Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-07
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS.
The Board of Public Works
Takes a Tour.
LOOKING UP VARIOUS MATTERS.
The Regarding of First Street.
Safeguards for Cable Cars.
Numerous Petitions.

The Board of Public Works made it's
customary weekly tour of the city yester-
day afternoon to look into the various
matters which will come up before them
by petition at their meeting today.
Major Bonsall and Mr.. Wirschipg repre-
sented the board, Mr.. Shafer being
absent.
The coach was driven first to the cor
ner of Flower and First streets, or as near
that spot as the demoralized state of the
thoroughfares in that vicinity would per-
init. The party walked along First
street to Pearl to look into the matter
brought out in petition from Barbara
Childs and others, protesting against the
opening of First street. The petition
stated that if the suggested grade were
adopted it would have the effect of rails.
ing the grade of Pearl street forty. five
feet. The petitioners asked that a
deeper cut be made on First street in order
thatit might meet the grade of Pearl. The
system of regarding for First street and
calculated out, it would be found to be
not prove entirely satisfactory to every
body. The whole matter, they cor-
sidered should be arranged in spirit of
compromise.
The party then drove out to the
Grand.avenue power house Of the cable
company to see what device Superintend-
ent Robinson had decided upon to pre-.
vent injury to people falling under the
grip cars. Two communications were in
the hands of the board on this matter,
one from Colonel Robinson, in which he
stated that the device at present in use
on the grip cars of his system had been
found more satisfactory than any other.
w. J. Brodrick, of the Main. street and
Agricultural Park line, wrote to the
Council explaining that he had a
device consisting OF 9 small guard rail
running near to the ground, which he
thought would be successful.
Colonel Robinson was found of the
er-bouse, and he described the un-
successful efforts which have been made
in Chicago and elsewhere to plan
guard which will save human life when
an accident like that which recently took
place on the Downey-avenue bridge &C.
ours. Msjor Borsall suggested that the
guard-rail ought to come down nearer to
the track, but Colonel Robinson ex-
planned that this was not possible on the
grades which the cars had to travel on
entering and leaving the viaduct.
The party then drove to the Washing
ton-street stables of the Agricultural Park
line and inspected the two cars which
bore the device recommended by Mr..
Brodrick. 1t was not found to differ
materially from that in use on the cable
lines, except that it came little nearer
to the ground and was not SO substantial.
The coach drove to Los Angeles street,
where D. Amestoy was asking permission
The sidewalk here is below the level OF
the center of the street, and in violent
rains the water covers the sidewalk and
makes it's way back into the stores. The
board will probably decide toda; =. W
grant this request, as well as a request
from Mr.. Keete that he be allowed to
raise his sidewalk, at the corner Of Main
and Arcadia. The last place visited was
the corner of Main, Upper Main and
Marchessault streets, where there is a
space twelve feet square surrounded on
all sides by pavement, which it is pro-
posed to have paved under the Vroomen
act.
The various petitions which were in
the hands of the board yesterday, and
which will come up today, were, besides
the ones mentioned above, the following: !:
W. F. Heming and others, of Boyle
Heights, complain that the men working
for the Evergreen cemetery are taking
dirt out of the street.
De Garmo & Katz protest against the
paving of New High street.
j. H. Jones and others complain Of
the water standing at the northwest cor
ner of Spring and Fifth streets.
Sam Kutz asks for a 42.inch pipe
across Virginia avenue, between Cum.
mings and State streets.
James Davis and others ask tina
Boundary street be opened between Pic(
and Washington streets.
VIM. Lammerson and M. Schwenl
claim damages by the regarding o
Temple street.
VIM. 7. Lambie asks forty days. exten
sion, on account of rains, in the paving
of New High gtreet from Temple tt
Franklin.
Fred Allies, L. N. Breed and larg
number of others ask that the name o
Fort street be changed to Broadway.
The Burdick estate and several hun
dred others petition to have the grade Q
Second street reduced to point whicl
would make it business thoroughfale
This is the largest petition ever presente
to the present Council
F. Edward Gray, superintendent c
the Citrus Fair, asks permission to put
banner across First street.
J. w. Mitchell calls attention to th
fact that Temple street, west OF the Cit
line, is in dangerous condition.
THE CHAIN GANG.
lGAIE M