Page 62 - Rukert - 100th Anniversary

ABOVE: Dredge or Die Badge worn during dredging testimony in Annapolis; dredging operations; Hart-Miller Island today.
During the expansion plan, Rukert Terminals spent $450,000 to dredge 40,000 cubic yards of sediment from the berth at Pier 5, bringing the water depth from 25 to 40 feet. Maritime leaders like Helen Bentley and Norman Sr. understood that to keep the Port of Baltimore competitive, the entire shipping channel needed to be dredged to 50 feet.
If the channel remained undredged, larger vessels would bypass Baltimore and head for deeper ports. Unfortunately, there was disagreement about where to deposit the excavated dredge material. The proposed plan was to build up and link two small, natural
islands (Hart and Miller) in the Chesapeake Bay by filling the space with dredging material. Opponents worried about the environmental impact of dumping the material in the Chesapeake Bay. Long-term Congressman Clarence Long was vehemently against dredging the harbor on these grounds, which effec- tively blocked deepening the channel for 10 years.
During this period, Norman Sr. and Helen Bentley used their platforms and well-earned credentials to advocate for the port and dredging. Each recognized the Port of Baltimore as Maryland’s greatest asset, vital to the economic survival of the state. Their position was summed
up in the phrase “Dredge or Die.” After running against Congressman Long three times, Helen Delich Bentley finally won his seat, which allowed the dredging project to begin. The newly engineered island began receiving dredge materials in 1984, reaching capacity in 2009. Today, Hart-Miller Island State Park is a 1,100-acre wildlife refuge, enjoyed by boaters and outdoor enthusiasts.
On May 23, 1980, the new main office, designed by Norman Sr., was finished and occupied. The 7,000- square-foot steel and brick building and parking lot is located at 2021 South Clinton Street, across from Pier 5.
Soon after, as the Lazaretto Terminal was being razed, yet another jolt of bad news arrived in a letter.
On August 26, 1980, Consolidation Coal Company notified Rukert Terminals that they had purchased
the Canton Company Terminal in lower Canton and planned to convert it into an export coal facility within one year. This caused a panic at the company because
for over 40 years, Rukert Terminals’ bulk products
had been unloaded at this facility by two large bulk unloader cranes before being moved by dump trucks to the company’s warehouses. In addition, there were no similar bulk facilities available on the Canton waterfront.
With the business at stake once again, Norm
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