Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-16
SAN PEDRO WILL
HAVE BIG WHARF
HUGE CONTRACT AWARDED IN
HARBOR PROJECT
DEEP CHANNEL INCLUDED IN EN-
TERPRIsE
More Than Two Million Cubic Feet Of
Earth Will Be Raised in Con-
struction of Port In1-
proVements

One of the largest contracts for
dredging ever entered into and which
probably will do as much as any other
one thing to improve San Pedro harbor
was closed yesterday, the North Ameri-
can Dredging company and the Outer
Harbor Dock and Wharf company be-
ing the two parties to the agreement.
Between March l, 1910 and June l,
1911, the North American Dredging
company has agreed to dig out the
eastern and western channels of the
Miner fill at San Pedro harbor. More
than 100000 cubic.feet Of earth will be
raised to make a channel sufficiently
deep to float the largest liners ana Go
construct a first class wharf.
Work will be begun March l on both
the eastern and western channels, the
former being 400 feet wide and $500 feet
long. while the dimensions of the latter
are 600 by 5000 feet.
Situated a little to the southwest of
Deadman's island and projecting di-
rectly into the ocean, the wharf prom
ises to be one of the safest and most
convenient landings on the Pacific
coast. After rounding the end of the
long breakwater the dock, protected as
it will be from storms, will offer a most
convenient landing.
Il see no reason" said Secretary
Guthridge Of the North American Dreg-
ing company, why the proposed
wharves should not be as good, if not
better, than any on the Pacific coast"
Although it is known that the piece
of work will be one of the most ex-
pensive of its kind ever contemplated.
no intimation of the cost of dredging
per cubic yard was given out
while we are unable to state the
consideration" continued Secretary
1 l. 4 1t
| Il will say the undertaking will cost
hundreds of thousands of dollars. The
work will be done in deep water, in
some places the dredger working a
depth of twenty-five feet and the earth
is very difficult to handle"
Numerous bornings made by the COM
pany have revealed the fact that the
earth in which the dredger must work
varies in quality. although no great
difficulties are looked for Two and
| possibly three machines viii be kept
constantly at work and employment
given to more than 100 persons.
| About 1000 feet of wharfage probably
will be ready for use within the next
eighteen months, when the first wharf
projecting into the ocean ever built
| on the Pacific coast is completed.
If the price paid by the government
to the North American Dredging COM
pany for deepening the entrance to the
channel in similar ground should be
! so cents a cubic yard the enterprise
would cost close to $1,O00000. 1t is be-
| lieved the work will be done at a much
lower cost and q cents a cubic yard
| is the figure which many believe will
| be paid.
Work Rushed on Fill
Work is being rushed on the fill by
the cutting down of Mob Hill, nearly a
mile away. A big steam shovel is used
in cutting down the hill, and the earth
is hauled to the ill over the Pacific
Electric tracks by steam locomotive
in specially constructed dump cars.
Other projects are on foot to take down
other hills in order to get earth for the
enormous fill which will make land for
factories and warehouses
The concession was secured from the
old city of San Pedro in 1906 by Ran
dolph II. Miner, who organized the
Outer Harbor and Dock company to
improve it. Controlling interest in this
corporation was recently acquired by
the Union Oil company, and it is un-
derstood that a part of the fill will be
used for the terminals of this concern.
on the outer end of the fill the city
of San Pedro reserved 1000 feet of
frontage and two streets leading to it.
This frontage will revert to the city
of Los Angeles.
1t is believed the work is being rushed
in order that the company may comply
with a contract with the Americana
Hawaiian Steamship company to fur
nish docks at which the big steamers of
that company may unload freight for
Los Angeles, received from the Allan
tic via the Tehuantepec route, although
no official announcement of such a con-
tract has been made.