Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-05
A G,imp.e OF san PEDRO.

aware that San Pedro exists. A lutle
thinking will identify it with the port Of
Los Angeles county, the port where ves-
sells of all kinds and res discharge their
cargoes, principally of coal and lumber,
and where the sounds of the bells and
whistles of steamers are heard at all
hours, and often wake the inhabitants on
a foggy morn by noisy and persistent
effort to discover where they are and
where they want to be.
Probably most of the Los Angeles cit.
izens have stepped from the. cars here
and cautiously or boldly boarded the
steamer lying at the wharf, and thence
steamed away over the blue waters OF
the bay to San Francisco or San Diego;
or you have taken sail on one of the
beautiful yachts or trip to Catalina Is.
land on one of these or small steamer.
If so, fear there was scarce passing
thought turned from prospective pleas.
ure or its opposite-prospectiv sea. sick.
ness, to that OF the world and particu.
larly of mankind passed through. Let
| U.S. tIcItkOiC AuIdHtu0 tAdt OA ICdCulIiS
the wharf, you found between you and
your steamer few feet of salt water, an
inverted Chinese wall as far as crossing
it is concerned.
Thus forced by circumstances, take a
look about You, seeing and profiting
thereby.
In front of you you see bay, its
waters OF ever varying color, from blue
to green, and from dreary gray to a
shining silvery white; sometime as
smooth as mirror, and sometimes bear
ing on each wave tiny crest of white
foam, and dashing in white spray over
its lonely Dead Mans Island, discon.
solate mound Of clay containing num-
berless fossils and several graves. To
the extreme right of the bay stretches
San Pedro Point, and beyond, yelled in
purple mist, is Catalina Island. Above
the waters to the left side rise mountains
whose beauty varies greatly from day to
day but is never lost. Across the bay
Long Beach has sprung into existence
and demands attention, especially when
the setting sun has given each of its
windows a radiance rivalling that of
ones favorite star. Continuous with
tho beach on which this resort is located
is Rattlesnake Island, where the noisy
surf washes up great quantities and va.
rieties of shells. The island is separated
from the mainland by the San Gabriel
river, an Insignificant barrier save that
it is always little deeper than one is
prepared for, especially in the case OF
the adventurous pedestrian.
Rattlesnake Island extends to a point
opposite San Pedro whnrf and is con.
nected with Dead Mans Island by a long
brealswater built of large stones brought
from Catiina. This breakwater is sur
prisingly long If one undertakes to walk
its length, aud measures each wet, jag.
ged, slippery stone with his full length.
Just beyond Dead Mans Island, the
stately ships ride at anchor while dis
charging their cargoes of co5l. The
, great fat boats loaded with the coal are
/ towed in by two little steamers plying
, back and forth as busy as bees constant
ly commanding attention by their shrill
, whistles. Tiny sail boats fit hither and
thither across tho Bay and rowers and
bathei add variety to the scene. Con-
tinuous with San Pedro points bluff,
. at the foot of which is sandy beacf
some parts of it long since deserted by
Neptune and now occupied by the
work. of man. On the top of this bluff
I San Pedroites live, move, and have
| their being for the most part oblivious tt
the world at large. They are kind
hearted, pleasant and industrious. The
. men are engaged in business connected
, with shipping and railroading, working
seven days in the week, and taking LITTLE
a rest or recreation. The women are
a closely confined to their household du
n ties. Neither men nor women seem t(
' take any interest in church or State
+ there or elsewhere. Little anxiety was
q felt about the Presidents wedding OF
!. the earthquake at Charleston, all spare
. attention being daily paid to the train
e coming in, the steamer passengers, or
ship just in sight.
The background of our picture is
!, made up of rolling foot hills stretching
6 back towards the City of the Angels
. whose row of electric lights is distinctly
= seen on clear night, standing out il
!, the darkness like an ''outpost of owls.
y Nesting at the head of the harbor ant
. of easy access from San Pedro is Will
mington, the former headquarters o
4 business done at the port. Nowit is {
= quiet town with its pretty homes costly
q hid amid large trees and beautiful gar
: dens, picture of shady comfort not tt
y be found in San Pedro.
The scene is altogether fair one ant
it is constantly changed by the variation
of mists from the entire absence of then
IS a long gradation to dense fog complete
:, ly enshrouding it.
A few steps up the wharf, from the
9 CAV steamer passengers we find throng
a OF busy men. Traditions of early morn
n ing claim some of them to have beer
n white, an investigating committee o
0 soap and water would find Others to b
IT Mexicans, but at present all are covered
with greese and dirt and as black as thu
|. coal about them. They wear, in fact
7. an effectual mask Of coal dust, muir
t. derer could ask no better. Their eye
A and teeth although respectively bleare'
and tobacco stained, shine out and Civ
II the face look which makes ones hal
+. stand on end. The quality and quan
,r tity of oaths which the air portrays soul
a as black and with stains far more indel
ible.
u On and on, up and down the whar
n the scene is the same, and at the lumbe
and ballast wharves the exterior dark
v ness only is lacking. Would that w
Is could say as much for that darkness o
t; the soul, which means death but TO
IS timely aid.
6 A large majority of these men ar
homeless, and the minority are scarcel
better off. They eat and sleep at board
}. ing houses and work as we have see
IS them. When not so occupied they are
a where?
n Pro BoNo PUBIIco.