The San Francisco call., 1896-12-22
None but the Monopoly's
Agents Talk Against
San Pedro.
Engineers Hood and Corthell
Appear Before the Harbor
Commission.
Declare That Mr.. Huntington Has
Only the Peoples Welfare
at Heart.

LOS ANGELES. CAL, Dec. 2L-The as
sembly room in the Chamber of Com
merce building was packed with people
this forenoon long before the hour for
opening the discussion in the great harbor
contest. Capitalists, bankers, brokers,
manufacturers, wholesale and retail mer-
chants and a sprinkling of politicians
made up the crowd of interested specta-
tors. The members of the board, headed
by Admiral Walker, its president, filed
into the room few minutes before 10
o'clock and took seats behind long table
in one corner of the room.
Promptly at 10 o'clock the president
raped for order and stated that it had
been agreed among the leaders OF the two
factions that the speakers for Santa Mon
lea should be heard first; that they would
be obliged to present their case in full, or,
at least, lay the whole groundwork In
their opening statements; that the advo-
Gates should not be interrupted while ad-
dressing The board, but that at the close
of each address questions might be put to
those who had occupied the time OF the
board. With this Admiral Walker an
nounced the commissions readiness to
hear the case for Port Los Angeles (Santa
Monica).
Chief Engineer Hood of the Southern
Pacific introd uced E. L. Corthell, another
Southern Pacific engineer, who opened
the debate in behalf of Mr.. Huntington's s
private harbor scheme. With huge map
of the coast line, showing both ports in
front of the board, Engineer Corthell be-
gan his opening statement. He referred
in a modest way to his labors as an engi-
neer in the past and the fact that he had
been before the Senate Committee on
Commerce several times respecting har-
bors, breakwaters and marine stations
generally. Two years ago, at the instance
of this Senate committee and President
Huntington, he had visited this coast
with view of making an impartial inves-
tigation of the two ports regarding which
there existed such a wide and apparently
irreconcilable difference of opinion. He
came without prejudice and without any
actual knowledge of the real situation.
His investigation had completely con-
verted him to the side of the site where
Mr. Huntington had built his long wharf.
Comparing notes with the Southern Pa
cific, the discovery was made that they
agreed exactly respecting this important
matter, and thereupon President Hunt
services. II the great contest Mr.. Corthell
explained that he (the speaker) had again
been retained" from which it may be IN
ferred that those who shall espouse the
cause of the Southern Pacific in this fight
are neither hirelings nor employees, but
the great retained"
Owing to his former investigation 'in
behalf of ocean commerce." Engineer
CortheI regarded the present as in the
nature OF "a personal privilege" in being
permitted to present to board of fel-
low-engineers his opinion of the two har-
Dor sites. The speaker embarked on an
elaborate explanation of the legislative
tribulations regarding these ports, when
he was called to order by Admiral Walker,
who requested him to confne himself to
a discussion of the merits or demerits of
the two ports.
With bulky roll of typewriter memo
randa the speaker reviewed the history of
marine engineering for several years. and
praised the new or contract system yery
highly. He referred to San Diego, where
the contract system had not been en-
ployed and where the original work would
have to be done over and over again. This
port was, he said, just like San Pedro, in
that the sand would be constantly washed
into the harbor and would of course have
to be as constantly dredged out. He as
serted that it was commerce only which
was sought to be accomm odated by this
large expenditure of money-it was not to
be spent for coast defense. He laid great
stress upon the fact that Port Los Angeles
was so much nearer 10 San Francisco, from
which point the coast traffic proceeds this
way. He found much encouragement in
the fact that Mr.. Huntington's S long wharf
had weathered the gales and the undertow
in Santa Monica Bay for three years and
was still there. As to objections to a de-
tached harbor, such as was proposed at
Santa Monica, he had founo many exam
pies of such harbors both in Europe and
America.
The speaker quoted copiously from
Senator Frye's several speeches in Con-
gress on the subject, which had agreed in
q marked degree with his own views. He
took pains to ridicule the people of this
city and of Southern California generally
for attempting to dictate to Congress In a
matter which concerned the commerce of
the whole world. Summed up that por-
tion of his argument amounted to lust
this: ''The California public be id"
San Pedro, said Corthell, would do for
local traffic, but never could be made to
answer the purposes of general commerce.
The remarkable pitch into deep water at
San Pedro was the cause, the speaker de-
clared, of the destructive swells there
San Pedro was compared to Brito, the
canal with the advantages in favor of the
latter. Santa Monica Bay was extolled
because of its gradual slope into deep
water and for its protection from winds
from every point of the compass. Hesaw
insurm ounta BILE obstacles in the way q
commerce at San Pedro in the moist lands
and the fact that the terminal railway had
monopoly OF the only available space for
railway tracks and docks. Professor
Davidson was quoted in extenso regarding
the sand drift along the coast, which
would soon cover any breakwater at San
Pedro.
President Huntington had agreed, the
speaker said, to supply every facility for
any number OF competing lines to his
wharf He referred to j. M Crawley of
the Southern Pacific respecting the time
saved as between Santa Monica and San
Pedro on all business from San Francisco,
which was declared to be full day.
Mr. Corthell referred constantly through
out his long address to various exhibits, |
books and charts, which, he reminded the |
board, it had In its possession. He said |
If San Pedro was selected Santa Monica |
would still do the business anyway.
The engineer finished his address at |
noon. Then Engineer Hood introduced |
Judge Il. NJ. Widuey to speak further |
for Santa Monica but the Judoa rlaadad |