Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-27
San Pedro: Los Angeles Great Harbor

$4,000 for Wilmington and it carried
through the passage of the bill.
Having gained some knowledge on
the subject of river and harbor i'm
provements while L occupied the posi-
tion stated, l have continued to take
an active interest in the subject When
the contest was being waged between
Santa Monica and San Pedro visited
both places for the purpose of forming
opinions satisfactory to myself as TO
what should be done. The views that
then impressed themselves on me L
still entertain.
Must Be San Pedro
The government is committed to the
work of making San Pedro harbor by
authorizing a breakwater or sea wall,
and doing certain amount of dregding-
The sea wall is Of some value, but does
not comprise all that should be done.
Construction of a breakwater does not
| make harbor. 1t is very important
| structure on coasts subject to visita-
| ton of frequent and destructive storms.
Along the coast of Southern California
! harbor of refuge is not so very neces-
! sary for there are not more than ten
days in the year when shipping is in
danger, and at San Pedro the necessity
is less as ships can seek refuge on the
lee side of Catalina Island.
! What is needed is enlargement of the
area in which can be moored many
| ships while discharging and loading
cargoes. Such an area is demanded at
San Pedro imperatively by the COM
mercial wants already existing and
which are destined in the immediate
| future to be immense.
| The most feasible and necessary thing
to be done is to scoop out several hun
dred acres lying between San Pedro
and Wilmington to depth of twenty
five or thirty feet. This is entirely
practicable and cannot be very expen-
sive. 1t will require far less money
| than has elsewhere been expended, ami
where commerce must always be of less
magnitude than that now existing here
and awaiting adequate facilities, to say
nothing of what will be built up in the
| future.
The land mentioned is now Of no use
! to anybody, being covered by shallow
water or being a morass. Examinations
| show that neither rock nor hard clay
will be encountered. The earth thrown
out can be disposed of to elevate the
surface of a large tract and render it
of great value for building wharves,
warehouses and other structures that
the commerce will require. The govern
ment need only throw out the
and gladly distributed by the
owners of adjacent lands. The
work can be quickly done with the
modern dredgers. And when completed
there will be little, and perhaps, no
cost in maintaining the depth, for no
silt will be deposited by sediment bear
| ing water flowing into 1t.
Nor is 1t likely that the flow of the
tides will bring to it much, If any sand,
| from the sea. 1t will constitute one of
the best land-locked harbors in the
world.
There is no sense in asking dribbling
appropriations and doing the work in
! a pidding sort of way. The scheme
must be presented in its magnitude. 1t
will not frighten congress, but If only
small things are asked for congress viii
stop there. The magnitude of the in
terests In value require strenuous in
sistence, and the sending to congress OF
a representative who has larger ideals
than the mere getting of offices for
personal or party workers or confines
efforts to begging favors from DEPART
ments or congress. All that is wanted
must be demanded in the name of JUS
| tice to this section and of the general
welfare of the nation.
Los Angeles city and county now have
q population of four hundred thousand,
and the rapidity of increase is pha-
nomenal The popula ton, wealth, enter
prise and talent of the people entitle this
section to every high consideration, to
say nothing about the immense and
rapidly growing parts of the nation
that will derive benefit from sufficient
harbor conveniences. at San Pedro.
0-SA-
t.tIo,, g, tI,a onaration doctoros,