Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-04
PLANS TAKEN UP
FOR GUN SITE
AT SAN PEDRO
GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS VISIT
POINT FIRMIN
GEORGE H. PECK EXPLAINS HIS
POSITION
Agreement Is Forecasted, but 1t Is
Admitted That the $250,ooo
Appropriated Will Be
insufficient
Especial to The Herald.l

! SAN PEDRO, Dec. 3.-That the ne
gotiatons now going on between tho
! United States government through its
Los Angeles engineers office and the
owners of the land at Point Firmin
where the fortihcations are contem-
! plated. will result in an agreement, is
forccasted by those who are supposed
to know, but that the $250,O00 appro-
priated for the sites for the big guns
will be insufficient to buy the tull 16l
acres is Likewise admitted.
Lieut.. Charles Leeds, Engineer ID. T.
! Hughes and Lieut.. \. II. Ehrenbeck,
All from the engineers office, visited
san Pedro today and went over the
| land in an automobile with George
| II. Peck, who owns large part Of
! the land desired.
/ 10 definite proposition was advanced
| today but il is understood that Mr..
, Peck will tomorrow submit figures on
/ three or four different portions of the
Marine View tract which lies just be-
! yond the city limits at Helena street
/ and extends to Whites point on the
! west This tract has been subdivided
and contains about 400 acres. The prop
ostions will vary from $50 acres TO $50
acres. but will all be in the tract,
which is beyond the resort known as
/ Point Firmin and beyond the land now
occupied by homes and held by several
| hundred individual owners.
Peck Answers Criticism
In speaking Of the matter today Mr..
Peck said: "There has been a great
deal of criticism of the owners at Point
Firmin, but today is really the first
time the government men have been
here to confer with me. We have mao
some few conferences at Los Angeles'
hut il was apparently impossible Tor
us TO find out just where the lana de-
sired Is located or how much is wanted
That makes a big difference to me. Per
sonally, | would be glad If the fortih .
rotions went elsewhere. as we are build
ing a beautiful resort at Point Fir
min As fast as we build houses they
are sold. J.,
| the papers about our building houses
| on any of the land at Point tirmln'
/ san Pedro today has no houses to rent
| and the only way we can build up q
citv here is to build houses. There has
been talk of fortifcations here Tor
wears. but the government men have
kent entirely away from me. The only
news I have had of the matter has
come from newspaper reports that l am
holding up the government l am
now trying to have the government go
beyond the Point Firmin settlement
onto the new tract, but If they want
the ocean View tract they will have TO
deal with a large number Of indtvid-
uals besides myself Many of these
holders purcha sed their lots three
years ago. while others have bought
more recently. Lots have sold for 800
and up to $25O0. If these lots are to
be taken by the government fair re-
turn should be made to the holders.
Submit Proposition Today
"As far as the Marine View tract Is
concerned, il makes some difference
to me whether the government takes
the whole of the tract or only por-
tion. whether they pick out the best
land and all of the coast line or take it
as il comes. and If they don't take 1t
all. leave me an approach to it and
part of the coast line. What they
don't take WILL 1 believe, be greatly
damaged. / am willing to make
fair proposition and will do so tOmor-
row, but Just because il is the govern
ment who wants to buy the land is no
reason, in my opinion, why | should
sell 1t for one-fourth what it Is worth"
1t is understood that some time ago
when the committee from the Los An
geles chamber of commerce took hand
in the matter Mr.. Peck and w. K.
Kerckhoff, who is interested with him
in the matter, did submit some fig
ures which are said to have been as
follows:
For eighty-four acres (extending
south of Thirty-first stret and west Of
Helena street some 1900 feet), S257,50O;
unsold lots in the Ocean View tract,
SOS $50; unsold lots i'm the Point Fir
min tract, $114660; land in park and
along the bluff near lighthouse, S115.S30;
improvements, $12,247. Total $59S,7S7.
Claims Damage
This land was appraised by a Los
Angeles realty man and his figures
are said to have been about the same
except that he deducted 25 per cent for
a Wholesale sale price over the prices
Of the separate lots. Mr.. Peck, how
ever. takes the view that this is offset
by the fact that the balance of his
holdings will be greatly damaged. Ac-
cording to Mr.. Peck many buyers have
held aloof from Point Firmin on ac-
count of the contemplated fortifica-
tions, and the same statement is made
by other realty dealers.
Citizens. not owning any property at
Point Flrmin take the view that the
Notifications will be a good thing, but
they are placed beyond Point Firmin.
they will be just as we'll satisfied if
Another idea is to move the lighthouse
al Point Firmin to Point Vincente and
use this point which commands range
of the breakwater for big guns. Mar
iners contend that the light at Point
Firmin is practically useless, as the
electric lights there take it's place, but
light is needed at Point Vincente.
Taking only a patriotic view of the
fortifications, Mr.. Peck jol1ingly says,
"If any of the lot holders want a gun
placed in their back yards they are