Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-14
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
A Memorial to Be Sent to
Congress.
LARGER APPROPRIATIONS ASKED.
A Proposition to Annex Lower Cali
fornia to the United states
Submitted.

A special meeting Of the Chamber of
Commerce took place yesterday after
noon at the rooms OF the Board of Trade,
in obedience to call published several
days before. The object of the meeting
was to discuss the report of the Harbor
Committee and the matter of the London
exhibit.
There were about twenty five MEM
bers present at little after O'Clock
when Major E. w. Jones called the
meeting to order. DR.. Widney. the
chairman of the Committee on Com
merce. which has had the harbor ques-
t1on in it's hands, said that Senator Stan
ford. on the occasion of his recent visit,
had asked to have all the facts and sta
tistics which could be brought to bear as
arguments in favor of larger appropria-
/ t;ons collected in the form of memo
rial. DIR. Widney then read the follow
ino document which had been prepared
by the Committee to ba presented to
Congress:
To the Honorable the Senators and the Rep resen
tatipes of the United States at Washington:
GENTLEMEN: In making application Tor an
the ha- Dor works at Wilmington, in San Pedro,
in the State OF California, the Chamber Of Com
merce and the Board OF Trade OF Los Angeles
beg leave to present for your consideration the
following facts:
First. That wi. an already extensive and ra.
he california coast line has not single haI-
Dor of refuge for deep draft vessels between
San Diego and San Francisco. distance of 500
come with on shore gales, make the coast in the
absence of such shelter peculiarly hazardous at
that season, as the numerous wrecks bear evil
Second. The present harbor Of viii,
mington with the preS.ent tSs Ioadsead Tea ,o Of
are % now the commercial outlet of the territory
Comprising south California, portions of Utah
s s all aaet apon TIES s RRseo Coast Of a
southern transcontinental railroad lines. The
same law of easy grades and short lines which
trains Of the early overland immigrants, now
brings to it the cars of the trenscontinental
railroads. It is Immediately opposite the
great southern breaks in the mountain chains,
while beyond these and reaching on to the
plans OF the Rio Grande are the level mesas of
Arizona and New Mexico, One hundred miles
Pass by which the Southern Pacific crosses the
Sierra Madre range at an elevation of $50
feet on Its way to Galveston and ana New sN Orleans,
San Pedro to tide water at Galveston by time
500 miles shorter than any other route. Fifty
miles northwest Of this Is the ca01d pass: 9y
Fe enters South California from the
east at an elevation of only $500 feet
Upon the north is the 5oledad Pass by which
another line enters at an elevation OF only
1892 feet. Another railroad from Salt Lake is
now seeking the sea at the me harbor. To all
hundreds of miles of local railroads which at
this point find their sole outlet to the sea- The
volume Of business and its rapid rate OF in
I>op fv1o ndodr
Third. To meet the double needs Of a port of
refuge and the demands of commerce, the
government, some fifteen years ago, ordered
separate surveys were made, the first by Gen.
eral Alexander, the second by Colonel Will
Hanson, the third by Colonel G; h: Mendel',
These surveys were made separately and at
selecting this as the mott suitable and indeed
the only fit point for the undertaking. The
! first work attempted was to, open a way
| thri ugh the bar to the sheltered but compare
ktively shoal inner harbor of Wilmington. AS q
result of this work the depth Of water upon the
bar has been increased from only eighteen
original design Of this work and secure the
hormal depth OF sixteen feet at low tide, a
further amount of money is needed.
Fourth. But even seve:al years ago it
was already seen that the rapid de-
na9 on Of tS7eupb trsc ct ns
continen tai lines, would necessitate far more
extensive harbor facilities and a much greater
to Be b rne in mind that in the feet now ply.
ing to this port are many: and their number is
rapidly increasing, of the deep draft vessels
Australia, from China and from Europe-ves-
sells drawing from % to 26 feet when laden.
To this will soon be added vessels coming by
enter the inner harbor even when developed to
the limit OF its capabilities, sixteen feet on the
bar at low tide, but must lie out in the open
sea subject to the hazards of such an anchor
age, and discharge and take on cargo by tedi
GUS and expensive system OF lighterage. A
number of vessela have been wrecked by win
ter storms while thus lying at anchor in the
outer harbor,. 1he transcontinental and mar.
ne % ee1 s peSsea V sn
Of bringing such vessels to sheltered
must be in the future with the rapid growth
which is yearly coming can hardly be esti-
mated.
deeper sheltered water, the Government or
dered some ten years ago surveys to be made
looking to the construction of sea:walls TO
shelter the outer harbor Or roadstesd. These
surveys are now completed, and the results are
embodied in the reports Of Col Mendell,
Chief end Major BsD in Ex
pssss ss s' q SSS the oasss sAl BAY sN
can De entltcly Snel ereu Dy means OF
these walls or piers, from any possible storm.
acres of water, 1S feet at low tide along its
shoaless margin, but rapidly deepening to SO
end 60 fest. and ahording O mile and half Of
deep water front, from which may be built out
wharves, at which could lie vessels of any size
or draft that may ever be used in the deep-sea
CO nmerce of the world. This n work, to-
gether with the completion of the original
fnner.harbor plan for lighter draft vessels
would afford ample accommodation for the
largss local and transcontinental traffic.
Fifth. TIE needs of the present commerce
are so urgent, the cost of hghterage are now so
heavy burden upon the country. and the rate
OF growth SO rapid, that your petitioners feel
there should be no delay, but that the work of
finishing the present inner harbOr and of build
the tame time, and should be pushed to com-
pletion as rapidly as the nature of the under
taking will admit.
Your petitioners would slsO ask your attep-
ton to the further well-established fact that
such works can be much more cheaply and
economically done when money is supplied In
amounts sufacient to push the work without
fore respectfully ask that the sum of one mil
lion dollars be appropriated such small portion
of the amount as may be needed to com plee
the inner harbor being so used, the remaiuder
to be expended in the construction Of the
outer sea wallis
The further fact might be mentioned that it
will not be necessary TO await the completion
Of the whole work, before receiving somewhat
of it's benefits, Is the increased shelter to the
outer harbor will be felt almost from the incep-
ton of the work, growing greater a. the walls
advance toward Completion.
In conclusion your petitioners weuld further
say, that unlike the Atlantic Coast, the Pacific