The morning call., 1893-08-20
HERE is CONSISTENCY.
Restrictions the Central Pacific
Sought to Place on a Rival.

A CALL reporter was delving into files of
old Oakland papers yesterday and sue
ceeded in digging up some very interesting e
reading matter. 1t shows how the South
ern Pacific would have arranged matters
If lrgslating for some other railroad COM
pany. Indeed. at this time it can be used
in the nature OF precedent. The j. G..
Martin referred 10 is one OF the leading
legal lights of the Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company.
At meeting of the Oakland City Coun-
ell on Tuesday evening, March 3, 1880,
there appeared before the Council j. G..
Martin. who wanted t. Introduce some
amendments TO the franchise asked for by
A. E. Davis for steam railroad on Web
ster street. This was the Fair road, and
some of Mr.. Martins remarks may be in
teresting at this time as showing how ex-
acting the Southern Pacific was with its
wOuld-be rival.
The frs; paragraph OF the proceedings
after President White called the Council
to order is as follows:
Mr.. Martin said there were quite a number of
amendments he would like 10 have incorpo-
rated. He wished 10 have 1t provided thai pa g
sengers within the city should be carried free.
MIR. Martin said that they were opposed to
any rail DAD; but IL The road must com. they
chlse. The first anne ndmeDt was provision
for ihree-foot gauge. The next wa. to limit
the franchise To the soutbery line of Fourtee nth
street. The ext was a provision that no turn
outs should be allowed where there were
double tracks. Another provided that the
road should conform to the official grade of
Webster street. and that the CROSSINGS of all the
streets should be planked flush with the tops Of
the rails.
There were some little demurrers to
these exactlons by Mr.. Davis. but an Oak
land paper of that date says that MIR. Mar
tin con ntinued reading as follows:
hats shAe
Davis. subject TO all municipal bylaws and
regulations for the protection of property as
now provided or hereafter TO be provided by
laws and the ordinances Of the city.
Cars when nor in actual service shall not be
allowed to stand on the track between the
terminal points Of said railroad.
This sounds funny in these days of
flyers" Mr.. Martins sixth amendment
provided
That trains should not stop except at estab-
lished depots, which. when once established,
must not be abandoned without the consent of
The City Council.
The seventh stipulated that no fares
should be collected from passengers riding
over the road In the city.
The eighth called for f1sgmen at all rail-
road and street railroad crossings, to be
employed at the expense of Mr. Davis
The ninth stipElated that all street cross
ings should be gai nished with substantial
signs warning the public to beware of the
cars.
The tenth provided that the passenger
accommodations of said railroad to and
from San Francisco should be as frequent +
as those afforded or hereafter to be af
forded by the Central Pacific Railroad
Company and upon the same terms as to
single fares aud cummutation tickets and
the speed of the trains within the corporate
limits should not exceed eight miles per
hour.
Mr. Martin resumed the reading of the
provisions OF the ordinance with which he
wished to burden the narrow gauge as
follows:
Said railroad shall be constructed on such a
grace as 10 run underneath the surface OF
Webster street by means of tunnel extending
from the southeIly line OF Fourteenth street.
ana The excavations and approaches to said
tunnel shall not exceed twentv.four feet i'm
width. aud TO be lined with a substantial re.
tanning wall OF stone or brick masonry. Each
wall snail be surmOunted by substantial iron
raiiing not less than four feet high.
The sixteenth amendment provided for
crossings at First. Second. Third, Fourth
and Fifth streets. which are 10 be graded
curbed and macadamizsd. The drainage
to sewers was also to be remedied.
Mr. Martin said the adoption of the
amendment would do away with plapking