The herald., 1895-01-01

the construction in its immediate vicin-
ity OF harbor where ocsan.going ves-
sels of the largest size can anchor to un-
load and can lie in safety until they are
refilied for their outward journey.
That such harbor will some day OK
ist 10 not dream nor mere hope. 1t
Is as certain as any event that is de.
pendent upon human effort can be-as
certain, for example, as the construction
Of another transcontinental railway or
the passing of the 10000 mark by the
population of Los Angeles.
The seac0aBt is about twenty miles
away from Los Angeles in two direc.
tons. west and south. Almost due
south from the center of the city lies the
port OF San Pedro. which nature and the
United States government have de-
signed as the proper embaroadero for
the commerce of Los Angeles and the
southwestern section of the union.
The harbor of San Pedro consists Of
two parts: an inner barbor. officially
known as Wilmington, which exists
today as commercial reality; and the
outer harbor, which is aH yet only
project awaiting the action OF the gov.
ernment to make il q genuine port. The
name San Pedro, as used by mariners for
the pact hundred years, applies to the
outer bav, which has been since the
days OF Cabrillo one of the bsst-known
roadsteads along the coast in the 800
miles OF distance from San Francisco to
San Diego. This bay is protected en- the
west by the shore line, which runs
nearly due north and south. To the
north lies the main land. To the east
no protection is needed. 10 the south,
twenty miles away, lies the island OF
Catalina, rising from 1000 to 1000 feet
above the sea and ans wering the pur-
pose OF breakwater against the great
OCEAN swells and checking the force OF
storms from the southwest. For the
greater part of the year there is good
anchorage and shelter for vessels in this
hay, and since the construction of the
inner hRrbor it has been in use as har-
Dor for vessels OF too great draught to
get over the bar, which lighter outside.
Occasions are rare when vessels are com.
pelied to put out to aea to weather q
storm, the bay as rule providing all the
protection necessary.
The inner harbor was originally a
smal! estuary three miles in length and
about 100 feet wide, terminating in
broad lagoon. In 1871, when the gov
ern ment began the work of conatructing
harbor, the mean depth OF water at
low tide WAS only Is inches, and plenty
OF the older residents of San Pedro relate
how they once could wade across from
the mainland TO Dead Man's island at
low tide. Within the bar there was an
average depth OF from 6 to 10 feet.
Ia 1859 Colonel Wendell of the United
States engineering corps made report
on the subiecs of the improvement of
the inner harbor, with project. This
report called for an appropriation OF
$3.50 900 and from the work to De done
depth OF 10 feet of water wac expected.
In 1870 congress made it's first sppropri-
a;ion of 5000. 900. and the work was be-.
gun. During the decade from 1870 to
1880 the work progressed as rapidly as the
intermittent character and small size OF
the appropriations would allow. 1t
consisted chiefly in the construction OF
jet,y or .eea wall of timber and stone
connecting RAttlesnske island with