The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-16
MORE POWER IS NEEDED,
The Market Street Company
plates Many I'M
prOVementS
IN THEIR ELECTRIC SYSTEM.
Building an Addition to Their Bry-
ant-Street Power-House.
Lines Proposed.

Work has already been commenced on
the new addition to the powerhouse of the
electric system of the Market-street Rail
road Company, on the corner of Bryant and
Channel streets. The plans for the struct-
ure have been completed and will be given
into the hands of the contractors having
the work IN charge. Already laborers are
at work clearing the land for the improve
ment, and excavations will begin within a
few days.
The new building will be on the Chan
nel-street side of the power-house, where
the large wheels whirr now, and will &C.
cupy almost as much space as the building
to which it will be an addition. In design
and general appearance it will resemble
the Bryant-street side of the present house,
which now has rather an unfinished APP
pearance.
"When our plant is completed" said
General Manager Vining, sit will be the
finest of its kind in the country. From it
will be operated our entire system of cleo
trio streetcars. Everything has been or
dered, and the only delay will be the time
occupied in construction. This will be
hurried through with all dispatch in order
to operate our new lines TO South San
Francisco and elsewhere"
The present plant of the company con-
sists of six powerful dynamos operated by
four engines. They are used to supply
power, which is distributed throughout
the City on the various lines.
But now that there are several new lines
almost ready for operation the necessity
for the increase in power-supplying facili-
ties is apparent. The machinery ordered
for the new building consists of four dy-
namos and three engines. Wires will ex-
tend out on the Channel-street side, and
they will then be SO numerous that the big
building will resemble the nucleus of a
massive cobweb. 1t is expected that the
new building will be completed and every
thing in operation within three months.
The railroad lines which will be con-
nected with it are the line running over
Bryant street, the Sixteenth-street line,
the Fillmore-street cross city branch and
the Folsom street. The tracks for these
roads have been laid, the wires stretched,
and the cars are now well nigh completed.
1t is possible that an effort will be made
to start one or more of them even before
the new plant has been placed.
There are other improvements in their
service which are now under consideration
which will require all the new power. 1t is
proposed to make electric line out Of the
Ellis-street cable road, and it is possible
that other cable roadbeds may be torn up
and the service changed to trolley sys-
TEN. That this will be done on Market
street is virtually admitted by the railroad
management, but they state that plans
are in no ways advanced. The horsecar
line running on Tenth street to the Potrero
and South San Francisco by way of Po-
trero avenue is also to be thing of the
past very soon and will be replaced by an
electric road. The latter may, however,
only be single-track road which will con-
meet with some other branch of the general
system. In fact, from present indications
it weuld seem that the city will be fairly
girdled with trolley wires which will all
connect with the large brick power-house
on Bryant street.