The herald., 1898-07-21
NO MORE DELAYS
CoNDUITs WILL ALL BE DOWN
BY OCTOBER THIRD
ONLY THE FINISHING TO DO
Companies Will Not Ask for Further
Time-The Work Has Costa
Pile Of Money

It Is now safe to announce that there will
be no more delays in Kidding the city streets
of the unsightly electric poles and wires
The companies have almost all their con-
Quits down and by the expiration of the
last three months extension granted by
council the work will have been completed
and everything cleaned up as anticipated
in the ordinance which required the
change. BY that time, too, all the street
resurfacing will be done and business men
can look forward to a time when the nam
thoroughfares will again be ready for traf-
f1c.
The people who have been constantly
complaining of the apparently reverend
ing torn-up condition of affairs would be
surprised to know what volume of work
and expense this change has caused the
electric companies. Conservative estimates
place the aggregate cost of the work at
about $4,000, four-fifths Of that amount
being expended by three companies alone.
This ordinance, known as the conduit
ordinance" was passed in April, 1897, and
under it's provisions all work was to be
finished by April 3, 1888. Thinking the coun-
Gil did not mean what 1t said, the compa-
MES were slow in making start, but when
and Immediately started work on ITS con-
duit system, the minds of the company
managers soon changed and work was
started this winter on two of the systems.
On account Of their delay in starting it was
found necessary that the council should ex-
tend the time from April until July 8, but
even by pushing things as rapidly as pos
sible 1t became again necessary to grant
eE he
upon an agreement by all companies that
the work would be completed in that time
The San Gabriel company. the first COM
pany to make the start except the tele-
phone company, has its work the nearest
completed and through the business part
of Los Angeles is now furnishing power
and light through it's conduits. After lay
ing a conduit on a part of Franklin street.
on North Main street between Temple and
Marchessault street, section on First
and Second streets between Hill and
Broadway and putting in a few more serv-
ice connections their work will be entirely
completed.
The Edison Electric company has it's lines
in on Spring and Main streets and on cross
streets and are now pushing work to COM
pletion on Broadway and Hill streets.
The Western Union and Postal will be
two months longer at their work, for the
reason that their poles cannot come down
until the city gets the fire alarm wires off
their poles.
The city will use the Sunset Telephone
and Telegraph company's conduits. This
company has it's system entirely completed
and had nearly completed conduit sys-
tenn before the passing of the ordinance.
The Los Angeles Lighting company has
had a large force Of men at work and will
have it's work completed by October 8, al
though this corporation was the last to
commence work. This company still has
work to do on Main street, but Spring,
Broadway and Hill streets are completed.
They also have some work on the cross
streets and there are indications that they
will be the last ones to get done.
The prevailing impression that service
connections will necessitate the tearing up
of the streets Is a mistaken one. and re-
pairs on the lines will be made from the
manholes, so there will be no further
cause for disturbance of the paving.