Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-13
OUR SEWAGE.
What to Do With the City's
Refuse.
VERNON WILL NOT HAVE 1T,
Can Courts Injunction Make
Water Run Up Hili2 Is
the Query.

And rags, and hags, and hideous wenches,
counted twc-and-eeventy stenches,
All ell-dehned, and several stinksl
Ye nymphs that reign DER sewers AMI sinks,
The river Rhine, 1t Ia well known,
Doth wash your city of Cologne:
But tell me, nymphs, what power divine
Shall hencetorth wash the river Rhinel
The burning question in this city just
now is, what shall we do with our sew
age? Some few years ago the same
quandary puzzled the City Fathers for a
long time, until few intelligent and
enterprising citizens of the Vernon Dis
trict came to the fore and offered to solve
the puzzle to the entire satisfaction of all
concerned. At that time all of Los An
geles City proper east of Main
street and south Of the immediate
center Of the city was under cultiva-
ton, most OF the territory being devoted
to vineyards and orange groves. The
Bliss Grove is at the loot Of Second street,
and the Wolfskill orchard is Just below
it. The Bliss place is now cut into city
lots worth, perhaps, $2500 each, and the
Wolfskill grove is replaced by the new
passenger depot OF the Southern Pacific
Railway. When trees and vines covered
all the vast area down to Jefferson street
there was a big demand for water for
irrigation purposes. The territory being
now diverted from its original uses to
that of business and residence, the City
Water Company supplies it with all the
aqueous fluid it needs, irrigation is a
thing OF the past. Now in the days when
the intermunicipal region called aloud
for water, there was very little to spare
for the region outside of the
municipal limits. In such a
case everything liquid went, and
the beautiful Vernon District was glad to
get sewage. A company was formed to
take the refuse at the south edge Of the
municipal limits and distribute it to the
thrifty vignerons and orange growers OF
the most fertile district OF Los Angeles
county, and that means on the terraque-
GUS globe. For years all went
we'll. The sewage was dis
posed of, and that made the
city Dads rejoice. Vernon got plenty of
water for her leagues Of vines and trees,
and the farmer was more than happy.
The South Side Irrigation Company
made money hand over fist, and the
Messrs. Entwhistle, Mckinley and their
associates were simply hilarious.
But now comes change in all this
fortunate programme. There is little
demand for water for irrigation
inside the city limits, and there is
a surplus to spare for the region
round about. Some of the Vernon people
think there is flavor not quite desirable
about the refuse liquid flowing from a
city of eighty thousand people; and while
the water from the river in its natural
condition is not quite so fat or redolent
OF fertilizers, they think it is to be pre-
ferred to the sewage. So firm a
hold has this opinion gained upon
certain of the inhabitants of that charm
ing locality that they have brought in
junction suits in the courts to prevent
the use of sewage on their neighbors'
fruit farms. The courts have listened
to the prayers OF the petitioners and
have granted the injunctions. But these
decisions of the courts do no reach back
far enough. The householders of Los
Angeles still turn their refuse water in
to the sewers, and the natu-
raj law called the attraction
of gravitation, the discovery of which
made Sir Isaac Newton famous, declines
to obey the behests of any mundane
court. The sewers, like Tennyson's IS
river, run on forever and forever. The
sewage finds its way to the end Of the
canals prepared for it; and getting down
to Vernon first comes in contact with
the decisions OF the courts. In spite
OF all the awe such opinions usually
inspire, the sewage conscious Of its in
herent strength, declines to obey the
mandate 'sAbout, face ~ 1t still runs
down hill. The courts being powerless
in this matter and the law OF grayitation
defving them as the rising tide did
Knute the Dane, the Vernonites fly to
the City Council and ask their aid.
WHAT WILL THE DADS DO?
The members OF the City Coun-
ell set Yesterday afternoon apart
for the purpose of seeing, or rather oi
smelling the situation in Fair Vernon
At1p. N. a ahalf-dozen nice turnouts were
in waiting on Second street, and soor
after this hour, Mayor Workman, Johr
F. Humphreys, the President of the
Council; b. Cohn, Chairman of the FL
nance Committee; NJ. 7. Collins, Chair
man Of the Zanja Committee
John Moriarty of the Second Ward; nj
Teed, B. Chandler, James Henley
and Newell Mathews, members iron
the First Ward, together will
Captain George @. Knox, ex-City Sur
veyor, and W. I. Lambie, the present
incumbent of that office, were off for the
scene of the scenting. A party OF news
paper people swelled the party to large
proportions and kept it awake all along
the road. The HERALD gets everywhere
and Of course was ably represent
ed. The party drove out Mair
street to Washington, and dowr
that street to the great Central avenue
During the Journey out Mayor Workman
and Mr.. Humphreys improved the tim'
by discussing gambling. A proposition
was made to formulate a resolution
against fan tan in Chinatown, which
resolution might be Illuminated at th'
next meeting Of the Police Commission
1t was to be as usual in the purely PICK
wickian role, merely to keep tn
matter before the people. This me
with general approval. The HERALD ma
gave it his undivided support. MI
Humphreys seemed to want to get rest
He said he had not had time to eat for
week; but that in spite of his iejune cor
dition, he was Democrat Of the tru
Jeffersonian stripe. 1t was also rumore
that as soon as the Mayor had saved th
Chinese from the vice Of gambling, an
had made good Christians OF thei
all, he intended to devote more attei
ton to sewers, streets and schools
The alliterative fan tan programme was
be replaced by the three ses above. Th
HERALD fellow sang for the edifcation ,
the party that suggestive ballad II
1909."
BRING ON YOUR oLFAcToRIEs,
! At the charming place Of Mr.. En-