Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-25
THE SEWERS.
What the Public Think of
the Propositions.
MANY MEN OF MANY MINDS
Pro and Con of the Outfall Sewer
of Voting the Bonds, of
the BallOna Route.


sewer propositions, his Instructions be-
ing to take representative men and OBJ
tain their real opinions pro and con. The
reporter first encountered
Rx.MAYoR E. F. SPENCE,
President of the First National Bank OF
this city. Mr.. Spence said: do not live
here and have no vote in the proposition !;
but have thought of the matter a good
deal; here are my views:
believe the city must be severed /;
but not absolutely necessarily this year.
But it must be done within few years.
We should have a main sewer to the
ocean yet this would not be utilized ex-
cePt in case of an extra amount OF storm
water caused by heavy winter rains.
The city should buy about 800 acres OF
land at or in the vicinity OF
the Green Meadows or La Dow
district at fair price. If
the neighbors feel themselves aggrieved
on account of the proximity OF the
sewer farm, let the city buy the adjacent
lands at fair price. The plan would
work no injustice to any person. All the
city sewage could be used profitsbly upon
these lands in dry weather. But to make
our system complete we should have a
safety or escape drain to the ocean. There
is no question that the entire sewage
poured into the ocean will destroy the
beach for dozens or scores of miles upon
either side of the point of debouchment.
I have seen this at the mouth Of the
Clyde in Scotland, at the Liffey in Dub
lin, at the Thames near London, and /
am informed that at the mouths of all
great sewers the ocean itself is rendered
impure for great distances. have ex-
amined the West system of filtering sew
age at Atlantic City, in New
Jersey, and believe it is alto
gether practicable for Los Angeles.
D. e. MILES.
From the bank the reporter crossed
the street and entered the Office of the
Southern California Insurance Company,
where Mr.. D. E. Miles was met MIR.
Miles has been Councilman of Los An
geles, and was recently the Republican
nominee for Mayor. He said to the
reporter that he was a little behind in
this matter of the propositions to sewer
the city. He has been at the East for
several months, and when he returned
he found it necessary to go north for q
time. He has but recently got back to
Los Angeles, and he has been busy since
then. Still, in a general way, of course,
Mr.. Miles has definite views on the sub
ject. He said: The sewage should be
utilized for irrigation and fertilization
purposes, if it can be so done without det-
riment to any neighborhood. But there
must be an outfall sewer that will reach
the ocean somewhere. That is necessary to
afford relief in the wet season when
irrigation is not desirable. This plan
enables the city to utilize the sewage
when that is possible, and 10 run it to
the sea when that is necessary. 1t must
be taken somewhere soon-the sooner
the better. East Los Angeles and Boyle
Heights, which are now populous dis
tricts, have no system of sewage at all.
As to how the people feel on the subject,
I do not know. l hope the bonds will be
voted. The city can afford to do this
now, and it will have to be done some
time. think it is necessary if We want
to maintain our reputation as health
and pleasure resort.
AN EAST -sIDER's VIEWS.
The East Side people do not take much
stock in the sewer as proposed, if r.
Dunnigan, Esq, represents the true SEN
timent of that community on the subject,
In g recent meeting of the Board of
Trade of the East Side he is reported as
saying: ..-u
fraud and piece of political trickery to
rob the people, impoverish the city. and
fill the pockets of the boodlers. He said
that if, as Engineer Eaton said, the
sewer water could be made so pure and
sweet, it should be used in rendering the
land more fruitful, instead of being cas-
into the ocean through an enormous and
expensive brick conduit" These remarks
we're received with applause, and the
Judge further suggested that public
meeting of taxpayers and citizens should
be called to consider the subject.
The applause would seem to indicate
that Mr.. Dunnigan does represent the
views of the East.Siders.
MAJOR e. L. STERN.
Major E. L. Stern, of the City of Paris,
was next approached. He is as out
spoken for the sewer as Mr.. Dunnigan is
against it. Major Stern said: You will
remember that three years ago l was
President Of the Board of Trade. At
that time in my annual report to the
board, l referred to the building Of sewers
as the thing of most paramount interest
in the city. / recommended at that time
the building of sewers. l urged that
this be done at once, before the streets
we're paved. have never changed my
opinion on this head. l think it is the
matter of greatest importance before the
people. The sewer must go to the ocean.
l am aware of the value of the sewage
for purposes of irrigation and fertilization.
But the health Of the people is para
mount to all other considerations. That
is first, and all other questions secondary
to this. The plans before the people now,
made by the City Engineer regard as
carefully considered; they give US just
what we want, an outfall to the ocean.
Now let it be built right away. The fact
that the city is severed will be the best
advertisement the city can have. The
right of way by the Ballona route / re-
gard as practically secured. Let the
work commence at once. / know num-
Der of people who say they must be as
sured the work will 60 right on or they
will vote against the bonds. The sewer
should have been built before this.
see no objection to using the sewage for
fertilizing the lands below the city
where it in needed.
WHAT JUDGE STEPHENS THINKS.
Judge A. M. Stephens was met on the
street. He said: Yes, have thought
a good deal of this matter. have
thought of it for years. In 1888
Judge Bicknen and myself were