Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-30
SEWER AGAIN.
What the People Tell the
Herald" Reporter.
SEATTLE'S SAD EXPERIENCE.
Lucid Rati0cinations on the Most
Important Matter Before the
Public at This Time.

In trying to reach the real views OF
the people on the sewer proposition, the
HERALD reporter meets many citizens
who volunteer their opinion, but in all
cases they have been suppressed, for the
reason that to give them would be an
er parte treatment. Citizens who accost
the reporter to express their views
would be likely to do 30 because they
would be in accord with the attitude
assumed editorially by this paper. In
these interviews the HERALD wishes to
get as near the mind of representative
men all sides of the question as may be.
The first man interviewed yester-
day was young man, now q
resident Of this city, who spent
q large part of the past year
in Seattle. He said he had not much to
say about the Los Angeles sewer; but
that he knew something about similar
matters at Seattle. When that city be-
gan to grow some ten years ago, it was
found necessary to improve the sewer
system. The sewage had before been
run into the bay, the point of debouch-
ment being near the shore line. The
line was then carried out six miles into
the bay. Yet as far as Kent, q place
eleven miles from Seattle, the stencil of
Seattle's sewage creates an intolerable
nuisance. Seattle until couple of years
ago was a mere village. 1t probably
never had more than 10000 population.
Yet in ten years its sewage has polluted
the bay to 80 great distance.
d. FREEMAN's PLAN.
T. a. s. - -
either the sewage or the vast body OF
water necessary to carry it away. The
soil of California is the richest in the
world, and our farmers and gardeners do
not use fertilizers as they are used else
where the world over; but the time will
come when the sewage of Los Angeles
will be needed on our lands, and it will
then be of immense value. If the city
has the authority to do 80, it would seem
to be the best plan to purchase few
thousand acres of land for sewer farm.
This land should border on the ocean, 30
as to give the city the control of por.
tion of the sea beach, and also to provide
an escape for the surplus sewage and
water. 1t should be surrounded by a
border several hundred feet in width Of
eucalyptus trees. These trees would pre-
vent to great extent the escape of
noisome odors, and the wood they would
produce would be source of revenue
The sewage could be deodorzed and used
upon the land lying within the belt of
trees. This land could be rented at
figures that would pay the interest upon
the amount invested in sewers.
On the other hand if the city has no au-
thority to buy land for a sewer farm, the
Ballona route eeems to offer the most
feasible solution of the difficulty. The
statement that the Ballona slough is ga
nayigable arm of the sea, with depth of
ten feet of water" is simply nonsense,
as everyone knows who has shot over the
marsh. On the line of the proposed sewer
there is but little water, and only mar
row rivulet or two having depth of
few feet that could be filed with little
difficulty. The bottom is hard, and the
expense of crossing the slough would be
but little over the average for the en-
tire length of the sewer. Salt water
is deodorizer, and the sewer
could be flushed every day as the tide is
going out, thus carrying the sewage many
miles out to sea and rendering it harm
less. In this way the presence of the
sewage would scarcely be noticed on the
beach. Some of the writer's who have
opposed the depositing of the sewage in
the sea near Ballona cite London, Glss-
cow and Paris as cities that have been
damaged in the suburbs where the sew
age is deposited. But the cases are not
analogous. All these cities are situated
upon sluggish rivers, many miles from
the sea. The sewage is deposited along
the river banks, and becomes very moi
some. In our case, and in the man.
ner have suggested, nothing liks this
would happen. If the sewage is carried
far out to sea on an outgoing tide, but an
infinitely small portion of it would ever
be carried back to the beach, and this
small portion would be so thoroughly
deodorized as to be innocuous.
But while 1 think the Ballone route
practicable, and that Santa Monica
would not be injured by the deposit of
the sewage at Ballona, do not think it
would be wise policy for the city of
Los Angeles to adopt that route. The
value of the sewage and the water
to carry it away would be entirely
lost. Expensive litigation would delay
the work until the city would be dam
aged to the extent far beyond the amount
necessary to purchase sewer farm.
W. F. BosBYsHELL.
w. F. Bosbyshell, of the Southern
California National Bank, was found
busy in his office, but he kindly gave the
HERALD reporter few minutes CONVEX
sation. He said / think the sewer ought
to reach the ocean at some point. There
are good many things to look at in this
matter. should say, run the sewer to
the ocean if right of way can be
secured. Run it by the river bed if a
fall sufficient can be got in that direction,
and the right of way procured. But the
right of way ought to be secured first of
all. Run the sewage to the first land
that will take it for irrigation. When
there is more than is needed at
that point, carry the main further
on into new territory, and work toward
the ocean all the time. AS to particular
routes, should say the opinion of the
experts who examined the different ones
ought to count for muci that is, if they
were acquainted with all the elements in
the problem. They may have come
from places where there are not winds
from some quarter blowing half the year.
They may have come from sections
where there is plenty of water to flush
the sewers and no use for water for irri-
eating the land. If their opinion were
only based on the sole proposition of
reaching the ocean, then it would be
valuable only in reference to that point.
But at any rate get all your rights Sc
cured before you begin your work. IT
won do mt the city will be squeezed at