The San Francisco call., 1910-04-27
Sudden Love for Birds

Terrace apartments was lathed in rec
ord time
Sudden Love for Birds
There was a council of war in the
Mueller household that night, at which
were present Mr.. and Mrs. Charles f.
Mueller, Misses ErIna and Lucille MueI-
Ter. l.. c. Mueller, the son, and Mr.. and
Mrs. c. w. Cochran, owners of adjoin-
ing property and friends. An attorney
was consulted the following day con-
cerning legal amenities and at the next
meeting of the board of public works
Mrs. c. Il. Mueller's innocent looking
petition for permit to build an aviary
was granted without any opposition.
very few people being aware that such
petition was in existence.
The following Saturday at noon, coin
cident with the quitting of the work
men on the unfinished Terrace apart
ments for their half holiday, building
activity began in the Mueller back
yard. Mueller senior and Mueller
Junior. reinforced by Neighbor Cochran,
all professional men in ordinary life,
became carpenters. Posts were driven
into the ground along the entire east
side of the Mueller property and within
a very short time boards were slapped
into position and securely nailed.
Superintendent Wagner had estab-
lished record in lathing, but during
that Saturday afternoon and night his
achievement was eclipsed by mere anna
teurs. Sunday morning saw a board
wall about Is feet high running the
entire length of the Mueller property
parallel with and two and half inches
away from the west side of the Terrace
apartments.
Representatives of Mcdonald and APP
plegarth were notified and they hurried
to the scene.
Its monstrousw why, they will
ruin the view" IT'S illegal" These
broke forth, and Commissioner Day of
the former board of public works was
hurriedly summoned.
Asked what the structure meant
Mueller innocently replied that the
"aviarX' was in course of erection and
calmly showed Day his own signature
at the bottom of the permit to con-
struct the same.
Indignant as were the expressions
hurled at the fence when it was Is
feet high, they were mere pleasantries
compared with the orations which were
Grated when the fence was few days
older and 80 feet high, completely
shutting off the west side of the apart
ments.
Mrs Mueller, who planned the fence.
watched it's rgowth with an cit will
be a big help to the author when it
grows up" expression, while Kenneth
Mcdonald and his partner, Applegarth,
viewed it with increasing despair.
The owners of the apartments sued
for terms only to be informed that the
Mueller property with its appurtenance
of an unfinished aviary' was for sale
at $4,000, an increase to offset the
price of the lumber and labor in the
'1aviary." No agreement could be
reached.
This one wall was the only part of
the proposed "aviary' erected, and
when the scaffolding was removed yes
terday Mcdonald and Applegarth came
to the conclusion that no more of the
aviary would ever be built.
THAT is a spite fence and not an
aviary," said Kenneth Mcdonald yes
terday,' and it was built because we
would not pay the eXorbitant and abb
surd price of $500 for the Mueller
property. 1t is apparent that the struc-
ture is nothing more than subter
fuge to hurt our property. and we have
hope that the board of public works
will take action to condemn it."
Mrs. Mueller, discussing the matter
yesterday, admitted that the aviary was
in rather an unfinished condition and
could give no definite date at which
operations would be resumed. She also
commented on the difficulty of securing
birds which she fancied and which
would be desirable inhabitants of the
aviary.
THAT aviary wall will stand" said
Mrs. Mueller, despite any threats to
tear it down. In regard to when 1 viii
finish it, that is q matter in which
no one but myself can have any pos
sible interest
In the meantime the neighbors think
that the "spite fence is bird and
that war is all that Sherman said
about it.