Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-14
CAR LINE AWAITS
ARRIVAL OF RAILS
EAST SEVENTH LINE TO BE
!. COMPLETED SOON
&
New Tracks May Be Used by Inter-
urban Cars as Entrance to the
Business Section of the
City

According to officials of the Los An
geles Street Railway company the new
East Seventh street line will be hur-
ried to completion just as soon as rails
arrive here from the east.
A few days ago representatives of
the company met with the board of
public works to discuss plans for the
new Seventh street bridge. The bridge
will be built. That much is known,
though it is likely that all details have
not yet been worked out.
There have been all sorts of rumors
regarding this line. 1t has been con-
structed already as far as Central ave-
nue., but there work stopped and 1t was
said that the company had determined
to do only so much construction work
for the present as is necessary to safe
guard it's franchise.
This statement, however, was denied
yesterday by Chief Engineer Kurtz,
who said that work was being held up
only by the non-arrival of rails and
would be resumed just as soon as steel
now on the way reaches Los Angeles.
To Reach City Limits
The line, he said is to be extended
out to Euclid Heights, and from there
to the city limits.
To care temporarily for the increas-
ing traffic in this part of the city, how
ever, the company is said to have an
other plan under consideration 1t is
said that one of the downtown lines
will be operated out East First street
to Cummings, thence to Stephenson
and out Stephenson to Euclid Heights
At present a short stretch of this
route is single track but the company
is reported to have decided upon double
tracking it throughout. According to
Superintendent Aiken the project was
first considered some time ago and was
then abandoned because the company
found itself unable to secure a certain
piece of ground wanted to enable 1t to
straighten out curve near Hollen-
beck park.
It is said that this land now has
been acquired, though Mr.. Aiken was
unable to confirm the report.
At present cars are operated over the
entire route, transfers being given at
Cummings and First streets. The only
change, therefore would be the running
of cars through into the business dis
trict.
Third Rail Settled
The third rail dispute on East Sew
enth street was settled yesterday after
noon favorable to the trolley companies
by City attorney HeWlLC.
/. clause in the franchise Of this line,
as the city attorney construes 1t, gave
the officials of the company the right
to construct and to use a third rail any
time they saw fit.
Under the usual franchise proceed
ure a second franchise is needed in
order to lay a third rail anywhere in
Los Angeles. In the East Seventh
street case, however, is this clause:
1.-THE grantee of said franchise, his or
it's successors and assigns, shall have
the right also to lay third rail along
the tracks constructed along said
route by virtue of said franchise in or
der to conform to the gauge of other
tracks of other railways now existing
in Los Angeles
1t is said that the provision was IN
serted in this franchise when City At
torney w. B. Mathews was the city 8
legal adviser and that the ordinance
was passed without any changes by
the council last August.
Old Franchise Provisions
All the older franchise ordinances
have the following provision Affecting
third rails:
"That in all cases where said fran
chise is granted over streets now occu-
MED by other lines of street railway,
the grantee thereof and his assigns
shall have the right to operate over
any and all tracks of such otneT mes
subject to the provisions and limlta-
fions of the statutes of the state OF
california applicable thereto; and IN
case the gauge of the tracks OF SAID
other lines of street railway snail not
conform to the gauge of the tracks
said grantee or his assigns snail De
nernnitted to lay a third rail over the
distance traversed by said two ROADS
Jointly"
The difference between the OLD ana
+be new features governing third rails
ID that under the old form company
might Law a third rail only when a
company holding a franchise on the
street used a different gauge, whlle
under the latter form company may
law a third rail to adapt it to the cars
Of any company using cars inside OF
the city.
Interurbans May Use Tracks
Tn Boyle Heights many property
owners regard these tracks as the
eventual entry route for SUBURBAN cars
to the business center. 1t is SAID WHIT
tier and Downey cars VIII use the
route in time.
The third rail is cited as reason
why the interurban cars VIII be run
along East Seventh as soon as the Sew
enth street bridge is ready.
The former council granteo ran
cbisa for an electric line along East
Seventh street from Broadway to
Rovle avenue and along Hollenbeck
avenue to the eastern city limits.
STANDARD size tracks have been laid
as far as the Los Angeles river, with
a third rail inside so that the cars OF
fhe Los Angeles or narrow gauge Hnes
may be operated thereon.