The herald., 1897-04-04

land behind q bulkhead wall. At San
Pedro corresponding provisions can be
best furnished by the Improvement and
deepening OF the inner harbor; until those
improvements may be completed, timber
piers extending out into deep water can
be readily constructed. In determining
which harbor will be most useful, five
different considerations must be re-
viewed: Convenience for construction
Of accessory works; approaches from the
sea; approaches from the land; availa-
bility az harbor of refuge; capacity Tor
extension and enlargement as demands OF
commerce may require.
REQUIREMENTS.
Tho accessory works which must be con-
sidered are Of three classes--direct means
Of exchanging traffic between land and
water transportation. facilities for conve-
uient storage of goods which must be held
while awaiting consignment, and accom-.
modations for maintenance and repair OF
vessels using tho port. At Port Los
Angeles, q pier to accommodate vessels
driving so feet, should be built in oX
fathoms of water. The present pier can
b. made to meet these requirements by
email amount of dredging on each side;
This pier projects 1000 feet beyond the Q.
Of this harbor would probably be a series
of piers projecting from the 5-fathom line
In connection with made land, formed BY
Milling back Of bulkhead wall just In
front Of the 3-fathom line. The length
Of the protection on the 6-fathom line has
been given at 5000 feet, which might be
reduced to 5000 feet II the brcakwator Is
shortened to balance the cost of settle
ment, and as this limo is 5000 feet back
from the breawkater, there would be a
considerable swell at each end of this
protection. It would probably be mex
pedlent 10 build any pier within 1000 feet
- and <,f tho calCtIIatad nrotaCtf0n
limit, and even In this case vessels prob
ably could not lie on the outer side of the
two outer piers in rough weather. The
total length, therefore, within which
piers could bs built would be about 5000
let giving room enough for eight piers ts
basins 800 feet wide; this would afford
II, 900 linear feet of wharfage alongside OF
the piers, without considering the ex-
posed sides of the two end piers. Addi-
tional wharfage for light draught vessels
could be Furnished on the shore exten-
So far as couveniences for unloading are
concerned, this would seem to be ample.
There are two objections. Each OF the
eight piers, including its approaches, Is
at least 1000 feet long and would repre-
sent cost Of something like $500, COO, OK
elusive Of such buildings, fittings and the
like as might be put upon 1t, making the
cost of the eight piers about y, 800, GOO,
nearly ell perishable property, which, even
With creosoted piles and the best construc-
ton, would probably not last more than
twelve to fifteen years and on which the
not be less than $500, 900. The concentra-
ton of such large amount Of timber
work In this position would involve unu-
sual flre risks, and unless excessive insu-
ranoe rates were paid 1t would probably
be necessary to place piers OF this length
much farther. apart, probably reducing
the number from eight TO four: The
length Of the inner harbor at San Pedro,
from the south end of the mud flats, near
Dea(lman's Island, to the north end OF the
present wharves, along which II is pro-
posed to deepen the channel, is 1000 feet,
thus affording on the two sides Of the har-
bor the same amount of wharf face that
the eight piers would furnish at Port Los
Angeles, while this 1900 feet could be
increased to 20, 600 by the proposed ba-
sins and cross piers in the present mud
fats; besides which the whole of the Will
mington Lagoon is available whenever the
needs of commerce demand it. Within
this inner harbor, vessels could lie per-
fectly still in all weathers, without even
the reduced sea which would exist within
the projected area behind breakwater..
Railroad tracks now exist on each side OF
this harbor and these could be extended
along the whole water front. The timber
wharf between the bulkhead and deep wa
ter excepting where piers are used in ba-
sins), accessible for its whole length from
both land and water, which could be re-
placed ut any time by more permanent
work and could readily be protected from
changing traffic between land and water
transportation are concerned, San Pedro
affords greater advantages than Port Los
Angeles. Prior to the completion of these
improvements of the inner harbor, it Is
reasonable to assume that one suit
ably designed timber pier, located
safe distance on either side Of the jetty
entrance and practically. carried out to
the 5-fathom line, would accommodate
those vessels whose draught would pre-
vent their entrance to the inner harbor.
Should more water be needed alongside
the piers, it can be obtained at a compar-
atively small expense by dredging. The
objections of fire risk and perishable char
acter would apply to such pier, but it
should be regarded, If constructed, as a
temporary feature Of the deep-harbor de-
velopment and not as permanent part
Of It,
AN IMPORTANT DEFECT.
At Port Los Angeles there is at present
no room for the storage OF cargoes except
tho coal bunkers on the piers. Ware
houses oan be built on piers, but they
would be subjected to all the risks attend
ant on pier construction. Land can be
made for warehouses and other purposes at
large expense between the present shore
and the 3-fathom line, or even farther
out. Goods to be put in warehouses SO
located must however, be handled from
vessels or cars, which will run lengthwise
on the piers, and then unloaded again into
the warehouses, thus requiring an extra
handling; as the handling costs more than
the movement, it might be best to erect
such warehouses some distance from the
piers and transport the goods by rail- At
San Pedro, warehouses or storage yards
can be provided back of the bulkhead
line for the whole length of the harbor,
in the most convenient possible position
for landing and handling cargoes. Prac-
dcslly this Is now done in the lumber
yards In the upper part of this
hArbor. In this respect San Pedro has
decided advantages.
Accommodations for the maintenance
and repair of vessels have not been given
the attention in American ports that they
have received abroad; this is due largely
to the fact that considerable portion Of
cur coastwisee trade is still handled in
wooden vessels, which require compara-
lively little attention. The foreign trade,
however is now almost entirely handled
In iron ships and steamers, and the coast
ing trade will eventually be handled in
the same class of vessels. These iron
ships foul rapidly and should be taken
out OF the water and cleaned at least twice
= year. 1t Is the English practice to have
1T least one and frequently several dry
docks in every important port. Such ia
ctlittes could be provided near the shore