The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-06
Mutual Interest Did What the
City Government Failed
to Do.
FIVE YEARS OF STEADY WORK.
More Than One Hundred and Fifty
Thousand Dollars Carefully
Expended.

the rainy season were mass of mud and
slush, and the ordinary pedestrian found it
almost an impossibility to cross any of the
numerous thoroughfares without the sac
rifice of one or both of his oyershoes, while
teams from the outlying farming districts
were obliged to halt at the terminus of the
streetcar lines and await the return of their
owner who used that mode of conveyance,
in preference to the long tug through the
sticky adobe strata that chung to wheel and
hoof tighter than poor relation.
To-day, under the impetus of advance
ment and improvement, the streets of Sac
ramento have been transformed into broad
bitumen and macadam thoroughfares
that will successfully vie with any city on
the coast. The era of this improvement
can be plainly traced back to the spring of
1890, when the initial movement was in
augurated by the organization of the Sac
ramento Improvement Society, who had
among its progenitors such progressive
spirits as Charles A. Luhrs, Ed R. Hamil-
ton, ]. w. Wilson, the present Republican
nominee for Mayor, and score of others.
1t had become so painfully apparent
that the wretched condition of the thor
oughfares were proving extremely
detrimental to commercial interests, so far
as the trade of the surrounding agricul-
tural districts was concerned, that it was
deemed advisable by the progressive ele-
ment of Sacramento that stringent steps
be inaugurated to remedy the existing
evil, and the result was the birth of the
Sacramento improvement Company.
After it's organization the question arose
as to the best method to be pursued to at
tain the desired result, and it was decided
to bond the city in the sum of 100000 and
bring the matter before the Board of City
Trustees. This was done and the project
received the commentator of the entire
community by vote of 9 to 1.
Over $4,000 was Immediately raised by
voluntary contribution and the initial step
was taken. At the time this contribution
was made every one subscribing fully re-
allied the good to be accomplished for the
city, and acted without the slightest idea
of REIN bursement
Still the Sacramento Improvement So
ciety would have been fully able to pay
back every dollar subscribed from the
profits from its contracts on streetwork
had not the Board of Trustees decided on
using wash gravel from the hydraulic
of this gravel necessitated the payment of
freight rates to the Southern Pacific, when
gravel could have been obtained from
points adjacent to the city.
To certain extent the graveling of the
main thoroughfares was found to be q
vast improvement, and added materially
to the city's growth and prosperity; but
this became only an added incentive to
future Improvements, and in the spring of
1893 ]. w. Wilson and G. Abbot, who, at
that period, was manager of the California
State Bank, became the prime movers in
the scheme of illuminating the main bust
ness streets.
Mr.. Abbott attempted through the me-
dunn of a petition which he circulated
among the property owners to obtain
their consent to the bitumizing of street
from Third to Eleventh. He met with but
little encouragement, and, disheartened
by the spirit of silurianiasm that seemed
to be prevalent, abandoned the scheme.
]. w. Wilson proved to be of sterner
metal, and he Immediately drew up a pc
tition to which within two days he OBJ
tanned the necessary signatures of major
ity of the property of X street,
between Second and Tenth, asking that
the thoroughfare be bituminized.
This petition, as shoTn by the records of
the Board of City Trustees, was presented
to that body on March 81, 1893, and re-
quested that the street be improved by the
rock or cobble paving, and the grading and
laying of a streetway consisting of six
inches of concrete with a top coating of
bituminous rock, with graded rock cutters,
iron culverts and, where not already done,
stone curbing and alternating CATCH
basins.
On May 2, 1893, it was ordered by the
Board of Trustees that advertisements for
bids to perform the contemplated work be
inserted in the newspapers and that no.
tice be given to the street railway COM
pany that they would be required to inn
prove that portion of the street lying be-
tween their tracks in accordance with the
specifications OF the proposed street i'm
provement plan.
This was done and when the bids were
received and opened it was found that the
California Petroleum and Asphalt Com
pany had entered the lowest bid and that
company was awarded the contract Later
it was found that there were legal compli-
C6ClOiS ohU W POAoOhdA lCduSSJ
the company was released from The terms
of its contract and the bids readvertised.
d. Lambert was declared 10 be the low
est bidder in the second contest and was
awarded the contract but, owing to tech
nicalities, the bid was again declared in
valid, and on September % of the same
year the work was placed in the hands of
the City Improvement Company, who i'm
mediately began operations, which resulted
in the completion OF the work on Novem-
Der 81. In the meantime the J-street petit
ton had been again circulated, and the
necessary amount of signatures obtained
to secure the illuminating of that thor
oughfare.
Shortly after the Inauguration of the
movement to obtain bitumen streets the
attention of the citizen was directed by the
local press to the wretched condition of
the old wooden sidewalks of the city and
the decayed condition of the awnings and
porches that lined the streets. This re-
suited in the framing of City ordinances
prohibiting their further erection and pre-
Wi ;uo bat oil oldawa11ro With, fbo o;,,,