The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-27
SAN PEDRO BY
FAR THE BEST
Verdict of Shipmasters
:. Before the Government
Commission.
Declare the SWellS in Santa
Monica Bay Endanger
Shipping.
Los Angels Chamber of Commerce
Opposes a Huntington
Monopoly.

given by shlpmasters and sailors during
the past week before the Government
Board of Harbor Commissioners sitting in
this city. This testimony has taken a
wide range respecting the character of
vessels, the manner of manning them and
the insurance carried on ships wrecked or
damaged in San Pedro harbor. 1t is the
concurrent opinion of these witnesses that
at least three vessels were wrecked because
OF overinsurance.
Nessel-owners in California, too, might
profit greatly by an inspection OF steno-
graphic report of this testimony. It's in
terest 10 shipowners hinges upon the
statements of several masters that the
wrecks at San Pedro may be largely &C.
counted for by the fact that the captains
in charge had left their vessels in an in
secure position and gone ashore and were
"hdving fun with the boys" when the
trouble occurred. One experienced cap
tain said to-day that every instance of
trouble with vessels at San Pedro, so far
as his knowledge extended. had grown out
of: q Willingness to realize on the insur-
ance at that point, gross neglect OF the
Vessels master, or inexcusable plumbers
in*the handling.
After the publication OF to-day's testi-
mony, the classic town OF Long Beach will
doubtless be regarded as favorite place of
residence. The high price of coal in this
southland makes the fuel problem an i'm
portant one in every household. If coal
can be obtained for the trouble of gather
ing it from the seashore, the item of fuel
expenditure is reduced 10 the minim m.
Several citizens OF Long Beach testified be-
fore the board to-day that not only them
selves, but their neighbors, had been kept
supplied with drifting coal falling from COL
Tiers discharging at San Pedro. After the
wreck of a coaling-vessel there at one time
the inhabitants of Long Beach filled all
their bins with drifted coal from the dis
abled vessel. Long Beach is east from San
Pedro about three miles and directly in the
opposite direction from the mouth of the in
ner harbor TO that of the proposed break
water. near Point Firmin. This testimony
was introduced to disprove the often reit-
Grated statements of the Huntington peo-
pie, to the effect that currents from the
mouth of Wilmington Slough were in the
opposite direction, and would thus tend to
fill in the area to be partially inclosed by
the proposed breakwater.
Huntingdon engineers claim that debris
issuing from Wilmington Slough, which
receives the waters from a few small
streams would, when deposited in the
proposed outer harbor area west of the
slough, necessitate constant dredg ing.
This theory of Huntington's Gland ma
rines" has been completely demolished by
the combined testimony OF Long Beach
citizens who get free coal from San Pedro.
The stories of these residents practically
dispose of the last ray of hope left to
Huntington's people in their argument
against San Pedro's harbor.
The southeast winds, which, it was al
legged at the beginning of this hearing,
were of great frequency and terrific vio-
lence at San PEDRO, are about to prove
boomerangs to the Huntingtonlans. 1t
has been conclusively proven that these
winds are less frequent along this coast
than winds from the southwest, west and
northwest, and much less severe. More
over, it has been shown that when the
southeasterS have been severe and OF long
duration they have invariably produced
ground swells from the opposite direction,
which all the mariners declare are far
worse in Santa Monica Bay than at San
PEDRO. The tentacles of the octopus" are
thus left in midair, without single sup
port upon which to fasten.
This was great day for the peoples
harbor. a large contingent of disinter-
eSted witnesses testified to the natural
advantages which San Pedro possessed
over Santa Monica blight, as these ship
masters call Huntington's bay. The truth
of Engineer Moore's statement regarding
Port Los Angeles. has been fully verified.
Moore said:
Until the Southern Pacific constructed
its pier opposite some large real-estate
holdings of Coils 2. Huntington near
Santa Monica nobody ever thought of
Identifying the place by the name of 'har-
bor.'"
From the standpoint of every seafaring
man who has given the commission the
benefit of his experience this statement
is literally true.
Thomas Stovall of Long Beach was the
first witness of the day. He said that
when golfers have been unloaded at San
Pedro portions OF the cargo which fell in to
the sea had frequently been picked up at
Long Beach. This proved the direction OF
the current. Once when a collier was
wrecked at San Pedro nearly The whole
Long Beach population was in this manner
supplied with Iuel. The colliers were ac-
customed 10 anchor off Dead Mans Island,
between LNeTe anu IOlnL Clrmln. Inc
current, in the witness opinion. was
always toward Long Beach.
: Captain Alexander Smith of San Pedro,
a master mariner of twenty-seven years
experience Oh this southern coast told
that in 1888 and 1889 he was in charge of
wrecklng operations in San Pedro. There
was then not enough current to prevent
divers from going to the bottom to work.
IN 1887 he was towing mud out of San
Pedro Bay with Southern Pacific dredger,
when there was Ii complaint that the fifth
was washing in at Long Beach. At Santa
Monica there was, in spots. fair anchorage.
The harbor was not SO pleasant a place,
the witness said, as the Southern Pacific
map in evidence would tend to prove. In
1871 while the captain was at anchor
where Port Los Angeles now is, he laid for
thirty hours trying 10 make land and then
had to get out. The surf was so heavy
that it prevented the unloading of his YES
sells cargo. The swells were the same at
both Redondo and Port Los Angeles. At
San Pedro there was but little swell ordin-
arily. When an anchor was down there
in shipShape there was little danger of &C
cident. The wrecks which occurred there,
he said, have been the result of bad sea-
manship more than anything else. Cap
tain Smith told of the tide rip which four
years ago scooped up big section of the
wharf at Redondo. No part of Santa
Monica Bav was in his Opinion safe in