The San Francisco call., 1895-07-30
Mayor Sutro Calls for Doing
Away of the Rather
Test.
HE SAYS IT IS A MONOPOLY
The Jordan Company Protests
Against Discrimination In the
Letting of Contracts.

that body recently was called on yesterday.
Only the policemen at the several doors
remained The meeting developed several
tidbits of general interest.
Supervisor Dimond submitted a COM
munication from the Western Addition
Club which he asked to have read.
Mr.. Hughes anxiously inquired what 1t
was about, and being assured by Mr..
Dimond, who sits next to HIM, that 1t con-
tanned nothing. of which the Solid Eight
need be afraid he allowed it to be read. 1t
simply proposed the adoption of an order
making it unlawful to throw in the street
any sort of rubbish such as might be cal
cuIated to puncture pneumatic tire.
It being read, Mr.. Dimond called atten-
ton to the fact that there was already on
the books an order more stringent an the
one proposed. 1t only remained to compel
the observance of the law. 1t was sup
posed that Judge Campbell, who was pres
ent, had introduced the order on behalf of
his wheel. but he denied this. He only
wanted a leave of absence.
A communication was presented from
the Jordan Bituminous Rock and Paving
Company making formal protest as to dis
elimination which it claims is practiced
against that company by the majority of
the Supervisors in the matter OF letting
street work which is to be paid for out of
public moneys.
When the clerk reached this paper Su-
pervisor Dimond asked that it be read.
Supervisor Hughes Immediately became
nervous again, and asked the clerk to first
state what it was about. The superscrip-
ton was again read ,whereupon Mr.. Hughes
protested against its being read. He
thought it was sufficient that these things
were heard before the respective commit
tees and that the committees report upon
them to the board. So the protest was
referred to the Street Committee.
Mayor Sutro submitted a cOmmunica-
ton pointing to the harm that the "Ratt-
ler-test" blue-rock monopoly does the City
and citizens, and asking that it be done
away with. 1t reads as follows:
To the Honorable the Board of Superutsors-
GENTLEMEN: On May 8, 1894, order No. 216O
municipality. One clause of section II reads
"Aii the rock used shall be hard rock of igne-
Gus character and shall be such rock only as
shall not lose by erosion and fracture more
than 25 per cent of its original weight upon
testing the same by what is known as the
Rather test, the said test OF rock to be made in
the 'Rattler' machine belonging to the City
and County BY placing the said rock IN said
machine and the same put IN revolving motion
at the rate of not less than twenty-eight revo-
lutions per minute for three consecutive
hours. An rock losing more than 25 per cent
of It's original weight shall be rejected as un-
fit for use.'
Receptly some street work has been done in
violation of this section. The work is a macad-
am crossing at Clay and Spruce streets-Messrs.
McHugh & Speerin, contractors.
In consequence of the aboVe-quoted provi-
sion my assent was withheld from the assess
ment.
finally by myself has been made and the work
seems to be satisfactory and to constitute
good job.
In my opinion the ABOVE secCon snoulo De
It is well-known fact, perfectly attested by
our experience here, that a good quality of
red rock will make substantial macadam for
The regularity of the red rock is that the
pieces practically coalesee and form strong
and coherent mass, suitable for all ordinary
travel.
The effect of the Rather test is to exclude
large quantity of valuable material from use
on our outlying streets and to confer upon the
owners of the blue rock monopoly.
1t is apparent that there are but two kinds
OF street materials that may now be and for
some time will be used in San nFrancisco-nasalt
So soon as district comes to be well settled
either bitumen or basalt blocks become essen
tial for the locality.
street until the locality has become sufficiently
well settled to justify permanent street
Therefore, the attention OF your honorable
take such action thereon as you may deem
July %, 1895. ADoIPH sUTRo, Mayor.
Right in line with this came a petition
from property-owners asking the right to
use certain rock from the vicinity of Cor
bett road for macadamizing the neighbor-
ing streets.
Communications were read from the
Spring Valley Water Company asking for
lease of half an acre of land in the center
of Holly Park, for the purpose of a reser-
voir for the better supply of that neighbor-
hood with water. Also for the establish
ment of grades on Corbett road.
Petitions were submitted also from the
Ladies' Auxiliary" of Folsom street
improvement Clubs 1, 2, 3 and asking for
the provision in the tax levy of that $50 900
for boulevarding the street.
A petition from Ferdinand Smith asked
the board to withhold the salary warrant
of Leo de Cardona, late bookkeeper in the
Street Superintendent Office, and await
ing trial for forgery. The petition stated
that Smith had loaned De Cardona $120;
that the salary warrant was $114, and he
would lose $6 in any case.
All these were referred to proper COM
mittees.
The following resolution, introduced by
Chairman Spreckels of the Street Commit
tee, was passed:
Resolved, That in future during the sessions
of the committees of this board oral applica-
tions will not be entertained, and all persons
desirous of being heard must submit their
cause in writing. Further
ResolUed That hereafter no communications
petitions or protests will be considered at any
meeting of the committees unless the same has
been duly fled indorsed and read in open
session of the board and then referred by this
board to the proper committee.
The Street Committee in its report
recommending the specifications for
sweeping, cleaning and keeping clean"
the public streets and for sprinkling the
same as submitted by the Merchants As
sociation, paid this well-deserved compli-
ment to that association and President
Dohrmann:
"Your committee after consideration
have adopted the same, believing that the
labor, attention and expense incurred by
that association with the results accom-
plished, have demonstrated the usefulness
and practicability of the mode adopted by
them to secure what has never been OBJ
tanned before, and that is clean streets.
sit is highly gratifying to find an intel
hgent body of men like the merchants of
the City associating themselves together to
secure by practical and !. experienced
methods reforms which cannot be gain
said. and it is to be hoped that this associa-
tion will not limit itself alone to this sole
oh;ao4 mill ax+a,od SIC foI hove ord briy