The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-12
MIR. SANDER TO MIR. SWEENEY.
heiatlve TO the Double-Tracking of the
Aesler Avenue Cable Road.

Seattle. April II. 1886.
Ut j. Z. Sweeney, Chairman OF the
railroad Committee. City-Dear Sir:
was somewhat surprised on reading the
fost-Intelligencer Tuesday morning. April
:, that the petition respecting double
tracking OF Yesler avenue and Jackson
street mad come up. If l am not mistak-
en-, YOU told me In person that il would
not come up for some time. Believing
You 10 De man of your word, was not
at the meeting on Monday night to repre-
sent the signers of that petition.
IN your statement you say that the
road had been robbed by former owners .
ms Is an untruth. and / am surprised
mat a man who is supposed to have the
intelligence that an alderman represent
ing the people of Seattle should have
"ouii make such statement without
positively knowing what he said was true.
The original road was built by ]. NJ.
Thompson and associates. They put in
their money. aud the road cost. single
track complete, 81. 900. When hard times
came IL was my fortune TO buy out the
rest OF the stockholders, as they were not
able and willing to pay in any more
money. There was never a bond sold on
that line as long as / owned it, On Au-
gust 8. 1880, sold the entire capital stock,
being the only owner, OF the Lake WASH
ington Cable Railway Company. to L. S.
latter
at present being receiver of the road. for
the sum of Ssss, coo and perpetual pass
for myself and immediate family. They
then organized the Seattle City Railway
Company, and sold the road TO that cor
poration. consideration | do not remem-
Der. When I sold the road ii was earn
ing net above all expenses between Sis
and 800 per day. and was considered the
finest piece of property In the city, and
when they bought 1t 1t did not owe one
dollar TO anybody.
l should not have paid any attention to
your remarks before the council IL had
not intended TO remain In this city, and
I sincerely trust that In future before
making remarks or accusing anybody of
robhing anything you would post yourself
so that you may know or would know
what you are talking about The petit
ton itself, true, was only signed by about
eightythree people I did not deem 4.
necessary 10 have more sign II, because
II would be very easy matter to get at
least thousand to sign II. Among other
things. understand you stated I was on
the warpath. and had It In for the road.
Now. / have not. I do not like them
and they know that. I forced them 10
recognize my pass through the courts.
and they would not carry me today IL
they did not have ia. The property sit
uated along the line of Yesler avenue
and Jackson street. by reason OF IL only
being a single track. Is worth one-half
today what II would be worth II there
was double track on these streets, and
the council that granted the original fran
chise, granted Il and provided that with
i'm n reasonable time they should double
track. The new franchise, which receiv-
ed from the council myself, compelled me
to douhle-track both streets within five
years from the date OF that franchise.
IL that road had been run as a railroad
should have been run they would have
earned enough money and had a sinking
fund 10 have had 1t double-tracked by
this time. and I do not believe Ii is right
for the concii to grant an extension for
another year, as stockholders Of that
road are able 10 put up the money to
double-track II.
also notice that by concurrent resolu-
ton YOU have forced the Union Trunk
Line 10 run their Beacon Hill branch ac-
cording to the terms and conditions or
their franchise. Now. they are not any
more able "a run that branch than the
Yesler avenue line is to doubie-track. II
Is a strange thing to nfe that you should
force one road to live up TO the terms
and conditions of It's franchise and let
the other one go. Why Is thisf
II seems to me you are trying 10 Mn
der and inture people here who have
h,,slt m this city and are helping out
sl3.~s who have never done anything.
ResiSez they can douhle-track the line
for less money today than they VIII ever
be able to do IL again Yours truly.
FRED E SANDER