CHAPTER SIXTEEN 
TRANSPORTATION AND THE LOCATION OF CITIES 
IN THE UNITED STATES 
[MpPORTANT commercial cities are usually located where main lines of 
transportation cross one another or where two different kinds of trans- 
portation meet. This is particularly the case where land routes meet 
water routes. At such places all the passengers who come by either 
land or water usually have to stop at least a few hours, and often stay 
some days before going on by the other means of transportation. More 
important still, all the freight that arrives by railroad and is to be shipped 
by water, for instance, not only must be unloaded but must usually 
be stored in warehouses until a ship is ready to proceed toward the 
proper destination. Moreover, the people who live in such a place do 
a great deal of business for those who live elsewhere. They import 
goods from across the water and sell them to the people who live along 
the various inland routes that diverge from the port. Or they purchase 
goods from customers along the inland routes and sell them abroad. 
Thus places where ocean routes meet land routes are the most favorable 
for the growth of great cities. 
The kind of harbor that attracts ocean traffic. A distance of a few 
miles more or less makes little difference in the cost of transportation 
by water. Hence ships do not try to save expense by going to the 
nearest port of the country where they wish to leave their freight and 
passengers, but to the port from which they can most cheaply ship 
their loads to their destination. 
The character of a harbor has a great influence upon the expense of 
shipment. The best kind of harbor has five characteristics : 
1) It is readily reached from the sea. Some harbors are especially 
easy to enter; for example, at Hongkong ships can sail almost 
up to the docks without a pilot and can easily enter the harbor 
either from the north or the south, for there is a clear, open 
channel safely protected between the mainland and the island. 
San Francisco and Brest are equally fortunate in this respect. 
At New Orleans, Calcutta, and Guayaquil, on the other hand, 
the windings and sandbars of the rivers make a pilot necessary 
for nearly a day before the port is reached. 
A good harbor also affords protection from wind and waves. 
In order to give great protection, breakwaters are often built 
to shut out the harbor from the open sea. 
A harbor ought also to have plenty of room and the right depth 
for anchorage. Since a good-sized steamship draws 30 feet or 
207 
(2) 
3)