Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-03
CABLE ROADS AND BRIDGES.
what ts Being Done Along the
River Crossings.

what is Being Done Along the
River Crossings.
The progress of the city is nowhere
more noticeable than along the banks OF
the Los Angeles river, and particularly
at crossings. Four years ago, when the
great food came down from the head
waters of the Los Angeles river, from the
Teiungas, and from the Arroyo Seco, it
swept every bridge from the stream
along the city front excepting the COW
cred bridge at the foot of Macy street.
This is true of all the railroad bridges
excepting that of the San Gabriel Valley
road, now The Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe. The approaches to this via
duct were washed away, and the covered
bridge was so badly wrecked as to be
very dangerous even for foot passengers.
When the viaducts now being con-
structed are all complete, the city will be
excellently provided in this respect. The
Southern Pacific railroad is utterly be-
hind the spirit of the age in the matter of
bridges. The river Soing out north
towards San Francisco is crossed by this
road on an old row of piles in the manner
of the backwoods. The road, going out
east toward Yuma, crosses on similar
old ramshackle affair of piles. For four
years there has been no end of talk
about putting up fine, iron viaducts at
these points, but thus far the whole affair
has begun and ended in mere words.
At Buena Vista street the city has put
up fine bridge. 1t is just now about
the only safe way across the river, ex-
cepting by the old covered bridge at the
foot of Also street, and on Kuhrts
street.
At the Downey avenue crossing, good
deal of work has been done on the new
bridge. Delay has been incurred by the
failure of the iron to arrive as it had
been contracted for. 1t is said now to
be near at hand. Preparations have
been carried as far as possible in the alb
sence OF these supplies, and when they
arrive the work will be pushed. The
cable company has made nearly all its
preparations to operate its system into
East Los Angeles, and this project de-
pends on the completion Of the bridge.
The viaduct, including the wagon and foot
roads, and the cable road track is to
cross above the Santa Fe and other rail-
road tracks. The elevation begins at
the intersection of Aurora street, on this
side of the river, and reaches an altitude
sufficiently high to pass over the Santa
Fe trains at the bank of the river. The
bridge keeps on across the river at the
same elevation, and after crossing the
tracks on the east side of the river, the
viaduct comes down to the level of
Downey avenue. The abutments are all
in place, and the timbers are on the
ground for this work. A great embank-
ment is being dumped at the east-side
crossing to carry the viaduct over the
tracks.
The HERALD gave day or two ago
some account of the backward condition
of work on the First-street bridge. The
viaduct here is to run above the railroad
tracks on both sides of the river, and it
will take good while to do the amount
OF work required. At Ninth street the
old First-street bridge has been re-rected.
There is some dispute and consequent
delay about the completion of work on
this, but when the obstacles are re-
moved and the work performed, this
will be very serviceable crossing. At
Seventh street q new bridge has been
built which needs some finishing touches,
but it is used now by those dwelling
near it.
The cable-road has to bridge the South
ern Pacific tracks on San Fernando
street at its own proper cost. The ele-
waited viaduct will begin near the foot of
Upper Main street, and, paralleling the
Capital mills, will continne on past the
freight-houses of the railroad, descend
ing to the street level after crossing the
tracks of the railroad company north OF
the intersection of Mission street and
San Fernando street.
There is one other bridge that should
be made as soon as possible. That is
the elevated viaduct proposed to carry
traffic along Aurora street from the San
Fernando intersection to that on Buena
Vista street. This passes over some
score of tracks in the Southern Pacific
Company's yards, and will be very
great convenience to people in this part
of the city.
When all these are done there will be
seven good bridges across the river. This
does not include railroad bridges.