West St. Dock
Traffic at the turn of the last century in New York City was chaotic. Street cars vied with horse & buggies for the right of way, while electric vehicles were joining the fray. One solution was to improve West Street along the riverfront.
Here’s an article from the New York Times (May 14, 1897) accompanied by illustrations by E.J. Meeker (Harper’s Weekly, May 11, 1901).
"The water front suffers from a lack of proper facilities for the exchange of freight between railroads which reach the shores of the harbor and shipping which enters the port. Goods brought to the piers which have come from the railroad or from within the city are subject to inconvenient and expensive handling.
Slips to accommodate floats on which cars may be run, after having been loaded at the piers could be built at the battery. The greater part of West Street should be used in connection with the piers, the first fifty feet beside the bulkhead, being covered by sheds.
West Street is 250 feet wide. After making the improvements noted above, there would remain 120 feet of width. Passengers and other pedestrians should be kept out of the way.
It must be borne in mind that it is highly probable that before many years street railroad tracks will perform a service which has not yet been undertaken in New York City. Electric and other mechanical power is rapidly superceding horse power for passenger traffic. With the great power which is thus available, the same tracks which are used during the busy hours of the day for distribution of passengers may be used at other times for the distribution of freight. It is quite possible that before many years much of the freight will be handled by electric cars."
