The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-19
THE SENATE
COMMITTEE
INQUIRY
Management of San
Francisco Harbor.
FERRY SLIP FACILITIES
AMPLE DOCKS FOR THE USE OF
sEA-GoING VESSELS.
Testimony Regarding the Purchase
and Delivery Of Supplies.
Methods of Preserving
Timber.
FERRY SLIP FACILITIES
AMPLE DOCKS FOR THE USE OF
sEA-GoING VESSELS

s+s+e Senator J. H. Dickinson. repre-
sa1+f1r Contra Costa and Marin counties;
Senator W F. Prisk. representing Ne
yada. Sierra and Plumas, and Senator E
y. Chapman, who represents FL Dorado
and Place counties, held two sessions
Yesterday as a Senate investigating COM
mittee u look into the affairs Of the
State Beard of Harbor Commissioners for
San Francisco. The committee met in
the main room OF the Commissioners in
the new depot. Frank Brandon, secre-
tary of the Senate, attended the session
in an official capacity. Commissioners
Colnon. Harvey and Herold listened to
the testimony and occasionally supplied
missing links of Information.
Shortly after 10 a. m. Howard c
Holmes, chief engineer of the board, was
called to the witness-stand, and IN re-
Spouse TO questions propOuuded by Gen
eraI Dickinson explained the methods
employed by the San Francisco Timber
Preserving Company in creosoting piles.
It was disclosed in the testimony that
there is no competing firm Two Southern
Pacific emplOyes-W. q. Curtis and John
G. Isaacs-owned patents for preserving
tfmbers used for piling.
Mr.. Holmes in the course Of his testi-
rnony said: Piles are purchased through
the purchasing agency Of the board. The
reQuisitiOn is first made by the super1n-
terdent Of repairs The last contract was
Let by the board for one year There
was no advertisement for bids. Bids
were invited for creosotng the piles.
Regarding ferry slip accommodations
Nj Holmes said there were dve slips now
in use. one was used by the Donahue
road. one by the North Pacific Coast line
and three were used by the Southern Pa
CifiC. There remained one spare slip and
also a lay-up slip. At the present time
the Southern Pacific was using the lay
I'D slip. but the occupation was not per-
manent. All of these slips are within the
1T Would crowd US" testified Mr..
Holmes. TO accommodate more than two
more ferry lines
Further questions were asked concern
ing the use OF oil 10 preserve the piling
timber. 1t was developed that the GUAM
tity OF cTeOsOte used is ten pounds TO the
cubic foot. More than that is used in the
East. The chief engineer advocates four
teen pounds per cubic foot.
George W Root, who has held the posi-
ton Of chief wharhnger for thtrty-eight
fed that the dockage facilities for sea-
going vessels were ample. He estimated
that there were berths sufficient to accom-
m0date AT one time 200 vessels. He could
ONLY recall Two instances where vessels
had 70 wait on account of crowded DOCKS
Then heavy weather outside had delayed
2 large feet. and a favOra Die breeze had
brought in great many at once.
Mr.. Root said, in response TO questions
by General Dickinson, that the seaWaH
should De extended south
Chief Engineer Holmes was recalled TO
enIfehten the committee as to the expense
Of dredging He explained that the equip
nent consisted Of two dredgers and two
tugboats. The average cost OF dredging