Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1901-05-02
Conditions in San Diego.

To THE FREE PREss:-As our
stay is getting short and we shall
soon pull out and proceed leisurely
home, | thought q few lines con-
lirning the impressions of south.
ern California conveyed in previ-
ons letters might not be amiss.
AS a place of residence, either
temporary or permanent, for those
who have the means to live with
out work, Che conditions are about
as pleasant here as anywhere on
earth. But for the business man.
farmer or horticulturist it is good
p ace to sta. away from, and all
such who come here with the hope
or expectation of finding easier
conditions will be grievously dis
appointed.
San Diego itself is lovely and
well built city and in every respect
a very desirable winter resort and
sanitarium. 1t has very great
national advantages which, in the
hands OF an enterprising popula-
ton should make it the second city
in California; but whether the
enervating climate takes the starch
out of their backboncs, or be the
cause what it may, they certainly
do not take advantage Of their
God-given opportunities, and the
growth Of the city is practically at
stand-still. In fact, if the in
vestments of Claus Spreckels and
his associates were taken out, l do
not believe San Diego would have
any more population than Lewis
ton. AS it is the Spreckels COM
panies own and control about
everything OF value in this part of
the footstool. The Coronado
Beach and Hotel enterprise, South
ern California and Mountain Water
Supply companies, San Diego gas,
electric light, car lines, water
works, newspapers, the city gov
eminent and all else are Spreckels
enterprises, and without them it
would be a poor and solitary place
indeed
The population of the city is
composed in the main of elderly
people who are here to spend the
evening of their lives in peace and
in the enjoyment of the mild eli
mate. 1t seems to me that every
other man is an old soldier living
upon the proceeds of his pension;
and the society of the town is in
part made up of a sort of military
"aristocracy" composed of these
pensioners. There is also a large
majority of the fair sex here. l
read in one of the city papers the
other day that seven per cent of
the population of San Diego were
widows, and judging from the
great number of ladies one sees
wearing "weeds" / believe the
statement to be absolutely correct.
The population, therefore is not
noted for progressiveness. The
town is eastern in its population
and methods and very orderly.
The business interests of San
Diego are not extensive. Two
steamers week run to and from
San Francisco with freight and
passengers. A small English
steamer also runs to Ensedada, in
Lower California, and apart from
the arrival of a big coal steamer
with coal for the Spreckels enter
prises, this is about all the COM
merce of the port. The Santa Fe
railroad made an effort to haul
freight from the Atlantic for ship
ment to China through this port,
and loaded two or three steamers;
but there is a steamer here now
which has been loading for the
past three weeks and is still wait
ing for freight. The only railroad
connections here are with Los
Angeles, SO that San Diego has nc
real trans-continental road; and
the recent railroad combinations
have indefinitely postponed The
hope of getting one. Consequent
ly the future of the city for tht
immediate future, as ! see it, il
not particularly hopeful.
In former letter | referred t,
the hard conditions attending tn,
farmer and horticulturist in thes,
parts. Well when the homes
farmer or fruit grower has over
come his natural difficulties ant
succeeded in harvesting magni
ficent crop, one would think tina
his troubles were about over
, But in southern California it is TIL
unexpected that always happens
,, and it transpired that the railroad
were in no shape to handle tn
: crop for lack of cars, and SO los
|; of several million dollars was in
fiicted upon these people. FINAL
the fruit growers arranged to shi
fruit on the steamers to San Fran
r cisco and thence to Seattle, wher
{ it was hauled over the Grea
Northern railroad to eastern mai
7 kets. Then the railroads in thi
section raised the freight rate
from interior points to the coas
in order to stop the shipments, an
very bitter feeling has bee
aroused in consequence. Thos
I who stay with Idaho county wi