In the time of the ancient glory of Mesopotania when Babylon and Nineveh crowned the plains, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flowed in separate channels to the Persian Gulf. Now, however, owing to the silting up of the old beds, their waters unite a few miles from the coast into one stream, the Shat-el-Arab. This shallow, muddy river is bordered for miles with groves of date palms. The plantations stretching off into the country on either side supply the greater part of the world with dates.
Image Description from historic lecture booklet: "The principal artery of the business section is Circular Quay, where the many ferries to the suburbs move in and out with their thousands going to and from work."
Just above the docks are the 23rd Street ferries. It is here that you take the ferry to connect with the central, Erie and Lackawanna railroads to Jersey City. Most of the passenger traffic now goes through the Hudson tubes, leaving the ferries for vehicles, although it is an enjoyable ride across the river. The Hudson tubes come into Manhattan under the Hudson Terminal building. There are also great docks on the eastern side of the Island and along the Brooklyn shore. The Bush Terminal docks in South Brooklyn are equipped with the latest improvements for handling freight and are so large that three ocean steamships can lie at one time at the pier. Factories are being built near them so that products can be loaded directly on ships without the added expense of hauling.