Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hatch House
is the name given to a four-story
house that needed moving in its entirety in 1913.
Herbert Hatch used a system of jacks and hoists to
maneuver the house across the cable car line
without causing any cessation of the service.
A cable car celebration
was held in
1984 after a two-year renovation of the
system. Each car was restored, and all
lines were replaced with reinforced
tracks. The system should now work
safely for 100 years.
A cable car bell-ringing
contest
is held in Union
Square every July, when
conductors ring out their
most spirited rhythms. On
the street, the bell signals
a warning to other traffic.
The original
San Francisco cable car, tested by
Hallidie on Clay Street on August 2, 1873, is on
display in the Cable Car Barn
(see p105)
. The
cable car system has remained essentially
unchanged since its invention.
Andrew Smith Hallidie
Andrew Smith was born in London in
1836 and later adopted his uncle's
surname. He trained as a mechanic,
moving to San Francisco in 1852,
where he formed a company that made
wire rope. In 1873 he tested the first
cable car, which soon became
profitable and opened the hills of
the city to development.
Rebuilding the cable cars
is
done with attention to historical
detail because they are
designated historic monuments.
