Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-03-03

Los Angeles is like Zion, beautiful
for situation, and should also be 'sthe
joy of the whole earth" Everything
that tends to make the people of this
city happier, healthier, wiser and better,
should be encouraged in every reason.
able way. A system Of sewerage is
being steadily made in the important
streets Of the city, and must 60 forward
to completion. The cutters must be
more inclined, and paved. SO as to be
washed and cleaned from tre fire
hydrants. On the more level streets the
guttering cannot be cleaned with any
thoroughness and consequently are sod
den with vile water, manure and Stops,
and reek with pestilental odors, that
poison the humsn system, and cause
levers, Group, diphtheria and death.
But bad as the cutters are, they are
more than rivalled by the wooden side
walks, which are an ulcer that should
be removed without delay. On
Wednesday evening, after sunset, with
no wind to drive away the noxious
vapors, the stencil that arose from be.
meath these wooden walks was fearful
and nauseating in the extreme.
The contrast between the air over the
asphaltum pavements and that over the
plank walks was astonishing. From an
agreeable air over the asphaltum walks,
the pedestrian found a sickening vapor
resting over the wooden walks most
nauseating to every well regulated
stomach. There is constant rottenness
beneath the timbers and planks, It is
the home of rats, mice. bugs, worms,
filth of every description, rotten wood
with its deadly odors and constant mois-
ture to decay the soundest wood. On
the surface of these walks are slivers,
spike heads. knots, broken places, max
ing an uneven surface on which pedes.
TRANS walk at the risk of spraining their
ankles or falling down; while the spikes
and slivers destroy many pairs of shoes
annually.
In every way the subject is viewed,
the use of wood for sidewalks is a NUS
ance. 1t soon wears out and is highly
expensive to make or mend. And es-
peeially in Los Angeles is a wooden
walk objectionable. 1t requiresn large
amount of money to be sent abroad to
pay for lumber scantling and spikes,
while all the elements used in making
our excellent homemade asphaltum
walks are abundant inside the city
limits, and in various other parts Of the
county,
Noxious animals do not burrow in
asphaltum or destroy it in any way.
1t can be made rapidly and is
easily mended or easily retouched
when worn by years of travel. 1t
is luxury to walk on newly made
walk of this kind. 1t is slightly elastic
to the touch of the feet and does not
produce that feeling of WEAKNESS in the
ankles that is caused by walking on
plank or stone for a long distance.
With all these facts before the people,
it seems that an ordinance should be
passed forbidding the construction OF
any more wooden walks and requiring
the old ones to be removed.
The public health clearly demands
such action at the hands OF the City
Council. With fine walks all over our
beautiful city, it would be much more
attractive to strangers aud its reputation
would go abroad as the most delightful
city of the land.
Every reasonable instinct must revolt
at our present old, odorous, worn out
walks. They smell to heads if not to
heaven, and shorten many human life.
An enlightened public sentiment should
be created that would make use of our
native resources and cause our goodly
city to be the model of the whole
country.