Note 170 — Chapter XIII · Confessions of the Supervisors.
Reading edition
About the time the 85-cent gas rate was fixed, one of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s stations was burned. Ruef stated to Gallagher that the fire would be used as one of the reasons for fixing the 85-cent rate: that it would probably appeal to the public as an excuse for fixing the rate at 85 cents when the platform of the party had mentioned 75 cents. See Transcript, The People vs. Ruef, No. 1437, page 784.