The herald., 1894-05-30
SAN DIEGO'S LITTLE BOOMLET,
More About the Russian Steam
ship Line.
How the Santa Fe People Have Been
Awakened.
Report OF Civil Engineer in Charge of
tho Harbor-Other Interest
Ing San Diego
Gossip.
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
SAN DIEGO. May 29.--There ia no
doubt that the Santa Fe Railroad COM
tablish steamship line between this
port and Vladivostock. This 10 substan-
italy proven by information gained 30
day from Gen. Thomas 8. Sedgwick, the
civil engineer. He informed an ASCOT
ated Press reporter that last August he
received letter from a gentleman con-
nected with the Santa Fe company ask
ing tor technical and complete informs-
ton concerning San Die go harbor. As
General Sedgwick was at that time, and
is yet, the harbor engineer, he was emf
nently fitted to give the desired in
formation. His report was full and sx-
hadstive. Incidentally, the representa-
tive of the company requested General
Sedgwick to keep the matter q secret,
and the request was complied with until
today. when the publicity that has been
given the proposed steamship line
through interviews with Count Teleky
convinced him that the long confidence
reposed in him would not be violated by
imparting the information he possessed
on the subject.
General Sedgwich states that coinci-
dent with the request for information
about the harbor he received letter
from an engineer connected with the
land department of the Santa Fe, who
was formerly in the generals employ,
giving further information touching up
on the company's desire to obtain facts
concerning the harbor. This friend
wrote that he had learned certain facts
which greatly concerned San Diego.
This was nothing more nor less than
that representatives of the Santa Fe
company. the Standard Oil company,
and the Russian Oil company had just
held a conference in Chicago with Ivan
Gavetsky, representing the Amoor Nav
igation company of VladivosJock, for
the purpose of organizing a steamship
line between that Russian port and San
Diego. That was about the extent of
the information given in the letter, but
it is enough, in the light of facts
subsequently developed. to give solid
foundation to all that Count Teleky has
said. 1t is q well known fact that the
Standard Oil company not great while
ago formed combination with the Rus
sian Oil company for the purpose OF con-
trolling the worlds supply of petroleum.
1t is probable that it is the plan of the
two great companies to have the west
ern part of the United States supplied
from the Russian wells, an undertaking
that would in reality be more economi-
cal than the present method of trans
porting oil across tho continent from
Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The Amoor Navigation company,
owned by Sibiriakow, who also is the
principal owner of the Siberian Trans
continental railroad, at present handles
the greater portien of the oil output in
that country, IS we'll as all other COM
merce with Siberian ports. and the de-
termination of the oil combine to estab-
lish line to American, has evidently
caused the Santa Fe stockholders to
take advantage of the situation of affairs
and endeavor to secure the tremendous
traffic which would naturally follow the
establishment of such line of steamers.
That they were successful in establishing
the superior claims of San Diego harbor
to the projectors as terminal point in
America, is practically proven by the
report which Gavetsky made to Sibiria-
kow and the Russian government.
OTHER NEWS ITEMS.
San Diego county Republicans met in
convention at Louis opera house yester-
day to select delegations to the state and
congressional conventions. The dele
gates chosen were instructed to support
w. W. Bowers for congress and Judge
g. -