Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-12
THE STREETS.
4 Coanunication Relative "a
Their Condition.

L
Iondent Of Streets, on Monday last
presented the following communica-
Hon to the City Council, by which
bedy it was referred to the Board OF
eublic Works:
To ne Honorable, the Council Of the
CITY Of Los angeles:
GrNrLHxRN,-Upon assuming the |
1uties of Superintendent of Streets,
dnd that the street work and sewers
n process of construction, have been
contracted for under the provisions OF
he City Charter. That method OF
ureceodure is simple, and the exper-
fence of5ears has made its application
oasv. To supercede it by one so radi-
oaily different as that OF the
goaeral law, approved March 18th,
1856, cannot be done without the pro-
luction Of friction, Which, however,
nay be reduced to minimum by the
henost cooperation OF the parties
Whsse duties it is to execute it. Much
Of the labor conn acted Herewith de-
yelves upon me. l feel that ! can count
upon all the necessary assistance from
. BODY composed OF citizens who graf
uitously sacrifice not less than 100 days
each year to the public veal. l
desire to call the attention of your
honorable body to the following
sections Of the act to which reference
has been made. By section 2 it ap-
pears that your powers to order the
grading or regarding and the con-
eruction of sewers, ETC., are only
limited by your sense Of, obligation to
yeur constituency. In connection
with public improvements the direc-
lions of this act are that after the
Council of = municipality has award
cd the contract for the same, the
specifications are to be turned over to
the Street Superintendent, who there
after has charge of the same,
making all written contracts and re.
ceiying all bonds authorized by it and
who is to do any other act expressed
Or implied that appertains to the
Street Department. The work hav-
ing been completed to the satisfaction
Of the Street Superintendent he &C.
cepts the same and most fortunately
for the contractor in case the Super
inteadent of Streets refuses to ac-
cept work done according to
contract he can appeal to the Council
and from the decision of your Honor
able Body there is no further appeal.
Section II. By reference to Section
Is, said act requires the Street Super
intendent to keep certain books Of
record properly indexed and open dur
ing business hours and free of
charge to the public, among which is
to be register of all streets accepted
BY the City Council under the section,
you will observe that the payment OF
contractors is effected by an assess
Aent upon the property owners along
the line of the proposed improvement
and side streets, to be made by
the Street Superintendent and by him
delivered to the contractor for collec-
ti0A purposes. Where there is no re-
cord in this office of the streets
that have been graded, paved or
nacadamized under the chart
or, and whereas it is essential
that l should have knowledge
of them in order to comply with the
duties of Street Superintendent, I re-
spectfully ask that you take means to
furnish me with the desired informa-
tien. Furthermore, if it is your de-
sire that take charge of and super
intend to completion such improve
nents as you have contracted
for under the charter, and carry
them on until they are ready for your
acceptance, then the contracts and
data affecting the same should be
placed on file in this office for my
guidance and where the public can
conveniently examine them. In con-
nection with the newly graded and
graveled streets / would call your
attention to the fact that it is essen
TALLY necessary that they should be
sprinkled daily in order that they
may harden under the traffic that
passes over them and yield the bene-
ct for which they were improved.
This will require q great extension
of the sprinkling system. 1 de-
sire to call your attention to
the Downey Avenue Bridge, which
in company with City Surveyor have
Inspected and we concluded that
whilst the piling was good, the string
ers which support the superstructure
(which are sprung and cracked)
should be removed and also the floor
ing. The traffic over this bridge is
great and will be least i'm
peded if the repairs proposed
are carried on at night.
The other bridges all more or less
require the tightening of the iron work
and as per instructions of March 21st,
1888, have put men ito work upon
them. One of the drawbacks with the
light iron bridges of to-day, is
that unless constantly watched
they are liable to give way. The
streets Of the city generally are not in
condition 10 reflect credit upon this
department, owing to the protracted
rains of the past winter and to the
limited force at the command
of my predecessor, which has
not been increased since his resig-
nation. Where streets have been
graveled and need repairs, the
material necessary to that end
is difficult to obtain and costly. Citi-
xens owning gravelbeds demand $25
per cubic yard or more, according as
they deem the necessities of the pur-
chaser are great, to which add the
transportation and the cost ofrepairing
streets where the distance hauled is
long cannot be effected for less than
fifty cents per cubic yard. From
these figures you will see that grav-
eled streets can only be kept in
condition by the expenditure of
much money. As an example
of the cost Of this work, the fill
ing in of the so-called corpora
ton yard and the making of
approaches of the eastern end of "the
Downey Avenue bridge which have
continued in as much as I found it in
progress when assumed the duties
of this Office" is carried on by force