Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-20
Los ANGELES HERALD: THURSDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY 1908
SAN PEDRO HARBOR IN
DANGER

east or the present turning DaSln, ana
that portion known as the West basin.
lying west of the Southern Pacific and
Pacific Electric railroad tracks. This
scheme was so comprehensive and per-
feet In its scope for giving adequate and
convenient accommodations to COM
merce in the inner harbor as to cha1-
lenge the admiration of every one who
saw it, and produced the wish in the
mind of every citizen that it might soon
be realized. The final adoption of the
scheme and all further progress in the
matter were. however, stopped by the
fact that no law existed giving the
United States engineers authority to
locate harbor lines in the portions of
the inner harbor covered by Captain
Fries tentative scheme.
1t is known that during the past
twelve months a number of important
Industrial and commercial enterprises
have sought harbor frontage upon the
inner harbor at San Pedro, and after
learning that all the frontage OF that
portion OF the harbor whose lines have
been definitely located by the United
States government is fully occupied,
these enterprises have abandoned the
effort to locate upon San Pedro harbor,
and have found locations either at San
Diego or the northern ports.
With the idea of securing immediate
action upon Captain Fries scheme, the
harbor commission of the city of Los
Angeles, the chamber of commerce.
Merchants and Manufacturers associa-
of the city of Wilmington and other
public bodies, a short time ago passed
resolutions requesting Senator Flint
and Congressman McLachlan to take
steps to have the present congress enact
legislation authorizing the United
States engineering department to defin-
itely locate the harbor lines in that por-
ton of the inner harbor covered by
Captain Fries scheme.
When the press dispatches few days
ago brought the news that Senator Flint
had introduced into the senate joint
resolution which by its terms conferred
this authority upon the United States
engineers, it was greeted with universal
expressions of satisfaction. This salts
faction was changed into consterna-
ton and alarm, when, yesterday, the
mails brought from washington a copy
of the joint resolution introduced by
Senator Flint, which reads as follows:
Resolved by the senate and house of
representatives of the United States OF
America in congress assembled, That
whenever requested by majority of
the owners of land abutting on and
underlying the waters of the east basin
of the inner harbor of San Pedro, 9th
erwise known as Wilmington harbor.
California, the secretary of war is
hereby authorized to fix and establish
pierhead and bulkhead lines, either or
both, in said waters, beyond which no
piers, wharves, bulkheads or other
works shall be extended or deposits
made, except under such regulations
as may be prescribed from time to time
by him.
If the framer-introducer of this res
olution had desired to perpetuatc and
forever establish the control of the
Southern Pacific over San Pedro inner
harbor and to place in that company
plenary power to prevent all future
development of the harbor which might
fail in any way to meet its approval.
that end could not be more completely
accomplished than by the passage Of
this resolution as introduced
1t is generally known that the only
criticism of or objection to Capt. Fries
tentative plan came from the Southern
Pacific company. That company not
only objected to some portions of the
plan for the development of the VIII
mington or eastern basin, for the rea-
son that the plan as originally pro-
posed, while unquestionably the best
for the public. did not give all the ad-
vantages to that company; but it also
has objected to any improvement being
made in the west basin
! We are assured, upon the authority
of Capt. Fries, that wharf frontage In
the west basin can be secured at an
expense for dredging of 70 per cent of
the cost of the WHARF frontage in the
Wilmington or east basin; yet, not
withstanding this, the Southern Pacific
is strenuously resisting an application
which has been made to the war de-
partment to compel 1t to construct a
/ drawbridge over a navigable channel
connecting the present basin with the
west basin across which the tracks of
that company at the present time run,
completely obstructing it's navigation.
1 1t is further known to the public that
the Bannings and Salt Lake company
claim to be the owners of all of the
| land with the exception of a few mar
row channels abutting on and under
lying the east basin; and the Southern
Pacific and Bannings claim to be the
owners of nearly all the land AUDITING
on and underlying the west basin. II
is fair to assume that the Southern Pa
cifc will always be able to control the
action of the Bannings in all matters
relating to San Pedro harbor. for the
treason that that company has heretorora
controlled the Bannings' action, not
withstanding the fact that in many In
stances the Improvements which the
Bannings have proposed would really
have been to the interests of their Say
Pedro properties. 1t is also fair tc
assume that the Southern Pacific will
have a large and probably controlling