The San Francisco call., 1905-05-12
|SUTTER STREET
RESIDENTS FIRM
Gain Important Concession
From United Railroads
at an Amicable Meeting
EXPERT TO GO EAST
Corporation Agrees to Step
That It Is Thought Will
Lead to a Final Yielding

The residents along Sutter street
through committee appointed to con-
fer with the United Railroads and the
Street Committee of the Board of Su-
pervisors, gained a decided advantage
yesterday in their fight for an under
ground trolley system on Sutter street.
At an amicable meeting in the Office
of President Holland of the corpora
ton, in which the citizens committee
was firm, the street railway corpora
tion agreed to consider the feasibility
OF the conduit system, send an expert
to New York and await his verdict.
The action of the company, while
meaning a delay of possibly two or
three months is believed to be the
initial step on its part toward bowing
to the will OF the majority and INSTALL
ing the underground trolley system.
Although the meeting was amicable,
the representatives of the Sutter street
residents We're firm In the stand that
overhead wires in a modern city are a
mistake and a relic of obsolete con-
struction.
Z To pacify the demand for the under
ground system the company yesterday
Offered to erect ornamental poles with
arc lights placed on them for the light
ing of Sutter street. This plan will be
considered by the Sutter street resi-
dents committee, but the opinion was
expressed that the placing of poles on
Sutter street would mar the beauty of
the thoroughfare and hurt the business
interests located thereon.
\ Two other plans were proposed by
the United Railroads In a desperate
effort to obtain the. committees agree
ment to the overhead system. The
first, while listened to by the commit
tee, will hardly receive the consent of
the residents. 1t is suggested that the
Sutter street feed wires be placed un-
defground, still leaving the trolley
wires overhead. The other proposition
was the finding of some way to run all
cars through to the ferry without
change.
The company argues that the last
plan, by giving through car service
from the Cliff House to. the ferry build
ing through Sutter street, would mini
mize the objections to overhead electric
construction on Sutter street.
Throughout the discussion the Street
Committee of the Board of Supervisors,
represented by Connor and Braunhart,
listened carefully to both sides and re-
fused to express any opinion as to the
merits and demerits of the three plans.
The outcome of the session was an
agreement by the company, as stated
to send an expert to New York.
Patrick Calhoun, who attended the
conference, will also go to New York
and make an investigation. The COM
mittee from the Sutter Street Improve
ment Club, composed of DR.. Rosenstirn,
DR.. Merritt, Mr. Sawyer, James D,
Phelan and Rudolph Spreckels, agreed
to await word from Mr.. Calhoun be-
fore making any further move. This
plan was assented to by Supervisors
Connor and Braunhart.
The purpose of the meeting, accord
ing to the statement given out by the
railroad company, was the discussion
of various modes of construction and
suggesting various plans for overcom-
ing the objection to overhead electric
construction. The railroad corporation
suggested that possible solution OF
the problem of overhead construction
might be found by the adoption of any
of the foregoing plans.