The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-29

Captain Short was on the scene in few
minutes, and Mayor Ebert ordered him to
arrest the men and their advisers if they
did not mediately stop the work of mutt
lating the public streets.
This is no hour to perform this work
and it is wrong on the face of it," said the
Mayor. IF you people had any legal and
just right to do this thing you would not
attempt such snap judgment as this. You
are tearing up the sidewalks without a
permit from the Superin of Streets,
which is necessary, and il you don't stop
this work you will all be arrested. This
thing is an outrage, and the boldest piece
of work ever heard Of"
The men were advised by their employ
ers to stop work. and escaped from being
arrested by Captain Short and his posse
Of officers.
The crowd that had gathered around
rapidly increased. There were hundreds
of people on the street, and all were dis
cussing the affair. Mayor Ebert thought
that the men would cease work only tenn
porarily. and continue after awhile, so he
stayed on the scene the rest of the night.
He ordered Captain Sh ort TO distribute
his men and arrest the first man that at
tempted to tear up the streets without a
permit from the Superin tendent Of Streets
Gustave Sutro and Attorneys Herrin
and Wood endeavored 10 vain to convince
the Mayor that the Omnibus Company
had a legal right to do as it had done.
I'VE have only selected this hour" thew
said, "because work would otherwise inter-
fere with traffic" But the Mayor was
firm.
1t was now getting toward o'clock.
The 400 men employed by the railroad cor
poration had not left the scene. They still
rested on their picks and shovels, and
were evidently awaiting orders. They
had placed and tamped down about ten
poles, which reared their iron heads above
the first windows of the houses along the
street. The poles erected before the work
was stopped at 3 A. NJ. were between Sec
ond and Fourth streets. Holes for more
poles had been dug at regular intervals all
along both sides of the street as far as the
Baldwin Hotel The iron poles. each
weighing about ton, had been laid down
in front of the holes, and were ready for
being erected.
At o'clock the legal advisers of the
corporation gave up the fight, seeing that
the Mayor and police remained on the
scene and gave orders to the workm en- to
disDerse. The pick and shovel brigade
filed off and were followed by the carts,
trucks and wagons.
well, we expected this interruptihn,"
said one of the corporations attorneys,
land have gained our point. All we
wanted was a certain number of poles
erected and then we could ebjoin the city
from interfering with our work. What
we wanted was a legal standing"
But the corporations attorneys did not
know the Mayor. who was up to their
game. Shortly after O'Clock he went to
his office at the new City Hall and in
dited letter to Superintendent of Streets
Ackerson directing him to remove the
poles and remove them at once.
Acting under tbs instructions of the
City's Chief Executive. Superintendent
Ackerson at once set to work to dig up
and remove the poles. He ordered out
the ewagons of the Street Department, but
they appeared too small.
Hire wagons and send the bill to the
Omnibus Com pany," said the Mayor.
superintendent Ackerson did so, and
procured some heavy trucks from Farms
worth d Ruggles. Fifty men were imme.
diately set to work to pull up the poles,
which was great deal more difficult task
than placing them. as they had been
tamped and cemented.
During the morning while the noles
we're peng taken down, after the coup
detat OF the company had failed, the at
torneys OF the Omnibus corporation made
an attempt to secure an injunction to pre-