New-York tribune., 1903-07-12
ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE

San Francisco, July 10-The success of the
opening Of the Pacific cable to Manila ex-
ceeded the greatest expectations. and the reports
Of the first messages were read with keen in
terest. San Francisco has benefited so much from
the recent development of the Pacific Ocean
trade that any means of increasing this trade
and of establishing close connections with Ori-
entail ports has been seized upon with avidity.
Those who have not this city for three
or four years would scarcely recognize the main
business district so many lofty buildings have
been put up and so general has been the i'm
provement Of the shop windows and the fronts
OF buildings. especially along Montgomery and
Kearney SITS. and Grant-ave. The last named
ave. which extends from Market-st to
BUSIEST, formerly a dingy thoro,. .sh-
fare, with dives in the cellars and saloons
on every corner. Now it is rapidly becom-
ing the centre of drygoods, millinery and
other retail stores But the most noticeable
feature of the city's growth is the remarkable
number Of private hotels and apartment houses
built in the last few months in the district east
of Van Ness-ave. and between Market and Pine
sts. Scores of these houses, each with hun
dred or one hundred and fifty rooms, have been
built and all are rented before finished at prices
far above what the most sanguine landlords
would have hoped for five years ago. This build
ing goes in the face of constant troubles with
labor unions and of the increased cost CT n ate
rials In several Of the trades, notably brick
laying, workmen here are receiving the highest
wages of those in any city in the country, but
nosincrease seems to satisfy the men, and they
clamoring for more.
The reorganization of the San Francisco Gas
Company has received great impetus this week
by the acceptance of S5OO0OO0 worth Of bonds
OF the new company by Claus Spreckels. These
r. rr-
remaining 100000 viii not go around among
the bankers and capitalists who wish to secure
them. The gas and electric company has
fixed the price of gas at 81 a thousand feet,
which IS an equitable rate. Fierce competition
by the Spreckels independents company had cut
the rate of gas TO 90 cents thousand, but
there viii be no decrease of consumers at the
new rate electric light is dearer.
Experiments by the agricultural professor at
the State University have shown that wheat
grown in the Salinas Valley possesses so much
glutinous material that 1t is valuable for mix
ing with other wheat 70: milling into -four.
Most OF the California wheat is so deficient in
gluten that Minnesota and Dakota wheat is
imported for this purpose. The Salinas Valley,
however, If the farmers will their fields
20 wheat will produce enough for the needs OF
the State.
The construction of the proposed line
OF the Santa Fe system from this city to
Eureka in the heart of the redwood timber
belt OF Humboldt County. has been postponed.
The work was TO begin this summer. but the
surveys have not been satisfactory. Along the
Eel River the surveyors have met the same
conditions that confronted the Southern Pacific
engineers on the Upper Sacramento. 1t Will
probably be necessary 20 cross the river several
times. and at least one tunnel thousand feet
long VIII .e bored