Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-24
COUNCIL. ACTS ON REPORT OF
COMMISSION
WANTS CONGRESS TO FIX LINES
QUICKLY
establishments Discouraged so Far by
Uncertainty Of Boundaries-Draw-
bridges to BE Erected at
Once

push the San Pedro harDor measures.
That Industrial plant owners have peer
led to seek other sites by reason OF tn'
delay is one of the strong arguments
cited by the new harbor commission.
This new working body for the promo
tion Of Los Angeles growth, composed
of George H. Stewart, F. w. Braun
and T. e. Gibbon, forwarded resolution
TO the city council and these wer'
acquiesced In.
The first proposition urges congress
sional action establishing the harpo
lines at and near San PEDRO nrst an'
the councils action was to pass the toi
lowing resolutions:
site Seekers Discouraged
Whereas, A communication mas
been received from the harbor COM
mission of LOS Angeles regarding tne
establishment of harbor lines IN INC
inner harbor of San Pedro. to Wit;
TO the Honorable Council of Los
Angeles:
The har commission of the city
Of Los Angeles Is strongly impressed
with the Importance of taking I'M
mediate action to secure authority
from congress to the engineering oe-
partment to establish complete mar
bor lines for the inner harbor at san
Pedro
We find upon investigation that
within the last year numerous parties
have inquired in the ONCE OF the
United States engineer as TO the 10
cation of harbor lines with the inteh-
tion of securing water front on the
inner harbor of san Pedro Tor the
location of important business enter
prises. These parties, after being IN
hn 40 lines
not located beyond the point In the
east basin of the inner harbor, known
as the turning basin, have apparently
abandoned their efforts to locate at
San Pedro, and i'll several instances
1t is known they have transferred
their inquiries to San Diego or Seattle
or other northern ports.
Congress Must Acts
We are advised that no action can
be taken by the government engineer
in charge of the harbor work toward
the completion of the location OF the
harbtr lines for San PEDRO inner
harbor without the authority of con-
gress in the form either of an act
specifically authorizing the location
of such lines, or an act appropriating
money for the complete Improvement
of the inner harbor, which. OF course
would carry with 1t the implied au-
thority to locate harbor lines.
We deem this matter OF such grave
and urgent Importance as to call
your attention to it and suggest the
propriety of passing resolution urg-
ing our congressman, Mr.. McLachlan,
and Senator Flint to introduce In
congress proper bills authorizing the
complete location of the harbor lines
at the earliest possible moment.
Until this is done we feel that the
harbor at San Pedro and this section
are losing heavily in the failure of
important commercial enterprises to
locate on the harbor, for the reason
that no such locations can be made
in the present condition of harbor
lines, and until they are definitely
settled. Yours respectfully,
GEO. w. STEWART, President,
f. w. BRAUN,
It. E. sGIBBON,
Harbor commission of the city of
Los Angeles.
Whereas, This body believes the
prompt establishment of such line to
be of great Importance it Is hereby
resolved that the city council respect
fully request and urge our Senator
Frank p. Flint and our congressman,
JdtucS hCAdCIlaiiT W PhSPoAC oAt0 ia
troduce in congress proper bills au-
thorizing the complete location of said
harbor lines at the earliest possible
moment.
Want Drawbridges Rebuilt
The council also urged immediate ac.
lion in regard to building drawbridges
the following resolutions:
Whereas, The following commune
cation has been received from the
harbor commission of the city of Los
Angeles relative to the importance
of the immediate construction of the
drawbridges over the slough connect
ing the present inner harbor of San
Pedro with the west basin, to wit:
To the Honorable Council of Los
Angeles:
In connection with the proper devel-
opment of San Pedro harbor the har-
Dor commission of the city of Los
Angeles is strongly impressed with
the very great Importance, and, in
fact, absolute necessity of the war
departments ordering the immediate
construction by the Southern Pacific
company and the Pacific Electric
Railway company of the proposed
drawbridge over the slough connect
ing the present improved inner har-
Dor. Oh san HeQrO with WnaI is QSS-
ignated under the project of Capt.
Fries, United States engineer in
charge of San Pedro harbor work,
as the west basin.
Would Increase Frontage
The slough over which 1t is pro-
posed the drawbridge shall be con-
structed has at the present time a
depth of water at mean low tide OF
about eight feet, which increases at
some points in the inner basin to
about eleven feet. The present depth
affords water sufficient to accommo-
date lighters, barges and other light
draft vessels and an additional depth
can be obtained at very moderate
cost for dredging.
A study of the governments sur
veys and plans indicates that $4,000
feet of wharf frontage, with a lepth
of water of twenty-five feet at mean
low tide, can be obtaine.- in the west
basin at a cost for the total dredging
of the whole basin of about $32 90
per running foot of wharf frontage,
and that by dredging in the form of
channels adequate to accommodate
vessels, Immediately along the wharf
frontage and not attempting to dredge
out the central area of the basin,
wharf frontage with a depth of water
of twenty-five feet at mean low tide
can be obtained at a cost of so per
running foot.
This cost of wharf frontage in the
west basin is about rs per cent of the
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