St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-01-10

all free anu without price. Inc work
ing of the telegraph was seriously in
terfcrcd with by the disturbance of the
From Ocean to Ocean. mo. 5.
SAN FRANCISCO AND ITS HARBOR.
San Francisco is the objective point
of every traveller to the Pacific coast
This city is the metropolis not only OF
the state. but of all the country from
Puget's sound to the isthmus of Pana-
ma. Does the reader know just how it
is situated On consulting good
map. one will see that il is built upon
the north end of the southern peninSl-
lar which separates the Pacific ocean
from the bay of San Francisco. From
the point on which the city is built il is
making down from the northern PENN
Sula. This strait is the famous "Golden
Gate" and ii is the entrance to the fin
est bay and harhnrS on the Pacific coast,
/ if not in the country.
just inside the gate" are two islands
which command the entrance. and on
one of which (Alcatraz) Uncle sam has
erected Notifications whose guns sweep
the entire entrance. Angel Island. near
by. Is much larger and higher, being
nearly two miles long. and from which
is quarricd stone for Use in the city.
Goat Island is farther up the bay. being
nearly i'll the line of the ferry between
the city and Oakland. All these islands
are owned 10y the government. and the
latter Is il bone of contention just now.
get possession of it for Il terminus of
their road. San Francisco naturally
objects t" this. feeling that the termi-
nus of the road should he i'll the city.
not two miles out in the bay, necessita
ting ferrying of all passengers and
freight between the east and the west.
The terminus of the Pacific road is now
at the end of Il wharf two miles long.
extending from Oakland ont into the
bay towards san Francisco. and nearly
to Goat Island. which President Sanford
81 much covcts.
THE HILLS OF FRISCO.
If any one has an idea that San Fran
cisco is built on II fiat. sandy point, he
has n" conception of its topography.
There is Il high range of hills or noun
tains running along the peninsula be
tween the ocean and the bay, which is
sixty miles long. The city was begun
on the bay. at the foot of these noun
tiinS. .lS it grew, it extended east into
the bay and west into the hills Con
scqucHtly the town has Il most uneven
surface. That near the bay is quite
level, while the streets running west
ascend hills, some of which are tearfully
steep and long. There are several
streets here of IA sleeper grade than any
! ever rode over in Vermont so steep
i'll fact that teams can ascend and de
sccnd only by "tacking'' like ship
running against the wind in il Zig-Zag
course. from one side of the street to
the other Such things would he wholly
impracticablc i'll Il city where they have
Ice and snow, and they are not desira
bic anywhere. Some of the best resi-
denceS III town however are on the tops
of these hills.
EVERY NATION AND TONGUE.
San Francisco is probably the most
cosmopolitan city in the world. Every
nation is represented, and three of every
four men You meet on the street are
foreigners. Notwithstanding this CON
gl"meration of humanity, there are AS
fine stores and shops and hotels as one
finds III the east, and it is the most or
derby city of its size i'll the Union. One
feels safer i'll the streets, and is i'll fact
freer from rudeness or insult, than i'll
Boston. This seems strange, but he
lieve it is true. 1t is no unusual thing
for the police judge to impose Il fine of
i'''' NV w my toiidiS ioi using Nul-
gar or protane language.
CHRISTMAS IN THE OCCIDENT.
The holidays will have long been
past, and Christmas presents will have
become stale before you see this, but it
has been ii living reality here for the
past two days; and now as write the
streets are filled with gay people. and
the air is resonant with the sound of
tin trumpets and miniature drums. 1t
WAS never my lot to be in Il city where
Christmas is made SO much of as in San
Francisco. For ten days past the shops
on all the principal streets have been
filled and arranged with special refer
ence t. this festive occasion and the
things which are supposed to he needed
to make it so. The display of rich and
rare articles have never seen surpas-
sed i'll New York, while i'll the way of
unique Chinese and japanese work, this
city probably surpasses all others in the
country.
Most of the churches were open either
Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, and
old fashioned Sunday School festivals,