Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-07
ANXIOUS TO BE
GUEST OF FRIES
Committeeman EAGER FOR
SAN PEDRO TRIP
PRESIDENT WRITES, FORMALLY
ACCEPTING INVITATION
Map Discovered Among Official Rec
ords Gives Powerful Support to
City's Contention Respect
ing TideIands

The Los Angeles consolidation COM
mittee is energetically planning to take
advantage of the invitation of Capt.
Amos A. Fries to be his guest on an
inspection trip over the harbor tomor-
row. Members realize that an excep-
tional opportunity is offered to ac-
quaint themselves both with the pres
ent situation and with the possibilities
for the future development of the en-
tire harbor-Long Beach and the outer
harbor as well as Wilmington, and in
the east basin and the San Pedro
channel.
Secretary A. P. Fleming of the con-
Solidation committee sent letters Mon
day to all members urging on them the
Importance of the trip and calling at
tention to the fact that Captain Fries
would give them the benefit of his
knowledge and the data he has col
lected on harbor improvement
Stoddard Jess, president of the COM
mittee, yesterday sent to Captain Fries
the following letter formally accepting
the invitation and expressing apprecia-
ton of the courtesy extended:
Il deem it most essential that all
members of the committee should ac-
quaint themselves with conditions at
the harbor before entering on their ac-
tive duties in connection with the con-
solidation proposition, and II is 'eX-
ceedingly thoughtful and kind of you
to further the investigation as you
suggest, particularly so as ] have no
doubt you expect to accompany the
committee and give the members the
benefit of your thorough knowledge of
the harbor project in all its details.
81 have instructed our secretary, A.
=. Fleming, to advise the members of
the committee of the proposed visit to
the harbor, and urge each and every
one TO lay business aside and he at
the Pacific Electric depot at . O'Clock
Thursday morning to take the car for
Long Beach, as you suggest"
Finds Important Record
In looking up his maps to demon
strate feasible improvement of the
harbor Captain Fries brought out an
interesting and t'important record
made through maps drawn by D. f.
Hughes of the United States engineers
office more than two years ago. to il
lustrate the possible capacity of the
inner harbor. Mr.. Hughes drew the
map to show probable slips and wharf
advantages for the handling of COM
merce in Wilmington harbor. thus en-
bodying his own research as an expert
and the views of others in the United
States engineers office.
The map makes a prophecy that is
striking in view of what has occurred
since it was completed. 1t has "A val
I'D Die Dtdf1uB on the contention IIldL
the tidelands which the Los Angeles
harbor commission is endeavoring to
clear title on in order to make them
available for public docks have not
been considered by harbOr experts at
any time as suitable for agricultural
purposes" but AS being properly lands
disable in furthering navigation and
commerce. Mr.. Hughes has made an
exhaustive investigation of the history
of Wilmington BAY which has con-
WINGED him that the intent of all gov
ernments which have had occasion to
grant title there has been to preserve
1t as a harbor because of its unusual
advantages.
F. S. Gary of the Wilmington board
OF trustees says the large suction
dredger Pacific will be I'm the inner har-
bor within ten days to begin work on
the Wilmington channel A dixie along
the channel, behind which the Pacific
will make the fill is TO be thrown up
by a. clamshell dredger which will be
started this week The Wilmington
board of trustees expects to push the
municipal harbor improvements plan
ned some time ago, and the two
dredgers at the Wilmington end will
add to the general activity.
Opponents of consolidation living at
San Pedro arc endeavoring to make
confusion by proposing q bond issue by
San Pedro for the purpose of making
municipal improvements i'm the outer
harbor. They urge that Los Angeles
will throw all her energies toward the
inner harbor, while rho men who side
with them in Wilmington are arguing
al the same time that Los Angeles will
insist on neglecting the inner harbor
and spending large sums on the out
side harbor The arguments so far
have not carried great weight with
citizens of either city
TPSnrVpU of tbC Cit,r of NNri1o,i,,,.
ton has been completed by its city en-
gineer. and new map based on the
survey will be presented to the VIII
mington board of trustees Monday
evening. 1t locates officially for VIII
mington the new harbor lines and the
line of exception which bounds the wa
ters of Wilmington bay reserved as
navigable by the national government
years ago. The Wilmington board of
trustees has renamed "a number of the
city's streets and made others uniform.
Among other changes of this sort was
the remaining Of c street as Fries
street, in honor OF Capt. Amos A.
Fries.