The San Francisco call., 1906-11-21
SANTA f BACKS
BEL 7 LINE
PROJECT
Powerful Influence Of Com
pany Believed to Be Be
hind Oakland Merchants
AIM TO END S. P.'S
MONOPOLY OF FRONT
President Ripley's Party
Said to Favor Line to This
City Through San Jose

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
OAKLAND. Nov. 2o.-Though not yet
I'm the open. the Santa Fe Railway sys-
tenn has begun campaign for freight
business in the bay cities that has
brought on one of the biggest railroad
battles witnessed in many years
Behind the new belt railway project
which dissatisfied manufacturers of
East Oakland fnaugursted stands the
Atchfson. Topeka and Santa Fe. ready
10 fi~Ls II out with the Hartman peo-
pie Cor opportunity TO meet the
Southern Pacific Company on a common
battle ground for business.
Should the Santa Fe win the contest
the Southern Pacific will find parallel
competition for freight along the en-
tire water front of Oakland. con-
dition the Southern Pacific people do
not propose shall be realized without
a struggle to a finish
II is this situation known definitely
TO the big railway interests. that ex-
plains why the Southern Pacific is
hghting every inch of the way in its
efforts to prevent the City Council and
the Board of Supervisors from granting
the franchises for which the new Union
Belt Line Railway Of Oakland has ap-
piled. Should the franchises be grant
ed the Santa Fe will build the belt
road andswilI gain a connection along
the harbor shores that will be of great
advantage to that road in the struggle
for freight It is much more far-reach-
ing than appears at first sight.
CAR BARGE SERVICE
The Santa Fe purposes. If the belt
line is built as an open track propo-
sition. to establish it's car barge trans
fer service in connection with the belt
road and handle freight along the en-
/ tire harbor front. a section of the city
now controlled by the Southern Pacific
I Not a car from any railroad in the
United States can be hauled to any
factory, warehouse or other place of
I business on Oaklands water front un-
( less it shall run over Southern Pacific
tracks. There is no evidence that the
Santa Fe has ever been able TO move
I its freight farther into Oakland than
I its Fortieth-street terminal. thus ne
cessitating a long team haul by mer-
chants or others downtown. To off,
set the great advantage the Hartman
monopoly has held for years the Santa
Fe has developed plans fraught with
much important prospective results
TO the city.
The Santa Fe has taken advantage of
the situation in East Oakland develop
ed by the refusal of the Southern Pa
cifc Company to permit the open use
OF the Industrial tracks for which the
company recently applied to the City
Council and the Board of Supervisors
for a franchise. When the original ap-
plications were made they had the
backing of some of the manufacturers
in the district. 1t was understood that
I the tracks. which were to be only
spurs from the main line at Fruitvale.
would be open to such lines as the
consignees might select.
CONSIDERS BELT LINE
Examination of the situation dis
4 closed, however, that the so-called "in-
custriaIn tracks if laid would establish
a belt road through the new manufac-
turing center and would effectually
close that district TO any other rail-
way except the Southern Pacific Com
pany. Then the light that dawned upon
1 some Of the heaviest shippers resulted
+ in a decision to block the Southern
+ Pacific company, which refused to
{ agree TO a franchise clause that should
leave the tracks open" This refusal
was met promptly. Millions of invested
capital was organized. The manufac-
turers decided TO fight to the end what
appeared to be an attempt to seize the
remaining water front OF the city that
was not under the control of the Har-
riman interests.
To this end a railway corporation.
the Union Belt Line Railway of Oak
land, was incorporated and applications
for franchises were filed over the same
route as that selected by the Southern
Pacific Company. The difference was
that the new corporation put an "open
track" clause in its franchise and guar