[Newspaper]
Publication: The Long Beach Press
Long Beach, CA, United States
p. 11, col. 1-4
PORT’S LOCATION IS STRATEGIC
PRESENT IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
ONLY FORESHADOWS GREAT FUTURE TO FOLLOW
NEAR AT HAND OPENING OF PANAMA’S BIG DITCH
TRANSPORTATION
BY RAIL AND
SEACRAFT
Taking Advantage of Gifts
Which Nature Has
Bestowed.
INDUSTRIAL LIFE
OF INNER HARBOR
Factories and Mills With
Shops and Yards Add
to Industry’s Din.
MANUFACTURING
PLANTS BUILT
OR REARING
Some Big Enterprises Are
Launched and Others
Are Projected.
LOCAL CAPITAL IS
HEAVILY INVESTED
Demonstrating Faith That
Those Best Advised
Pin to Port.
By RAY C. FULWILER
With natural facilities for both railway and water commerce, manufacturing plants, warehouses. power plants, lumber mills and yards, machine shops, foundries and other significant enterprises have sprung into existence on the harbor frontage, promoting Long Beach to an important position among the seaports of the coast, all of which merely mark the beginning of an era of extensive maritime activity destined for Long Leach.
When the Panama Canal Opens.
Local shipping will be stimulated to an extensive degree with the opening of the Panama Canal. The channel lying between here and Catalina island is directly in the path of the shortest and quickest way from Panama to the Orient, Long Beach will be one of the points on the Pacific Coast where vessels will stop for repairs, stocking of provisions, and the discharging and receiving of cargoes. This is a most important fact, considering that the commercial future of the city depends largely upon the amount of shipping handled here, as well as the number of manufacturing enterprises that locate on its frontage.
Development of Harbor.
Progressing without interruption work on dredging the harbor was commenced January 1, 1906, by the Los Angeles Dock & Terminal Company, whose offices are in the Long Beach National Bank building. This company, of which C. J. Curtis is the president and general manager, has figured largely in the locating of the present enterprises on the harbor, while owning and developing the entire harbor district, with the exception of land which it has sold to those already located.
First Plan.
The harbor’s conception resulted in a modest attempt to develop, in a small way, the narrow and winding Cerritos Slough, for the purpose of admitting small freight boats to the limits of Long Beach. An enlargement of plans along lines that would develop a really great commercial and manufacturing enterprise, were then suggested. It was at this time that the land on which the harbor is now located, 80: acres, was purchased by the Los Angeles Dock & Terminal Company, which was organized for the purpose of pushing and developing the project.
Progress.
Channel No. 3 which is the only one of the three channels thus far felly developed, has been completed, and represents the dredging of 4,000,000 cubic yards. This channel which leads in from the ocean, is a mile long. 300 feet wide, and contains twenty-one feet of water at low tide. These dimensions are adequate for the admittance of any of the large ships that ply between any of the coast ports
Craig Shipbuilding Company.
On the south side of the channel is located the Craig Shipbuilding Company, one of the foremost industries of the coast, and one of the biggest assets of the city. The Craig company now employ 350 men and distribute a monthly payroll of $20,000, or $240,000 annually.
Municipal Dock
On this side of the channel is also located the Long Beach Municipal Docks, commanding 1800 feet of water frontage. The north side of the channel has been raised to an elevation fifteen feet above of low tide by the Los Angeles Dock & Terminal Company, and that land is now for sale by them.
Turning Basin.
Channel No. 3 is connected with a turning basin, which is twenty-one feet deep and of ample size for the turning of any of the big sea vessels.
This channel and turning basin connects with the ocean under the Salt Lake drawbridge, which is the largest single span bascule drawbridge in the world, and recognized as one of the greatest engineering feats accomplished in the country.
The bridge spans a space of 180 feet in the clear.
The ocean entrance to the channel is well protected by substantial granite jetties, extending 1500 feet into the ocean and 500 feet apart. These jetties, which required the hauling of over 5000 carloads of stone, were built by the Los Angeles Dock & Terminal Company at the expense of $215,000.
Further development of Channels.
This company will commence work next week on the dredging of Channel No. 1, the excavations of which will be pumped on the Long Beach Harbor Tract lying north of the Southern Pacific railroad, and south of Anaheim road.
Eventually, with the three channels dug, the Los Angeles Dock & Terminal Company will come into possession of 20,000 feet of water frontage on the harbor, in addition to the 5000 feet already sold and which has been developed.
Will Connect With San Pedro.
In a comparatively short time the Long Beach and San Pedro harbors will be practically one, as plans are under way to dig a channel from the East San Pedro turning basin to the Long Beach channels, which is a distance of only 7000 feet. It is expected that this work will be accomplished within a year.
PARKING evidence of prosperity and indicating vast future development, great strides of progress have been made since the opening of the Long Beach harbor to the larger freight and passenger carrying vessels serving California ports, less than a year ago. Since the formal opening of the harbor, June 24, 1911, evidences of progress and development in which many millions have been invested, may be seen on every hand. Capital and industry continue to knock on the doors of the city. Comparisons in detail as to the superior advantages and opportunities presented by Long Beach in general and the harbor district in particular, would be superfluous, if not odious. The past speaks for itself, while existing natural conditions control the destiny of the city, giving an impetus to future development.
Great Lumber Emporium.
The twin harbors, Long Beach and San Pedro, that do minister and will minister to the commerce of the City of Los Angeles, and incidentally of all the southwest, hold the record of the greatest lumber port in the world. During the month of January, 216 steamers, eight schooners, one barkentine, under the American flag, and five British steamers, all having a tonnage of 213,860 tons and employing nearly 10,000 seamen came into the port. The coastwise lumber receipts amounted to over 40,000,000 feet of lumber, nearly 20,000,000 shingles, 10,000 bunches of shakes, over 8,000,000 laths and a great deal more of miscellaneous lumber stuff was discharged at the port of San Pedro. There were nearly 9,000,000 feet of lumber put off at Wilmington, and 1,238,000 feet at Long Beach. The passengers discharged there numbered 11,411, and the departures 13,602. Those who lament the decay of the American merchant marine may console themselves with a little reflection upon our coastwise commerce.
California Glass Insulator Co.
Wire connections were made yesterday by the Southern California Edison Company to the California Glass Insulator Company's motors, 250 horsepower each, in their new plant just opened on West Anaheim road. The blowing of glass insulators and bottles, which the new enterprise makes a specialty of, will commence next week. This company has been incorporated for $300,000. The officers are Arthur G. Munn, president; John G. Orth, vice-president; R. P. Frist, general manager; John Morris, treasurer; S. S. Stonaker, secretary.
Star Drilling Company.
That the Star Drilling Machine Company, with branches in Akron, Ohio, Chanute, Kansas and Portland, Oregon, has decided to locate and make Long Beach their main manufacturing and distributing point, is considered one of the highest compliments that has yet been paid to this community as an industrial center.
This company has already "bought and paid for," three acres of land for buildings on the harbor, which will be erected as soon as the land upon which the buildings are to be constructed is thoroughly dry. The Star Drilling Machine Company was induced to build here through the efforts of C. J. Curtis, president of the Los Angeles Dock & Terminal Company, from whom the land was bought by the machine company.
The site is three acres of dredge-made ground west of the old Cerritos Slough and bounded on the North by the Southern Pacific track and on the west by Water street, being approximately a mile northeast of the Craig shipbuilding plant and a mile southeast of the new glass factory.
Plans and specifications for the factory group of three 40 by 80 foot corrugated iron buildings have been completed already at the Star company’s Los Angeles offices and the Baker Iron Works is already busy preparing the structural steel.
It will employ at present thirty skilled mechanics and its monthly payroll will reach $3500.
Long Beach Sash & Door Co.
In order to keep their contracts filled, a full force of thirty-five men are kept busy daily at the big new plant of the Long Beach Sash & Door Company on the harbor. Heavy building operations existing so far this year has kept this company on the go supplying their orders for windows, sash, and doors for the new residences and business buildings.
The Long Beach Sash & Door Company employ all Long Beach labor, and have a payroll of $2500 a month. Among the recent contracts for the supplying the doors, sash and windows, secured by this company are the Lien building, to be erected on Broadway, near Magnolia and the Campbell block, for which Buildings recently fitted with Long Beach Sash & Door products are the new post office, the Farmers & Merchants’ Bank building, and the new Litzaw block at Second and Locust.
Southern California Edison Co.
The new Southern California Edison Company plant on the harbor is now equipped with 12,000 K. W. steam turbine unit, and space has been reserved for the installation of a duplicate of this equipment. This step will be taken as soon as the occasion demands, which is expected to be in the near future.
With this in view the company purchased a parcel of land comprising about ten acres. The site is considered to be a most advantageous one for many reasons, principally, however, on account of its location which borders on the entrance to the Long Beach Inner Harbor. This channel, therefore, provides water for condensing purposes, supplying all of the ocean water which is required, and the controlling works are not subjected to the violence which would be invited if they were located on the open beach.
The present construction for this steam station comprises two buildings, having a combined floor space of nearly an acre. The generator and boiler house has a floor area of 30,000 square feet and is 60 feet-high, while the building containing the electrical switches and transformers covers 7600 square feet and is four stories in height. Both structures are of reinforced concrete with artificial stone base, ornamental copper cornice and mission tile roof. Everything considered, this is the handsomest and best equipped steam plant west of Chicago.
The main unit consists of a steam turbine of 12,000 kilowatts (equivalent to 16,000 horse power capacity.)
For supplying the steam for this turbine and its accessories, there are eight Sterling boilers, each of which deliver continuously 30,000 pounds of steam per hour at 225 pounds pressure, and 125 degrees superheat. For the entire present installation this evaporation is at the rate of 2880 tons of water per day, an amount equal to that contained in an 8-inch water main 50 miles long.
Long Beach Improvement Company
The story of establishing the business of the Long Beach Improvement Company and its harbor holdings constitutes an interesting chapter in the growth of business in the Long Beach harbor. The Long Beach Improvement Company was the first business institution to develop an industrial plant in the harbor district north of the Craig Shipbuilding Works. Since the building of the Long Beach Improvement Company's warehouse and mill some nine months ago, other enterprises have followed rapidly, locating in the harbor industrial district. Among these later companies mentioned the Los Angeles Mill and Lumber Company, the Glass Works, Long Beach Sash and Door Company, the Citizens Lumber Company, Marcus Campbell Lumber Company, Malcom Dye Works and others.
Prior to the establishment of these industries, and when the northern part of the harbor was practically unoccupied, The Long Beach Improvement Company acquired one-half block of ground in a choice location, and immediately began the laying out of its present lumber yards and planning for the construction of its present planing mill and building material warehouses. The growth of the Long Beach Improvement Company has been phenomenal. The company was incorporated on March 11, 1911. at which time $60,000 was subscribed toward the enterprise. Its harbor ground was bought in the month May, 1911, and as soon thereafter as could be the lumber yard was established and the mill and warehouses were constructed.
The company received its first big cargo of lumber on June 24, 1911. This was the first shipment of lumber ever unloaded on the municipal dock, and the occasion was made one of public celebration on the part of the city, public speeches being delivered by the mayor and others, and other features constituting the day's program.
On July 10, the Long Beach Improvement Company signed its first building contract, and up to the present time this company has booked 60 buildings; considerably larger business than is shown by many of the Los Angeles Home Building Companies.
From the time that the lumber yard was established and the mill built, up to the present, this company has passed nearly 4,000,000 feet of lumber into and out of its yards in its building operations, besides having received several carloads of nails, large shipments of cement, carloads of plumbing materials and the like, which it has bought from factories at wholesale factory prices.