Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-03-05
PROTECTION AGAINST FLOODS.
Meeting OF Citizens Last Night-Re.
port of Majority and Minority
Committees.

An adjourned meeting OF citizens was
held last night in Judge Howard's
Court room, Mayor Thorn in the chair,
w. }. Brodrick Secretary, to hear the
report of the committees appointed by
the Mayor to devise plan for protect
ing the city from overflow and to pay
for the expense OF the same.
The Committee Vi Ways and Means
presented the following plan for raising
the necessary funds to pay for the same
REPORT OF COMMITTEE.
Hon. G. Il. Thom, President of the
Citizens meeting, organized for the
purpose of taking into consideration
the protection OF the city from the
periodical overflow Of the Los Angeles
river:
Your committee TO whom was referred
the matter of devising means for prose-
cutting the work have given the subject
careful consideration, and viewing the
ditficultie OF creating levee district
and imposing a tax upon the district i'm
mediately affected, recommend that the
work contemplated be done at the gen
oral expense of the entire city. And as
there are not funds provided for this
purpose, we suggest that bonds be
issued, bearing five per cent. per annum,
payable on or before twenty years. 1t
is reasonable to suppose that the tax
roll of the city will be ten million dol
lars this present fiscal year, with fair
prospect Of thia roll annually increasing.
We presume to indicate that five cents
on each one hundred dollars will produce
an interest and sinking fund sufficient
for all purpose and will not press heav-
lily upon our citizens.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
JOHN q. DowNEy, Chairman,
CHARLES u. HowLANp,
WM. II. WORKMAN,
2. BEAuDRy.
II. ID. BARRows, Secretary,
Committee.
REPORT oS LEvEE.
The majority report on leyee, by
Messrs. J. T.. Hollenbeck, John +.
Humphreys and r. II. Hewitt, sets
forth that they have examined the con-
dition OF the river bed, and find it, from
the Toma, just above the East Los An
geles bridge, for distance of three miles,
obstructed by growing willows, matted
grass, brush and other debris, which had
caused sand banks and changed the
channel in many places far from the
"ofiicial bed. and higher in many places
than the hank on either side, all Of
which, il removed from the official
IL - ha, fzl tho lo4. l;a
astrous oy ertiow,
The attention OF the committee should
be called to the fact that the damage
from overflow was very small. The real
damage was caused by the filling up OF
the center Of the channel with heavy
bouders and coarse gravel, which offered
such resistance to the water that it
turned aside and undermined the banks
in the soft sand and loan CT the gardens,
yards and vineyards, causing the houses
to tip over into the stream and be de
stroyed. No houses were destroyed by
| the overflow" 1t was the underhow,
| the erosion OF the banks, which were
softer and lighter than the debris in the
channel which destroyed the houses.
The committee recommend the "Levee
| System with willow mating, hedge
and live timber fencing, and advise that
4 a survey be made OF the "othcial bed" OF
| the river, and stakes be set ON both
sides at distance Of not more than 100
| feet apart, and through the center, and
| the channel be made as straight as posi-
| BILE. That a levee be constructed on
both sides and within the official bed,
which levee should have a width OF
| fne fant Of fha hasa Iaoxrfnu ahOnnA1
| OF 200 feet between the levees and a
space Of 10 feet wide outside OF each
leyee for the planting of trees. The
levees to be only 26 feet wide on top, and
10 feet higher than the channel. To
protect the inside of the levees, willow
posts, 81 feet apart, should be set 4 feet
deep in the ground, and 8 feet above
the same. Behind these willow posts
green willows with their roots on should
be set at least one loot in thickness with
their butts diagonally up stream, and
the tops interwoven between the said
willow posts, making faced willow de.
fense. That the channel be annually
cleaned Of all debris, aud no city refuse
be allowed thrown within the channel.
Grape cuttings and eucalyptus trees to
he SO planted as to give more strengt to
the bank, and road should be built on
the same to make the bank more firm.
The minority report oi Mr.. l.. d.
Gavitt recommended his very ingenious
plan OF making wing dams alternately
on each side OF the river, so inclined as
to encourage the current to keep in the
center OF the channel. The plan OF Mr..
Gavitt is ingenious and original, but il
| omits the necessary leyees to preyent
overfows. The cost of Mr.. Gavitt's
plan is sot at $50, 900, for about three
and half miles distarce. This plan
was published in full in the HERALD last
week.