The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-29
THE FOLSOM BOULEVARD.
Mission People Confident of
Success With the Super
viSorS.
A TWENTY SIX. MILE DRIVE,
Property-OWnersG Give Their Views
How the South Side Has Been
Neglected.

NEGLECTED..
The people of the Mission believe that
they will succeed in inducing the Finance
Committee of the Board of Supervisors TO
recommend an appropriation for the paw
ing of Folsom street with bitumen from
the ferries to Nineteenth street, thus giving
boulevard from the bay to the county
line. Among those who are deyoting most
of their time to this work are Captain G..
A. Raabe, II. f. Wynne, A. J. Martin,
George L. Center, Harvey c. somers
Joseph Kelly, John Rafferty, and A. B.
Mcguire. Eleven of the twelve members
of the Board Of Supervisors have expressed
themselves as favorable to the plan.
Several of the members of committees
who are at work for the Mission were in
terviewed yesterday.
Captain George A. Raabe, president of
Club l, and one of the most active men in
the interests of the Mission, said:
The first street opened out that way was Mis-
sion street, called the Mission road. Then
Folsom street was opened and called the New
Mission road, and 1t is not SO very many years
ago that property on Folsom street was worth
more than property on Market from Kearny
out. 1t was looked upon then as the natural
outlet from the City. But the forming OF the
park changed the movement toward the West
ern Addition. But the Mission did more
toward building the park than any other part
OF the City, and we have received very little in
return. The tax put upon the outside lands
paid mostly for Golden Gate Park and the
Western Addition has received the benefit oft.
We have had very little from the City except
the Almshouse, City and County Hospital, Pest
house and Branch County jails. There is not
decently paved street in the lower part OF the
Mission, and we think that we are asking very
little in demanding one we'll paved street from
| the water front to the county line.
A. B. Mcguire, who is taking an active
hand in the movement, said:
The City has spent less on the streets in the
south side than any other part of the City. A
committee from the Mission waited on the
Fourth OF July committee the other day and
asked that the parade start on Third street, as
was the custom in years gone by. The reply
was that the streets in that part of the City
were in snch wretched condition that the
| military would refuse to march on them.
Visitors to this City are never taken to drive
| down cur wing If Folsom street were properly
! paved with bitumeH, San Francisco would have
| the finest drive in the world. Then one could
! ride from California and Kearny along TO
Third to Folsom, along Folsom to Van Ness
/ the bay to the Preside, through the Preside TO
| First avenue TO the park, through the park to
| the beach and Cliff, along the Ocean-House
/ road to Uncle Sans Cabin and the Seventeen
mile House, the old romantic Sun Bruno
| road to Army street, on Army Street to Folsom,
| and down Folsom to the ferry. That would
give twenty-six-mile drive that venture to
4 say could not be surpassed for beauty and
| variety OF scentry in the world.
George L. Center said:
| Folsom street in many places resembles the
| bed OF an old river. large part of it is paved
with cobbles ut down forty years ago, and in
many places II has never been repaired. Fol-
som street, too, has been all cut up In the
| building OF the railway tracks, and this makes
absolutely necessary much work to bring the
whole street up to the proper levels
| This work of repairing must be done this
year. There is no need for us to Impress that
upon the Board of Supervisors. But what we
| are asking is that this work be done thoroughly
and well when 1t is done. Let them give us a
/ smooth, bituminiZed street from the water
front TO Nineteenth street. The cost above
what they Will have to expend anyway will
not be over 100000 or $50 600 So you see we
are asking very little.
We think that appropriations should be
| made more for improving the streets than fol-
beautifying the parks. We believe in and ap-
preeiate the park, OF course; but better streets
are an absolute necessity. II does not look
well to see man going around with a finely
| polished silk hat on while his shoes are shabby
and full OF holes.
! George w. Elder, who is the street
| inspector for the chairman of the Street
| Comm ittee, said:
| have suggested plan by which they could
/ make a good street of Folsom with bituininous
rock Pavement at very little cost THAT is IT, IT,
| take all these old cobbles, which are useless
| for any other purpose, and crush them fol
making concrete for the foundation. The work
| could be done on the ground, and there are
| enough .cobbles to supply all the concrete
| necessary to pave the whole of Folsom street
| from the water front to Nineteenth street
This would give, at a cost of $50, 900, a SPLEEN
| didly paved roadway, which would cost very
! little to keep in order for twenty years te
come. If they go on in the old way and repair
the street the cost would be 500 900 to $50, 600
| But the difference would be much more thar
| eaten up il two or three years in further re
pairs.
A. ]. Martin, who is property owner in
the Mission and is one of the most active
| members Of the committee, is an ex-Firt
| Commissioner. He said:
Last night if Folsom street had been in
proper condition when the third alarm was
turned in for the big fire 1t would have meant
saving of hall a million dollars. The street.
were in such bad condition that the drivers O.
the fire engines and otner apparatus were afraiG
OF breaking down and had to go slow.
The engines from the Mission and Haye.
utes TO half hour better time in getting t
the fire than they dido and twenty minutes a
fire means good deal. Down that way ara
| all the biz cries. the oil tanks machine
shops lun. rds and warehouses. 1t is the
center OF IL .,aufacturing district, and it il
| there that liiefe is the greatest danger OF bis
gines from the Western Addition could come
| into 1t from Van Ness avenue and Noe Valley
and the upper Mission and rattle along to tn,
fires in half the time they do now.
Harvey G. Somers, who is another mem
Der of the Folsom-street committee, be
lieves that the cent limit should be done
away with and most of the extra money
raised devoted to the improvement of the
| streets. He said:
/ beliere In more liberal appropriation fol-
the streets than for anything else. Many meI
| who own teams tell me that they would b,
willing tn pay double the present taxes il
| order to get good streets. We must do away
] with the cent limit. You will find that mos
| of the larger taxpayers in the Mission are the
! strongest advocates of tax high enough tt
! give us better streets Nothing creates such 9
| bad impression on visitors to this City as Tho
| wretched condition of the streets, and no pat
OF the City is SO badly off in that respect tie
/ Mission.
He Is Great Talker.