USA > California > Los Angeles County > History of Los Angeles county, Volume I > Part 34
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A channel to the Long Beach Harbor has been dredged, making it possible to create thirty miles of still water dockage in the inner harbor alone.
In 1920 the following steamship lines operated to and from the port :
Pacific Motorship Company (Los Angeles Pacific Navigation Com- pany, agents)-Paita, Eten, Callao, Mollendo, Arica, Iquique and Val- paraiso.
Los Angeles Pacific Navigation Company. Direct sailings-Honolulu, Yokohama, Kobe, Shanghai, Hongkong, Manila, Singapore, and return.
California & Mexico Steamship Company-Lower California and Mexican ports.
Pacific Mail Steamship Company (M. F. McLaurin, Inc.)-Balboa any way ports. All important Mexican and Central American ports. Also sailings for Havana, Cuba, and Baltimore, Maryland.
Gulf Mail Steamship Company (Los Angeles Pacific Navigation Com- pany)-Guaymas, Topolobampo, La Paz, Mazatlan, San Blas, Manzanillo, Acapulco, Salina Cruz, Champerico, San Jose de Guatemala, Acajutla, La Libertad, La Union, Amapala, Corinto, San Juan, Puntarenas, South American ports.
Rolph Mail Steamship Company (Rolph Mills & Co.)-Mexican, Cen- tral American and South American ports as far south as Valparaiso.
South American Pacific Line (Rolph Mills & Co.)-Mazatlan, Man- zanillo, Acapulco, Salina Cruz, Champerico, San Jose de Guatemala, Acajutla, La Libertad, La Union, Amapala, Corinto, Puntarenas, Buena- ventura, Manta Guayaquil, Callao, Mollendo, Arica, Antofagasta, Val- paraiso.
Toyo Kisen Kaisha-Salina Cruz, Balboa, Callao, Arica, Iquique, Valparaiso.
Harrison Direct Line of Steamers (Balfour, Guthrie & Co.)-English ports.
Norway Pacific Line-Scandinavian ports.
Johnson Line (M. F. McLaurin, Inc.)-Scandinavian ports. (Sail- ings contingent upon cargo offerings.)
Williams, Dimond & Co .- New York, European and English ports. (Sailings contingent upon cargo offerings.)
Pacific Steamship Company (Admiral Line)-San Diego, San Fran- cisco, Seattle, Tacoma, Victoria, B. C .; Vancouver, B. C .; Everett, Puget Sound ports, Mexican and Central American ports.
McCormick Steamship Company-San Diego, Redondo, San Fran- cisco, Eureka, Portland, Gray's Harbor, Puget Sound ports.
Luckenbach Steamship Company-New York sailings.
North Atlantic and Western Steamship Company-Philadelphia and Boston sailings.
General Steamship Corporation-South American and Australian ports. Swayne & Hoyt, Inc .- West Coast and East Coast South American ports.
Los Angeles is now known as the great seaport of the Southwest. An
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enormous commerce on the seas is assured it. The fledgling has become a young eagle with an eye on half the world. It shares with San Francisco and Seattle the trade of the Pacific-still in its infancy-but destined to grow with marvelous rapidity.
It is a municipally-controlled and regulated port, and this largely by reason of the fact that it is in large part a municipally-owned and operated port.
The rail haul to it is shorter and is made under better operating con- ditions from most parts of the United States than to other Pacific ports.
STEAMSHIP AUSTRALGLEN UNLOADING 6,000 TONS OF WHEAT FROM AUSTRALIA
Its water highway to the Orient, Australia, New Zealand, the Philip- pines and Hawaiian Islands is in the favorite Sunshine Belt.
It may be a source of surprise to know that the building of this haven has not required an extraordinary expenditure of money. Nature has already done so much to assist man in his labor that the trouble of con- struction was rendered easy. The breakwater cost $2,900,000, and the dredging of the inner harbor up to the year 1910, $1,638,000. And think what has been done with that comparatively small amount of money. It has required five and ten times as much to accomplish the same result in other harbors.
There will be comparatively small expense for yearly dredging to keep the harbor deep enough, as is the case with most large harbors of the world. This fact alone will mean a large saving. A great deal of the money allowed by the Government will be used in building proper fortifications.
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The necessity and importance of fortification construction cannot be exaggerated. If one but stops to think how unprotected we are in this section of the country, one will see the necessity of something being done to strengthen our position. The Government has spent millions of dollars fortifying the Atlantic coast, but on the Pacific coast only a very few of the most important seaports are made safe from danger in case of war. There is no reason why the most thriving part of the Pacific coast should be so situated that an enemy can walk right in its door without knocking. A few years from now there will be greater necessity for this protection, because the surrounding territory is being populated at such a surprising rate. The safety of millions of people will be brought into question, not to speak of the danger to shipping as well as to the harbor itself.
And now to begin with the advantages accruing to the Southwest through the harbor.
There has been a steady growth from year to year in the shipping busi- ness of Southern California. Some years have seen a remarkable increase, but it has to a great extent been dependent on the facilities for commerce which were developed. Most of the products have been exported by rail, but large quantities have also gone by water. Nevertheless, in the past we have not had a deep enough harbor to furnish the best accommodations for ships, and therefore could not receive goods from the largest ones. This, of course, hampered our foreign trade. Some of the large harbors of the world have appropriated large sums of money to deepen their gateways. As for the gateway to Los Angeles harbor it will be wide enough and deep enough for many years to come.
The trade of Los Angeles Harbor is nothing to be ashamed of. Even without the great possibilities which the Panama Canal will open up to us, we would unquestionably have a great trade anyway. But when the salient feature of the great circle route between the Panama Canal and the Orient, being only seventy miles from the entrance of the inner harbor, is taken into consideration, no one can imagine how much the harbor will mean.
In 1910 the crop of oranges and lemons amounted to almost 41,000 carloads. The tremendous quantity of citrus fruit that is shipped has to be forwarded by rail and at a very high freight rate. By water this crop should reach New York in from thirteen to twenty days, depending entirely on the speed of the vessels plying on the route. At present it takes twelve days by rail, but what will the few days' difference amount to when the difference in rates is taken into consideration?
It is expected that oranges and lemons will be shipped to New York by water at the cost of one-third the rail rate. The icing of a car of oranges or lemons from Los Angeles to New York costs about $75. On shipboard the temperature is always very even, much more so than on land, and if there is any necessity for refrigeration it can easily be done by the circu- lation of a refrigeration fluid by the engines. This can be accomplished by the use of a very little power, and consequently at a very low cost.
We should also ship to Europe at a considerably lower cost by the all water route. It is expected that freight will be sent to Liverpool and London by water at the cost of from $7 to $9 a ton. The rail rate for citrus fruits is far in excess of that.
As far as time is concerned, it takes three weeks for the citrus products
GREAT LONG BEACH SHIPBUILDING COMPANY PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
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to reach Europe now, while by the Panama Canal it should not take more than three or four weeks.
Thus is can be seen that the principal advantage of the Panama Canal is the furnishing of a new and cheaper manner of transportation to the east- ern part of the United States. The railroads will have to lower their freight rates to the East, and therefore, traffic will be benefited in every direction.
Not only will we have a tremendous trade with the Atlantic coast and Europe by water, but there are many things raised in the Southwest which should build up a large commerce with Far East. Lemons have been sent to Japan by way of San Francisco. Besides there should be a considerable demand for dried as well as deciduous fruits in the Orient. But one of the principal exports to the regions across the Pacific is cotton. In Imperial Valley cotton is being raised very successfully and it is said to be the finest in the world. The producers have already had orders from Japanese spin- ning mills and a number of experts from Japan have visited the field and were well impressed. Besides this, we are in direct communication with Texas, whose annual production of cotton amounts to some 3,000,000 bales. There will certainly. be a sufficient amount to supply the needs of the Orient.
Besides cotton, Japan imports principally iron manufactures, sugar and wool. All of these are produced in this part of the country. The imports of all the countries in the Far East very much resemble these. They export some very valuable products, some of which will be used in the Southwest. From China we will be able to procure pig iron at low figures. From Japan some very fine hardwood has been shipped, and the oak which has been received competes with eastern oak. Other exports are silk, coal, tea, matting, ore, bullion and camphor.
The commerce with Mexico has gone to San Francisco, but in the future there will be no reason on earth for sending the freight from Mexican points an extra 358 miles up the coast to San Francisco, when the same can be landed at San Pedro. In the new regions of the west coast of Mexico the people require a large amount of machinery and tools to develop their land, all of which Los Angeles can manufacture and send down to them. Once we have put in our claim to this trade, we will find that a large amount of produce, especially tropical fruits, can be brought to this place at a much less cost than at present. For all these tropical products we have had to pay a very high land freight rate, because most of them came through New Orleans to the coast.
From the west coast of Mexico we are able to secure these goods at a much lower price because we have vessels plying regularly between our harbor and their shipping places. There are excellent pineapples, bananas, and beds of oysters five feet thick to be found there. These oysters are as good as any found on this coast, and better than some which come from the Atlantic coast. In this region, which is situated in about the central part of Mexico, there is a great demand for dried fruits, and all kinds of groceries, principally condensed milk and butter. Most of the condensed milk is brought from Seattle, which, of course means an extra trip of over 1,000 miles.
In this way Los Angeles has for years been losing trade which now logically falls to its lot. There have been plenty of supplies, but we were
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hampered in our shipping facilities. The day is soon coming when we will be able to put in our claim for our own trade.
There are great riches stored in all parts of Mexico, and it will only require time and money to develop them. With the proper facilities for transportation and the consequent opportunity for bringing to light the wealth still concealed from the eyes of man, the possibilities for a great trade between those regions, and the United States are enormous. Los Angeles Harbor will, on account of its proximity and the excellent railroad transportation to the interior which it offers, claim a great part in this commerce.
If such a wonderful commerce was given to Seattle by the discovery of gold in Alaska, what will Mexico mean to Los Angeles with its rich mineral deposits and also its agricultural products ? In Alaska severe winters have to be faced by people unaccustomed to them, but in Mexico one will be secure from cold weather and plenty of assistance can be had at a very low rate from thoroughly acclimated natives.
The same may be said of South America, for in many respects the products are similar. There are rich mineral deposits still undeveloped.
In this direction lies one of the great openings of Southern California. From the wonderful lands south of us wealth is staring us in the face. A chance like this has seldom been given to any land.
Of course, Los Angeles will be the great center of attraction for tourists. The people who pass through on their way to the Orient will stop for a few days in the magic wonderland and visit the various attractive resorts and see the rich country surrounding Los Angeles. These tourists always bring a large amount of money into the city and the railroads derive a thriving business from this vast increase of sightseers.
Many people are making the trip to the Orient and around the world at the present day. Very often they come to the western coast of America and leave from there for the Far East. Most of them make Los Angeles their final stopover, because they visit Puget Sound and then come down the coast to Los Angeles by rail, through Portland, or they come via San Francisco. They were once forced to retrace their steps to take the steam- ship at San Francisco, but Los Angeles can accommodate the trans-Pacific liners now, and so these people take the vessels here.
In connection with this another fact bearing on the developments of the Southwest should be mentioned. It has oftentimes been found difficult to secure labor, especially for fruitpicking, and sometimes the labor secured has not always been the most satisfactory. In the future good laboring men will be able to come via Panama at a rate much cheaper than the present one by water and rail. This, of course, will go far toward increasing and unearthing the hidden resources of the Southwest.
Manufacturing in Los Angeles has been increasing steadily every year, and is taking great leaps now that this is the maritime city of the Southwest. Think of the ease with which we can procure fuel. Here we can obtain millions of barrels of oil, on which great sums are saved for every barrel burned.
Most of the manufactories and warehouses of the future will be located in the vicinity of the harbor. There are excellent sites for these near San Pedro. Also back of Wilmington there is admirable flat land, on which
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vast numbers of them can be erected. A special advantage in regard to manufacturing will be the ideal climate, which will render all labor easy. The men will not have to struggle through heavy snowdrifts to reach their occupations, nor will they swelter under a burning sun which strikes to death with the force of its terrible rays.
Until we are finally prepared for receiving the vessels, we will not be able to half appreciate the great advantages which we will have. It will be a glorious awakening to behold the rays of the rising sun calling the laborers to another day of life-bringing toil. And as the great orb of day rises higher in the sky, at each stage, he will turn the emerald seas to sparkling crystal as the prows of a continuous stream of passing vessels wake to life the sleeping waters of the Bay of San Pedro. All day long there will be a bustle about the wharves and docks, the loading and unload- ing of vessels, the departure and arrival of the great argosies.
When the evening sun sinks to rest behind the grim outlines of Point Firmin, the giant guarding the harbor, he will light the whole expanse with the golden rays of his setting. And perhaps some ship with sails spread, waiting for the first touch of the soft night breeze, will be kindled by the glorious golden light shot through the sky by the king of day, until those very decks and sails seem aflame.
Gradually the light dies down and the ship becomes a gray specter on the grayer sea. But the Southwest, having beheld that sight, will know that another day has passed, another day that has been a day of labor, but labor fully rewarded, a day bringing in great wonders, and a day carrying away greater wonders. Above all, and through all, with the throb of the great liners' engines, will be heard the voice of the Southwest singing, always singing of the golden wonderland; of the land of Cathay; of the land of health, happiness and prosperity.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE AQUEDUCT
In my book "California," published by the Grafton Publishing Corpora- tion, I made the following statement :
"The story of the Owens River Aqueduct is the story of a great city builded on a desert that one day awoke to the very serious fact that it must stop growing or find more water for its uses. The city did not desire to stop growing, but there was no more water anywhere within sight that it could obtain. It had utilized to the utmost limit every drop of water in every stream to which it had a right. The city that faced this grave problem was the City of Los Angeles."
And also, here again, in order to discuss the present and to forecast the future, we find ourselves compelled to revert to the past-that beautiful and mighty past when were laid the cornerstones of the commonwealth, and when California's career among civilized communities was begun. Where- fore, I ask the indulgence of my readers to quote again from my book "California":
"In considering the present and future greatness of California, the imagination constantly reverts to the first attempts that were made at civili- zation and commercial progress. One who knows and loves the story of California can never behold the great irrigation ditches which wake to living bloom the vast stretches of opulent plain and valley without seeing, as in a dream, the first uncertain waterway which Junipero Serra projected in the Mission Valley of San Diego. As one speeds now upon the shining highways that link towns and cities together from end to end of the Golden State, memory stirs in the loving heart, the dream of days when the Mission hospices, with their flocks and herds on the hillsides, and the Indian neophytes chanting in the harvest fields, awaited the welcome traveller on the King's Highway. And thus Junipero Serra stands forth the first and greatest character of which California yet can boast-her first missionary, her first merchant, the first of her empire builders."
It is difficult to believe that Southern California, before the coming of white men, was really a desert. But that is what it was. It is now a great garden and lush with bloom, its agricultural and horticultural products running into many millions of dollars in a commercial way annually. But when the mission of San Gabriel was founded in 1771, and the pueblo of Los Angeles founded ten years later, water was the least plentiful thing to be found between the Tehachapi and San Diego. The rivers and streams of the country were then, as now, dry streaks of sand throughout the long hot summers.
When Los Angeles was founded in 1781 there was in sight a quantity of water available for domestic and farming purposes sufficient only to meet the needs of a small community. And everything was all right in this respect
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for many and many a year while Los Angeles remained a mere village, sleepy and contented.
It was only when the "gringo" came and insisted on making a city where it seemed that neither God nor man ever intended a city should be, that the problem of water became momentous.
It is true, however, that by one means and another, the ingenuity of the engineers was able to cope with the situation. But the engineers were always at their wits' ends. Every year more and more people came to make Los Angeles a bigger town, but Nature did nothing to bring more water to it.
We can realize what the situation came to be if we will go back to the year 1905 when the population of Los Angeles was in the neighborhood of 200,000 souls. -
In the month of July of that year the city found itself using every day 4,000,000 gallons of water more than was flowing into its reservoirs. The water commission found itself figuratively tossing on its bed and spending sleepless nights. It sent out its engineers on a quest for more water, as though by some magic or miracle the rocks might be smitten and heretofore unknown springs might be discovered.
And the engineers came back only to say that no possible source of water supply that could by any stretch of the imagination be considered adequate existed anywhere south of the Tehachapi or west of the range of mountains whose backbone lies back of San Bernardino.
It was of the future that these worried water commissioners and the engineers had to think. Los Angeles absolutely declined to cease growing. The experts estimated that by 1925 Los Angeles would have reached a population of 400,000 people. And it would be a city then tragically short of water. We can see now that as a matter of fact the estimate of the experts was entirely too conservative. For, as we are writing this book in the year of our Lord 1923, the population of Los Angeles is quite 600,000, and that in all likelihood it will reach 750,000 in 1925, the time fixed by the experts for it to reach 400,000.
It was in this critical year of 1905 that there came down from the snows of the high Sierras in the character of a Moses, an old-time lover and long- time resident of Los Angeles who had abandoned his old home town to devote his life to ranching far away to the north among the great mountain peaks of Inyo County.
This man was Fred Eaton, sometime city engineer and sometime mayor of Los Angeles.
The day that Fred Eaton came down from the mountains of Inyo to lay before the officials of Los Angeles his plan for a water supply is a day that should be set down in history. And Fred Eaton himself must be set down in history. His idea was to secure possession of the Owens River with its inexhaustible supply of snow waters from the high Sierras and divert its course through conduits over mountain and desert, a distance of 250 miles, for the relief of the city that was well beloved by him and that had heaped upon him its favors and its highest honors.
With the eye of the engineer, Fred Eaton saw that in former ages the Owens River had probably flowed along the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, and had emptied itself into the Mojave Sink. A rock uplift, maybe a million years ago, had interrupted this flow and confined it to the
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unfathomed basin of Owens Lake, from which today there is no known outlet.
In these statements concerning the Owens River Aqueduct, I wish to say that I am quoting freely, and frequently verbatim, from authoritative published documents.
Fred Eaton was convinced from long and careful study of the Owens River waters and the geological formations hedging it in, that the obstacles standing in the way of making the old river available as far south as the San Fernando Range, near Los Angeles, could be easily overcome by means of tunnels and siphons, and thus be delivered to the City of Los Angeles. He was also convinced that the project, if carried to a conclusion, would develop electrical power of immense capacity.
Permeated to the very soul with this great dream, Fred Eaton came on a fateful day to Los Angeles, and unfolded his vision to the devoted officials in whose hands the destinies of the city were then entrusted.
Eaton submitted his idea in the greatest secrecy. His consuming fear was that his great dream might become publicly known with the result that private commercial interests would seize upon it, and that the city-which meant all its people-would lose forever the one supreme opportunity which was its salvation.
Wherefore, with the utmost stealth, and as men going forth on a pro- found secret mission, the discovery of which would spell disaster, the city sent its engineers to examine into the whole project. And when the engi- neers had reported the project to be entirely feasible, the Board of Water Commissioners secretly acquired all the necessary options on land and water rights to safeguard the project from every conceivable angle.
The engineers estimated that to build the aqueduct an expenditure of $23,000,000 would be necessary. The tremendous cost, almost unparalleled in the history of American municipalities, and the boldness of the project- bolder than British dreams of Egypt-did not for a moment dismay the Los Angeles city officials. The officials knew their people-a people brave to do, and long used to big achievement. And they laid the project before the people with the utmost confidence as to what the answer of the people would be.
I well remember that great morning in the month of July when this thrilling dream of the Owens River for Los Angeles was first made public in the columns of The Times, where it was published exclusively. The announcement sent a wild thrill through the whole population. And no wonder. Here was deliverance and salvation. It was like that time in Canaan when Joseph's brethren came back from Egypt laden with corn to succor their famine-stricken homes.
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