The San Francisco call., 1906-08-28
OPPOSE The GRANT
OF FRANCHISE.
Potrero Property Owners
Object to Method of
the Western Pacific
FILE A PROTEST

The public utilities committee of the
Board of Supervisors yesterday held a
special meeting for the purpose of con-
sidering the petition of the Western
Pacific Company for a franchise to en-
ter the city limits and to operate a
steam railroad from Twenty y-fifth and
Water Front streets, thence through
the Potrero hills to Ninth and Brennan
streets.
A large number of property-owners in
the district through which 1t is pro-
posed to run the road were present. pre-
pared to protest formally against the
grant Of the franchise. Owing to the
inability of w. ]. Bartnett, attorney OF
the Western Pacific Company, to be
present 1t was agreed to postpone con-
sideration Of the petition and the pro-
tests filed against 1t until next Wednes-
day morning at 10 o'clock.
While there was no discussion of the
matter 1t was learned that the property
owners interested base their opposition
on the fact that the Western PACING
Company has gone ahead with the stak-
ing out of the route Of the road with
out consulting them. Condemnation
proceedings have been brought by the
company against property for
property required for it's right OF way.
In this regard the company named has
not followed the plan of the Southern
Pacific and Santa Fe companies, which
settled all prospective damages before
actually commencing construction
work on their roads for which fran
chises were granted.
WANT DAMAGES PAID.
1t is understood that the Potrero
property owners want the Western Pa
cific Company to buy their property
outright at price fixed by an official
appraiser or pay equitable damages
where such procedure is preferable. The
owners of property lying over the pro-
posed tunnels of the road assert that the
property will be rendered practically
useless for residence purposes. The en-
tire matter will be threshed out next
Wednesday before the committee
Eugene D. Sullivan, attorney for the
protestants, filed with the board a COM
munication asking that the company be
required to furnish plan or plat show
ing the proposed route of the road and
the streets where it will cross.
w. j. Cuthbertson submitted to the
board a scheme of fire barriers. accom-
panied by drawings elucidating the
same. Cuthbertson states that the
scheme can be carried out with but very
little expense to the city and at the
same time give an opportunity of intro
ducing an extra line Of street cars upon
those streets on which the scheme may
be put into execution.
PLAN AS SUBMITTED.
The plan as submitted consists in
placing the main building line a certain
number of feet back from the street
line and allowing only freproof one
story houses on the fore-courts. The
roof of these stores is to be used for an
upper sidewalk and the lower side
walks, which will be much narrower
than at present, will be arcaded over
On this arcade will be placed a street
car railway, one line on each side of the
roadway. One of the advantages claim
ed by Cuthbertson is that on Market
street the plan would do away with the
necessity of any expensive subways 70
cars or of any raised roadway In conse
quence Of the roadway being so mucl
| widened by the narrowing of the lowe
! sidewalks.
The recommendation of Supervise
Boxton that the new Morgue be not 10
! Gated on the old site ON Dunbar alley
as it will cost $4,000 TO clear the 10
| for building, was adopted. a NOR
! central location for the purpose will b
selected at an early date.
Supervisor Rea rose to question o
personal privilege and DENOUNCED r.
! Crothers proprietor of the Bulletin. fo
| an alleged defamatory article. Rea, ii
an impassioned speech, characterized
Crothers as a liar and said he woul
settle with the latter when he met hir
face to face