The herald., 1897-08-01
SAN PEDRO

SAN PEDRO, July 91.-(Regular Cor
respondence) San Pedro looks discour-
aged, and what town would not, under
the circumstances? 1t has waited long
and patiently for the fulfillment of its
hopes for a deep sea harbor, but the
end is not yet Last winter, upon the
decision of the commission, the streets
were graded, hills were cut down, hol-
lows filled up, and the general appear
ance of the town improved fifty per cent.
That was only little beginning. Great
things were planned for the future; when
Mr.. Alger and his hacker, Hunting gton,
got the upper hand and threw cold water
on the enthusiasm aroused by the de-
cision of the commission.
Now the secretary has decided that
congress must act on the question of
metes and bounds, so to speak, which
means that there will be no work done
until next spring. Is it any wonder that
the very leaves on the trees in the park
hang with detected air?
In the meantime the delay Is making
lots Of staunch Democratic votes in this
end of the county.
Some day, when Huntington has
ceased from troubling and Alger is at
rest" San Pedro will not only be an i'm
portant seaport town, but it will be a
very slightly, pretty one. When the val
ley, that is now the center of trade, shall
be occupied with warehouses and ship
ping traffic and the business houses have
lifted themselves up to the mesa, it
will literally be city set on hill that
can be seen for miles up and down the
coast
1t is the only beach town in the coun-
ty of Los Angeles with history, and
it's quaint, hilly streets still have around
them the atmosphere of past.
This was the embarcadero of the ole
Mission padres and here the first boat
built in California was launched. It
must have been a great day when the
builder, Sanchez, brought the craft from
San Gabriel mission, where it was built,
to the bay to make the trial trip. There
is no record of it's christening by a pref
ty girl and bottle of wine, but there
doubtless was no lack of la vim, even if
pretty girls were not in evidence at boat
launchings in those days
There probably is not a town Of its
size in the whole forty-four states of the
union that has been so widely adver-
tised and had it's name on so many
tongues in the past year as this town
of st. Peter, the bishop and martyr.
Eastern people make such wretched
work with the name it is probable the
senators themselves whom our Senator
White had such a hard tussle. with
will not recognize it when they sail in
some day on big line steamer on their
way round the world.
To those accustomed to Atlantic sea-
port towns San Pedro is a positive rest
for the eye. 1t required years for the
easterner to become accustomed to the
lonesomeness Of the big Pacific ocean.
Here there are to be seen masts of lum-
ber schooners, various kinds of sailing
craft, steamers putting in and out of the
bay, and it looks as though this great
| body Of water was useful for some other
purpose than the display of anatomy in
bathing suits.
The travel to Santa Catalina continues
very heavy. The trains on the Termin al
come in loaded, more especially toward
the last of the week. This morning the
Hermosa took load of people out and
the Falcon had number of island bound
passengers this afternoon.
The Coos Bay came in this afternoon
from the south. with passengers and
freight.