The San Francisco call., 1897-12-06
The CANAL THAT
DID NOT FLOW
Alameda's Protest Against
the Advisers of Uncle
Sam.
All Dairymen VIII Soon Be
Forced to Respect Pub
lie Health.
What Some Oakland People Think
About a Ferry Service With
out End.
OAKIAND OFFICE. SAN Francisco CALL. !
COS BrOadWa Decemher [

GARLAND OFFICE. SAN FRANCISCO CALI
sos Broadway, December
Five years ago when NJ e. Chapman
was Mayer a grand banquet was giv-n by
he combined municipal governments OF
( Oa6iand and Alameda. Ex-Mayor Davis
kmaie a speech, in which he drew atten-
Inn to the coming union of Oakland and
Alameda as suggested by the opening Of
the splendid steel bridge across the tidal
canal. At the time of the celebration
Alameda reioiced because her inhabitants
thought they saw the day at hand when
the tidal canal would be cut through and
every ebb and flow of the tide would carry
into SAN Francisco Bay everything offen-
sive off the northeast shore of Alameda
The dream of the Encinal city was about
TO be realized and flags waved and cham
pagne and ora tory flowed Considering
that Oakland had always been fighting to
have the United States Govern ment fms h
its end OF the harbor frs, and as the
completion of the tidal canal would nee
essarlIy delay WORK at the other end OF
the estuary, 1t IS not easv o see what was
the basis of this city's demonstration.
Presumably Oakland reloiced because
Alameda was glad.
Now everything IS very different. The
last few days have thrown a dark and
almost impenetrable mantle over Ala
media hopes. Tue engineer whom the
Government paid and whose expert ad-
vice will probably be accepted as final
says III very plain language mat the tidal
canal Is a nuisance, that the little piece
that has been du5 out should be fillej mp
and adds by IN erence that the $50 600
Steel bridge which was the occasion oI so
much rel icing Is now worth its value II
O.d iron. Ii It were not for The serious
position in which Alameda finds itself
ne developments of the past week would
3 most amount % Joke. Alamedans de-
clare II Is an official outrage of the most
wicked kind.
Neither is Alameda to blame in the
east for the predicament in which Colonel
Suter has paced her. Twenty years ago
the man who represented he Govern
ment here declared the tidal canal TO be
an absolute necessity. He informed the
War Department that it should be cut,
that h0OGgates should be erected, that
steel uraw bridge should be built across it
and that with every tide the flow Of water
y m san LeaDdrO Bay would rush through
oakland harbor and keep 1t i'll good
uni orm deplh for evermore. On the
strength OF this report the Government
ommenceI to dig the tidal canal. A
beautiful steel drawbrdge was built and
about S250,000 in all was spent at the
eastern end OF the estuary. Having
faith in the ability OF the engineer ana
in the confidence OF the Government IN
Its engineer, the city OF Alameda planned
and carried out an ella aborate Sc veT system
ne fundamental principle of which was
that ihe canal wouiu be cut through and
that the end of the main sewer which
emp.i les into it would be flushed natural
twice day. This was the greatest a~gu-
ment brought forward al the recent con-
ferences between officials OF the two cities.
Colonel Suter, " hlle admitting that the un-
finished portion of the tida. canal is now a
stagnant cesspoO, declares tnat the solu-
tIOn OF the tfiCulty is one for the mu-
nIcipal authorities and in no sense comes
under the cOgnlZauce of the Govern N Mt
scheme OF haroor improvements. Whei her
the latest recommendation OF the Govern
ment engineer viii be overTuled or not is
problematica, but as there is now money
available III the United States Treasury to
carry on the harbOr work, and as the
Colonel has advised that 1t be spent on
the Oakland END OF the estuary Aiameda's
chances OF getting any Government relief
from her present unsanitary condition i'll
this generation are ra her remote.
But while Alameda IS justly com mplaln-
ing and lamenting those who have fought
just as stubbOrnly on behalf of the Oak.
land harbor are proportionately glad.
TneY have always maintained that the
natural method of improving the harbor
is TO make this END OF 1t available Tor
shipping, because from the Alameda end
there IS no shipping at ;hIs time and no
Immediate prospect OF any. This position
IS held by Oaklanders to iusii Coonel
Suter's decision tlat the Government
should spend the appropriation where it
will benefit commerce instead OF Using il
for the sanitary betterment of a city
With the prospect that the lifelong
waterfront litigation may soon be de-
cided and that wharves will De built In
Oakland harbor, IL becomes more impera-
hay, hot a on. ,fay,t
mel shall be dred1 ed out and maintained.
.As matters now stand, the Oakland peo-
pie will do all in their power to induce
the Government 10 follow out the advice
Of lis engineer, while the Alameda peo-
pie, under the able and aggressive lea ier-
ship OF their Health officer. DR.. ]. T. Nc.
Lean. will continue Their efforts to induce
The Government to carry out the pan as
Originally V outlined and on the rem tn oi
which Alameda wa, led to make a heavy
investment on behalf OF her people
health.
Now that the Oakland Board of Health
has thoroughly aroused public sentiment
regarding the necessity having pure
milk and OF having COWS officially tested a
problem has suggest ed Itself which soon eF
or later must be solved Oakland, Ala
media. Berkeley and the outside territory
are all anxious that the heal, of their
residents s. ali not be jeopar lized by the
germs of tuberculosis served up in milk.
Each city and the county government
have attemp pied 10 do some hing to carry
out the ideas OF the S eand local Boards
of Health. From various causes little
head way has been made on this side OF
the bay There is good reason for this.
Ia san Francisco there Is but.one city and
county and a general ordinance covers al
the dairy and milk interests within its
torders. On this side OF he bay ii is dill
.erent.
Dairymen who do business in more than
one city must have their cows tested by
the official in cior OF every city which
hey supply. Many oil the dairymen re.
rarded this as an injustice, and nave useI
all their influence 10 aeteat all measures
that have been brough4hefore the local
government A suggestion las been made
hat a uniform system of inspection Tor