The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-02-14
THEIR PLAN WAS BLOCKED
Peculiar Petition of Hill Street
Property Owners
A MATTER OF FIRE LIMITS
Proceedings of the Fire Commission at
Yesterdays Meeting
nAlon of Elastic Fire Limits Petitions
.nted-Work of an Obstreperous
Hose Nozzle

Hlch must commend itself to all man.
kind, with few exceptions. That is,
some of the property owners do. All OF
them did not sign the petition which
General John Mansfield got up and which
was presented to the Council and by that
body referred to the fire commission.
1t was not great while ago that petit
ton was sent to the Council asking that
the fire limits of District No. 2 be changed
so that the west line should extend
through the center of the block between
Hill street and Broadway, instead of along
the center of Hill street.
This petition was granted. 1t gave GER
tain parties who owned property on Hill
street chance to erect modern buildings
in the shape of apartment houses and
flats on their property. The buildings
were built and have been completed a
short time now, and now comes petit
ton to have the fire limits extended to
the central line of Hill street again, and
the names of the parties who got up the
other petition and who built the flats of
wood are thereunto affixed.
Yesterday morning the Fire Commission
met and the Chief of the Fire Depart
ment in his report to the Council recon-
mended that the petition be denied.
these parties to build these wooden flats
inside the fire limits, which l think was
all right Chief Moore said to the Com
mission, land this petition seems to be a
plan on the part of the same parties to
prevent anyone else from putting up the
same sort of buildings they have them
selves just put up.
When Chief Moore saw that General
Mansfield was present in person to speak
on the subject he withdrew his report on
this particular point, so as to allow the pc
titioners to present their case to unbiased
minds.
General Mansfield contended that the
property owners simply wished to protect
the street from unsightly structures.
When the Mayor asked if it was not true
the parties who now petitioned were
the same who had asked for the change
before, he said he did not come before the
commission to talk about that but merely
to say that the property owners were in
favor of the present petition.
I'VE don't want livery stable, for in
stance, on the street, " he said.
The property owners can tend to
that" said Commissioner Kuhrts. at
requires petition signed by two-thirds
of the frontage before livery stable can
be built"
well, suppose some one should put a
slaughter house on the street," said Gen.
eral Mansfield, who was warming up.
"That would be declared a nuisance, y"
Mr.. Kuhrts replied.
well, then saloon?" and the general
thought he had a point.
"a saloon would have to first have Ii
cense, l believe"
1--WE don't want any shanties, which
might pass as dwelling houses.
''Or any more wooden fats, | suppose !"
and Mr.. kuhrts smiled for the first time
General Mansfield left without having
Afterwards, Chief Moore explained why
he thought that the granting of the petit
ton would work a hardship on many
property owners. "They could not build
barn or bath room addition to a dwell
ing, or a church, even, without building
it of stone, brick or iron Ire said.
The Chief favored extending the fire
limits to the center of Hill street from
First street to Twelfth, with a proviso in
the ordinance that dwellings and church
buildings could be built of wood,
The matter was referred to the City At
torney to draft an ordinance to this effect,
which will go to the council, provided the
Fire Commission approves it at the next
meeting of that body
Permission was refused to J. J. Doran
to erect a corrugated iron building in
Mott alley in the rear of No. 215 South
Main street. The building was to have
been used as pool-selling room. The
an ordinance.
The petition of the East Side Oil Com
pany to bore for oil was granted, and @.
III. Libby was given permission to erect
boiler and bore for oil at the corner of
West First street and Lake Shore avenue.
The Fulton Iron Works was granted per-
mission to erect a crude oil tank at the
works, as was the Stearns Manufacturing
Company.
The Chief asked in his report that the
City Electrician be allowed horse and
buggy, and the commission looking upon
the plan with favor requisition for
the same will be sent to the Council.
The Chief reported that Callman Sloan
and Substitute Todd were both injured
during the drill last Sunday. A hozzle
went on strike and broke rib for Todd
and caved in Sloan's head. Both are
getting along all right now.
''Do such accidents often happen?"
asked Commissioner Vetter.
20, these engineers get gay some times, "
said Commissioner Khurts, land turn on
more force than two men can stand"
Yes, said the Chief, land then when
the nozzle gets away the men have the
pleasant job of crawling along the hose
and securing control OF the gyrating noz-
zle again.
The petition of W. s. Fullerton & Co.,
to be allowed to bore for oil on lots and
of the Los Angeles improvement Com
panys subdivision, was referred to the
Chief as was the petition of Russell c.
Wilson, who wish to put an oil tank at
113 West Third street.
During the meeting there occurred a
little exchange of words between the
Mayor and the Chief of the Fire Depart
ment which will interest everybody who
las kept the run of fire department mat
tcra for the past year or two.
a requisition had been presented to
the commission to cover some bills which
had come in for little things used in the
fire department during a former admins
tration of affairs.
Do you know where these things have
been used and what became of them?'
the Mayor asked the Chief.
No, sir; they were used before I took
charge replied Chief Moore.
We'll, have you heard that certain par
ties are telling around that many of the
little things purchased for the fire depart
mcnt were not really used by the depart
ment, or were not absolutely needed, or
something like that?''
"Oh, yes, said Walter; 1--WE also hear
stories like that from ex-assistant chiefs
and others, but we never pay any atten-
tion to them
The requisition went through all right.