The San Francisco call., 1896-04-08
Federal Authorities Have Moth.
ing to Do With the
Matter.
ONLY THE ESTUARY
Governments One Duty Is to Look
Out for the Drawbridge
Constructions.

Alameda have taken formal steps in pro-
test against the removal of the Webster
street bridge. City Attorney Taylor for
mulated the protest. which was adopted as
resolution by the municipal board and
yesterday laid it before Colonel Suter, chief
of the engineer corps of the Pacific depart
ment, for transmission to Washington.
The protest covering the arguments al
ready presented in THE CALL interviews is
as follows:
facts be forwarded to the honorable Secretary
of War as grounds for remonstrance against
changing the location of the draw bridge con-
Meeting Alameda and Oakland known as the
Webster-street drawbridge.
First-Said bridge has been at its present To-
cation for more than quarter of century.
Between the bridge and the highland of Ala
media extends mile of roadway, constructed
at great expense over marsh Of such nature
that it took many years of settling and refill
ing before the roadway obtained its present
foundation. Any material change in the loca-
ton of said bridge will require, at great ex-
pense the construction of another roadway,
which might not obtain solidity for years The
city of Alameda has no other street or right of
way over this marsh, and street could only
be opened at great expense and after many
legal delays.
Second-The present bridge is located at q
point which best suits the convenience of the
public travelling between Alameda and Oak
land.
Third-The direct continuation of said road
way in the city OF Alameda is known as Sew
enth street, and is business center There is
no other business street In said city within
distance of two miles, and as Alameda is a resi-
dence city it is not desirable to create new
business centers.
Fourth-The location of said bridge is at the
narrowest point on the estuary or harbor lying
between Alameda and Oakland and the con-
struction of bridge elsewhere would entail
not only great cost of erection but additional
cost and danger in maintenance.
Fifth-The approaches and streets leading to
this bridge, on both the Alameda and Oakland
Sides have been constructed and improved so
as to render easy access to the present bridge,
and any change would seriously discommode
the travelling public and require large outlay
to construct and improve new approaches
Sixth-The abandonment of said roadway
would divert travel and trade from its present
channels and destroy long-established real
estate values and business interests, and cause
irreparable injury to the entire city OF Ala
media.
RESOLVED further, Thatif the War Department
decides to construct bridge at new location
that said department be requested not to To-
cate the same eastward of the railroad bridge
owned by the Southern Pacific Company, situ-
ated near said aforementioned drawbridge.
Notwithstanding the adoption of these
resolutions, the West End people declare
that they are in favor of replacing the two
old bridges with one new bridge, which
shall have Webster street as its Alameda
approach.
The Alameda Argus, in editorial refer
ence to the project, says:
Our idea of an estuary bridge is double
decker, the upper deck to carry the wagon
traffic and to have approaches so long as to
carry it past the railway tracks and water
front hurly-burly that crowds down on the
Oakland shore of the estuary. 1t will soon be
so that the Oakland approach to the bridge
will be we'll blocked by the miscellaneous
traffic of shipping and the frequent running of
freight, local passenger and electric cars If
the vehicles could be carried over all this and
landed to the north of First street it would
greatly encourage wagon traffic ana conduce
to the public safety.
AS indicated in the protest sent to
Colonel Suter, there is general impress
sion that the War Department is to settle
the bridge question. That is not the case
as the Government engineers explain.
The Federal authorities can only declare
whether the bridges over the estuary are
hindrance to navigation. The Federal
Government is to look out for the rights
of the ships in Oakland harbor.
1t cannot prevent the county from main
tanning the old bridge at Webster street,
and neither the Federal Government nor
the county can prevent the railroad COM
pany from building the Alice street bridge
while the railroad owns the right of way
for the bridge.
All that the Federal Government can
do is to regulate the drawbridges.
The situation is this: The railroad
company has concluded to rebuild the
Alice-street bridge and run both railroad
tracks over it. 1t has notified the Govern
ment engineer of that The Government
engineer demands that a drawbridge
about twice as long as the present one be
provided, and the railroad company does
not want to build so much of a draw.
bridge. The authorities at Washington
are to decide whether the railroads new
drawbridge must have span of $50 feet or
not.
With the railroads new bridge in use
GhS COunty WOuio UC COu Dellcu 10 ma1n-
tain the old Webster-street bridge, which
is maintained in its present rickety condi-
ton by the railroad company in payment
for its use of the bridge. The bridge is
admitted to be of little value, with ap-
proaches that have caused criticism for
years.
The shipping men and others assert that
this is a favorable time to supplant the
two old unsubstantial bridges with a
bridge that will be safe and commodious,
and at the same time structure of archi-
tectural merit. The railroad company has
not made any overtures to the county re-
garding q bridge to be built at joint ex-
pense, but at the meeting in Colonel
Suffers Office Mr.. Curtis stated, in response
to question, that the company would be
willing to consider the proposition.
No action has been taken by the county.
however, and the railroad is going on with
it's preparations to build its own bridge.
The principal advocates of union bridge
are the shipping men, and their interest is