Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-17
TO ALAMITOS BAY.
Parties Looking Out for the Best
Route TO That Place.

The following letter was receive,
at this office yesterday morning, an'
is self-explanatory:
Railroad Editor HERALD-Day be
fore yesterday E. B. Gushing, Esq.
representing the Sierra Madre, Nor
walk and Coast Air Line Railroad Co.
went down on the morning express tt
Norwalk to look after the interests O
the above named company in ascer
tanning the most favorable route from
Norwalk to Alamitos Bay, as well as
securing the right of way. After an
extensive ride along what is termed
"the back of the valley, he had
no hesitancy in preferring the straight
line passing through the center, OF
upon the half section line of the
westerly sections of range II in town
ship 8. This line, leaving Norwalk
passes through the most productive
agreeable and promising farming
fruit, vine and stock-raising portion oi
the long stretch of valley from the
Los Angeles river to its farthest
southeastern point. From Norwalk
the line is nearly straight to Los Ala
mitos Bay, requiring only slight
trend westward towards the bay.
Upon visiting the various
land .owners along this line
not only did every one
without exception grant free right OF
way over their lands, but welcomed
Mr.. Gushing as harbinger both OF
prosperity and railway tariff Justice.
This new line. which may be already
declared an established fact, is backed
oy and in the hands of the same men
who have determined upon the devel-
opment of the harbor at Alamitos
bay, and is undoubtedly part of the
same scheme. Perhaps the best
known among them are General
Bouton, 4. w. Hellman, G. E. French
and j. w. Gardner. From Norwalk
northward the exact line has not yet
been determined upon, but whether
or not it touches at Whittier it will
pass around the foothills onward to
the Sierra Madre, of course crossing
the Southern Pacific railroad at Nor
walk and having junction with the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail-
road close to Norwalk. Among the
various lines projected to center at
Los Alamitos bay, this will be one oi
the most important and best pay
ing. from the start, the lum.
Der interests alone being sufficient
make it paying road from the mo-
ment the first freight train starts
from the bay to the interior.
Alamitos Bay, the old original har-
Dor for coasting vessels along the
coast, has been recently resurveyed
and soundings made throughout its
extent, and the Government Engi-
neer, experimenting the work, pro-
nounces it the best natural harbor on
the coast from San Francisco to San
Diego. 1t is not only the best shell
tered, but has the most capacious
deep water, and with no great expen-
diture the tides can be made, 80 the
engineers state, to make a natural
channel over the bar sufficient to ad-
NIT ordinary vessels. At present or
dinary lumber schooners can cross
the bar and unload their burdens
without lighterage, anchoring in
deep shore water. With almost in
considerable dredging, the harbor
may be made capable OF admitting
anything atioat which can now get
inside the harbor of San Diego.
These facts, concerning the harbol
of Los Alamitos, in connection with
the fast-approaching Railroad tracks
from Los Angeles, from Sierra Madre
through Norwalk and from Santa
Ana, three converging lines, indicate
Los Alamitos harbor as destined tc
become, perhaps, the foremost ship
ping point tributary to Southern
California's commerce, progress anG
wealth. ]. w. V.
Los Angeles, March 18th.