The herald., 1894-06-21
Los ANGELES HARBOR QUESTION,
Arguments Before the Senate
Committee.
Santa Monica's Superior Advantages
Ably Advocated.
Some Heavy Log-Roliing in the Inter
eats of san Pedro-Congrsssman
Cannon Chips In = Gibbon
and Patton Talk.
By the Associated Press.


San Francisco. June 20.-The Exam
iner's Washington correspondent sends
the following report of yesterdays bear
ing in the Los Angeles hsrbor matter:
Nearly all the day was occupied by
the senate commerce committee listen
ing to arguments for and against the
construction of deep water harbor at
Santa Monica. Cal. G. L. Corthell, an
engineer in the employ of the Southern
Pacific Railroad company, and ct pres
emit engaged in the construction of q
railroad bridge at New Orleans. made
the principal argument in favor of an
appropriation for building breskwater
at that point. He stated that he had
been requested by Mr.. Huntington and
by Senator Frye, late chairman OF the
senate commerce COMMITTEES, to make
thorough investigation of both Santa
Monica and San Pedro harbers, ana to
report the result of these examinations
to congress. After this examination he
became convinced that is was impracti-
cable to ever make good harbor at San
Pedro, because the anchorage was bad,
even if a breakwater could be built to
protect the harbor. Constant dredging
would be required to keep the anchor
age ground free from accommodating sand
which the northern currents would carry
in.
Representative Cannon denied this
statement, declaring that he never
knew of a case of drowning at San
Pedro in which the body did not drift
away to the southwark.
Corthell then advanced many argu-
ments in favor of Santa Monica, declar-
ing that vessels had been unloading coal
at that place during storms which had
wrecked ships at San Pedro.
Major Raymond of the United States
engineers, who was a member of the
board that in 1892 recommended San
Pedro in preference to Santa Monica,
went into detailed statement OF the
work of the board. He said they adver-
tsed to take the testimony OF business
men and seamen at Los Angeles upon
the various questions involved, made a
thorough examination OF maps OF the
coast and geodetic survey and the
soundiDgs of government engineers and
com bined all these and made their re-
port in favor of San Pedro.
He was asked if he believed good
| harbor could be bnilt ST Santa Monica,
and un hesitatingly answered that it
could not, and ne would never advise
| the government to spend money there.
He said that good harbor could be
constructed at San Pedro, because 1t was
sheltered and protected by Catalina
island.
George 6. Patton, representing the
! Los Angeles chamber of commerce,
/ l.I cka kar of tho
| sons why in his opinion the Southern
Pacific wished the harbor constructed
at Santa Monica in preference to San
Pedro. He produced map showing
that the water front along the proposed
+ santa Monica harbor and for miles on
zach aide of it was owned by the rail
road people. According to the hydro
! graphic survey the character OF wharf
reouired at Santa Monica would cost
I 81 GOO, OOO and each additional wharf
would cost that amount, while the
wharves at San Pedro could be run Oh
the face of the breakwater.
Senator Jones of Nevada, who ownt
! $4,000 acres opposite the harbor o.
Santa Monica, and who Is a member o
the commerce committee, took an active
psrt in the cross examination OF the
witnesses who appeared against Santf
Monica.
C.. P. Huntington submitted an argu-
ment and was asked If he did not OWL
one railroad already completed from
San Francisco to Los Angeles, and an
other that wac nearly completed. H'
stated that he did.
He was then asked whether he cared
very much about harbor at all, but hi
did not answer the question.
L. @. Kerens, who represents the Lo
Angeles Terminal road, made q shor
but vigorous speech against Santa Mon
lea and in favor OF San Pedro. Tn
southern Pacific road offered to hsu
rock 70 miles distant from Santa Monte
for the construction of breakwate
there, and Kerens, speaking for tn
Les Angeles Terminal company, offere
to haul as good granite q miles to Sa
Pedro for the same rate per mile.
Il. E. Giobon, attorney tor the Lo
Angeles Terminal, refuted many OF tn
statements made by the Southern Ps
cifc and explained how his road ha
secured an entrance to San Pedro, an
why, in his opinion. the Southern Pacifi
had abandoned that port.