The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-03-20
]. w. Foley's News Letter

PA.
Los Angeles, Cal, March Ito The
Forum; There are always some prac-
teal people in the world, fortunately
enough, who want facts and figures
with reference TO countries in which
they may be interested. And to the
end that these people may have some
thing before them with which to Judge
of this section Of the United States, I
went down to the chamber of COM
merce the other day and got some lit
eratuTe, data, statistics and personal
information from Frank Virgins, the
secretary of the chamber. Virgins Is
q unique figure in Los Angeles, and
has about everything you want 20
know at his wits end. And he differs
from a good many men engaged in the
spreading of information in that he is
temperate in his statements and mod
est in his claims, although firm in the
belief that Los Angeles is destined to
be one of the great cities Of the
world. And from the growth of the
city in the past quarter of a century I
am inclined to think his faith is well
founded.
LilGIs VIC. shall bIdlk OuN W
saying that thirty years ago, Los An
geles had a population of 1,000-con-
siderably smaller than Grand Forks Of
today. In twenty years it had grown
to 102,479. From 1900 to 1910, 1t in
creased from 100000 to more than
100000 and now it is estimated to have
a population of % $1,000. Think of a
growth Of 1900 to 100000 in thirty
years and you get some idea of the
romantic Transformation Of this coun-
try in less than a third of a century.
Los Angeles was founded in 1881 by
a small band Of ~colonists recruited in
the Mexican states of Sinaloa and So
nora and brought here by a govern
ment officer to found an agricultural
colony to raise produce for the SOL
diers at the presidios. In 1890 the pu-
eblo had a population of 141. There
one European, seventy-two
Spanish-Americans seven Indians,
twenty-five mulattoes and thirty-nlne
Mestizos. In 1881, after forty years,
the population was only ITO. In 1S47
it was 1900. And it grew slowly until
In 1880 the censu gave it 1I,311.
Business then was dull and the place
was a sleepy little southwestern viii
lage. In 1885 with the completion Of
the Atlantic and Pacific railway things
began to. stir. There was a real es-
tate boom, and the growth of the city
was rapid. And 1t has continued to
grow and it's record for the past thir-
ty years I do not think has been ap-
preached by any other American city.
Twenty-Five years ago there was
not a paved street in Los Angeles.
The people got about in the mud
come way. On the present site
of twelve-story s~kyscrapers, run
ming into millions Of dol
lars of value COWS were pastured.
Old homes were where the liveIiest
business rhoroughfafres are now. I
was talking with'a young lady the 9TH
er evening" girl Of little more than
20-and she told me her parents were
living when she was born on the site
Of the Pacific Electric passenger sta
tion-a seven story building into which
all the suburban trains Of this vicln-
ity run-and one of the busiest sta
tions, perhaps, of it's kind in the
world. Thousands upon thousands of
passengers take passage there every
minute in the day for Pasadena, South
Pasadena, Glendale, Tropico, Sierra
Aadre, Long Beach and a score of 9TH
er suburban towns. And yet a little
more than twenty years ago there was
a country home on it's site, and all
about was pasture land. Now it is
the very center of the business dis
trict. That is some transformation. 1 n
a bit over twenty years. .
Today there are seventy five miles
Of paved streets, 400 miles OF graded
and graveled streets, $50 miles of sew
er, $50 miles of local street railway
lines, $50 miles of suburban railroad
lines, single, double and foul tracked,
banks with deposits Of $152, 600, 900 and
clearings last year of a little less than
1000, 000, 900, assessed valuation Of
$3S4,000, 900 with building permits is
sued in 1911 of nearly SIS, 900, 900. That
sounds like the story of Alladin's
lamp, but the figures are from the rec
ords and the town is here to prove
them true.
And to show what is necessary to 10
to make Don for the people who will
live here in another ten or fifteen
years, they are putting in a water sup
ply for a city of 100000 people. To
DO that they have bonded for $25, O0O,-
600 and the last bonds have Just been
sold. and this money has been and IS
being expended upon the construction
OF an ~aqueduct for a distance of 220
miles-think of 220 miles of aque-
duct, which would run from
the Missouri river to Fargo and leave
fifty miles over. This aqueduct will
reach to the Owens river up in Inyo
county and bring an inexhaustible
supply of pure water through ninety
eight miles of covered concrete con-
duits, forty miles of uncovered, TWEEN
ty-one miles of open canal, twelve
miles of inverted siphons and forty
three miles Of tunnels 10 to 10
feet in diameter. That's some engi-
neering and enterprise. There will
be four reservoirs along the line hold
ing a three months supply Of water.
This system of supply will deliver
258, 600, 900 gallons net every twenty
four hours into reservoirs located
nearly 1000 feet above the city. 1t is
a gravity system throughout, no
pumping being required.