The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-29
ACTIVITY AT STOCKTON.
Large Forces of Men Pushing
Three New Railroads to
Completion.
GRADERS ARE NEARING LODI.
Construction of the Roadbed for the
Electric Terminal Well Un-
der Way.

STOCKTON, CAL, Aug. 28.-The Valley
road this morning began in earnest to lay
| track within the city limits. The work of
| track-laying that has been done heretofore
| has been merely preliminary to the work
that was done to-day. Early this morning
| Superintendent of Construction Wilbur
began at East street with force of men to
! lay ties and rails westward on Taylor
street. The work of distributing the ties
was commenced first, and these had to be
hauled by team from the material yards to
| the East-street end of the track.
Track-laying on Weber avenue is pro-
crossing as rapidly as possible. Street Su-
perintendent Bidwell yesterday, in COM
pany with Mayor Baggs, visited the section
| being laid now on the avenue. Bidwell
went there with the Mayor for the purpose
of deciding whether to insist on the road
complying with the terms of its franchise
| or to allow it to lay Inacadam between it's
| rails in place of the basalt pavement taken
up. The Street superintendent decided OH
macadam. The Mayor is still of the opin-
| ion that the franchise should be adhered to
strictly.
A large force of men under Grant Bros.
is now at work grading in the Searchlight
addition, and but one more days work will
be required before the gap between the
grade on the Learned place and that in
the city is closed up.
The Mormon Channel trestle inside the
city will be completed tomorrow. The
bridge-builders are rushing all their work,
and the force under Cotton Bros, who are
engaged outside the city, have nearly fin
ished the fourth bridge called for in their
contract. The pilipg is about done, and
work will be finished as soon as the bridge
| timbers arrive.
The bed of Mormon Channel, between
San Joaquin and Ell Dorado streets, pre-
sents busy scene. There the men who
are throwing up the grade on the Corral
| Hollow road are at work. The graders
had some trouble at first in getting over
| the track which the Valley road had laid
at the intersection of Taylor and Hunter
| streets. This was not fixed so as to permit
teams to pass, but Mayor Baggs and
Superintendent of Streets Bidwen sent a
request to Mr.. Wilbur of the Valley road
to make proper crossing there, and yes
terday the tracks were planked over to
permit the Corral Hollow workmen to
| at work constructing piledriver for use
in erecting the trestle bridge over the
channel at Hunter street, where the Corral
Hollow track will cross. Next week the
work of the piledriving will commence.
The grading of the roadbed for the Stock
| and Lodi terminal railway is being pushed
| as rapidly as men and teams can do the
work. Every department. of this enterprise
is being carried forward with a view to a
speedy completion. The graders are now
within three miles of Lodi. They are
meeting with some difficulty in the way of
hard ground, but as heretofore these obsta-
cles are speedily overcome. The resolute
and quiet manner in which the projectors
are carrying forward the work in all it's de-
partments is admired by business men of
this city and the people along the line
of the road. All the detail work-securing
the rights of way, obtaining water front
and arranging all of the difficulties that
arise with property owners, especially in
passing through valuable vineyards, etc.,
and in removing fences and houses-has
been done so satisfactorily that nothing
has happened to delay or hinder the prog
ress.
The citizens of Stockton and Lodi, as
well as the people living along the line of
the road, are anxiously awaiting the COM
pletion of this enterprise. 1t is admitted
by all that this road will be one of the
most important commercial features of
the city of Stockton, as all the freight and
passengers along the line of the road will
be discharged at Stockton. This brings
the citizens of Lodi and the surrounding
country into closer communication with
the city of Stockton, and, consequently.
with San Francisco.