The herald., 1894-09-30

and from Its depths rise the groups o
islands that almost cover the coast
Catalina and San Clemente on the
south, with still another submerged isl-
and, on which there ia only 10 feet o.
water, and northward and westward o
Santa Monica the Santa Barbara group
which has an important influence upon
the conditions at Port Los Angeles.
STORM CONDITIONS AT SANTA MONICA.
The winds through the summer months
are light, and the sea within the ares
bounded by these islands is quite smooth
the weather is usually calm. From No
vember to April there are occasionally
seas from on-shore winds those from the
northeast and the northwest are usually
sudden and strong, but those harbors
lying under points of land are protected
and the sea ie not esriously disturbed. Ii
came under my observation, fortunately,
while making these examinations, to
witness the effect of r violent wind from
NNW., which prevailed for several days
while L was at Port Los Angeles (Sanra
Monica). At the pier of the Southern
Pacific company, which extends nearly q
mile into the ocean, the coal steamer from
Puget sound continued at work during
the storm, discharging from batchways
into cars without any Inconvenience.
During the came gale three -masted
schooner OF 365 tons was blown ashore
at Redoudo. which, with a mn W. wind,
is on the lee shore of this indentstion Of
the coast. At this writing the schooner is
still high and dry on the beach; pho.
tograph, showing her position, accompa-
MES this statement. The steamer of the
Pacific Coast Steamship company was
unable to land at Redondo wharf, but
had no trou BILE in transferring its freight
and passengers at Port Los Angeles.
mention this, as it is asserted publicly
that the steamer could not land at Port
| Los Angeles.
The direction OF the winds during the
| heavy winter storms is from the south
esst, blowing straight up the coast into
San Pedro bay, but it is cut off from
santa Monica bay by the high points Of
land extending into the ocean at Point
/ Firmin and Point Vicente. Redondo
| is also protected from this wind. The
etorms then usually swing around 80 as
to come from the south and southwest,
when all the harbors are exposed except
so far as the outlying islands modify the
swell.
ONE ADVANTAGE OF SANTA MONICA BAY
Is in the depth of the indentstion OF the
coast line. A straight line drawn be.
tween Point Dune and Point Vicente
is IL miles out at ses from the shore line
at Santa Monica, while at San Pedro the
depth between protection points is about
ak milee, and the mouth OF the Little
River at Wilmington is about one and
half miles from this line of exposure.
In considering the question of area to
be protected by breakwater of a given
length, q peculiar nautical condition
should be considered. 1t is evident from
the testimony of those we'll informed
that the heavy ocean swells and, no
doubt, the strong storm winds at sea,
start and come from the southwest, but
the wind, being more easily changed
than the ground swell of the deep ocean,
is DETECTED on approaching the land by
the high mountains of the coast range
and comes up the coast from a southeast
direction. AS general rule. the ocean
ewell ia parallel to the general coast line
when it reaches the coast. its direction
being modified somewhat by the curves
Of the local formations and indentations.
Dr".eHrnN or THE OCEAN SWELL.
This condition axiata nnt nnlu IN 49,
vicinity, but along somewhat similar
formation of coast in the Pacific ocean at
the Mexican isthmus. This has been
ascertained by careful observations made
by myself and my aasistante. The direc-
ton OF the wind there, and | think as
we'll here, has little to do with the direc-
ton of the swell. On the isthmus the
swell often comes in at right angles to
the direction OF the wind, and at times
even straight against it. This fact is so
we'll known there, and the principle 30
fully established, that | designed the
breakwatsr at Salina Cruz accordingly,
and determined the line OF the protee-
tion and the protected area accord.
ingly.
AN IMPORTANT SHORE CURRENT.
Another natural condition OF imports
ance, we'll established by years of obser-
vation by the best authorities, ia that
along this entire coast, from San Diego
TO Alaska, there is we'll defined and
persistent littoral (shore) current NOV
| ing northward, only stopped and turned
backward at intervals by contrary,
opposing winds. This current ia from
one to three miles per hour. and some
times stronger, under the influence of
persistent southerly winds. and is evil
IDENTIFY an eddy current OF the great
japan current. which in ocean depths
moves southerly along and at q distance
from this coast. l am told by reliable
authority that driftwood from redwood
sawmills and from rivers coming from a
redwood country is found on the coast
of Washington, British America and
Alaska, where it does not grow, showing
that it came from more southern coasts
also, that buoys and other drifting ma
terial always 60 north. The sands and
other debris wsehed from the bluffs by
rains and by the waves anywhere along
the coast of Southern California are
moved northward by these sea currents.
No better or more marked illustration
OF this fact can be found than at San
Pedro. The waves here come into the
very foot of vertical clay bluff, with
loose rock about 60 feet high, everything
rock. The waves wash down this bluff
by undermining it, and all but the rocky
part of tho material is carried off by
currents around Point Firmin to the
northward.
ASA FURTHER ILLU STRATIoN
OF the presence and effects of this cur.
rent, attention is called to the entrance
channels OF San Diego and San Fran
cisco. The sands moving northward by
this ocean current would in each case
close the entrance channels completely
in very short time were it not for G
tidal current which with great velocity
rushes out to sea through the bay open.
inps forcing its wav throuph these