The San Francisco call., 1896-02-15
Oak-Street Cars Are Suspended
Over Almost Half the
Line.
DETRIMENTAL TO PROPERTY
The People Are Justly Complaining
Against the Very High.Handed
Proceeding.

lucky has a roundabout way of doing
things to reach result that is satisfac-
tory to it. In some cases it will go clear
around several blocks to accomplish its
ends
sample of its methods is visible in the
| case OF the Oak street cable line, most of
which is at the present time lying idle
and quiet in full possession of the street.
When the franchise for the Oak-street
line was granted the road was to run from
Howard and Tenth to Market, across Mar
ket to Fell, on Fell to Franklin, then
on Franklin to Oak street and out
Oak to Stanyan. at the present time,
| however, the service has been cut off from
Tenth and Howard streets to Fillmore,
and the unused line confronts the
residents of Oak street with the
fact that their property is diminishing In
value, owing to the removal of the SER
vice.
Frank J. Sullivan, one of the largest
| property-owners in the district, has been
| interesting himself in the matter for some
time, but has been unable to get anything
| like satisfaction from the company.
when the cars were taken off, some
| three months ago." said Mr.. Sullivan
yesterday, II took it upon myself to see
| what could be done toward re-establishing
some sort of service for residents and
| property-holders who had interests along
| the line. Three other gentlemen, Judge
Goewy, M. P. Jones and Michael Maegher
and myself. all having property in that
section, went before Mr.. Vining the gen.
eral manager of the Market-street Railway
Company, and put the matter before him.
| urging that the stopping of the line on
even a portion of the street was working
considerable injury to the property-owners
and residents. We argued that the COM
pany could not abandon portion of its
| franchise withou. abandoning all of it. 1t
seems, though, that such conditions can
prevail without any particular discomfort
to the company.
"He showed US the statement of earnings
| OF the Oak-street line, which was some
thing like $3.50 day. while the Market
and Mission lines earned over 5000. Mr..
| Vining said the small returns were what
occasioned the change, but promised to
| give the matter immediate attention upon
the return of Mr.. Crocker from the East.
! From the conversation held at that time
| l, IN company with my associates, left
under the impression that it would be
| agreea BILE to the company to run an electric
| line out Oak and back to Market via Page
street. This would have been satisfactory
to the people out that way, and when Mr.
| Crocker returned | wrote him a letter as
follows:
| JUNE II, 1880.
Charles F. Crocker Esq., City--DEAR SIR: A few
weeks ago several owners OF Oak-street prop
| erty, including myself, called on Mr.. Vining to
ascertain definitely what your company pro-
| pose to do with the Oak-street eaple road. We
| referred to its abandonment of the line between
| Fillmore and Franklin streets. We pointed
out to Mr. vining the great injury that would
result to all property values, and estimated
| the same to be at least 80 per cent. We stated
that one line on Oak street and another on
Page street, tapping the Market and Mission
/ street roads, would be satisfactory to all own
ers and residents of the district. He promised
| TO give us a final decision when you returned.
On behalf OF all parties interested, l trust
that you will decide the proposition as soon
! as possible. As it is, every one is at sea and
property values suffer- Yours very truly,
FRANK SULLIVAN.
"Mr. Crocker replied to this letter imme-
diately and said that the matter wouId
have to be placed before the directors.
Nothing has been done since then and we
are waiting to see what the next move
will be.
"The way things stand now the fran
chise should be revoked, as they do not
live up to its letter. The street is in such
a condition that no one else would care to
put road on it, as the residents desire,
owing to the fact that but portion OF it
has been abandoned. It is in no shape to
receive another road managed by another
company and it simply stands to-day In
the clutches of the corporation.
''When property buyers invested money
in the neighborhood of Oak street it was
pretty well understood that the streetcar
service was to prevail, but because the
company does not coin small fortune
there it has been taken away and the peo-
pie are suffering considera Bile loss and in
convenience from it."
Henry Mayer, the Sutter-street tailor.
discussed the matter in the same way and
said that an injunction should be put on
the electric road running from Fillmore
out to the park and that the entire fran
chise should be Cancelled Immediately. A
meeting is soon to be called for the pur-
pose Of getting at the bottom of the deal,
and property holders will be called upon
to sign protest against the hgh-handed
methods of the Market-street Company.