The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-19
ASPHALT LAID
DESPITE THE LAW.
The Market-Street Railroad
Defies the Bitumen
Ordinance
AND NOBODY HEEDs IT.
An Interdicted Pavement Is
Put Down On Folsom
Street
BETWEEN sTREET-CAR TRACKS.
How the Notorious Order Has
Been Violated Without
Hindrance.
sTREET-CAR TRACKS.

There is an order in force to the effect
that only one kind of bituminous rock can
be used for pavement in the streets of San
francisco. 1t was passed several months
ago over the Mayors veto and against his
most vigorous protest, and at the time of
its passage this order was notorious as the
monopoly bituminous-rock ordinance. :"
Since it became a law but one variety of
bitumen has been used, for contractors
could not risk ignoring the law.
The Southern Pacific, however, has
never given this order a thought, but, on
the contrary, has without even the form
atty OF notice to the Supervisors coolly
gone to work in disregard of such trifies
as City ordinances and put down a pave
ment OF its own-asphaitum.
Not even mem bers of the Folsom-str
Improvement Club were aware of what was
taking place under their eyes. They saw
workmen laying what seemed to be
bituminous rock on Folsom street. be-
tween the car tracks, and indeed that por-
ton of the street when paved bv the
Southern Pacific differed none in general
appearance from the strips of bitumen on
each side and next to the sidewalks.
There was a concrete foundation also a
layer of black material similar in all re-
spects to bitumen. But there was a de-
cided difference after all. The railroad
pavement was asphaltum, one of the
bituminous materials especially inter-
dicted by the bitumen ordinance.
The matter was brought to the atten-
ton OF the Board of Supervisors, but so
far nothing has been done in the premises.
That part of the order which deals d.
rectly on the creation of a monopoly is as
follows:
Order prescribing general rules and speeif-
cations relating to the materials to be used
and the mode and manner of the performance
OF street work to be done in the City and
County of San Francisco.
The bituminous rock used shall be of the
best,sand shall contain not less than II per
cent OF bitumen. The bitumen contained in
the material shall be such that none of it will
Yaporize below a temperature of $50 degrees
Fahrenheit, and OF such quality as to make a
good cement.
The bituminous rock must also be free from
clay and vegetable matter. In reducing the
rock preparatory TO laying 1t shall not be done
in open kettles, or by any other process liable
TO burn or destroy the oil or bitumen in the
rock.
Further, the rock used shall be in the condi-
ton as taken from the mines in its natural
state and delivered in the streets where the
work is being done, and without having been
previously disintegrated. The rock shall be
heated until it melts and becomes disinte-
grated, and shall be uniformly spread over
the foundation OF concrete and rolled while il
is warm with rollers weighing not less than
$50 pounds to the lineal foot and about two
and half feet in length until the layer thus
superimposed presents uniform surface and
has a thickness OF two and a half inches.
In his veto of this order Mayor Sutro
stated that it was the admitted opinion of
numerous experts at a special meeting in
his office that the order was defective in
at least two respects. 1.-The requirement.
of closed kettles" wrote the Mayor, .had
the effect of excluding certain contractors
who have stationary plants. The require
ment of the natural condition of the rock
would exclude certain contractors and also
make complete the railroad monopoly that
would have the transportation"
The order shut out bitumen concerns
which gave no business to the Southern
Pacific Company, since their quarries were
not on the lines of railroad. while quarries
at Santa Cruz alone were given the ex-
elusive privilege of supplying the bitumin-
Gus pavement of San Francisco. This
pleased the railroad company, but when
the time came for that corporation to use
bitumen pavement it undertook, as a
matter of course, to lay asphaltum from
its mines at Asphalto, Kern County.
1t was explained at the Supervisors Of
fee yesterday that the railroad company