Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-06
LOOKING FOR A HARBOR SITE,
Arrival of the Commission of
Federal Engineers.
Chairman Colonel Craighill Outlines
His Plan of Action.
The Engineers to Attend Public Meet
ing on Thursday-A Talk With
Colonel Oraighill-Practical
Work to Be Done.

The five officers OF tie engineer corps
of the United States army have been
appointed by the secretary OF war as a
special commission to report on the best
location for harhor for Los Angeles,
arrived here at noon yesterday from
San Francisco.
The party consists of Col. William
P. Craighill, who is the senior officer Of
the party and who is stationed at Balti-
more; Lieut.-Col. Henry M. Robert,
stationed at Nashville; Liet.-C Col. Peter
G. Haina, stationed at Portland, Me. (;
Msj. Charles w. Raymond, stationed at
Philadelphia, and Major Thomas w.
Hanbury, stationed at Portland, Ore.
These gentlemen were met at the
Southern Pacific depot by Lieutenant
Colonel Corbin and Captain Ainsworth
of the Redondo Beach railway, and left
on special train over that road for Re-
dondo shortly after l o'clock. They
took up quarters in the Redondo hotel,
and were received by General McCook,
who proceeded to show them the points
of interest. The two majors of the
party were somewhat i'll from their
trip, but the colonels were on deck and
ready for business.
A HERALD reporter had talk with
Colonel Craighill, who, by virtue of
seniority, is the chairman of the board.
"We will be ready to begin operations
tomorrow morning early" said that
gentleman, "as we appreciate the i'm
portance OF getting through with the
work as speedily as possible. In accord
ance with the law recently passed, and
the instructions of the secretary OF war,
we are directed to ascertain the most
eligible location for a harbor for Los
Angeles, together with the depth, width
and capacity for the largest ocean ves-
sels, for commercial and naval necessi-
ties, and make an estimate of the cost
of the same, and we are directed to
make our report before November,
1892.
"We will remain here for one week,
and will make Redondo our hesdquar-
ters. We will attend public meeting
on Thursday morning at 10 O'Clock at
the rooms of the chamber of commerce,
and We are anxious to meet there all
citizens of Southern California who have
any information to impart or sugges-
tions to make with reference to q bar
Dor for the city of Los Angeles. You
zee we are strangers here, and we want
to acquire all possible information on
the subject of the harbor. We arrived
| in San Francisco on the I'd instant, and
spent come time there in examining
maps and records.
Tomorrow morning we will charter q
steam tug and spend two days in max
| ing thorough examination of Santa
Monica and San Pedro bays. We will
take soundings at different points and
acquire all available information with
regard to the geographical contour of
the coast, depth Of water and character
of the bottom of the sea along this
coast, and will act without regard to the
location of any particular coast towns,
but Sim ply report in accordance with
the directions of the secretary Of war as
to the best location for harbor within
the lines laid down by law. We will
also make trip to Catalina island
for the purpose of making an
examination of the quarries there, and
the availability for shipment of the
stone which may be used in the con-
structfon of the breakwater of the pro-
posed harbor. We will spent one day
in examining San Pedro bay and one
day on the Santa Monica bay, prior to
the public meeting on Thursday, and
will then continue our investigations
subject to the information and sugges-
tions presented at the meeting, together
with our own deductions from the gen.
eral observations above outlined. We
realize that the people of Southern Cali
fornia are deeply interested in the har-
Dor, aud that there are immense inter-
eets involved, and will report the facts
just as we find them, strictly in line
with our instructions under the law"
A committee of the chamber of COM
merce, consisting of M. L. Graf, Kaspare
Kohn and s. w. Luitweiler, had a con-
ference with the members of the COM
mission, and, as a result, Thursday
morning at 10 O'Clock was set for the
time for the public meeting to be held
at Los Angeles, at the chamber of COM
merce, when testimony will be heard
from interested parties with regard to
the comparative merits of the different
coast pointe. The room at the cham Der
of commerce which it is proposed to use
has seating capacity of about two hun.
dred, and if it is found that larger
number than that desire to be present at
the meeting, an adjournment will be
taken to some other place.
Colonel Craighill, the senior member
of the board, stated that it was not go
much the desire of the committee to
hear generalizations about the commerce
OF the various places and their compare
i've merits on other points as it was to
learn from ship captains and others who
had technical knowledge, what sort of
holding ground the various ports pre-.
sented, the conditions of the winds and
tides, and other questions of that sort.