Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-08
ENGINEERS HEAR
OF HARBOR PLAN
RANDOLPH H. MINER MAKES
OFFER OF WHARVES
Speaker at Architects Banquet OUT
lines Comprehensive Scheme for
Great Seaport City at San
Pedro

the harbor at San Pedro were told Of
last evening by Randolph H. Miner in
an address delivered to the Engineers
and Architects association at the
Bristol cafe.
In part Mr.. Miner said:
1--WE first hear Of San Pedro harbor
in the early days as an embarcadero
or shipping port of the Mexicans, the
port of Wilmington being the oldest
commercial landing on this part of the
coast and a point of shipment for hides
and tallow, lightered from .hore to the
trading vessels at anchor.
Dana, in his Two Years Before the
Mast about 1885, refers to San Pedro
and vicinity as a 'desolate looking
place, being the best place on the
whole coast for hides and tallow-the
only port for a distance of eighty
miles. and about thirty miles in the in
terror was fine plane country filled
with herds of cattle, in the center of
which was the pueblo of Los Angeles
the largest town in California-and sew
eral of the wealthiest missions; to all
of which San Pedro was the seaport
Tells of Old Estuary
1.-THE harbor of Wilmington was
originally one of the shallow lagoons,
separated from the ocean by a narrow
line of sand beach which characterize
the shores in this vicinity. In it's unim-
proved condition it was an estuary
about three miles in length; it's navg-
able portion ending at Wilmington and
it's lower part expanding into shallow
bay separated from the ocean by a
bar carrying a depth of two feet at
low water. The estuary at it's navgable
part nowhere exceeded 800 feet in
width, but il was enclosed by extensive
flats which were covered by water at
high tide. These flats extend for more
than mile above Wilmington and
below the town lie on either side of the
waterway. The tidal volume has been
estimated at about 257, 100000 cubic feet.
THE improvement of this harbor by
the general government has been in
progress since 1871. The principal work
has been, besides the great breakwater
in the outer harbor, the construction
of two rubble stone bikes, one ex-
tending southeast from the western
mans island, and the other from
Timms point on the western side of
the outlet to a point about 900 feet
southwest of Deadman's island.
Describes New Harbor
"As result of the improvement
there is now a navigable channel into
Wilmington harbor carrying a mini
mum depth of about Is feet at low
water, and the formation of much
greater depth is anticipated from the
continuance of the work.
within the entrance to the harbor
there is deeper water, and there are
extensive and substantial wharves
where freights of lumber, iron and
merchandise are discharged and car
ried away by rail.
During all the time that the i'm
provement of the inner harbor was
going on the question was agitatcd
for a deep water harbor and a board
of officers was appointed to examine
the coast between Points Dune and
Capistrano with a view to determining
the best location for a deep water har-
Dor. Another board was appointed
with the same purpose in view. Both
of these boards reported in favor of
a deep water harbor at San Pedro.
Gives Details of BreakWater
at will go into the details of the
present breakwater only in general
manner 1t consists of substructure
below the plane of low water and a
superstructure above, it being still in
Ill ullllIllSUeu SJdle.
Between mean low water and q
plane twelve feet below the stone is
deposited within a width of thirty
eight feet, it being allowed to take the
natural slope on the harbor side and
being roughly placed to slope of three
horizontal to one vertical on the sea
side of the breakwater, the larger
stones being placed on the sea slope.
the substructure having width of
ninety feet at twelve feet below low
water, and below that being of such
a slope that the mass would naturally
assume.
1T is pleasing to be enabled to state
that the breakwater has more than
fulfilled the promises of its designers
and furnishes a capacious protected
roadstead of 615 acres in extent, capa BILE
of furnishing anchorage for $50 ships
at single anchor, or for a hundred more
should a plan be adopted to moor
stern to the breakwater
Lighter Plan Not Considered
"With this latter plan and a system
of mooring buoys it would be possible
tc warp ships from their berths to the
discharging piers and then warp them
back. Every seaman who knows the
necessity of oVerhauling machinery
during a short stay in port will appre-
ciate this plan.
Nov, what is a commercial har-
Dor?
"A deep water harbor for commerce
should be such that the ships of the
greatest draught can come alongside
quays and piers where they can lie
quietly during the rough weather to
receive and discharge their cargoes,
and where proper facilities for docking
and repairs may be afforded.
I'm many ports of the world the in
terchange between land and water
transportation is done by means of
lighters, while the ships lie at anchor,
slow and expensive process which
can no longer be considered satisfac-
tory.
NOW what is free harbor?
Wants a Free Harbor
IT have heard it differently defined.
but the common acceptance seems to
be that 1t Is one which represents the
greatest amount of diffused ownership
and the least control by any one cor
poration.
II would go further with San Pedro
and would estab lish there an entirely
free mole, where the fisherman with
his fish, the yachtsman. the man-of-
wars man and the pleasure boat would
land side by side and unmolested by