The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-08
BUILDING By NIGHT.
The Market-Street Company
Steals a March
IN ITS USUAL BOLD STYLE.
Poles Raised and Wires Strung by
Lantern Light.
THE MAYOR HOLDS THE FRANCHISE.
But the Company Wants to Grab Cali.
fornia Street From Central to
First Avenue.
THE MAYOR HOLDS THE FRANCHISE

stole march on Adolph Sutro last night
when it put large force of men and teams
| to work on California street, between Cen
| trail and First avenues, and placed trolley
poles and wires so as to shut out the con-
structlon of similar appliances by other
companies.
The scene was both animated and excit-
ing, the flashing lanterns and shadowy
forms of the men as they delved in the
earth or hoisted huge poles by means of
| boathooks, ropes and derricks, in connec-
ton with the plunging horses as they
| strained to drag their burdens through the
banks of sand that incumbered the road,
forming weird and realistic picture.
California street, from the termini of the
Jackson, Washington and California street
cable lines and the Park and Cliff House
steam railroad out to First avenue, has
been bone of contention between Mayor
Sutro and the Market-street Company for
several months.
sutro's competing electric line begins at
! Central avenue and Geary street, and runs
along the avenue to California street.
There, according to its franchise, it turns
into California street and continues west
ward to First avenue, skirting the west
wall of Laurel Hill Cemetery, where its
course is changed to meet Clement street,
along which thoroughfare it finds an open
ing into Richmond.
When Sutro's workmen essayed to make
switch at California street and Central
avenue some months since they were
stopped by the Market-street Company
with a train of flatcars on the steam road
track already laid there. The steam tracks
had not been used at that point for at least
year by trains running to and from
Golden Gate Park, but all at once a train
with live engine and full crew was placed
on the spot. A truce was declared while
the Sutro road-builders laid a single rail on
ties of the steam line down to First avenue
and wired all the rails for return electric
currents.
The train and flatcars are still at the cor
ner OF California street and Central avenue,
'using" that piece of track. So no con-
nection has been made between the steam
rails and Sutros Central-avenue road. AS
Sutro was not first in the field he was
caught last night by the Market-street
company, and it is doubtful now if his
railroad company canereet and maintain
second row of poles and an overhead
system upon the seven disputed blocks.
AT midnight Superintendent Boswell of
the General Electric Company had sixty
men and seven teams hard at work dig
ging postholes, setting poles and stringing
wires. The work went on as systematic
ally as though in daylight hole-diggers
being followed by derrick to hoist the
huge timbers into place, and a gang of
twenty men, REINFORCED by carts full of
broken rock and cement to fix them firmly
in their places.
The inemen, with their wires and in
sulators, followed hard after. The men
worked fast and cheerfully, though appar-
emily knowing that the police might be
down on them at any moment.
"They will have to come - quick if
they want to stop this work before it is fin
ished, said foreman who was rushing I'D
and down the line, lantern in hand. urging
the men on to greater exertions.
Superintendent Boswell when asked the
cause of the rush and night work said:
1--WE must do it at night or not at all for
steam trains are running on this street all
day and they might interfere with US. We
will have forty poles on each side, cover
ing space of five blocks, with side and
trolley wires all strung before daylight-if."
ne added, mo accident happens or the po-
lice do not interfere with us.
"This work is being done by the Market
street Company and I guess no one will
bother u.s.
Mayor Sutro was notified of what was
going on on California street. between
Central and First avenues, by telephone,
last evening. He was at the heights. and
it was too late for him to come into town
and take any personal steps, toward stop
ping the work that was going on.
He was surprised at what he believed
the outrageous proceedings of the monop-
oly and did what he could to defeat the
objects sought after by the railroad people. !
Later he said through the telephone:
II have notified the agents who are do
ing this unlawful work to desist, and have
also sent word to the Chief of Police To see
that they are arrested if they persist in
their work. 1t is impossible to say what
they will do and how far their power
reaches. They are wrong and they know
it, yet they persist in going on. Depend
npon it, shall do all l can to stop them in
their desperate work"
AT a late hour Mayor Sutro ordered Cap
tain Douglass, who was in charge at police
headquarters, to send q squad OF men to
stop the work, stating that it was clearly
against the law. Captain Douglass replied
that he would recognize no authority but
the Superintendent of Streets, and that
when that official ordered him to do so he
would stop all operations at once.