The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-20

~ III
oakgana's Street Car Traeks-Tho Idea Is
to Get From Il to y TO ID.
1t. The business must be roftable, for
two new lines were completed within the
past week, and one Of them WAS opened for
traffic.
But the thing that causes The visitor TO
| swear aloud, and give range 10 "epea pier
venta" that will cost the recording angel
many tear is that there is 10 one in par
| tcular who seems to care a picayune
whether the traveller gets n his or her deS-
tination. or goes ''tO the demnitiOn bow
| vows"
Supposipg timid lady from the southern
| part Of the State lands in San Francisco,
| and mas the misfortune TO be in need of a
counselor, or clcerone, or guide. She VIII
get on board the Oakland boat, and there
after, heaven help her. unless she is young
| and goof-looking. She may receive and
accept friendly hints, which Will put her
down all right AT the corner of Broadway
and the Southern Pacific track in Oakland :;
but once there she is in the hands Of prOvi-
dence and the police.
The cumulative feature of the Oakland
electric car tracks is that they resemble
more than anything tie conv0iutiOnS of the
human brain. T0Ttuosity is not the word.
4 man or woman who has been ever all the
Oakland electric roads feels as if be or she
had been to a three-ring circus or feasting
the vision on dissolving views.
San Francisco IS not perfect model OF
street railroad administration, and there
are some few curyilineaT tracks Qike
the Central Tairoad) which will
leave the visitor considerably puZ-
lied. But most of the tracks are right
lined; the cars are varicoOTed; the only
difference is that there is some fTlendliness
and unfTlendliness about the transfers.
| But in Oakland the cars are all of tints of
! gray; brown-gray, blUe-Eray. or some other
| gray; and the routes are printed on the
sides Of the ears so closely that il looks as
II the JOB was done at so much per square,
| agate measure.
A man or woman running for a car has
| not much time TO reflect. or consider or
| miDutely examine. If the designation is in
sight half a mile away. and car appears io
be running that way, the chances are that
| this car will be boarded. These chances
are favored by tie fact that there is no one
/ TO give information or correct error. A
car which seems TO be running due north
will be as likely as not to set the visitor in
| Haywards as in Berkeley, and his Gesiina-
ton may be Tsmescal.
81 don't know where this thing is going TO
| end" said an Old resident of Oakland
| sadly. "Of course we want all the cars and
| streetcar lines we can grt, but il seems to
! me we might have some method or system.
| For one thing the electric cars running TO
/ different points ought to be painted in
| bright, conspicuous colors, just as your San
| Francisco cars are on Marker street. There
| YOU have the Castro cars white the Haipht
red, the McAllister yellow. the Valencia
blue, the Hayes green. Any one can see ut
a glance by the colors of the cars by day,
and the lights by night exactly what he
| wants.
| Now look at our car lines, leaving out
| the regular railroad lines. which are Them
| selves confusing enough"
| And the Oakander went into little his
| tory OF the streetcar lines, with a repetition
OF the remark, What viii we come TOP"
He pointed out that there is first of All the
Berkeley Rapid Transit, or as it is now
called tie Oakland Consolidated Street
Railroad. 1t runs from Second straet and
Broadway, Oakland. to Berkeley Unyer-
sity by two routes, diverging at the power
houses OF EoTty-slxth street, enc via Lorin
and the other on Shaituck avenue and
Dwight way. There is also branch
line to the Mountain View Cemetery with a
projected extension to Piedmont Springs
and Blair Park and branch to the Six
teeDth-sireet railroad depot. This COM
pany is now constructing road on Eighth
street to the point, which viii parallel the
present Seventh-street locsl trains from the
ferry and may in time solve the problem OF
dead-head travel. which is now gaawing the
vitals out of c. p. Huntington and the mag
mates of the Southern Pacific Company.
Another extension will tap the mannfac-
turing district at Emeryyille. The first
part of the road has been in operation since
May, 1891 Standing-room has been at
premium on the cars since tie line was
opened and about thirty cars are constantly
in use.
The Haywards line. called the Oakland.
San Leandro, Haywards Company, COM
menced operations in May Of the present
year from Fwenty-thi-d avenue to bay
wards and was only five months In con-
struction. The power-house is stu
ated on the county road. about
a mile from San I1eandro, Once out in
the. open this line presents al un-
broken vista Of orchards and quite
q fourlshing town Is already springng up
in the vicinity of the power.house. II must
be confessed that this road, for comfort of
cars and quickness of travel. is second TO no
electric road in the State But the trouble
Is for ylsitOr to Oakland to find the road.
An extensionefrom Brooklyn to the mar
row-gauge depot at Fourteenth and Frank
lin streets was opened to traffic last
wednesday. This connects with the Berke-
ley load, and transfers are made with that
line. which will eventually run across
Broadway to Washington street and the
water front.
The Piedmont Consolidated Cable Com
pany have constructed an electric road as a
continuation of their cable system. which
runs from the City Hall along Fourteenth
street TO the Sixteenth-street railroad depot,
replacing the old bObtail car. The power IS
located in the same building as the cable
house Of the cable company, at the northern
euge OIL Lake McEIitt. hu extension
jerted, ard franchises for several roads have
already been secured.
The East Oakland or Sessions Wander
COOK electric road has lately been opened
for general travel. 1t begins at Eighth and
broadway and trayefses some of the most
beautiful residen tial portions of East Oak
land. This company is heading for Pied
mont district by way of Indian Gulch, a
great picnic resort
The Telegraph avenue line, about to be
opened for traffic, is operated by the South
ern racine Railroad. like the San Pablo
avenue line. The local company is STYLED
the racine Improvement Company. The
new line commences at the foot OF Broad
way, with broad-gauge track laid on
each side OF the present narrow cable road
at Fourteenth street. Ii makes curve In
northeriy direction 10 1elegra h avenue.
and so runs to the University gates, q dis
tance OF -four. miles.
The California Improvement Company
has lately purchased the line from Oakland
TO Alameda owned by Theodore Metz. This