Before considering the details of the proposed design, a short description of some railroad warehouses will be given. These are not all sea-board warehouses, but they are good examples of current practice. The descriptions are taken from blue prints sent by the railroads.

Michigan Central Freight House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is a single story structure, 480 ft. long, and 48 ft. wide sheathed on the sides with galvanized iron, and roofed with tin. The clear height of the building is 11 ft. 9 in. The bents are 15½ ft. by 16 ft. The 12 × 12 in. wooden columns are supported on stone foundations 4 ft. square, having a depth below the ground of 8½ ft. At the north end, 36 ft. of the structure is two-storied the second story being used for offices, toilet rooms etc. One peculiar thing about this warehouse is that it has what may be called a continuous door system by which an opening may be made at any point along the side of the building.

Union Pacific Railroad Standard. The standard freight house for this road is a one-story structure built of brick laid in lime mortar. The foundation is of rubble laid in cement mortar. Above the ground the masonry is range work with ¼–in. joints. The masonry is built up to the underside of the roof boards between the rafters. The door jams are formed of cast iron columns, on which are placed two nine-inch I beams with cast iron separators, on which the wall is continued to the roof. In the office portion the walls are covered with ¾–in. × ½–in. furring strips. The building is covered with a combination roofing-felt.

Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha Railroad. The warehouse at Allouez Bay Docks is 1500 ft. long by 80 ft. wide. The sides are covered with No. 24 corrugated iron, and the roof with tin. The entire building is founded on 10–in. oak piling, with the exception of the fifteen feet towards the bay, which is built upon 12 × 12–inch cribwork. Just inside the doors of the warehouse are six platform scales, three on the west or receiving platform and three on the east or delivery side. The doors are white-pine frames covered with No. 26 corrugated iron.

The warehouse of the same road at Duluth is of the same general type, the main difference being that along the sides of the pier movable inclines or gangways are provided which follow the rise and fall of the water and which can be adjusted to suit any boat whether floating high or low in the water. The principal material used in these buildings is creosoted yellow pine, the caps and stringers being 12 × 12–inch, and the posts 10 × 10–inch. The roof trusses are of white pine.

Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe´ Railroad. The freight houses of this road are much the same as those of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha railroad, except that more pains have been taken with the appearances of the structures.

Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The standard freight house of this road is a double-story frame structure, 560 ft. long by 80 ft. wide, sheathed on the outside with galvanized iron, and roofed with a composition roofing-felt. Two tracks enter the building, one near the side and one in the middle. The former is for freight which requires no storage. By the use of iron joists and girders, the floor of the second story is continued without a break across the track-pit. Freight is transferred from and to the upper story by package elevators.