The herald., 1896-10-19
CITY LAND IN EARLY DAYS
Story of the Ord and Ham
cock Surveys
JUAN TEMPLES Mexican C0MPASSES
The City's Sixteen Leagues Cut
to Four
NICHOLS SHEARED THE MAP
alienation Lots" Sold Cheap but the
City Didn't Benefit
The Proceeds We're Side.Tracked Before
alienation Lots" Sold Cheap but the
City Didn't Benefit
The Proceeds We're Side.Tracked Before
They Reached the Treasury
Hancock's Lieutenant Failed to Make
Allowance for Magnetic Variation,
and Got the Direction of Certain
Streets Twisted-Maneuvers

Allowance for Magnetic Variation,
and Got the Direction of Certain
Streets Twisted-Maneuvers
A week ago some facts were given by
The Herald tending to show. with some
what striking force, the inextricable
laugh into which the property interests
of this city have become involved.
That article appears to have been a
veritable thorn in the flesh to some res
idents, while to others, principally small
holders, 1t has been a most disturbing
force. Objection has been made to the
publication of such details, and among
other reasons given why publicity should
not be given them is the following:
that ittends to frighten away the would
be eastern investor, purchasing either for
investment or to establish a home, and
also raises fear in the minds of the thou
sands of small holders who, at the price
Of considerable self denial, have sue
ceeded in becoming possessed Of modest
homes"
If any reason were needed to be put
forward in justification of a thorough
exposure of the present system of land
holdings, the above quoted remarks
would fill the bill to nicely. When
the multitude of small property holders
become suspicious of their titles (the
large holders are quite able to look out
for themselves) and eastern visitors
seeking to establish themselves in a
home look askance at the deeds of con-
nho1, e,to
be taken by the city fathers to rectify
what is-and has been for many year
a shame and disgrace to the city.
Inasmuch as some inquiries have been
made regarding certain facts presented
last week, and for the proper elucidation
Of which it is necessary to scan the ac-
tions of the city council of Los Angeles
in the early history Of the city, a brief
outline Is presented of the manner in
which the city was originally laid out.
The troubles that now aff1ict the city are
simply the fruit of the seed then sown.
HOW ORD WAS HANDICAPPED
In 1S49 Lieutenant E. o. c. Ord, U. s.
A., then stationed at Los Angeles, was
employed by the city authorities to lay
out in building lots all the tract south
of First street to Cells house, and be-
tween Main street and the hills to the
west, and to survey all the property un-
der fence then included in the city
proper. This he did and then the fun
began.
Ord had been promised $4,000 for maxi
ing the survey, but when demand was
made the council was shy on the money.
Ord thereupon withheld his field notes
Of the survey. His map had no dimen-
sions on it and, as 1t was made on a
scale of eight chains to one inch, scaling
it for distances was practically out of
the question. He had set stakes at the
corners Of the blocks that he had sur
veyed. and the council had agreed to
place in the identical positions stones
Tor permanent monuments. The stones
not being Forthcoming, the natives and
residents generally quickly discovered
that Ord's stakes were convenient things
to tie COWS to and restrain the wander
ing propensities Of their broncos When
the feed gave out the stake was pulled
up and the animals picketed out on an
other spot.
Meanwhile Ord was waiting for those
stones for permanent monuments and
probably his shade is lowering around
in anxious and weary expectation yet
Finally, when Ord had become impatient
for his money, Juan Temple came to the
rescue and proposed to the city to take
certain of the lots and pay Ord the $4,000.
lots selected were conveyed by the city
to Temple, who started out on an ex-
ploring expedition to locate his prop
erty. The stakes were nearly all gone,
but Temple was resourceful, and at once
employed several Of the longest legged
Mexicans he could find to step Off the
distances. From subsequent devel-
opments it would seem that either these
Mexicans' legs had a compass-like abil-
ity of almost infinite extension, or that
they took altogether too many steps.
In any case, when Lecouvreur remeas-
ured the blocks some years later he
found the occupants in possession of lots
Of the most varied shapes and sizes, no
two corresponding in dimensions. This
may be easily seen by reference to the
map which he made of that survey and
which is now In the city engineers office.
1t was on this survey that Lecouvreur
based his report, to which reference was
made week ago by The Herald, where
in he scathingly rebukes the council for
permitting the plundering and freeboot-
ing of the city lands.
THE HANCOCK FAILURE
In 1888 surveyor and very original
genius named Henry Hancock blew into
town. He had such a capacity for COW
ering the ground, and not being endowed
with the proverbial ''seven-leagued
boots" he could easily have given the
Flying Dutchman ace and spades and
beat him out Of sight. Between the
time he struck the city and 1859 he had
surveyed the whole Of Los Angeles
county, and all the lands from Moiaye
to the Colorado river, and many miles
along either bank of that water course
In surveying the city OF Los Angeles he
subdivided it into 35-acre lots. with
streets intersecting the blocks. The
map was an elegant affair to look at
and might have been taken to represent
the New Jerusalem, everything was 40
painfully neat and correct-in appear
ance.
There is no record as to whether the
city council again went short on rocks.
but only stakes were ever found or de-
pended upon afterward. From their
position-and in many instances their
absence it is not unfair to assume that
the Hancock stakes, like those Of his
predecessor, made fine hitching stakes
for the Mexican Inhabitants.
Hancock subdivided large area south
and west of the present city boundaries,
and the city put in claim to the land
commission for patent to sixteen square
leagues, and then with the remarkable
discrimination that characterizes city
councils in general, employed one j.