The herald., 1894-04-06
SANTA MONICA'S POINT OF VIEW
The Secretary of the Board of
Trade Talks.
President Huntington Presents His
Views.
Plenty of Room for o.h-r Railroads.
The Wharf Open to Other
Companies Equal
Terms.


The harbor fight continues to be hotly
contested, and will culminate in the
election to be- held at the chamber OF
commerce tomorrow.
Santa Monica people feel that their
eide OF the case has been somewhat mis-
represented by their opponents, as the
following letter from the secretary of the
board of trade shows:
SANTA MONICA. April 5. 1894.
EDITORS HERALD The citizens OF
Santa Monica desire to make known to
their friends in Los Angeles that there
is no truth in the state ment made by the
advocates OF San Pedro that the south
ern Pacific company has monopoly OF
the water front at Santa Monica. The
deed OF Jones & Baker to the Southern
Pacific company, as can be attested by
the county recorder, Arthur Bray, con-
veyed to that company strip of land
for right of way along the foot OF the
bluff 90 feet in width and no more.
There is additional land above high
water mark ranging from 150 to 200 feet,
which is certainly wide enough for the
tracks of many ether roads ii they zee fit
to follow that line. In addition to that,
railroads can operate easily down the
Santa Monica cafion. the mouth OF which
ia a natural tunnel for any number OF
railroads which desire TO reach the pro-
tected waters of the harb0r of Santa
Monica.
In justice to Santa Monica we ask that
this erroneous impression be removed
through the aid Of your valuable journal.
J. j. GARLIC,
Sec'y Board OF Trade of Santa Monica.
MIR. HUNTINeToN's STATEMENT.
President Huntington yesterday sent
the following communication to Super
intendent ). A. Muir OF this city. 1t
gives q plain, auccinct statement of his
views:
Reports come to me of the efforts
being made by interested friends OF the
San Pedro hsrbor project to secure some
appropriation, however small, for the
inner harbor there, and incidentally it
is stated that am opposed to anything
being done for any other place in South
ern California except Port Los Angeles.
II hope my friends in Los Angeles will
not miHconstrne my position on this
question, as have tried to make it very
clear. NY contention in this matter is
not that the government could not we'll
sxpend reasonable amount of money
to protect the inner harbor OF San Pedro,
for, as q friend OF California, and, |
might suy, one of its citizens, would
rejoice over every dollar that was spent
to improve her coast facilities.
II do not need to repeat to you that
the Southern Pacific company'e aban-
donment OF San Pedro, after having
spent something over 100000 in inn
provements there, was based simply and
entirely upon the fact that it found in
if5Ae R8s qeis tAaHtR MQnica uths rIgAE nsAGf stfi
barkadero for your city. The site al
Port Los Angeles fulfilled the desired
conditions most completely. It's holding
ground was found by careful examina.
ton to be far superior to that AT San
Pedro. 1t was protected from the vio-
lence of the northwest wind by Point
Duma, and from the prevailing south
east winds by San Pedro point, and it
was the short rail line between San
| Francisco aud Los Angeles, which city
is. OF course, destined to be always the
great distributing center OF Southern
California and Arizona. The company
went there at a sacrifice, but certainly
in the interest of an ultimate benefit,
not only for itself, but for Southern Cal
| iforniR.
1t has built its great pier and made
other improvements at Port Los Angeles
at a cost of over q million OF dollars,
and, having done this, it has offered the
use OF it's Improvements to any other
railroad on the same terms on which
the Southern Pacific company itself
uses them.
had the honor, when l was last in
Washington, on my way west, to be in
vited to address the committee on river
and harbor appropriations on this sub
ject, and stated then that If congress
would appropriate 100000 to begin
the construction of breakwater at Port
Los Angeles the Southern Pacific COM
pany would meet them with a like
amount, and agree to let it be expended,
as the government appropriation would
be, under the supervision OF the govern
ment's own engineers.
We have announced our willingness to
join with the government in this first
outlay, because we know that If money
is to be most wisely expended to make
port for your southern country it will
be spent in creating a breakwater at
Port Los Angeles. and while there may
be personal interests which very natur-
ally clamor for the selection OF San
Pedro, am not at all apprehensive that
the business men of the chamber of
commerce and OF the city of Los Ange-
les-the men upon whose practical sense
the prosperity of your city so largely de-
pends-will, as final proposition, con-
sent to support any other measure than
that which favors the location at Port
Los Angeles. @. P. HUNTINGroN.
THE TENTH STREET, HOTEL