The San Francisco call., 1899-05-31
Market-Street Com
pany's Device.
BASEBALL PATRONS FLEECED
TWO FARES COLLECTED FOR A
RIDE TO THE GROUNDS.
Contemplate Scheme for Evading
the Issuing of Transfers to the
Eighth-Street Electric
Line.

The conductors on the four lines Of
cable cars running on Market street are
compelled to become participants in about
the meanest form of petty larceny ever
contrived by II. f. Huntington and Henry
II. Lynch on behalf of the Market-street
Railway Company. 1t is a scheme utterly
devoid of right or excuse and lacks even
the merit of ingenuity; 1t is simply a
barefaced plan to fleece the patrons of
the ball games out of an extra nickel.
On the 2nd of May the new electric
line on Eighth street was opened for
traffic and announcement was made that
system of transfers with the cars run
ming on Market street had been adopted
Previous to that time the company had
run hOrse-car from Eighth and Market
TO Recreation Park, at the corner of
Eighth and Harrison streets, under an
agreement with the baseball managers
for the convenience of patrons on days
that games We're played. The Market
street company is now eXacting toll from
the public for that doubtful convenience.
At the rear end of the Market-street
cars, in type so small that it would re-
quire exceptionally good eyes to read it
half the length of the car is a notice in
forming passengers from downtown wish
ing TO transfer to the Eighth-street line,
that they must ask the conductor for a
transfer at the time of paying their fare
Not even this much notification is given
passengers on the dummy and not one
passenger in one hundred riding inside
the car would ever see it.
The conductors carefully refrain from
asking passengers when collecting fare
If they want TO transfer at that point
and as the rule does not prevail at any
other transfer point on Market street pas
Sengers never once think of asking for
check at the time of paying their fare
that is, not until they have been victim
lied once at least. But few people from
downtown ever transfer to Eighth street
except patrons of the ball games A large
majority of the latter, however, take that
route, and it is to trap those pleasure
seekers that the scheme is enforced One
can come down on any of the lines and
never have TO think of his transfer; the
conductors on the Valencia Castro,
Halsht ana Hayes-street lines go through
the cars making the usual announcement
Just before Eighth street is reached on
the down trip and transfers are issued
then. But few if any of the baseball en-
thusiasts come from those directions
They are mostly downtown business men
and clerks who have to travel out to
Eighth street.
Many and vigorous have been the COM
plants made at this innovation on the
panel game, and yesterday afternoon a
Call reporter investigated it, Boarding
car 1S4 of the Haight-street line. at Mar
ket and kearny streets, he seated himself
on the dummy. The conductor collected
the same time announcing transfers to
the Ellis-street line. A block further up
town the conductor again came out on the
dummy and announced transfers for
Powell, Eddy and Fifth streets Even at
Sixth street he called out transfers to the
Jerky little bobtails creeping down that
th0rOughfare, but when the car neared
Eighth there was no movement on his
part to issue transfers. Nor had he made
any mention of it when he collected fare.
The reporter beckoned to him and de-
manded transfer TO Eighth street, but
was refused, the conductor stating that
he was merely obeying orders, and that
notice was posted in the rear of the car
TO the effect that passengers must ask
for transfers at the time of paying fare.
The reporter saw the notice, but it would
have been impossible to read IL with opera
glasses from where he was seated He
called attention 70 the fact that there
was no notice posted for the benefit of
ductor said it was not his fault: he was
merely Obeying orders, and If the pasSen-
ger cared to he could make his protest
to the superintendent. He looked as
though he heartily wished somebody
would protest to the superintendent Wig
orously enough to cause the adjustment
had little liking for the part in the plum
der of the public he had TO play.
The reporter went back downtown and
boarded another car, this time one of
the Castro-street line, the number of
which is withheld as a measure of pro-
lection, o.. the conductor The same
lcliloI VI iS9uiiS lldHSAti dC Oil tHe
points further down was adopted, every
passenger on the car and dummy being
thoroughly Informed that transfers could
be obtained. But at Eighth street the
same silnece prevailed. Again the con-
ductor was summoned and again a trans
fer was demanded This time there were
several ball cranks on the dummy, and
they. too, demanded checks. The con-
ductor expostulated and called attention
to the notice in the, back end of the car,
but after considerable discussion he re-
luctantly gave the desired transfers,
though all the time protesting that he
was not obliged TO issue them. He, too,
carefully refrained from asking the pas
sengers when he collected their fare, or
at any other time, If they wanted to
transfer to Eighth street.
FROM HayeS-street conductor It was
learned that the ostensible reason for
TINS petty larceny was TO prevent passen-
gers from making continuous trip
ANYBODY had the time or inclination to
get ahead of the company in that way.
lie sald ne believed there was a system
OF transfers by which a passenger trans
terrlng at some point downtown to
Market-street car and again to Eighth
street could again transfer and return
10 the point Of starting at a cost of a
nickel. The plan was adopted Of making
passengers TO Eighth street ask for trans
fers when they paid their fare, so that
conductors would know whether they
gave cash or transfer; if the latter. then
he Would refuSe to issue another The in
formant Winked as he ratified this off, and
1t was evident he had not figured out how
this wonderful endless journey could be
made.
Mexican carved leather oood -,