Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-14
SAN PEDRO HARBUR.
An Important Meeting Held
Last Night.
STATEMENT BY DR. WIDNEY
A Sea-W Wanted That Will
Cost S4,00O,OO0 Condition
of The HarbOr.

A convention of the Board of Trade
Chamber of Commerce and Citizens
Harbor Committee was called for las
night, for the purpose of hearing DR.. j
Z. Widney read statement regarding
Wilmington Harbor, and in response
about twenty-five gentlemen were in at.
tendance at the Board of Trade rooms al
the hour appointed for the meeting.
The proceedings were opened in the
usual manner by Mr.. E. W. Jones,
President OF the Chamber of Commerce.
and then DR.. Widney stepped in front Of
a diagram showing the position of San
Pedro Bay and delivered his statement.
He opened with history of the harbor
and the work that had been done
on it, saying that the port of San Pedro
has been well known for three-quarters
OF century and is one of the Oldest ship
ping points on the Pacific Coast. In
early days it was the po,t OF export not
for Southern California alone but fol
points in Nevada, Utah and Arizona and
traders came to San Pedro in preference
to San Francisco, on account of the
natural trend of the country forming easy
grades in this direction. In those days
there were only eighteen inches of water
at low tide at the entrance to the present
inner harbor, everything being done by
means of lighters, but about fifteen years
ago the residents of this part of the
country decided that their harbor facilities
were not good enough and formed a har.
Dor improvement committee. An ap-
peal was made to the Government for
aid and in response three surveys were
made. The first was by Colonel Alex.
ander, who reported that the Whining.
ton estuary was the best available place
for harbor for 100 miles along the coast,
and this was corroborated by later re
port by Colonel Williamson and also by
Colonel Mendell who is now in charge of
the coast surveys. As a result, twelve
or thirteen years ago the Government
began to improve the inner channel to
Wilmington and found that by carrying
the water to one point the tide would cut
bar, SO breakwater 1000 feet in length
was built and the result proved
as anticipated, for the ship channel now
in use was formed. At q point about
ten feet below low water, however, the
cutting ceased and blasting and dredg-
ing have been necessary to remove the
hard clay that was found below the
sand. With the appropriations already
made by Government for opening up
this inner harbor it is estimated that the
work can be completed, and this will
give channel sixteen feet deep at low
tide and capable of admitting a vessel
drawing twenty-five feet of water. This
will give in the inner harbor three miles
OF water frontage ranging from sixteen
to twenty feet, and this frontage can be
extended to eight or nine miles
if necessary. "But this is not
enough" said DR.. Widney; "we need
more than sixteen feet OF water, for be.
sides our local needs there are other
reasons. The confguration of the coun-
try shows that Southern California is the
point toward which trade must come, for
there are no heavy mountain grades and
sterile plains at our rear, as is the case
at San Francisco, and the transconti-
mental railways recognize this, and as a
result they all head
FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
AS the best.adapted part of the State for
traffic purposes. Then at our back we
have the valleys of the Colorado and the
Gila, which contain as much fertile
land as the valley of the Nile,
and could support population
numbering into the millions, with
only sixteen feet of water we would not be
able to accommodate the China and
Australian trade for none OF those boats
could enter our harbor. Another point
is that an isthmus canal is certain in the
not very distant future, and this will en-
tirely revo.utionize traffic. Ships will
be transferred across and propellers will
be more in use, the result being that
they will hug the shore and, if there is a
good harbor at Southern California, there
is no reason why they should not stop
there in preference to going on to San
Francisco"
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
"The citizen harbor committee talked
this matter over about about one and
one-half years ago. and the necessity for
an outer seawall was advocated. Good
holding grounds exists at the anchorage
which is protected from the north, but is
open from the east around by south to
the west, and exposed to the southwest
and southeast gales that prevail during
the winter months. South from Point
Firman Catalina Island aids in shelter.
ms the bay from heavy swells from the
south, but the southeasters and south.
westers approach the roadstead
through the open areas to
the east and west of the
island, Vessels are frequently com pelled