Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-19
stuDla MISUNDERSTANDING.


The world is very much the worse for
a great deal of ignorant writing. We
have a case in point which illustrates
this fact in very marked manner, and |
from an unexpected source. There lies
before us publication called Congress,
"a monthly journal devoted TO the arts
of civilization" according to its own ac-
count of itself. 1t is the March number,
and under the head wilmington" it
contains the following rubbish;
This is a village of Los Angeles county,
situated on the Pacific ocean about
twenty miles to the southwark of the
town of Los Angeles. Good, easy little
hamlet, it didn't even know it had a har-
Dor until some genius with real ''loaves
and fishes" eye suggested It's improve
ment. Temptation WAS too much Tor
Wilmington and 10 here she is with a
modest request for $2S, 900 as an annual
instalment of the $250,0 which, it is
claimed, will eventually be required
This little place has the vast popula-
tion of 942. The depth of water in its
soi dssant harbor reached the unfathomed
abyss Of one foot. But the tocsin was
sounded the henchmen flew to the res
cue, and depth of ten feet was dredged
out between the customary two jetties.
To be sure, it appears that the sand
dredged out inside has provokingly re-
turned and deposited itself just outside
the jetties; but that's a mere incident,
bless you Well take little quarter of a
million more and remove that sand and
the morning stars shall once more sing
| together and all the sons of improve
ment shall shout for Joy.
In the foregoing there is an entire ignor-
ing of the fact that Wilmington is the port
for city of eighty-five thousand people,
of county which probably contains one
hundred and sixty thousand souls, of a
region several times larger than the
whole OF New England, and that it is the
Pacific Coast end of the shortest line
across the continent from tide-water tC
tide-wster within the territory of the
United States. 1t would be too much tc
expect that this sham statistical journa
should have the most distant knowledge
of what it is talking about
Large steamers have pulled up agains
the wharf at San Pedro, discharging pas
seugers and freight, and the depth o
water on the bar at mean low tide il
about fourteen feet. The government
improvements under way there were re
commended by such engineers of thu
United States Army as the late Gen
Alexander and Colonel Mendell. Tht
progress of the work has been repeat
edly investigated by the most distin
guished public men in the United States
and they have in every case expressed
themselves as gratified at the grea
benefits to the commerce of the countr,
that have already accrued from thu
expenditures of the government money
Although the population of Wilmington
is not large, an enormous maritime bust
ness is done there, second, in fact, onl.
to that OF the port of San Francisco OIL
, the Pacific Coast. The managers of th
Southern Pacific Railway are so we'll sat
isfied with the special capacities of tn
, barbor for o great transcontinental busi
ness that they are preparing to spen'
several millions of dollars there on pie
and mole. Congress-" if it had an
desire to be fair, or to know what it i
talking about, might have learne'
these facts very easily. 1t preferred
however, to be fippant and ignorant
1t speaks of an application to Congress
for half a million dollars while, as
matter of fact, that body, at its last ses
sion, on the earnest recommendation o
Senators Stanford and Hearst and tn,
California delegation in the House o
Representatives, actually appropriated
half a million dollars to continue th,
good work already partially accom-
plished If the rest of this journals out
givings corresponds to its sehseless re
marks about Wilmington it is precious
boon to its subscribers.