The morning call., 1895-02-09

uation on Church street, the working hav-
ing been stopped early in the morning
hours. An investigation was made by
Mayor Sutro into the California street
problem. As far as could be learned from
the records the Market-street line acquired
lease from the California-street road of
its franchise extending west. This fran
chise was once abandoned by the Califor-
| nia-stree5 road, but subsequently regained
In the franchise mentioned there is no ref
erence to electricity being used as motive
power.
Mayor Sutro sent for Superintendent
of Streets Ashworth, and both had con-
ference over the matter. After the confer
ence Superintendent Ashworth said he
would investigate more fully into the
California-street franchise, and if he found
that the railroad company had no right to
erect electric poles on California street he
would tear them down.
Captain Lees of the Police Department
was also closeted with the Mayor for some
time, Mayor Sutro desiring to know why
the police had not stopped the work on
California street when so directed. Mayor
Sutro said afterward that Captain Lees
told him he had received instructions to
obey only the orders of the Superintendent
of Streets in the matter.
After going over the whole ground
Mayor Sutro issued the following call for a
special meeting of the Board of Supervisors:
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 1895.
To the Honorable the Board Of Supervisors OF the
City and County of San Francisco and Hon. John
Il. Russell, Clerk Of said Board-GENTLEAEN 1t
hot hpv IN
yesterday and last night forcibly taken posses
sion of part of Church street. and are tearing
up the same, and are building street railroad
thereon, and of part of California street, and
are erecting trolley poles thereon, and are so
doing without any authority:
1t further appearing necessary to protect the
rights of the municipality in said streets, and
there being urgent necessity for immediate ac-
ton:
1t is hereby ordered that a special meeting
of the Board of Supervisors of the city and
county of San Francisco be held at the meeting
room of said board at the new City Hall on this
day, Friday, February 8, 1895, at the hour of
BPM.
1t is further ordered that the clerk give i'm
mediate notice of the time and place of said
meeting. Respectfully submitted,
ADoLPH SuTRo, Mayor.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon all the
members of the board assembled in special
session. There was a large attendance
present and great interest was manifested
in the proceedings.
81 have called you together in special
session, said Mayor Sutro, 'for the pur-
pose of taking into consideration certain
things that have happened within the last
forty-eight hours. 1t seems that the Mar
ket-street Railroad, in the dark of night,
has torn up Church street and laid tracks
thereon, having no franchise on the street.
The fact that they work at night with
hundreds OF men is alone suspicious. l
have been called upon by number of citi-
zens who have protested against these pro-
ceedings. In well-organized community
people should not be permitted to take the
law in their own hands.
at is plainly shown by the records that
the railroad abandoned its franchise on
Church street. As to California street
the Market-street line acquired whatever
right it has by lease from the California
street road of its extension west from Cen
trail avenue. In that franchise there is
only mention made of steam dummy or
wire cable and nothing about electricity.
81 have called you to take some action
1t seems to me the tracks on Church
street and the poles on California street
should be taken up and stored in the cor
poration-yard and the railroad company