The herald., 1894-01-01
TIE PUBLIC PARKS OF THE CITY
A Big Amount of Work Being
\ Quietly Done.
ssat the Record for the Past Year
Shows.
Superintendent LIE Grand Describes In
: Detail the Work on Each Park.
Tho Oity's Breathing Places
Growing In Beauty.

: missioners of the city and their efficient
Assistants in identifying the public
parks of Los Angeles.
The work is beginning to tell and with
tie limited means at their command
splendid showing has been made.
This is particularly true Of that noble
and extensive park named Eiysian, to
!. the northwest of the city. Confronted
Ahy nature in her widest and most uD-
tanned condition, foundation has been
laid in the way OF cutting out drives and
planting innumerable varieties of trees
and plants which in this generous coil
will speedily produce results.
fAll along the line in various parts
Of the city the work has progressed,
and the year has been one of unremit-
ting toll on the part of all connected
with it.
During the past year about $4,000
was expended, and for, the coming year
the commissioners will have slight in
crease in the funds at their command,
and are already planning for busy IL
months.
The conditions are even now no longer
what they were year or two ago when
Sixth street square was the only attempt
al anything Ike park.
. In all parts of the city places OF ex-
quisite beauty are springing up, and
aven with the moderate funds provided
IL will not be long before the city will he
epoken OF "a having some of the most
.sGRghtful parks in the whole country.
u Mr.. lie Grand annual report, showing
x tae work done, is as follows:
EAST LOS ANGELES PARK.
During the past year there has been
expended upon the park sS,494.54, both
for maintenance and improvement.
n In making this report of the different
parks under city control, the work OF
maintenance and improvement are go
5,osely allied that it is practically impos-
tible to separate them.
The maintenance and improvements
of the above mentioned park consist in
preparing and sowing lawn on each
side of the path; cutting in two the
point went of the entrance on Kurtz
street and the one on Alhambra avenue.
= In this lawn 300 feet of Pinch pipe was
Substituted for the 1-inch pipe. which
was too small, and these together, with
$50 feet more or less of the same size,
were relaid in the same lawn, thus
bringing the hydrants closer to one
another, and facilitating the sprinkling
Z and lessening the expense for rubber
hose.
!. Another small lawn was made east of
fthe lawn above mentioned.
y A new driveway, being the extension
of the one beginning at the entrance
on the southeast corner of the park on
Alhsmbra avenue and running north
TO the base of the hill back of the con-
6ervatory, has been made; its width is
2i feet, it's length 1900 feet, and it leads
with an easy grade to the top OF that
fromontory, where it makes q loop,
whose center las diameter OF 150 feet
and from which beautiful view of the
city and the surrounding country can
bs had thence it descends in zigzag
way on the north side of the hill and
connects with the drive northeast Of
the conservatory. This driveway is one
= OF the best features of this park
= Altogether during the past year 4050
lineal feet OF drivea "a feet wide, 37G0
lineal feet OF path and 10 feet wide
have been graveled. for which 1850
loads of gravel were required. This
gravel and as much more hauled on
other drives in this park the year be-
fore has been donated by Mr.. Ellis and
has certainly been great boon to this
park.
Over $500 feet of cobble-stone cutters
have been laid and cemented, requiring
bO loads ofrock hauled from the Arroyo
Seco.
There was on the east side OF the lake
~ low, marshy epace, which we filled
with 700 loads of soil, raising its level
and making it better adapted to the
growth of trees, etc. Just a little above
~ttEe bridge, the creek has been exca-
4 v ted to about feet deep and 10 feet
4 " de, by digging out the tules that had
been growing there for years, and water
lilies were planted in their stead
sThree hundred feet OF 6-inch and 250
feet OF 4-inch vitrified drain pipes have
been laid. One hundred loads of mulch
,ing manure has been used. A large
water closet has been built, and SHADE
trees have been planted on the side
~walks north and south of the park.
Six thousand seven hundred feet of
mesembryanthemum borders been
Aplanted; also 500 feet of geraniun.
'T'hfrs. Salerii, and $50 fsetof sentolina,
Two Thousand six hundred and twenty
.six feet of bluegrass borders have been
+, Hodded.
" wEsTLAKE PARK
I1sSmore expensive to maintain than any
OF the other parks for the reason that il
is frequented every day by large num-
4 >ber of people; especially on Sundays
during the concerts or whenever there
is any other attraction there is always
q large crowd of visitors, and, on ac.
count of the too limited area OF the
park, we have to abandon to the public
/ the lawns and terrace banks, and it ls
/ an utter impossibility to keep the peo-
pie from off the same. 1t is certainly
.nto be regretted that 30 acres or more
coul not be embodied in this park
Sew important improvements have
sslso been made in this park
recently. The whole portion lying on
the west side OF the lake, between the
J parks drive and Park View avenue, that
for a long time had been left unimproved,
has been graded, and SO far 2500 feet of
swslk 10 feet wide has been laid out, for
which 2S0 loads of gravel have already
been used 5000 feet of cobbe stone
CUTTERS hav een laid along these walks
and 5000 feet of mesembryanthemum
borders planted; 200 feet of 6-inch yitri-
btied drain pipes have been paid in where
needed 5000 feet of 1-inch water pine,
with IL connections with the Pinch
main pipe. has been laid.
|3 Shade trees in great variety, among
which is grove of 10 and II feet high
aad ruo daodnro nd alec n rxro,,., :.