MINIATURE CITY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 148, 19 December 1929, Page 21

MINIATURE CITY

BUILT IN'9O DAYS

Tip in the San Gabriel Canyon, ten miles from Azusa, California, and thirty miles east of Los Angeles, there has sprung up a new town where six months ago was no vestige of human habitation.

This town, says an overseas paper; is not one of those that, like Topsy, "just growed," but was built in accordance with definite plans and specifications. The site of the town is on flattened places on the side of the canyon just below the site of the £5,000,000 flood control dam being constructed by the Los Angeles Flood Control District. At least 500 men will have homes there for the next five years.

This littlo city, which was built in 90 days, is equipped with the very latest conveniences, and is controlled by the Flood District Committee. Tho workmen are furnished with comfortable quarters and given ample food of the very best quality at a cost not to exceed 5s 6d per day. This includes meals, ■ beds, janitor service, heating, lighting, bathing facilities, changes of linen and sheets once a week, towels, soap, and so on.

The town comprises 30 four-room family houses, 50 eight-man bunkhouses, three sanitary buildings, one dining-room, kitchen, and storehouse, one office building, one recreation building, and one boiler-house. The recreation building offers most of the facilities of a well-equipped club. A read-ing-room, with a_ fireplace provides a pleasant place for evening diversion. The bunkhouses are neat and comfortable, arranged for the accommodation of eight men each on iron cots. There are long sinks-with abundance of hot and cold water. The cottages for families are neat little four-room houses with electric ranges and all modern conveniences. These aro rented to contractors, superintendents, and foremen. • .

The camp is completely electrified, including electric ranges and heaters. To furnish electricity, the Southern California Edison Company has constructed a high tension line 12 miles long to the site. There has also been put in operation a five-circuit telephone line to connect with the outside world. It goes without saying that the song of the radio is heard throughout the camp. Water for domestic supply is pumped from the river above the dam site to a 42,000-gallon tank located on the mountain sides 150 feet above the camp. A railroad runs up the floor of the, canyon from Azusa. The roadbed was made wide enough to serve as a highway as well as a railroad grade, and is paved with broken stone flush with the rails.