The morning call., 1894-10-29
AT OCEAN BEACH.
Crowds Visit the SutrO
Baths.
THOSE THAT CAN GET THERE
Delights of Travel by the Mar
ket-Street System.
THOSE THAT CAN GET THERE
1T is FIRST COME FIRST SERVED.
While the Southern Pacific Holds
Sway There Is Discomfort for
All Pleasure Seekers.

Yesterday being marked as perhaps the
most glorious day OF the season, it was in
The natural order of things that thousands
of persons should journey Cliffward, and
that because Mr. SutrO had chosen to
throw open his baths for visitors prone
made, the accommodations made for plea
sure seekers by the Southern Pacific Com
pany should be rather worse than usual.
There are only two ways to get to the
Cliff, for those whose means or inclina-
tiOus do not run to buggy There is the
time-hOnored route by Market street cars
to StaDyan street. and thence. by the pay
ment or an additional fare. smoky steam
dummy conveys the traveller 10 the ocean
beach. There is another way by the Pow
ell and Clay street line to Sixth avenue,
whence the weary traveller trampS block
or so through inches of mud and sand to
where another steam abomination stands
awaiting him. Another extra fare, of
course. All these lines being in the con-
troll of the Southern Pacific Company, the
traveller naturally mas to obey orders.
There used to be, and is now supposed
to be, way to the Cliff whereby the octO-
pus only collected half the revenue. Ir
was by the Calfornia-street line to Gen.
the Cliff. But the railroad wants both
fares, and so when the passenger alights
from California-Street car now he is told
that the old steam dummy is out OF repair,
and he must use the Southern Pacific's$
service by Sacramento street and Sxthc
avenue if he wishes to see the waves beats
upon the rocks ere the sun goes down.
A week ago. when Mr.. Sutro gave his
m nificeDt bath-house up to ScheelS.
orchestra, some $4,000 TO 10000 souls fought.
and scratched for places 10 hang On to-
the fe W cars placed by the railroad at the
convenience of the public. Lots got left
behind, and did rot get back TO the city
until all sorts of hours. Yesterday,
although ScheePs orchestra was not there,
and the crowd was not so large as on the
previous Sunday, the scene was pretty
much the same. 1t was not so bad going
out as the visitors struggled somewhat,
Dut coming home -
The Sacramento-street service, which
connects at Sixth avenue with the Cliff
House line, has pleasing way Of break
ing down every now and then. 1t has
been coming to grief about five times a
week lately, and there was very nearly
another SJoprage yesterday afteFnOo
1t is pleasant thing to be lett dangling,
as 1t were, half way up hill, with the
equally pleasing uncertainty as to whether
the cable will be ali right in few
minutes or whether it will require hours
the Market-street railroads with the Fer
ries and Cliff House Company into one
gigantic cinch the worn and weary
pleasuTe-seeker does not know where he
is at.
Arrived at the Cliff dusty and begrimed
with the smoke from dirty, ill-kept en-
gine. 1t was relief to wander through the
baths, with the glorious sunshine pouring
through the glass roof an the roar of the
breaking waves without. There must have
-. i
during the afternoon. mr. SutrO had made
no arrangements for batners, as MS baths
are not yet declared open, but the Golden
Gate Band was there in all its glory, dis
coUrsiDg strains Of welcome, and so was
very georgeous soda fountain, whence
many colored drinks of an apparently
harmless description were c0ncocted to
wash dull care away.
Adolph Sutro was there himself prome-
nading up and down. He waXed eX-
tremelv enthusiastic on the subject of his
proposed electric road. 1t will be COM
pleted in three or four months, he says.
II could do it in sixty days if / chose"
said Mr.. Su-ro yesterday, "but l see no
need for hurry. | have determined one
thing, however, and that is that l will not
throw these baths open to the public until
either the octopus comes down to my
terms o my electric road is completed. SO
YOU may safely say that my baths will not
be open until February or March of next
year-that is. for bathing purposes.
'They will be open occasionally for
concert purposes. Mrs. DR.. Gibbons came
to see me to-day to arrange about a con-
cert to be held on Saturday afternoon
next in aid of the old Mercantile Library.
believe she wants Scheel's orchestra.
What could l doP l told Mrs. Gibbons
that she could have the place, and so
suppose her concert will come of.
But once let me establish fve-cent
70 ra r. ho hOy
what I'll do. I'll declare the baths open.
III erect a stage and we'll have all sorts
of performan ances-pantomlmes concerts,
swimming exhibitions, ciTcuseS. every
thing-and the baths win be open for
swimming from early morn until mid
night all the year round.
THAT is what | mean to do; it's only a
question of time. I'll have my own road
out here SOON" So saying the old mil
lionaire caught sight of a friend and taking
him over 10 the soda fountain stood him
some mineral water.
Outside the baths the Cliff aouse was
once more thrown open TO visitors free.
Lots of people were there looking at the
seals, listening to the waves and drinking
in the ozone. 1t was noticed that cOnsid-
erable damage had Deen done recently to
the nice green, high board fence which MIR.
SutrO had erected al his own expense as it
was broken in places--evidentlv by some
aggrieved politicians who disiiked to be
peremptOrily ordered % vote for Sutro for
Mayor. The millionaire of the Cliff House
has placardS all over his own places there.
1t was Gods own day, and when the
sun, began TO lose its brllliancy and the
first shades of night to shroud the horizon
there might be seen at either railway sta
tion throngs of perspiring pleasure-seekers
lighting Tor standing-ronm upon the dingv
cars that awaited their pleasure atleugthv
intervals. 1t was a case of "devil take
the hindmost" then,