Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-03-13
LOS ANGELES ROADS.
A Country Which Demands
the Best Highways.
A COUNTRY WITH THE WORST,
The Great Demand of the Hour
Which Deserves the Most I'm
mediate Attention.

III us INTERVIEW WIN n hhhALR re-
porter ON Thursday last Mr.. @. w,
Smith, First Vice President and General
Manager of the A., I. & s. +. R'y,
when the branch railway to Santa Mon.
ica was broached among other things
that gentleman said: ''Santa Monica
is one of the most beautiful and attract.
i've places, with the most delightful eli
mate 1 ever visited. 1t will be one of
the greatest watering places on the con-
tinent in few years to come. l know
no place equal to 1t in natural advantages.
1t will be developed aud crowded with
visitors before very long"
Santa Monica is only one Of several
attractive sensible resorts within easy ac-
cess to Los Angeles city. The seaside is
only one OF the many scenes Of attraction
here. The mountain side has as great
charms for The tourist, and as beneficial
influence ON the invalid.
'''ro him who in the Love of Nature holds
In such land as this is there are very
lovely spots between the Sierras and the
sea. The orchards and vineyards that
dot many parts Of the country are very
pretty sight. The green grain fields now
and the golden yellow Of them in harvest
time are pleasant to the healthy eye.
Such March days as these the plains
where no plow has yet touched the vir
gin soil, covered as they are with wild
flowers of thousand hues command at
iention.
The reportorial pencil lacks the
impulse of poetic inspiration. Its
style. Still the reader in whose ar
tistic mind there glows the fire
Of fancy, these plain, prosaic records OF
the surroundings of this city, as he
pictures before his minds eye the limpid
blue Of the waves that ripple in Santa
Monica bay, the sleepy haze that lies
over Santa Catalina Island from Long
Beach in this spring weather, the scarlet
poppies that set the sides of the big
mountain cafions all ablase, or the deli
cate purple Of the immense lupins in
myriads over the plains, defying the
splendors Of royal courts bedight in
Tyrian dies, while over all like great
spotless angels clad in heavenly white
stand the giant peaks Of San Antonio,
San Gorgonio, and San Jacinto-as the
poetic temperament of the reader colors
the dim facts of the reporter and Los
Angeles stands revealed to his mind in
her true beauty, he will not fail to COM
Irehend that here is land where the
green earth, beneath blue. cloudless
heavens, ringed round with sapphire
seas, in which hJusos are of minor
moment, where outdoor life is o con-
tinual inspiration and delight. As he
dwells lovingly ON such attractive
scenes IL will be natural to ask
aow CAN ONE REACH
All these points OF attraction is It
good land for tha pedestrian, or are
there level roads relieved by the CRATE
full shade OF trees by which to get from
Los Angeles TO all these charming spoisi
Now, it must in all fairness be con.
fessed this is not = climate provocative
of much wa king. Besides, the dis
tances are utterly beyond the powers Of
endurance as developed in this regard
among the average mass Of Americans.
The climate is rather too ardent for
most people to foot" it for Is to 20
miles. The character of the roads is not
conducive to comfort Ia an effort of that
sort. OF he roads, more anon. But it
is well known that the mild and over
cast skies of England, with her smooth,
hard highways, is the beau ideal condi-
tion for pedestrianism.
THERE ARE RAILROADS
To most quarters Of the county, and by
these nearly all points Of attraction can
be reached. There are more Of them
coming, and before the Oldest OF us here
have time to grow much more grey the
county will be quite a gridiron Of rails,
which will carry us whittier we will in
our desire to ramble through her beau
ties.
But the railroad is the daughter.inyen.
ton OF a necessity whose grandmother
Is modern business. When the votaries
of leisurely pleasure are reached they
want something less lsborious than
"footing" it. and not go rapid as the
railroad train. The only thing to satisfy
this demand Is
GOOD. BARD. LEVEL ROADS.
Here is where the "nakedness of the
land" as the poetic Hebrew prophet
had it, sticks fiery off indeed. The
streets Of the city are bad and need ear
ly attention. When the streets are
severed and the water mains and gas
pipes all laid down the properly hold.
ers will take this matter mp and Los
Angeles will have no more muddy
streets. There is no need Of such delay
in the matter of the roads. Here lack
of Imagination again is serious obsta-
Gle to the reporter. Such faculty
would enable one to say something in
teresting about the streets. Bat they
are so much like the chapter on snakes
In the famous history OF Iceland that il
is hard to say any thing about the
streets. The chapter ON snakes was
'There are no snakes in Iceland"
The whole story OF the roads is: They
are needed-they do not exist. II the
future is to be judged by the past, they
are likely to be needed.
1t might be added that this is a wrong
state OF affairs, but such an addition
would not take rut ont of the roads.
1t is too patent fact that the city
should have decent roads to need telling
the story. AT the Council Chamber last
Tuesday several OF the Councilmen
spoke "feelingly" OF the bad condition
OF several Of the streets ON the outskirts
of the city. A few loads OF dirt will be
dumped in them, to become dust in sum-
mer and mud in winter. but the streets
will not be repaired.
There are here and there q few miles
OF road in the county, made by private
enterprise, which might serve as exam.
Piles OF what should be the rule aud not
the exception. The big avenue at 'Riy-
erside, the similar one at Ontario, three
or four such on the Santa Anita, with
their level beds and fine lines Of shade
trees and ornamental shrubs, are such.
There should be hundreds Of
miles OF Just such fine roads
all over the county. They should
be so to 100 feet wide, level, hard and
smooth. Double lines OF trees should
align them on both sides. The rapidly
growing and lordly eucalyptus trees are
the best in the world for such purpose.
1t is much to be feared that very little
will ever be accomplished in this direc-
tion in any way except through private
enterprise. 1t shonld be taken up in
this very way and good roads provided
In ell directions. The enterprise will
pay. Let the ranchmen club together
and put In few days work now and
then along in front Of their property,
plant trees, lay out sidewalks and in all
ways make attractive roads. The en-.
hanced value Of each acre will ten times
repay the outlay.
THE PEOPLE or LKIsURE
Who come here winter after winter, the
increaAinQ number Of snch ,,aanfa x.hn