The herald., 1896-09-27

to San Fernando and Spadra in April,
1874. The gold spike connecting Los
Angeles with San Francisco was driven
September 8, 1887. in the Soledad canyon.
The mayors of Los Angeles and San
Francisco were present, also the offic-
ials OF the company and large number
of guests from both cities. A ball and
banquet in Los Angeles closed the fes-
tivities.
The entry of the Santa Fe marks the
era of unrivaled prosperity which has
since been the lot of Los Angeles.
BY contract with the Southern Pa
ci1lc the Santa Fe runs it's trains into
the city from Cotton in November, 1885,
and continued doing so until it's own
track was laid, which was in June. 1887.
More than 100 passenger trains now
arrive at and depart from Los Angeles
daily. This includes two through trains
to and from San Francisco and the east
via Ogden, one through train to and
from Chicago via the Santa Fe route
and one to and from New Orleans via
the Sunset route. During the winter
time their are two through trains each
way over each of the two last named
routes. There are besides these through
passenger trains and mail trains, many
special fast freight trains bearing the
products of Southern California to east
ern markets. Orange shipments alone
aggregate 1000 carloads per season. In
tuultlOIl u THESE are I1ldIly SOllQ train
loads OF walnutS, beans, raisins, wines
and green and dried fruits and vegsN,-
bles Los Angeles being the seat of this
large export trade which is rapidly eX-
pandinE.
The filling of gap of less than 25O
miles will give Los Angeles direct rail
connection with Salt Lake City, forming
in connection with the railroads center
ing there another direct rail route to the
east The completion Of the Salt Lake
road which Is regarded as one of the GER
tainties of the near future is looked for
ward to as marking another epoch in
the city's growth and prosperity, as a
vast country rich in agricultural re-
sources and minerals beyond the dreams
OF avarice will thus be made tributary to
Los Angeles. Coal and iron in illimit-
able quantities can then be laid down in
Los Angeles at prices heretofore I'M
heard Of in the far west and Los Ange-
les may in addition to it's other many
advantages become manufacturing
center. Mining Of the precious metals
and a score of other minerals will also
receive great impetus from the build
ing of this road, thereby adding much to
the commercial Importance of the me-
tropolis Of the southwest.
The ultimate construction of the Mic
aragua canal is also looked forward to
as powerful factor in developing the
prosperity Of this city and surrounding
country.
OF the Los Angeles Of today a great
deal may be said. In no other city west
of Chicago has the march of public
Improvement been SO great in the last
ten years. At the beginning of the
real estate boom in the fall of 1886, Los
Angeles resembled an overgrown coun-
try village. With a population of 80, 600
souls it had no public improvements
worth speaking Of. There was not a
foot of paved Street in the entire city.
During the wet season the principal
business thoroughfares were perfect
quagmires Of mud and filth, the stencil
from which was simply nauseating.
Now nearly all the business streets
are paved with asphalt, bituminous
rock, vitriied brick, granite or porph-
yry; many more miles are graded and
graveled; there are miles upon miles Of
cement curbs and sidewalks, and the
cost Of street Improvements, repairing,
sprinkling and sweeping Is one of the
largest items in the city's annual bill
Of expense. The exact amounts Of
street improvements completed to date,
as shown by data in the city engineers
office, is as follows:
Paved streets, 1926 miles; graded and
graveled streets, 147n miles; total,
16097 miles.
Ten years ago Los Angeles had very
crude and imperfect sewer system
Since then the drainage Of the city has
been made we'll nigh perfect by the con-
struction of main and lateral sewers
underlying nearly every street, and an
outfal sewer eighteen miles in length,
which conveys the sewage to the sea.
This outfall sewer passes through a
rich agricultural county, and the city
derives handsome revenue from the
sale Of sewage for irrigation purposes
The total length of the sewers laid by
the city to date is 100. "a miles.
Prior to 1886 there were no public
buildings in Los Angeles worthy to be
called such. Since that time there has
been erected a county court house
costing $600,000, and considered archi-
tectually and otherwise one of the
finest buildings Of the kind west of the
Rocky mountains. A city hall erected
a few years ago at cost of several
hundred thousand dollars, has already
been outgrown by the business of the
municipality, and at least one depart
ment of the city government (he edu-
cationaD has been crowded out and
compelled to seek quarters elsewhere
new central police station has been
completed within the last year at a
cost of 100000, and it is feared this will
soon prove too small for the needs of
the department Incidentally, it may
be remarked that Los Angeles has the
smallest police force in proportion to
its population and area, of any city in
the country, but fortunately there is
a marked absence of the lawless eIe-
ment SO that the force, inadequate as
1t would be II the same conditions pre-
vailed here as in many other cities.
has been able to police the town fairly
well. There are few communities to
be found anywhere, in fact, where life
and property are safer than in Los An
geles, thanks to the good morals of the
population and THE vigilance of the
police.
Another branch Of it's public service
that Los Angeles is justly proud of, is its
fire department.. The efficiency of this
department is best attested by the fact
that the city has never in it's whole his
tory suffered any extensive conf1agra-
t1on, although the business part of the
town was on numerous occasions
threatened with destruction. Prompt
action by the fire laddies on each occa-
sion prevented the disaster That the
money spent for firemen's salaries and
apparatus has proved a good investment
many property holders will cheerfully
bear witness. The Los Angeles fire de-
partment will compare favorably with
that OF any city of like size in the world
Another great improvement made in
Los Angeles in the last ten years is noted
in its street car facilities. Prior to 1886
there was no public means of convey
ance except few horse car lines. These
were succeeded by cable roads and they
in turn by electric railways. There is at
present only one cable road and one
horse car line in operation, and arrange
ments have been made to electricize the
latter at an early date. The electric
railway system is one Of the best to be