Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-13
DOCK COMPANY
SCORES VICTORY
CORPORATIONS LOSE BATTLE
FOR CHANNEL
Wilmington Company Receives Per-
mission from Secretary Of War
to Dredge from Inner Har-
Dor to Basin

Special to The Herald.
LONG BEACH Feb. 12-That a
channel can be opened all the way
from the inner harbor of the Los An
geles Dock and Terminal company to
the turning basin at san Pedro was
assured this afternoon when W. E. Hin
shaw secretary of the Wilmington
Dock company, received notification
from the secretary of war at Washing
ton that the comptny's petition to be
allowed to carry on contemplated
dredging near Wilmington had been
granted. This news was received with
great joy by members of the company
and the people generally. 1t has not
been long since permission was secured
by the Los Angeles Dock and Terminal
company to dredge Cerrltos slough for
q distance of a mile and half west of
the haTbor. The Wilmington Company's
application was to take up the drainage
where the other corporation stops and
carry II on to lie San Pedro basin.
The granting of the application assures
the opening of The channel clear
through.
Victory over Corporations
Not only do the members of the Will
mington company congratulate them
selves because of the effect the dredg-
ing will have upon values of their hold
ings and Wilmington, and because of
the double assurance it gives of the
success of the inner harbor at Long
Beach, but because IN securing this
permit victory was won. over the
Bannings and over the Southern Paci-
fic and Salt Lake railway interests.
On October 20 the directors of the
company filed with Capt. Amos Fries,
government engineer, an application to
be allowed to carry on these dredging
operations. The Bannings and the two
railway companies at once made it
known that they would contest the
matter with all their power. This had
been expected, as the proposed channel
would take in between 1000 and 1900
acres of land which these corporate in
terests claim to Lwn, titles to the prop
erty having been Vested in them by
the state at various times from 1882 to
1902. Around Mormon island they claim
tide lands extending so far that, to-
gether with land which they claim ad-
joining the city of Wilmington, leaves
only a tiny channel which barely
reaches Canal street. One section of
the claimed tide lands, including 345
acres, will be taken as a whole when
the new channel is dug.
The public hearing, called on the ap-
plication, was continued from time to
time in Capt. Fries Office in Los An
geles, the corporate interests interpos-
ing every possible objection They also
asked that the old peninsula harbor
plan which they presented a few years
ago be adopted instead of the plan of
the Wilmington Dock company.
The permit received today gives the
company the right to dredge a channel
$500 feet long, 400 feet wide and of any
depth not exceeding twenty-one feet.
Throughout most of it's length the chan
mel will be dredged to width of much
less than 400 feet, however, as such
width would not be neceSSar.'.
Certain stockholders in the Whining
ton company have applied for permis-
sion to fill in and bulkhead in front of
block IL at Wilmington, and to build
wharf there. If this permission is Sc
cured the company will build the bulk
head and wharf as soon as PRACTICAL BILE.
The channel will afford a second en-
trance to the finer harbor of Long
Beach, as the main entrance to the new
port will be excavated directly out to
the ocean. 1t is expected that the Will
mington entrance will be completed
before the ocean entrance is. 1t will
not be dredged to the depth of the main
entrance and will be used mainly by
lighters delivering cargoes from ves-
sells to the wharves along the inner
harbor.
The cost of the Wilmington COM
panys channel could not be accurately
estimated today by Secretary Hinshaw
He said the work would be undertaken
as soon as possible.
Tennis tournament now at Coronado.