The San Francisco call., 1896-03-22
SHOULD Be BUILT EAST,
Supervisors Call a Special Meet.
ing to Consider the Estu.
ary Bridges.
SINGLE STRUCTURE FAVORED.
The Act of 1890 Confers Ample Au-
thority on the War Department
to Order Work.

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL
90S Broadway, March 81. !
| The announcement that the War De-
partment has decided that the present
bridges across the estuary are distractions
to- navigation and that propositions re-
garding single bridge would be enter
tanned has created general interest, and a
special meeting of the Supervisors has
been called for Monday to consider the
matter.
The ideas expressed by Mayor Davie in
this mornings CALL are very generally
approved, although it is thought by many
that the farther east bridge is placed-in
case single bridge is decided upon-the
better for the future of the harbor. What
would be the foot of Fallon street, if con-
tinued, will be advocated by many at the
meeting called by Colonel Sutter for
March 25. 1t is argued that should one
| double-deck bridge be decided upon it
| should be east of all existing deep-water
wharves. If the bridge is placed at Oak
street it will interfere with the commerce
at the large Adams wharves, 1000 feet of
which is constructed and 500 feet Of which
is now being built.
In the case of single bridge with two
decks it would be necessary to have very
easy grade for the teams on the upper
track. This could not possibly be done at
either Webster or Alice streets, where the
present bridges are now located. In few
months time when the new wharves east
of Alice street are being used the two
bridges will have to be open nearly all the
| time to accommodate the commerce OF the
estuary. Not only would vessels at the
] wharves require that the draws be opened,
but the little tugboats that moor there
would also have to be accommodated.
This would seriously interfere with the
communication between Oakland and Ala
media. With one bridge at FaIlon street
the whole of the space that is used by
| deep-water ships would be entirely unob-
structed, and it could be built SO that
small tugs and gasoline launches could
pass beneath one of the piers. At the pres
ent time every little bit of vessel reqires
the opening of both bridges. One of the
| greatest objections to the present draws is
that they are much too narrow.
1t is never safe for a big vessel to move
in harbor unless the tug can make fast
alongside. This. is impossible with the
present draws and while towing with the
steamer ahead many vessels have been
| sheered off by wind and tide and have in
| lureu the DriQgeS anu uaHdgeu tDelr HullS.
The marks Of several broken bowsprits and
| booms are to be seen on both bridges.
| There has been some doubt expressed
as to the rights of the Government on the
premises to interfere with the bridges.
The following section of the river and
harbor act approved September 10, 1890,
clearly shows that the War Department
has absolute control of all such bridges
and has ample power. to remove obstrrc-
| tons:
"That whenever the Secretary of War
| shall have good reason to believe that any
railroad or other bridge now constructed,
or which may hereafter be constructed
over any of the pavigable waterways of the
| United States, Is an unreasonable Obstruc-
| ton to the free navigation of such waters
on account of insufficient height, width of
| span, or otherwise, or where there is
| difficulty In passing the draw opening or
the draw span of such bridge by rats,
| steam boats, or other water-craft, it shall
| be the duty of the said Secretary, first CIV
ing the parties reasonable opportunity to
be heard, to give notice to the persons or
| corporations owning or controlling such
| bridge so to alter the same as to renoer
navigation through or under il reasonably
| free, easy and unobstructed; and in Civ
| ing such notice he shall specify the
| changes required to be made, and shall
prescribe in each case reasona BILE time i'll
|
| such time the alteration has not been
| made, the Secretary of War shall forth
with notify the United States District
| Attorney for the district in which such
bridge is situated, to the end that the
criminal proceedings mentioned in the
succeeding section may be taken.
| THAT if the persons, corporations, or as
| sociations owning or controlling any rail-
road, or other bridge, shall. after receiving
notice to that effect, as hereinbefore re-
| quired from the Secretary of War, and
| within the time prescribed by him, will
| fully fail or refuse to remove the same or
to comply with the lawful order of the
Secretary of War in the premises, such
| persons, corporation or ASSOCIATION shall
be.deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and.
on conviction thereof, shall be punished
| by fine not exceeding $4,000, and every
| month such persons, corporation, or asso-
citation shall remain in default in respect
| to the removal or alteration of such bridge
shall be deemed q new offense. and subject
the persons, corporation or association so
offending to the penalties above pre-
scribed.'
The news was also received from Wash
| ington to-day that the harbor improve
ment work will be transferred to the con-
tract list. Henceforth it will not be neces-
| sary to labor hard every year to get an ap-
| preparation into the river and harbor bill.
| The appropriation will be contained in the
civil sundry bill, which passes every year,
and the amount will be decided by the re-
| port of the Government engineers saying
what sum can be proitably expended. The
whole battle for the i'm provement of Oak
land harbor, showing the necessity for
the work, justifying It's character and
proving it's urgency, will no longer have to
be fought over at each session of Congress.
All of that is avoided by adopting the con-
| tract system, which is the basis upon
which the principal harbor improvement
enterprises of the country have been put
recently. This will prove great help to
the work and the prospects for the develop
ment of the harbor are brighter now than
ever before.
| nITV TDNcTECc [NI0Iu[n