The herald., 1896-12-31
THE COMMISSION WALKS HOME

If it would come within the limits of the
law. Mr. Corthell thought any contin-
uous breakwater, including Port Los An
geles, would be in accordance with the
law.
The term San Pedro is too general. The
breakwater could not be built very far
away from Wilmington lagoon. 1t was
never intended, in his opinion, to get
very far from Point F'irman. Referr-
ing to the depth. in reply to questions,
he said it would be necessary to build
the harbor thirty feet deep, as vessels
| are constantly increasing in size. The
one referred to, leaving Boston har-
Dor, had a capacity of 1000 tons. The
water should be ten feet under any large
vessel for anchorage. The pier at Port
Los Angeles is thirty-five feet. and runs
| to seven or eight fathoms of water. and
| the pier should be heightened to
greater depth.
MR.. MUIR AND ASSISTANTS
| Mr. Hood said Superintendent Muir of
| the Southern Pacific desired to make
some statements, and with the deep hui
mility that has characterized Mr.. Hood
throughout the proceedings, asked If Mr..
Muir could question said assistants,
which was granted by the chairman.
| Mr. Muir said in reference to the Enoch
| Talbot discarging a cargo of lumber at
| Port Los Angeles, which the captain
claimed had taken him twenty-five days,
he would read a copy of a, letter from
| Captain Edwards, master of the British
| ship Crawford, written to the owners in
London. This letter set forth briefly
that the captain considers Port Los An
! geles safe port and having good an
! chorage
| Mr.. Weldt in his testimony stated that
| he had been pilot in San Pedro fifteen
years. He had ascertained from San
| Francisco that Weldt was appointed III
| April 1886, retired for year, and re-
| appointed in 1887.
| Captain Smith had stated that he was
! in command of the steamer Whitelaw.
| Mr. Muir had telegraphed to her owners
| in San Francisco and had received the
| following reply: Don't remember ever
| having Captain Smith in my employ.
| (Signed) "T. H. WHITE,LAW.
A CAPTAINS DUTY DEFINED.
| NJ. j. Hyde, engineer of the water
power at Port Los Angeles, said he was
| there when Captain Johnson had so
| much difficulty in discharging his cargo
| of lumber. The cause of the delay of 1.-THE
Enoch Talbot was her poor appliances
and the captains inattention to bust
ness. He did not render his crew any
assistance, and found more attractions
ashore than on his vessel. While 1t was
| a captains privilege to go ashore, he
| always noticed that if that officer did
not attend to business no one else
| would.
CAPTAIN DORNFIELD TALKS.
Captain Dornfeld was at Port Los An
| geles also when the Enoch Talbot ar
| rived with her load of lumber. The only
| reason that the crew did not make better
progress was that the lumber was too
| long to get it out of a small hatch, and
| the captains inattentiOn to his men.
| Most of the time he was off somewhere
| else. Concerning the case of the Fern
| bank, he was In Santa Monica when
| Davis came in on the train. He told the
| captain he had crew coming on the
next train, not in very good condition,
and he wanted boat to take them out
| to the vessel. The captain did not want
| to tell him bluntly that the Southern
! Pacific had no arrangements to take
| drunken crews out to vessels, so he
| simply said that it would not be safe to
| have them go out in one OF their boats,
! If they were not in good condition. If
| there had been an accident the captain
| knew they would have come back on
| him or the Southern Pacific for dam
| ages. The sailors were kept in the ware
| house all night, and they had to be
| dubbed to get them off in the morning.
He didn't think Davis knew how high
| the waves were; the captain was sure
Y.
1t was not very pleasant thing to take
| a drunken lot of sailors with their sea
kits out to sea. Witness stated in his
| testimony that he got to Santa Monica,
took the men in the boat the night be-
fore, but he told the captain he didn't
| get farther than Point Firman. His
| business in San Pedro is stevedoring,
and ne has seen currents run both east
and westward. In the case Of the Dun
| boyne it was not the sea nor wind that
| prevented the passengers from landing
but the fault of Captain Hall, who often
| did things that were unseamanlike.
| All the ships that went ashore at San
Pedro in his knowledge did so by drag
| ging anchors. He hardly thought 1t fair
| to the captains and officers of this coast
| to attribute it all to bad seamanship.
| The fact that the insurance was paid
| the men exonerated and sent to sea again
| speaks for itself. The captain indicated
| on the map where these vessels had gone
ashore, four Of which he had seen. The