The herald., 1895-07-04
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
Extension OF Street Car Lines and the D.vei-
opment of Oil


Los Angeles is making progress along
other lines than home building. The city
is already supplied with street car facfli ,
ties which are something of a wonder to
the visitor, but good deal of improve
ment Is in progress and in prospect. The
Storrs line, so called, is being pushed to
rapid completion, and though a large pro-
portion OF the road so far as the location
is now known runs through thickly pop
ulated territory, large stretches not here
tofore enjoying good ransportation facil-
tiles will be supplined with that desi der
atum. A good deal of mystery has sur
rounded this road. its owner. its route
and its destination, and much of mystery
still remains to be cleared up. But there
is no mystery about the quality of such
portions Of the road as have already been
constructed. The rails are the heaviest
ever laid In this vicinity for street car
purposes. being in this respect little, if
at all, inferior to standard rails for steam
traffic, and ties. fittings and appliances
are in proportion. The work of grading
and track-laying is of the best. and it is
given out tnat the rolling stock will be
finer than anything ever seen on the
coast. There seems to be little doubt that
the destination of the road is the seashore
at Santa Monica and there is no doubt at
all that wherever 1t runs TO, it will be
over that has yet been built in the state.
The oil industry has received d little
impetus in the fact that the superior
court has decided that the attempt by the
city to prohibit the boring of wells except
in certain prescribed districts is illegal
ferred by the constitution. Under this
ruling oil wells may be bored anywhere
in the city outside of the regularly consti.
tuted fire limits, and already one or two
wells ale under way and several more in
contemplation. 1t may be regarded as
certain. az was intimated in this column
some weeks since, that the oil business
is too big to be choked off, and realty
owners who see only damage in sight
may make up their mind to pocket their
losses with such grace as they may. But
oil men must in turH make up their
minds that they will be held to strict ac-
countabiIity for damage resulting from
the use OF ramshackle machinery or the
careless use of approved apparatus. The
hou,e owner may not be able to prevent
the erection OF derrick or the boring of
An oil well on the lot adjoining his own.
but the house owner j. still possessed of
rights which the oil producer is bound to
respect. and he is likely to receive the
unstnted aid OF the courts III enforcing
them. The oil seeker is to be permitted
to sink his well and pump his oil; he
cannot do this without damage, and seri-
owner, and he must be forced to conduct
his search for wealth in such wav as to
produce no more injury to his neighbor
than that altogether unavoidable. At
present there are old-fashioned and care
lessly managed burners under many of
the boilers Ia the Second street district:
these poor burners smell-more accurate.
ly, begging the delicate readers pardon,
they stink abominably, and the ca1elessly
managed burners pour out more oil than
Is consumed in the arches, with the re-
suit OF scattering the greasy SCOT far and
wide over district built up to rose en-
bowereu homes. Worse than that, the.e
are open bitches leading to uncovered
basins dug in the hillsides above the Ar
royo de Los Reyes, in which flows the ir-
rigating water for lands below. With the
first heavy rain this pool-stored oil will
be washed out of the basins into the ar
royo to find its way to sthe lawns and
grounds on Figueroa street near Agricul-
tufal park, 10 the ruin Of the newly laid
pavement and the destruction OF the finest
stretch of lawns and gardens ia this
whole country of beautiful gardens. 1t
may be assumed that the oil man has es-
tabisbed his right to produce petroleum;
1t is his duty to do so IN such a way as
to cause no unnecessary damage, and in
justice to the community steps should be