Piers, wharves, and docks (except dry docks) Reference number on map.. Location on water front.. Owned by. Purpose for which used.. Type of construction... Open pile wharf, timber deck. Open pile pier and trestle approach. The hoisting facilities for heavy lifts at the port of Bellingham are owned and operated by private interests and are not generally available for public use. The Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Mills, located at the foot of Alder Street, operate one 5-ton electric hammerhead crane with a 50-foot reach and two 5-ton steam hoists. These facilities are located at a pier having 1,600 feet of berthing space with depths of water alongside ranging from 16 to 30 feet at mean lower low water. A detailed description of the pier and railroad connections is shown on page 78, reference number 7 on map. The Puget Sound Pulp & Timber Co., on the south side of Whatcom Creek Waterway, operates one 20-ton steam locomotive crane with a 45-foot reach. A total of 973 feet of berthing space is available with depths of water alongside ranging from 26 to 30 feet at mean lower low water. See reference number 10, page 79, for a complete description. The Bellingham Builders Supply Co., on the north side of Whatcom Creek Waterway, operates one 20-ton electric straight-line gantry The wharf has 360 feet of berthing space with depth of water alongside of 18 feet at lowest tide. Reference number 15, page 80, gives a complete description. The Olympic Portland Cement Co., located on the north side of Bellingham Bay, operates one 16-ton steam locomotive crane with a 30-foot reach. This crane operates on a pier with trestle approach approximately 1,600 feet in length. The pier has a total berthing space of 360 feet with a depth at mean lower low water of 14 feet. See reference number 20, page 82, for a detailed description. GRAIN ELEVATORS There is one grain elevator in the port of Bellingham. It is a concrete, wood, and steel structure owned by the Bellingham port commission and located on the port commission pier. As the elevator is under lease and operated by the Washington Cooperative Egg & Poultry Association, its facilities are not available to the public. Storage capacity is limited to 1,800 bushels of bulk and 3,000 bushels of sacked grain. Bulk grain is taken from vessels by ship's tackle and clamshell bucket to a hopper at the dock edge which in turn feeds a conveyor running below the deck of the dock to the elevator. The conveyor has a capacity of 120 tons per hour. No provision has been made to handle bulk grain either from elevator to vessel or from car to elevator. STORAGE WAREHOUSES There are several private companies operating storage warehouses on the Bellingham water front. These warehouses afford facilities for dry storage of general merchandise and canned fish, and all are equipped to transfer cargo direct between vessels and storage. The Bellingham Warehouse Co., located on the South Bellingham water front at the foot of Bennett Street, operates three storage warehouses with a total floor area of 52,000 square feet. This company also maintains space for public storage at the foot of Fourth Street. The Quackenbush warehouse, located near the inner end of Whatcom Creek Waterway, provides 41,250 square feet of floor space. Cold-storage facilities are available at the plant of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association, located at 1815 Ellis Street, approximately 1 mile from the water front. This plant is equipped with a direct expansion ammonia system, has 10,100 square feet of floor space, and a total storage capacity of 122,000 cubic feet. Detailed description of the warehouses and equipment is given in the following table: BULK FREIGHT STORAGE The only facilities in Bellingham especially designed for the storage of bulk cargoes are those provided at the port commission pier, for the storage of lumber and lumber products. An uncovered area of 45,000 square feet is available there for this purpose. The port commission maintains gasoline-powered stackers, tractors, trucks, and trailers for handling in the storage space, the loading and unloading operations being provided by ship's tackle. DRYDOCKS AND MARINE RAILWAYS There are no drydocks at Bellingham. The Bellingham Marine Ways (Wrang Shipyard), located on Squalicum Creek Waterway, has two marine ways. The larger of these ways has a 110-foot cradle, 30 feet wide, at the top of the keel blocks, with depths over the keel blocks of 8 feet forward and 12 feet aft, capable of lifting 300 tons and accommodating vessels up to 108 feet in length. The smaller way has a cradle 60 feet long, 24 feet wide, at the top of the keel blocks, with depths of 5 feet forward and 8 feet aft. The lifting capacity of this way is 100 tons, vessels up to 65 feet in length being accommodated. Rates charged for the use of the above-described marine ways are based upon the length of vessels, the rate for dock days being 35 cents per lineal foot and of lay days, 9 cents per lineal foot, with a minimum charge of $10. The Pacific American Fisheries, Inc., has recently installed a marine way adjacent to its plant on the South Bellingham water front. This way has a cradle 100 feet long with a width of 18 feet at the top of the keel blocks. This facility is available to vessels of the owner only. MARINE REPAIR PLANTS The Bellingham Marine Ways (Wrang Shipyard) operates a marine repair plant on Squalicum Creek Waterway. This plant is equipped to make repairs to wood and steel vessels, hulls, engines, boilers, and dynamos and also operates marine ways. The Cliff Motor Co., also located on Squalicum Creek Waterway, operates a complete machine shop, specializing in repairs to gasoline and Diesel engines. FLOATING EQUIPMENT The Bellingham Tug & Barge Co. operates towboats for towing purposes from its base on the north side of Whatcom Creek Waterway. This fleet consists of 13 towboats, varying in length from 32 to 153 feet, with beams of 9.5 to 26 feet and drafts ranging from 3.5 to 16.5 feet. The indicated horsepower of these towboats varies from 20 to 1,500, 2 being equipped with high pressure pumps and firefighting 76504-38-7 apparatus. Charges for their use are based on rates prevailing generally on Puget Sound. The Bellingham Builders Supply Co., also located on the north side of the waterway, operates one open scow 75 feet long with a 22-foot beam, a loaded draft of 6 feet, and has 100 tons cargo capacity. This scow is used in transporting sand, gravel, and coal by the owner, but is also for lease. Three covered scows, each 110 feet long with a 34-foot beam, a loaded draft of 7 feet, and 400 tons cargo capacity, are owned and operated as lumber lighters by the Bloedel Donovan Lumber Mills. None of the above-described scows are equipped with mechanical handling facilities. WRECKING AND SALVAGE FACILITIES There are no facilities in Bellingham for wrecking and salvage operations. The nearest salvage companies are located in Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. RADIO STATIONS The city of Bellingham municipal police department maintains a radio station, call letters KACK, operating on a frequency of 2414 kilocycles. The Washington State police operate station KNFK for emergency service. AIRPORTS AND AIR LINES Graham Field, a commercial airport, is situated 11⁄2 miles northwest of the city. There is no scheduled air service at Bellingham. Special or charter service is furnished by the Graham Air Lines, Inc. |