USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > San Francisco, a history of the Pacific coast metropolis, Volume II > Part 65
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This new breathing place promised to be supplemented by another in the Western Addition through the conversion of the cemeteries in that section into residential tracts. These burial places had ceased to receive bodies for interment after the adoption of the existing charter, and an ordinance was passed in 1900 declaring it to be the intention of the people of the City and county represented by the board of supervisors to abolish them and cause the removal of the remains. No attempt was made at that time to put the resolution into effect, but after the conflagration of 1906, which resulted in the rapid settlement of the district beyond Presidio avenue the agitation for removal was renewed. It was urged that the practical effect of the preservation of the cemeteries was to prevent convenient communication between two rapidly growing sections of the City. Nearly all of the improvement clubs endorsed the proposition to remove the bodies, and a new reso- lution by the supervisors, drawn in conformity with recent legislation, was passed in July, 1912, ordering the immediate removal. There was some antagonism to its adoption based on sentiment, and the Outdoor Art League offered some opposition on the ground that it was desirable to acquire the four cemeteries for park pur- poses. This latter proposition received but little support, owing to the proximity of Golden Gate park, whose area of over a thousand acres was considered suf- ficiently great to satisfy the outdoor needs of the Richmond district, and of the country immediately south of the people's pleasure ground. The objection of the league was withdrawn when it was learned that those active in the movement to remove the bodies were disposed to retain the monuments to public men in the cemeteries, and to use them as adornments for the circles and other open spaces which they proposed creating in a new residential district for which use the lands of the cemeteries were specially well adapted by reason of their location which
Utilization of Cemetery Lands
HUMBOLDT SAVINGS · BANK · ARMOR PLATE SAFE DAPASIT WOLLTE
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HUMBOLDT BUILDING, MARKET STREET
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SAN FRANCISCO
had become more or less central owing to the tendency exhibited by the peoples of all large cities to make their homes at a distance from their business centers.
This centrifugal tendency became very pronounced in the years immediately following the fire and was to some extent promoted by the activities of real estate speculators who were taking advantage of the increasing disposition of the people to seek homes with a bit more room than a twenty-five foot lot afforded. Several tracts sold under restrictions to which builders were required to conform, had been successfully put upon the market, and in 1912 numerous spacious additions were being made to the number in parts of the City which a few years earlier would have been deemed too remote to be considered in that connection. In the more pretentious of these new residential districts pains were being taken to rectify the early blunder of rectangular streets, and the topography was carefully studied in laying out the roadways. Villa lots of generous size were provided and when- ever practicable the trees which had been planted at an earlier date were preserved to enhance the attractiveness of the landscape. The most extensive undertak- ings of the character described were in the region south of the park. The Sutro forest was purchased for that purpose, and the thick timber with which it was covered up to the middle of 1912 was being thinned out, only such trees as would lend themselves to the landscape gardener's plans being retained. The beauties of the marine view in the northwestern part of the City were also utilized by lay- ing out residence parks and were made attractive to the homeseeker, who insisted on something more than a mere city lot when buying land on which to build a house for himself.
The spread of the population over a greatly increased area after the fire called into existence new neighborhood business quarters. There were numerous such before the disaster, but localities almost destitute of population a few years earlier were suddenly provided with streets well lined with stores whose owners catered for the nearby trade. As already stated some of the streets which had already attained to importance before 1906, after that date took on a more metro- politan appearance, indulging in plate glass windows and offering other attrac- tions to customers. Foremost among these outlying retail districts were Fillmore street and Mission street and North Beach's principal thoroughfare. In addition to these there were Divisadero street, Clement avenue in the Richmond district, Polk street, Hayes street which served Hayes Valley, Haight street and others. The growing importance of these new centers was recognized in many ways. The larger savings banks, and some of the commercial financial institutions established branches for the convenience of clients; the daily papers maintained agencies and in some instances mercantile establishments deemed it worth their while to imi- tate the example of the others by getting as near to their patrons as possible by means of agencies or with auxiliary stocks of goods. One of the effects of what may be termed the neighborhood business development was to call into existence numerous bodies of enterprising men who devoted themselves to promoting the growth of their particular localities, and their energy resulted in stimulating interest in and forwarding desirable improvements. Among the most important of these were various tunnel projects. The first of these suggested was that de- signed to make communication with the main business center of the City by tun- neling Nob hill so as to make North Beach easy of access. The interest aroused by the effort to accomplish this object incited the Fillmore street merchants and
Restricted Residence Districts
Neighborhood Improvement Clubs Promote Tunnel and Other Projects
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SAN FRANCISCO
property owners to reach the northern district of the City by a subway through the hills which for years had made a long detour necessary for ordinary vehicles, and had compelled the street car line to resort to the use of a cable to overcome the heavy grades. Plans to tunnel under Twin Peaks were also formulated, in or- der to bring the Parkside, and a new residential district, which included much at- tractive property, into closer relations with the business parts of the City. These various projects were being vigorously pushed during 1912. Many legal questions had to be determined, and fresh state and local legislation had to be secured in order to reconcile the conflicting interests of property holders some of whom would be benefited and others injured by the changes.
Concurrently with this movement to facilitate intercourse between the sections of the City separated by natural barriers, great energy in opening and making new streets was being displayed. While in some parts of the City visited by the fire the basalt block pavements of earlier days were in a wretched state, and pre- sented a bad appearance, in the newly opened districts bitumen was chiefly em- ployed and the streets were smooth and presentable. Legislation which facilitated the prosecution of improvements of this character by spreading the time of pay- ment to contractors over a considerable period contributed greatly to the extension of the streets, hundreds of miles of which were added between 1906 and 1912. While the population of the City was distributing itself in the manner described there was a constant demand for improved car service, but the attitude of the authorities in dealing with the United Railroads was of such a character that ex- tensions were made practically impossible. The war made on that corporation had produced a state of mind in a part of the community which prevented it recog- nizing the material fact that the vested rights of the United Railroads could not be disturbed, its franchise and the extent of its roadway, which was linked to- gether by an elaborate transfer system, gave it a practical monopoly of city transportation which could only be combatted effectively by the expenditure of many millions of dollars. The failure to approach the subject from the stand- point of practicality was a source of great irritation to the people who had made homes in outlying places, and who believed that the denial of facilities to the cor- poration could not accomplish its disciplinary purpose. This friction endured from the date of the inauguration of the proceedings against Ruef and the other munici- pal grafters down to the closing months of 1912 when a better perception of the needs of the City by its authorities seemed on the point of asserting itself, and there was promise of securing by compromise that which it had been found im- possible to effect by punitive methods.
The construction of the Geary street railroad under municipal auspices, which was approaching completion toward the close of 1912 helped to bring about this state of mind. For several years the supervisors had denied to the United Rail- roads the use of the outside set of tracks over which the Sutter Street Company had run its horse cars for many years. The Sutter street line was one of those ac- quired by the United Railroads, and had been operated by cable to the junction of Sutter, Sansome and Market streets until after the fire when it was reconstructed as a trolley line, the cars between Sansome street and the ferries traveling over a set of tracks on the outside of those used by the Market street line. No permit had been obtained from the supervisors for the change of motive power, the cor- poration imagining that no technical or other objections would be interposed to pre-
Contest Over Tracks on Lower Market Street
New Streets Constructed and Additional Car Facilities Demanded
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vent so obvious a benefit to the traveling public as that conferred by saving it the necessity of transferring from an electric to a horse car. But the authorities thought differently and when the contest inaugurated in the courts grew more bitter, and the public sentiment against the railroad company, owing to its difficulties with the Carmen's union, and the efforts of the graft prosecution to destroy its managers increased, the reform board of supervisors took steps to prevent the operation of cars by electricity over the outside tracks. This action was taken and maintained against the expressed wish of a large section of the community subjected to the inconvenience of being compelled to transfer to and from the horse cars on lower Market street. At the close of September, 1912, there were signs of an approach- ing better understanding between the people and the corporation, due in part to changing opinion, but chiefly to the desire to secure the privilege for the City of running the cars of its new municipal line which as originally projected was to terminate at Geary and Kearny streets, to the ferries. The United Railroads claimed that their franchise precluded the City from carrying out this purpose, and threatened to invoke the courts if the attempt was made, but at the same time proposed a compromise which, if agreed upon, would permit it to operate its Sutter street cars by electricity on lower Market street. In exchange for this privilege, and with the understanding that it surrendered none of its rights, it would consent to the running of the municipal line over its tracks from Sansome street to the ferries. The supervisors were ready to come to some sort of an agreement but insisted that the corporation must admit that the rails over which the controversy was waged were controlled by the City and that it must dismiss any appeal from the judgment obtained by the City which forfeited the Sutter street franchise.
The changed attitude of the authorities in the matter of street and transpor- tation was not confined to the making of an agreement dictated by the force of circumstances. It was visible also in the complete abandonment of the opposition to the overhead trolley against which the first assaults on the United Railroads were directed. This change was by no means due to observation of the fact that the use of the overhead trolley had not proved as disastrous as predicted but to a growing perception of the inefficiency of the city authorities, and the anxiety of the advocates of municipal ownership to make a showing of some kind. It speedily developed when the project of building the Geary street road took practical shape that the advocates of municipal ownership were entirely in error in assuming that the conduits of the old cable system could be used in converting the line into an underground trolley system. Absurdly low estimates of the cost of conversion were made. It was assumed that such a system could be installed for $750,000, and that amount was actually raised by direct taxation after the failure at two elections to secure the necessary two-thirds vote authorizing the issuance of bonds for the purpose of constructing the road. This money was subsequently diverted to the street fund under the pretense that there was an emergency demanding such action. A movement was started to prevent the illegal diversion, but was abandoned, the desire for the improvement of the condition of the accepted streets being suf- ficiently strong to induce taxpayers to condone irregularities.
Although the city authorities in 1912 were exceedingly tenacious in their insist- ence upon an admission from the United Railroads that the rails on lower Market street were controlled by the City it does not appear that they were inclined to deal rigorously with the corporation in other particulars. While the negotiations which
Demand for Underground Trolleys Abandoned
Street Railways and Pavements
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SAN FRANCISCO
had for their object the gaining of access to the ferries by the municipal railway were in progress the city attorney rendered an opinion which called attention to an abuse of the streets, by the United Railroads, and other companies, which had been tolerated for years without a protest. It was on the point of the obligation of the United Railroads to keep Ninth street in good repair from curb to curb. The city attorney held that this provision could not be construed to mean that the cor- poration could be required to put down a new pavement for the full width of the street, but should the City decide to replace the old basalt blocks with some other sort of pavement the company could be compelled to keep the surface in repair. This opinion related to Ninth street in which the exceptional provision of keeping the entire space between curbs was inserted, in nearly every other instance the franchises granted to the predecessors of the United Railroads and other street railway companies, only required that they should pave between their tracks, and for a certain distance on the outside, and that the pavement laid should conform to that of the rest of the street, and that the portion of the pavement for which they were responsible should be kept in good repair. These provisions were persistently violated. The street railway companies were permitted to do pretty much as they pleased. If they chose to lay stone blocks between their tracks on streets which were provided with smooth pavements they did so, and if they found it convenient to use bitumen on stone paved thoroughfares they were not interfered with. The provision respecting the keeping of their part of the roadway in good condition was equally neglected, and the press at frequent intervals took occasion to call atten- tion to the apparently contemptuous disregard of the law.
This condition was no worse after than before the fire, but the evasions attracted more attention because of the seeming inconsistency produced by a persistent policy of refusal to accede to the demands of localities which sought better transportation facilities that could only be obtained through the United Railroads. Instead of at- tempting to surmount the difficulties in a practical fashion investigations were in- stituted with the object of demonstrating that the United Railroads did not afford adequate accommodations to its patrons, and that much of the congestion on the Market street system at certain hours of the day was artificially produced by the failure of the corporation to provide a sufficient number of cars. That there was ground for this criticism even the friends of the United Railroads were compelled to admit, but good observers were convinced that in this, as in other cities, during the rush period it was inevitable that many passengers should be compelled to stand, but it was contended by complainants that the evil of "strap hanging" was forced on the community at times when no necessity for such a course existed, and that a resort to it was dictated by motives of economy, and the desire to squeeze the ultimate nickel out of the pockets of the patrons of their roads. That much of the adverse criticism was not purely disinterested was shown by the failure to find fault with the California street line, which did not form part of the combine, and which was as serious an offender in the matter of neglect to provide seats as the larger corporation. In order to compose these and other troubles connected with the management of the transportation companies of the City, and largely out of deference to the idea that the recommendations of an outsider would be accepted as an impartial judgment, the supervisors in 1912 resolved to employ an expert to examine the subject in all its bearings, and to make a report and recommendation.
Complaints of Inadequate Street Car Service
THE PRIMA DONNA TETRAZZINI SINGING IN THE OPEN AIR ON CHRISTMAS EVE, 1910, IN FRONT OF THE CHRONICLE OFFICE
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On September 19, 1912, Bion J. Arnold, who was selected to make the inquiry presented a voluminous report of the existing condition in which he clearly pointed out that the franchises in force covered the principal thoroughfares, leaving only "feeder" streets to be devoted to municipal ownership. This created a condition which the City could not remedy by a resort to municipal ownership and prac- tically made the community dependent upon the conclusion of satisfactory ar- rangements with the United Railroads, which could provide the facilities demanded by outlying districts. The limitation clause of the city charter proved an ob- stacle to the perfection of any method which left the corporation controlling nine- teen-twentieths of the mileage of the City out of consideration, for it was made ap- parent that private capital would no more be inclined to build "fceders" than the City, and that even if they were provided that they would prove useless because they would not be a part of the transfer system instituted and maintained by the United Railroads, and by means of which passengers were enabled to reach any part of the City for a single fare. It was assumed that the only way out of the difficulties created by the antagonism directed against the United Railroads would be to amend the charter so as to establish the plan of granting indeterminate fran- chises, so framed as to insure investors a return on their investments, with reason- able profits earned in the operation of their plants, and with the understanding that the privileges could be taken over by the City at some future day when the lapse of existing franchises would enable the municipality to control and operate the entire street car system as a monopoly.
The report of Expert Arnold went into the matter of the commutation rates of the steam roads and of the ferry systems which the people living on the peninsula claimed were so adjusted that they were at a disadvantage when compared with the transbay region. An elaborate time and zone chart of street car transportation in San Francisco, and the other bay cities was prepared which made the Chronicle building the center of a thirty minute radius. It was figured out on this zone map that with standardized facilities it would be feasible to bring San Mateo within the thirty minute circle, thus making it possible for the peninsular commuter to reaclı San Mateo in a much shorter time than the Alameda commuter would consume in reaching his home. As indicative of the possibilities under a properly developed zone system, and the drawbacks that would be overcome if the benefits of all rail travel to the peninsular suburbs should be taken advantage of, it was shown that there were large areas which could be reached in less than half an hour, that now were practically unattainable in more than double that time. The chief value of the demonstration consisted in establishing the facts that it costs the peninsular commuter 13 1/3 cents to travel the same distance covered by the North Berkeleyite for five cents, and that "by improved transportation San Franciscans may reside within seven and a half miles of the business center of the City with an expendi- ture of but little over thirty minutes' time each way, while from ten to fifteen minutes more will always be required to reach the transbay residence sections at the same distance via water routes." The agitation of the subject of peninsular commuters' rates was actively pushed by the people and property owners of the section concerned, and the Southern Pacific, in the fall of 1912 was showing an in- clination to extend the facilities afforded by its steam lines and intimations were thrown out that it would substitute electricity as a motive power in the operation of its suburban trains. At the close of the year there was a reasonable prospect Vol. II-29
Report of Expert on Street Car Facilities
Attempt to Better Peninsular Transporta- tion Facilities
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that the transportation question would be definitely settled, and that such facil- ities would be afforded commuters that the peninsular rather than the transbay region would be sought by San Franciscans with a taste for suburban life.
United Railroads and the Municipal Road Experiment
Development of Metropoli- tan Area of San Francisco
The operations of the United Railroads during 1911 showed gross receipts amounting to $7,886,136. The gain in gross revenue was $232,647 over 1910 and $430,171 over that of the year 1909. Compared with the year 1908 the gain of 1911 was $1,019,834. The number of passengers carried in 1911 was 157,722,720, a gain of 4,642,940 over the year before and 20,395,680 more than were carried in 1908. In 1903 the company carried 32,859,340 less passengers than in 1911. These figures pertinently illustrate the fact that the City had practically attained and surpassed its former population standing before the close of 1911. The rev- enues of the United Railroads, and the number of passengers carried by that cor- poration tell the story of the major part of the street car activities of the City since the fire, but the operations of the lines which the company has thus far failed to absorb-the California street and the Ferries and Presidio line-are by no means inconsiderable. Both of the companies have exhibited growth since 1906, and the rapid building up of the sections traversed by them is constantly increasing their revenues. The completion of the Geary Street Municipal line, which was expected in October, will serve a region already penetrated by the United Rail- roads but not as efficiently as desired. On the first of October, 1912, the tracks of the new municipal line had all been laid, but the car house and the cars were not completed. The construction of the latter was entrusted to a local concern whose facilities for rapid work were limited, and delay in delivering resulted. At that date the terminus of the line was at Kearny street, but it was hoped that the arrangement with the United Railroads would be consummated and permit its exten- sion to the ferries. The operation of the new municipal line was not expected to be productive of economy except by enthusiastic advocates of public ownership of utilities. Any belief that might have been entertained that it would result in a saving to the City was dismissed after observation of the blundering incapacity manifested in its construction. Commencing with 1902 when a proposition to au- thorize the construction of an underground trolley system on Geary street at a cost of $700,000 was rejected by the people a number of mistakes were made. Finally on Dec. 30, 1909, the people voted the issuance of bonds to the amount of $1,900,000 for the line, and an additional $120,000 to build from Geary street to the ferries. During McCarthy's administration work on the road was begun, and in accordance with the programme of the workingmen's party it was proposed to complete the job by day labor. The result was disastrous. Little or no progress was made, and the appropriation was melting away. With the advent of the Rolph administration a contract was let which was expeditiously executed, the contractor performing his obligations within the stipulated period and earning a bonus. At the close of the year it was still to be determined whether the more than $2,000,000 provided for construction would suffice; the story of the cost of operation is to be told by some future historian.
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