Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-11-17
STORM DRAINS.
A New Plan Suggested by Judge X
M. Wfdney.


A New Plan Suggested by Judge X.
M. Widney.
Judge Widney has the following sug-
gestions to make with regard to the storm
drains:
Storm drains are necessity and must
be provided or nature will drain its
storms along the lowest surface levels to
the damage of aligningproperty.
Underground drains are very danger
GUS and very expensive. They are con-
structed of material that will not stand
pressure, and when crowded with water
frequently the pressure bursts the storm
drains. causing great damage. This oc.
Cured at East Los Angeles in the recent
storm, flooding the cable engine house.
dermined the railroad tracks at the Gin
cinnati depot in Ohio, and suddenly let
passenger train into the boiling
torrent, drowning a score Of
people. In very great storms the
underground drains are wholly insult
ficient. There are frequently storms
from which body of water pours down
the wooden mill valley over ten feet
square, and sometimes nearly double
that. This, augmented by the city water
shed as it pours south, would render any
storm drain yet proposed wholly made.
quate for the drainage.
OPEN SURFACE STORM DRAINS
Are the only practicable ones, and are
very Inexpensive. They are made by
using certain streets. To illustrate, take
the water flow of the wooden mill valley
where it strikes Hope and Sixth streets.
Pave Hope street with asphaltum, setting
the curbing twelve inches above the level
OF the street. Either construct the bed
OF the street horizontal, or with q
three Inch central depression or three
inch central elevation. This would carry
a badly of water one foot deep by fifty
feet wide. AS this wafer fowe south d.
vide it onto lateral or CROSS streets, and
thus carry it to the river or some other
place. at Hope and Sixth street por-
ton of the storm water can be run down
Sixth to Olive, Hill, Spring, and down
these streets. they alec being constructed
with twelve-inch curbs and horizontal
street grades. This system followed out
through the city would cost nothing but
the grading of the streets in the ordinary
way. The city could aid the prop
erty-owners or could order such
streets graded. The flow of
water on these streets would only OCCUPY
one or two hours in occasional years, and
these streets are now the legal water
courses Of this storm water, and their
improved use therefor could not be leg
ally interfered with by any property
owners.
Some Of the storm water would thus
naturally fiud its way to the Bahona
creek, the rest into the Los Angeles
river or low lands Of the valley.
This system is free from ell dangers of
the underground storm drain system.
No foul gases, no bursting, no clegging
up. On the contrary, every rain washes
all impurities from the surface OF the
streets, leaving the city completely
cleansed.
The construction OF the streets as pro-
posed is the best for traffic of every kind.
Our present bumped up in the centsr
streets are objectionable engineering
blunders in our climate. They originated
in swampy, rainy countries, where they
had to round up the road-bed to shed
the rainfall quickly, and to drain out the
road.hed by hesping it above the water
level of the adjacent swamp or damp
levels. AS the nature of the country de-
parts from swamp and the rainfall
decreases the surface of the road should
approach the horizontal line. So also as
the road-hed or street ia paved with
waterproof asphaltum, etc., it should
ap proach the horizontal line. The hori.
zcntal or level street is the one on
which vehicles run easiest and with
least strain. The more the vehicle is
run on the side hill OF bumped up
street the greater the strain on axle, hub
and epokes.
The water fowing down these streets,
by little engineering rise in the grade
at the cross.streets could be
made to automatically divide the
flow into cross-streets, and then
again by a similar device down such
streets as were desired. The flow should
not follow down the street where the
cable car runs for anv distance. This
system will most perfectly storm-draiu
the city in the most healthy, natural and
legal manner at no extra cost, and free
from danger usual in storm drains.
Its interference with traffic would be
only slight, and during the height of the
storm for an hour or two when all traffic
is at q minimum.
The streets paved with three-inch
depression in the center would for all
purposes be the most desirable for the
following reasons The carrying capacity
is greatest, the water flow in light rains
would be removed from the side
walk, giving dry footing, etc. AT the
places where most used it would keep
the water in one central stream instead
of two side streams. Water loaded with
sand would drop such material in the
center of the street, and would not be 30
liable to divert the flow out of the street
in eudden floods. In sweeping
streets it is easier to sweep and clean the
central line than the two sides with per-
psndicular curbs. And, finally. less than
the cost of poor system of underground
storm drains gives our city frst-class storm
drains and frst-class paved avenues.