The herald., 1897-04-04

As barbor for foreign commerce and
commerce exchanged with the Atlantic
distance. If It IL to be considered that
the deep-water harbor to be created under
the provisions of the law is TO be har-
bor for foreign commerce rather than for
the coasting trade, there Is a slight ad-
vantage as to distance with San Pedro,
but IL Is not of sufficient importance to be
given weight In the choice OF a location.
LAND FACILITIES.
The present lines of communication,
however, may be much less important
than those which will be developed when
q first-class harbor is established at one
or the other of these ports. The product
i've area of Southern California lies prin-
cipally in three valleys which are drained
respectively by the Los Angeles, San Ga
OF these rivers discharge into San Pedro
Bay, 80 that this bay can be approached
from either one Of the three valleys
Los Angeles and San Gabriel val
leys really unite above Los
Angeles, the city lying in the combined
valley Of the two rivers. The Santa Ana
valley however, lies farther east and is
the valley through which both the South
ern Pacific Railroad and the Southern
California Railway approach the Pacific
coast the freight line of the California
Southern coming down this valley almost
to the coast. Practically the only line
Of Los Angeles, and 1t Is 25 miles farther
from all interior points than Los Angeles.
At the place where the Southern Califor-
mia Railway leaves the Santa Ana valley
to turn north towards Los Angeles, 1t Is
nearer San Pedro than 1t is to Los An
geles, the intervening country being per.
fectly fiat BY extending Its present
Riverside branch down the Santa Ana
valley. the Southern Pacific would reach
San Pedro In q distance little or no
greater than its present distance to Los
Angeles and with the avoidance of all
SUBMITS. If the deep water harbor Is to
be regarded as the terminus of transcon-
tinental lines, where business to and
from eastern ports and cities is to be
transferred from rail to steamers or from
steamers to rail, San Pedro would have
the advantage of at least 25 miles in
length of railroad transportation over
Port Los Angeles and with the further ad-
sides avoiding the expense and inconven--
fence which always attend the forcing of
a heavy freight traffic through large and
growing city.
AS PORTS IN STORM.
Considered as q convenient harbor Of
refuge, there is little difference between
the two. Either would be easily access
sible from the open sea, and the COM
parative ease with which ship would
the other would depend chiefly on
her direction of approach when she
decided to seek refuge; occasions, how
ever, in which ships would seek such
protection from the open sea are compar-
atively rare. 1t is not probable that the
- I~.xsy arrt
piers will be discontinued where they
can be used they offer advantages Of local
convenience which are not likely to be
abandoned. In specially rough weather
these piers can not be used and the ves-
sells which would otherwise land there
must either seek the safe anchorage of
harbor of refuge or the open sea. That
harbor of refuge is likely to be most used
which will be convenient to the greatest
number of piers of this kind. For pur-
poses of comparison the Port Los Angeles
pier cannot be considered, as, II the
breakwater is built at that point, it will
cease TO be an unprotected ocean pier.
Ocean piers can, however, be built farther
east in Santa Monica Bay, and q consider
able business Is now handled over the
ocean pier at Redondo (there are really
two piers under O common ownership
here }. There is an ocean pier at Newport,
20 miles east of San Pedro, and the expe-
r1enco OF tn0 sii1ailer ller az AoflB oedCn
shows that ocean piers can be built here
without difficulty. These conditions in
dictate that protected harbor will be
more convenient for shipping at San Pc
dro than at Port Los Angeles, and ON the
whole it is probable that 1t would be used
more as harbor of refuge if located at
San Pedro.
Considered with reference to capacity
for extension, the breakwater at either
location can be extended eastward sufh-
ciently to meet all probable future re-
quirements.
Since the subject of deep-water harbor
in this general location was first
broached great changes have taken place
both in the requirements of deep harbors
and the methods used in their mainten-
ance. Draught and size of ships have in
creased; improvements in excavating ma
chinery have greatly reduced the cost of
dredging. On the other hand,
the cost of timber piers must con-
stantly increase as the supply of suitable
timber becomes reduced. These changes
are in favor of a harbor where CONNER
cial facilities are afforded by interior ba
sins rather than by exterior wharves, in
which basins perishable types of bulkheads
or piers may be displaced by permanent
structures of such reasonable cost as the
growth Of commerce may justify.