The herald., 1894-01-01

brown stone and brick, with granite
fnishings. The city hall, on South
Broadway, is an elegant three-story
building in brown stone, pressed brick
and terra Gotta, with marble finishings.
The United States has small but cred
liable building on South Main street.
The business blocks are mostly sub
etantial structures built of stone and
brick, many being four, five and six
stories in height. The number OF new
ones being erected is very encouraging.
Many OF tho public school buildings.
especially the high school, are fine
buildings. The cathedral Of Sancta vi
biana and Simpson M. E. tabernacle,
are among the numerous elegant
churches.
Los Angeles city is the commercial
center OF the South Pacific coast OF the
United States. Here converge the topo-
graphical lines of the great basin lying
between the Rocky mountains and the
Sierra Nevada, and, therefore, here is
the natural outlet to the sea-and the
world-of all the trade of this great Sec
ton.
This great Rocky mountain basin
slopes gradually to the south towards the
gulf of California. The Colorado river,
draining the western slopes of the
Rockies, bowls along the lowest levels of
this basin to the gull. Long before tnis
basin reaches the gulf its western edge
ia trimmed with the Sierra Madre.
Through these mountains several passes.
as Cajon, Morongo and San Gorgonio,
afford easy access down to the crescent
shaped plain of Southern California.
which lies between Point Conception
and Point Iona; hence it is easy to un-
derstand how the grades of this basin
slope gently to the southwest from Salt
Lake to Los Angeles, and why the lines
of trade and commerce will eventually
come this way, as nature has designed
they should.
Before the days of railroads Los Ange-
les had thriving trade with Salt Lake,
and even as far north as Helena, Mont.
The freight was all hauled in "prairie
schoonert." Those were the days when
those pioneers in ransportation-Ban-
ming and Nadeau-laid the foundations
of their fortunes. 1t never can be, from
the natural confguration of the coun-
try, as cheap to haul freight and pas
sengers from Salt Lake to San Francisco
as from Salt Lake to Los Angeles. Over
the former route an immense range of
mountaine-the Sierra Nevada--haa to
be climbed at an elevation OF over 1000
feet. Over the latter route it is an easy
grade ali the way down the slope of the
Rocky Mountain basin to Los Angeles.
There are no high mountains to cross,
but natural descent all the way.
Railroad companies already appreci-
ate the fact, and are seeking to close the
gap between Los Angeles and Salt Lake.
The latter place is the terminal of three
eastern lines. With line to Los An
geles the latter will practically be the
terminus OF three transcontinental
lines. At present she has two outlets
to the eastern world through the Gem
tral and Southern Pacific, and third
over the Santa Fe route.
Los Angeles ia situated IL miles from
the Pacific ocean on the west, and "a
miles from the came body of water on
the south. In Santa Monica bay, on
the west, are three places-Re edondo, La
Bailona and Santa Monica-where ships
can load and unload nearly every day
in the year. In the Inner harbor" st
San Pedro bay ships of average draft
can load and unload every day in the
year. The improvements of this harbor,
which are being carried on from year to
year by congressional appropriations,
will soon enable deepwater ships to
enter.
In fact, the ports of Los Angeles,
whether in Santa Monica. Redondo or
San Pedro bays, are 500 miles nearer q
railroad connection with the waters Of
the Atlantic at Galveston than any
other point farther north.
With Mexico, Central and South
America. Australia, Polynesia, India
and China at its very doors, Los Angeles
at once becomes the highway OF COM
merce. either in its eastward or weat-
ward flow.
Through its gates will be carried the
silks and teas of China and Japan, the
sugar of Hawaii, the wool and coal of
Australia, the ores of South America
and the spices and woods of Central
America. In return will come the ma
chinery and manufactured products of
the eant. Los Angeles holds the key
to the commercial supremacy of the
southwest.
No less brilliant is her manufacturing
outlook. The possibilities in this direc-
tion have never been sufficiently or
thoroughly understood. AS population
increases and home consumption grows,
the number, variety and output OF home
factories have not kept pace with the
demand. The great reason for this mas
been the lack of cheap fuel. The de-
velopment of local petroleum fields has
largely reduced this objection. Los
Angeles county has an inexhaustibls
supply OF this fuel. which can be laid
down at the furnace doors in the city as
cheap as the cheapest anywhere else,
and when the Nevada Southern railway
is completed will have an illimitable
supply of cheap coal.
The successful application of crude
petroleum to the smelter at the Temee-
cal tin mines is hint OF the possible
development in that line. Los Angeles
is Che center of great mining region.
Gold, silver, lead, copper, antimony and
iron are produced within the borders of
Southern California. In fact, the min
ing region tributary to Los Angeles is q
very large one and the developments
during the past year have been very
large.
The esrths, such as kaolin and clay,
much of the latter with high percent
ages OF aluminium, euggeat the manu-
factures possible in those lines. Indeed,
tha pioneer works have already been
established.
For the fruits there is 8 fair tsnt in