoringsuperintendent for Slrachan Shipping Company. He joinedYoung & Company in 1951.

The opening of Barbour’s Cut is eagerly awaited by Mr.Robb, for the stevedores will be called on to handle containersand barges for conventional and LASH (lighters aboard ship)vessels.

Golf and deep sea fishing arc Captain Bobb’s main hohbies.Scotland, of course, is the cradle of golf. One story has it

that golf was invented by a bored Scotch shepherd who teedoff on small rocks with his shepherd’s erook (staff).

"All Scots love Ben Hogan," Captain Rohb said. "Becauseof his ability to withstand pressure they call him ’The IVeeIce-Man.’ "’

Mr. and Mrs. Robb have four chihlren, Mrs. KathrynHammond of Houston, and three sons, Bill, Jr., 17, and twins,Alan and Douglas, 12.

Captain Robb is a member of the World Trade and Execu-tive clubs. The family is Presbyterian. BILL ROBB

MAY, 1972 13

Page 14: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

Visitors See ThePort of Houston

\

One of the recent special luncheon tours aboard the Port of HoustonAuthorlty’s SAM HOUSTON had these members of the Houston area judiciaryas guests. Port Commissioners and Port Authority staff members, also pic+tured here, were hosts to judges from the Houston Court of Civil Appeals,First and Fourteenth Districts (State Court), Harris County Courts and Dis-trict Courts.

George W. AItvater, left, executive director of the Port of Houston Au-thority, is shown here aboard the SAM HOUSTON with a number of presi-dents of Harris County Rotary Clubs for a luncheon tour of the Port’sfacilities recently. Guests also included the Rotary Clubs’ directors. PortAuthority staff members were hosts for the trip. Shown here are PresidentsJim Crowley of the Bellaire Rotary Club, Dr. O. W. Marcom of the GalenaPark Rotary Club, Bill Holllngsworth of Gulfway Rotary Club, Bob Millerof River Oaks Rotary Club, Bob Harper of South Houston Rotary Club,James Blumhorst of the Tomball Rotary Club, Ben Wells of the UniversityArea Rotary Club and Marlen Tabb, manager of Rotary International,which w~ll be meeting in convention soon in Houston. Other Clubs also repre-sented included Houston Rotary Club, Pasadena Rotary Club and Sharps-town Rotary Club.

These Rotary Club members of the Houston metropolitan area areshown on the fantail of the SAM HOUSTON with the Port of Houston Au-thority’s J. K. Henderson, controller, and Michael Scorcio, assistant to theexecutive director, second and fifth from right respectively. They are clubpresidents Ewell Williams of Deer Park, Ed Lang of Harrisburg, Jim Carrellof Highlands, Pete Stamps of Houston Heights, Earl E. Domengeaux of In-tercontinental, Dr. Ruede Wheeler of La Porte, Dick Counts of Lockwood-Clinton, Dave Halpern (1972-1973 president) of Northshore and WalterCoffer, Jr. of Southeast Houston.

School district officials from Harris County and Chamber of Commercerepresentatives of Spring Branch were the special guests of the Port ofHouston Authority for a tour and lunch aboard the Port’s inspection VesselSAM HOUSTON recently w;+h Port staff members as hosts.

Joseph I-Chou Wang, left, deputy managing editor of the Great ChinaEvening News in Taipei, Taiwan, was a recent visitor to the Port of Houstonwhile touring the United States under a State Department program. He isshown here at the SAM HOUSTON dock with his interpreter Guy Yo.

14 PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Page 15: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

5EENE AT THE

International attorney Ewell E. "Pat ’~ Murphy,former first vice president of the World TradeClub of Houston, accepts the gavel from outgoingpresident John Hazard after his election as presi-dent at the Club’s annual meeting recently. Atright is H. M. Broadnax, director of trade de-velopment of the Port of Houston Authority, whowas elected first vice president, and at left Ber-nard Murphy no relation) the Club’s executivedirector.

Miss Betty Ewlng, Society Editor of the HoustonCHRONICLE and a Iongtime friend of the WorldTrade Club, was recognized by the Club at itsannual meeting with a special award of apprecia-tion for her coverage of Club activities, the Con-sular Corps and her general interest in pro-moting international understanding. She is shownhere with outgoing World Trade Club PresidentJohn Hazard.

His Excellency Walter N. J. Loridan, left, Am-bassador of Belgium to the United States, wasguest of honor at a luncheon in the World TradeClub recently given by the Han. Herman Matsaert,second from left, Belgian Consul General in Hous-ton. Ambassador Loridan is talking to the Hon. F.A. Hoefer, Consul General in Houston of theneighboring country of The Netherlands, as Al-bert H. L~edts, president of the International Sea-mens’ Center, and h~mself a native of Belgium,listens attentively.

The Hon. Abraham Sharir of Atlanta, left,Consul for Economic Affairs, Government of IsraelInvestment and Export Authority, recently spoketo members of the Houston Chamber of CommerceInternational Business Committee, Houston Councilon World Affairs and the World Trade Club onIsrael’s economic development. Shown with him,from the left, just prior to the luncheon, areHouston’s Israeli Consul General Benja, mln

Bonney, World Trade Club President Ewell E."Pat" Murphy and Gray Wakefield, chairman ofthe Chamber of Commerce’s International BusinessCommittee.

MAY, 1972 15

Page 16: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

On Wharf 26 the French-sponsored delegation viewed heavy lift cargoand the new $1.5 million, 40 ton Paceco container crane which has justgone into operation.

Port’s Modern FacilitiesShown To European Group

A delegation of eleven French, Belgian and Portugueserepresentatives of shipping and stevedoring firms visitedthe Port of Houston recently to study its container,barge-carrying and computer data processing facilities.The group was organized by the Institute of Planning forTechniques of Management, of Sevres, France, and visitedWest Coast ports before coming to Houston, and fromhere concluded its trip visiting the Ports of New Orleansand New York.

Following a briefing session in the World Trade Centerwith Executive Director George W. Ahvater, and a slidepresentation on the Port, the group toured the wharvesand visited the container marshalling yard and Houston’ssecond Paceeo container crane, operated by TerminalServices, Inc. A hmcheon and trip aboard the SAMHOUSTON, followed by an afternoon briefing session withPort Controller J. K. Henderson and a tour of the dataprocessing room, concluded the ~isit.

Albert H. Liedts, right, operations manager of Terminal Services, escortedthe visitors through the container marshalling yard. He is shown here withM. Velssilier of the Economic and International Affairs Service in Paris.In background from left to right are Capt. J. M. Hellegouarch of theChargeurs Delmas-Vieljeux Naval Society in Paris, and Capt. M. de Wildeof the Port of Ghent, Belgium; Philippe Renard of the Port of Le Havre,and M. Karbee of the Port of Ghent.

Viewing some of the container yard’s equipment are from left, M. Veis-silier; Madame Gondard-Charrier, tour manager; M. Gauthler of the Port

of Paris; M. Korbee; Liedts; Alain de la Casiniere, director of the S.C.A.C.of Nantes; J. S. Catlta, sub-director of the Mag~se Shipyards in AIverca,Portugal; Captain Hellegouarch; M. de Raever of Ghent, and Renard andCaptain de Wilde.

16

The Port of Houston Authority’s data processing manager, Bruce Lyle,center, chatted on the bow of the Sam Houston with Messrs. Renard andMichel-Henri Weber, chief of the department of plans and studies of theChargeurs Delmas-Vieljeux Naval Society of Paris.

The visitors found dockside activity interesting as they studied cargohandling techniques and took photographs on the busy wharves.

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE

Page 17: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

H. M. Broodnax, Port of Houston Authority; Bob Dever, Dever ShippingCo.; and Dean McKenna, 14. L. Ziegler, Inc.

Customers At Dallas AreEnlerlained AI Lunch

The Port of Houston Authority was the host recently at aluncheon and reception at the Dallas Athletic Club for rep-resentatives o[ steamship lines, customs brokers, freight for-warders and other friends in the North Texas city.

Port Authority hosts were H. M. Broadnax, director oftrade development, and C. A. Rousser, Jr., Western salesmanager, who discussed with their Dallas guests recent de-velopments at tile Port of Houston and in the maritime tradein general.

C. A. Rousser, Port of Houston Authority; Jim English, Biehl & Co.; andRay Crellin, Delta Steamship Co.

Harold Stewart, D. J. Sekin Co.; Bill Sorrells and Bill Gibson, both ofSea-Land Service, Inc.

H. A. Scott, Ayers Steamship Co.; A. C. Wendorf, Hansen & Tidemann, Tom Carrell, Strachan Shipping Co.; and Rex Smith and Steve Foster,Inc.; and Bob Stevenson, Dalton Steamship Corp. both of Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., Inc.

AI Puig, Strachan Shipping Co.; Jerry Plummer, Kerr Steamship Co.;and John West, Kerr Steamship Co.

Joe Hanklns, Phillips-Parr, Inc.; Bill Potthoff, Texas Transport & TerminalCo.; and Joe Sekin, D. J. Sekin Co.

MAY, 1972

Leroy Ladlsh and Bill Adams, both of Seatrain Line; and CharlesMartinez,Harle Services.

H. M. Broadnax and Alvis Strlckland, Arthur J. Fritz & Co.

17

Page 18: A Good Diagnosis - portarchive.comportarchive.com/1972/05-May Page 1 to 18.pdfTHE COVER Spring is the time for bluebonnets in Texas--the state’s official flower which blooms in profusion

CONVERSION OF SHIPSIDE RATES to non-shipside rates is being opposed by Hous-ton Port Bureau, Inc. The rail linesserving the Southern ports have issuedvarious proposals, SPFFC docket 10559, WTL185-178, SWL 185-139, and TLFB 185-160,which will in effect cancel all shipsiderates by converting them to non-shipsideequalized rates. These proposals will beopposed vigorously by the Houston PortBureau, as it creates unequal shipsidecosts on import and export traffic at allports.

TEXAS-LOUISIANA FREIGHT BUREAU revisedand issued new diversion and reconsigningtariff (TLFB 32-Q), effective March 25,1972, which, in effect, publishes for as-sessment a reconsigning charge of $10.07per car on any car moving to a Texas port,for export, which must be assigned a wharfor dock number on arrival and subsequentlymoved to the port facility. It also pro-vides a charge of $9.53 on such cars mov-ing to the Louisiana ports. Protests havebeen filed, but carriers contend thecharge was authorized in Supplement 65 toTLFB Tariff 32-P, effective November 17,1970. In view of confusion, the HoustonPort Bureau filed a proposal to reestablishno charge provisions in the tariff.

SOUTHERN PORTS RAILROADS approved pro-posal to cancel split-delivery provisionsof carload freight at Gulf ports. Thepresent export tariff provides for split-delivery of carload export freight at Gulfports moving under shipside rates and thegreatest weight is delivered at no addi-tional charge; additional deliveries notin excess of ten are subject to a chargeof 364 per 100 pounds, except on glassshipments the charge is 494 per 100pounds. The carrier’s proposal stated thatDecember 25, 1971, most of the ship-side rates applicable at Gulf ports wereconverted into a non-shipside basis. TheBureau pointed out at the public hearingthis was not true in connection with ship-ments moving through the Ports of Houstonand Galveston via the AT&SF, BN, CRI&P andM-K-T, as there are still shipside ratesavailable. The Houston Port Bureau andother ports opposed this cancellation andwe will continue to do so. The report isthe carriers will create a charge basisfor such service.

NEW INTERCOASTAL RIGHTS SOUGHT by threebarge lines. Separate applications werefiled with the Interstate Commerce Commis-sion by three barge lines for authority toinstitute intercoastal service.

Union Barge Line Corp., Foss L&T Co.,and James Hughes, Inc., each requestedauthority to tow articles exceeding 19feet in length, 12 feet in width, and 90feet in length, or 100 tons in weightcomponent parts thereof, and relatedequipment.Union asked authority to carry thosearticles between ports and points alongthe Pacific Coast and tributary water-ways on the one hand, and on the other,ports and points along the Gulf ofMexico and tributary waterways.Foss proposes to transport the articlesbetween ports and points on the Atlanticand Gulf Coasts and tributary waterwayson the one hand, and, on the other,ports and points along the Pacific Coastand tributary waterways.Hughes proposes to carry the articlesbetween ports and points on the AtlanticCoast and tributary waterways on the onehand, and, on the other, ports andpoints along the Gulf and tributarywaterways, excluding the MississippiRiver system above New Orleans.

The Commission docketed the Union applica-tion as W-104, sub 24; the Foss applica-tion as W-587, sub 29; and the Hughes ap-plication as W-463, sub 10.

COMPLAINTS FILED IN FEDERAL COURT tooverturn the I.C.S.’s approval of demur-rage charges award reparations to ship-pers. The complainants charge that therailroads failed to show that higher de-murrage charges would improve car movementsor lessen car detention, even though theCommission based its approval on such anassumption. They ask the court to annulthe Commission’s decision in I&S No. 8577,Demurrage Rules and Charges, Nationwide,and to require the railroads to refund themoney they have collected by raising thedemurrage charges to $10.00 per car per dayfor the first four days after the expira-tion of free time; $20.00 per car per day forthe fifth and sixth days; and $30.00 perday for the seventh and subsequent days.Division 2 initially found the charges un-lawful, but they were approved by the en-tire Commission on reconsideration.

PORT OF HOUSTON MAGAZINE