The morning call., 1893-08-21

the last run of the boat from the sched-
ule. After she made her o'clock landing
in Oakland she tied up for the night. and
the employees on the boat were given an
opportunity to visit the Davie line dock
and see how a new enterprise flourisbes
when it has back OF it the Individual SYM
pathy and practical support of the public
That the Alvira was not in fit cond-
tion for the demands of traffic the officers
of the Davie line discovered before she
had finished her second round trip. The
boats bottom is in a foul condition, and
her captain says she has not been over
hauled in that respect since she was built.
An accumulation of years has formed that
greatly Tetards her speed, and it is the in
tentiOn of the company to thoroughly clean
her and paint over the bottom with copper
paint this week. 1t is expected that when
these repairs are completed the boat will
be able to make the trip fully as quick as
the Rocalie. The slow time made yester-
day did not seem to exhaust the patience
of the crowds aboard her. AS on the
Rosalie, many people crossed over from
this side and also came over from Oakland
and made the return trip without coming
ashore. Little incidents of an amusing
nature kept coming to the surface that
tended to make the time pass swiftly. and
Of the thousands who crossed the bay not
one word of dissatisfaction was heard re-
fecting upon the boat or the management.
The Rosalie's banner trip was that made
at o'clock. when she carried 1.153 persons.
The Alvira broke her srecord on the
o'clock run, when she took over from the
city 2560 people. Both boats nearly
equaled these records upon several 9th er
trips.
In their preparations for the anticipated
big days travel the Davie Company made
number of changes in their method of
handling passengers that proved of bene-
fit. The stockade built at the end of the
wharf in Oakland has not heretofore been
utilized, as the traffic was not OF sufficient
proportions to render the collection of
tickets at the gang plank impracticable.
Yesterday, however, the gates were closed
and the collector took the tickets as the
crowd came into the stockade In the
middle Of the day and up to the departure
of the 6 o'clock boat for the city the sight
presented upon the inside of the in closure
was remarkable one. People were packed
into a solid mass until it looked as though
additional passenger. In fact the gates
were closed during those trips when the
crowd became too great, and after the pa
tient travellers had got aboard they
would be again opened to admit the large
number still upon the outside.
When the gangplank was cleared of
those coming ashore. the rush of people
going aboard looked more like the sudden
rush of flock of frightened sheep through
n breach in a fence than any other simile
that presents itself to the mind of the
writer.
j. l.. Davie. president of the company.
and several other officials of the line,
worked hard during the departure and
arrival of their boats to subdue the i'm
patient crowds in their efforts to get
ashore or on board, and their restraining
influence possibly prevented accidents that
might have occurred had the passengers
been permitted to pursue a disorderly
course.
AS to the sentiment manifest among the
people who were gathered at the docks on
both sides of the bay and among those
who rode across, it was always favorable
to the Davie line whenever expressed. II
the Southern Pacific had any friends
among the thousands on both sides who
witnessed yesterdays enormous travel
they were noticeably indisposed to air
their opinions. One motherly old lady
said that she came TO California before the
Southern Pacific was built. and that since
this fight to break its tenacious grip upon
the people had been inaugurated she had
become so ardent a supporter of the oppo-
sition ferry line that she had told some of
her friends that she wouldn't recognize
them If they patronized the lines OF the
giant monopoly.
The women. in fact, are much more de-
monstrative and sneak more freely than
the men. Passing to and fro over the bay,
they enthusiastically greet the sister boat
OF the one upon which they were passen-
gers and manifest in voice and manner
their contempt and aversion to the Ala