The record-union., 1896-04-02

parent omission to study the growing
and changing commercial conditions,
the report before mentioned was made
in favor of the San Pedro Bay or Point
Firmin site for a protected harbor. ;
The report also omitted to consider
whether the utilization Of the proposed
harbor was practicable, by construction
of wharves, railroads, etc. The second
Board of United States Army Engineers
| (see Ex Doc No. Al, Fifty-second Con-
gress, second SESSION. agreed substan
tally with the report Of the former
board, except as to the practical ad-
| mission that the former board did not
| find the proper site for a harbor in Santa
| Monica Bay, which was found to be in
| the vicinity of Port Los Angeles, in con-
Sideration of all the reasons which
should control the selection of harbor
| site. It is not possible to know how
much the last mentioned Board of En-
gineers may have been uncOnsciouSly
| influenced in making their report by
| the difficulty attending the making of
a report which, if differing from the
| former one, would be substantially a
criticism of the officers of their corps as
well as of their chief.
| The cost of the construction of the
deep water harbor in either bay is now
| conceded by the United States Army
Engineers to be substantially the same,
| with the same cross section OF break
water used at either site.
The reason that corporation can
not afford to utilize a deep-water har-
| Dor if built at SAM Pedro is that large
part of the business to be expected is
the coast steamship freight and passen-
ger business to and from Los Angeles,
which business is chiefly between Los
Angeles and northern ports.
| Such business, if handled at Port Los
Angeles in Santa Monica Bay, when
| coming from the north, arrives in Los
Angeles before the steamer bringing it
reaches San Pedro Bay, and north
| bound freight and passenger business
has similar advantages.
Wharves in Santa Monica Bay suit
able to take advantage of this coast
wise business are equally well adapted
to the berthing of deep-water ships.
Hence wharves in Santa Monica Bay
have the advantage of handling both
coastwise and deep-water ships, while
if in San Pedro Bay the business han
died would be chiefly of one class, that
is. such deep-water shNs as did not
avail themselves of the Santa Monica
Bay facilities.
This amounts to saying that If deep
water harbor were built in San Pedro
Bay it would not do all the business for
which such a harbor should be built,
and that a large and continually in
creasing amount of business would be
done at Port Los Angeles, in Santa
Monica Bay, whether a breakwater to
form a deep-water harbor is con-
structed there or not in the near future.
and the final outcome would no doubt
| be- if the deep-water harbor were pullt
| in San Pedro Bay now, that lew years
would so demonstrate the nature OF the
| blunder commercially that another deep
water harbor would be built in Santa
Monica Bay. That is, the money that
| might be spent for the building OF the
San Pedro deep-water harbor would
have been wasted.
| Santa Monica Bay, near Port Los An
geles, versus the part of San PEDRO bay
near Point Fermin, has certain eVldent
advantages in natural protection from
winds and waves, and area of protected
| deep water anchorage, readiness OF ac-
| cess for railroads, and cost of construc-
| ton of wharves which have been 1uliy
presented heretofore, and are of record
and have never been successfully dis
| puted.
The earnest advocacy of the San Pc
dro Bay site by individuals having real
estate and other material interests To
be served at San Pedro, and for similar
reasons the advocacy of the Santa Mon
! lea Bay site by individuals having SIM
| liar interests at Santa Monica, without
regard to the public advantage, or the
merits of the respective sites, Is 50
natural as to require no comment
| Such individuals interested in san
| Pedro have been even more active IN
their advocacy than individuals SINH
llarly interested at Santa Monica, having
been induced to greater effort by
the fact that very much OF
the business formerly done at
San Pedro is now done at Port
Los Angeles in Santa Monica Bay, and
the fear. which is no doubt well founded,
that the Port Los Angeles business in
Santa Monica Bay will continue to in
crease, to their farther disadvantage
1t is to the efforts of such residents
and interested parties living, and hav-
| ing interests at San Pedro, that the ex-
istence of the so-called Free Harbor
League is due. This organization has
promulgated statements of a character
that can be only accounted for on the
supposition that majority of the mem
bers are not informed as to the facts,
the statement amounting to the asser-
ton that a deep-water harbor at Port
Los Angeles in Santa Monica Bay will
be for the exclusive use of the Southern
Pacific Railroad, while, if such harbor
| is built in San Pedro Bay, near Point
Firmin, it will be free to all.
| The facts are that at Santa Monica
| thora ara turo railroads the SoIlt hern