The San Francisco call., 1905-01-29
PLANS ARE PERFECTED.

intentions.
PLANS ARE PERFECTED.
This company has for more than
year past been carefully considering
the reconstruction of the Sutter-street
system, and is now ready to proceed
with the necessary work. Indeed the
plans had already been perfected and
the estimates made for cable recon-
struction when the petitions and COM
municationS above referred to caused
the company to suspend further pro-
ceedings in that direction until 1t could
ascertain the wishes of its patrons.
This company intends to rebuild the
entire Sutter-street system, including
the so-called Polk and Larkin cross
town line. 1t will rebuild and continue
1t as a cable system, which it may now
of right do, or. If its patrons prefer and
the city authorities will permit, 1t will
construct and equip an overhead cleo
trio system. In either event, the con-
struction and equipment will be new
and modern in every respect.
I'VE are not unmindful Of the fact
that many of our patrons would prefer
the underground electric, but this, we
regret to say, is entirely out of the
question. The short time our franchise
has to run (now less than twenty-five
years., coupled with the physical diff
ficulties that would be encountered and
which are peculiar to the typographical
conditions of San Francisco, are pro-
hibitive of this character Of construc-
ton. This matter has had the careful
attention Of the best expert minds OBJ
tainable, and the conclusion has been
reached that the physical and financial
difficulties prohibit underground elec-
trio construction on the Sutter street
system under prevailing conditions.
"It is impossible to operate an un-
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conduit under water or in a wet place.
One overflowed section suspends opera
tions the entire length of that particu-
lar circuit The conduitS must be
drained, and for this purpose they are
connected with and drain into the city
sewers. There is no other way to drain
them. During heavy storms large vol
umes of water rush from ADJOINING hllt-
sides into the low places, with the re-
suit that the fiat-lying sewers on the
cross streets are unable to dispose of
the water as rapidly as it accumulates.
Typographical conditions in San Fran
cisco are peculiar and are duplicated in
but few cities.
Whether, in the presence Of the hills
and hollows through which the lines In
question pass, perfect municipal sew
er system would remedy the conditions
now prevailing can at this time be only
a matter of more or less intelligent con-
lecture A present certainty, however,
is the clear and patent fact that an In
vestment of nearly $1,000.o0o upon the
theory that sewer system of doubtful
reputation would perform the work
which it has hitherto failed to perform
would not be justified.
FAVOR OVERHEAD TROLLEY.
These under a short franchise are
not such that, irrespective of any
nh nhCfa ~
pany could prudently make the heavy
additional expenditure called for by
underground electric operation, for
the term is too short to justify the
outlay required with provision for de-
probation and maintenance. Without
going further into the difficulties that
prohibit underground electric con-
struction and operation. suffice it to
say that after a most careful and
painstaking examination of every
phase of the problem it has been fin
ally and definitely abandoned. We
come, then, to the only question pre-
sented to the company and to it's pa
irons, namely: Should the Suffer-
street system be operated by cable
or overhead trolley?
Overhead electric construction will
cost about $4,000 more than cable
construction. This added expenditure.
however, the company is willing to
make IL the people 50 uSSlISs AHu tHe
company desires to frankly add that,
SO far as operation and service are
concerned, the overhead electric has
many advantages over cable.
With the overhead electric new
lines could be developed in connection
with the crosstown lines, thus bring
ing new travel into Sutter street. This
could not be done with either cable
or underground electric on Sutter
street A cable road could not take
cars from any electric line and an un-
derground electric could not take
electric cars that are equipped for
overhead construction only. The re-
suit. therefore. of either cable or un-
derground electric construction would
be to confine Sutter street to a fixed,
rigid and immobile line without pos
sibility of through lines into new ter
ritory.
Gable construction. while incap-