Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/410

 396 PHILADELPHIA York and the west by the Pennsylvania rail- road; with different points in the state of Pennsylvania by the Philadelphia and Eeading, the G-ermantown and Norristown, the Korth Pennsylvania, and the West Chester and Phil- adelphia railroads, and the Philadelphia and Erie division of the Pennsylvania railroad ; and with the south by the Philadelphia, Wilming- ton, and Baltimore, and the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central railroads. By ferry to Cam- den, N". J., communication is had with the Cam- den and Amboy division of the Pennsylvania railroad, for South Amboy ; with the Camden and Atlantic railroad, for Atlantic City ; with the Camden, Mt. Holly, and Pemberton rail- road, for Long Branch ; and with the West Jer- sey railroad, for Bridgeton, Salem, and Cape May. There are numerous regular lines of steamers to southern and other coastwise ports, a fortnightly line to Havana and New Orleans, a weekly line to Liverpool, and a weekly line to Antwerp. The bar in the river below the city has 19 ft. at low and 25 ft. at high water. The wharf front of the city has extraordinary depth of water, there being 57 ft. at low water at the pier heads for half a mile, and not less than 25 ft. for 3 m. of the river front. The occu- pied commercial front is 7 m. on the Delaware and 4 m. on the Schuylkill. A strong current setting on the W. shore of the Delaware at both flood and ebb tide prevents encroachments on the harbor by deposit. The rise of tide is but 6 ft., and floods or overflows are unknown. Just below the city, on Mud island, is Fort Mifflin, commanding the river ; and on Tinicum island, 11 m. below, are the quarantine station and hospital. The United States navy yard, embracing 18 acres on the Delaware about a mile below Market street, is to be sold, and League island, comprising 600 acres, having been presented to the government by the city, is to be occupied as a naval station. The customs district of which Philadelphia is the port includes the city of Camden, N. J., and all the shores of the Delaware and its tributaries within the state of Pennsylvania. The value of its foreign commerce for the five years ending June 30, 1874, is shown in the following table : YEARS. Imports. Lxports. 1870 $14 500 797 $16934610 18T1 17,728,006 17,920 283 1872 20,383,853 21 016 750 1873 25 393 150 24 239 857 1874 26,447,037 33,121 337 The exports of petroleum, breadstuffs, and pro- visions for the four calendar years last past have been as follows : YEARS. PETBO LEUM. Breadstuffs Refine d. Crud< . 1871 Quantity, galloni. 51,352,996 Value. $12 512 109 Quantity, gallons. 8833979 Value. $673 906 Value. $4 148 595 value. $341 882 1872 47,981,845 11,209,588 7,216,058 1,192,090 4'lOO 979 282'954 1873 . .. 80,166,187 14,967,786 4,837,394 566448 5 556 846 1 137 832 1874 70,810,711 9 866 51T 1 614116 145 939 8 159 371 8 372 719 In. 1874 there were also exported 1,729,862 gallons of naphtha and benzine, valued at $135,607; 61,043 tons of coal, $302,684; 14,- 298,118 Ibs. of cotton, $2,107,981; hides, $656,647; engines and machinery, $998,567; leather and manufactures of, $315,568 ; 18,- 267,882 Ibs. of oilcake, $374,353; 9,126,657 Ibs. of tallow, $738,704; 9,878,159 Ibs. of leaf tobacco, $997,715; cooperage, $886,897; be- sides numerous minor articles. The number of entrances in the foreign trade during the year was 1,008, tonnage 621,641 ; clearances, 1,105, tonnage 647,965 ; entrances in the coast- wise trade, 1,528, tonnage 664,456 ; clearances, 1,653, tonnage 812,409. The number of ves- sels belonging in the district on June 30, 1874, was 3,040, tonnage 394,760, viz. : 934 sailing vessels, 146,953 tons; 265 steamers, 72,206 tons ; 1,810 canal boats, 170,567 tons ; and 31 barges, 5,034 tons. There were built during the year ending on that date 120 vessels, tonnage 31,198, viz. : 26 sailing vessels, 7,610 tons ; 33 steamers, 16,368 tons; 59 canal boats, 6,948 tons ; and 2 barges, 272 tons. Of the steamers, 11, tonnage 14,383, were iron. The coal trade of the port is immense, vast quantities being brought here for shipment to coastwise ports. Kensington, about 2 m. 1ST. of Market street, is the chief seat of ship building in the city, but the business is extensively carried on at Chester and other points on the Delaware within the customs district. Philadelphia is preeminent for its manufactures, for which its proximity to the iron and coal fields of Pennsylvania affords great facilities. In 1870, according to the United States census, it was the first city in the Union in the number of manufacturing establishments and of hands employed, in the amount of capital invested and of wages paid, and in the value of ma- terials used; it was surpassed only by New York in the value of manufactured products. The number of establishments was 8,184, with 1,611 steam engines of 40,528 horse power j and 59 water wheels of 2,696 horse power; number of hands, 137,496, of whom 95,421 were males above 16, 32,687 females above 15, and 9,388 youth; capital, $174,016,674; wages paid during the year, $58,780,130; value of materials used, $180,325,713 ; of products, $322,004,517. The statistics of the principal branches are contained in the following table :