The morning call., 1894-11-18
SIX BLOCKS GONE.
Devisadero Street Like a
Country Road.
THE PEOPLE ARE BITTER.
They Will Carry the Matter Into
the Courts.
A CROSS ROAD WANTED OR NONE
Mr.. Huntington Says the Company
VIII Construct a Road Clear
Through Devisadero.
A CROSS ROAD WANTED OR NONE


getting the roadbed in proper condition
for the recep tion of the rails in some
localities and 10 doing the finishing work
where the rails had already been laid.
| There are. as has already been published,
| eight blocks along Devisadero street which
will be utilized at present for the roadway.
| AS far south as Turk street the rails and
! ties have been strung, and the workmen
| who are engaged in removing the
| layer of asphalt which lies on top of the
concrete hao reached Golden Gate avenue
| yesterday afternoon. while another gang
was close behind tearing up the concrete.
The center of the street to a width of
about twenty feet is removed by the work
| men, leaving a border on each side just
! about wide enough for team to make its
way through. This is not elm1tted along
the entire route, however. as south of
Golden Gate avenue there are several
new houses in course Of erection, and in
front of these mortar boxes and other
| paraphernalia of the builder are piled
about in uusightly heaps. and taken with
the work being done by the streetcar COM
| pany, it renders that particular spot well
! nigh impossible.
The rails are laid already from Page
two streets only one side of DevlsaderJ re-
mains partially open to travel, the other
| being completely closed.
| AS to the sentiment of the people living
along the thoroughfare. there appears TO
be some division of opinion. but by far
the larger part of those spoken to yester-
day were opposed to the work. Various
reasons were assigned for their opposi-
| Of h0
selves apparently being mindful only of
he temporary obstruction of the street;
the most Of them spoke bitterly OF the lost
driveway and its fast-fading beauties.
Devisadero street. from Page to Turk.
| is not very thickly covered by houses. and
the most of the occupants appear to be
renters. This class would. of course, have
but little feeling upon an innovation
which promised to injure the properly they
occupied unless that injury was of
nature calculated TO apply. directly to
them. This being the case the lessees have
but little to say one way or the other.
The senior member of the livery firm of
Holmes 81 Jenkins. who own the Devisa-
dero-street stables, was the first gentleman
approached. 1.-THE railroad is running the
street for business" said he. "and it is de-
stroying the only outlet we had to the
park. But what are we going to do about
il? The company owns the franchise, aud
| it is too late now to attempt TO do any
thing. This movement against the build
ing Of the road ought TO have been COM
menced weeks ago. before the railroad
company had begun operations"
Theodore D'erks. the undertaken. who
owns considerable property in the neigh
borhood. was full OF fight, and prefaced
his remarks by the statement that those
interested proposed to contest the matter
as long as there was a chance 10 stop the
railroad from a violation of the terms of
| it's fran chiSe.
az am opposed to the suggestion of Mr..
| Huntington" said he, (which was made
after his conference with the Park Com
missioners yesterday. The franchise under
which this work is now being done pro-
vides for the construction of a road from
Castro thence to the beach. coming down
| Ridley from Seventeenth to Devsadero
and thence to the wa er front. Now, these
people intend to build only an extension OF
the Eddy and Turk streets line. and many
of rs believe this to be fraudulent inter-
| preta ion of the franchise. and we propose
TO go to the Supreme Court and ascertain
if something cannot be done TO compel the
railroad to comply strictly with the terms
of the privileges granted it.
There is no diversity of opinion among
the people of San Francisco that it ia
! burning shame that this th0roughfare
should thus be taken from the people.
Yesterday Mr.. Huntington and the Park
Commissioners went out to the park in a
private carriage and figured out what they
considered to re the best road to the park.
They decided that the most advisable way
would be to cut Golden Gate avenue
| through from Devisadero street to Brode-
rick and thence TO Baker, aud that this
lN,o IN he rh r hn no RI
In connection with this suggestion Mr..
| Huntington made the magnaminous offer
Of donating $4,000 toward defTaylDg the
expenses of the necessary work, tte.prop-
/ erty-owners of course to pay the rest.
| NOW j am strongly opposed to any
snch plan. and for this reason: Namely,
all The people along that route where the
work is to be done own small properties
which they, in many cases. have worked
lifetime to secure. and now the railroad
men come along and propose to rob them.
because It would be but little less than
i robbery. as The assessments which would
of necessity follow the work Of cutting
through Golden Gate avenue would eat np
their properties. 1 Relieve 1t would cost
the property-owners for. the work per-
formed. from $4,000 to 100000, and. 1T
would be utterly imp0ssible for the M to-
stand IT..
"1he franchise on Devisadero street
for Fifty years is worth at least $4,000 to-
| its owners. aud it was only favored by the
peope because they thought they were
going to secure a crGss-town line. Now
we property-owners want them to build
tho line as designated in their franchise or
not at all. We have consulted with several
attorneys. and we expect TO devise some
Il course of action, but just what line we
will take has not yes been determined
, upon"
HE. Huntington. vce-presidant of the
Market-street com pany, was the inspector
of tile work being done yesterday after
, noon. He claims. that the sentiment. of
.. The people is not against the Introduction
of tracks upon. the street. 81 received a
istter from. a gentleman Yesterday, W ose
name / cannot now recall, but who owns
/ fourteen flats and some others along this
; neigbbrrhood, in. which: he approved
HEALTHY of the work being done and
! readily appreciated the benefits which
i will follow: We propose TO bufld cross
own road. as the franchise "rrovides, but
, all the work cannot be done Immediately. !"
, MIR. Huntington spoke oil the large mum.
Der of men which the sireetcar company
; is cow employing in its work of extension
4