The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-05-02
The CITY of the Angels. Z


What world of meaning that name
implies; but after one has once visited
and seen all its beauty and grandeur
and afterwards made it "Home" for
four only too short months it has a
place in memory as does always the
name of "Home'--most sacred. In
1904 when we had decided to make just
a flying trip to the Pacific coast 1 got
the address of an old time friend and
schoolmate and wrote to him and told
him that Mr.. Shaw and had decided
to make visit to "The City of the
Angels" 1 got letter in answer, tell
ing us to come by all means, but also
telling us not to come until November,
or better still December or January, as
he wanted us to see Southern Califor-
MIA" in its beauty and not as it was
then-'burnt and dust covered" as he
expressed it. But as we had planned
to 20 then we went, and we had always
thought until this year if Los Angeles
was unattractive then we would like to
see it when it could be any more beau
tiful, for it certainly seemed to us then
a fairy land. We arrived there Thanks
giving day this last time, our good
train, ''The Golden State Limited" "
being II hours late on account of a
wreck at Bucklin, Kansas. We were,
however, just in time to eat a good
share of the turkey which was all done
and waiting for us. But let me add
right here that that was the only thing
that reminded us of Thanksgiving. 1
would keep going out on the front
porch and gaze almost spellbound on
the beauties that everywhere met my
eyes. And oh! those beautiful roses
blooming everywhere; and let me say,
right now, the perfume of the Califor-
MIA rose is just as strong as the rose
grown in Maine and they can be had by
any one who cares to pick them. Every
morning all winter when | have sat
down to breakfast either my plate has
been heaped up with them or they have
been placed by loving hands where my
eyes could feast on them during the
meal. But I must not dwell on this
City of the Angels too long as simply
a land of beauty, but must tell you
what ''Great Grand City" it is now
and what l believe it is going to be in
the future.
During the past twenty years Los
has grown from population
of Il, 900 in 1880 to 1O2, 40 by the census
of 1900. Last year another census had
to be taken for directory and it was
found that the present population is
245,OOO Now it is certain, from just
look at these figures, that there must
be something very attractive about
this "City of the Angels" l will tell
you of three leading things which have
led up to such an enormous growth,
and afterward will add two more
which, to me at least, 60 a great ways
toward making me think it is "The
Place for Home" First, is the eli
mate. Think what it must be to live
in place where only six times during
ten years the thermometer has gone
below 80 degrees. Such is the case in
Los Angeles, as proved by statistics of
the U. S. Weather Bureau. Second,
the soil. Anything that can be grown
anywhere on this earth can be grown
here, and l have only heard of two
things that cannot be grown at a large
profit and those are bananas and pine
apples. They are grown to some ex-
tent but the climate is not hot enough
to pay to raise them for the market.
Third, the location. Los Angeles is 16
miles inland and the way it is stretch
ing out now it will soon be solid to the
sea. Twenty years ago there was not a
paved street in Los Angeles. There
are now 3s5 miles of graded and gravel
ed streets, 40 miles of paved street, and
24o miles of sewers. Los Angeles has
a complete sewer system, including an
outfall sewer to the ocean.
AT night Los Angeles presents a
very brilliant appearance. 1t was the
first city in the United States to aban-
don gas for street lighting and replace
it with electricity. This was done over
twenty years age. 1t is now one of tie
best, if not the best, lighted cities in
the Union. Los Angeles possesses the
of four transcontinental
railway lines. And now l must tell
you of her street railway system.
There is probably no city of the size in
the United States that has such a mod
ern and we'll equipped street car sys-
TEN. The total mileage of single track
is over $50 miles, and including all the
suburban lines there is net work of
q hout 700 mi1as Of electric railroad