The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-25
CABLES THAT ANNOY.
Seven Of Them Are Laid in
a FairWay.
VIEWS OF A TOWBOAT MAN.
Superintendent StOrror Says They Do
Not Drift.
THE STATE Law ON THE SUBJECT.
Ship.OWnerS Declare That They Could Be
Laid Farther Up the Bay to an
Advantage.
VIEWS OF A TOWBOAT MAN.
THE STATE LAW ON THE SUBJECT.

The dissatisfaction expressed by ship
owners concerning the seven telegraph and
telephone cables which run between this
city and Goat Island, as published in The
CALL Monday morning, has called forth
a response from authorities under whose
supervision the cables are operated.
It was stated that these cables swung to
a great extent with the tides, which often
caused ships anchors to foul them when
the vessels were not actually in what is
termed the fairway.
Captain Gray of the Merchants Tow
boat Company handles great many ships
in his business, and he was very positive
in his assertion yesterday that these cables
were a great nuisance to shipping, and
that the damages exacted when any occur
are always greatly in excess of the actual
injuries. He does not believe that any
ship, when driven by stress of weather,
should be liable for any damages that
might be done while thus drifting, nor
does he believe it possible for the COM
panies to recover unless actual carelessness
is shown on the part of those handling the
vessel.
This is the opinion of various ship-own-
ers who have suffered on this account.
The charts which the companies dis
tribute, showing where the cable lines
run, have printed on them the following
extracts from the Civil Code, bearing upon
the subject of their rights:
Section $50 Telegraph corporations may
any Of the waters Within this state eo9'
Sec. 557. Any person who Injuries or destroys,
through want of proper care, any necessary or
liable to the corporation for all damages sus-
tanned thereby. Any vessel which, by drag
ging its anchor, or otherwise, breaks, Injuries
or destroys the submarine cable of a telegraph
rs N do mo Gas
hereinbefore specified.
Sec. 538. Any person who willfully and
maliciously does any injury to any telegraph
liable to the corporation for one hundred times
the amount of actual damages sustained
thereby, to be recovered in any court of COM
petent jurisdiction.
L. w. Storror, the superintendent of the
Postal Telegraph, declares that statements
of cables having drifted to such an ex-
tent are ridiculous, and the persons max
ing them are not well informed.
"There are seven cables between here
and Oakland" the gentleman said "All
are in the ferry fairway where ships are not
supposed to anchor. The statement that
cables have been picked up as much as
mile on either side of the prescribed line is
as ridiculous as it is untrue.
Furthermore, he added, ''there is not
slack enough in any of these cables to per-
NIT them to be picked up and dragged 100.
yards out of the line in which they are
laid.''
AS to the total amount of damages col
lected from ships the superintendent did
not speak.
Ship-owners insist, however, that the
lines should be laid farther up the bay.
''Since the Government has seen fit to
take up its cable from the Objectionable
line extending from the vicininy of the
ferry landings and Goat Island and laid it
in a safer place do not see why the tele-
phone and telegraph companies could not
do the same thing said well-known
shipping man, who did not desire to enter
personally into the controversy. LAS was
suggested in THE CALL they might be laid
further up the bay to the Alameda shore,
and the only extra expense. would be a
little more cable. 1t would in nowise be
inconvenient to the companies, and it
would save whole lot of trouble and ex-
pense to our ship-owners, aside from the
inconvenience to the public in interrupted
telephone and telegraph service"
An employee of the Board of Harbor
Commissioners is now working on a new
and larger chart, showing the position of
the cables for the further benefit of cap
tains of ships and the tugboat men of the
bay.
It is argued by the cable companies
agents that these accidents happen only in
the winter time, but that is mistake, as
the stiff trade winds of the summer months
often cause similar mishaps.