Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-02
SANTA MONICA's VOICE.
what thc City by tine Sea Says OF
the BaIloma Route.


theIBoard of Trade of that city on Mon
day, July goth, and sent to the HERALD
with request to publish the same:
EDITORS HERALD-Judge Albert M.
Stephens and Judge ]. D. Bicknell have
offered to take the entire sewage of Los
Angeles and dispose of the same forever
for SIS, 900. These citizens are thor
oughly responsible. Other responsible
citizens have offered to do this work for
various sums less than $100,000 The
West system proposed to do this work for
$4,000. Mayor Spence, Captain Barrett
and other prominent citizens have visited
eastern citi-s and found this system sue
cessful. The Sausal- Redondo syndicate
offered bonus of 100000 for the sew
age, and also offered one-half share Of
the profits of the sale of their lands to
the city. The calculated amount of this
profit was 100000.
1t is said that the present plan of
dumping the sewage on Santa Monica
beach is the cheapest and only practical
BILE one. The above citations show that
the statement has no foundation in fact.
It is not true. The present City Engineer
has endorsed the use of the sewage on a
farm in general way, and the Sausal-
Redondo route in particular. His present
and past statements as to what is the
best plan for disposing of the sewage are
contradictory, and cannot both be true.
This gentleman stated to the committee
of the Santa Monica Board of Trade that
the outfall sewer would be emptied
into the sea through an iron pipe 800 to
400 feet long.
We know by experience that pipe Of
this length would be packed full of sand
at the ebb of every food-tide. His en-
gineering was at fault. He said before
the citizens meeting at the Chamber of
Commerce that the sewage was to be
filtered at the edge of the beach and only
pure and limpid stream would run
into the sea over the sand. These state.
ments are contradictory. Where is the
truth? If a pure and liDpid stream is to
result from this filtering for which moth
ing in his plans provide, why spend
$500 000lto do this work at Santa Monica
and then waste the pure and limpid
stream? In this filtering subterfuge the
point is confessed that the sewage, pure
and simple, would injure and ruin Santa
Monica. We have consulted on this
point with the distinguished engineer,
T. William Parkes, who is familiar with
the effects of the sewage of London upon
the sea coasts of Essex and Kent. Upon
their coasts formerly we're the
great and popular resorts of Bark
ing, South End, Clacton, Margate.
Ramsgate, Broadstain and q number of
others. They have all been practically
ruined. At low tide the smell is disgust
ing, and upon the whole of the extensive
stretch of coast a thick black ooze has
been deposited. This foul sewage mud
is sticky, and adheres to the feet of any
one attempting to bathe. One of these
resorts, Clacton, is over forty miles from
the mouth of the sewer. We thus see a
prospective ruin to the whole beach
from Point Dumas to San Pedro, includ-
ing Santa Monica cafion, Santa Monica,
Ballona and Redondo.
1t is said that the city has complete
right of way through the Bsllona to the
sea. The Ballona Committee authorize
a denial of this, except as to the lands of
Anderson Rose. As to Rose, he is to
receive for the right of way fifty miners
inches constant flow of the city water.
This is worth $100,000-a fair price to
pay for a right of way. Mr.. Marx, of
the South Side Irrigation Company, at
the Chamber of Commerce, stated the
rental value of the Los Angeles sewage
at $40, 900 year. A valuation OF this
by persons not interested to diminish the
value of the sewage places it at $75, 900 a
year, when it is all available by
a complete interior sewage. What must
we say about dumping this capital into
the sea? Why can the sewer not go to
the Sausal Redondo? Because Mr.. Free
man objects. Such is the condition OF
affairs that one man prevails against q
city. Why can it not 60 by the bed OF
the Los Angeles river? Nobody knows.
But the advocates of the Doodle sewer
say that the bed of the river is too high:
We know that the levels give good
fall from all parts of the city to the river
bed at the Tweedy ranch.
The truth has some rough handling
amongst these men. How does the
Doodle sewer reach the sea beach? On
the Gun Club lands, purchased by the
eity at an amusing figure. These lands
are swamp, bought by the club for hunt.
ing aquatic birds. They are only good
for hunting. By the terms of the deed
the city gets the swamp. The
club gets the money and keeps
for itself the hunting on the
same. This bargain is so beneficial to
some one that the inquiry arises as to
who that some one is. 1t appears that
some of the city officers, even Council.
men, are owners in the Gun Club, and
thus cell, as private citizens, to them
selves, as public officers, this valuable
swamp, and wisely keep all it was or can
ever be valuable for, that is the hunting.
The City Engineer told the Santa
Monica committee that the original line
following the contour of the hills and
emptying on the borders of Santa Mon
lea, was 70 run because the natural grade
made it the cheapest. 1t now appears,
according to the same verscious individ-
ual, that it would be cheaper to pay the
Councilmen and Tribune owners of the
Gun Club their $4,000 for nothing,
and run over swamp that, in
the wet season, is without foundation.
This came capable engineer says that the
line crossing the Cienega needs no foun-
dation, although men and animals are
helplessly mired along its line every year.
[See Major, Geo. w. Patton, Captain
Ellis, etc. The only morning daily ad-
vocating the ruin of Santa Monica is the
Tribune. Does any one in the Tribune
own Gun Club stock?
The Doodle route is said to be the
cheapest method of disposing of the
sewage.
It is, on the contrary, the most expen
sive scheme ever formally proposed tc
the city. 1t is also the most wasteful
The Doodle sewer scheme to ruin SAINTS
Mon;oo Ia a rrunt conaDiracv harhar