The San Francisco call., 1897-10-26
MAY NOT ALTER
THEIR HOUSES
Mayor Phelan Strikes a
Blow at the Quincy
Street Dens.
Paulist Fathers Ask the Super
visors to Abate the
Nuisance.
Street Committee Will Take a Hand.
The Mission Geological
Garden.

The question of allowing the denizens OF
Quincy, st. Marys and other streets that
are used for disreputable purposes to ex-
ist in their present quarters under. au-
thority of law came ny before the Board
CT Supervisors yesterday.
Mayor Pnelan sent in the following
ve'o message in reference to resolution
granting the owners of buildings at 20
and 80 Quincy place permission to alter
the premises:
To The Honorable, the Board of Supervisors Of
the City and County of San FranciSco-GENTLE-
MEN: l herewith return resolution No. As,
Fourth Series, without my approval This
resolution is designed to grant permit for
altering the premises Nos % to 33 Quincy
street, used for immoral purposes, doubling
the number of the rooms.
The reason for my objection is that Quincy
street is Immediately opposite st. Mary's
Church, is exposed 10 the full view OF passers-
by aud is, as now main tanned, public nuis-
ance and should not be fostered by resolution,
but abated.
The residents of this street should be forced
10 occupy less conspicuous place, ana the
traffic should be regulated.
Furthermore, work permitted by this reso u
ton, inasmucn as it confines the occupants 10
a very narrow space, inadequate for the re-
Quirements II health, is inhuman and lnde-
cent, and probab!y in violation If the cubic
air law. II should not be authorized: even If
the nuisance be not abated. Respectfully,
JAMES d. PHELAN, Mayor.
The matter does not come up for con-
sideration until Monday next, but in the
meantime the members will have some
thing TO ponder over. for each one of them
received the following letter yesterday:
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 1897
Dear Sir: l respectfully request hearing
in reference to a place called Quincy street.
This street OF alley is situated between Cali
fornia and Pine, kearny and Dupont treets,
ana stands directly in front OF ST. Mary 8
Church. The vice OF immortality is practiced
here in the moat fragrant manner and with no
apparent effort at concealmenl. The people
visiting or attending church are constantly
complaining 10 US soout It IL Is standing
scandal TO the children attending school here,
and they are practically forced TO witness
scenes that are revolving. We have tried In
several ways to suppress the evil but with
little success. We have appealed to the Police
Department T, pealediy, but our appeal has
been ignored or met with promises which have
not e n kept. The apathy OF the officials in
thls matter Is hard to be accounted Tor, and
we have no nope OF relief from the Police De-
par ment under the present control unless 1t
IS forced 10 act.
Wnen Dupont street was made passable the
credit was due rather to the news papers and
the discord among the property-owners than
10 the efforts of the police. We wish to avoid
publicity and litigation If posi- ible and have
the abuse quietly suppressed. Therefore, in
behalf of The people OF 81. Mary's Church and
in the interest of morality and pu bic decency,
we earnestly SOLICIT your cooperation IN our
endeavors to abolish the nuisance. The gem
erat public, am sure, wiil approve your
action, and we shall consider it personal
favor If you help 10 remove from under our
eyes a sight which you certainly would not
wish to have before your own door. remain
very respectfully yours, NJ. oTIs, c. S. p.
In figuring on the question as to
whether the occupants of the Quincy
street houses violate the cubic-aIr ordi-
nance Mayor Phelan ascertained that il is
proros Led o make the rooms feet 101l
inches wide by feet inches long. ~ d
that the occupants pay the land ords 81 so
per day for the "hoies in the wall"
The veto will come up for consideration
at the next meeting OF the board.
The question Of shutting in such streets
with gates was referred back to the Street
Committee.
The resolution of the board dismissing
|. Schar;Z, one of its clerks, on which Su-
pervisor Rottanzigave notice of reconsd-
Grafton at the last meeting. was adopted.
The petition of the adherents of the
Mission Geological Garden TO be heard in
advocacy of their plan was referred back
to the Street Committee. A hearing will
be granted on Thursday next at 2:30
o'clock.
I he board adopted a resolution granting
Bateman Bros, the contractors for the
Hall OF Justice, an extension on their
contract until January /. A second reso-
lution required Bateman Bros. to enter
into their sub-contracts on or before No
VEN Der in order to prevent further delay.