The herald., 1894-09-30

assuring as to the time OF its opening
but it ia safe to say that the op e1ing oil
the Tehuantepec route within q few
months makes it necessary to prepare q
harbor in Southern California to take
advantage OF the commerce which will
pass over this route between Atlantic
and Gulf ports and our Pacific coast.
Again. one of the most important COM
mercial conditions and reasons relating
to harbor improvement in this vicinity
is also seen from the map and from the
development OF combined rail and water
routes.
have obtained from my study Of thi 6
question come important commercial
facts and some physical conditions also,
and give them to you following.
| COMMERCIAL FACTS AND PHYSICAL CON-
DIT1oNs.
The Southern Pacific railroad from
Los Angeles eastward. If its China and
other eastern business should be done
from some point near that city, would
save some 500 miles OF rail transporta-
tion and the necessity of going over a
1000 foot summit and grades of ll6 feet
to the mile. Rail transportation lie about
five times more expensive, as a general
rule. than ocean transportation, and
there would seem to be no reason why
the Sandwich Islands and China and
Japan should not send their business
destined for the Gulf and Atlantic sea-
boards through the port OF Los Angeles
rather than over the $40 miles of rail
from San Francisco, provided good
harbor existed at the former place, and
especially when we further consider
that the all-ral line eastward from
San Francisco must surmount a summit
of over 1000 feet and continuous grades
OF from 100 feet to ll6 feet per mile for
distance OF nearly 100 miles. East of
Los Angeles the grade to the tabls-land
is much more easy, and the entire dis
tance to New OrleanH can be, and is to
be, reduced to l per cent maximum,
so feet per mile.
THE SOUTHERN DRIFT OF COMMERCE.
wish to call your attention III this
connection to a most important COM
mercial fact bearing directly on the
question. The Southern Pacific railroad
and its steamship line, between San
Francisco and New York via New Or
leans. carries from 80 per cent to over 80
per cent of the entire transcon tinentRl
sesboard business; and has done 30 for
years. While the fact that it owns it's
own road the entire distance to New Or
leans is an important factor in bringing
about this result. the fact that it ie
half-water route is etill more important.
The great steamships OF the Morgan
company at New Orleans ply with clock
work regularity between that city and
New York and carry freight at much
less coat than by rail. and the time of
,a7
and often greater, bv the all-rail route.
Now, if we can move the Pacific ocean
terminal OF this road 500 miles nearer to
New Orleans it will certainly lead to still
greater economy in cost for all Pacific
ocean business.
EFFECT ON THE CAPE HORN ROUTE.
Again. good. safe harbor for deep
draft vessels will be taken advantage of
at once by heavy and Glow freights
which now 60 in sailing vessels around
Cape Horn, and in steamers via straits
of Magellan. The distribution of this
business into the interior from Los An
geles would be OF great advantage not
only to the people there, but to those
who ship the goods all along the Allan
tic eeaboard.
l take it for granted that, when the
Tehusntepec route is opened, the busi-
ness from the Asiatc seabosrd to South
ern California will be largely done in
this way that is, by sail or steam from
New York. Philadelphia, New Orleans,
ETC., to the gulf terminal of the Teheu-
antepec railroad, 500 miles only from the
mouth OF the Mississippi, short trans
fer there by rail, and then up the coast
by sail or steam to our Pacific ports, and
from them distributed into the great in
terror by the railroads.
My long acquaintance with and study
OF these commercial changes, conditions
and prospects,, in connection with inter-
oceanic questions, impels me to dwell
somewhat at length upon what l know
to be important considerations vitality
affecting the general question OF making
q harbor somewhere along this coast.
IMPORTANT PRESENT CONDITIONS.
While the above conditions are in
measure prospective. there are impor
sideration. Although the railroads do
the greater part OF the coast business,
both freight and passenger, there is con-
siderable business done by water. par
ticularly by the regular line of the
Pacific Coast Steamship company. which
rune between San Francisco and San
Diego. This business is largely from the
north and mainly to and from the city
of Los Angeles or its vicinity. 1t fol-
lows as matter OF course that the
further north, and at the same time the
nearer by rail- the new port is to this
city, the greater the advantage is to
business and to the people generally.
While at Santa Monica. making ev-
aminations there and in the vicinity
the Corona, of the Pacific Coast Steam
ship company. came in with 3S passen-
gers and several carloads OF freight for
Los Angeles, which were transferred to
the cars and were in Los Angeles be-
fore the passengers and freight for that
point via the more southern porta OF
! Redondo and San Pedro had reached
these ports. This advantage in time.
and also in distance by rail, is so
great that it will not be long before all
of this business will be done via Por,
Los Angeles.
NEARNEss OF PORT LOS ANGELES.
The distance for sailing vessels via
Cape Horn would appear at first sight
to be shorter via San Pedro than via
Port Los Angeles, but a well known
nautical condition reverses this. These
veasels make o long northwest course
under favorable winds and then work
down with westerly winds until they
sight Point Conception, north OF Sante
Monica. (and north OF Santa Barbar,
channeD, passing this harbor to reach
san Pedro; and, further, between ths