Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-16
SAN PEDRO HARBOR.
Representative COnger OF
Iowa Visits 1t.
ACCOMPANIED BY A LARGE PARTY
A Chamber of Commerce Committee
The Visit to the G. A. R. Camp
Mr.. COnger's Views.

a large party Cl piouihoA' NAeANon9 VI
Los Angeles and Pasadena went down
TO San Pedro yesterday for the purpose
of accompanying Representative Edwin
FL. Conger on his visit of informal in
spection to the proposed hsrbor improve
ment. Mr.. Conger is an active and in
fiuential member of the Lower House,
and has represented his district in Iowa
continuously for several terms. He has
been visiting for the past week with his
brother, the Rev. E. L. Conger, of Pasa-
depa, and when he expressed wish to
visit San Pedro, President W. N. Mas
tiers, of the Pasadena Chamber of Com
merce, sent word in to the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce, in order that he
might be suitably entertained.
The party went down on the 8: 40
train of the Southern Pacific yesterday
morning, and they were about twenty in
number. Besides Representative Van
deyer, who came down to accompany his
colleague on the trip, there were Rev.
E. L. Conger, of Pasadena, and John
Conger, of Fresno; Colonel J. Banbury,
o. Caswell, W. Fl. Vail, II. M. Conger,
DIR, o. II. Conger and Willis N. Masters,
of Pasadena; 7. A. Lewis, M. R. Hig-
gins, Fred Eaton, Captain Seamans,
Louis Blan kenhorn, Major Donnell, Cap
tain Barrett, General Briefly, Hervey
Lindley, Senator McComas and Judge
Mckinley.
At San Pedro the party boarded a
large bus and was driven to the G.. A. R.
Encampment grounds, which both the
Congressmen were desirous of visiting,
both being Grand Army men. They
then drove out to Point Fermin, where
they were met by Captain Shaw, tie
keeper of the lighthouse, and with the
aid of maps and tabulated statistics
shown in an admirable manner both the
need of the proposed improvements and
the convenient method by which they
could be accomplished. During his resi-
dence on the point Captain Shaw has
been visited by number of Senators
and Congressional parties, and has be-
come quite an expert in the business of
explaining the situation.
The company drove back to hotel in
the city, where a fish dinner had been
ordered for them by the Frank Bartlett
Post. After dinner some of the party
rowed over to the bath.house and went
in for q swim, but the two Representa-
tives went back to the G. A. r. camp.
A large number of people gathered in the
pavilion, the news that there were dis
<inguished visitors in camp having
sprssd, and the Congressman were called
upon for speeches. General Vandever
made a few remarks eulogistic of the
organization whos,s members he was ad
dressing, and Mr.. Ccngef made a very
felicitous speech, which vas received
with hearty applause.
The O'Clock train brought the com
pany back to this city. In spite of the
fact that the weather had been unusually
hot, it was generally conceded that the
day had been pleasantly passed by all.
Within the limits of reasonable con-
servatism, Mr. Conger expressed himself
rs warmly in favor of the improvement
of San Pedro hsrbor.
''It is largely question OF figures"
said he, "and the figures are not 30 much
those Of the cost u the improvement as
of the results to follow from carrying it
out. If you can show, as l believe you
can, that the produce of the back coun-
try and the need for imports OF your
cities demand such an assistant to trans,
portation as this improved harbor would
he. then am confident that the appro-
priation can be obtained. OF course it
must be admitted that if there were 3
harbor here it would stimulate both pro-
duction and consumption to such de-
gree that it is difficult to estimate be-
forehand Just what traffic would pass
through it; nevertheless, fairly good
estimate can be obtained from the ton
mage figures of the railroads and the
trade which already passes through the
harbor.
"What is needed more than anything
else to enable Congress to act intelli-
gently in the matter is that it's individual
members should see and know this coun-
try. They can then Judge whether such
a State as this, with all its advantages
and possibilities, is not entitled to more
than two harbors in its 900 miles of sea
board.
"You had visit here short time ag
from number of Senators. Shortl,
before left Iowa Senator Allison, VIII
was here with that party, returned to hi
home and took dinner with him. H
talked constantly of this State and of thu
remarkable progress which it has made
I imagine that all of the others who Wis
tied here were similarly impressed. One
hasty glance at country, even though
it be through the windows of car, il
better than any amount OF written infor
nation. These men will now have ar
idea of the possibilities of this country
and what can be accomplished by thu
improvements for which you ASK. The.
will talk with the others at Washington
and as the views of chance visitors to thu
State will be known to be free from bias
they will have great weight"
In summing up his views Mr.. CoDge
said that he believed Congress would il
the future be more fully awake to thu
claims of this State, having come to al
appreciation of the extraordinary ad
vance which it had accomplished in tn
last few years, and the result would b.
that it would come in for careful consid
Grafton at the hands of the various Con
gressional committees.
Representative Vandever said that al
though he had already pretty clear ide
of the harbor and proposed improve
ments, he wanted to take every oppor
tunity to go over the ground and thor
oughly familiarize himself with all tn
details, 80 that he could be ready t
tackle the River and Harbor Committe
next fall we'll loaded with facts.
Mr.. Conger has been spending som
time with his brother in the northern
part of the State, where he has an IN
terest in a raisin ranch near Fresno. ii