Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-13
WE OUGHT TO HELP THB ST. LOUIS
CAPITALISTS.

That Los Angeles is benefiting by the
efforts of powerful friends the following,
which we find in the st. Louis Chron-
icle, amply proves. 1t appears under
the appropriate head of "St. Louis
Energy"
A telegram in a morning paper stat
ing that Col. R. G. Kerens is in Wash
ington endeavoring to get an appropria-
tion for the deepening of the harbor at
Los Angeles, Cal, to the benefit of
property in which he is interested,
serves to call attention to the fact that
the grandest scheme of development of
resources and transportation facilities
on the Pacific slope is in the hands of
st. Louis capitalists under the name of
The company has its Office in this city,
of Geo. w. Parker, president; Geo. B.
Leighton, vice president; G. ii. Smith,
secretary, and Geo. E. Leighton, S. w.
Fordyce, Geo. w. Parker of the Cairo
Short Line, Geo. H. Goddard, Chas. H.
Bailey, S. M. Dodd, John T. Davis, Dan
Catlin, Isaac Morton, J. G. Van Blar-
com. Thos. H. West, Chas. Green, D. R.
Francis, E. F. Leonard, B. F. Hobart
and r. G. Kerens. Mr.. Hobart said to
q Chronicle reporter today: Govern
ment engineers long ago declared that
Los Angeles could be made the
only harbor between San Francisco
and San Diego, for sea-going vessels.
st. Louis capital was directed toward
Los Angeles, and the company formed
for the purpose secured the right OF way
for over 100 miles of terminal railways,
fifty of which are now finished,
purchased four and one-half miles of
Bea-beach, and last of all the island OF
Santa Catalina, $500 acres in extent,
which is in the center of the harbor. At
this time there was but one foot of aUater
IN the harbor at loW tide. The govern.
ment has, by dredging, increased this
to sixteen feet. To receive sea-going
vessels twenty-six feet of water is re-
quired, and it is the necessary appro-
priation to accomplish this result that
Southern California is asking for. The
California improvement company has
already constructed splendid system Of
docks on the island, and this, with the
construction of the railroad, represents
an actual outlay to date of 81 800, 900.
Not bond has been issued, and so con-
the future of Los Angeles, that another
l
for. Mr.. Kerens is in Washington aiding
the representatives of California, in ex-
planning the necessity of an improve
ment that has been unanimously recon-
mended by the government board of
engineers.
The substance of the foregoing is true,
although there are few trihing inaccu-
Iacies in it. All the railway building
spoken of has been accomplished, al
though the island improved is Rattle
snake island and not Santa Catalina.
The latter has passed into the hands OF
the Banning Brothers. 1t is pleasant
thing to know that Col. R. G. Kerens is
devoting his energies to obtaining an
appropriation for the improvement of
our harbor. That gentleman has great
deal of influence in Washington, and
can undoubtedly do much to further
that end. 1t would be an excellent
idea, by the way, if our chamber of
commerce and other leading business
men would cooperate in this good work.
These powerful st. Louis capitalists have
a most praiseworthy design of advanc-
ing developments hereabouts, and our
own people should turn in with vim and
help them out. Senator FELTON, sug-
gested, some time ago, that it would not
be bad idea to send on special COM
mittee OF Augeleflos to work for liberal
appropriations. That such a body could
be very useful cannot be doubted. In
othe old days when anything had to be
done at Washington we had General
Banning to fall back upon. He was the
equivalent of at least three ordinary
men. A Los Angeles committee under
the leadership OF Col. Dick Kerens could
do wonders,