long by 160 metres wide, with a quay length of 1,420
metres. No. 3 Dock has a water area of 27 acres, is 690 metres long by
160 metres wide, with a quay length of 1,660 metres. No. 4 Dock has a
water area of 25 acres, is 630 metres long by 160 metres wide, with a
quay length of 1,535 metres.

All these four docks, when they were originally finished, had a depth of
23 feet 9 inches below low water, so that, however low the river may be,
there should never be less than 23 feet 9 inches in the docks. Since
then dredging has been going on and the docks have been deepened to
receive larger vessels. The docks are united by passages 20 metres in
width, each passage being crossed by a swing bridge. Dock No. 4 is
entered at its northern end by the north lock. This lock opens into the
North Basin, which has a water area of 41 acres and a quay length of
1,409 metres and a depth of 21 feet 3 inches. The total area of the
basins and the four docks is 174 acres, and the total length of quays
8,482 lineal metres. The following are the dates the various basins and
docks were opened to traffic:--

South Basin ... ... ... 28th January, 1889
South Lock, Dock No. 1 ... 31st January, 1890
Dock No. 2 ... ... ... 26th September, 1890
Dock No. 3 ... ... ... 31st March, 1892
Dock No. 4, North Lock, North
Basin, and Graving Docks ... 7th March, 1897
First half of North Channel... 15th June, 1897
Second half of North Channel,
buoys and beacons ... ... 31st March, 1898

The timber sea-wall was built to a level of 16 feet above low water, and
the stone sea-wall to 19 feet. Originally there were built three sheds
in the South Basin, three sheds and two warehouses in Dock No. 1, two
warehouses and two sheds in Dock No. 2, five warehouses in Dock No. 3,
and four warehouses in Dock No. 4, the total capacity of these sheds and
warehouses being 525,510 cubic metres, and the floor area 192,800 square
metres. Since then, several warehouses have been built, and some burnt
down. The total cost of the harbour works as contracted for by Ed.
Madero was $35,000,000 gold, or, say, about L7,000,000. This includes
the South Basin, Dock No. 1, Dock No. 2, Dock No. 3, Dock No. 4, North
Basin, North Channel, Graving Docks, machinery, etc.

The following statement shows the total tonnage that passed through the
port of Buenos Aires in 1880, 1890, 1900, and 1909, and clearly shows
the ad