The morning call., 1895-02-14
THE SEAWALL GOING NORTH.
Why All the Water Front Interests
Should Rouse Up and File a
Strong Protest.
It Will Absorb the Commissions Funds
for Ten Years-The South Wall
Must Wait.

The bill requiring the Harbor Commits
sion to build 5000 feet of seawau to the
north has been before its committee of the
Senate and has been reported back 'that il
do pass"
"Do you know what that means to the
water front of San Francisco2" said Sena-
tor Keegan of the Harbor Commission
yesterday in a tone the melancholy OF
which might be ikened only to that of a
lonesome bellbuoy off a desolate shore.
'Well, it means this" he said, blowing a
cloud of smoke toward pink picture of a
cross section OF the old seawaIl '1n the
first place, it means that the bill is likely
to pass. But that isn't what meant. II
the bill passes 1t means that it will absorb
all the resources of the board for the next
ten years. 1t will take ten years to build
it nd it will cost $500, 900. And all that
time and money and energy will be prac-
tically thrown away, for there is no sense
in it-no need of it. And all of that time
the absolute need of the wall toward the
south that is felt now and has been felt for
years will be left to grow worse. empha-
sizing itself with an occasional broken leg
and the continual oaths of teamsters.
"As you know as everybody knows" he
went on, "the roadway over planking and
piles round by the Pacific Mail dock, the
very busiest part of the front, is in de-
plorable condition. We can't fix it, be-
cause it is city property and beyond our
jurisdiction. The city won't pay to have
1t filled in because it is the business of the
State to build the seawall and make the
improvement properly and to last. So it
goes on and will continue till the work is
done. The heavy teaming tears up the
timbers every three months and causes
great. expense all the time without ever
securing substantial roadway.
This state of things is the more glaring,
and one might say outrageous, by con-
trast with the shoreline to the north,
where there is a couple of thousand feet
of seawall with all its attendant good
roads that are of scarcely any benefit.
That whole section up there was built
with the understanding that the Pacific
Mail was going to dock there. But after it
was built the company found that to go in
there was taking the risk of having their
ships battered to pieces, and so they con-
t1nued on round SOUTH and the long
stretch of costly wall stands there with an
occasional tug or fishing boat tied to it.
Why, the current runs so fast round Meiggs
wharf at times that the tugs can do nothing
with 1t. And now they propose by act OF
the Legislature to force the board to ex-
tend that wall clear round to Van Ness
avenue, 5000 feet further toward the open
sed. DOeS IL seem right? The board was
created to look after the seawall, and sup
posedly to use its means to meet the de-
mands of shipping according as their ex-
perience taught them
who urges the bill2 Well, Senator Fay
is It's author He comes from the section
to be benefited and he is interested on that
account. 1t Is against all reason, however,
so far as the general benefit of shipping is
concerned. A similar bill passed the last
session, but Governor Markham vetoed it.
Governor Budd may do the same if it
passes at this term, but it is not safe to
trust to that. The shipping and draying
interests should wake up and file protest
to the passage of the bill"