Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-13
RAILWAY LINE
IN C|TY'5 HANDS
OFFICIALS TEAR UP RAILS ON
SOUTH PARK AVENUE
Mayor McAleer, Street Superintendent
Hanley and Assistant City Attor-
ney Goudee Lad Force
of Men

By tearing up sections of the track
and cutting spans of the trolley wires,
under the personal supervision of
Mayor McAteer, the city yesterday
came into possession of San Pedro
street, south of Thirtieth and South
Park avenue, on which the Los Angeles
railway has illegally trespassed for
more than two years, according to the
decision of Judge York.
The Los Angeles railway refused to
submit to defeat quietly. Late yester-
day afternoon, as Assistant City At
torney Goudge was returning to his Of
flee after hard afternoons work Of
superintending the demolishing of the
track, he was served with a notice of
the appeal which will be filed in court
this morning.
This appeal will, in a large measure,
tie the hands of the city authorities
in anything they may choose to do, al
though they are still free to tear up
more of the tracks if they choose and
will possess the street for any purpose
of the city unless the supreme court
should decide adversely.
Plans Indefinite
What the city will now do with the
street is something that not even the
mayor knows. He says he simply did
Angeles, when with force of "huskies"
he tore up the tracks and cut the wires
of the railway. 1t is within the prov
ince of the city council to compromise
with the railway company and it is
possible that something of this nature
will be done, although the railway Of
flcials are firm in their stand to fight
it out through the courts and enl-
phatically state that they have the
iorL,t 70 70
1.-THE case is in the hands of our
legal department and we will leave
it to them to determine our future
action" said c. A. Henderson, acting
general manager of the Los Angeles
railway last evening.
Meanwhile, the residents of that por-
tion of the city are venting their dis
pleasure in no uncertain terms I'm
complimentary things were said about
the mayor and other city officials who
took part in the proceedings by those
who have found it convenient to use
the discontinued electric line in going
to and fro from their homes and busi-
ness. Real estate men, who are in
terested in the numerous residence
tracts fronting on San Pedro and South
Park avenue, were cast into the slough
of despond by the action.
"It will ruin our property" they
said in anguished tones and some of
them offered feeble remonstrances to
the mayor and Attorney Goudge, but
to all of these the officials turned a
deaf ear and proceeded with the work
of tearing up the tracks.
Mayor Enjoying Himself
Mayor McAleer was evidently having
the time of his life. The good natured
crows feet were deep about his eyes
and a smile played continually around
his mouth. Attorney Goudge was en-
joying the process, too. His white
teeth cleaned through a constant grin.
1t was his hour of triumph. Two years
before he had attempted to tear UP
these same tracks and had been re-
strained by an injunction, which was
formally dissolved yesterday morning.
But there was no restraining order
of the court yesterday afternoon, al
though the officials were constantly
expecting something of the kind. The
attorneys for the railway had made
efforts during the day to secure an
other injunction and had even asked
Judge York to issue second restrain
ing order, after he had formally dis
solved his first.
Signs Formal Decree
With a sigh as If he realized the
trouble he was precipitating Judge
York yesterday morning signed the for
NAL decree, dissolving the injunction
that for two years has restrained the
city authorities from tearing up the
tracks on the disputed street. The ink
with which the judge signed his name
had not had time to dry before Street
superintendent Hanley was telephon-
ing to different parts of the Sixth
ward and collecting a number of Ia
borers. Fire Chief Lips had been no.
titled to be present with a hook and
ladder wagon, Acting Chief Auble was