The herald., 1896-04-30
THE Water PEOPLE MAD
A Pleading Communication to
the City Council
AS TO SPRINKLING HYDRANTS
The Fire Department to be Kept Oat OF
Politics
AS TO SPRINKLING HYDRANTS
Several Flremen Were Up for Dereliction OF
Duty and Two are Dropped-Ed Smith
and the Poll Tax

The contention as to whether or not
| the city has the right to usea the IRE
| hydrants which are the private prop
erty of the water company for street
sprinllling PURPOSES is again reaching
an acute stage The company is COM
planning and complaining very hard at
! the shifting tactics Of the council in
| the matter, and yesterday its agents
| filed the following:
| 1t is with regret that the undersign-
| ed. the Los Angeles City Water COM
| pany, has to call the attention of your
honorable body to a burden that is be-
| ing imposed upon the city water COM
| pany and has grown to such an extent
| that the company cannot very well
longer submit to it; but they prefer be-
| fore commencing any legal proceedings
| for the protection of their rights to call
the attention of the council to it, in
! the hope that you will, without the ne
| cessity of litigation, protect the COM
pany by your own action.
! BY referring to the contract between
| the city and Griffin, Beaudry and Liz
ard, which contract has been assigned
to the Los Angeles City Water COM
| pany, you will see that among the things
| which the grantees of the franchises
| there conferred undertook to do were
| to lay down in the streets of the city
| twelve miles of iron pipes of sufficient
| capacity to supply the inhabitants of
| poses and should erect or cause to be
erected one hydrant to be used as
| protection against fire at one corner of
| each cross street of said city where the
water pipes now are or may hereafter
| be laid by virtue of this contract, and
| again that they will within one year
| from the date of the contract place a
| hydrant to be used as a protection
| against fire at one corner of one street
| at each cross street where the pipes are
| now laid, and will erect hydrants at
| other street corners, according to the
! terms of this contract, as fast as the
pipes are extended through the streets
of said city, and again, that they will
| make all the improvements mentioned
| and set forth in the contract and keep
| the same in repair at their own cost
and expense for the said period of thirty
| years.
The company has erected fire hy-
drants in accordance with the contract,
and are still placing them wherever
it is requested by the council and it
has been keeping them in repair at
| its own expense.
| But you will see by the provisions
above quoted that they were to be erect
ed toI be used, as protection against
| fire, and that was the only purpose to
which they were to be devoted. But the
hydrants which the company has thus
far erected for protection against fire
| are being used. for the purpose of fill
ing the street sprinklers engaged in
| sprinlSling the. streets! Of Los Angeles,
and by such use the burden of maintain
| ing them is increased fifty fold. and
as these fire hydrants have become very
numerous and are constantly increas-
ing in number, increased cost of MAIN
| tanning them in repair, when such use
Is made of them, is very great, and the
company now protests against such use
being made. of the' hydrants: at, all, un-
less indeed the city choose to assume
the burden of maintaining them, irs re-
pair. And we respectfully request the
council to forbid the using Of the hy-
drants by the street sprinklers, orr else
! that the council will engage. to pay the
expense Of maintaining the hydrants in
repair.
DISCIPLINING FIREMEN
The board of fire commissioners had a
busy day yesterday disciplining men,
bers of the fire department who had
been derelict during the past week.
The chief reported M. Moriarity, driv-
er of hose cart No. 2, for failing to report
on time at the expiration of his leave of
absence, at noon on Saturday, April 18.
Charles p. Harrison, driver of engine
No. 6, for violation of rule 40 of the de-
partment; S. A. Reed, permanent fire.
man attached to Chemical company No.
l. for being incompetent, and George A.
Vail Of hose cart No. for being insubor-
dinate.
Reed was suspended to give him an
opportunity to resign, which he did in
few moments. Harrison was fined $50
and Moriarity $40. The resignation of
Driver Vail was also demanded, al
though Commissioner Kuhrtz tried to
have the sentence modified to $50 fine,
The mayor was in sympathy with Mr..
Kuhrtz.
Chief Moore was directed to issue in
structions to all members of the depart
ment that they must keep out of politics.
The following, offered by Commits
sioner Vetter, was unanimously
adopted:
Resolved, That the board of fire COM
missioners appreciates the very credit
and apparatus in La Fiesta parade,
Wednesday, April %, 1896. and hereby
thanks the members of the department
for the great success they made Of this
feature Of the parade.
Resolved, further, That a copy of
these resolutions be posted in each Of
the department houses.
The application of e. W. Shook John
G. Kemp and Robert Parker for permis-
sion to erect and operate q boiler and
engine at Nos. 416 and 418 East First
street, was referred to the chief.
The time for considering the protest
Of George w. Frasher aginst the loca-
tion of a blacksmith shop on San Pedro
street was continued for one week.
The application of William Bedney
for appointment as callman was ordered
fled.
MEMORIAL DAY COMING
Sam Kutz, as the secretary Of the gen.