The San Francisco call., 1899-03-17
Extra Men for Fourth
Street Bridge.
TO AID PASSAGE OF BOATS
TRoLLEYS MAY FORM A NET
WORK OVER TOWN.
Representative of Merchants Asso
citation and Improvement Clubs
Appear Before the Street
Committee.

The Street Committee of the Super
visors did not require much time at it's
meeting yesterday to find a way out or
the difficulty regarding the opening and
closing of Fourth-street bridge. THIS aid
to navigation is under the control of the
Supervisors, and ship-oWners have pro-
tested strongly against what they claim
is an injustice to them in the operation
of the bridge. This is a charge made by
the bridge tenders for opening that struc-
ture for the passage of a vessel after
dark. The captains of coasting schooners
must go through the bridge when the tide
serves, and object to the extra charge,
which becomes considerable in the course
of a month.
The matter came UP late in the after
noon and Chairman Aigeltinger at once
recommended that two additional men be
employed to take charge of the bridge at
night. He did not think the board should
stand in the way of the shipping inter-
ests. The remaining members of the COM
mittee agreed with him. The committee
will report favorably on the matter at the
meeting of the board on Monday, when
the desired relief will, without doubt, be
granted the long-suffering shipping men.
The Merchants Association swooped
down upon the committee during the
afternoon, and for over an hour indulged
in rhetoric and eXtemporaneous elo-
quence. The theme was the old one, the
granting of franchises to the Market
street Railway Company for the new lines
on Grant avenue from Geary to Bush
street and thence east to Sansome, and
on Taylor, between Geary and Post. Their
efforts were chiefly directed, however,
toward the establishment of an electric
system over the following streets:
Sixth street from Brannan to Market
thence across Market to Taylor, thence
along Taylor to Geary, to Grant avenue;
thence to Sansome and along Sansome to
Market street; Washington street from
Montgomfery Stodnt f1e to Sansome street; Post
street, to City Hall avenue, to Grove, to
Polk, to Market, across to Tenth and out
Tenth TO Bryant street.
The second petition, if granted, will
give the Market Street Railway Com
pany franchises on Grant avenue from
Geary to Bush and thence eastWardly to
SanSome street. connecting with the net
work of trolleyS and tracks provided Tor
in the first ordinance.
The third petition is for the granting of
franchise to the Market Street Railway
Company for street railroad on Taylor
between Geary and Post.
The Sixth Street Improvement ASsocia-
ton and the North Central Improvement
Association came into the Street Com
mittee'S Sanctum hand in hand with the
members of the Merchants Association.
The petitioners took their places against
the wall and President Dohrmann set the
ball rolling. He spoke of the necessity
Tor rapid transit and pictured the slow
moving horse car travelling along Mont
gomery and SanSome streets, a menace
to business and the eye-sore of property
owners. In closing, President Dohrmann
prayed for the realization of the desires
of the petitioners and that the Market
Street Railway Company be granted the
franchises at once.
The present petition of the association
and improvement clubs differs from the
preceding petitions on the same matter
only as to the time limits for the COM
mencement and completion of the work
bv the Market-Street Railway Company.
Instead of one year for the beginning and
three years for the completion of the
work the new petition fixes a time limit
of six months for the commencement and
one year for the completion.
General Warfield, A. SbarborO, H. H.
TAYLOR. Lipman Sachs, Joseph Donahue,
David Rich and others addressed the
committee and indorsed the petition.
All sorts of improvements were prom
ised by the speakers. They said the
merchants on Montgomery street would
pay half the expense of bituminizing that
Jackson The Supervisors present-Kal-
ben. Collins. Aigeltinger Attrtdge and
Holand-listened attentively, and finally
decided to lay the matter over for two
II is hardly likely that the committee
will recommend that the petition of the
association be granted unless the route
be changed. The opposition to the IRAN
chises is that the new electric lines Will
cut too many street corners where traffic
is extensive.
The communication received from the
Health Department and the Superintend-
ent of Streets in regard to the abatement
of cesspool nuisances on the grounds of
the Affiliated Colleges were considered,
and a resolution was passed empowering
the City Engineer to prepare plans Tor a
sewer system for the district bounded by
First, Seventh and Parnassus avenues
and II street.