transit times volume 12, number 4e

8/13/2019 Transit Times Volume 12, Number 4E

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What Newspapers re Saying bout ransit

Meany cites mass transit as necessityATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (UPI) -

AFL-CIO President George Meanywants development of accessible, safeand high-speed mass transit systemsas a means to solve the nation's urbancommuting jams, which he said lengthens the workday and reduce worker

productivity .In the urban areas of the nation

where 80 percent of the people live,driving to work or for pleasure is afatiguing, slow-crawl war of nerveswhich adds from tw o . o four hours tothe average commuter's workday,Meany said in a report to the AFLCIO's biennial convention.

Unions struggle to cut the hours ofwork on the job, but the hours spentcommuting actually lengthen the work

day, the union leader said.The danger to driver's health in this

nerve-grinding ordeal is seldom talkedabout, but its cost must add millions ofdollars to the nation's health bill eachyear.

The resulting loss of on-the-job ef

ficiency, reduced productivity and lostworktime has never been properly calculated, Meany added .

He also called for completion of theInterstate Highway system, more federal highway aid to state and local governments, tougher automobile safetystandards and expansion and modernization of airports. His president's reportto the convention also urged action tosolve the nation's air and water pollutionproblems.

S T R E ~ M L l N E D T . h einfo:matio n-ticket .office at the Transbay Transit Terminal, SanFranClSC? h a ~a. b r l g ~ t ,shmy 1 w ~ e ~ nlook this month, as. result of skillful facelifti ng.The proJect, m lme w1th the Dtstrwt s overall program of 1mproving working conditions~ n defficfenc y, inclu,des flu?rescent sig :,, whic h make it easier to obtain tickets, change ort n f o : m a t ~ o n .New twk t wmdows, ~ h t hoffer better customer communications and protectwn, 1S another feature-along w1th soundproofing and new paint . Photo murals, on acork-covered backwall, add to appearance and public interest.

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AC Transit could celebrate two anniversaries of transportation achievementthis month - with from nine to 100 candIes on its birthday cake.

It's been nine years since the Districtwent into operation, taking over fromKey System Transit Lines .

It's been a century since the first horsecar swept Oakland off its feet, startingan East Bay boom and inaugurating thestreet transit system that serves as ancestor of today's bus network.

The horse car rolled up town fromthe foot of Broadway on Oct. 30, 1869-introducing a noiseless system that waseasy to feed, steer and operate .

It also had turn-in value.Automatic turn in

When cars were operated to Berkeleyfor special events, the horse was turnedloose at the end of the line to find hisown way back to the barn. The carrolled home by gravity. -

Transportation had its problems then,as now. It took five years to get the linestarted.

In his history of East Bay transit, the

late W. E. Gardiner, Key System historian, said E. B Walsworth had proposeda street car powered by horses as earlyas 1864. He wanted some way to get students to the Pacific Female College hehad erected on a 30 -acre campus ofAcademy Hill west of Broadway above~ 9 t hSt.-the Pill Hill of today .

But the town charter dealt only with'ranchises for steam railroads and theway had to be cleared for inauguration)f street railway service. In 1866 , theleeded franchise was granted by the;tate Legislature-which also set the fareit 10 cents or 16 rides for a dollar. The;peed limit was to be no more than~ i g h tmiles an hour.

enturyoftransitHORSE POWER - Oakland Railroad Company employee s show p .ower source forfirst horse car's power source, Hard Luck.

The Oakland Railroad Company laidits rails from the foot of Broadway uptown to Telegraph and out Telegraphto 36th St. Later the line was extended to40th St., then to Temescal Creek. Whenthe College of California moved toBerkeley in 1873, the horse car went

along.But the trip was too long and slowfor horses and in 1875, a steam enginewas substituted, pulling a horse car overthe tracks.

Oakland, meanwhile, had trotted intoa new era. One horse car line after another appeared-many of them to getreal estate on the market.

Franchises were dealt out like hotcakes and at one time, Broadway hadsix sets of tracks running down part ofthe street.

The lines that were built spread outto all sections of the East Bay and became the nucleus of a transportationsystem that later was electrified. Manyof those same lines, laid out to get people where they wanted, are traveled today by District buses.

One activityis

missing.Once a year all the street car horsesgot clipped and while the artist was onthe job, it was a great event for youngsters, who gathered to watch old Dobbinget a haircut.

There might be nostalgic regret, also,at the disappearance of a form of transportation you could pat on the nose, callby name and feed a carrot and whichoperated on oats, instead of diesel.

THE COVER-A rare photo from the collection of Louis L. Stein, East Bay historian, shows Oakland's Jirst horse car in1869, in front of McClure's Military Academy on Telegraph Ave. The school was theJirst military academy in state .

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The istric t wel comed these newWorkers dur ing ugust and September

N WMPLOY S

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R J BLACKBURNTransportation

DIVISION 2

D A DIKESaintenanc e

DIVISION 2

G S JACINTHTra nsportation

DIVISION 4

D W BROWNTra nspo rtation

DI VIS ION 2

R. S DONAISTransportat ion

DI VISI O N 4

WILLIAMJONES JR

Tran spo r tati onDIVISION 2

WILLIAMCALLAHAN

TransportationDIVISION 4

E. L. GERTRIDGETransportation

DIVISION 4

T C JUSTERTranspo rta t ion

DIVISION 3

R D COBBTransportation

DIV ISION 4

T. R HARTWICKTransportation

DIVISION 2

R. E. KARRTra nsportation

DIVISION 2

E. E DAVISTransportation

DIVISION 2

W E HILLTransportation

DIVISION 2

MEHDI KHASHABITransportation

DIVISION 3

f

S J MENTZELTransportation

DIVISION 4

D I OWENTransportation

DIVISION 2

THEODORESIMMONS

TransportationDIVISION 2

R L VIERRATransportation

DIVISION 4

R. L MILLIGANTransportation

DIVISION 3

J R QUARANTEMaintenanceDIVISION 4

T E SLOCUMTransportation

DIVISION 4

PRIMITIVOVILLARREAL JR

MaintenanceDIVISION 3

A L MOREIRAMaintenanceDIVISION 4

D A REEDTransportation

DIVISION 3

L G. SMITHTransportation

DIVISION 2

R D. WARRENTransportation

DIVISION 2

M H.NETTLESTransportation

DIVISION 3

C. M. REYBURNTransportation

DIVISION 2

R. S. SUNSERITransportation

DIVISION 2

R. W WESTTreasury

GENERAL OFFICE

N J NORTONTransportation

DIVISION 3

L C SCOTTTransportation

DIVISION 2

ALI VAKILITransportation

DIVISION 2

C. W WIGRENMaintenanceDIVISION 2

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VVorkers give tonited rusadeBus operators, who already know

about being good neighbors, responded-along with other workers-this monthto the United Crusade campaign forgifts and pledges to support 180 agenciesserving thousands of people in the five (counties of the bay area . \

Pictures were taking the place ofwords at all divisions, with a new projector-recorder, loaned to each gilley room

by the United Crusade, illustrating theremust be understanding and communication if we are to build.

The production, similar to a color TVprogram, operated automatically andshowed viewers there was much to pullpeople apart and make them different.

t also illustrated the work of the United Crusade and how people are notreally divided when they come face toface with somebody who has needs .

The recorded message also showedwhere money goes after it is donated.

itness gets rew rdn driver shootingBus passenger David Brannam, San

Francisco machinist, will receive the re

ward posted in connection with the robbery and shooting of driver Ralph P.Livingston over a year ago.

Oakland Municipal Judge D. W .Brobst ordered the $2000 reward paidto Brannam for his part in arrest andconviction of Lawrence Mosley, 23, ofBerkeley, now confined in San Quentin.Brannam witnessed the crime.

Livingston, who also filed a claim,withdrew from the case after hearingtestimony. The reward was offered bythe transit district and by Division 192,Amalgamated Transit Union.

s result of the shooting, the Readyfare plan of riding was inaugurated July14, 1968.

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WHY TO HELP A projector-recorder explains-better than written words why somepeople no longer able to help themselvescan be given a boost along the wa y by dona-tions to United Crusade.


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c t i o n s 1 t h e o a r dAt an adjourned regular meeting Sept.

24, the Board of Directors: Authorized advertising for bids on

new fuel contract, on motion of DirectorCoburn.

Approved new salary range for Assis-tant General Manager for Administra-tion and created new position of NewsBureau Editor, on motion of DirectorCopeland.

Death takes veteransOf early transit days

William E. Reid 61, who clocked 21years behind the wheel of a bus beforehe turned in his brass Nov. 1, 1965,died Aug. 17 in Shelbyville, Tenn.,where he made his home.

John F. Green 57, 1225 81st Ave.,Oakland, died May 19, six months afterhe retired from the maintenance depart -ment. He entered service Sept. 1, 1945.

Mary E. Petkovich 86, 582 WarwickAve ., San Leandro, pensioned in 1948as a secret service operator, died Sept.24. She had worked for Key System10 vears.

H. Bennett 80, 3606 Bickerstaff St.,Lafayette, who retired in 1954 as acashier in Treasury Department died

Sept.11.

He entered service in 1929.O. S. Beran 83, 196 Farrelly Dr., SanLeandro, pensioned in 1956 as a train-man, died Sept. 9. He went to work in1922 .

Pleasant H. Wasson 77, 1500 102ndAve ., Oakland, who entered service in1935 and worked on street cars before

AC TransitLatham Square BuildingOakland, California 94612

ransitlimesPub I shed month Iy by the

ALAMEDA.CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICT508 16th St., Oakland, California 94612

Telephone 415) 6547878Virginia B. Dennison, Editor

BOARD O f DIRECTORSWILLIAM E. BERK President

Ward IIE. GUY WARREN . . . . . Vice President

W r d V ROBERT M. C O P E L A N . . "". Direclor at LargeRAY H . RINEHART ~ . . . Direclor at LargeWILLIAM H. COBURN ; J . . . . . Ward IJOHN McDONNELL . . . . . . . Ward IIIWM . J. B C ) U R 1 ' . ' . . ; . . Ward IV

A'J MINI$TRA11VE O f FICERSALAN L. BINGHj6(M . General ManagerROBERT E. NISBET . . . . . AttorneyROBERT D. TOUGH . . ' . . Treasurer-ControllerGEORGE M. TAYLOR. . . . . . . S ,cretaryDENNIS J. O'CONNOR . Public Informahon Mgr.,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ aE 9 ...

becoming a bus driver in 1948, diedJuly 2. He retired in March, 1958 .

Hugh Griffith 91, 570 Grand Ave .,Apt. 4, Oakland, rail worker pensionedJune 1, 1945, died July 9. He enteredservice in 1920.

William D. Owens 66, 5632 PointsettAve ., EI Cerrito, maintenance depart-ment veteran, died July 29. He workedfrom 1919 until 1957.

Aware{ for credit unionThe AC Transit Employees Federal

Credit Union has received a thrift award

from the Federal Credit Union Bureaufor its growth and the responsive helpof its members, according to ManuelGarcez, secretary. The District groupwas among five percent of all creditunions to be honored, Garcez said. Em-ployees can join and share in benefitsthrough a payroll deduction plan .

M 0 HANCOCK A-SReturn Requested 2 e8 0 C I A TTl.. E T 0 tJ LAN:: ~ i :

SAN PA8LO, CA 9 4 S 0 ~

transit times volume 12, number 4e

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