ocean facilities; Hamburg with its free port, and
Liverpool with its capacity as a market deposit.

"5. It will give New Orleans a fixed-level, well protected harbor.

"6. It will serve the purposes of the Intracoastal Canal and increase
the benefits to accrue to New Orleans from that canal.

"7. In connection with revived commercial use of the inland waterways
upon which the federal government is now determined, it will open the
way for an easy solution of the problem of handling, housing and
interchange of water-borne commerce, and of the development of
facilities for the storage of commodities between the period of
production and consumption.

"8. It will prove an important facility in the equipment of New Orleans
to meet the new competition the enlarged Erie Canal will create. The
original Erie Canal harmed New Orleans because Mississippi River boat
lines could not build their own terminal and housing facilities at New
Orleans."

[Illustration: W. A. KERNAGHAN Vice-President
RENE CLERC Secretary
ALBERT MACKIE
HUGH McCLOSKEY
COMMISSIONERS
Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans]

This meeting made industrial history in New Orleans. The Hecht plan was
studied by lawyers and financiers and declared feasible. Mr. Hecht
summarized the confidence of the far-visioned men in the new New
Orleans when he declared in a public interview: "I feel there is
absolutely nothing to prevent the immediate realization of New Orleans'
long dream of becoming a great industrial and commercial center and
having great shipbuilding plants located within the city limits."

And the Item said, in commenting on the undertaking (February 17,
1918): "Millions of dollars of capital will be ready to engage in
shipbuilding in New Orleans the moment that piledrivers and steam
shovels are set to work on the shiplock and navigation canal."

It was a time of great industrial excitement. Victory was at last in
the grasp of New Orleans. The eyes of the country were on New Orleans.
The cry was, "Full Speed Ahead!"

SMALL CANAL FIRST PLANNED.

The plan, at this time, was to have a lock-sill only 16 or 18 feet
deep. This would be sufficient to allow empty ships to enter or leave
the canal, but not loaded. The mere building of ships was thus the
principal thought, despite the rhetoric on commercial and industrial
possibilities. Perhaps the leaders who were beating the project into
shape were themselves afraid to think in the mil