The morning call., 1893-05-21
OF BOBTAELS
Suspension of Travel on
Mission Street.
THE NEW ELECTRIC LINE.
the Track to the Ferry
VIII Be Torn Up-LocaI Street
Railway Improvements.

@After to-day the travel on the Mission
street car line will be suspended. On
Monday the company will begin laying
The new track from Thirtieth street to the
ferry for the electricians which are to
Misplace the much eXecrated and ancient
bobtails. 1t will take about thirty days
and possibly longer to lay the new track
When laid there Is likely to be consider
able more delay before the electric road is
in operation and meanwhile the patrons
of the line will be compelled to rely on the
Valencia street or tn Howard street lines
TO get in and out Of the Mission district
AS soon s the track is laid borsecars will
be operated until the electric-cars are put
on.
There Is much work yet remaining to be
done at the western end of the line. The
building of the extension on Twenty-ninth
street to Noe is to be actively pushed.
This work is to proceed simultaneously
with the relaying of the track to the ferry.
j. l.. Willcutt, secretary and manager of
the Market-street system, denies that the
company is storing up the old rails as fast
as they are taken up. Only the best are
being stored. The bulk OF the iron is
being sold.
he also states that the Mission-street
electric line is TO be operated on the trolley
system under the same patents In use on
the other electric roads. No practical or
satisfactory storage-battery system to his
knowledge has yet been devised. and lis
people have not been making experiments
IN search of one.
1t is the intention of the company to in
trodnce all the latest improvements in car
construction on the Misson-street line.
The cars will be thirty-three feet in length
and fitted up In handsome style. The roll
ing stock will include. however, some
smaller cars, out the majority will be the
standard size.
The bobtail cars are to be entirely with
drawn from servi e and not be seen on
the D-street extension as feared by some
OF the patrons of the line.
The open cars on the Geary-street line
have met with much favor on the part of
the public. Some complaint has been
made, however, that tie seats are too mar
row TO seat the passengers comfortably,
and orders have been given to SEND all the
rars to the repair shops to have the arms
widened so as to remedy til grievance
There Is no intention at present to light
the cars on the Market-street system by
the introduction of what is known as
pitch gas. the method in vogue on several
Of the New York street railways. The
gas flows from compressed gas stone wells
beneath the cars. 1t is now in use with
considerable success on manv Of the pas
senger coaches OF the Southern Pacific
Company.
Among other street railway improve
ments under way In this CITY is the extern
sion of the McAliister-street cabe-line
from its present terminus at Seventh ave-
nue. to NineteeNth avenue. This work is
to be rushed as fast as the grading is COM
pie ted.
The experiments on the Folsom-street
end of the North Beach and Mission road
TO develop satisfactory electric storage
battery system have for the time being
come 10 grief. They have been conducted
entirely at the expense of the inventors,
the streetcar company extending to the
latter the facilities of their tracks and car
shops in the conduct of the experiments.
The inventors have sent East for some
new applian. es. ana will wait till they ar
rive before they resume their experiments.