Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-20
BOARD RESC|NDS
FORMER ACTION
NOW FAV0RS 60-F00T TUNNEL
UNDER HILL STREET
o. &. Parrish Submits Objections to
Former Plan in Writing-Strong
Argument Against Certain
Features

The board of public works yesterday
rescinded it's action favoring a fifty
two-foot tunnel under Hill street, eX-
tending from First street to Sunset
boulevard and instead recommended
that a tunnel not less than 60 feet in
width be constructed and the portion
to be used by the Los Angeles-Pacitic
Railway company be separated from
that to be used py pedestrians and We
hicles by a stone wall
| The original proposition for the tun-
mel contemplated but a thirty-two-foot
| bore to be used exclusively by pedes
trians and wagon traffic. This propo-
stion went as far as an ordinance of
| intention to establish the grade, when
several interested property owners APP
peared before the board of public works
and declared that the Los Angeles
| Pacific had agreed to pay half the cost
of the tunnel if it should be made
| fifty-two feet, giving the railway COM
pany a double track through the tunnel
and direct connection with its Sunset
boulevard lines.
Yesterday o. e. Parish of the real
estate firm of Mines & Parish, and
former member of the council, APP
peared before the board of public works
to complain against this arrangement.
He declared there was strong opposi
tion to the plan and the board set April
6 as the date for a public hearing of
the question.
Objections Submitted in Writing
Mr.. Parish submitted his objections
in writing. They are as follows:
1T was with surprise that L read in
the papers of last week that your
| Io1 oraI I1to oJ r0atitin11
! and approved of a plan to widen the
proposed tunnel through Hill street
from First to Temple to fifty-two feet,
permit the Los Angeles-Pacific Rail
way company to pay one-half of the
expense, and fix an assessment dis
trict causing the property owners in
said district to pay the other one-half,
and thereby giving and granting to the
aforesaid railroad company the right in
perpetuity to lay, maintain and operate
double track electric railway through
| said tunnel.
81 wonder if it occurred to your hon
| orable body what space would be left
| in this tunnel if this width-namely,
| fifty-two feet-after setting aside vir
tually one-half of the same for rail-
way purposes, and again what your
thoughts could have been relative to
teams being driven through said tun-
mel while cars are operating in and
through said tunnel. l believe such
operation of cars would virtually bar
or prohibit traffic in vehicles passing
through said tunnel, and this being
the case, why should property owners
in a fixed assessment district be called
upon to pay half the cost of construct
ing a tunnel almost, if not wholly, for
the use of railway company?
Would Bar Railway Company
1.-The property owntrs in the pro-
posed assessment district of some time
ago were willing to build tunnel Gn-
! dependent of any railway asSiStance)
| for the use and benefit of the citizens
comes a railway company which, l am
cmoes a railway company which, L am
informed, has no right to operate its
cars between the Temple block at the
junction of North Main and Spring
streets, and West Fourth street be-
tween Broadway and Hill (Which pub
| lie street between the last named
points they use as a depot, without the
| least consideration whatever) and ask
to be permitted Gn the name of some
property owners) to join in boring a
tunnel, especially suited to their in
| terests, for consideration of one-half
| the cost of said tunnel, and by the
action of your board Gf the same is
correct as reported by the papers) you
approve.
II will leave it to anyone that will
give the matter a thinking considera-
ton, whose interest is being subserved
by such action, the railway company
or the citizens and taxpayers of Los
Angeles?
Let the People Build 1t
81 heartily favor public improve
ments of any kind and nature whatso-
ever but let the people build for them
selves, without any private corpora
tion's influence. If necessary, and it
is thought to be for the best interests
of our municipality that said railway
company should have right of way
over or under Hill street, between First
and Temple streets, let them come in
and ask for franchise and make their
own bore for a tunnel; let the people
build their tunnel and be privileged to
enjoy the same, as to pedestrians and
traffic, to the fullest extent, and not
have the same confiscated by railway
company"