New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-25
CAN FRANCISCO'S GROWTH.
CHANGES MADE IN THE LAST TEN YEARS.
,,,rx,n1E INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF
ry,L ESrATE-THE CABLE CAR SYSTEM
"a LONGER ANY FBAR OF EARTH

prMkrE ABLE lNNhL-Aob ~ $500
rv,r rsrATE-THE CABLE CAR SYSTEM
xo LONGER ANY FBAR OF EARTH
or.KES-TALL OFFDCE BUILDINGS.
,occ.s,oSAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
u Francisco. Dec. 15.-To one who has not
-, San Francisco for ten years the changes III
. ~ city will prove remarkable. 1t is not only
- oxtraorlnary growth of the place that Is
..;,i,c but the complete transformation OF many
.or,ers the radical alterations III archlec'ulc'
~. reform in the methods of life. decade ago
en- Francisco was simply an overgroWn Town.
18th peope provincial in their sentiment ana WIN
,,,1e following the old lines marked OUT IN
.oeer DAYS IL was at that time That Doth San
r,,ncsco and the State of California were suncr-
a., from the results of the Sand Lou agi'a-
,,o, which led to the passage OF the new |oh-
,;,ution Everything was III chaOlc state
,hsre was none of the certainty which capital
.ures for investment, and several OF the hcaNleSt
..;Honaircs transferred their business TO New
vi fearful of the effects of new legislation, radl-
81 in lis character and wholly untrled III
,his or any other country. The Legislature was
,u II RAMPANT Sand Lot cranks, who had trained
n.1or Denis KeaTncy, and who had the nrm con-
,,..ion that the earth belonged TO them ana the
,,l,ess thereof. The first session oil the Lesls-
I.,ure after the passing Of the new constitution
ut,ncsscd more novel schemes of government, more
,lo,s for the "cinching' of the boated mo-
aooolist than all the sessions of that body before
:, si,ce The actual result OF these schemes oil
,-,a,ivs rcform was well nigh fruitlesS, but the
inCcpdiary talk that filed the newspapers every
Io, alarmed capital. and did mUcl. to promote the
vt,eme stagnation in trade that lasted for nearly
Eve years
In 1ss0 real estate in San Francisco was at its
Lowest ebb In the business blocks OF Market
and Kearnv SIS 81 800 'front.' foot was called
q GOOD price while the choicest residence property
hen REGARDED as on the summit OF Cahiorhla-S'
HILL. could he bought for 500 per front ioot'
In most Of the residence quarters. especially IN the
Western Addition, there was very little SAFE loi
nal estate even at half cash. There was prac-
,icallv no building of residences and whole blocks
north and south of Golden Gate Park could he
hourht for 500 each Now sales of Markct-St
nroperty have been made this year for $4,000
front foot, while the best residence property IN
pacifc-ave and Jackson-st., overlooking the bay
and the Golden Gate, easily commands $500 per
t,on, foot and the seeker after home is fortunate
q no can find any desirable lot within two miles
of tho business centre which he can buy for SlOO
Der front foot
Ten wears ago Markct-st. was Struggling hroad
ihorouehfare, badly paved swept by clouds OF
aust and lined on both sides by the most eNtraor-
binary collection Of TookericS that ever dsgracen
large CITY For four blocks from the ferry. whlch
was the main landing place of all overland TOURISTS
there was not a single building with any pre-
tensions to architecture, and the venerable parhs
that greeted the eye of the visitor were rendered
still more unsightly by the placards 10 Let
plastered all over their fronts Further mp the
street one came TO few handsome stores-then
20 the Palace Hotel. But beyond this huge pie,
for two blocks came more rookcTles, WIN t"o OF
three fine buildings scattered between To make
the shabbncss more pronounced. The business
life Of the street did not extend beyond four
blocks from Kearny-st.; in fact, II practlcaily
ended with the Baldwin Hotel which now seems
well down town. When the Murphy Building, at
The junction of Jones' Market and McAllister SITS,
"a. constructed, il stood alone like pyramid
in a desert. aud the enterprising drygoods man
who rented the entire lower floor and opened
business there was regarded by his fellows III
trade as a candidate for lunatic asylum. Inc
new Ci,y Hall, even then ancient IN appearance
was only about half completed. while all around
il was a group of one-story shantles that pore
striking resemblance TO a band-new ralIroau
town on the plains. Now business IN MarAets''
has extended beyond the City Han. huge sN
and seven story buildings line Market-s. clear out
10 the Murphy Building, and even beyond Every
desirable corner is improved, and the whole aspect
Of the street has been transformed. by day ana
light the street is thronged by crowds thaJ con
only be paralleed in this country by those which
move I'D and down Broadway, SiAth-aVc and tAe
BOwery of New-i ork.
But perhaps the change which most appeals to
The visitor is the great development of the c1".e-
car system. San Francisco was the first city
in the country 10 introduce the cable street rail!
road. There an absolute necessity ior soAie
other motive power than the horse, when the
grade of many residence streets was at an aLsIc
Of a. degrees. The Clay-st. road, which was tie
pioneer Of the great system OF to-day, was p'l'
over the crown Of one of the highest and stcepcS'
hills in this CITY, 1t was opened sixteen years
ago. and for several years remained the only road
of tbe kind in the city. Then followed the Cali
fornia-st road, which ran from hcarny-st. TO
the Lone Mountain Cemetery. a distance o. about
three miles These two roads were O.. only lines
in oneration ten years ago. Now the Markct-st.
cable system alone includes six distinct lines any
one Of which is as long and a important as the
CalfoInia-st. road decade ago. san Fran
cisco to-day has the best cable railroad system
in This country, and perhaps in the world. Inc
total length Of double track IS ffty-fOur mile.
There are TWO fine lines to the Gin House and the
Ocean Beach, while no less than halfdozen roads
carry the visitor TO Golden Gate Park for single
fare.
The secret of the success OF the cable cars in this
city is that every Car is provided with dummy
which can easily carry fifteen people and which
permits them 10 ride in the open air. On some
new lines cars have been recently introduced
which may be c0n~erted into closed or opcn
81. tof
take advantage Of the varying weather Of the
city Tho uniform fare is five cents and the cars
move al about six miles an hour. The influence
OF the cabe-car system in developing the suburbs
Of the city can scarcely be estimated. Along many
streets which boosted of no houses when the cable
roads were first laid can now he seen almost
Continuous rows OF substantial residences. Eight
years ago. when the liaight-st road was hrst
opened this great avenue 10 the ParK was