The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-14
ORDERED OFF PROPERTY

The dispute which eliminated last
night in the Southern Pacific descent
upon the Cotton Bros possessions has
been in progress some time. Ernest
Cotton said today:
When 1 returned from the country
last night 1 found that the Southern
Pacific Company had run its cars down
to a spur alongside our warehouse and
had loaded lot Of our equipment, run
ming the cars off to some hiding place
which ] did not discover until today.
We had received a telephone message
several days ago from some person who
said he represented the Southern Pacific
TO get of the property Immediately or
we would be thrown of.
That sort of an order had no effect,
even If the company could prove its
claim TO title 10 the land which we
have peacefully occupied for sixteen
years without a word of protest.
I'VE recognized no right of the COM
pany to hand US such an order, no mat
ter what rights or title they might
have to the land. Nothing further came
of the matter until last night. Today
the company resumed its attempt to
remove our equipment and I stopped
them. ] notified the man in charge of
the railroad crews that he would take
our property at his peril. I also de-
manded protection from the Sheriff,
which was given.
so far as the legal phase is con-
cerned. that is in the hands of our
attorney. We do not propose to be
bulldozed and so far as / am con-
cerned its a fight TO a finish"
Cotton made a formal protest and
gave formal warning to Corrigan this
afternoon to keep off the property.
You will have TO go higher up"
replied Corrigan.
But after confering with other
Southern Pacific men on the ground
the roadmaster withdrew his forces
AS soon as Austin, the Webster
street wharf companys man, was ap-
prised of the situation, he made pre-
parations to protect his claims Sur
veyors from the City Engineers Office
We're summoned and began to relocate
the stakes of the property lines. Aus
tin said the fight was between the
Southern Pacific Company and Cotton
brothers. He added:
AUsTIN's POSITION
They can fight their own battle
over the lands in so far as IL does not
come up to US. There is strip in
here somewhere that is claimed by
the Southern Pacific If Cotton Broth
ers are on that piece it is no concern
Of ours. Though I want to be sure
just where the lines run and I have
Austin explained that his client, the
wharf company, held title to three
acres in the space south of First
street. that the title was part of the
claims successfully maintained by
Cameron and Doane, and that he pur-
posed TO hold it against the Southern
Pacific or any one else.
Among occupants of the disputed
site are the Charles Butler cereal mills.
the Bay Development Company, Hunt,
Hatch & Co, Cotton Brothers, the
John Heinhold warehouses and barns
used by some of these firms.
Through the strip in controversy
and paralleling the Southern Pacific
Company's main line on First street
runs the line of the proposed Western
Pacific Railways bay shore route.
The point in contention is one of
several along the water front which
would be of strategical value.
WESTERN PACIFIC ACTIVE
SAN LEANDRO. Dec. 13.-Western
Pacific engineers have finished the set