A Treatise On The Principles And Practice Of Dock Engineering

364 CHAPTER IX. TRANSIT SHEBS AND WAREHOUSES. Extent of Accommodation Required—Proportion or Goods to Quayage—Statistics of Sample Cargoes—Accessibility of Sheds—Proximity to Edge of Quay____ Level of Floor—General Diversity of Practice—Features of Construction— DoORS and DOORWAYS—COMPARTMENTS—LIGHTING —MATERIALS FOR FLOORS — Fire-resisting Construction—Monier, Hennebique, and Cottançin Systems_ Pressure Sustained by Floors —Columns and Piers—Strbngth of Columns— Roof Coverings—Weight of Shed Roofs — Examples of Sheds and Ware- houses at Tilbury, Liverpool, Dundee, Greenock, Glasgow, Manchester, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Havre, Marseilles, Calais, Dunkirk, Dieppe, Rouen, Bremen, Hamburg, Calcutta, and Buenos Ayres. Few articles of commerce are altogether unaffected by exposure to climatic conditions, and for by far the greater quantity of goods deposited on dock quays, some protection from the vicissitudes of the weather is absolutely essential. This is provided, in most cases, in the form of transit sheds and warehouses. The former class are for the temporary accommodation of discharged cargoes, or of freights on the eve of shipment. The latter class are- for the reception of goods which, having reached their destination, are to be stored for periods of longer, and probably indefinite, duration. In bonded sheds and warehouses, dutiable articles may remain under customs’ seal until such time as the consignée lias need of them, the imposts mean- while remaining in abeyance. Extent of Shed Accommodation.—The area of quay space allocated to storage purposes will necessarily depend upon several considérations. It is not always practicable to provide shed accommodation commensurate with the cubic capacity of vessels frequenting the berths, neither is it, in other instances, essential or advisable to do so. Under certain circum- stances, goods may be removed from the quays almost, if not quite, as rapidly as they are discharged from the ship’s hold. This happens when a cargo, even if not entirely homogeneous, is fairly uniform in character, and is consigned to but few individuals. When, on the other band, goods have to be broken up and sorted into numerous lots, it becomes, even with the utmost expedition, a matter of several days before they can all be despatched to their several destinations. Accordingly, it is not unreason- able nor unusual, in such cases, to allow consignées a period of seventy-two to ninety-six hours in which to claim and remove their property. A further complication arises from the necessity of dealing, practically simultaneously, with outgoing goods. Deposited on the site ready for the