The San Francisco call., 1896-09-13
WHY THE HILL
PEOPLE HAD TO WALK
FOR TWO WEEKS
Story of a Steel Shaft That Was Broken
for Years While Swinging Miles of
Gable and Crowded Cars

system, with its hundreds of passengers.
was left dead IN the streets.
The employees in the power-house knew
instantly what had taken place They
knew that the worry over breaking roues
that had been affecting them for weeks
before was now dwarfed by an accident
that meant the calling in of all the cars
for an indefinite period. And then II was
not an accident that had happened
it was the expected, although il had been
expected for so long time that it had al
most ceased to be expected. Certainly no
provision had been made TO meet the
emergency.
When the big wheels had been swung
out Of their places ana the two PARTS OF
the broken shaft were taken out the re-
markable discovery was made that what
had broken was not more than diameter
OF three inches Of sreel.
The entire PowelI-street system. iucIud-
ing, besides the PowelEstreet line, the Jack
son and the Sacramento street lines. had
bean driven over this slim holding. braced
by the clamps that had been placed TO
keep together and steady the gear wheel
and the winder. To be sure the entire
shaft, 121z inches IN diameter, was broken
of as sharply as though It had been = lead
pencil But i had been cracked at the
beginning, and the break for the most
part had been the slow work of years, the
original crack spreading by degrees, until
at last, as Mr.. Ytning said, the time
came when 1t must snap OF"
Had the shaft broken at some other
place than between these two big wheels
that held it IN place, continued Mr.. Vim
ing, 1t would have done much damage. As
1t was, however, the parting at that place
simply relieved the gear wheel OF its load
and took from the winder the motive
power, while the gear wheel continued
TO revolve more easily than before the
winder stopped. No, we made no pro-
vision 10 meet this contingency although
1t has been SO long imminent. The fact
Is that the Market-streee system, com
posed OF g great number Of companies ard
systems, as it Is, with q great deal OF old
machinery, has grown with 3 rapidity
that has kept beyond our ability to pro-
1 vide equipment.
Besides the machinery in many in
stances is old fashioned, and We 90 not
/ care TO duplicate 1t, as would be necessary
10 do IN order TO provide against such ac-
[ cidents as that at the Mission-streer cleo
/ tric poEer-house, and which caused the
I stoppaEe OF the Folsom and Bryant street
cars 1t Is the purpose of the company to
/ duplicate the machinery where possible.
/ With regard TO Powell street, It Is in con-
temptation 70 transmit electric power
there and run the cable machinery BY It..
For that reason the duplication of the en-
gines or motive power viii not be at
tempted
The work Of repairing the break Of the
big shaft has at least kept the people in the
vicinity of the power-house interested.
Horses in battalions-oig draft horses
have been marshaled about the place
puIleys, levers and cranes, on gigantic
scales, have been employed lifting the
wheels and shaft out Of place and drag
ging the big wheel down the bill and then
up again. First . new shaft was forged
by the Pacific Rolling Mills and carried to
the Union Iron Works, where 1t was put
into proper form. The big wheels were
taken 10 the Union Iron Works, where
they were drilled OFT TO exactly 1T the
snsf5-
Then shaft and wheels, one at time,
on trucks, the wheels of which were two
/ feet wide, constructed OF iron, were hauled
back again and with careful manipula-
ton By experienced riggers swung from
/ the truck back into the Power-house and