The herald., 1895-07-26
THE SEAMY SIDE
Of LOS ANGELES
Portions of the Eighth
Ward Visited
THE DISTRICT HAS
A BOARD FENCE
And Many Another Unsavory
THE POPULATION IS
VERY COSMOPOLITAN
Germans, Basques, Jews, Mexicaus,
With Americans in the Lead
Germans, Basques, Jews, Mexicaus,
With Americans in the Lead
MANY NOBLE INSTITUTIONS
WORKING FOR AN UPLIFTING
Churches, Foundries, Schools, Brewery
Packinghouse, Missions. All There
While the Territory Is Very Deplorable, Very
Sinful. Very Wicked, Very Vicious iE
Places. There Is a Large Part
Of It Where Little Chill
dren Live

Com parisons are SAID to be odious, but
they oftentimes help to point moral.
and not infrequently serve in adorning
tale. Therefore. intsead OF continuing
the series OF Sono.atown sketches, by
showing another phase of life back Of the
adobe fronts on New High and the other
streets of that section, shall today try
to lay before the readers of The Herald
the same grade and condition of life in
another section of the city.
In other words. that the family life
of Sonoratown may be the better appre-
oated and understood, with its land
scapes. its misery. and the probable fu-
ture development of its citizens. if exist
ing conditions are allowed to continue.
that other section known as the Eighth
ward. or the part lying between Los A m
geles street and the river, First and Macy
streets, will be reviewed.
To be sure it IS in this latter district
that the notorious board fence is located,
and it is to this location that the eyes
and attention OF the whole population
have been directed of late with the asser-
tion that nothing exists anywhere about
here which approaches it in vice and
ueETdudllOL5 Dub buo uHlOu
have pressed the button in the fence and
the city officials will probably do the
rest-in time.
Meanwhile. even with it and the 9th ber r
vicious elements at work there as a
whole, it may pe compared, favolably to
itself, with Sonoratown. In the first
place, it is not as congested a district,
and while in proportion to its size it
may even contain a larger percentage of
population, the fact remains that the
tenement lifo is decidedly in the minor-
ity.
Between First street and Also. Alamo.
da and the river there is a maze of short
streets lined on either side with cottages.
Most OF these are very humble and none
are rretentious, but each has its patch OF
q garden, about all is q space for fresh,
free air and sunlight. and along most OF
the streets are shade trees at intervals.
On the other hand, ir Sonora town any
where from two to twenty families arc
crowded into one low, illy-ventilated
building; there is no breathing space be-
tween. no chance for privacy and not a
blade of grass nor a flower bloom nor 4
tree to protect man or beast from the
sun $ ravs. except in an occasional spot
that seems like u very oasis in the desert.
There is an apparent lack OF civic I'M
provement in both districts; where there
lights, in view of the immortality rampant
in both. the most rigid economy has EVIL
IDENTIFY been practiced with regard to
lighting facilities. Sidewalks Ghere are
none to speak of in either place; and the
sewerage eequirmmeut questionable, to
say the least.
There is more individual ownership OF
housts s in certain sections of the Eighth
ward and less large property holdings
than IN the other district under discus
sion, but most of tue cottages are rented
by their occupants, and the meanest
brings 81 month, and from that up to
$40. $l2, and so on, to the owner.
Except on First. Also and Macv streets.
there seem to be no saloons or saloon
element east of Alameda street. An oc-
casionai butcher shop or grocery with
fruit attachment. that supplies It's imme-
diato neig borhood with the necessities
and the rest IS all homes, and apparently
real homes. for the working, rather than
laboring. class that peoples the district.
OF children there are plenty; there is
no danger but that the Eighth ward will
supply its full quota of citizens right
along. but they don't seem to have the
sore eyes. the crooked legs, or the hunted,
pincbed look that comes from squalor and
hunger com bined, and which is to be
found at almost every step along New
High and Upper Main streets.
The population of the Eighth ward is
distinctly Cosmopolitan, but the major
percentage is American. although there
are wheels within wheels as it were OF
German Basque, Jew and Mexican. In
that ward are tho Pioneer foundry, Maier
4 Hobelein brewery, Also flour mills.
California Cracker company, Cudahy's
packing house. ETC., each of which e..-
ployes many hands, and the men
and women who live in the ward
gain their livelihood from those places,
from laundIics. the railroad yards. and
many OF the men are mechanics.
There are a number OF active churches
in the ward. and missions established
there from churches in other localities;
the Lafayette industrial as well as public
schools. vaTiOhs circles OF Kings daugn-
ters. ono OF which has in charge the day
nursery which cares for infants while
their mothrs 60 forth to earn the daily
provender. These and other factors there
are working for the assistance, the up
lifting and general good of the district
and its inhabitants.
To he sure there is the hoard fence and
the rest of Alameda street that is crow wd-
ad with dens which are populary sup
posed to be running over with lniquity.
There are First street and Comm, .rcial.
Also and Macy, to say mothing OF that