Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-24

The export trade of San Francisco in
1904 was 100000; the import trade by
sea was $43 600 eco; the real estate trans
fers were $45, S03 800
Architecture Of the City.
The architecture in the business portion
Is improving very rapidly, and San Fran
cisco will soon be like other cities, with
rows of fine business blocks and office build
ings, There are several other notable
structures, like the Fairmont Hotel, re-
production of one wing of the royal palace
at Madrid by the heirs of the late Senator
Fair upon the site of his former residence.
The residential architecture of San Fran
cisco. however, shows little or no improve
meDt 1t is Just bad as it can be, and
in the new parts of town seems to grow
worse instead of better. The houses are
all built of wood for fear of earthquakes,
and covered with fantastic gingerbread
work." limitations of bird cages, vegetable
crates, dog kennels, sewing baskets. we'd
ding cakes and all kinds of absurd and
preposterous lathe and sawed work. Bum-
Der is cheap, and when man puts up
house in San Francisco he tells his archi-
tect or his builder to tack on a porch or
balcony wherever he can, to conceal the
outside walls much as possible with
wooden embroidery and fancy trimmings
and to make 1t ridiculous as possible.
1t you will take the trouble to drive around
through the new part of town you will no
tice that the fronts of the houses are more
like Turkish kiosk than they were five
years ago, and that they are growing
worse instead of better Occasionally you
will come across a stately mansion of sim
pie outline and dignffied decorations, but
most of the great houses-the homes OF
the rich-are vacant. Scarcely anybody is
living Mob Hill, where the bonanza
kings erected their preposterous palaces
quarter of century ago. Nearly every
one of them is locked and sealed, and the
blinds are tightly drawn. The owners are
Il hatT N q
living at their country seats.
Large Suburban Traffic.
San Francisco has very large subur-
ban population. High rents and other rea-
sons have driven people into the country,
and the shores of the bay are lined with
beautiful villages, easily reached by rail-
ways and ferries. although the inhabitants
have to waste a good deal of time getting
back and forth The average San Francisco
business man gets up at six o'clock in the
morning In order to catch the seven
o'clock train which lands him at his office
at eight or eight-thirty, and spends another
hour and a half on his trip home in the
evening But fares are low. A commuter
can reach any place on the bay or in the
foothills of the mountains for ten or fit
teen cents, while most of the rates are FIVE
cents even so far as ten or fifteen mics
l was surprised to learn, while investi-
cific railway handles larger suburban
traffic than any other road In the United
States and figures furnished me by Mr..
Charles S. Fee, passenger traffic manager
of that road, will surprise eastern railway
men The following table shows the num-
Der of suburban passengers handled during
the year 1904 by the railways named:
Southern Pacific. San Francisco. Is, III, 600
Illinois Central Chicago. 10, 600
Y n. H. & h.. New York. 13, 100000
Boston & Maine Boston. l2,o0teouo
D. L. & W............ New York. IL .3oVU00
Phladephia & Reading. Philadelphia. II. 00o0o0
Chicago 4 Northwestern. Chicago. S,3o0,900
New York Central. New York 1,O0o,UOo
Erie ................. New York. 6,0ooO0o
Boston 4 Albany Boston. 6,0oo"to
The suburban business south of San Fran
cisco and on the west side of the bay Is
increasing very rapidly New towns are
springing up all along the line and on the
shores of the Pacific. and growing very
rapidly To accommodate this new patron
age the Southern Pacific Is building what
is called 1.-THE Bay Shore Cutoff about
eleven miles in length; and to save the
heavy grades of the old line and shorten
distances iE the city, is piercing five tun-
nels of an aggregate length of 1910 feet.
Notable Monuments.
Several new monuments and statues OF
public men have recently been erected in
San Francisco. most OF them being paid for
by subscription. There Is large artist
colony in the city, attracted by the climate.
the iandecafes and the llberaIity with which