The San Francisco call., 1910-07-30

! those companies construction work.
GREAT PROJECTS OF RAILWAYS
The s6,0o0.o00 plans being prosecuted
by the Western Pacific and the South
ern Pacific railroads are among the
greatest harbOr projects by private in
teTests on the Pacific coast. n third
corporation in the field with millions
TO invest on the Oakland western wa
ter front is the San Francisco, Oakland
and San Jose railway, or Key Route,
which, with its allied concern. the Oak
land dock and terminal company, will
spend fully S5,0O0.000 Immediately in
extensive improvements. The Key
Route company has been granted a.
franchise for 1000 feet of space, en-
hracing the existing Key Route pier.
With permission of the war depart
ment, the pier viii be filled solid to
form a protection against shoaling for
the Key Route basin, where the city
will eventually have wharves worth
+ millions. The Key Route will con-
struct a system of II concrete piers
along the south line of its allotted
space Adjoining the ferry slips now
existing viii be freight yards on the
north. Railroad tracks will give ac
cess to the dockage section. The Key
Route will pay the city rental for its
( franchise on the same terms as the
Western Pacific.
Since the Key Route interests, or
! the Oakland dock and warehouse COM
J pany, has formed traffic agreement
with the Santa Fe the granting of the
Key Route franchise means the en-
! trance of another railroad with trans
/ continental connections to Oakland
/ harbor In addition the Oakland dock
/ and terminal company has begun act
! ual work on filing in behind the bulk
head of piles raised a few years ago
4 by the Key Route across the basin be-
/ tween the Southern Pacific mole and
San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose
: railway pier. This open tideland will
/ be raised to dry land level, providing
! extensive warehouse and factory sites
/ close upon the water front. Access TO
/ these sites will be public, as the Key
Route interests agreed to dedicate
4 streets to the city through the fill.
! Thirty-fourth street. Fourteenth street,
! Twenty street and Seventh
I street will all be extended to the bulk
! head. Along the bulkhead will run
/ 200 foot street bordering the city's pro-
posed IS concrete piers in the Key
/ Route basin, which will come when the
/ municipal s25,00O,000 project is COM
/ pleted
/ CITY REAPS RETURNS
Thus while the Key Route, Southern
/ Pacific and Western Pacific are spend
! ing s17, 600, 900 on harbor work they are
1 acting under municipal control The
/ city viii derive a nominal income dur
! ing the existence of the so year fran
! chises these companies hold and will
! be in a position when the franchises
have expired to demand compensation
/ adequate to the traffic done by the COM
! panies. or to take over the improve
ments the corporations have made.
Nor is the city debarred in any way
from competition with the private con-
Germs which are sthe city's tenants.
| Even now the municipality is prepar-
! ing to reap a harvest from whatever
| coastwise or oceanic trade comes with
| the completion of the Panama canal.
! Some of the choicest sections of the
/ western water front and deep water
! frontage on the greater part are still
held by the city and will be improved
/ by the city. For railroads coming in
| the future there is space north of the
Key Route pier. South of the Key
Route pier the city holds a wide front
age and will utilize it with Is concrete
piers when the commercial demands
! Justify. Between the Southern Pacific
/ and Western Pacific piers lies space
! held by the city for two concrete piers,
/ on which S530,000 will be spent within
a few months. The entire estuary up
! to the north arm is the city's and the
Southern Pacific. by relinquishing its
! Stratton patent claims, has made the
way clear for the city to obtain equally
undisputed control of East Oakland
basin.
With this unsurpassed shoreline for
public Improvement the city officials
! found only comprehensive plans COM
natible. Hence the engineers have de-
signed the $25, 100000 bond system,
which is so arranged that it may be
constructed in sections.
FIRST CITY IMPROVEMENTS
The S530.O00 allotted from the first
bond issue disposes of the first work
on the section between the Southern
Pacific and Western Pacific piers. The
proposed Livingston street wharf, on