The morning call., 1892-07-02

One cannot help admiring the rapidity
with which the laying OF new rails on the
Geary-street cable-Iine is carried on without
cessation of traffic but undoubtedly with an
army of men at work and pandemonium-
like noise night and day. But the bed of
sand lying Ceep under the block Pavement
facilitates operations wonderfully. There
is neither digging nor blasting into obdu-
rate rock. 1t is only question of removing
the surface blocks and finding pure sand
beneath which can be shoyeled aside as
easily as sugar. Workmen do not find this
toll excessively fatiguing, although they
work hard and deserve all the money they
earn. For railroad work company could
not desire better facilities than a graded
street with a sand foundation.
Recently the whole line of Montgomery
street was torn up for electric lighting
plant The work was comparatively easy,
fer the surface blocks had only TO be torn up
and the loose sand 10 the requisite depth
was easily removed. Along Kearny street,
at this moment an electric lighting plant
IS being laid down under other conditions.
kearny street is ornamented with plastic
btumen pavement-almost as plastic as
vscid glue in the suns heat. This pave
ment was meant 10 be as hard, smooth and
durable as infrangble glass. But il has a
good deal more the character Of birdlime
than anything else seen in pavement here
mild compared with its bad qualities when
1t has to be :orn up for conduiis The as
phaltum is tough to drag aside and beneath
1t has a bed of concrete which has TO be
dealt with bv the pick, and undermined and
beaten down ike a seam of coal before the
loose sand is reached. One might pardon
the obduracy Of the under pavement if the
surface had less resemblance to treacle.
The Carnegie brothers are consolidating
hafr fT,s al. -.
tion is being put into practice their work
men, numbering over 40,oO0 are threatened
with lockout. In addition there are other
steel and iron works in the Pittsburg dis
trct at which new scale has not been
accepted, and altogether there are 100000
men about to take rest on account of con-
tilct with capital. 1t is earnestly to be
Eoped that this paralysis of industry will
not endure. 1t certainly cannot endure
long without serious injury to both sides
Recently Andrew Carnegie showed in q
letter over his signature that whatever else
the Mckinley tariff has done for the coun-
try II has not benefited ironmasters The
employers desire to reduce wages, and
they are hound to show that the necessity
exists Tor this change. a compromise will
probably be the result of negotiations be-
tween the employers and employed.
othing appears TO be too mean for a
trust enterprise. Recently a number of
spectators conceived the idea that the
manufacture OF umbrellas might properly
be gathered under the sheltering care of a
trust The idea was good, because every
body uses An umbrella, just as everybody
uses boots or shoes. 1t is case of uniyer-
sal sale OF an article of necessity. 1t must
delight everybody that the plans for this
monopoly have mserably failed. Only 80
per cent Of the manufacturers have gone
into the pool, and now they viii swim out
of H. leaving the market for umbrellas free.
The good people of Vallejo will do we'll
for some time to come to boil their drinking
water very carefully. Lake Chabot appears
to be so stagnant from want of aeration by
a stream supply that it has become unfit for
the lie OF fish. To the ordinary observer
a fish is iEder rendent of air, and only gnlps
down water from the abundance surround
ing IT, But really the water is only passed
through the gills for the purpose of extract
ing the free air it embodies. Hundreds OF
hsh have come TO the surface of Lake
Chabot asphyxiated, and the piscine
corpses are a serious cause of contain
InailoD. Either other water must be pro-
cured or the consumers must boil the water
to rid 1t Of impurity.
1t may be hoped that too much will not
be done to render the Yosemite Valley
more spectacular than nature has seen fit to
permit. 1t is the soiemnity OF the valley,
It's awe-inspiring aspect, the union OF
majesty in the mountain and peace in the
valley which gives 1t its claim to wonder.
Ihe commissioners have some scheme i'm
view to Introduce the electric light into tile
vaiey-a very poor competition with the
gimmering mystery Of moonlight Even If
dynamos can be run from the power of the
waterfalls 1t will not add to the subIimity of
the scenery to have the falls lit up by
coloIed light
wiz Mr.. Cleveland take part in the DOW
WOW at Tammany Hall Wiswari on the
Fourth OF Julyo He has heen invIted