Heading: (World War II)
Author: Ball, Capt. J[ohn]
Title: Materials Handling Progress Report - Personal Copy
Place Published: Spokane
Publisher:Naval Supply Depot
Date Published: Feb. 1945
Description:

Report with 19 original photographs mounted on leaves (a few photographs laid in loose) with back text leaf with typed explanatory caption. With eight extra photographs printed for Ball—including a portrait of Ball at his desk (1944) + two-page typed cover letter relating to said Report and the state of the Depot. (Oblong folio), album with three metal connecting stubs.

Pictorial record of the materials stored at the facility during the War period, especially construction parts, machinery, and spare parts required for ships and the US naval operation. Includes a photo showing the training of fork lifts and another photo showing two women fork lift drivers in the Yard; stacks of lumber, steel, paint, tubes, oil drums, brooms [!], landing craft supplies, plywood, etc. Good record of the behind-the-scenes activities required to support a full-scale military operation; prepared specifically for Ball in his position as Supply Officer in Command of this Depot.

Naval Supply Depot, Spokane.

The site for a large naval supply depot was selected in the Spokane Valley, 12 miles northeast of the city of Spokane at a rail stop known as Velox. This would be one of two navy West Coast inland depots, the other being located in Clearfield, Utah. These sites were selected based upon good railroad connections to multiple bases and safe inland locations. The Spokane supply depot was on the Northern Pacific and Spokane International railroad lines. The site was level and treeless, enabling rapid construction. The architectural firm of Harold Whitehouse (1884-1974) and Ernest Price (1881-1975) was selected for the design and was instructed to find effective construction techniques to speed building. One strategy was the use of three-inch, poured-in-place, lightweight aggregate slabs as roofing. The plans called for 18 storehouses, each 200 feet by 600 feet. There would also be five heavy-materials storehouses, a cafeteria, officer housing, and barracks. The depot had 2,960,495 square feet of covered storage space. Construction was launched on May 16, 1942, and during the building phase additional facilities were added. When completed it was the fifth largest naval-supply depot in the nation, with 26 large storehouses. The depot supplied military bases in the Pacific. Shipping was accomplished using what was called a basic-box base load, with each box containing 60 days of supplies for 10,000 men, not including food. The basic load included 9,000 items and weighted 3,500 tons. The depot also became the navy's primary landing-craft depot. About 35 percent of the Naval Supply Depot Spokane work force were women, including WAVES. Ensign Florence Otto (b. 1920) assumed the important position of depot accounting officer. She married while at the depot, and after the war, as Florence Boutwell, she wrote extensively on Spokane Valley history. The depot closed in 1958 and in 1960 was sold to the Washington Water Power Company. It was converted to commercial use and is today called the Spokane Industrial Park. -HistoryLink.org, "the free online Encyclopedia of Washington State History"

Front panel detached, some wear, chips and soiling to covers; a few photographs detached, some rippling; very good.