The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-21
CONVENIENT FOR
THE PASSENGERS.
STATIONS OF THE NEW ROAI
WILL BE NEAR THE HEART
OF THE CITY.
WITH RAPID COMMUNICATION
CHINA BASIN Is BUT A MILE FROM
THE CORNER OF MARKET AND
THIRD STREETS.

Whether the new railroad company
comes into the city by the peninsula to
China Basin or by ferry from the Oakland
side of the bay the passengers will be
landed within easy access to the heart OF
the city. If they come from Oakland a
passenger station will be all ready for them
at the foot of Market street, where two of
the ferry slips, with ample accommoda-
tions for all the ferry-boats required, can be
placed at the disposal of the company by
the Board OF Harbor Commissioners.
But if a road is first built up the coast to
China Basin and passengers are brought
there they will be landed with little over
mile of the corner of Market and Third
streets and less than two blocks beyond
the Southern Pacific station at Third and
Townsend streets.
China Basin is not so far away from the
business part of the city as many suppose.
The point where passenger station would
probably be built is but little further from
the corner of Third and Market streets
than is the ferry landing at the foot OF
Market street Electricians now run out
along Third street to Berry, to Fourth, and
along Fourth to the southwest corner of
China Basin: drawbridge across Chan
from the basin to Third and Market
streets.
No definite idea can be given by the di-
rectors OF the new road as yet as to where
they will build first, but John D. Spreckels
said yesterday: (which way we shall come
into the city first | can't say. [ can say
that | have no doubt that we shall build
both ways. There will be a passenger sta
ton OF course at China Easin, and the pas
sengers will be within easy distance of the
center of the city, along Third street, where
there is already an electric line"
Chief Engineer Storey said: "The main
thing is to get a line through from here to
Bakersfield whichever way it goes. With
that as starter we shall have no trouble
about building ferry-boats for line across
the bay or branches all over the State.
There is no obstacle to landing passengers
convenient to the heart of the city. We
would have the same facilities at the foot
of Market street as the Southern Pacific
Company, and passengers landed at the
depot at China Basin would be within a
few minutes ride of Market street by the
eleCtric-cars on Third street. OF course
1t will be necessary to have a draw
| bridge across Channel street TO save going
around by Fourth street, but there should
be no trouble about that"
1t will probably be a number of years
before the Seawall is built from Folsom
street around to China Basin, which is a
distance of nearly mile, but with the 200
foot boulevard along the water front it is
likely that the Board of Harbor Commits
sloners will permit an electric road to be
run which would carry passengers to street.
| car lines having waterfront connections
and to the ferry station. Chief Engineer
Holmes of the harbor board said yesterday
| that he believed that in time electric mo-
| tors would be used instead of locomotives
for hauling the freightcars on the belt line
along the water front, as is being done in
the East. The act of March 49, 1889, de-
timing the powers of the board as to this
line, provides that it may adopt regula-
lions to prevent the passage of trains, en-
gines and cars over said road across streets
of the city at such hours and in such man
ner as may interfere with the safe and con-
venient use of the streets. This would en-
able the board to require most of the
handling of freight to be done at night
and leave the boulevard comparatively free
for passenger traffic during the day.
At the meeting of the board of directors
held yesterday afternoon the bids for ma
terial were opened and the following
awards made:
Rails and plates, John F. Merrill spikes
Miller, Sloss & Scott; bolts and nuts,
Durham, Carrigan & Hayden.
The rails purchased are of American
make, but the directors refused to give out
the price paid or the name of the makers.
Ten thousand tons was the amount pur-
chrsed.
The pooling project was also discussed,
but action thereon was deferred until to-
day, when another meeting will be held
and the plan will probably be adopted.