Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-23
san Diego.

SAN D1eROs
All portions of Southern California
have of late shown remarkable signs
of growth, and during the past year
NO place has surpassed San Diego in
the rapidity with which she is being
converted into comely city. A re-
cent visit made to the place by the
editor Of the HERALD gave food for
much thought. The claim is made
that the city now contains nine thou
sand souls, and that nearly half OF
this growth is referable to the past
wear. While, in the absence OF CEN
sus, it is impossible to get exact de-
tails, there can be no question OF the
wonderful progress which has been
made and which is making in our
southern sister. The hills back OF
the business quarter of the city have
been crowned with elegant villas,
while the main thoroughfares
have been ornamented by business
blocks of durable and expensive
character. Many of these last would
be in place in any city on the Ameri-
can continent. A striking feature to
the casual visitor is the large number
of costly buildings which are now in
course of erection. Passage through
the heart of the city is impeded at
every stage by immense heaps OF
bricks, mortar and other building
materials.
The people of San Diego must GER
tainly be complimented on the splen-
did energy and perseverance they
have shown in the past, and they are
about to demonstrate their continued
possession of these capital qualities
by going out some miles towards the
headwaters of the San Diego river
and bringing from thence, in
mighty flume, an ample supply OF
fresh and wholesome water. The
project is said to involve the disburse-
ment of $500, 900, but the money will
undoubtedly be forthcoming. The
execution of this sagacious scheme
will admit of the irrigation of large
sections of rich soil whose only draw
back in the past has been the alb
sence of water.
No more striking instance of the
way San Diegans 60 at things could
be given than the Coronado beach
project. A lot of capitalists lately
got together, purchased the Peninsula
and at once started to erect wharves
and other facilities for the transporta-
ton of passengers to and from the
main land. They not only did that,
but they also proceeded to chop
down the chapparal, to make excel
lent roads, to build good railway
upon which dummy engines are en-
ployed to transport visitors, and to
plant trees and flowers. The result
is that they have transformed this
before barren looking spot into
thing which gives positive promise
of being very beautiful. The beach
itself affords excellent bathing, COM
mands exquisite views and cannot
fail to be great resort. The modus
operandi of these gentlemen
call them spectators if you
willis especially to be COM
They did not put lot on
the market until they had expended
enormous sums in building wharves,
street-car lines, ierryboats, roads,
bathing houses, and SO on to the end
of the chapter. The result was to
have been expected. The first formal
auction sale was prodigious success,
the lots ranging from $3.50 up to, in
some extreme cases, $1,000 and $1700,
and the proceeds were almost suffi-
cient to reimburse these enterprising
capitalists for their total outlay.
Such is the San Diego of to-day.
She has shaken off the lethargy OF
years and stands in the forefront of
the enterprising, progressive and sue
cessful cities of California. Her in
telligent citizens see the necessity for
developing her latent resources and
they are determined to do it. They
have entire faith in the outcome oftheir
city, and it is fully justified by the
facts Of the past and the probabilities
Of the future. Angelenos might prof
itably 60 down there and learn the
lesson OF the indomitable courage and
self-help which have lifted San Diego
from the Slough Of Despond and put
her on the pleasant uplands of pros
perity. Our neighbors have only one
thing to learn, and that is to realize