The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-08
LIGHTING MARKET STREET.

1t is announced that suggestion is to
be made to the Board of Supervisors to
light Market street with electricity, the
idea being to erect poles along the middle
OF the street, to be topped with electric
lights, and to furnish the base of each
pole with circumscribing settee for the
accommodation of streetcar patrons. 1t
is hardly possible that this suggestion will
be adopted.
1t seems to include the idea that there is
room between the two cable lines for such
system of lighting and seating. A mo-
ments inspection will show that this is
not a fact. The very greatest danger
which infests Market street is the narrow
space between the cable roads. There is
barely room for one to stand. 1t is this
fact that makes the crossing of Market
street so perilous and that keeps the grip
hen so anxiously alert. Their care in
passing a crossing Is less than that in
passing a car going in the opposite di-
rection.
The lighting of Market street is Sc
rious matter, but it is a problem which
solves itself with excellent satisfaction.
As the great thoroughfare of the City it is
Illuminated within and without, and these
lights are sufficient for patrons of the cable.
The difficulty in all these praiseworthy
outreachings for the improvement of the
City and the promotion of the public con-
venience is lack of ability to weigh one
consideration against another. Market
street needs some things so much more
sorely than lights that we may we'll dis
miss all minor considerations for the more
important.
For instance, there are two horseear
lines in the street in addition to the cable
lines, making four tramways in all. These
horsecar lines are VIGOROUSLY useless, ex-
cept those used by the Sutter-street cable
to carry its cars from the terminus of SUIT
ter street to the ferry. Not single horse
car line west of Suffer street has any rea-
sonable use in Market street, and yet they
are maintained and numbering horsecars
are constantly run over them, much after
the fashion OF the car that is run daily on
Bush street, to preserve the franchise. -
These useless horsecar lines on Market
street damage the property of that great
thoroughfare enormously. If they donoth-
ing else they serve to crowd the two big
cable lines dangerously close together.
1t is inevitable that the citizens of San
Francisco will some day awake to the
great value of their one splendid street
This thoroughfare must always be the
main artery of the City. At present it is
not only abominably paved, but is given
over to private corporations, who operate
their business at the risk of citizens lives
and to the detriment of property. The
owners of street railway franchises in San
Francisco have been so sedulously coddled
by the public into the idea that they own
the thoroughfares that it has come to the
pass that he who raises voice for popular
rights is deemed chargeable with treason.
This does not mean in any sense to deny
that the street railways are great public
convenience. 1t is simply insisted that
they are merely convenience and not an
authority. Market street, which should
be the finest and safest of all the thorough
fares in the City, is the most dangerous
and most incumbered. The erection OF
handsome ferry building at the foot of the
street, and the reasonable assurance that
the completion of the railway line via
Santa Marearita and Santa Barbara to
Los Angeles and New Orleans will be fol-
lowed by the removal of the terminus at
this end from Third and Townsend streets
to the foot of Market street. should be
sufficient argument that this street ought
to receive intelligent attention.