Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-07-17
SAMTA MONICA.
a SECOND DAYS FAILURE
No Chance to Unload the
sand Banks.


Santa Monica managers. The ring
were thoroughly disgusted with the
Thursday sale, and when the safe was
opened yesterday there were only one
hundred and fifty visitors on the
ground. The auctioneer's stand had
been moved from its distant position
of Thursdays sale to central loca-
tion opposite the hotel, which gave
general satisfaction.
THE BUYERS.
The few visitors from Los Angeles
amused themselves walking on the
beach, examining the wharf and criti-
cising the sheep pasture on the town
site, while many disgusted San Fran.
cisco visitors waited impatiently for
the steamer Los Angeles to carry
them home. AT 10 O'clock the boat
arrived and the spectators took their
departure, ,denouncing the whole thing
as humbug, greater even than the
San Diego excitement of a few years
ago. The people of Los Angeles came
in for their share of the blame from
visitors, they supposing that our citi-
zens had a hand in the excitement
that brought them here. We can as
sure them, however, that, with the
exception of the controllers Of two
daily papers, none of our people took
any part in the scheme by which they
were duped. Los Angeles was not a
party to the fraud, bnt, in fact, the
whole scheme was engineered to de-
feat and kill the town.
THE LANDSCAPE.
The scene just before the sale was
inspiring. The sea, whipped into
white-caps by the raw wind, was
stretched in glaring picture, fifty feet
perpendicularly below the bluff, from
the shores of the bay to the other side
in China. The fifty visitors still left
behind were crowding the spectators
stand; the bleating flocks were look
ing in vain for few choice mOrsels on
their favOrite pasture in the plaza; q few
land enthusiasts, with maps in their
hands, were critically examining the
stakes a mile or two in the interior of
the city, 10 see the location of their
lots, @. e, d. in block 3,475; loving
swain on the hotel veranhah was
reading aloud to his adorable from
"rhe Last Days of P0mpeii," while
Tom Fitch was consulting with NOyes
about the first days of Santa Monica.
THE SALE.
Mr.. Noyes, the auctioneer, prefaced
the sale by stating that the water
would be put on the town site within
sixty days, and that the railroad
would he in Los Angeles 10y the 1st of
September.
We will not detail the purchasers of
lots, as we did yesterday, the sale not
deserving that much space. Lots in
block 123. One-third of a mile from the
hotel, sold for S225 to 1851. Lots in
block l22, half mile from the hotel,
ranged from $l45 to $400. Lots in
block l21, half a mile from the depot,
sold from Sl00 to S2O5. Lots i'm block
rs, two-thirds of mile from the hotel,
sold from 500 to $500.
Lots in block "a, three-quarters of a
mile from the hotel, ranged about
500 to $3.50. Lots in block III, a short
distance back from the depot, brought
$l20 to $3.50. Lots in block l72 sold at
$3.50 to $475. Lots in block 1875, ], ZOO
feet in the rear of the hotel, sold for
500 to 1885.
The result may be figured up as fol-
lows: A few blocks of land apparently
sold, which, on paper, figures up $2l,-
900.
BARREN RESULTS.
The figures of the two days sales are
small. The proceeds will make 10
water-works, sink no artesian wells,
build no railroad and cure no defect of
title. The bidding yesterday was
spiritless, in several instances it being
to boost the lots with bids
from Mr.. Fitch himself. OF course,
Mr.. Fitch has right to buy lots, and
we expect sOOn to see him erect pa
latial Summer residence, overlooking
the placid Pacific, but his bidding GER
tainly depressed outsiders.
AMUSING EATUREs.
1t was rather amusing to see some
of the boys, who have been hard up
for months, whispering to Fitch and
asking him to have certain blocks,
for lumber yards, coal yards,
etc., put up. The blocks were put up,
but the boys didn't bid, as they We're
to six lots and they explain
ed that six lots wouldn't make a lum-
Der yard or coal yard. 1t would have
the boarding house keepers
they owe to see them talking to Fitch
in such princely style. But the lum-
Der yard blocks were sold to bona fide
purchasers and will be occupied.
CONCLUSION.
The sale at Santa Monica is over.
The sum realized may pay for adver-
tising, auctioneer's fees and excur-
sionists, but it is doubtful. The grand
commercial prospects of Santa Moni-
ca as rival of Los Angeles have van-
ished, and the future great city takes
its place as a pretty seaside resort and
the entrepot of Los Angeles. Those
who bought lots to build on will have
u pleasant seaside home, but the at
tempt to destroy the commercial i'm
pOrtance of Los Angeles has proved a
miserable failure.
Prof. Chas. n. Steen tile mind rea-
der proposes to give one more exhibi-
tion of his remarkable mental powers
before leaving the city. At 2 o'clock