The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-16
THE WATER FRONT INCLINE.

A wholly unnecessary, unwise and OBJ
Etruotive agitation has been raised about
the river frontage between the bridge and
the Pioneer Mills, where the old bridge
touches the river bank. It has been stated
that the construction of roadway on an
incline from the head of the street leading
alongside the Pioneer Mills into Slater's
Addition TO the new bridge, and thence
east to Second street, will bar access to
she river front and rob the people of their
night to occupy that frontage. 1t is con-
tended that the right thing to do is to
build an impossible structure as an over
head way along the Second-street extern
sion from the Pioneer Mills to Second
street.
The river front from x street north for
thirty two years has been whatit is to-day
and In the possession of the Central Pa
cific Railroad Company. By Act of
the Legislature of April IA. 1868. grant
was made TO the railroad company of that
P1OP0IbJ W oIaDlS IL W SAb0A SAlo SANJ oA%~
bring its cars along the river frontage.
The grant reads. in consideration OF the
construction of so many miles of road
and its entry into the city and the keep
ing of the levee in repair:
And there is hereby further granted to said
company, their successors and assigns. the
water front lying along the Sacramento
River, in front OF said city, lying between the
Sacramento River and line running parallel
TO and eighty feet westerly from the east SIDE
OF Front street, from the north side OF h
street, nOrtherly, hereby granting to said com
pany the right and privilege OF erecting ana
maintaining on and along said water front
their railroad, and such wharves, landings,
storehouses, warehouses. stations and otner
buildings aud erections as may be necessary
convenient for the transaction and per
Torrance of the business of said railroad, etc.
AS the situation now is. whoever crosses
from Second street to Siater's Addition or
to the old bridge, must pass over net
work of tracks, and take great risk in do
ing so. 1t is common occurrence that
when trains are being made up-and this
Is about all the time-wagon traffic IS de-
layed for long time, and besides train
movement is impeded and making up
goes on slowly and dangerously. Now
the railroad company proposes to con-
struct an incline roadway Of five feet TO
the one hundred, or one foot less than the
incline at Portland, Or, where such
construction became necessary, from the
Pioneer Mills along the levee and out
side of all tracks to the new bridge, and
thence east to Second street.
Thus residents of Slater's Addition
passing out, or people passing in, will
cross no tracks whatever. encounter no
risk and not be delayed, while the rail-
road company will have larger yard room
and uninterrupted switching movement,
and will be enabled presently to abandon
the too small depot, fill the slough and
build new depot nearer to the business
center and outside of the entire yard sys-
tenn of tracks and makeup switches.
Nowhere in the world is it approved that
depot should be in the middle of yard
full of tracks. but always it is desirable
TO have depots on one side of yard tracks.
The trade interests of the city, the con-
venience of the people, the growing de-
mands OF freight traffic advise the closing
of the Second-street extension and the
stoppage of travel across the tracks now
In the yard, and The many more that it is
now necessary to lay there. Whoever Is
familiar with the situation knows this to
be so.
The simple, easily understood PROPOSE
ton of the railroad company is the only
one that can be adopted in the public in
terest. No man who views the situation
can hold fairly and occupy any other po-
sition. The commerce of the city has
long demanded that the railroad COM
pany should enlarge its yard facilities
They are now greatly restricted and dis
patch OF business ia impeded in conse-
quence. If this yard room cannot be had
at the site of the present switching
grounds, the company, say its engineers.
must GO north and east to obtain the room
and will have to establish its depots away
from the business section. This was well
understood by all the people long ago and
it was unanimously agreed that city and
business interests demanded that the
yards should not be abandoned and
new location sought.
The railroad company, as has been
shown, has the right to build tracks.
warehouses, depots and other erections
on the river front where il proposes to
aay the incline and where it is now rip
rapping the leTee face. If it should not
build the roadway, but in place erect sta
ton houses, lay tracks and erect coal
bunkers on the levee, wherein Will the
public be benefited? There is and can
be no approach to the front even if there
were landings or business houses in that
section, which there are not and cannot
be. except over and among the tracks
that must be maintained there for the
entrance and exit of the trains of the rail-
road company.
The proposition that the company shall
abandon the river-bank incline aud con-
nal line know as the Second-street extern
sion, is not only an absurdity but an en-
cheering impossibnity. In order to
move trains into the shops of the COM
pany and 10 it's coal bunkers and repair
shops and east-side yards, such an incline