Year: 1876

that purpose. This cannot last, though
it may answer for the present. In
European countries, it has long been
the practice to sell this material to
persons who can use it on their land,
and in many cities considerable rev.
enue is derived from this source. This
may be done here. / am informed
that there would be demand
the destructive drainage of the gas
works was excluded from the general
mass of sewage matter, the excel
lent fertilizer thus obtained being cas-
lily disposed of to parties owning lands
below the city. That this great ques-
tion should be solved imm ediately is
very important, and l would recon-
mend that your Honorable Body, af-
ter a careful investigation into the
merits of the different plans that may
be developed, adopt and act on that
one which will in your judgment be
of the greatest benefit to the greatest
number. The Main Street sewer is al
most completed-it is substantially
built at a cost of $4,000, and is long
step in the right direction.


WATER.


1t has been satisfactorily demon
strated that the water supply of Los
Angeles is susceptible of great i'm
orovement, andas to the proper means
II obtaining the desired end, your
Lest judgment should be brought.
For several years it has been general
ly admitted that a submerged dam at
some point in the Los Angeles river
was the essential basis of any great
and permanent increase OF the water
supply. This idea has been elabora-
{ by the City Engineer, and accord
ing to the estimates Of that officer, a
dam sufficient to answer all practical
purposes can be built at u cost of not
more than $4,000. The mere con-
struction of such dam as is propos-
ed, while in itself Of great importance
must not be regarded as the end, but
the beginning of the great work. And
ii is your duty to adopt the best means
for raising the necessary money to
carry to successful termination such
works as may be determined upon. l
desire to suggest the propriety of flum-
ing, or cementing the Zanja madre,
in order that the less by evaporation
and seepage may be reduced to the
| minimum. And also, of constructing
system of "sand boXesn at conven-
lent points along the bank of the riv-
er, by means of which the sand now
carried in the water as it is taken from
the river, may be deposited in boxes.
and at intervals sluiced out uron
places which it will not injure. Ua-
der the present system, all the sand
carried by the water is either deposit
ed in the zanjas or what is worse, up
on the valuable land where the water
is used for irrigation. In the first in
stance number of men are kept en-
ployed in cleaning the zanjas, that is,
shoveling out the sand deposited by
the water which by The use of boxes
properly constructed could be taken
from the water near the head of the
ditch, and the expense to the city of
| constant cleaning would be saved and
the owners of irrigated lands be re-
}ieved from the continually increasing
sand deposit on their lands. During
the season for irrigating the water
would not have to be shut off for sew
era, days at time in order to clean
they zaDias, thereby cansing injury
and ndinc0nvenience to the consumers
of water.


PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FLOOD.


The los Angeles river may at any
time duying the rainy season overflow
its banks, and sweep through the
more depressed portions of the city.
The stepsnecessary to prevent such a
calamity should be taken at once.
Our past immunity from danger
should not cause us to ignore measures
OF the most common prudence. Un-
less some adequate precautions are ta-
Ken, We may at any moment become
the theater of calamity which
would rival in extent and horror any
OF those which have devastated other
cities more compely protected than
we. lhe first action that would seem
necessary is to define the lines of the
Los Angeles river carefully and perma-
nently, aud to require any property
owners Who have encroached upon
these limi's by planting live fences, or
In any manner Obstructing the free
course of the water to at once remove
those obstructions. Then if the west
bank were protected by a sloping levee
or embankmeft made at low stage of
water by digging a trench deep enough
to remove any dlnger of undermining,
and sloping the nank from the bottom
OF the trench back to point above
high water mark, and covering this
sloping surface with trees-the tops
outward--laid in layers. in the same
manner as shingles are placed on a
roof, l think the sand would, ais the
water raised, be deposited among the
branches of these trees to such an eX-
tent that the very action of the water
would be constantly Increasing the
barrier between ourselves and the
threatened danger. By carrying this
covering of trees below low water
mark all danger from Undermining
will be obviated.


CITY BUILDINGS.


The inconvenient and disgraceful
adobe huts which have hitherto done
duty as public buildings are no, only
I Ia libel on our civilization and inferior
to the public buildings Of any city In
the State of our size and wealth, but
they are positively unsafe depositoiies
for the valuable public records which
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