The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-20
FORGETTING A FRANCHISE,
Property.Owners Indignant at the
Curtailment of Car
Service.
The Twenty.Ninth.Street Line With.
out Notice Has Been Shortened
One Block.

The Market-street Railway Company,
without notice, has discontinued portion
of one OF its lines, and when the people
complained there was 81 ell an explana-
ton for the act which had as rider to it.,
"What are You going to do about It?"
The portion that has been abandoned by
the company is the block on Twenty ninth
street, between Sanchez and Noe, and
those who live west, north and south of
Noe and Twenty-ninth streets are now
forced to climb a IL per cent grade in
order to reach their homes.
An answer to the impertinent question.
"What are you going to do about it?"
was given last Saturday night, when over
forty property-owners held an indignation
meeting at the southwest corner of the
two streets named. w. w. Morrow of 43O
Twenty ninth street was the chairman of
the meeting and J. Mccormack the secre-
tary.
The chairman stated that when the rail-
way company secured the franchise and
opened the road to Noe street the result was
the infusing of new life into the district.
People of limited means were induced to
purchase property in the immediate vicini-
ty OF the terminus. Believing that the rail-
way company would keep up to the re-
quirements of the franchise these people
built up homes. Without notice three
weeks ago Sanchez street was made the
terminus, and when the officers of the
road were asked about 1t they replied that
the company could not run 11-ton cars up
the II per cent grade without mourning a
loss OF So a day. That" said Mr.. Nor
row, was simply ghost story. Then, as
further excuse, the officers said that the
power required to propel the cars up the
grade burned out too many fuses. That
was another ghost story. Now, the prop
erty-owners must do something to show
that they will not be trified with
Lincoln 4. Savage, an attorney who re-
sides on Twenty-eighth street, near Noe,
also addressed the meeting and advised
the appointment of a committee to wait on
the officers of the company and ask that
they resume the service to the terminus to
which cal were run on four-minute time
the 18th of August, 1894, land if they do
not" continued Mr.. Savage, 1--WE can ask
for the permission of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
to commence an action in the name of the
people of the State to have the franchise
forfeited for noncompliance with its pro-
visions. The franchise granted in 1890 re-
quireS the company to run cars at intervals
not less than fifteen minutes over the road,
and as this block over which cars no longer
are operated is part of the road the COM
pany is bound to carry into effect that
provision"
Acting upon this suggestion the chair
man, the secretary and George Weber
were appointed a committee to present a
petition asking that the service over the
entire road be resumed.
"The committee called at the railway
office" said Mr.. Morrow, last night, but
as Superintendent Vining is absent it is
not likely that we will receive an answer
until he returns. If no favorable answer
is given we shall apply to the Supervisors
for redress, and if that fails, Mr. Savage
Will take steps to have the franchise for
feited. We are in earnest about this mat
ter, and over 100 of the property owners
have already subscribed to fund to prose-
cute the matter, if it is necessary. In the
past six months eleven houses have been
built within sight of the old terminus, but
if our car service is to be curtailed. this
will again become the sleepy district it was
before the line was opened. Many of those
who were at the meeting were in favor of
pledging themselves to walk to the Metro
politan line and ignore the Market-street
line altogether, but it was thought best to
wait until we can hear from Superin-
tenQent Vininpo