The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-14
A ROUGH JAUNT.
Visit of the Supervisors to South
San Francisco.
Property Owners Explain What They Need in
the Shape of Improved Roads, Gas and
Water Facilities.

bdfO lOnS WlSucu dohcu 1Ol-l
visit from the City Fathers. Long have they
wanted to show the Board of Supervisors
| the difficulties with which they have to con-
tend in getting into the city and the urgent
| need there is of improving the streets and
| giving increased supplies of water aud gas,
or the means of lighting in that much
neglected portion of the city,
| Thanks TO Supervisor c. w. Taber and
| the exertions of the South San Francisco
| Improvement Club, their wishes have been
| realized, for yesterday the Mayor and ma
| jority Of the members of the Board of SUI
| peryisors paid them visit and In doing so
| passed over Kentucky street, street to
which the Rocky road to Dublin" is no.
where IN comparison.
| At noon yesterday a number of open ba-
rouches, provided by the South San Fran
cisco Improvement Club, drew up in front
of the EN- trance TO the new City Hall for the
| accommodation of the city officials who
were going 10 visit the southern suburbs.
Henry Lankenau, President of the improve
ment club, who acted as escort to the party,
insisted that only three persons should get
in each carriage, as the roads were rough"
| If Mr.. Lankenau'S head were tested with q
| spirit level, there could be hardly any doubt
that it would be found to be level. for the
roads were rough, exceedingly so.
The following took seats in the carriages
in waiting: Mayor SanderSOn, Supervisors
BurIing, Wilkinson, Hunt, Coffee, Carnes,
| Curtis and Taber, Clerk John A. Russell,
Henry Lankenau, l.. Battles OF the Califor-
MIA Electric Light Company, j. d. Godeus,
| 5. SilVerbuTg and members of the press.
ROUTE CHOSEN.
The route chosen was down Fourth street,
out Kentucky street to First avenue or
! BntcEertown and then along Railroad
| avenue to Fifteenth avenue. The riding to
| the bridge at the foot of Fourth street was
| good. Kentucky street from the bridge up
| as far as the rUpe walk, although very
| ''lumpy," and muddy in places, was not very
| bad and the Supervisors were too busy
| noticing the objects of interest along the
| route to pay much attention TO the state of
| the roads, but after passing the rope walk,
| on the second section of Kentucky street,
| the trouble commenced.
1t was rough riding. This section OF the
| street has sunk nearly four feet since 1t was
| constructed and in doing so has thrown
| up banks of mud on either side. which are
| now in many places hardly more level or IN
| better condition than the street itself. The
| street was in a horrible condition and 1t
| seemed impossible that all the horses in
| Butchertown could pull a heavily laden
| wagon through the mire and chuck holes
| that lncumbered It,
Travelling over it even in q carriage ap-
| preached somewhat to being in scow
| schooner running before the WIND In
| heavy seaway. The drivers had to keep to
| the edge OF the so-called street, as the
tround was little harder there, every now
| gnd then dSengaging, or as seamen would
aerm it, backing and filling, to avoid some
| deep chuckhOle or getting mired. The
| ruts occurred every few yards aud many OF
them were very deep. The drivers had to
| proceed with the utmost caution, and when
First avenue in Butchertown was reached
| number OF the party had all the symptoms
| of seasickness.
At First avenue, where the slaughter
| houses are located, halt was made aud the
| party alighted, The employees OF the houses
turned out in force 10 welcome the distn-
| guished visitors, and number of prominent
| wholesale butchers and Gait .emen were in
| troduced to his Honor and the members OF
| the board, and all expressed the hope that
| something would be done in the near future
| to remedy their complaints.
ALONG RAILROAD AVENUE.
| After leaving First avenue the party pro-
| ceeded along Railroad avenu, TO Fifteenth.
| This is the road the butcher wagons now
| have 10 traverse to reach the city. owing TO
the bad condition of Kentucky street. Ii is,
| especially at its lower end, in most de-
| plorable condition, although only year
| ago the butchers and the property-o owners
| of SoEtn San Francisco spent $500 out of
| their own pockets in placing 1t in repair
| The Supervisors were unanimously of the
| opinion that If any road in the city and
| county needs attention it is Railroad avenue,
| below Twelfth.
On arriving at South San Francisco the
| party was met by 4 number of property-
| owners, including Henry Gantner, Daniel
! w. Irwin, j. B. Warner. J. ID. Godens,
| W. Ii. Mclaughlin, Charles Milly aud
| others, aud escorted to the Masonic Hall,
| where lunch was served.
| At the conclusion of the repast President
4 81 -
| proyement Club welcomed Mayor Sander
| son and the members of the board, and said
| that from what they had seen they must all
| agree that Kentucky street and Railroad
| avenue were badly in need of repairs.
| "What do you call the present pavement"
| said his Honor, as lie carassed his jolted
| limbs.
DR.. W. II. Mclaughlin said that owing to
| the deplorable condition of the streets NEIL
| toned South San Francisco is cut off from
| the rest of the city and if the Southern Pa
| cific Company would only do their share of
| the work the South San Francis ans would
| join hands and do theirs. He next spoke of
| the insufficient supply OF gas and water, ow-
| ing to the small mains, and said tHat when
| the property-oWners spent 100000, as they
| had done, they fully supposed that the rail-
| road company would help them in getting
| communication with the city.
THEY NEED LIGHT ALSO.
| John d. Godeus, the next speaker, said:
'If we. who live out here, do not get home
| in the DAYTIME, we have great difficulty in
getting home at ALL Our electric light masts
| blew down during the late storm. We
want more light where buildings are. Most
| OF the traffic here is by butchers, between
midnight and o'clock in the morning, and
| we need ten extra lamps. Our roads, too,
must be repaired before next winter. Now
| we have only one road to the city, namely,
| Railroad avenue, Fifteenth avenue to the
| San Bruno road. If the contract was let to
| fix Kentucky street now. the work could not
| be completed in two years. III the Super
| visors Will fix Railroad avenue the residents
| of South San Francisco will, I'm sure, keep
| Fifteenth avenue III repair. 10 Tx hen-
| lucky street is impossible"
ID. w. Irwin, Secretary of the Improve
ment Club, informed the City Fathers that
| they had seen by their ride what was needed.
| The butchering Industry. he said, repre-
| scented a capital of S2,G00,000 and must be
| protected. 1t affects every poor man in the
| city. fit costs more to transport meat every
| consumer must pay his share of the increased
| cost The success of South San Francisco
| and the welfare OF the working people of San
| Francisco depends OIL having good roads Tor
| Transportation. If the board would listen
| TO the demands of the improvement club
| he could assure them nothing unreasonable
| would be asked.
Speaking for the wholesale butchers Simon
! Silverberg said they were the sufferers.
| They built a t0ll-road. When the railroad
would, but were disappointed. Then they
had to put ON a double force of men and
horses and built bridge at an expense of
| 100000. ''We have be said, expended
directly on the roads 100000 and the cost
to US Indirectly has been fully quarter of a
million dollars. This was dead loss to us.
Ii is on outrage that the Board of Supervi-
sors does nothing for us. We deal in a
commodity that is used by everybody. 1t Is
a duty you owe 20 the city TO give us good
roads. There is more travel over the roads
out here than over any Other roads in the
city. Even this morning our teams were
mired and il is shameful If We have TO put
our hands in our pockets to place the roads
in repair"
INSURANCE RATES AFFECTED.
Simon Clayburg stated that his firm could
I not obtain insurance on their property be-
| cause the water mains were small and
| horses could not haul the engines over the
| bad roads in case OF a fire.
Mr.. Lankenau said that the water mains
| on San Bruno road were only six inches and
on Fifteenth avenue only four inches in