LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

View of San Francisco Bay looking northeast, showing Alcatraz Island, where

PAGE.

is located the United States Military Prison_.

Grain Elevator at Section 3 of the Seawall___

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Fisherman Wharf, showing the fish boats at anchor in the lagoon__.

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Renewing apron foundations under Slip No. 3, Ferry Building, with concrete piles

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Construction of Piers 30 and 32, showing concrete piles used in substructure___ 16 State Dredger at work at Pier 40___.

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Concrete piles for Pier 17, showing piles ready for driving--

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View of construction of substructure of Pier 17, Union Street Wharf No. 1---- 22 First Cylinder Pier ready for driving in construction of Piers 30 and 32, to be constructed at a cost of $1,250,000__

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Details of suspended fender lines and depressed railroad tracks.......

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BIENNIAL REPORT

OF THE

State Board of Harbor Commissioners.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, November 1, 1912.

To His Excellency, Hon. HIRAM W. JOHNSON,

SIR:

Governor of the State of California.

As required by law, the Board of State Harbor Commissioners for the harbor of San Francisco herewith respectfully submits its biennial report for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1910, and ending June 30, 1912, embracing a full report of all moneys by them received and disbursed, describing the improvements made or under way, and the general condition of the harbor property.

We have the honor to be,

Yours very respectfully,

J. J. DWYER, President,

T. S. WILLIAMS,

JOHN H. MCCALLUM,

Board of State Harbor Commissioners.

INTRODUCTION.

Personnel.

The present Board of State Harbor Commissioners consists of the following commissioners :

John Joseph Dwyer, president; Thomas S. Williams and John H. McCallum, all residents of San Francisco.

Changes in the Board.

Since the last biennial report the following changes in the personnel of the Board have occurred, all the new appointments to the commission having been made by His Excellency, Hon. Hiram W. Johnson, Governor of the State of California, to wit:

George M. Hill, vice Walter E. Dennison, appointed January 7, 1911; died July 10, 1912.

Marshall Hale, vice W. V. Stafford, appointed March 17, 1911, elected President March 23, 1911; resigned from Board July 25, 1911.

John Joseph Dwyer, vice Philip S. Teller, appointed March 17, 1911; elected President July 27, 1911.

Thomas S. Williams, vice Marshall Hale, appointed July 25, 1911. John H. McCallum, vice George M. Hill, appointed July 30, 1912.

Jurisdiction.

The only harbor under the jurisdiction of the Board of State Harbor Commissioners is that portion of the water front on the bay of San Francisco around the city and county of San Francisco, from Taylor street on the north, thence around the bay front to the boundary line between San Francisco and the county of San Mateo. This report deals only with the commerce, construction, maintenance and operation of this water front. On the other side of the bay, at Oakland, Richmond and elsewhere, local bodies administer their respective harbor facilities.

The statistics and other data refer alone to the State property along the San Francisco water front, consisting of the seawall, the seawall lots behind the same, created by the reclamation of tide lands, the Embarcardero, formerly called East street, and other water front streets, the belt railroad, tugs and dredgers, and all the piers and wharves in the city and county of San Francisco, except those belonging to the Federal Government at the Presidio and Fort Mason, and some other few on private property.

Towage and Pilotage.

The charges for towage and pilotage from the Pacific Ocean into San Francisco Bay are in no degree under the jurisdiction of the Harbor Board, but are governed by other bodies.

Public Ownership and Operation.

Unlike most of the leading seaports of the United States, San Francisco enjoys the advantage of a harbor front that is owned and operated by the public. The title of the property is in the State of California, and harbor affairs are administered by a board of three harbor commissioners, appointed by the Governor of the State and holding office during his pleasure.

The Harbor Self-Supporting.

Under the law, the harbor has been self-supporting since its inception. All the cost of construction and maintenance of seawalls, buildings, wharves, etc., as well as all the operating expenses, are paid out of harbor receipts. These are derived from charges imposed upon shipping cargoes, in the form of rents, tolls, dockage, and wharfage for the use of the wharves; switching charges on the belt railroad; from the rental privileges of the seawall lots and of the ferry and other buildings and for the use of the ferry slips; and other lesser sources. San Francisco harbor thus pays its own way, not a dollar coming out of the public treasury or taxes.

The advantage of public ownership to the shipping interests is shown by the provision of the law that harbor charges must not exceed the amount necessary to meet operating, repair and construction expenses. Aliens and citizens are treated on equal terms. It is estimated that if the present San Francisco harbor front and facilities were owned and operated by private interests they would be capitalized at least for the sum of $250,000,000 and handsome returns could easily be made on that figure.

Needs and Extent of San Francisco Harbor.

"The demand of a continuation of the work of development along the lines followed during the past three years is imperative. While all of the new docks completed in recent years are of the best and most durable and convenient type, there remain many old wooden docks, costing large sums to keep in repair, and even with the best care not likely to survive much longer. Furthermore, the commerce of the port of San Francisco is steadily increasing with acceleration that will become greater and greater with the opening of the Panama Canal and the inevitable growth of trade in the Pacific Ocean. San Francisco possesses all of the prime requisites of a great seaport except ample docking facilities. The port is spacious, it is well defended, it is admirably sheltered against severe storms, its extreme tidal range is only about 8 feet and the mean less than 5 feet, it offers excellent anchorage in moderate depth of water, with fine holding ground, and, in a word, it is ideal as far as natural conditions are concerned. It is the terminal point of three great transcontinental railroads, and has at its gates a vast, rich, and growing hinterland. All it needs is betterment of its docking system.