Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-23
CAPTAIN FRIES
DISCUSSES SAN
PEDRO PLANS
Tells City Club Of
Harbor Project
Steps Being Taken to Induce Congress
to Close Gap Between Break
water and Shore at San
Pedro

Capt. Amos Fries told the City club
yesterday all about the San Pedro har-
bor project. The walls at the West
minister were hidden by maps from
which, by colors and diagrams, much
interesting information was CLEANED,
supplementlng what the distinguished
army engineer told the audience
At the conclusion a vote of thanks
was extended and in addition Council
man A. ]. Wallace and others thanked
Capt Fries personally for his work
on behalf of the people in helping to
keep the corporations from wrestling
entire control of the harbor.
Special stress was laid by the speaker
on the frontage at Wilmington, which
the Los Angeles chamber of commerce
has taken hold of before it is too late,
though this is beyond the San Pedro
project limits. He said
1.-THE main channel before San Pedro
harbor improvement was begun in 1871,
it appears, was north of Deadman's
island, and, in fact, generally quite
near the southern end of Terminal
island
Jetties Do Good Work
1.-The currents and waves in these
channels caused the government con-
siderable loss and trouble" the captain
said, "by washing out portions of the
jetty. The channels were crooked and
rarely over four and five feet deep.
The depth oH the water west of Dead
mans island, where tn entrance now
is, was barely two feet. The compile
tion of these two jetties caused the
tidal currents to scour out a channel
fourteen feet deep and also kept it
secured out.
"This depth has been increased by
dredging until today there is a channel
400 feet wide and nowhere less than
twenty-one feet deep at low tide.
"Three boards of engineer officers of
the army reported in 1886, 1892 and 1898
in favor of San Pedro. Here they
proposed to build a breakwater, begin
ming at the shore point near Point Fir
min and running easterly 5000 to 10000
feet.
',This was not satisfactory to cor
porations interested in San Pedro and
they finally induced congress to au-
thorize the appointment of another
board on which no engineer officer was
to have a place.
Boards Agree in Suggestions
''This board, after much discussion,
decided lust as the three boards of
engineer officers had decided before,
viz: If in favor of San Pedro and for
almost exactly the same kind of break
water. They, however, left a gap be-
tween the inner end of the breakwater
and the shore.
"The estimated cost was the same as
by the last engineer board, viz: $4,000, =
600.
''It now seems absolutely necessary
to connect this breakwater to the shore
and steps are being taken to have con-
gress authorize the work.
"This breakwater, is to be 5000 feet
long, beginning 1900 feet from shore,
and is being built generally In hfty
feet of water.
"At this latter, depth it is 1876 feet
wide at the bottom, 3S feet wide
at low water line and 20 feet wide on
top. Above low water the stones are
laid in two walls.
Set Huge Stones
'The harbor wall is made up of seven
courses each two feet thick, no stone
weighing less than 5000 pounds.
"The ocean wall is made up of four
courses, each three and one-half feet
thick, no stone weighing less than
10000 pounds. The walls are fourteen
feet high, the top being nine feet above
mean high water
"This breakwater shelters 355 acres
of water, with thirty to fifty feet depth,
and 210 acres more having depths of
from twenty to thirty feet. 1t also pro-