The San Francisco call., 1896-05-29
SOME VAGARIES
OF THE TRANSFERS,
Passengers Carried Far Be-
yond the Nearest Trans
ferring Point.
RIDE ON OR PAY AGAIN.
Everything Possible Is Done to
Avoid Accommodating the
Passengers.
a PRIVILEGE TO BE CURTA1LED
Peculiarities on the Fourth, DeviSa.
dero and Fillmore Street
Lines.

The street railway system of San Fran
cisco was at one time, and that was only a
few years ago, one that attracted the at
tention OF all strangers Who visited the
City and caused them to remark, "San
Francisco has the most complete and least
intricate streetcar system in the United
States" But since E. P. ViDing, manager
OF the MarkeT-street system, has been at
the head of affairs, he has tinkered with
that system until now he has succeeded in
making 1t the most complex of any. The
residents are scarcely able to understand
it and strangers are unable to make it out.
True, on the inside and outside of the
windows of the cars and on the doors at
each end there are posters relating to
transfers that are so long that it takes a
person some time to comprehend when,
where and under what circumstances the
privilege OF hopping out OF one car and
hopping on to another may be exercised
To the passenger who is unused to the
peculiar methods of the particular line
upon which he is riding these are practi-
cally useless for the reason that before he
can have an opportunity to even read
these rules so wonderfully made up the
conductor approaches with Pare, please
want transfer?" and often contents him.
self with Fare, please
The poster in small letters tells the pas
senger that he must task for a transfer
upon settling for his fare but if he fails
TO do so, either from ignorance or forget
fulness, he finds that when he does want a
transfer he is barred from that right, and
il he wants to go on his Journey be must
pay another nickel. for by the order OF Mr.
Viniug no transfer must be issued unless
asked for at the time the fare is paid.
The system that now prevails has been,
rrh hn -
deal OF annoyance TO the LADY pas
sengers, who do net sit up nights to famil-
iarize themselves with the manifestoes of
Manager Vining, and on the part of the
male passengers IL has caused many a one
to break the commandment regarding pro-
family.
Glow is this 2' asked lady passenger
on an Ellis-street car yesterday, "that you
will not give me a transfer to Fillmore
street north? Twas given one yesterday"
Guess not" was the curt reply of the
conductor.
But l was" insisted the lady.
You must have been riding on the
Eddy-street line"
And so II was, and because this lady did
not walk one block farther south to get an
Eddy-street car she was forced to pay an
additional fare in order to ride on Fill
more street.
This incident illustrates the lack of ac-
COHInOudilOH Tue mdIhSI-SIIeeL system
extends to its hundreds of thousands of
patrons. Many are at loss to under
stand why the company should issue
transfers either way on Fillmore street
at Eddy and refuse them at O'Farrell
street, which is the continuation of the
Ellis-street line.
Another inconvenience to which passen-
gers are put is on the Fillmore and the
Devisadero street lines going north. Pao-
pie who live in the immediate vicinity OF
these lines have in some way learned that
if they patronize either Of them thew
may by the grace of Z. p. Vinlng be trans
ferred to an eastward bound car to reach
the ferry.
There is one branch of the system
known as the Sacramento street line that
runs east along Sacramento street, cross
ing both Devisadero ana Fillmore streets
That, of course, would be the most direct
line on which to transfer passengers who
ride on the lines of the two streets named
from the southern extremity. Does the
manager of the system allow them to
transfer at that point and save time in
reaching the ferry? No, that would be
too much convenience and too much
courtesy to the passengers. The pas
sengers on Dew sadero street are carried
across Sacramento, Clay and Washington
to jackson where they are transferred to
the cars of that line, which run down
that street to Steiner, to Washington, to
Stockton and then turn into Sacramento
and continue on until they reach the
ferry. This long roundabout way in
wolves loss of nearly ten minutes time
and is rather ridiculous way of making
transfers.
After June passengers who travel south
on the Montgomery-street bob-tail cars
are to be deprived of another accommoda-
tion. Transfers from the cars to the Mar
ket-street line on cars going to the ferry
and from the Market-street cars to the
Montgomery-s cars will be discon-
tinued. A driver on one of these cars
when asked what that meant answered,
Don't know, and | don't know what's
coming next"
Struck an Old Woman.