Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-24

EIoue-ROhiS e"''
LONG BEACH, March 29.-The
agreement which the Seaside Water
company recently placed in the hands
of the city council, asking that the
document be signed, has been ac-
cepted by the trustees, Mayor Downs
and Trustees Oakford and Bensonl
favoring Il. Trustees Lent and Moh-
renstecher voted against the PROPOSE
tion but Lent changed his vote in
order that he may move at the next
meeting to rescnd the action
When the document was first pre-
sented IL was generally considered AMI
absurd affair and it was apparently
unsuspected by the people that even
three of the city councilmen would
follow the dictates Of the Seaside cor
poration.
According to the agreement, the city
will call halt Immediately on the
proceedings to open Seaside boulevard
through that portion of the beach
which the Seaside Water company
claims as its private property APP
praisers were appointed several
months ago to appraise the value of
the benefits and the damages which
would result from the opening of this
boulevard. The appraisers qualified
and started to work two days ago
They are now out of q job. at least
out of this one The Seaside corpora
tion long ago made it known that any
attempt to cut through its beach
claims would bring on all kinds of
litigation. 1t was stated that perhaps
S50O000 would be named as thel
amount of damages desired in case thel
boulevard was opened, and that unless
this amount was paid the matter
would go into the courts for fight
that would last for years.
Some Argument Used
However, a club was used to force
the abandonment of the proceedings
and this or some other consideration
induced the trustees to pass 1t up.
The club was the declaration of the
Seaside company that that portion of
Pine street between Ocean avenue and
high tide line had never been decided
to the city and was in reality the
property of the Seaside corporation.
According to this, the corporation
claims, it would now secure full con-
troll of the pier In the agreement just
accepted the corporation consents to
the perpetual maintenance of the
wharf in it's present location and
valves all claims to damage by rea-
son of trespass."
Furthermore the company agrees to
| deed to the city a strip of beach
| eight feet wide, south from the West
minister property to high tide line;
and to prevent the erection Of any
| building higher than the deck of the
| pier on parcel of land bounded by
| the ocean, the south boundary Of the
Westminster property, the pier and and
the walk extending south from the
Pacific Electric depot.
In addition to giving up the Sea-
side boulevard, the city has agreed
to vacate the confectionery and shell
booths along the west side Of the pier
and never replace them by anything
that shall obstruct the view westerly
| from the pier.
Moreover, the city has agreed to
change it's fire limits so as to permit
Of the erection of buildings on the
beach. The present stairs leading
from the deck of the pier down to
the Pike will be moved northward.
These are all matters which the Sea-
side corporation has tried to get
through for two years.
The change in the fire limits will
probably result in the corporation put
ting in a number of new amusement
features. The abandonment of Sea-
side boulevard, it is said, will also
result in the construction of large
building long contemplated by the
Westminster company.
Trustee Lent objected to the re-
moval of the booths along the west
side of the pier because the city gets
nearly $4,000 annual rental out of the
little stores. Mayor Downs said today
| that the booths would only be moved
to the east side of the pier and that
the rental would still be obtained.
The Seaside company has made an
extended fight to have the booths re-
moved in order that the view Of its
property will be unobstructed from
the pier.
The allegation that the city's claim
to the pier has never been good is not
generally believed to have much merit,
and the agreement to the corporations
terms in order that the wharf may be
retained was unpopular.
Hotel del Coronado for comfort.