Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-12
THURSDAY, SEPT. 1e, 1859.

w!n Be promptly filled ct moderate rates.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 12, 1859.
Deep water Harbor ON the Gulf.
We have heretofore adverted to the
great Interstate movement now going on
in the inland States west of the Missis-
sippi to induce the Government to make
sufficient appropriations to create deep
water harbor on the Gulf of Mexico.
Whilst the particular point to be selected
has been left undetermined by the con-
ventions that have discussed this SUBJ
ject, there seems to be concensus of
opinion that Galveston offers the best
natural advantages for the proposed har-
Dor. 1t has now twelve feet depth of
water at it's outer entrance, and
could be made as deep as might be re-
quired for less money than it would cost
to create new harbor at other points.
Be that as it may. The great interior
cis- Mississippi States are determined
that the Government shall provide them
with harbor on the Gulf, 80 as to give
them short ocean outlet for their vast
productions. The surplus of breadstuffs
and meats produced in 1888 by the States
demanding this outlet amounted to 24,-
935, 1856 tons. This surplus is mainly
shipped to Europe, and the difference in
cost of freight to the Western farmer,
who has now to send it via
New York, would be 1921, $3.50. 946.
If good deep sea harbor
can be created on the Gulf at a cost of
10000, 900, as is claimed, it requires no
other argument than is shown by these
figures to justify the immediate under
taking of the work by the Government.
The Western States are in earnest on
this subject. They have met several
times in convention and fully taken the
matter into consideration in all its bear
ings, and the power they will be enabled
to WELD in Congress hereafter will assure
the appropriation before long.
No part of the country west of the Mis-
sissippi would be more greatly benefited
by the success of this great project than
California, and especially would this
section of the State be advantaged by it.
The distance from Los Angeles to New
York, as freight now travels, is 3,O4O
miles; whilst the distance to the Gulf
from here is only l ,165 miles. Here is a
saving of land freightage on all products
shipped to Europe from Los Angeles OF
1875 miles. The cost of transportation
by rail averages three-quarters of cent
per ton per mile, therefore by saving
1875 miles of rail.haul on freight
shipped from here to Europe,
We would save $14O6 per ton against the
cost of the long haul to New York. 1t
will not be long before we shall make
very heavy shipments of our wines,
dried grapes, raisins and other products
to Europe. A deep-sea harbor at the
Gulf would therefore be of infinite sd-
vantage to us, and enable us to compete
with our productions in foreign markets
with those of other countries, whereas
at present, on account of the high cost
OF transportation, we are precluded from
doing 80.
But great as would be the advantage
to our producers of this short haul, a
deep harbor on the Gulf would be of.in-
conceivable value to the City of Los An
geles in commercial sense. 1t would
place our city Immediately at the gate
way of the Oriental European trade.
The traffic between China and other
Eastern points to Europe would come by
the short route. 1t would come to this
city and thence to the Gulf harbor, in
stead of going to San Francisco to be
handicapped with the cost of 500 miles
more of transportation than from this
point.
Whilst the great Western inland
States are urging upon Congress for
deep water harbor on the Gulf, we
should throw all our energies into the
work OF securing a sufficient appropria-
ton to perfect our deep-w harbor at
San Pedro.
This is the age of rapid transit all over
The world. The shorter routes between
given points are the ones that will carry
Dit the traffic. And there is no doubt
that with deep-water harbor in the
Gulf shortening the land distance l 1875
miles from the Orient to Europe, the
[sthmus of Suez would be abandoned by
he tea ships, and the line of traffic trans.
erred to the short railroad route that is
n operation between this city and the
nearest point on the Atlantic side.