Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-01-08

The HERALD IL the ofiicial paper OF the CITY
of Los Angeles. The city delinquent tax lists
aud all other municipal notices appear only
ia its columns.
Mr.. b. N. Rowe ia the Santa Ana agent OF
he HERALD.
A most FsenponsibIe OpeninR--Lef
Us Hope for n Good He-
sponse by the People.
The people, both Of Los Angeles
city and its surroundings, are inter
ested in having intelligent ideas oil
the future developed IN the columns
OF the HERALD. We find that MIR.
Abbott Kinney Of the San Gabriel
valley is possessed of the most com
prehensive ideas of local government
which we have yet encountered. Mr..
Kinney, in communication recently
addressed to the Herald, says:
"The Council recently elected in
the city Of Los Angeles has duties TO
perform OF the most important char
acter.
II will have the investment OF a
sum considerable in itself; large in
the eyes Of the property holders, but
most important of all because this
sum is the legal limit Of the borrow
ing capacity OF our city, and must,
therefore, for considerable time at
least, be all the money that can be
Invested in improving this growing
and prosperous place, beyond what
is derived from direct taxation.
II is Of more than ordinary inter
est, therefore, that this sum should
be wisely expended.
The sewers and pavements are and
ought to have the first attention.
There is already plan for the sew
ers--doubtloss a good and sufficient
one, but as this Is 80 vital matter
the city should take no chances.
San Francisco, splendid and
wealthy city, has spent great sum
on her sewers; nevertheless the whole
system is 30 radically defective that
II is now proposed to replace II by a
new one. This can only be done at
large expense. Sewers OF the same
size run on different grades; large
sewers empty into small ones, some
branch sewers connect at lower
level with the main stem than this
runs on, thus diminishing the capaci-
ty OF the feeder TO the extent OF the
difference OF level. Wooden sewers,
rotiing away, alternate with brick
ones /; some OF the sewers have dif-
ferent shapes ON similar grades;
foundations have sunk, etc, etc.
The sewers are made also to carry
the rain water as well as the actual
sewerage.
The result OF this lack Of complete
and systematic plan is that, in the
dry season, the sewers being too large
or defective in plan 70 carry the sew
erage alone, become clogged up.
Gases and disagreeable odors are
formed and force themselves on the
notice of the citizens but, worst OF
all, opportunity is given for the
growth Of Infectious gerTs and
sources of disease which, vori,~;s; IN
the people debilitated from deyitaliz-
ing gases, makes the death rate high,
aud sweeps off the people, most oil
all attacking the defenseless children,
From these causes the mortality in
San Francisco this year has been ex-
cessiye and out OF all proportion to
what should occur in city continu-
ally swept by a cool and vigorous
sea breeze. For every death that
occurs about ten persons are inca
pacitated by disease from work and
become charge on their friends or
on the community. Thus every death
makes a great deal more difference
in the health, wealth and prosperity
OF u city than is generally supposed.
Los Angeles should benefit by such
experience and avoid these errors.
There are several local questions re-
quiring attention in a sewerage sys-
tenn for this city. The great variety
of grades should be provided for. As
an illustration take the Temple street
sewer. On Temple street this con-
duit, we will say, can carry oil loo
cubic feet per second, bat the same
sized sewer ON the lesser grade after
leaving Temple could not carry more
than ten cubic feet. A sewer then oil
the same size on Temple and after
crossing Main street would be either
too large and expensive on Temple
street. or as is the fact, too small and
inefficient after leaving that street.
The outlet and distribution OF the
sewerage is with us an important
point. We have no river to carry OIL
this material Thus far the sewerage
has been dumped on private lands.
Fertilizers it is true are becoming OF
more value every day, but sewerage
is a particularly unpleasant form OF
fertilizer, and as our city grows TO be
a great place, as it must, the present
disposition will become difficult. 1t,
therefore, becomes a question worthy
of consideration as to whether we
should have the same system carry
the sewerage and the rain flood
water. We have a long dry season
when no rain falls, and the sewers
should at least be SO constructed as
TO carry the sewage at that time and
to keep themselves clear, which
sewers large enough to carry the
rains do not do in San Francisco.
Again: We have rains, sometimes very
heavy, that cause floods liable to burst
even fairly built sewers, as has al
ready been the case. II the eventual
disposition of the sewerage is by des-
sication and other manipulation to
prepare it for sale to the farmers, as
is now done in some cities, the exclu-
sion of flood waters will be a great
economy and advantage. There is
another point that may well receive
some thought, and that is whether
such main sewers as pass along the
principal streets, especially those
streets to be paved, could not be con-
structed so as to carry the water and
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