The morning call., 1894-05-08
WORK ON THE WATER FRONT.
Why the Corporation Placed an
Injunction on J. q. Fair.
MORE ABOUT THE OIL TRADE.
The San Francisco Bridge Company
Commences Work on 100000
Wharf and BuIkhead.

,Ehe reason why the San rranclseo 0as-
light Company placed an injunction on
James G. Fair preventing him from pro-
ceeding as be desired with the work OF
filing in his North Beach waterfront lots
became manifest yesterday morning, when
the San Francisco Bridge Company COM
menced work on a $685. contract quietly
let to II by the gas company.
The latter corporation has decided to DO
title waterfront improving on lis own
responsibility and will have constructed
by the San Francisco Bridge Company a
bnikhead 620 feet long and 2O6 feet wide.
which is to be flfed in by means of hy-
drauic suction dredge, the whole bulk
head when filled to form a solid pier OF
earth and timbers.
About one year ago James G. Fair an
nounced his intention of making large i'm
provements In his North Beach property.
He ordered his engineer to prepare plans
and specifications for the intended work
and for several weeks he employed several
hundred men at hauling sand and filling
in his water lots.
When Senator Fair was called upon to
explain why work had been curtailad at
his seawaIl property he said that the Gas
Company had placed an injunction upon
him, preventing him from pushing for
ward his work as outlined by his en-
gneeEs.
Since the Injunction was fled nothing
has been done by the Senator on the Sec
tioas enioined toward completing the work
he had so enthusiast tically begun.
Almost as important as is the news OF
the gas company's big contract Is the
rumor, we'll founded, that hereafter all the
of brought to the city by the British
steamer Bawnmore from Peru will be de-
livered alongside of the new pier. and that
in the future gas will be manufactured for
city use almost exclusively fram Peruvian
oil, provided that after thorough investiga-
tion the new system of tank-steameTs
proves both safe and cheap. In this event
it would seem that several steamers lifted
with oiltanks such as those Of the BaWn-
more will be pressed into service.
Yesterday morning Contractor McMul-
len of the San Francisco Bridge Company
moved his hydraulic dredge over from
Oakland and got ready for work.
The new pier will supplant the old bulk
head at Beach street. along its line as far
as Tonquin street, extending 500 feet into
tide water as heretofore mentioned.
The frame of the pier bulkhead will be
solid sheet piling. To prevent the sheet
piiing being forced in by the pressure OF
the mud and water, it will have backing
of first-class rock.
Near the end of the bukhead landing
wharf will be built 35 feet in width by 80
feet in length.
Near the Tonquin-street end Of the pier.
and within one corner of the bulkbead,
TWO separate clusters of piles will be driven
soIidly to form the supports for 10000
barrel and 10000 barrel oil tank, into
which the entire oil cargo of steamer like
the Bawnmore can be discharged in re-
markably short space of time.
1t has been customary for the gas COM
pany to unload cargOes of oil consigned to
it into tanks placed on lighters. When the
new pier is finished vessels can come
alongside the bulkhead or the landing
wharf without any difficulty.
All of the streets whose eXtens sions are
marked on the waterfront maps in the
vicinity of Beach and Tonquin are carried
by survey several hundred yards into deep
water The new pier is in reality 10 be
built on ground that is nine feet below low
water mark.
The bottom is sandy, and to enable piles
to be driven carefully and without break
ing the San Francisco Bridge Company
will use the big steam pile hammer that
has been used by them in driving piles for
the MarKet-street ferry depot foundation.
The buIkhead and the tidewater prop
erty of the gas company lies partly in
front OF Senator Fairs North Beach tract.
The Senator presumably had intentions of
making his improvements to line beyond
the property claimed by the gas company
people.
Several persons were questioned regard
ing the purpose of the big tanks called fol
in the contract for building the pier, and
IL was learned that they were purposely
designed to receive crude petroleum.
At the Office of the San Francisco Bridge
Company informs tion was courteously
given relative to the contract which the
comuany had just started work IN.
Yes, we commenced work this morn.
ing" said one OF the members Of the
firm.
work, and we are going to put the very
best of material into the construction.
"The contract calls for an outlay, so fal
as the building of the pier and wharf il
concerned. of between $4,000 and $50. 600
"It will be some time before the work is
completed"
The building of the pier and wharf will
be the larges: piece of work done for pri
vate concern on the water front for q great
many years.