The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-27
CABLE-CARS.
The Many Lines That Have Been
Established in This City.
Territory That Is Traversed by Miles Of Rails,
and Slots Over Which the Dummies
Haul the Trains.

Though the method of prOpelling cars up
and down steep grades by an endless cable
had been used before on a small scale, San
Francisco may be credited with facing and
surmoun,ing the difficulties which stood in
the way Of the everyday application of the
principle to street-car traffic. Where the
cable system had been used before, it was
used 10 run what was practically an elevator.
The distances were short, the grade uni
form, tho cars limited in number TO one or
two and the only stOpDing-placeS at the two
termini.
The mechanism was, in consequence, sim
pie. The devices for carrying the cable over
varying grades, interseeted by level cross
ings, fOI letting 90 and taking hold of the
cable at will, in fact, all the various inven-
tons that have made the cable-car system
practical success, are due to San Francisco
invention compelled to cope with the prob
lem Of providing easy transit over the sand
hills on which the city is built.
Once tried and found satisfactory on the
Clay-Street line, the use OF the cable as a
method of propulsion has steadily spread
over the city, until at the present time in
no part If the city is 1t necessary to walk
more than a block or so to reach a line of
cars which run the length of the city from
east to west. Cross lines from north to
south are not yet so numerous, but there is
a probability of a cross line along either
Fillmore or Devisadero streets. The sue
cess Of the cable-car system in San Fran
cisco has led to its adoption in most of the
cities of the Union. Three years ago a
cable-ear line was opened for traffic in Bir-
mingham, England, the first of the kind. it
IS believed. to be laid down in that country.
Most Of the Birmingham cars were drawn
by small locomotives, and complaints OIL the
smoke nuisance they OccaslOnad were u
merous. a short experience Of the advan-
tages of the cable system has no doubt led
to its widespread adoption.
RAPID TRANSIT.
Few cities possess the advantages Of San
Francisco in the matter of rapid and easy
means of transit 1t is proposed TO describe
in detail the routes OF all the city cabe-car
lines and from the account, II read with
map IF the city to refer to, it will be seen
that almost every section of the city IS in
touch with the heart and the outlying dis
tricts.
Tile first cable line which was constructed
in this city was the Clay street. The Origi-
aleasiern terminus was at Clay and hearny
streets, and the line ran along Clay street to
Van Ness avenue. Since the opening of the
Cliff House and Ferries Railroad, the Clay
street line has been taken over as branch
Of that system, and the eastern terminus
has been moved to Powell and CLAY streets.
This line was built by A. S. Hallidie, who
invented the principal mechanical devices
that are now in use. AS the pioneer line
it will always be interesting, though the cars,
dummies, track and grip lock small and old
fashioned beside those Of the newer lines.
The next line was constructed five blocks
south on Suffer street. The main line now
runs from Suffer and SansOme, along Suffer
to Central avenue. The Sutter-street line
was constructed under the supervision of
Gasabp1t who HpyiCn1 "a nathoH Inv
which one rope could cross another and
thus made it possible to run crOss-cable
lines. The first cross-cable line was built by
the SutteT-street Company. This now runs
from Townsend and Ninth streets to ana
across Market, along Larkin TO Post, along
Post to Polk. along Polk to Pacific avenue,
along Pacific avenue TO the terminus at Fill
more street.
The third line to be built runs almost
midway between the first two, and until re-
Gently WAS one Of the two cable lines in the
city that had no branches and ran on sin
gle street The eastern terminus of this,
the Californa-street Railroad, is at Califor-
MIA and kearny, but IS shortly to be moved
to Davis and California. The western ter
minus was at the opening Of the line at Cal
ifOrnia and Fillmore, but the line has been
extended 10 Central avenue since the rapid
growth of the Western Addition. At Cen
trail avenue the line connects with steam
ears which run to the park and Cliff House.
A BIRAlGHI-AHA1 LIN Il.
The other straight-away line is the Geary-
street, which runs from Geary and Mar ket,
along Geary street to Central avenue,
where it connects with steam-cars 10 the
park.
The rapid growth of the city in the neigh
borhood Of the park and in the southwest
sections led to the construction of The
elaborate Market-street system. The main
line OF this system runs from the ferry out
Market street to Valencia, along Valencia
20 the terminus at Twenty-siXth street.
The various branches of this system have
their termini also at the ferry. The first of
these-the Haight-street branch-runs along
Market street to its junction with Haight,
out Haight to Stanyan, opposite the en-
trance to Golden Gale Park.
The Hayes-stTeet branch runs along Mar
ket-street to Hayes, and along Hayes to
Stanyan.
The McAIlister-street branch runs out
Market street to McAlliSter and along Nc
Allister to Stanyan.
The Haight-street branch connects direct
" with line of steam-cars, which run to
the ocean. These cars are within few
blocks of the two other branches. The
latest branch of the Market-street system
is the CastrO-street. This runs along Mar
let street TO Seventeenth, where it turns
into Castro, then along Castro TO the ter
minus at TWenty-siXth street.
The next line-the Union street or the
Preside and Ferries line-runS across the
northern section of the city and connects
the business portion Of the city with Harbor
View and the Presidio. This line. whose
eastern terminus is at Montgomery ave-
nue. and Montgomery street, runs out
the avenue to Union, out Union to
Steiner, where it connects with steam-cars
which run to the Preside. This steam-car
line may be transformed into cable line. Ii
this is done il Will make continuous cable
line from Montgomery streettO the Preside.
The UniOn-stTeet line also connects with a
horse-car line which runs to the ferry.
The first horse-car railroad in san Fran
cisco-the Omnibus Railroad-was recently
transformed into cable line. This is an
other complicated system, and had. at start
ing, some difficulty in hitting upon salts
factory system of transfers.
The main line-the old hOrse-car line