Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-18
.HARBOR VISITED
BY ARMY CHIEF
GEN. MARSHALL OF ENGINEERS
SEES SAN PEDRO
SITE FOR PROPOSED FoRTlFlcA-
TIoNs ALSO INSPECTED
Officer Refuses to Make Comment, but
Trip Is Expected to Mean
Much for Future De-
Velopment
Especial to Tho Herald

Especial TO Inc deTdlul
SAN PEDRO, Aug. 17.-Brig. Gen.
William L. Marshall, chief of engineers
of the United States army, made an in
spection of Los Angeles harbor today.
In the party which left on the Pacific
Electric car for Long Beach were
Gen. Marshall and Lieut.. Leeds, George
II. Stewart and A. p. Fleming of the
harbor commission, City Engineer
Homer Hamlin, w. D. Stephens and
James A. Anderson of the consolidation
committee.
The car to Long Beach was delayed,
but before taking the government
launch at the Long Beach harbor chan
mel the Craig shipbuilding plant and
/ the drawbridge were visited. The party
continued through the channels of the
inner harbor to Wilmington. Here the
work of the dredgers was inspected.
and then the work being done by the
government dredger San Pedro at the
turning basis was gone over.
Welcomed at San Pedro
Continuing to San Pedro, the party
left the launch at the Fifth street land
ing, where a committee of citizens from
the San Pedro chamber of commerce
and the board of trade met them. Gen.
Marshall was welcomed, and the whole
party proceeded to the Albion cafe,
where luncheon was served.
Congressman James McLachlan join
ed the party here. In the party from
San Pedro were E. l.. Blanchard, secre-
tary of the chamber of commerce; e.
D. Seward, secretary of the board OF
trade; w. H. Quinn, Lewis Hansen, M.
L. Campbell and several newspaper
men.
Gen. Marshall had little to say ex-
cept that 1t was nearly forty years
since he had been in Los Angeles, and
that he was surprised to see such a re-
markable change in the little village
which then existed.
After the luncheon the party took the
launch for a thorough investigation of
the outer harbor, going even out be-
yond the breakwater.
Visit to Point FirmIn
On the return to the Fifth street
landing three automobiles were In read
mess and a trip was made to Point
Firmin, where, with maps, Lieut.. Leeds
and Engineer D. e. Hughes pointed out
the sites proposed for the harbor.
The party returned to Los Angeles
on the ABS o'clock car. A. P. Fleming
invited Gen. Marshall to take an auto
mobile trip to Santa Monica to see the
long wharf where the old controversy
between Santa Monica and San Pedro
over the location of the breakwater
centered.
THAT would be a nice trip" said the
general. land I would enjoy all of the
ride except looking at the long wharf !"
Congressman McLachlan expressed
himself as greatly pleased over the con-
solidation OF Los Angeles and the har-
Dor cities. For" said he, when we
try for more appropriations we will
have something back of the harbor be-
sides private interests, and that will
assist us materially"
Gen. Marshall was content to look
over the situation and listened to all
that was told about the Los Angeles
harbor. He declined to express him
self on the work of the government.
His reticence in these matters is the
usual reticence of army engineers, of
whom he is chief. His mission is to see
and do evidently, not to talk, and those
representative men who were with him
fully realized that in the chief engineer
they had man who was working out
great engineering problems and not
given much to discussing the plans of
the government he represents.