Page 54 - Rukert - 100th Anniversary

BELOW: The Dead Sea Works of Israel (pictured in Tamar, Israel) and Rukert Terminals signed a 10-year agreement in the 1970s to handle potash. The agent for Dead Sea Works, H.J. Baker & Bro., Inc., had already been a Rukert Terminals customer for more than 50 years.
about the possibility of purchasing seven acres of land on the east side of South Clinton Street, opposite Pier 5. The negotiations immediately ran into a
snag when the Pennsylvania Railroad went out of business and became Consolidated Rail Corporation, which refused to sell the property. In 1977, as several meetings were held between Rukert Terminals and city officials regarding their option on the Lazaretto Terminal, acquisition of the property opposite Pier 5 was still being delayed.
In the middle of such uncertainty, company business continued to grow. The Dead Sea Works of Israel and Rukert Terminals signed a 10-year agreement to handle up to 100,000 tons of potash per year. The agent for the Dead Sea Works, H.J. Baker & Brother, Inc., of New York City, had been a customer of Rukert Terminals for more than 50 years. The contract called for Rukert Terminals to unload the vessels and then store and screen the
product for delivery to trucks and rail cars. However, track problems and a severe shortage of railroad freight cars in the spring of 1978 impeded Rukert Terminals’ ability to move cargo, including potash, on and off the terminal. Frustrated by the logjam, Norman Sr. reached out to new Congresswoman, and later long-term Senator, Barbara A. Mikulski for help. Seeing the threat to Rukert Terminals’ business and the port, Mikulski urged Consolidated Rail and Amtrak to work toward a solution. In July 1978, Norman Sr. testified before the Congressional Transportation Subcommittee (which Mikulski was on) about the national freight car shortage’s effect
on business in Baltimore. In a prepared statement, Norman Sr. recounted how the rail car shortage was not only hampering his operations, but also made him hesitant to proceed with his multi-million dollar plan to expand and redevelop Rukert Terminals.
Still on the hunt for new property, Rukert Terminals purchased one acre of land at 2211 South Highland Avenue on March 27, 1979. On the site
at the time was a small 4,000-square-foot building, which was immediately expanded to 10,600 square feet and named “L” building. Finally, on July 7, 1979, after three long years of negotiations, and
help from Congresswoman Mikulski, Rukert Terminals purchased seven acres on the east side of South Clinton Street from the Consolidated Rail Corporation. With the tunnel deadline looming, the management team moved quickly to plot the most advantageous use of the new property.
In the mid-1970s, as Norm and Bud managed daily operations and carried out the expansion
and rebuild, Norman Sr. took the opportunity
to pursue other port-related interests. He saw a need and felt a responsibility to record the history of the port before it was lost forever. After Cap’s death, Norman Sr. started typing the fascinating
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