Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-01-06


Inspect the nprOvsmsnts-BvsrybOdy I'm.
pressed with the Magnitude of the Work
Accomplished the Railroad People
Have Done and Propose to DO.
Shortly before IL o'clock yester-
day crowds of our most substantial
business men and other citizens,
many Of them accompanied by their
wives and families, could be seen
vending their way to the old rail-
road depot, corner ef Commercial
and Alameda streets, to take adj
vantage of the excursion to Will.
mington Harbor, gotten up under
the auspices of the Chamber of
Commerce and the Citizens Har-
Dor Committee, to inspect the i'm
provements made at the Harbor
by the government aud the new
wharves constructed at San Pedro
by the Southern Pacific Railway
Company and the Pacific Coast
Steamship Company. AT the sp.
pointed hour train consisting of q
locomotive and three passenger
coaches, In charge OF conductor
Ried, drew up at the depot. AL
most before the train bad stopped
the cars were filled and 1t was
found that but about half of those
in waiting could DO occommo-
dated. The conductor, taking iD
the situation, at once telephoned
Superintendent Hewitt the s!tua-
ton, and, ia about 15 minutes, two
additional coaches were sent down
and attached to the train, making
five coaches in all. The additional
cars also were soon filled. At q
signal from the conductor, the
train started, and, after short
halt at Compton, to permit the
special car of Chief Engineer Gray,
of the Central-Sou:heru Pacific
Railways, to pass, arrived at its
destination, the new wharf of the
Railway Company,abo 2 o'clock,
where it would remain, the con-
ducter announced, until half past
three o'clock.
THE WORK AT THE HARBoR.
AS the principal object Of the
excursion was to give our citizens
an idea of the great work already
accomplished in improving the
harbor we shall give o short
resume OF the work done by the
To do this intelli-
gibly for the general reader we
shall quote from the mem orial pre-
pared and forwarded to Congress
by the Citizens Harbor Commit-
tee last winter.
The memorial, after reeiting the
action OF the citizens Of Los ADge-
les to procure the necessary appro.
priations from Congress for COM
pleting the harbor improvements,
says:
"The roadstead Of San Pedre,
lying without the bar of Whining
ton harbor, has beeeD for a quarter
Of century, and is now, the COM
outlet Of a large portion of
Southern California and Arizona.
The freight received aud shipped
through it has steadily increased
from an aggregate Of 6,3ll tons, in |
the year 1855, to 10000 tons for
the year 1880, and l. rapidly grow
ing with each year. Grain vessels
are loaded at this port directly for
Europe. The passenger move
ments through the port for the
year reach total Of 5000 Arr.
vaIs of sea-going vessels: Steam
ers, 106; sailing vessels, 129; total
for The year, 233. These vessels
come from, and depart for, all
parts of the world.
-"r0 meet two wants, viz: the
creation of a harbor of refuge, aud
the accommodation of the rapidly
commerce Of the port,
the United States government,
after three CAREFUL and exhaustive
surveys, commenced the work of
Wilmington harbor.
SO far, a total of $3.50, 600 has been
appropriated. With this money q
break water $500 feet in length has
been constructed-the outer 1900
feet of it only, however, to the
level of low tide. rhe plan of the
engineers requires
that this should be carried above
the level of high tide-and ship
channel ten feet deep at low tide,
and $50 feet wide, has been dredged
the bar.
"rhe object OF the works now in
process OF construction at Will
mington is not the making of al
harbOr, but simply to
clear q channel through the bar,
and give entrance to harbor al
ready existing. This harbor, with
in the bar, is completely land.
locked and sheltered from storms
1t has ship channel several miles
in length, with Il depth at low
tide OF 26 feet at its lower end,
shoallng after some two miles to
16 feet. 1t has ample space already
for the accom- modation Of several
hundred vessels at one time, and
by the improvement of its side
channel, could accommodate twice
the number. For an idea Of its ex-
tent and capabilities We refer
you to the reports and sur
veys Of the engineers, now on file
IN the War Department.
"When the work was cJmmenc-
ed the bar had upon it only
eighteen inches Of water at low
tide. 1t is now deepened to ten
feet by the work already done.
The engineers in charge say that
depth Of at least seventeen feet
NAV be Opensd through the bar, |