Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-03-11
WORK Of TINE wArrRs.

The Rain cenerai-The Earth satu-
rated to Repletion, and Surface
Streams in Lively Flow-Damage
on the Railways and in the City.
The rain that commenced about Sat.
urday noon continued till about s P. NJ.
on Sunday. making downpeur Of 2.S3
inches, according to the government
measurement, and 30.ll inches for the
season. The hills in the north part Of
town were, so saturated with moisture
that they refused to ab,orb this great
| fall Of rain and It came down in swift
torrents through the streets, culirinating
In small river in Alameda street, in
which small boys sailed on planks. The
streets In the southwestern part Of the
city were flooded from the hills on the
west part Of the corporate limits, SO that
all parts were we'll deluged with water.
The water from the graveyard canon
made furious stream that came down
Buena Vista street to Short. to Upper
Main and to Marchessauh street, where
1t spread over the Plaza and divided into
Bath, 0lvera aud Marchessault currents,
badly damaging the latter two streets.
aud discharging into Alameda street.
Something must be done to take care Of
the water that oomos down this canon.
On Sunday it was . swift stream, twenty
feet wide, that arrested all foot travel be.
tween the Plaza and Sonoratown. It
seriously injured the foundation Of some
of the adobe walls and caused them to
fall down in various places.
The back.water from Alameda street
extended back and up to the great cellar
of Messrs. Hellman Haas 4 Co., which
had to be kept clear by constant pump
ing. Pico street. Washington etreet.
Ninth street and the lower end Of Main
street were streams instead Of streets,
and mud held carnival everywhere. Be.
low the city the river changed It's chan.
mel and made great push for Mr.. R.
Nadeau's great buildings erected for
beet sugarie, but at last accounts had
not undermined them. The roads through
the black soil in La Ballona are supposed
to be part Of the bottomless pit.
The railroad bridge that was broken
has been mended 80 that trains can 20
TO San Gabriel, where Q bad washout
was made in the deep arroyo west Of the
Mission. The water from several small
cations seemed to unite and come down
from Gov. Stoneman's, the Lake Vine.
yard and the Winston ranchos into this
arroyo, where it has swept out the EN-.
bankment twice within few days. The
railroad bridge at Savannah is impassa-
BILE. Some foot passengers crossed the
s. P. R. R. bridge from La Puente to Fl
Monte. but did not dare to :roes the
new channel west Of that place, which
IL now wild and dangerous and larger
than the old river from which it sprung.
The bridges on the Anahsim road are
both impossible, but large force Of
men Is at work which will soon make
the road safe, unless more rain occurs
soon.
The two San Gabriel rivers and the
Los Angeles river combined havo united
on the Cerritos Rancho, and made nav
channel further east, that oomes into .
settlement Of farmers that settled two
years ago in the bottom near the viii.
lows. It is supposed that serious dam.
ages have been caused to these settlers
by this change Of the river.
On the east side of the Los Angeles
river, below First street, about two
thirds Of the current plunges into the
bank and causes q constant injury and
destruction. Mr.. w. H. Workman has
cut down q large number of trees and
lashed them to the bank along h;s vine.
yard and partially arrested ths erosion
Of the soil, but Mr.. James Reagan, who
Is next to Mr.. Workman, had his house
and barn carried away and part of his
land. Mr.. ]. H. Post, whose beautiful
orange grove Of ten acres was one Of the
finest In the city. has lost half Of it, and
the rest is still wearing away. This Or
chard was about twenty years old and .
model in condition. A barn belonging
to Mrs. Williams and part Of her vine.
yard and orchard are gone. The vine.
yards Of James Booth, Geo. D. Rowan
and Frank A. Gibson are still wearing
away.
On the west side Of the river, between
Sainsevniu and First street, the water
did great havoc and carried away strip
OF land about 90 feet wide, with two
small shantiss. A large quantity of
trees were yesterday lsshsd to the bank,
and efeetually arrested any further
wearing away Of the earth. But more
blue gum and pepper trees are needed to
secure immunity from further loss.
Farther up. the Hollenbsck tract Il
still suffering heavy wear aud tear,
and needs more trees on the bank. A
combined effort will bs made to-day to
turn the current into the middle chan.
mel, where it can do no harm to either
side. The large pepper trees tha. were
put in on the East Los Angeles side. at
tho end OF the bridge, have stopped the
destruction on that side. A large grove
of pepper trees in the city at the present
time would be invaluable for protection
Of the river banks, and would sell for .
large sum Of money. There is hint in
this for our large land owners, on both
sides Of the river. to plant pepper trees
on the unocoupisd and unirrigatsd hill
lands which they possess in abundance.
1t 10 beautiful. aromatic tree, Of rapid
growth. and makes coed fuel, paying .
large profit to grow for fuel, and sprout-
ing from the stump or limbs when the
upper portion Is cut away. Who will
plant grove Of these treess Now Is the
time to plant the seeds of this beautiful
and useful tree. The weather was dry.
ing yesterday and the water falling
steadily. 1t il now thought the river is
under control.