Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-30
Chief Pride of the People Of
90 - -
=. That City.
FATHERHORTON'SFAITH
HAD CONFIDENCE IN THE FU-
TURE OF THE PLACE.
Large Numbers Of Wealthy Residents
Benefit From Isthmian Traffic
Expected-As Shipping Point.
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS

Special Correspondence OF The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
SAN DIEGO. Cal. August 81. 1905.
The chief pride of San Diego Is the bay,
with its area OF twenty-five square miles.
its safety and convenience as a harbor. 1t
Is the best harbor between Puget sound
and Panama. and while 1t is not as large as
that of San Francisco. It possesses none of
the objections that have been offered to
the fogs OF the narrow Golden Gate. No
vessel has ever been driven ashore or lost
through treacherous currents or bad
weather in the neighborhood of San Diego.
And all concerned are confident that San
Diego is destined to become one of the
great seaports of the world.
Not long ago there was a public celebra-
tion over the action of the federal govern
ment in canceling the contract between
the Panama railroad and the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company, under which the traf-
flo across the isthmus has been restricted
In the interests of the transcOntinental rail-
roads. The opening of the isthmus route to
all-comers equal terms was celebrated
by salute of fifty guns. display of fire.
works, band concert. numerous speeches
and the destruction of the old-fashioned
Horton House-for the past thirty-slx
years the principal hotel OF the city-which
Is to give place to a modern 100000 struct-
ute.
Father Horton, the founder of San Diego,
was present and participated in the exer-
Cises. He IS remarkable man. He came
here I'm 1867. from Wisconsin, and per-
. suaded the inhabitants of the sleepy village
to call an election of city officials and offer
land for sale to immigrants He bought
1000 acres for 20 cents an acre. which Is
now the business section of the city. some
OF this property has sold as high as $1,000
front foot. Mr.. Horton divided his prop
erty into town lots and began to advertise
the attra ctfOD and advantages OF San
Diego. Within six months he was offered
a quarter of million dollars for the land
which had cost him 5000. He built a
wharf so that boats could land, and hotel
TO accommodate land-lookers and home
seekers. and excited national interest IN
the town. He Is still living in his old home,
on the heights overlooking the bay, at the
ripe age OF ninety years. although most
of his fortune has melted away. No one,
however, Is more confident of the future
greatness of San Diego than Father Hor-
ton, and in his dreams he sees here the
commercial metropolis of the Pacific coast
even as large and important as New YORK
The city Is growing quite rapidly. During
the present year nearly $9OOOOO has been
expended in the erection of private resi-
dences and half as much more in business
blocks. not including the hotel now under
construction by Ulysses s. Grant Jr.
Some Prominent Citizens.
There are large numbers OF wealthy peo-
pie here and more are coming to make
homes The richest man In town Is II. w.
Putnam manufacturer and inventor. lie
owns fifteen OF twenty factories In differ
ent parts of the country and from these
and his royalties he has made a fortune or
twenty or twenty-five million dollars:
]. II. Gay, a sugar planter of LOUISIANA.
who is credited with million and half
OF dollars, has a handsome residence ana
large property interests. Having retired
from business, he is leading an Idle but
contented life.
The most progressive man In town Is e.
8. Babcock. who came from Evansville,
Ind, In 1884, and has been connected WIN
all public enterprises and at the top of all
the booms He has organized and pro-
NOTED more enterprises than you can count
He organized the company that built the
Coronado Hotel; he started the water ana
gas works. the street car system. the cleo
trio light plant: he built the ferries. the
docks and other public utilities. He is now
engaged In similar lines
Ulysses g. Grant. jr, and his rich vile,
who was a daughter OF the late Senator
Chafree OF Colorado. Is recognized as one
of the leading citizens of San Diego. He
lives in a handsome house, has large real
estate interests, and Is public spirited and
popular. Jesse Grant, the youngest son q
the late President, Is mining engineer m
active practice: although he makes his
home and headquarters here, he spends
most of the time In the mountains In pur-
suit OF his profession.
Benjamin p. Cheney. jr., whose wife Is
the Deautl1ul Julla Arthur, the actress, LdS
more than FIVE million dollars invested IN
San Diego and the neighborhood. He owns
two rancheS-one of 10000 acres and one
of 500 acres-the larger part Of them being
planted to wheat. He has several fruit
orchards and owns a controlling interest in
a little railway which runs down to the
Mexican border a distance of twenty miles.
through valley dotted with pleasant
homes. 1t is the most important lemon belt
In America. The largest lemon orchard In
the world Is there. Several hundred car
loads of fruit are shipped out by Mr..
Cheney's railroad every year. and there
are factories for the manufacture of citric
acid. oil Of lemon and other by-products.
Several thousand acres are given up to
grapefruit, oranges and Olives which are
packed and pressed for oil.
Other Men Of Wealth.
John d. spreckles of San Francisco, a son
OF Claus Spreckles owns almost everything
you can see. He invested more than five
millions OF dollars In San Diego after the
latest boom burst and everybody in town
broke" He had the money and the
confidence. and invested with great sagac-
ity at prices which were merely nominal
He owns Coronado Beach and the great
hotel there, which cost million and a half
OF dollars. 1t was built by a stock company
that failed, and he bought 1t in for a NOM
inal price. He owns the Tent City, of
which told you about in previous letter.
stretched along the Shining Strand. and
nearly nalt or the area or Coronado Island
is his He owns the street lines In San
Diego and three short railroads to the SUBJ
urbs. He owns the docks and the ferries
across the bay: warehouses and several fac
tories. and has two newspapers. morning
and evening. to defend his interests. Mr..
Spreckles has very valuable properties else
where. including the largest beet sugar mill
in the world and several plantations in the
Hawaiian Islands. He owns a line of ocean
steamers He is one of the richest men In
the United States and one OF the most con-
spicuouS for his business success. He Is
now engaged In developing an enormous
water system for the benefit OF San Diego
and the surrounding country. He will have
four reservoirs-the first, known as the Up
per Otay. twenty-one miles from town,
with a capacity OF 200O OOO.0 600 gallons; the
Lower Otay, twenty miles from town, with
a capacity OF O0.000,OO0 gallons: the
Barrett. forty miles from town. with ca
pacity OF 1900. 900. 600 gallons, and the Ma
rina, forty-five miles from town. with a
capacity of 1.TO0.00O.000 gallons The two
first named are finished, and have redeemed
5000 acres of desert land. which will be di-
vided and sold In small tracts. The others
will be handled In the same manner and
will bring under cultivation at least 5000
farms south and east of the city.
Young Mr.. Flood, son OF the bonanza