huber construction company, inc. - port of houston ... 30 april, 1952 number 1...boiler furnace...

BOILER FURNACE REPLACEMENTSOR REPAIRS

No Delays on Material or LaborAmple Supplies Carried

TEXAS GULF PORTS--PHONE YU-5425

Huber Construction Company, Inc.5204 TEXAS AVENUE ¯ HOUSTON 11, TEXAS

Serving Industry in Houslon and Trade Territory forMore Than 45 Years

-k-FOUNDERS ~- MACHINISTS

ENGINEERS=V

HOUSTON FOUNDRY& MACHINE CO.

2005 While Slreel Houston, Texas Phone CApitol g787

AMERICAN GENERALq~o,,p

erican General Fire

American General Life~,,s ,, ~e~,,~,~ Co.

American General InvestmentCot/~o~t/o.

IT’S EARLIERTHAN YOU THINK

There is still time to be a pioneer inTexas’ Coastal Corridor. There are big nameshere already--names like Diamond Alkali,Hercules, Celanese, Monsanto, Dow and Du-Pont, Mathieson.

But they are still a vanguard.Texans feel that the billion-dollar

investment of the past decade is only pump-priming for the real expansion to come.

Establish your new plant in theCorridor and profit from a pioneer’s advantages.

Where else can you find these advantages:Natural resources, intermediates, climate, transpor-

tation, workers, markets, neighbors, and especially

fuel.

HOUSTON PIPE LINE, CO.Subsldlary of Houston Oil Company of T .... ~m~///.

Wholesalers of ~~lRI d~

Natural ~A~

WE’LL TELL YOU...

Write us in complete confidence for specific dataof value to your company, or better still ....

WE’LL SHOW YOU...

Come visit the Corridor. We’ll be delighted todrive you down the coast, to show you why yourcompany’s future lies in Texas’ Coastal Corridor.

HOUSTON PORT BOOK FOR APRIL, 195221

NATURAL

Gas... d,, HOUSTONINDUSTRIES

One vital reason for Houston’s importance asan industrial center is the availability here ofunlimited natural gas for industrial consump-tion to turn the wheels of progress.

We are proud of the contribution we aremaking t o w a r d the g r o w t h of Houston byfurnishing natural gas for fuel for its newindustries.

Industrial Gas Supply Corporation2001 COMMERCE BUILDING, HOUSTON

Reduce wear, cut costs with%/’ GULF QUALITY MARINE LUBRICANTS

V a complete line

V’ quickly available

V uniform quality

V performance-proven

GULF OIL CORPORATION ¯ GULF REFINING COMPANY

Bulk deliveries of Gulf Quality Marine Lubricants can be made

at Houston, Texas and at New Orleans, Louisiana. They are availablein drums at all principal ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

22 HOUSTON PORT BOOK FOR APRIL, 1952

JACINTO INNSEA FOOD ~z~ CHICKEN DINNERS

SAN JACINTO MEMORIAL

A visit to Houston without avisit to San Jacinto Battlegroundsis a visit incomplete, and a visitto the Battlegrounds without din-ner at San Jacinto Inn is onlyhalf a visit.

The guest register at San Ja-cinto Inn, during the past 25years, best speaks for its popu-larity.

To reach this beautiful publicpark, drive east on Preston Ave-nue to Harrisburg Boulevard,thence to La Porte Road; followLa Porte Road, then on to thefamous San Jacinto Battlegroundsand Inn.

T/.o/.~

We are closedMondays except for

Special Parties

~r

Open 6:00 P.M.Tuesday

through Saturday

~r

Open 1 :O0 P.M.Sunday

Please Make YourReservations Early

Phone WAyside 1181

,A-

Located at the historical San Jacinto Battlegrounds, where the San Jacinto Monument,tallest in America, is one sight you will not want to miss.., forty minutes from Houston.

THEDINNERS THAT MADE SANSUMMER DINNER

Three Dollars

CeleryShrimp Cocktail

Iced CrabsTenderloin of Trout or Redfish

Fried ChickenHot Biscuits and Preserves

Drinks Dessert

JACINTO FAMOUS

Baked Crabs

Potatoes

WINTER DINNER

Three Dollars

CeleryShrimp Cocktail

Oysters on the Half ShellOyster Brochette

Tenderloin of Trout or RedfishFried Chicken

Hot Biscuits and JamDrinks Dessert

Potatoes

Specially Equipped to Sevve BanquetS to Any NumberOWNED AND UNDER THE SAME MANAGEMENT FOR THIRTY-THREE YEARS

HOUSTON PORT BOOK FOR APRIL, 1952 23

Port M ana!le s Pa!le

1951 ANOTHER RECORD YEAR!

In 1951 the Port of Houston handled over 45 million tonsvalued at $1,639,110,400--a billion dollar job for the fourthconsecutive year. Dollar value of/oreign trade was $749 mil-lion, up 63.5 per cent from the previous year. 1952 looks evenbetter !

MORE REGULATION ON PORTS

The O.P.S. has extended its long arm to regulation of portsand on March 10 instructed this port "to post your ceilingprices in a prominent and clearly visible position." Ships en-tering the Port will, we presume, expect to see a large illu-minated billboard off the jetties to check our "ceiling prices"per the O.P.S. order.

A Bill ($2722) has been introduced by Senator Knowlandof California which specifically exempts rates charged forservices at ports operated by states and territories and politicalsubdivisions and municipalities from regulation by O.P.S. Ifenacted, this would then mean that the O.P.S. would have nojurisdiction over regulation of port charges at the Port ofHouston and the present system of rates will continue.

THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY AGAINThe Administration seems again determined to push the

Seaway and, as a result of a special message by the Presidentto Congress, this old battle is once more under way, eventhough Congress has studied it in detail many times beforeand has repeatedly refused to approve it. The Port of Houstonand all Texas and other Gulf Ports are opposed to the naviga-tional features of the Seaway. The nation, as a whole, shouldbe against this part of the Seaway for the reasons presentedin a resolution sent by the Port of Houston to Senator Con-nally’s Foreign Affairs Committee and to many other personsas follows :

WHEREAS, a bill has been reported authorizing the UnitedStates Government to participate with Canada in the con-struction, maintenance and attendant expense of the so-calledGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway; and,

WHEREAS. this project has been thoroughly studied anddefeated several times in recent years as both unsound andunnecessary ; and.

WHEREA’S. this project calls for a tremendous expenditureof Government funds during an inflationary period when ma-terials are scarce and needed in the defense of the Nation;and.

WHEREAS, the proposed project calls for only a 27-footchannel which is totally inadequate to carry fully loadedAmerican cargo vessels; and,

WHEREAS, only 4 percent of the vessels of American regis-trv could economically use such a shallow waterway; and,

WHEREAS, the proposed waterway would be operated almostexclusively by ships of foreign registry; and,

WHEREAS, the adoption of the 27-foot channel would un-doubtedly lead to immediate demands to deepen it later to 36feet, which is the project depth of the Houston Ship Channel,a channel for world-wide traffic; and,

WHEREAS, the proposed Seaway would be especially vulner-able to aerial atomic bomb attack from over the polar region;and,

WHEREAS, the destruction of a single lock on this intricatewaterway would bottle up an unknown but large number ofships above the waterway and prevent the entrance of otherships from the Atlantic Ocean:

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Houston Port Com-mission and the Houston Port and Traffic Bureau urge theSenate and House of the United States Congress to oppose anddefeat this proposed legislation.

The threat that Canada alone may go ahead and build theSeaway without U. S. support does not alarm us in the least;as a matter of fact, the tolls, if any, would be the same forU. S. as for other foreign ships if Canada ever did build theSeaway.

INDUSTRIAL WATER

One of the major problems of the industrial growth ofour great country is obtaining water. Frequently this is thedetermining factor in locating a new plant. For instance, itis reported that to refine one barrel of crude oil over 700gallons of water are used; one barrel of aviation gasolinerequires more than 1000 gallons; and one ton of viscoserayon necessitates using 200,000 gallons. Some industriescan treat and use the semi-brackish waters of the HoustonShip Channel. Others use water from our prolific wells. Forothers, Houston is constructing a mammoth reservoir bydamming the San Jacinto River which empties into the ShipChannel 15 miles below the Turning Basin. This $26,000,000project will result in a new source of pure industrial water.Together with the fact that there are still many good industrialsites available on both sides of the Ship Channel, this shouldremind industrialists not to miss their opportunity to locatewhere advantages are so marked--transportation by sea, byland and by air--good weather all year round--nearby rawmaterials and processing plants--cheap gas and many otherattractions.

The Port of Houston is the port to ship through and thearea in which to locate your industries.


THE

UST Nw

RTBOOK

Official Publication of the Harris County Houston Ship Channel Navigation District

Volume 30 Number 1

FOREWORD:TIIE HOUSTON PORT BOOK is publishedin April and October of each year un-

der contract and authority of the Navi-gation and Canal Commission andthrough the cooperation of the shipping

and industrial interests of Houston.As the official magazine of the Harris

County Navigation District, this publica-tion is intended to carry authoritativedescriptions, notices and articles in re-gard to the activities of the port and the

port development. However, the Com-missioners cannot be responsible in allrespects/or the contents thereo/, or/orthe opinions o/writers to whom expres-sion is given.

The publication is distributed free tomaritime, transportation and industrialinterests in the United States and for-eign countries. Its purpose is to inform

shippers and others interested in thePort of Houston of its development,charges and other matters of interest,and inquiries will at all times be wel-

come.

Additional copies of this publicationmay be had upon application to theGENERAL MANAGER, P. O. Box 9187,HOUSTON 11, TEXAS, or:

JAMES W. MARTINEditor

P. O. BOX 9187,HOUSTON 11, TEXAS

PHONE OR-1651

LEE M. WEBBBusiness Manager

544 M & M BUILDINGHOUSTON 2, TEXASPHONE FAIRFAX 2348

HOUSTON PORT ROOK FOR APRIL, 1952

APRIL 1952The Port Manager’s Page 24Directory of Port Officials 26Four Records Smashed in 1951 27Interdependence of American Shipping and Our Great Seaports 28Golden Age of the Golden Rend 30Wichita ........................... 32Industrial Map of the Port Area. 34Houston Refinery To Be Sinclair’s Largest Plant 36Col. James Lang Takes District Engineer Post 37New Ammonia Plant Underway on Ship Channel. 37Houston Group Tours Midwest ........... 37Ship Repair Facilities at Port of Houston 38Visitors Are Always Welcome .............. 40Spain to Increase Export Products 42Port of Houston Administration 43Kansas City 44Description of the Port of Houston 46Passenger Liner Service Sought. 47200-Car Storage Yard Underway 47Diesel Engines to Speed Port Rail Switching 47Port of Houston Executive Offices Get Downtown Site 47Port of Houston Service to World Ports 48Shipping Services Operating Through Port of Houston 50Private Wharves and Terminals for Hire. 54Port of Houston Public Wharves ...... 55Eastern States Adds Two New Refinery Units 57Maritime Interests and Foreign Consulates. 58Freight Forwarders and Brokers. 59Upper Channel Section Map ....... 60Pilotage Rates and Tug Boat Tariff 61Mooring Charges and Tariff. 62Terminals and Industrial Facilities 63Index to Advertisements 68

THE COVERShips line Port of Houston wharves at the Turning Basin,

head of the Port’s 50-mile, 36-foot deep Ship Channel.

25

A DIRECTORY OF

OF THEORT OF HOUSTON

Harris County Houston Ship Channel Navigation District

BOARD OF NAVIGATION & CANAL COMMISSIONERSWARREN S. BELLOWS, Chairman

W. L. WALKER SEWALL MYER

ROBERT HEMPHILL L.E. DEATS

EXECUTIVE OFFICERSGEN. W. F. HEAVEY, General Manager

FULBRIGHT-CROOKER-FREEMAN & BATES, Counsel H.L. WASHBURN, AuditorVERNON BAILEY, Director o] Port Operations

G. P. SIMPSON, Chie/Engineer JAMES W. MARTIN, Executive Assistant W.F. LAND, Terminal Superintendent

W. J. PRICE, Maint. Engineer T.E. WHATLEY, Right-o]-Way Agent W.L. FELLRATH, Supt. Grain ElevatorP. P. WILKINSON, O]]ice Manager

PORT OFFICESTERMINAL SUPERINTENDENT’S OFFICE .......................................... North Side Turning Basin

Telephone ORchard 1651

GRAIN ELEVATOR OFFICE ......................................................... North Side Turning BasinTelephone ORchard 0576

FIREBOAT "CAPT. CROTTY," CAPT. A. O. HEATON, Master ..................... Telephone PReston 2323, Station 21

INSPECTION BOAT "SAM HOUSTON," Master ....................................... CAPT. ROBERT E. MARSHALL

HARBOR PATROL CRAFT, Master .................................................. CAPT. LOUIS O. DESHAZO

HOUSTON PORT AND TRAFFIC BUREAUNICHOLAS PATTON, General Manager .......................................... Cotton Exchange Building

H. B. CUMMINS, Manager Tra]]ic Department ...................................... Cotton Exchange Building

MAX H. JACOBS, Director o] In]ormation .......................................... City National Bank Building

W. W. RICHARDS, Eastern Representative ....................................... 17 Battery Place, New York City

LLOYD L. LEONARD, Southwestern Representative .................. Board o] Trade Bldg., Kansas City, Missouri

EXECUTIVE OFFICES:2ND FLOOR WHARF 1S--NORTH SIDE TURNING BASIN

Telephone ORchard 1651

P. O. Box 9187, Houston 11, Texas


Tonnacle Year in Review:

Four Records Smashed in 1951TONNAGE, FOREIGN TRADE, CARGO VALUE, SHIP MOVEMENTHIT HIGHEST MARKS IN PORT OF HOUSTON HISTORY

Riding the crest of a surging waveof commerce, Port of Houston--seconddeep-sea port of the nation--sent fourrecords toppling in 1951.

Total tonnage of 45,051,748 was athumping 4.2 million tons better thanthe previous all-time high figure set in1950.

For the fourth successive year dollarvalue of Port of Houston cargo wasover a billion dollars. The $1,639,110,-400 mark established in 1951 was almost$500,000,000 greater than in 1950.

Of the total value of cargo moved in1951, $749,000,000 was rung up by ex-ports and imports which totaled 7,869,-933 tons. Exceeding 1950’s foreigntrade by more than a million tons, thisnew high was achieved in the face of adrop of more than 500,000 tons in im-ports.

Vessel movements in 1951 surpassedall previously established records as3,432 big ships called at the Port. Totalin and out movement for the year was6,857 deep-sea craft.

The spectacular rise in exports from4,549,193 tons to 6,109,638 tons wasattributed by Port Director W. F. Hea-vey principally to a 22 per cent increasein grain exports and the fact that al-most twice as much gasoline was shippedabroad as in 1950.

Port of Houston’s public grain eleva-tor, a consistent record-breaker in its

own right, shipped 61.4 million bushelsof grain in 1951, more than in any othercalendar year of its operation. Sorghumsled the parade of grain exports with34.6 million bushels, and wheat ship-ments totaled 24 million bushels.

Even while imports were droppingnearly half a million tons, Customs Col-lections on foreign commodities movedin through the Port totaled a strikinglyhigh $10,522,729, practically double the1950 total, and highest in Port history.Of significance is the fact that this fig-ure is over six times the amount spentby the Federal Government in 1951 onimprovement and maintenance combinedon the Houston Ship Channel. Customsofficials say that the greatly increasedinward movement of steel, plus highervaluations, was largely responsible forthe big jump in collections.

Valuation of imports increased 85million dollars in comparison with 1950,again in spite of the import tonnagedrop. Most valuable single item import-ed from abroad was coffee which in-creased in value 16 million dollars. Atremendous increase of 30 million dol-lars in iron and steel products unloadedfrom foreign countries was added to thetotal. Textiles soared in value morethan 18 million.

The outpouring of American goodsbound for foreign destinations jumpedin value to 551 million dollars, 205 mil-

lion above the preceding year. Far andaway the highest valued exports fromHouston wharves were grains, whichregistered a value increase of 45 milliondollars. Pressing close in second posi-tion were petroleum products, whichmore than doubled in value as exportsleaped upward by more than 51 milliondollars. Oil well supplies jumped 29million dollars, and an additional 8 mil-lion dollars worth of carbon black overthe 1950 figure was exported to swellthe overall total.

On the domesticsoared upward toof more than 193domestic receiptsapproximately 45the 1950 figure.

scene, total shipmentsa valuation increase

million dollars, whileclimbed in value tomillion dollars over

A multi-million dollar highway to thesea for cotton, oil, steel, chemicals andthe hundreds of products that in thecourse of a year are handled over itsbusy wharves, Port of Houston has itssights set on the future. Intent on main-taining and bettering the position thePort has held for three consecutive years--that of the nation’s number two deep-sea tonnage port--Houston’s aggressivePort Commission completed one majorwharf and commenced plans for anoth-er. They paid more than a million dol-lars for 840 acres of land to be usedin long-range Port improvement, andthey initiated a proposal for a still deep-er, 40-foot Ship Channel.

Delta Liner "DEL AIRES" heads seaward from Port of Houston’s Turning Basin.


From distribution centers within thenation, the products of America’s fieldsand factories flow in a never-endingstream of commerce to tidewater andthe great seaports. Destined for worldmarkets, this endless tide of commoditiesfinds its way to dockside and waitingvessels of all flags. The uninterruptedmovement of this surge of commerce isbased upon the closest integration be-tween transportation agencies and cargoterminals.

One of the finest seaports of theworld, ranking second among deep-seaports of the United States in total sea-borne foreign and domestic commerce,is the Port of Houston. Particularlygifted in having a fabulous hinterlandcontiguous to its deep-water harbor,Houston boasts a safe, land-locked har-bor, fully equipped with modern piersand the latest cargo handling devices.Out of the rich, productive area which

Houston serves, products are brought byan efficient network of land transporta-tion, then to be placed aboard steamersfor the final voyage to their eventualdestination.

The success of this operation is neces-sarily dependent upon adequate deep-water shipping of ample capacity, sched-uled and regulated to provide frequentand dependable connecting service. Cer-tainly ships of foreign flags can andshould provide a substantial segment ofthis water-borne service. However,American ships are the backbone ofthis overseas, coastwise and intercoastaltransportation, not only because theyare an integral part of our economicsystem and our national defense, but be-cause in times of emergency they are theonly ones upon which complete reliancemay be placed for continuity of service.In past times of international emergen-cies foreign ships have been diverted

elsewhere, either to ser~e their own na-tional interests or to harvest the higherfreight rates which result from emer-gencies and threats of war arising invarious parts of the world. The continu-ous, over-all operation is dependentupon our home fleet.

The growth of commerce at the Portof Houston parallels the growth of theAmerican Merchant Marine. Today wehave the largest, fastest and most mod-ern fleet of merchant ships which hasever flown the American flag. But, likethe Port of Houston, the shipping indus-try feels it has only begun its job. Con-tinuing effort and progress must bemade.

The privately owned, American ship-ping industry has set for itself a modestgoal. It aspires to a condition underwhich there shall be in operation a fleetof fine American ships manned withcitizen officers and crews, having the


capacity to transport on a fair competi-tive basis all of our domestic and coast-wise commerce, and at least one-half ofour foreign commerce. The industry be-lieves such a status is the minimumwhich can be maintained consistent withour position as a maritime nation andas a leader in world affairs. No nationwhich has allowed itself to become weakupon the seas has long had a voice ofinfluence in the council of nations. To-day, however, only approximately one-third of America’s own commerce iscarried in its own ships. We should bediligently seeking to improve this con-dition.

In peace or war America depends onforeign trade. Every industry in thisgreat nation depends in some degree ongoods that must be imported from otherlands, and in quantities that can onlybe transported in merchant ships. Amer-ica must import tin, nickel, tungsten,manganese, chromium, newsprint, rub-ber, sugar, coffee, rope fibers, tea, cocoaand many other commodities.

Our once-vast deposits of iron ore canno longer meet our full needs. America’sgreat copper mines today supply onlyhalf our requirements.

And America must export as well asimport. We must be able to promptlymove our great cotton and grain har-vests-and our petroleum and sul-phur. We must be able to deliver thesepromptly and efficiently or forego themarket.

America depends on foreign trade.Foreign trade depends on U. S. merchantships for dependable, continuous oceantransportation.

In war our very existence dependsupon the ability of our merchant vesselsto bring us certain raw materials forwar production and later to export menand machines to the battlefront.

Faced with the great hazards ofWorld War II, our Allies not only wereunable to supply the ships we had tohave, but eventually depended on Amer-ican ships built, manned and operatedby Americans to move most of thetroops and materials to achieve victory.More than 600 merchantmen were trans-ferred to our Allies under the Lend-Lease Program. And other Americanships carried millions of tons of theircargoes as well. Without a strong mer-chant fleet of h~r own America wouldbe at the mercy of her enemies. It wasonly by absolute Allied control over theseas in World War II that the Axispowers were cut off from all outside rawmaterial ’supplies. The Allied merchantfleet~ a majority of which was even-tually American, packed the load to vic-tory.

Weakness in shipbuilding capacitycost America dearly at the start of bothWorld Wars. We had to wait in WorldWar II until a vast new network of

¯ CONTINUED ON PAGE 57


Golden ,Age of The Golden BendBy W. MARVIN HURLEY

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Houston Chamber of Commerce

A MAGNET FOR CONCENTRATION OFINDUSTRY, TEXAS’ GULF COAST SEESBRIGHT PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

A rare combination of natural re-sources, excellent transportation facili-ties and technical developments cata-pulted the Texas Gulf Coast region tothe industrial forefront within a genera-tion. This same combination insures thearea’s leadership for the future. Great-est single magnet for this industrial con-centration has been the Houston ShipChannel.

A close study of economic factorsbringing industrial revolution to theGulf Coast area clearly indicates thereis no let up in sight; just as the 100-mile wide belt along the Gulf of Mex-ico from Lake Charles, Louisiana, toBrownsville, Texas, has become knownas the Golden Bend, the last half of the20th Century is slated to become the"Golden Age of the Golden Bend."

Focal point for this new industrialfrontier is Houston and the HoustonShip Channel area, a region which hasdrawn international attention with itsmulti-million dollar expansion and de-velopment programs, under way formany years.

Dr. F. A. Buechel, industrial researchdirector of the Houston Chamber ofCommerce, long familiar with industrialpotentialities of Texas and the GulfCoast in particular, recently completedthe initial phase of a study on funda-mental factors underlying the area’s eco-nomic development.

Dr. Buechel’s survey revealed thatunlike many sections of the nation,Texas’ economy is built upon a broadand firm foundation of several basicindustries. Instead of Texas’ livestock,agricultural, forest and oil industriespassing out of the picture as anotherphase of economic development cameabout, these industries remained as vi-tal segments of a stable economy.

Experts who have studied the econom-ics of the area are convinced that thechemical industry in its multiplicity oframifications will dominate Texas’ in-dustrial development during the closinghalf of this century.

This is the industry built on thechemical trinity of acids, hydrocarbons

and fresh tater--resources which areabundant in the Gulf Coast area.

Observers also foresee a continuingdevelopment in the livestock and agri-cultural industries, and the future tim-ber industry of Texas will benefit great-ly from the rising trend in the pulp,paper and fiber markets in the UnitedStates. Texas oil and natural gas willcontinue to be the reservoir of raw ma-terials for the production of fuels andlubricants required for the giant andstill-growing motor industry.

Only the beginning has been seen inthe use of basic products being pro-duced by the many chemical industriesalready established here. One of thefirst end-product plants was WrightManufacturing Company of Houstonwhich moved its plant, lock, stock andbarrel, so that it would be closer to thesynthetic rubber and petroleum plasticraw materials.

The plant produces high-quality rub-ber tile flooring and plastic utensils.Wright undoubtedly will be the van-guard of other industries which willmove to the Gulf Coast area to produceend-products for consumers.

At least six plants in the Houston areahave begun production of insecticides,while others are making detergents andfertilizers, all using raw materials fromthis area. Most of the fertilizers arebased on the use of ammonium sulphate,produced by several companies, andsuperphosphate.

Tied in closely is the natural gas in-dustry, for an inexpensive method hasbeen discovered to produce anhydrousammonia from natural gas. Ammoniaand sulphuric acid are mixed to bringabout the ammonium sulphate. Sulphuricacid is produced in quantity due to richsulphur deposits in the Golden Bend.

Other companies in Houston are pro-ducing sweeping compounds, rat bait

in this Thermofor Catalytic Cracking Unitat the Houston Refinery of the Sinclair Re-fining Company, high-boiling fractions ofcrude oil are converted into high octanemotor fuel and valuable light hydro-

carbons.

30HOUSTON PORT BOOK FOR APRIL, 1952

and floor finishes. Many of thbse opera-tions are on a small scale at present butare indicative of the consumer producttrend.

No one industry better illustrates thepresent changing times than does thechemical industry of the Gulf Coast.Born of the petroleum industry, whichmushroomed after World War I, it wasnourished into a muscled boy shortlybefore World War II. The nation’s prep-aration for war and production for waritself vitalized the chemical industry intomanhood. However, in contrast to otherareas, the Golden Bend chemical indus-try expansion didn’t let up with thecessation of hostilities.

The chemical plants dotting the 500-mile-long Golden Bend are valued at$1,000,000,000, and the expansions un-der way at the present time total morethan a half billion.

The Defense Production Administra-tion recently disclosed in Washingtonthat since the Korean War began, theHouston area accounted for almost twoper cent of the nation’s industrialgrowth, with 38 certificates of necessitytotaling $197,140,000 being granted forHouston plants.

Corpus Christi, located some 200miles down the coast from Houston, wassecond in Texas with $127,243,000.Third, with $63,248,000 was the Beau-mont - Port Arthur area and fourth, Gal-veston with $42,468,000. Significant isthat these cities are located in theGolden Bend. The statistics were throughOctober. 1951. They have increased ma-terially since.

Wit]l the outbreak of the Korean War,almost everything produced in the South-west was suddenly in greater demand--

Steel to bolster the Southwest’s booming economy is shown here pouring from an open hearthfurnace at Sheffield Steel Corporation’s plant on the Houston Ship Channel. This is one of eightopen hearths at the plant. When a new electric furnace went into production in September, 1951,the plant’s capacity became nearly a million tons a year. In addition to a blast furnace and openhearth furnaces, Sheffield’s Houston plant has a blooming mill, various rolling mills and finishing

facilities which produce a wide variety of finished and semi-flnished steel products.

aviation gasoline, explosives, rubber,chemicals and related products. In-creased production in these fields isevidenced by the nature of expansionsand new developments, all of whichhave multi-million dollar price tags.

Shortly after World War II began,the Government began construction ofsome $250,000,000 worth of syntheticrubber plants on the Gulf Coast, fromLake Charles westward. Most of thesenlants were placed on a standby basis

One of the newest industries to locate along the Channel is the Ethyl Corporation, manufacturer ofEthyl antiknock compound for automotive and aviation gasolines. This view shows the storage areaof the fully integrated plant at Pasadena with the Ship Channel in the right rear. The new plant,now nearing completion and with production scheduled for early spring, has many miles of overheadpipes such as these shown here, as well as considerable railroad trackage for transporting inbound

supplies and finished products.

wben the war ended. Today, they arein full production and some are still un-dergoing expansion programs.

Other plants in the vicinity are mak-ing carbon black and products neces-sary in the manufacture of syntheticrubber.

What is happening on the HoustonShip Channel is indicative of expansionsin other areas on the Gulf Coast. Thisyear, the Ethyl Corporation is to beginturning out 150,000,000 pounds of anti-knock compounds annually in its $45,-000,000 plant. Location of Ethyl inHouston prompted other chemical plantsto make additions and expansions.

Sinclair Refining Company has a$28,000,000 expansion program thisyear and may be one of the suppliersof ethylene to Ethyl. Capacity of therefinery is to be hiked from 85,000 bar-rels to 110,000 barrels of crude oil daily.making it the largest of Sinclair’s sevenrefineries.

Diamond Alkali Company, whose $14.-000,000 Houston Ship Channel plant wascompleted in May, 1948. is increasingits facilities by about $2,000,000 for theproduction of anhydrous ammonia. Dia-mond’s additional chlorine is going toShell Chemical Company which is en-larging its ethyl chloride, glycerine andethylene production units, with the extraethylene due to be piped to nearbyEthyl. Shell Chemical is also completinga $500,000 installation to recover some13,000 tons of sulphur annually fromrefinery wastes, and Shell Oil Companythis past fall announced a $12,000.000plant expansion specifically for the pro-



By capitalizing on what it has insteadof weeping over what it has not, Wichitahas grown to be a great city serving agreat area.

The old adage, "Cities are what menmake them," applies to Wichita. Menmade Wichita the first city of Kansas.They made Wichita one of the leadingairplane building cities of the world.They made it an export city, althoughits nearest port is at Houston, all theway across Oklahoma, most of the wayacross Texas and part of the way acrossKansas.

Wichita has been growing since itwas a dusty cowtown alongside the oldChisholm Trail. It is growing yet, sothat places that were cow pastures ayear ago are now covered with houses.In 1950 Uncle Sam came by and countedthe people of Wichita. He counted 166,-306 inside the city limits and 201,227in the close-in suburbs, which the Wich-ita people like to call Greater Wichita.But you have to look a mile ahead tosee where Wichita is now. The statecensus counts 239,668 in Greater Wich-ita.

Wichita has no barges plying on itsArkansas River and no federal landgrants brought railroads to its doors,but it is a railroad center with 13 lines,owned by five companies, radiating toserve a great agricultural, cattle grow-ing and oil region. The state of Kansasbuilt no university here or any otherinstitution, but the people built theirown municipal university, their own 4-year denominational college, and a jun-ior college, to make of it an educationalcenter.

Wichita was nothing but a village ofgrass huts when other cities in Kansasalready were great centers of trade andindustry, but Wichita caught up withthem and passed them all. It is now thefirst city of Kansas, a wholesale marketserving 261 counties in parts of sixstates, surrounded by a land of exceed-ing fertility underlaid with oil and gas.

Wichita has no iron mines, but itdoes have many resources, not the leastof which is a variable climate with abun-dant sunshine. It is inhabited by peopleof pioneer stock, with a rugged ances-try. These people take full advantageof the many resonrces with which naturehas endowed it and its trade territory.

Airvlew of Wichita taken from the Northwest. Little Arkansas River coming in at the left makes anox-bow bend as it joins the Big Arkansas. Wichita’s municipal swimming pool and tennis courtscan be seen in foreground, while the downtown area looms in the center of the picture.

Besides being one of the leading air-plane manufacturing cities in the world,Wichita is first in production of gaso-line burning lanterns, lamps, campstoves and trailer stoves. It is a largemanufacturer of heating equipment forhomes. It is a leader in the manufactureof electric fans and is engaged in airconditioning production. It has one ofthe larger plants manufacturing oil fieldequipment. It is the oil capital of Kan-sas with producers operating in sixother states.

It burns natural gas so that its build-ings shine clean in the sunshine undera sootless sky with no smog on the air-port.

Wichita has no sea, but its peoplehave built two lakes near the city.

Wichita was founded as a village andtrading post in 1868, in the spring afterthe Wichita Indians moved south intowhat is now Oklahoma. For the firstthree years the main street of Wichitawas dirty with the dust raised by thehooves of Texas longhorn cow critters,coming north over the Chisholm Trailto the markets at Abilene and later atNewton. The trail was laid out by JesseChisholm, a half-breed Indian, who livedin Wichita when it was an Indian vil-lage. The trail was a landmark for thecowboys to follow as they guided their

herds northward over the Great Plainsto market. Abilene and Newton becamecattle markets, because the Federal Gov-ernment granted land to the railroadcompanies for building across the state,and these cities were on those railroads.In 1871 the Wichita people thought tocapture the cattle market. Although thesurrounding county numbered fewerthan 300 voters, they voled $200,000 inbonds for the building of a railroadfrom Wichita 26 miles north to Newton.

In May, 1872, the railroad was com-pleted. Beside the tracks they built astockyard of cottonwood poles. Now,the Texas cattlemen were smart. Theysaw no sense in driving their herds 26miles to Newton, which would requirefrom one to two days of travel, whenthey could sell them in Wichita for thesame price.

In that first season, Wichita paid$2,000,000 in gold and silver for 350,-000 Texas cattle. The Texans did nottrust checks and would not take dam-yankee currency, but gold and silverwere good anywhere. That was not abig price for cattle judged by today’sstandards, but Longhorns were not ashigh in quality as the beef animals oftoday. Fnrther, inflation had not cursedthe country. It was a big thing for thecowmen to have a market 26 miles


B-29’s line the parking aprons at Boeing Airplane Company’s Wichita, Kansas, plant. Home ofthe B-47, the Air Force’s newest jet threat, Wichita is the nation’s leading plane producer.

nearer to Texas, and it was a big thingfor Wichita. Wichita’s population in-creased from 300 in the fall of 1871 to2,000 in midsummer 1872.

Wichita became a livestock marketand a packer town. Today it is one ofthe ten largest livestock markets in theUnited States, handling more than1,000,000 cattle, hogs and sheep an-nually.

Next, Wichita strove to become atransportation center and wholesale mar-ket. Most of the 13 railroad lines camein the 1880’s. The rail lines are supple-mented by bus and truck lines, whichconverge on Wichita from all points ofthe compass. Two rolling post officescarry mail to connect with cross-statelines, so that Wichita is in close touchby mail with its trade territory. Withrails to serve it, Wichita grew as awholesale market. Since it is situated inKansas, which grows one-fifth of allthe bread wheat in the United Statesand plants more seed wheat than 28other states harvest, Wichita has partof its fortune based on wheat. Since itis in a state that ranks fourth amongthe cattle states, this too is a cattle mar-ket. It is a growing hog and sheepmarket, because of its location in theheart of a country that produces abun-dant protein and grain feeds as well asroughage.

Wichita is the fifth city in the nationas a flour milling center and every yearexports flour and wheat through theHouston gateway.

With the coming of the airplane,Wichita became an airplane manufac-turing center in 1917, and by 1929 itwas the first city of the United States

in the building of commercial airplanes.During World War II it built more air-planes for the armed forces than anyother city in the world--26,272 warplanes and the equivalent of four thou-sand more in parts. With the close ofthe war, Wichita turned to the buildingof personal planes with some other types.It pushed so far ahead in personal planeproduction that in one year the Wichitafactories built more personal planes thanall other cities of the world combined.

Today Wichita is again building forwar. It is the home aerie of the B-47,fastest known bomber in the world andthe heart of the new Air Force. It isbuilding other planes as trainers, liaisonplanes and for transport.

Three transcontinental airlines andone regional airline serve Wichita. Ithas nine airfields. The Air Force is tak-ing over the municipal airport, but thecity is building a new one, which whencompleted, will contain every modernfacility.

On top of the natural surroundings,absence of fog and other advantages,Wichita has highly productive labor.For a long time industrialists shiedaway from Wichita. They seldom openedbranch factories in that city, becauseof a lack of labor. In 1940, Wichita hadonly 8,532 persons employed in manu-facturing, of whom 1,262 were buildingairplanes.

Then came World War If and theneed to build airplanes in a hurry. Be-cause Wichita was behind the moun-tains and remote from possible enemyattack, it was decided to build airplanesin this city. Altogether Wichita had amaximum of 55,000 workers employed

in airplane factories. The nation as awhole had 2,000,000 people buildingplanes. Wichita, therefore, had 2.75 percent of the people working in airplanefactories. But Wichita built the equiv-alent of 30,000 planes, while the wholenation built 300,000 planes. With 2.75per cent of the people, Wichita built 10per cent of the planes. Wichita provedthat the farm boys and girls from thesurrounding prairies could be made intomechanics with a few weeks of training.They were brought up to work and areamong the world’s most productive em-ployees.

True, many of the Wichita-builtplanes were small, but others evenedthe score. Wichita built 40 per cent ofall the great B-29’s. Of four cities build-ing B-29’s, Wichita ranked first in pro-duction per man. Wichita built the firstB-29 that bombed Japan. It built bothof the B-29’s that carried the atombombs.

Before the war, Wichita had 200 fac-tories. Today it has 555 manufacturingestablishments. Instead of employing8,532 persons in manufacturing, it isemploying 52,600.

A few years ago, a motion picturesongwriter produced a song that ran,"I dug a ditch and struck it rich inWichita."

That song is true. Riches did not fallinto the laps of the Wichita people. Thecity has become prosperous because thepeople weren’t afraid to dig. Theyworked and worked and worked. Theybelieve in sweat and backache and inmixing intelligence with labor. Theyhave built a city by main strength andbrain power.


)r

,/._--m\

HOUSTON

1. Merchants & Manufacturers Bldg.2. Buffalo Warehouse Co. (M. & M. Bldg.)3. City Wharves (Fannin St.)4. John Young Co., Inc.5. Houston Terminal Whse. & Cold Storage Co.6. Texas Packing Co.7. Peden Iron & Steel Ca.8. General Warehouse Co.9. Horton & Herren

10. United Gas Co.11. Houston Lighting & Power Co.12. Houston Shell & Concrete Co.13. Federal Steel Products Corp.14. The Texas Co. Bulk Station15. Houston Packing Co.16. Pritchard Rice Milling Co.17. Trinity Portland Cement Co.18. Feld Reynolds Warehouse Co.19. Brown & Root Asphalt & Air Cond’n.20. Coffield Warehouse Co.21. B. A. Riesner & Son Co.22. Baash Ross Tool Co.23. Earle M. Jorgensen Co.24. International Harvester Co.25. San Jacinto Sand & Gravel Co.30. American Can Co.31. The Bama Co.32. Rheem Mfg. Co.33. Standard Asbestos Mfg. & Insulating Co.34. Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.35. Ford Motor Co.36. Converted Rice37. Shell Builder Co.38. Parker Bros. & Co.39. Houston Barge Terminal40. J. A. Folger & Co.41. Continental Supply Co.42. Republic Supply Co.43. National Supply Co.44. Baker Oil Tools Co.

TURNING BASIN &PUBLIG WHARVES J

MARKET B~ ROAD

P.T.R.A.(NORTH SIDE BELT)

@

"PASADENA

45. Gaylord Container Corp.46. Mid-Continent Supply Co.47. Byron Jackson Co.48. Reed Roller Bit Co.49. American Chain & Cable Co.50. Continental Can Co.55. Commercial Iron Works56. Hughes Tool Co.57. Bethlehem Steel Co.58. ale Pelerson & Son59. Layne & Bowler Co.60. Port Houston Iron Works61. Patrick Shipside Warehouses62. U. S. Customs63. Humble Oil & Refining Co. -64. Southern Compress & Warehouse Co.65. Navigation District (North Yard)66. Navigation District (Storage Yard)67. Grain Elevator (Public)68. Pacific Molasses Co.69. Armour Fertilizer Works70. Standard Concrete Products Co.71. Humble Oil & Refining Co.72. Port City Compress & Warehouse Co.73. Sampson Machinery & Supply Co.74. Houston Export Crating & Construction Co.

\75. Houston Wharf Co. (Long Reach)76. Commercial Barge Lines (Brady Isl.)80. Gulf Atlantic Warehouse Co. (Long Reach)81. Ship Channel Compress Co. (Sprunt Docks)82. Gulf Atlantic Warehouse Co. (Terminal Plant}83. U. 5. Engineers Field Office84. Platzer Boat Works85. Bludworth Shipyard86. Consolidated Chemical Industries, Inc.87. Humble Oil & Refining Co. (Harrisburg)88. Parker Bros. & Co. (Harrisburg)89. Houston Marine Service90. Harrisburg Machine Co.91. W. D. Haden Co. (Marine Dept. & Machine Shop)92. Houston Blow Pipe & Sheet Metal Works93. Eastern States Petroleum Co., Inc.94. Magnolia Petroleum Co.

(Leased to Eastern States Petroleum Co., Inc.)95. Lone Star Cement Corp.96. Ada Oil Co.97. Arrow Mills, inc.98. Arkansas Fuel Oil Co.99. Continenlal Oil Co.

100. Gulf Atlantic Warehouse Co. (Clinton)101. Best Fertilizer Co.102. Southwestern Sugar & Molasses Co.

,,~_l~ ,,

41~ALTA VISTA ELLINGTON FIE " c; ’:/

~IHOUSTON I-IHOUSTON AIR PORT

103. Oil an¢104. Gulf Ch105. Tenness106. 5outherl107. Gulf Po108. Nationc109. John Y¢i10. Dickson111. Mayo S112. Naviga113. Firebaa114. Naviga115. W. D. I116. Eastern117. Manche118. Goodye119. Sinclair120. Sinclair121, Coastal

(Le122. Gulf Oi123. General124. Houstor125. Chipma126. Navigal127. Ethyl C128. Kolker129. Tenn-Te130. Maritim131. The Tex132. Champi133. Crown134. Phillips135. Horton136. Mathies137. Phillips138. Harris (139. Warren140. Hess Te~141. A.O.S142. Norswo~143. Sheffieh144. San Jac145. A.O.S146. Meriche,147. Nyotex148. Port Ho~149. Parker !150. Todd Sh151. Greens I152. Heyden

34 HOUSTON PORT BOOK: FOR APRIl., 1952

@

C

DEEPWATER

DEER PARK

.~mical Products, Inc.:al Corp.oal, Iron & Railroad Co. (Barge Term.}cific Lines (Steamship Terminal}id Cement Co. (ideal Cement Co.)be Co.Co., Inc.

I Plant (Hughes Gun Co.)Co.District Wharves (Manchester)orionDistrict (Manchester R.R. Yard)n Co. (Shell Rig & Marine Ways)es Petroleum Co., Inc. (Mancheste~Terminal Corpfnthetic Rubber Co.ber, Inc.ning Co.& Transport Co.I to Humble Oil & Ref. Co.)rp.erican Tank Storage Terminalshting & Power Co.:emicai Co., Inc.District (Pasadena Yard)

lical Co.lay & Chemical Carp.I Co. Refineryo.roper & Fibre Co.al Petroleum Corp.oleum Co.rton (Shipyard)heroical Corp.nical Co. (Adams Terminal)roadcasting KXYZ)leum Carp.d Corp.Carp.Nharfel Corp.Ammonia WorksCorp. of Texas (Pipe Plant)

licals, Inc.Iron Works

& Ca., Inc. (Repair Yard)ds Corp.J Marine Service Co.iical Corp.

ISLAND

153. San Jacinto Ordnance Depot154. Shell Oil Co., Inc.155. Diamond Alkali Co.156. Rohm & Haas157. Channel Shipyard158. Gulf Refining Co. (Houston Pipe Line Dept.)159. San Jacinto Battle Ground & Monument160. E. I¯ du Pont de Nemaurs & Co.161. Shell Chemical Corp.162. Lubrizol Corp.163. Humble Oil & Refining Co. (Baytown Ref.)164. Humble Oil & Refining Co. (Terminal)165. General Tire & Rubber Co.166. Standard Oil Co. of Texas (Morgan Point)167. Humble Oil & Refining Co. (Morgan Point)168. Boat Sales & Service, Inc. (Morgan Point)169. Goose Creek Oil Fields

[NOER

LA

PORT OF HOUSTONINDUSTRIAL DISTRICT

PORT

SGALE IN MILES0 I E 3 4

~ I I I I I

ISSUED BY THE

COMMISSION,HOUSTON

1952S

}PI-246 Rev. 3-10-52 J.E.K. PI-240 J


Houston RefineryTo Be Sinclair’sLargest Plant

Sinclair Refining Company has ap-proved an expansion program at itsHouston refinery which will increase thecrude oil charging capacity of that plantfrom 85,000 barrels to 110,000 barrelsdaily, according to an announcementmade November 2, 1951, by P. C. Spen-cer, President. Upon completion of theprogram in the fall of 1953, the Houstonplant will be the largest of the sevenrefineries owned by Sinclair. The totaldaily crude oil charging capacity of allSinclair refineries at the present time is360,000 barrels, with 254,000 barrels ofcracking capacity. All of the engineer-ing work on the new project has beencompleted and construction contractshave been let. The company has beengranted an amortization certificate basedupon an estimated cost of approximately$28,000,000.

The new installations will materiallyincrease the company’s output of petro-leum products vitally needed for theAdministration’s defense program. Atthe present time approximately 16.5per cent of the total output at Houstonis devoted to defense products. The newinstallations will double the refinery’stotal output of defense products. Therewill be almost a 100 per cent increasein 115/145 octane aviation gasoline andbutylenes for rubber production. Therewill also be a sharp increase in the pro-duction of Navy special fuel and all-pur-pose gasoline.

The entire refinery defense programis built around a new fluid catalyticcracking unit which will have a chargecapacity of ~0,000 barrels daily of gasoil. This unit is designed to give pre-mium yields of butylenes, high octanegasoline, and a heavy naphtha whichcan be further catalytically treated forgasoline and aromatic base stock forblending into 115/145 aviation gasoline.The cycle stock from this unit can befurther cracked by existing thermal stillsfor increased yields of butylene andgasoline. The fluid catalytic crackingunit was designed by Sinclair engineersand is the result of seven years commer-cial experience with this type unit. Ithas a coke burning capacity of 40,000pounds an hour. In order to take care

36

The Houdry Catalytic Cracking Unit, at the Sinclair Houston Refinery, has a capacity of 15,000barrels per day of gas oil charging stock, and produces high test motor and aviation gasoline blend-ing stocks, heating oil and light hydrocarbons which go into the manufacture of aviation gasoline.

of this volume of coke, it will be neces-sary to construct a furnace approxi-mately 56 feet in diameter and slightlymore than 80 feet high.

To provide charge stock for the newfluid catalytic cracking unit, there willbe constructed a new 35,000-barrel dailycrude unit. In addition to providingcharging stock for the catalytic cracker,this unit will increase the refinery pro-duction of Navy diesel fuel and gasoline.It will consist of a primary flash tower,a large fractionating tower, a re-runtower and a depropanizing tower. A pri-mary vacuum tower will supply lubricat-ing oil cuts and a secondary vacuumtower will provide the heavy gas oilcharge for the fluid cracking unit. De-salting units are also being constructed.

A new steam generating plant pro-

viding for additional steam productionof 250,000 pounds an hour is being in-stalled. To meet the requirements of thisunit ample provisions are being madefor feed water treating and heating. Sub-stations are being erected to take careof the additional electric power for thenew installations. Provision will also bemade for additional yard lines, tanks,water supply systems and fire fightingsystems.

It is estimated that labor of 17,680man-months, with an average of 680men for 26 months and a peak of 1,280men for three months, will be requiredto complete the new construction. Near-ly 26,000 tons of tubular, plate, struc-tural, bar and sheet steel, castings andforgings will go into construction ofthe units.

In this lubricating oil solvent-refining unit, at the Sinclair Houston Refinery, materials detrimentalto good lubrication are removed by treating the incoming oils with liquid propane and with phenol.


COL. JAMES LANG TAKESDISTRICT ENGINEER POST

Colonel James D. Lang, CE, assumedhis duties as District Engineer of theGalveston District, Corps of Engineersin October, 1951.

Colonel Lang replaces Colonel Ells-worth I. Davis, former District Engineerwho has been assigned to the Far EastCommand, Yokohama, Japan, and isnow in Korea.

Prior to his new assignment, ColonelLang was Chief, Operations Branch,Construction Division of the Directorateof Installations with U. S. Air ForceHeadquarters in Washington, D. C.

Born in South Dakota in June 1912,Colonel Lang entered the U. S. MilitaryAcademy at West Point after attendinghigh school in Sioux City, Iowa, andthe University of Chicago for one year.

As a member of the Iowa NationalGuard, while attending the Universityof Chicago, he took a competitive exam-ination for appointment to West Point.He received the appointment and en-tered the Academy in 1931. Upon grad-uation from the U. S. Military Academyin 1935, he was commissioned in theCorps of Engineers, and assigned to the2nd Engineers, Ft. Logan, Colorado. Heremained there until May 1936 when hewas assigned to the University of Iowafor post graduate work in Civil Engi-neering. He received his Master’s De-gree in Civil Engineering from that Uni-versity in June 1937.

He then was assigned to the EngineerSchool at Ft. Belvoir, Va., where he pur-sued a Company Officer’s Course. Heleft Ft. Belvoir in June 1938 for assign-ment as Assistant to the District Engi-neer of the Seattle District, Seattle,Washington.

In June 1939, he was assigned as Res-ident Engineer of Mud Mountain Dam,a flood control dam on the White River,in Washington. Four months later, inOctober 1939, he was relieved tempo-rarily from that assignment and trans-ferred to Ft. Lewis, Washington, to as-sist in activating the 10th Engineer Bat-talion in the Third Division. He servedthere until January 1940, and then withthe Third Division when it joined thePacific Fleet for joint amphibious ma-neuvers.

Returning to Ft. Lewis in May 1940.he was reassigned to the Seattle Districtas Resident Engineer of Mud MountainDam. He later became AdministrativeOfficer and District Executive Officerof the Seattle District, serving in thatcapacity until June 1943 when he wasassigned to Camp Mackall, N. C., asEngineer of the Airborne Command.

In 1944 he became Executive Officer

COL. LANG

for the Engineer of the Alaskan Depart-ment, and in November of that yearbecame Department Engineer.

In the spring of 1945, military con-struction activities in the Alaskan De-partment were transferred from jurisdic-tion of the Theater Command to theChief of Engineers in Washington. Anew Alaskan District, Corps of Engi-neers was established with offices atAnchorage, and Colonel Lang became itsfirst District Engineer. During this timeColonel Lang supervised a vast militaryconstruction program.

In April 1948, after leaving the Alas-kan District, he was assigned to the of-fice of the Air Engineer at Headquartersof the U. S. Air Force, in Washington,D. C., as Chief of the Engineering Divi-sion.

The Colonel’s wife, a native of TheNetherlands, is now a naturalized Amer-ican citizen. They have four children,Suzanna 13, James 10, Julianna 7, andKathrena 21 months.

Port of Houston’s new grain truck dumper willhandle combined truck and load totaling 100,-000 pounds. Nearing completion, it will begin

operating this spring.

NEW AMMONIAPLANT UNDERWAYON SHIP CHANNEL

Phillips Chemical Company has start-ed construction on a multi-million dollarsynthesis plant in the Houston area forthe production of anhydrous ammoniafrom petroleum products. The plant willbe located on a 500-acre tract adjoiningthe 340-acre site of the Company’sAdams Terminal Ammonium SulfatePlant on the Houston Ship Channel.Approximately 500 men will be em-ployed when these facilities are in fulloperation, which is expected to be in1953.

The new plant, to be known as AdamsTerminal Ammonia Plant, is expectedto serve as a source of raw materials forthe future manufacture of a wide va-riety of petrochemicals. It will supplythe Ammonium Sulfate Plant and thenew Adams Terminal Pyridine Plantnow under construction on the AdamsTerminal site with their ammonia re-quirements.

HOUSTON GROUPTOURS MIDWEST

In a move to strengthen the bonds ofcomercial and industrial friendship be-tween Houston and its Midwesternneighbors, Houston leaders early in Jan-uary embarked on a whirlwind visit toWichita Kansas, and Kansas City, Mis-souri.

Cordially received by both cities dur-ing their three-day trip, the 36 Hous-tonians lost little time in proclaimingthe excellent facilities and services of-fered by the Port of Houston.

Col. W. B. Bates, immediate past-pres-ident of the Houston Chamber of Com-merce, pointed out that the fastest grow-ing industrial empire in the UnitedStates is a "golden triangle" bounded byKansas City, Denver and Houston, andthat the Port of Houston is the logicalworld gateway for the area’s flourishingforeign trade.

Former Kansas Citian W. S. Bellows,Port Commission Chairman, with Col.Bates and Gen. W. F. Heavey, PortGeneral Manager, went on TV to ex-plain the amazingly rapid developmentof the Port to its present status as num-ber two deep-sea port of the nation.

And in down-to-brass-tacks questionand answer sessions, the Houstonians,representing a cross-section of Port mar-itime interests, were able to give de-tailed attention to shipper inquiries.

Tours of industrial areas in both Kan-sas City and Wichita provided eye-open-ing proof that the two cities are highly-developed production centers.

Successful from every standpoint, thetrip will be the forerunner of others de-signed to funnel Midwestern commercetoward Houston’s docks.


LEFT: The 50-ton capacity gantry crane shown here serves a 3,600-ton drydock at Houston division, Todd Shipyards Corporation. Drydock is clearlyshown in center. Cargo vessel in rearground is in Todd’s larger, 12,500-ton drydock. RIGHT: Complete rudder, disassembled and removed fromLiberty ship in order to machine rudder post. Work is being done by 74-inch swing lathe in Port Houston Iron Works shop. Lathe has 46-foot bed. Shop

is also equipped with 6-foot radial drill and 500-ton press.

Pert of HoustonSolid evidence that ship repair facili-

ties and growth of a port go hand inhand can be found at the Port of Hous-ton.

Best known for its meteoric, 37-yearrise to second rank among the nation’sdeep-sea harbors in total tonnage han-dled, Houston boasts a ship repair in-dustry geared to the needs of vesselscalling at the Port.

More than 3,400 ships and 5,000barges visited the busy Port in 1951 tomove a record-breaking total of 45 mil-lion tons of cargo . . . and practically allof the ships could have obtained com-plete major or minor repairs, includingdrydocking, right in the Port of Hous-ton.

Houston repair-men are vitally awareof the value of time to ship operators.They plan their activities accordingly,as do public and private terminal opera-tors an expediting cargo movement.Speed, economy, and efficiency are theorder of the day.

From keel to masthead, from stem tofantail, marine repair and overhaul fa-cilities are instantly available to anyand all ship operators that call at theBuffalo Bayou Port.

Fabulous Port of Houston dates itsregular steamship service back to 1915,but some ship repair firms have beenaround the Port, fixing broken vesselswith workmanlike precision, for over 40years. A national tonnage leader, Hous-ton also excels in service facilities of-

fered to vessels that call at its docks.Here are some of the firms that do the~Nork :

HOUSTON DIVISION--TODDSHIPYARDS CORPORATION

At the horseshoe bend of Green’sBayou near its junction with the Hous-ton Ship Channel is the 70-acre plant ofthe Houston Division of Todd ShipyardsCorporation.

Houston’s largest and most extensiveship repair and building plant, Todd isproof of the Port’s claim that practicallyanything that sails the Ship Channel canget complete repairs from top to bottom.

Of paramount importance in Todd’sarray of equipment are two drydocks.The larger, having a rated capacity of12,500 tons, is capable of servicing T-2type tankers and C-4 type cargo ships.The smaller drydock, 3,600-ton capac-ity, services smaller craft, such as coast-wise freighters, tow boats and barges.Each drydock is served by a 50-ton ca-pacity gantry crane.

During the war years, 208 new Lib-erty ships slipped down Todd-Houston’slaunching ways (at their old cross-chan-nel site) to strengthen America’s seapower.

Todd’s 2,000 feet of dock expanseprovides wharfage space for the needsof all marine work in the area. Due tothe location of the yard the organizationis not limited to repairs inside the plantbut has adequate mobile equipment toservice vessels at anchorage or in berth.

From replacing collision-damagedplates and internals to converting a coal-burning vessel to an oil-burner, Toddcan handle the job expertly. Machineshop facilities are excellent, with enginelathes capable of machining shafts up to48 inches in diameter by 50 feet inlength. The Todd shop maintains suchitems of equipment as side-planers, cylin-drical grinders, surface grinders, millingmachines, turret lathes and horizontaland vertical boring mills to expedite anyjob that comes its way.

Fabrication of steel structures inTodd’s hull shop is handled on an as-sembly line basis. Equally well-equippedare Todd’s pipe, sheet metal, electricand carpenter shops. Todd’s workingcomplement of between 500 and 1,000skilled operators have also been engagedsince 1949 in steady reactivation of Lib-erties, Victories and C-1B’s for the Mar-itime Administration.

PORT HOUSTON IRON WORKSOrganized in 1935 and operating from

two plants on the Houston Ship Channel,locally owned Port Houston Iron Workscan handle any marine repair job thatcan be performed without drydocking.With an impressive backlog of "know-how" and complete machine and boilershop facilities to work with, Port Hous-ton Iron Works has become an impor-tant feature in the marine repair indus-try at the Port of Houston. Portableequipment enables vessels to undergo


LEFT: Two big cargo vessels are out of the water in Todd Shipyards’ drydocks, while a third is alongside the dock undergoing repairs. RIGHT: U. S.Naval Tanker MISSION SAN MIGUEL tied up at Brady Island docks of Harrisburg Machine Company. The firm specializes in quick repair on oilers, with

minimum delay in turn-around time to the ships.

repair at loading berths, while completemain engine repair and overhaul onsteam, Diesel or turbine power plants,including re-metaling of main bearingsand shaft alignment, are all in the day’swork.

The company specializes in installa-tions or alterations to fit requirementsof unusual cargo such as fitting protec-tive wire mesh fire screens on vents andopenings in spaces for highly inflam-mable commodities.

A recent contract involved the con-version of a Canadian-owned LST intoa pulp wood carrier. A major portionof the ship’s piping system had to beremoved and relocated to allow the in-stallation of new cargo hatches.

A steady stream of mothballed Lib-erty Ships has moved in and out of PortHouston Iron Works’ docks, twelve hav-ing been reactivated for the MaritimeAdministration in 1951. PHIW placeda complete new stem on a collision-damaged cargo vessel and replaced sev-enteen shell and deck plates, with in-ternals, on a seriously damagedfreighter.

Port Houston Iron Works constructsall types of tugs, barges and other ma-rine equipment. Its upper yard canbuild and launch a tug or barge of upto 200 tons deadweight, while the low-er yard, located on the Ship Channeljust below Green’s Bayou, could buildand launch a 400-foot vessel of approx-imately 2,000 tons deadweight.

The Turning Basin yard recently com-pleted a 160-ton Diesel tugboat andlaunched it by means of a 300-ton capac-ity derrick barge. The lower yard hascommenced construction on a contractfor seven oil barges and eight landingships for the Navy. In addition, two23,000-barrel oil barges for private in-dustry will be built.

The lower yard has room for expan-sion along its 1180 feet of deep-waterfrontage, and where the present waysaccommodate three or four barges forlaunching, the potential exists for expan-

sion of perhaps three times the presentfacilities.

PHIW’s salvage experience is notconfined wholly to marine jobs; in 8days they once pulled 20 railroad boxcars and a 200-ton section of railroadswing bridge from 40 feet of water andout of the sucking black mud of a Lou-isiana bayou.

During World War II Port HoustonIron Works built tugs for the ArmyTransportation Corps, had a contract tomanufacture 90 millimeter shells forArmy Ordnance and were master con-tractors for Army, Navy, Maritime Com-mission and War Shipping Adminis-tration.

Most impressive item of new equip-ment in PHIW’s tool kit is a 300-tonfloating derrick barge. The giant A-frame lift is powered by a 100-kilowattDiesel generator. The barge also hasone revolving steam crane with a 105-foot boom and a 60-ton capacity. Com-pany officials say the barge is capableof being increased to an eventual max-imum capacity of 500 tons. The big liftis or.e of the largest in use in Americanports today.

HARRISBURG MACHINE CO., INC.For forty-one years a Houston Ship

Channel industry, and still handling amajor portion of marine repairs at Portof Houston, the Harrisburg MachineCompany, Inc., is the oldest ship repairyard at the Port.

Harrisburg Machine has berthingspace for two vessels at Brady Islanddocks, plus portable equipment to effectmajor repairs at all loading berths.

Specializing in tanker repair, thecompany gets tanker jobs done withoutdelay in turn around time to the vessel.In Port of Houston, which moved ap-proximately 34 million tons of petroleumproducts in 1951, this is a vital item.Harrisburg Machine gives 24-hour serv-ice to the big oilers.

The company can handle all marinerepairs with the exception of drydock-

ing, and their working force of 75 menis expert in repair and overhaul of mainengines ~steam, turbine or Diesel), re-tubing of boilers and condensers andother equally demanding tasks.

Their machine shop is fully equippedwith horizontal mills, vertical mills, keyseaters, shapers, planers, a 5-ft. radialpress, lathes and a foundry specializingin bronze and close-grain cast-iron cast-ings. Their boiler shop has pneumatictools, shears, rolls and other essentialgear. Portable equipment includes aircompressors, generators, welding toolsand boring bars.

Equipped to construct tugs, bargesand other small craft, Harrisburg Ma-chine is building a 126-foot inland wa-terway pusher-type boat suitable for bothinside and outside operations. During1951 the company reconditioned oneLiberty Ship from the mothball fleet;after making her first 3-month cruise,the vessel sailed on her second voyagewithout a "dime’s worth" of repair, ac-cording to her owner.

Harrisburg Machine also handles sal-vage work on tugs and barges and main-tains a 50-ton capacity floating derrickbarge, with a l l0-foot boom, for suchwork.

During World War II the companyheld contracts with the Navy and WarShipping Administration involving ma-jor marine repairs, and is a presentholder of contracts with the Navy andNational Shipping Administration formajor repairs to all marine equipment.

From bending pipe and rolling boilertubes, to patching lifeboats and install-ing main-engine turbines, this complete-ly locally-owned company has offeredcomprehensive ship repair service since1910.

PLATZER BOAT WORKSNow in its 30th year, and with three

generations of boat building under itsbelt, Platzer Boat Works operates twoyards in Houston. The Houston yard is



are alwaysathospitable

PORT OF HOUSTON

General Electric Company officials just before a down-Channel trip on the Sam Houston: Front row, left to right: Gen. W. F. Heavey, Portof Houston General Manager; W. B. Clayton, Commercial Vice President, General Electric Company, Dallas; Philip D. Reed, Chairman, Boardof Directors, General Electric Company, New York; E. M. Wise, Manager, Apparatus Sales Division, General Electric Company, Houston; G. R.Walton, Industrial Engineer, United Gas Pipe Line Company, Houston, R. L. Dudley, President, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston; and DowWynn, Houston Chamber of Commerce. Back row: A. H. Keen, Asst. Manager, Apparatus Sales Division, General Electric Company, Houston;F. L. Lewis, Asst. Supt., United Gas Corp., Houston; and J. O. Bell, Dist. Manager, General Electric Supply Corp., Houston.

Officials of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, touring

the Port of Houston. Left to right: P. H. Draver, Vice President, Chicago;J. P. Kiley, President, Chicago; E. M. Smith, Traveling Freight and Passen-ger Agent, Dallas; Mrs. Kiley, Mrs. Draver, and J. G. Hatcher, General

Agent, Dallas.

40

Enjoying Houston’s winter sunshine aboard the Sam Houston are, left toright, front row: Orrin Weir, Los Angeles; Miss Sylvie St. Clair, Dunkirk,France; Grover Ellis, First National Bank, Houston; Miss Geraldine Shep-hard, Pebble Beach, Cal. Back row, T. J. Mclntyre, Crowley, La.; McNeelPierce, President, Plastics & Rubber Products Company, Los Angeles; JuddDowning, Beverly Hills, Cal., and Doyle Warren, Plastics and RubberProducts Company.


huber construction company, inc. - port of houston ... 30 april, 1952 number 1...boiler furnace...

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