The San Francisco call., 1905-01-05
MOTIVE POWER
TO Be CHANGED
Works Board Grants Permit
for Conversion of the Cali
fornia. Street Beach Line

The Board OF Works yesterday grant
ed permit to the United Railroads to
change the present steam railroad from
California street and General avenue
to the Cliff House into an overhead
electric system over the same route.
Mrs. Emma L. Merritt, executrix of
the Sutro estate, withdrew her previous
protest against the granting of the
permit. Mrs. Merritt objected to a
double track on the Sutro property,
but City Engineer Woodward reported
that so far as the franchise for that
portion of the road Is concerned it ap-
pears to be optional with the owners
whether 1t is to have a single or double
track. The franchise for the road be-
tween Parker and First avenues ex-
pires in 1929 and the right to use cleo
tricity thereon will be secured from the
Supervisors. The franchise between
First avenue and the beach will ex-
pire in 1911. 1t is understood that work
on the reconstruction of the road will
begin at once, all the material being
On hand.
The Supervisors Street Committee
later recommended a resolution grant
ing the United Railroads permission to
use electricity on that portion of the
road on California street between Par
also favored the use of iron poles on
the system.
The board ordered grades to be
changed on Fulton street from Twenty
fifth avenue to Thirty avenue.
Provision in the budget was made for
the expenditure of $4,000 for the i'm
provement of Fulton street from Twen-
ty-fifth avenue to the Great Highway.
The appropriation Is not sufficient to
carry out the entire Improvement and
the matter Of making grade changes
will be taken UP separately.
The petitions of Albert Meyer to mac
adamize / street, between Twentieth
and Twenty-first avenues, and Of A. B.
Clute to bituminize Sixth avenue, be-
tween Clement and California streets,
were denied.
The board appointed John Casey
foreman in Chinatown, vice John But
Ter transferred.
The petition of residents that the
be condemned as menace to life was
referred to the Health Board.
The City Architects plans for a two
story frame engine-house on Twenty
sixth avenue, near Point Lobos avenue,
were referred to the Fire Department.
After the meeting p. NJ. Gopcevic, q
member of the F. M. Yorke Company.
which has the contract Tor repairing
b.tuminous pavements, held consul
tation with President Schmitz. The
latter urged Gopcevic to resume the
work of repairing the streets as the
Supervisors Finance Committee had
requested him to- do. Gopcevic de-
INJURED, saying that his bills had not
been paid for August and September on
the pretext that the measurements of
the area covered had not been correctly
made.
Gopcevic, after consulting with f.. M.
Yorke, fatty refused to go on with the
work He claims that the Finance
Committee has acted in bad faith by
holding up the bills for work already
done; also that the company's contract
for paving H street was abrogated be-
cause the Supervisors had not recon-
mended the improvement, although the
contract for improving Nineteenth ave-
nue., which was also not recommended,
had been settled.
The Board OF Works will report the
matter to the Supervisors Finance
Committee and 1t is likeIy that steps
will be taken to forfeit the contract
and do the work either by inviting new
bids or by day labor by the city itself.