The San Francisco call., 1896-03-21

The United States Government has de-
cided that the shaky old drawbridges
across the estuary are reasonable OBJ
structions to navigation and insufficient
for the traffic of the harbor.
This morning Mayor Davie received
communication from Colonel Charles R.
Sutter, colonel of engineers, U. S. A, ask
ing him to be present and present his
proofs of the lack of accommodation on
account OF the present drawbridges.
The action TO be taken by the United
States Government is the first indication
since the bridges were originally built that
the commerce of the harbor is to receive
equal recognition with the desires of the
Southern Pacific Company. For years the
TWO bridges have been the curse OF naviga-
ton in Oakland harbor, and the demands
of tugboats and ships have been either
totally disregarded or oDeyed at leisure by
the bridge-tenders, who, being responsible
only to the Supervisors for their positions,
felt no fear of becoming acquainted with
the ak so long as they did all that the rail
road required.
Now this is to cease and with the ex-
pected confirmation by the Supreme Court
of the decision of Judge Ogden regarding
the water front, the announcement that
the War Department has taken the mat
ter of the bridges in hand the future of the
harbor has become the most important
topic before the people Of Oakland and
Alameda.
This statement from Colonel Sutter is
an indication that the hand of the South
ern Pacific Company is to be felt no longer
in the United States engineers Office"
said Mayor Davie tonight. sit is the re-
suit of negotiations carried on mostly by
myself and I cannot help feeling graf
flied at the result. 1t also shows how the
tactics of the Southern Pacific Company
would have prevailed, as far as the present
Board of Works is concerned. Last spring
1 obtained the passage by the City Council
of a resolution aui horizing the Board of
Works to inspect the drawbridges.
"The following morning Mr.. Wilder
came to me and said that he would like the
company's engineer to accompany US when
we made the inspection. L consented and
then Mr.. Wilder said their engineer was
somewhere in another State and could We
wait TIL he returned.
81 replied that l could not do so and the
same night the Board of Works passed a
resolution ordering us to inspect the
bridges.
$50 far as Comm issioners Wilson and
Peirsol are concerned, they are still wait
ing for Mr.. Wilder's engineer.
''On the following morning, however,
took photographer, and at extreme low
tide we made several pictures of the bridges.
They were absolutely falling TO pieces. l
forwarded the pictures to Washington, ac-
companied by a protest signed by the
Spreckels Tugboat Company; Goodall,
Perkins & Co., The Davie Ferry and Trans
portation Company, Captain Hackett, Cot
ton Bros. and all the owners of tugs and
sailing vessels that had lost thousands OF
dollars through the delay caused on open
ing the bridges whenever the railroad COM
nanv's interest was best served III keeping
them closed.
"Then the clever hand of the railroad
was seen. Two days after photographed
the bridges the Southern Pacific COM
mepced to repair them, and they drove
piles till they bad practically made new
structures. They spent $4,000 IN repair
ing the bridges and then they reported to
the authorities what they had done. But.
unfortunately for them, my photographs
had preceded them. Now. II ] had waited
for Mr.. Wilder's engineer, my report could
not have been made and the present action
might have been delayed for years. lpre-
sumo it was for that that the City En-
gineer and City Attorney have waited.
Colonel Mendel was retired at the right
time for the public good. and the people
are now to reap the benefit OF the change.