Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-01
A Great Victory.

San Pedro Harbor wins! The
Southern Pacific people have decided
positively to improve the shipping ia
cilities at that point, and for the pre-
sent, at least, the question Of going to
San Diego is in allegiance. There never
was any very serious question about
the final outcome on this head. Here
is the distributing point for Southern
California. Los Angeles is, and always
will be, the center of population.
There lies around this city small
empire of the best land beneath the
skies. From the San Gorgonio Pass
to the ocean is one hundred miles.
The shore line from Santa Monica
cafion to San Juan Capistrano
is as long as that from the top of the
mountain to tide water as given
above. To the northwest lie the fer
tile lands of Ventura and Santa Bar
bara counties. We are nearer these
than is any other distributing point.
Their trade will inevitably gravitate
to US. The inexorable laws of COM
merce will bring this about. North
of Santa Barbara lie the coast coun-
ties of San Luis Obispo and Monterey;
and in the head Of the San
Joaquin valley are Kern, Tulare
and Fresno counties. These are
great and rapidly developing
sections whose trade will be very
large. They are all debatable ground,
whose commerce belongs to us as
much as to any one. San Pedro is
the nearest point to Los Angeles
where ship and car can come together.
These are all the economic factors in
the problem, and, with such data to
work from, no sane man could ever
doubt that San Pedro's facilities
would be made the very most of.
Granted, that San Diego has
a. harbor materially better
suited for handling merchandise;
what then? Is that the only ele-
ment in the situation to consider? By
no means. A cargo landed at San
Diego must be hauled nearly 100 miles
by rail, and that over heavy gradients,
to get the goods to the doors of the
wholesale dealers and jobbers who are
to distribute them to the retailers. 1t
costs money to haul heavy train 100
miles over any road. That is why
San Pedro won
That the port has won is be-
yond doubt. The railroad people
have studied the situation in
all lis aspects. Several times
they have gone carefully over
the ground. They see where popu-
lation is increasing, whore industries
are being created, where the produc-
tions of the soil are being increased
and multiplied so rapidly. 1t is here
around Los Angeles, in the territory
tributary to San Pedro Harbor. These
facts have settled the question, and as
a result the edict has gone forth, it is
written in vermilion and will not be
altered. 1t is as irrevocable as the
laws of the Medes and Persians.
Orders have been forwarded for
abundant material. The work will
be rushed with all possible dis
patch, and before many revolving
months roll by, a safe and ample
wharf will be constructed at San Pc
dro. 1t will 60 to deep water, so that
ocean-going ships of heaviest draft
may lie alongside. The cars will
run to the end Of the wharf, and goods
will go from the holds Of the vessels
direct to the cars.
The news is of the most interesting
and important nature to this section.
1t means large developments at San
Pedro with a lavish expenditure of
money there for months to come, and
it means for all future time a busy
harbor at our doors which will keep
at Los Angeles the commerce Of the
south end of the State, preserve her
as the metropolis of the semi-tropics,
and daily add to her popularity, busi-
ness, wealth and importance.