Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-07
THE RIVERS BED.
THE COUNCIL OBJECTS TO ITS
BEING NARROWED.
The Terminal Railway Will Probably
Withdraw Its Application for an
Amendment to It's Franchise.

Pursuant TO adjournment on Monday
last, the city council met at 10 O'Clock
yesterday morning for the purpose OF
considering the application of the Los
Angeles Terminal Railway company for
an amendment to its franchise along the
east bank of the river, with reference to
the projecting rocky point at the Macy
street cannery.
After the usual preliminaries had
been disposed of, Mr.. Wirsching stated
that the council had, in company with
the company's representatives, visited
the point round which it was proposed
to build the road, and thoroughly inves-
tigated the matter.
Mr.. 'Summerland then presented the
following protest, attached to which
were the signatures of forty-seven prop
erty holders residing on the river front
between Macy and First streets:
"We do hereby entreat your honor
able body not to allow said railway COM
pany, or any other company, to contract
the limits of the official bed of the river
to less than 300 feet at the Macy street
bridge, as less passage or water way
than that would be inimical to our i'm
mediate interests and detrimental to the
interest of the city if said river at that
place is curtailed of it's full proportions.
This winter may bring down upon us,
and the city generally, dire calamity
by the washing out of the old channel
to Alameda street, as it attempted to do
in the floods of 1884 and 1885, and on
Christmas day of last year, when the
waters rose so rapidly as to be within
six inches of the top of the Santa Fe
levee on the west end of the Also street
bridge, which, had not the levee broken
below the First street bridge, would
have resulted in the great loss of prop
erty and, perhaps, as in years past, also
loss of life.
eff railway must be built to enable
us to have a levee on the east side, let
the railway diverge easterly at the dis
San Gabriel Valley railway company,
and follow the course of the arroyo to
the eastern end of the Aliso-street bridge
northerly, at which place they can join
with the levee again and proceed on its
course to the ocean. 1t is not requisite
to the levee along the cannery front,
as the heavy natural rock, properly
faced, Strengthened and graded, would
form better levee than could be con-
structed by driving piles and filling with
sand.
"Let the river retain it's 300 feet in
width by cutting off the rock, but if the
railway must 60 that way let them buy
out the cannery or condemn the right oil
way"
The petitioners further claim that by
building the levee as proposed by the
Terminal railroad, the river bed would
be considerably narrower at this point
than it is now, and the consequence
must be disastrous to the levee on the
west side when the river rises. They
suggest as remedy that the rocks be
blasted out at this point SO as to conform
with the official bed of the river, which
is 300 feet wide.
After this had been read, Mr.. Sum-
merland moved to deny the application
for an amended franchise.
Mr.. Moore, one OF the protestants, ad
dressed the council ON behalf of his fell
low citizens on the river front; and
Judge b. w. Lee, who represented the
railroad company, was also heard in the
matter.
President Frankenfeld declared him
self opposed to any measure which pro-
posed to narrow the river bed.
After anumber of the property holders
had been heard, the matter was discussed
at some length, and finally it was de-
cided to refer the franchise back to the
board of public works, it being under
stood that the railroad company would
withdraw its application and build upon
the bluff through the cannery property.
The sewer committees report was
then read, as follows:
Your committee, to whom was re-
ferred the message of the mayor, return
ing unapproved the demand OF the
Southern California Coal and Clay COM
pany for $2365.20, also the California
Sewer Pipe company for $3048.S5, rec
withstanding the objection of the mayor.
We believe the price reasonable. 1t
was the lowest we could obtain at the
time, and we believe it is the lowest
that can be obtained.
Major Danforth, who represented the
California Sewer Pipe company, then
addressed the council at some length,
apologizing for it by saying that his
company had been frequently attacked
and felt that it was called upon now to
reply to these attacks.
Referring to the mayors message
vetoing the, demand of the company for
sewer pipe furnished, Major Danforth
said:
ellis honor is pleased to state that
the price at which the pipe is sold to
the city is three times what it can be
bought for ON board the cars in the
east, and if it should cost three times as
much to manufacture pipe here as it
does there, and we pay three times as
much, the profits they make (referring
to local manufactories) on the sale of
pipe would then be three times as much
as it should be-
Now as to the difference in the cost of
manufacture between the east and here,
your attention is invited to the follow
ing comparative statement, which can
be verified:
"Our coal costs us a fraction less than
$40 per ton. In Akron coal costs less
than $3.50 per ton, or, if you please, six
tons of coal there for what we are
obliged to pay for one ton here.
"Our clay delivered at our factory
costs us SO per ton. In Akron clay de-
livered costs 15 cents per ton, or twenty
tons there for the cost of one ton here.
"We pay our laborers W per day, and
from that up to $165 per month, accord
ing to the skill required. In Akron the
nav Of the labOrer ia not to exceed ST. 10