Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-18

be able to make soon.
have already reported to the council
| in regard to Chavez street.
There are no legal complications that
| l know Of in Wall street, and the COM
missioners inform me that the only
| question to be determined is as to who
shall pay their expenses in case the pro-
ceedings for opening the street are
stopped.
1t appears from the reports of the
| commissioners upon Second and Davies
streets that the commissioners did not
assess ali the property upon Second
| street, and for that reason the supreme
| court decided that the proceedings were
| invalid. This will necessitate the max
| ing of an entire new assessment upon
this street, and l advise that the coun-
Gil instruct the commissioners to do this
at once.
1t appears that the ordinance of inten-
ton upon Davies street did not include
the property of the street railroad, and
for that reason it could not be assessed,
which leaves a deficit of about $3.50 to
pay for the damages. The
matter was referred to the board of pub
lie works.
A recess was then taken until 2 O'Clock
| p. M.
Afternoon Session.
On reconvening at 2 O'Clock the mat
ter of opening Wall street, which had
been made special order fer that hour,
was taken up, but on motion OF Mr..
Brown action thereon was again de-
ferred for three weeks.
A message was received from the
mayor, as follows:
The Abila Tract.
To the Hon. Council of the City of Los
Angeles.
On the 9th day Of May, 1890, 7 called
the attention of your honorable body to
the fact that parties were continually
settling on and improving portions Of
that tract of land known as the Abila
tract, and are applying for city deeds
therefor, since which time nothing seems
to have been done in the matter. Pro-
ceedings ought to be instituted forth
city has in this land before it is too late.
Different attorneys who have examined
only casually the title are of the opinion
that it belongs to the city, but one ad-
ministration after another passes out of
Office and permits this matter to 60 by
default. If your honorable body will
now authorize me to direct the making
of SO much of an abstract as will be
necessary to show in whom the title is
vested, the matter shall be attended to
before the present administration goes
out of office.
Buena Vista-Street Bridge.
Last winter large span of the bridge
of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Val
ley Railroad company broke loose from
its position, and being carried down the
river by the current, precipitated itself
against one of the piers of the Buena
Vista-street bridge, nearly destroying
the bridge, damaging it to such an ex-
tent that it could not be used until it
was repaired, which the city was COM
PEELED to do, at an expense of $3129.11 to
the contractor alone.
Demand should be made of the COM
pany for the money paid to repair this
bridge, and if the company refuse to pay
the same, suit should be brought there
for.
Every bridge crossing the river was
endangered by this floating section of
broken from it's lodgment against the
Buena Vista-street bridge, it would prob
ably have carried every bridge with it
in it's career of destruction down the
river.
The supports of the company's bridge
are placed in the center of the stream,
without regard to the current, which is
diverted thereby, and the bridge itself
is too low and liable to be again swept
down the river in times of high water.
The payment by the company of the
damages caused by faulty construction
of the bridge, and a violation of the
ordinance authorizing its construction,
in that the ordinance requires the
bridge to be constructed with spans of
100 feet each across the official bed of
the Los Angeles river, and with piers
parallel with the course of said river"
may induce them to use proper precau-
tions to prevent recurrence OF these
accidents. The city was not to blame
and should not lose the cost of repair
ing the bridge.
Hooker Contract Pipe.
Under a contract entered into by your
honorable body with j. d. Hooker
against my protest, sheet iron pipe is
being laid on Second street to replace
some of the pipe which constitutes part
of the wooden mill ditch. This new pipe
is being laid to replace that portion ol
ChC plpC dlOHS CCCOiu oGlCCb, UCCduoe
there were breaks in the old pipe q
call it old to distinguish it from the pipe
now being laid, it being about 31a years
only since it was laid, practically new
pipe, and sections of this pipe removed
by Mr.. Hooker in laying his pipe show
that the rust in the iron is not the cause
OF the leak in the pipe, the sections be.
ing sound and good and show for them
selves) which had been patched up sew
eral times and continued to leak not
withstanding; the new pipe has beer
leaking just as bad and is being patched
up with sheet iron hoops and rubber
bands to prevent it from leaking. The
old pipe could be patched up in the same
manner and prevented from leaking jus
as well, and last just as long as the pipe
itself, at an expense not to exceed 500
as L informed your honorable body in
writing at the meeting in which you
directed Mr.. Hooker to proceed tC
lay this new pipe at an expense
to the city of $3612, notwithstanding
my statement that it could be done TO-
500, because the chairman of the board
of public works insisted that the new
: pipe should be laid on that street, anC
that patched pipe might be done away
| Ixuith xpdt1lA inuoctino