The San Francisco call., 1896-03-13
TROUBLE At MILL VALLEY
The California Construction Com.
pany Is Ordered to Spare
a Tree.
The McInneses Prepared to Protect
Their Property at Any
Cost

MILL VALLEY, CAL, March 12.-Su-
perintendent Graves of the California Con-
struction Company, which is engaged in
the building of ihe Mill Valley and Mount
Tamalpais Scenic Railroad, was served
with a notice yesterday stating that
the company would be held liable for
other property fronting on the lands
owned by ]. H. McInnes.
Not only did Mr.. McInnes secure the
above notice, but he stationed two men,
NJ. Fitzgibbons and Ralph Antonella, near
the property with instructions not to al
low any trees to be cut.
l t seems that the line of the mountain
road runs for about 300 yards in Corte
MADEIRA avenue, in Mill Valley, and in
lay ing out the route along this avenue
the Mountain Road Company thought it
best to run the track upon one side of tie
avenue. BY SO doing the road will run
within two feet of the sidewalk, in front of
Mr.. Mclnnes' property, and in SO doing a
large tree just at the entrance of Mr.. Nc
Innes' house will have to be sacrificed.
The men were about to cut the tree
down, when the owner appeared upon the
scene and protested against any such
work.
When the notice was served upon Su-
perintendent Graves he said that if any
attempt to interfere with the work of the
men was made he would bring suit against
Mc1nnes for damages on account of delay
ing the work OF constructing the road
McInnes took all the precautions neces-
sary. II have served the notice upon
them," said he, "and now / intend to
guard the tree and see that it is not cut
down.
eyes, and intend to see that the tree is
not felled," his son, A. McInnes-also a
business man in Mill Valley-replied
touching his hip pocket significantly.
All this afternoon some one has been
guarding the tree and if the Constru ction
Company's men attempt to cut it down
there will be trouble.
were made along Corte MADEIRA avenue,
and it is possible that the track will be laid
so as to avoid Mr.. McInnes' tree.
Since the published statements in THE
CALL to the effect that the mountain road
intended to use locomotives on its line,
together with electric-cars, the people are
complaining. They say that they do not
mind electric-cars running through the
valley, but they do object to steam en-
gines, and it is probable that the people
will com mbine and fight the people.
This morning M. Nj. O'Shaughnessy,
large landowner in Mill Valley, Instructed
Constable e. E. Gray to arrest any man in
the employ of the mountain road or the
California Construction Company who at
tempted to plow up or in any way inter-
fere with the road in front of his property
near Eastland station.
A meeting of Corte MADEIRA avenue prop.
erty-owners was held to-day in the Office
of Mr.. O'Shaughnessy in the Crocker
building in San Francisco, at which were
present or represented: George F. Marsh,
ii. s. Bridge, Maurice Windmiller, NJ. M.
o OShaugh j. II. McInnes, 2. S. Fur
gerson and others. permanent organi-
zation was formed and George F. Marsh
elected president and M. NJ. O'Shaugh-
messy secretary. The organization is
known as tho Mill Valley Property-Own-
ers' Association. At a previous meeting
committee was appointed to obtain reliable
information from responsible attorneys in
regard to whether the Mount Tamalpais
Scenic Railroad had right to occupy the
streets of Mill Valley without the consent
OF the people residing thereon.
The committee reported that the attor-
neys had said that the railroad com pany
had no right to take the streets without Sc