The San Francisco call., 1896-10-07
Crowds of Visitors Inspect the
Valley Road Tracks and
Depot Site.
PRAISE FOR CLAUS sPREcKELs
Expressions of Hearty Good Will
From the People of the San
Joaquin.


to-day, in com parison with yesterday, is
as sideshew to circus of rejoicing still
the people did not yet seem to have
enough of the celebration of the opening
of the San Francisco and San Joaquin
Valley Railroad, which was consummated
yesterday with such great success. Sew
eral thousand people remained over night
to see, possibly, how it all looked the day
after, and when they did look they saw
modified repetition of the same scenes.
Fresno is making the most OF it.
Business men, manufacturers and farm.
ers arose this morning with fuller reali-
zation of the significance of yesterdays
celebration not only to themselves but to
the whole San Joaquin Valley. So quite
a number of them got out their exhibits
again to-day and they we're driven through
the principal streets. One farmer with
unique load of corn in the ear, declared
his intention of driving under the tr1-
umphal arch again, and he carried 1T out.
Hundreds walked out to the five-acre
depot grounds, which had been cleared
for the celebration, and inspected them
with interest and deliberation. The rail-
road is now an accomplished fact, with
freight trains carrying products TO mar
ket, and the few castles in the air that
may have been built by the second days
soberer visitors to the terminal grounds
we're not only pardonable, but had foun-
dation on 125 miles of steel rails, one of
the best roadbeds and the best rolling
stock in California.
The new locomotives have a sort of
chime for whistle, and there were doubt
less some who turned their ears to the
south ana the future, and heard the har-
mony of the whistles of an overland"
train approaching the metropolis of
valley which, Claus Spreckels said, the
younger generation now living would see
supporting in abundance population of
5,000,0O0 people.
The decorations in the streets are still
up. They will be allowed to remain in
definitely. The city is 10th to take off the
garments in which she celebrated her de-
liverance from the throttling freight and
passenger tariffs of the Southern Pacific
Company.
force of men was put at work this
afternoon removing the remnants of the
great barbecue. There were no remnants
to remove except the dishes, tables and
benches.
The multitude, which had fed on more
than 'loaves and fishes" had carried
away the rest of it in perfect comfort and
satisfaction.
President Claus Spreckels and the San
Francisco directors of the road left at 2:40
o'clock this morning for San Francisco.
As late or early the hour may be, technic-
ally considered, a number of prominent
citizens of Fresno saw them off with many
hearty expressions of good will. There is
no name more revered in the entire San
Joaquin Valley than that of Claus
Spreckels.
1t would require descriptive pen with
very flexible and facile points to do
justice to the subject of the reception of
the first train into Fresno yesterday.
There were acres of waving umbrellas and
hats and handkerehiefs, acres of solid
humanity and a unanimity of cheers
which resounded far beyond the limits of
the greatest throng of enthusiastic people
that ever asse m bled in the valley.
The train was welcomed by multitude
the limits of which were visible to a field
glass, but whose feeling of gladness at
liberation from tax on their toll and cap
ital was not to be measured except by
sight and sympathy that perceives the
sunlight after years of clouds.
Freight traffic is already busy on the
road. Regular passenger traffic will open
in few weeks with the com pletion of the
construction of more depot facilities.
The Fresno County Fair opened today.