The San Francisco call., 1909-12-18
GREAT RAILROADS
ACQUIRE TERMINALS
Make Preparations TO Handle
Large Business When Panama
Canal Is Opened

enterprises IN tnaC Seclion say - JUS
beginning TO realize its supreme i'm
portance to the entire city of San Fran
cisco. This appreciation of its COM
nercial and manufacturing advantages
has been stimulated. unquestionably'
hv the action of the great transcon-
,inen,sl railways in the matter OF ac-
,piring terminals What had appeared
before TO a few sagacious individuals
10 be the destiny of the Potrero is now
obvious to all men in that district VINO
tarefullv consider the situation
An influential body OF men was or
ersnized some time ago with the title OF
the Potrero commercial and manufac-
1urers' association. This body OF men
has carefully and earnestly advanced
the interests of the Potrero. 1heE nave
an understanding OF the situation
which is due to a study of its possi-
biIities.
The largest matter of interest re
7stinR to the Potrero," said President
Pichard Spreckels, is the land locked
harbor in the Islais creek basin The
legislature Of California has voted
81 oO0 600 TO create that harbor, and the
question viii come before the voters
for determination at the next state
election. While this viii increase the
Importance of the PotrerO it is OF
transcendent Importance TO the entire
city Of san Francisco and also TO the
entire state Of California.
GREAT FUTURE FOR POTRERo
THE Southern Pacific the Santa Fe
and the Western Pacific have all
terminals on the water 'front.' which
brings about a union of sea and rail
TRANSFORMATION. and this is the ideal
condition for the promotion of manu-
featuring industries and the extension
OF commerce. The Potrero is place
where great things viii happen. The
water front is extensive, and the possl-
bilities OF development along that wa
Ter front are immense. Any one who
visits eastern cities and sees what eI-
forts are made there TO bring ships and
rails together viii understand the iTn-
Dortance Of the present plans of the
transcontinentaI railroads as they are
developed.
The Federated harbor improvement
association recommended that 40
blocks Of land. all of which are sub
merged. should be purchased for the
creation Of a harbor. The Islais creek
inland harbor association and the
Potrero commercial and manufacturers
association contended that IL would he
better TO use SO blocks. This view has
been entertained by those in authority,
ouired if the voters give proper sane
tion TO the proposed measure at the
next state election. The e3 blocks are
all under water.
LAND LOCKED HARBOR
The land locked harbor at this point
would be one OF the greatest possible
advantage. It must be realized that.
when the Panama canal is open, q
great volume OF freight viii be brought
here by sea This Will be of advantage
10 the transcontinental railroad as well
q s 10 the benefit Of this city and state.
because large volumes of freight to be
carried over land will result. The
projects Of the railroads are on large
scale.
The tendency that is apparent in ali
large commercial cities to bring ships
and rails together viii have similar
effects in san Francisco to those that
are observed elsewhere. There will be
more railroads. more demands for ter
minals, more spur tracks, more trade
territory, greater facilities for manu-
featuring and the handling of manu-
factured products. The Potrero will be
vastly more important as a factor in
the general prosperity of California a
few years hence than it is now. We
are Just beginning. And this is said
IN view OF the fact that large plants
have existed for years in the territory
in which our association is particularly
interested.
COMMERCIAL SUBDIVISION
we contend that the Potrero, for
business and commercial purposes,
properly extends all the way down to
Third street and includes China street.
This is not map subdivision of the
city, but logically ii is a proper and
Tao~fffv-, 70 commercial SuhIfk-fSion he
interests of the entire portion Of the
city from Third street TO India basin
are linked together. That fact has
been fixed by nature, for the water
front runs along the entire line, and
any competent scheme of harbor i'm
provement viii make the array of fac
tories, warehouses and their concomi-
tsnts continuous and unbroken. OF
course, our association is paying a
great deal OF attention to streets to
sewers and to other necessary improve
ments. but the one thing of overshad-
owing importance to the Potrero is the
fun development of its water front.
The increase in the values of real
estate, as they are estimated by COM
petent authorities. has been large in
the last few years. Less than FIVE
years ago lots that have been acquired
by the Western Pacific railway COM
pany for its Potrero terminal were val
ued at about $50 each. They are now
worth $500 each. The Potrero has been
set aside in popular estimation for
some years, but that condition of af-
fairs can not exist. for the logic of the
situation is irresistible. II has well
been said in the report of the engineers
of the Federated harbor Improvement
association that commodious dockage
on deep water is the determining char
acteristic of a great commercial port,
and that substantial wharves, of suf-
ficient area for the reception and as
sorting Of merchandise and its prompt
transfer to railroads and teams, with
adjacent warehouse facilities. are the
ultimate demands of the great COM
merce-
QU0TES FROM REPORT
The following paragraphs from the
report mentioned are of interest in this
connection:
While il is true that ample anchor
age. protected from the violence Of the
ocean weather and approached through
a broad and safe channel from the sea,
is the primary requisite OF navigation,
vet it may be stated as a broad gen
eralizaticn that an undeveloped port is
OF no advantage in the building OF its
seaboard metropolis nor to the country
living behind. because no matter how