The morning call., 1892-12-16
AFTER THE NICKEL
Mr.. Huntington Thinks a
Great Thought.
Alameda Set a-Wondering in Regard
to an Electric Railway
Franchise.

Is this the hand of the Southern Pacific
in disguise?
1t looks like it.
Alameda citizens are beginning to think
tits.
They say it very much resembles one of
Coils little tricks, and they think they can
see Dir. Huutington's woolly head in tho
woodpile.
Some time ago W. NJ Rank secured a
franchise from the city fathers of Alameda,
which gave him the privilege of running an
electric street railway from Twenty-thrd
avenue in Oakland south on Park street
and west on Santa Clara avenue in Alameda,
across the marsh and back into Oakland.
MIR. Rank laid brand-new track, and then
put on two bobtail horsecars.
That's Southern Pacific trick" said the
disguised people of Alameda.
The bobtails ran once an hour, and stopped
en- route to let the horses Craze on the grass
which came up between the cobblestones in
the track.
Alamedans felt so sore that they boycott
ted those two bGbtail cars and patronized
only the bus line and the free trains.
Presently the bus line was discOn tinued,
y,
Aiamedans groaned and wondered what
was up.
The bus line had been gobbled up by the
bobtail-iine owners ana a clean monopoly
established.
This was another Southern Pacific trick
and the people groaned and grew hopeless.
The other day q contractor tried to get
some work TO do on the new line.
lie was sent first TO one man, then to an
other, then TO another.
Finally be reached the San Francisco I'm
pTovement Company.
When he got that far he was privately
told that the san francisco Improvement
Company was blind concern belonging to
the Southern Pacific of Kentucky
He was 10th to believe It. for he wanted
the job badly and knew that the Hunting
ton corporation would have no use for him.
so he went on investigating. He kept 60
ing from one to tile other asking for that lob.
Where do you snppose be brought up?
At Fourth and Townsend streets, you
say?
Somebody told you.
But you guessed right. anyway. And now
the good people OF Alameda are sorrowfuI
for they have heard this tale of the con-
tractor and have no reason toS1isbelieve it.
though they would like to.
Already IN their minds eve that see the
broad-gauge steam-car service taken off and
replaced by jim crow electric line and
scent fare.
II.
Ton has on several occasions intimated his
displeasure that the good people of Alameda
could not be caJoied nor coereed into pay
ing tribute TO bis Golfers for the privilege of
riding In bis stuffy coaches with the windows
nailed down aud the ventilators frozen shut
Then, too. the recent decision of the
Superior Court that Mr.. Huntington's con-
ductOrs could not force a 10-cent fare out of
an rnlucky passenger who gets on the train
at Oakland was not calculated to propitiats
the great railroad magnate.
His palm itched tor the nickels and dimes
of the good people of Alameda County and
he was wr0th that the courts should not
permit him TO charge double fare for a
shorter ride than the free passengers are
entitled to.
So he set bis great brain a-threbbing and
as heming how To lessen the CONT orts of
other people and increase his own ple!horic
treasures.
Did somebody tie IL him. or did he think it
Anyway, the result is the same. The
steam rails are to be taken up from Railroad
avenue and in their place electrician tracks
are to be used.
This was and is the scheme. but it would
hardly pay unless the electric road conld be
extended through other streets in Alameda.
How to do this was the puzzle.
Alameda city fathers were wary of the
crafty Huntington-t0o wary, IN truth--for
number of years. The Southern Pacific
City Trustees without paying for them.
Mr.. Huntington very rightly decided that
he could not consistently pay the people for
franchise.
Such course would be contrary to every
tenet and practice Of the Southern Pacific.
So the electric scheme hung fire for
awhile.
But MIR. Huntington's great brain went on
thr0bbIng and planning until, alasi the
guileless people OF Alameda were undone
entirely.
In an evil hour the Trustees gave Mr..
Rank an eleetrc-road franchise.
And the San Francisco Improvement
Company is doing the work on that electric
road.
And there is every reason to believe that
the San francisco Improvement COMPANY
and the Southern Pacific Company are one
aud the same. And. alas no reason in all
the wide world TO disbelieve it,
IL is even vouched for by reputable
contractor
And the property-owners interested are
In state oil suspense. fer they know not
what Is 10 happen to their streets.
Their streets?" No, not theirs. Int tho
Southern Pacihc Company's of Kentucky.