Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-05
SEWER STREAM
DRIVES CITIZENS
OF TOWN FRANTIC
OCEAN PARK SEWERS SANTA
MONICA PIPES
OLD TROUBLE COMES TO HEAD
IN BEACH TOWN
Personal Encounters Between Con-
tending Officials Barely Averted
and Suits for Heavy DAM
ages Threatened

Special The Herald.
OCEAN PARK, June 4.-Only the
presence of Police Officer Barton pre-
vented a personal encounter between
President II. b. Eakins of the Ocean
Park board of trustees, and A. r. Fra
ser of Fraser, Jones & Gage, the mag
mates of the horseshoe pier and paVil-
ion, late this afternoon at that point on
Ocean Front which is the boundary be-
tween Ocean Park and Santa Monica.
on account of the irritating sewage
controversy between the two cities hav-
ing reached a crisis, President Eakins
ordered the trunk sewer cut at the city
line and plugged. The result is that a
malodorous liquid is now bubbling out
of grave-like cut in the broad cement
walk midway between the Hotel De-
catur and the horseshoe pavilion, and is
over owing the lowest point of the
strand between the pavilion front, the
bandstand and the Petite theater on
the one side, and a row of stores and
restaurants on the other, and between
Pier avenue and Marine street.
The city government of Santa Monica
in a frenzied attempt to stop the inevi-
table damage has prepared an action
for injunction against all the Ocean
Park trustees, President Eakins, j. d.
Mackinnon, II. c. Mayer, G. w. Foster
and E. Griffith.
Mr.. Fraser told President Eakins
that he would hold the city of Ocean
Park responsible, that the first hour OF
overhowing sewage discharge would
cost it $25, 600, and that he would per-
sonally pursue Mr.. Eakins to the hot
test known place to get even with him.
He then announced to body of Ocean
Park business men that he would close
the pavilion and the dig Ocean Park
bath house and turn out every one oil
the thousands of incandescent lights in
the two places and on the piers. AT
late hour tonight this had not been
done, and some prominent business men
were pleading with him not to carry out
his threat, as such action probably
would be gratifying to certain ocean
Park officials because Ii would concen-
trate all the beach business at Venice.
Excitement in the neighborhood is at
the highest pitch. There was to have
been a public meeting of business men
In the Casino at o'clock to settle the
perennial band question, but at that
hour not soul could be got away from
the cavity out of which the sewage of
Santa Monica was boiling. There were
many partisans on the spot and they
were very bitter. A squad of Ocean
Park police was on hand on one side of
the boundary line and several Santa
Monica officers on the other side.
Assumes All Responsibility
President Eakins in an interview with
the correspondent of The Herald as
sumed the whole resoo lsibility for the
drastic measure taken. He was asked
If he was acting upon the advice OF
City Attorney Raymond l. Blakeslee,
and whether the board of trustees, as
such, had taken action.
NO" he replied. II am acting alone.
I instructed Building Inspector ROBIN
eau to cut the sewer and plug II. he
has done so. What l want is $4,000 from
the city of Santa Monica, the amount
the council of Santa Monica agreed to
nav the city of Ocean Park for the use
Of the Ocean Park septic tank. When
that amount is Forthcoming we will
open the sewer and let the sewage flow
on as before. / have not seen the clty
attorney and there has been no meeting
of the ocean Park trustees 10 DISCUSS
this emergency"
Asked If he knew that the city or
Santa Monica was after an injunction
restraining the trustees of Ocean Park
from interfering with the drainage OF
Santa Monica, President Eiaklns SAID
"When they are ready to serve their
Injunction / may be over In Redondo'
Anyhow, what good will 1t do? Inc
sewage is dlreduy StOppcu' w iiOiA .''SS
send me $4,000 the obstruction VIII pe
removed, not before"
INSPECTOR Rabineau sought to stop
the flow OF sewage by making an aper-
ture in the twelve-inch circular earth
EN- nine and filling it with oakum and
saclxing. There is manhole rev
feet east of the division line between
the cities and it was expected the nuld
would back up and force it's way out
ant WAS
not sufficient to hold it at the point
where the aperture was made. and 1t
boiled cut there, running back toward
the auditorium.
The ordinary discharge of Santa
Monica sewage was controlled in Sucn
n way that 1T went out through the
Ocean Park main toward the Ocean
Park septic tank only when certain
volume of 1t had accumulated. 1t was
then forced by pumps and the pump
ing apparatus is on the property OF
Messrs. Fraser, Jones and Gage. The
nnmn was running wide open" all
through the evening. The men named
We're the head and front of the oppo-
sition to the victorious party In the
recent city election. and by tonignt s
work the old quarrels were renewed
with accumulated virulence.
Driven Away by odor
II was just S:45 o'clock when the
sewage discharge overfiowing the aper-
ture made by the order of President
Eakins began to flow down the broad
concrete walk to point unoerheatn
the bandstand, which is a birds nest
AFFAIR perched up in the middle Of the
Horseshoe auditorium front. There
are long rows of settees there and
nearly ali were occupied by women and
children. AS the ill-smelling fluid cir
cled and eddied about these settees
there was a scattering of the crowd,
every individual holding ON to an out
Marks, "the shell man." cried out in
a stentorian voice. Ocean Parks
mayor! ocean Parks mayor! oh. isn't
this ricel" There were boots of de-
rision. cat calls and much turbulence.
The stencil that filed the air was sick
ening. The Ocean Park partisans for
-. Iy..a--