The San Francisco call., 1897-09-07
PLANS FOR SAN
IEANDRO'S CANAL
Colonel Bridges Says Plenty
of Money Is Waiting
for Investment.
Some Land Already Bonded and
a Cannery Is to Be
Erected.
Gifts of Land Offered to Baker &
Hamilton to Establish a
Plant.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANorsoo CALI

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALI
9JS Broad way, Sept. g. {
The plan of building a canal at San
Leandro and locating manufac uring
plants. as advocated by Colonel Bridges
and the San Leandro Board of Trade, is
being energetically pushed. 1t is large
project and will take time, but good start
IS already assured. Land has been bond ed
cannery has been assured and capital is
interested.
Men of wealth have been to me," said
Colonel Bridges to-day, land have con-
suited me on this proposition. They have
assured me that if the scheme is found to
be practicable it will be easy to raise all
the money needed. We were not ready
10 go into print when an account Of our
undertaking was published in The CALL
at is not the proper thing to give pub
licity to their names before they have &C
cepted the proposed plans. For that rea-
son l must keep their names back until
they give it out themselves, There are
men right in San Leandro who will invest
in the movement whenever corporation
is organized.
Our present plan is to so run the canal
that 1t would run on the dividing line of
property almost the entire distance We
have bonded part of the property already,
which will be used, and l am satisfied that
Il corporation will be formed in a very
short time.
Various enterprises are to be started at
once that will help out the canal project.
on he 21st of this month We will have a
meeting here TO organize a cooperative
C8nnery. One hundred fruit-growers will
put in $3.50 each, whica will give SIS, 900
Then there are men waiting to put that
muc more into it as an investn ent.
That would make one of the largest plant S
IN the State. Others are al work to secure
tannery, iron works and beet-sugar
factory. OF course this is not all to be
done in day, but will take time.
The work upon the canal is simply
this. First OF all a breakwater will be
built out into San Francisco Boy and
dredge it so that there will be ten ieet
water. Then a three-rail track will be run
out to i from the depot or cannery. Then
the place Is ready for busines-, and ship
ments TO and from the wharf can be made.
The next thing is to build the csnal
back 10 he limit OF tidewater, which is
ab ,ut a mile a lock at the entrance
would keep sufficient water in there 10
float vessel, and wharves would be con-
slructed on either side, the railroad being
on one.
AS the demand occasioned it the canal
could be run back until it reached the
81 mle FARTHER up II necessary. All OF the
territory south and west OF town could be
built up with factories and working
peoples homes"
Mayor Frank Hastings, wealthy resi-
dent of San Leandro, is working earnestly
10 build canal and develop the territory.
Il know this" he said, "the o-opera-
tive cannery is a certainty, whether we
ever get any farther or not. Our fruit men
have had their fingers badly cut this year,
and it hurt. Wren you get hurt once you
usually look for a remedy. That remedy
is cannery, and am going to investin it.,
for | know that the fruit-raisers are going Z
TO. When 100 of them have an interest in
1t it will succeed.
II have been to Baker & Hamilton of
San Francisco and urged them to locate
their works here. They desire railroad and
deep-water facilities. With q wharf south
of town as outlined by Colonel Bridges, we
have both, and l am certain that they Will
be given two or three blocks of land, as
they may need, to erect the necessary
buildings
"Then there is this beet-sugar question.
All of this valley, as far back as Liver
more, will produce the very best of peets.
The railroads already running can lay
them down here, while San Mateo and
Marin County products could all be
brought here by water at a nominal
prce. l see great future for this locality
If the plan is carried out.
Whenever they incorporate l am gong
to put money into the project, for IL l.
feasible. l understand that there is Eng
lish capital ready to take up this canal
project and push it to completion. Ii that
is the case l do not think We need fear.
hope that they will go ahead, for we will
need water communication with the can
nerV running next year.