The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-30
Paving Company Backed
by the Southern Pa
cifc Favored.
A SERMON IN BITUMEN.
The Street Department lnvestl-
cation to Be Continued
With Vigor.
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT NEXT.
Supervisors May Be Called Out to Ez.
plain Why the Pool Ordinance
Has Not Passed.
A SERMON IN BITUMEN

Information was presented to the Grand
Jury yesterday which places the "SoHd
Eight of the Board of Supervisors in a
bad light. The transaction may be eX-
planned to the satisfaction OF the jury, and
for purposes of explanation Supervisors
will be called to the iuryroom.
a history of the cloudy transaction as re-
lated by the complaining witness, l.. j.
Crossman, secretary of the Jordan Blum
inous Rock and Paving Company, is decid-
eddy interesting.
On February a. 1894, q resolution OF
intention to pave with basalt blocks Cough
street, between Vallejo and Broadway, was
introduced in the Board of Supervisors.
The property-owners did not want stone
block pavement, so protest was entered
and the proceedings stopped. They did,
however, want a bituminous pavement,
and entered into a contract with the JOr-
dan Company, the price being p cents per
foot. FELTON, and Garfield, solicitors,
who were paid $50 by the Jordan Com
pany; secured signatures representing every
foot of frontage on the block for the sewer
and pavement.
On September 6, 1895, the board was
petitioned by the company for permit to
pave the block with bitumen. The petit
ton was referred to the Street Committee,
which reported on September 10, denying
the prayer Of the petition on the ground
that the grade where the bituminous pave
ment was desired was 10 per cent. 1t was
held that such pavement could not. under
the ordinance governing street work, be
laid on grade in excess of s per cent.
When this petition was denied, the prop
erty-owners themselves asked for permit
to pave with bitumen, setting forth that
many precedents existed for allowing
bltumlnous pavement on 10 per cent
grades. The request of the property
owners was referred to the Street Com
mittee, and on October II the com Mittee
again presented an adverse report and the
board denied the petitioners.
The Jordan Company saw the property
owners, and sought to get their consent in
favor of basalt blocks, but as the block in
question is faced by fine residences, the
owners refused to allow the stone blocks
TO be laid. preferring that the street should
remain as 1t was unless they could get a
smooth pavement.
For time the subject was held in sus-
pense. and then ". T. Hanrahan ap-
peared on the scene. He represented to
the property-oWners that he could get
from the Supervisors permit TO pave the
street with bitumen. He cautioned
secrecy, and secured signatures. Mean
while Secretary Crossman of the Jordan
Company was keeping one eye on Hanra-
han and the other on the proceedings of
the Board Of Supervisors.
On NOvem Der IL Hanrahan requested the
board to pave the block in question by
private contract. Nothing was said in the
request as TO the kind of material to be
used, but in leadpencil mark on the
margin Of the petition the words ''by
ephone-Bitumen" appear. The request
was referred to the Street Committee No
VEN Der IA, and on November Is the COM
mittee submitted favorable report and
the board granted the permit. The next
morning the Superintendent of Streets
issued the permit in due form, and the
work is now going forward.
Secretary Crossman of the Jordan Com
pany at once started an investigation in
the office of the clerk of the Board of
Supervisors, and ascerta ined that the tele-
phone message was received by one Of the
clerks. Mr.. Brown.
when the petition was examined" said
Mr.. Russell, no material was specified, so
inquiry was made of the City Street I'M
provement Company by telephone"
why did you inquire of the City Street
Improvement Company" asked Mr..
Crossman.
Because" said the clerk, 1.-the hand
writing of the petition was identical with
which was signed by that company"
The secretary of the Jordan Company
talked with Horace Davis, Mrs. Raymond,
Mr.. Martin of Madison 81 Burke and other
property on the block. Mr.. Martin
said: THE delay has cost me $1,000. |
have six houses Ola the block that must be
painted. If we had contracted at first with
the City improvement Company the work
would De done now"
IA Jordan
Company, but he, saw that the City Street
Improvement Company could get per-
NIT, and thought the work ought to be
done. "Some of the property-owners dared
not tell me what was going on.
Mr.. Crossman said: 1.-The Jordan Btu
minous Rock and Paving Company VIII
fight the outrage to the end. Behind the
Solid Eight is the Southern Pacific, and
the scheme is to Use material from Santa
Cruz, which the railroad hauls to this
town. We bring our material on our own
steamers from San Luis Obispo, and the
proposition is to shut US out OF WORK. 1t
viii not win. We have engaged G. +.
Hanlon as our attorney, and will go into
the courts as well as to the Grand Jury.
The president of our company, j. G. Jor
dan, will be home from Boston next Mon
day, and he will take hold of this subject
in earnest. The ring will be exposed and
the guilty punished. mr.. Jordan is mil
Iionaire, and has the means to fight."
The price for doing the work under the
existing contract is the same as the Jordan
Company offered-21 cents per foot. The
president OF the company is a son of the
late millionaire merchant, Mr.. Jordan of
Boston.
All the papers and records bearing on
the transaction were presented to the
Grand Jury, and some eight or ten of the
Jurors remained for two hours after adj
journment looking into the matter.
District Attorney Nv. S. Barnes was sent
for, but as he was engaged in the Durrant
case he could not respond to the request
from the jury.
The jury sent the attending Deputy
Sheriff for recent copies of The CALL and
Examiner.
1t is well known that the Grand Jury
intends to go down deeper than ever into
the inside management of Street Depart
ment affairs. The witnesses summoned
and the records called, for clearly indicate
this line of inquiry.
Attention is to be given to the School
The figures in the possession
of the Grand Jury show that while the
mum bers of pupils has increased only 1000
during the past few years the expenses of
the School Departmenthas increased $780,
uO0 per annum.
The Grand Jury NAV continue in session