Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-22
NOT FAR OUT OF THE WAY.
Capt. w. L. Merry's Opinion on
the Location Of This City,
As Commercial Metropolis on High
way Around the World.
The Circle Route Between Japan and the
United States, as a Proof That the
Longest Way Around Is the
Shortest Way Home.

quietly in his room in the Hoilenbeck
house, when seen yesterday by HER
AID reportes. With him was his fdus
Achates, Mr.. Pinkstone. He raised his
eyes pleasantly as the reporter came in,
and motioned him to big easy chair.
Captain, You look tired" said the
man of the pencil.
81 am, but not tco much so to talk to
you," he answered; "the fact is. that
Mr.. Pinkstone and myself have been
walking all over Los Angeles today and
seeing all the sights. commercially
speaking. Your public buildings and
your private business buildings are very
elegant"
eyes, they are very costly, but they
are good advertisement" said the re-
porter.
''You people have lost nothing by
building them as they are. looked
through your city hall today, and spent
very pleasant half hour with Mayor
Hazard. 1t has finished look through
out, while ours has cost over So 100000
and does not look half finished yet.
These handsome public buildings would
look very much out of place if your
business thoroughfares were Uttered up
with lot of old, tumble-down rookeries.
The contrast would be very unpleasant
one. But your stores and bank build
ings have look of Sydney and Mel
bourne about them-solid, and with the
air of place that has come to stay.
This betokens confidence on the part of
your capitalists, and induces visitors
from the eastern states to locate among
you.
Captain, what do you think of our
future as commercial city? Now,
granting that it has an unparalleled
rich country behind it in all directions,
it is still IL miles from the sea ?"
THAT does not enter into the consid-
Grafton at all, sir" replied Captain
Merry. "Refect moment on the prin-
,cipal European cities and you will find
that Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Frank
fort are all inland cities; and the latter
is, for its population, the greatest
money market in the world. Even grant
ing its disparity with London, it has
dictated terms to it on dozen occa-
sions. All these cities are located
further inland than Los Angeles, and
none of them have ss fine climate as
yours. Try and be grateful for what
you have already got, and the rest will
come in due time"
"But granting that your Mica
ragua canal should be completed
tomorrow. are we not a trihe off
the great highway of Oriental COM
merce? Does not San Francisco enjoy a
geographical position in that respect
which our city cannot hope to reach 2"
mo, sir, she has few advantages over
your city that are worth boasting about.
First, take the trade with Australia, as
it is at present conducted by way of the
Samoan islands and Honolulu, you are
40 hours nearer to those points with the
present lines of small steamers. Should
the trade ever employ vessels like the
the difference would even then be about
80 hours in your favor"
swell, that is something; but as re-
CARDS China, you ran as an officer many
years in that trade, and know pretty
nearly what is worth knowing. 1 know
that no steamer attempts to cross the
Pacific by the southern route, from Yo-
kohama to San Francisco, but takes
circuitous route northward. Now, is
that not against us ~
4NOC DO AAuOh 90 w Aliie AhuSAhO,
replied the captain, sententiously. "Of
couls &c, you know that the Chinese have
practically captured the Sandwich
islands, through the laziness of the ma.
tive population. This has led mp to
some trade between these islands and
China. As consequence, some of the
Pacific Mails feet call at Honolulu
on the homeward run, so that percent
age is in your favor, as I said before.
Now, taking the great circle route to
which you have alluded-thls map gives
the course, but hardly correct. 1t is a
course of the map makers, rather than
the navigators, for the real course makes
at least 180 miles more northing than
that red lire indicates. Now, then, ap-
preaching the American shore, the Chi
nese steamship holds direct course
down the coast, hoping to sight the Far
alone islands, 80 miles off San Fran
cisco, as her first land.
What is the object of this apparent
detour northward? Because it is the
shortest route for navigation, and to
catch the current known as the Kuro
Seiva, or Japanese gulf stream, which
flows out of the Yellow sea of our boy
hoods days at school; or, as it is known
now, the Inland sea of China. This cur
rent is constantly sweeping northward
past the Fox islands, where it takes a
sweep southwark and follows down a
parallel line to the coasts of Alaska,
British Columbia and Washington.
This current is great aid to vessel.
"But San Francisco is further north
than we. and by actual steaming must
have as much advantage over us on a
China voyage as we have over her on a
voyage hlther from Australia"
mot necessarily" replied Captain
Merry, "for there will be g. point-a
place where the roads fork, as the Mis-
sourians would say; and from that point
of separation, the difference is one of
less than four hours steaming a first
class vessel.'
"Now into what shape does the prop
osition resolve itself?' asked the HER
AID man.
Every much like this. The China
trade is one where you have, as between
Yokohama and San Francisco, an aver
age of 15 days of constant steaming,
without a coaling station on the route.
1t has been made in 1917 days, but the
average is over 15 days. Now, il a
steamer has to clear at Yokohama for
New York, after the canal is completed,
she must coal somewhere on the road,
for the voyage from San Francisco to
tha vast and of the canal Hancp n