Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-29
PASADENA MAYOR SAYS
ONE B0NDISSUEA At A TIME
Delay Bringing the Arroyo Bridge
Question Before Council
for Several Weeks

PASADENA, July 29.-According to
Mayor Farley, the question OF BRING
ing the arroyo bridge matter before
the city council will be delayed sevedal
weeks. He stated last evening that
no caucus had been held with the
council members on the question, but
that he believes they would not be
willing to put up either the inter-
mediate or low bridge at this time.
lone bond issue at a time is all that
the people should consider he said,
land we will wait until the high
school bond question is disposed of
before entering upon the bridge ques-
ton" He stated further that City
Engineer Van Ornum will leave today
for a three weeks vacation, and that
no figures on the revised plans for the
low bridge can be obtained until Van
Ornums return.
The city engineer went on record last
evening as favoring the low bridge,
9 declaring that a grade of 61a per cent
can be obtained on both sides of the
arroyo leading to the structure by
starting the fill through the Scoville
orange orchard farther down the pres
ent Arroyo drive than at first planned.
He stated that no estimates have been
made as to the amount of earth re-
quired to make the fill or the cost of
the proposed low bridge and ap-
proaches, but expressed a belief that
the 61a per cent grade is possible and
that the cost of this plan will be much
less than the intermediate bridge
c. B. Scoville, through whose prop
erty the approach to either bridge will
have to run, stated last evening that
he faVors the low bridge and will op
pose the building of the intermediate
bridge, which he insisted on terming
the high bridge. Il have been in Santa
Barbara for three weeks" he said,
land just returned for a few days on
other business. l am going back to
Santa Barbara soon. 1 have not been
following the question closely, but will
state three reasons for opposing the
high bridge. First, it will cost
great deal of money for something
which the city does not want. Second,
we don't need the low grade promised
by the high bridge; the 6 or per
cent grade offered by the low bridge
will suffice. Third, the low bridge ties
up to Arroyo drive and gives access
to the other side of the arroyo, afford
ing a beautiful drive for Sightseers."
Mr.. Scoville stated further that he
received a letter some time ago from
Conklin Armour of Chicago, who is inn
proving a tract on the west bank of the
arroyo preparatory to erecting a man
sion, and who states that it would be
a crime to build the high" bridge,
which would be an eyesore on the
landscape.
In opposition TO the citizens quoted
above is the board of trade bridge
committee, which UNANIMOUSLY in
dorsed the intermediate BRIDGE the
engineer of the county highway COM
mission, who wrote to the board of
trade indorsing the structure; many
residents of San Rafael Heights, who
have stated that they will subscribe
to the building of the intermediate
structure claiming that it is the log
ical bridge for utility" purposes, and
many citizens who from time to time
have gone on record in favor of the
link in the proposed Foothill boulevard
connecting the San Gabriel valley
with the San Fernando valley.
Williams and Nishkian, who designed
the intermediate structure as COM
promise measure when the original
high bridge and the low bridge were
the only ones at issue, are taking no
active part in the discussion. I'VE
heard that the board of trade was
wrestling with the problem of con-
structing a bridge across the arroyo
from Colorado street in the most feas-
ible and economical manner with a
minimum grade" they said last even
ing, "and we rendered our services
gratis to help solve the problem. We
have sufficient data to present to the
city council to enable them to take
the matter up intelligently any time
they see fit. In fact we have been
prepared for over three weeks We
have no ak to grind. When we first
took up the question we were prac-
tically strangers to all concerned and
we drew our plans without being
handicapped with the proposition of
considering how the structure would
affect any individual. Now that we
are in the game we are ready to back
our plans with figures whenever the
council calls upon us. We have no
personal interest in the matter and are
taking no part in the controversy"