Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-30
SPIRIT OF SAN FRANCISCO
Progressive Strides of the Stricken City at
the Golden Gate
UP AND DOING DAY AND NIGHT
What Has Been Accomplished since
the Disaster of April 1S-GIowinE
Tribute TO the Courage ana
Devotion of People.

The annals of 1906, when impartially writ
ten, will record no greater tribute to hui
man courage and devotion than that dis
played by the people of San Francisco In
rising from the ruins of disaster Evil
dence Of that splendid spirit is strikingly
displayed in the rehabilitation number"
of the San Francisco Chronicle, issued on
the 10Th Pictures of buildings completed
and under way, of fire-scorched buildings
rebuilt and streets cleared show what has
been achieved in eight months and are
fortified with statistics of development
and restoration in all lines of commercial.
financial and industrial activities. Review
ing the achievements of that brief period
the Chronicle says:
On April is the world was aghast at the
crushing blow dealt San Francisco. Eight
months later the world is amazed at the
extent of San Francisco's recovery from
the effects of that blow. Strangers who
have visited this city in the past few
months have been not so impressed by the
extent of the disaster as by the extent of
the rebuilding and impressed less by either
than by the perfect faith and courage with
which the citizens of San Francisco have
gone about restoring their devastated city
| to its former state. How many who have
come here since the reconstruction began
| nave Decn HedIu 10 say am bppdlIeu
at the extent of the fire, but 1t doesn't
seem In the least appalling to San Fran
ciscans! why, you positively go about the
rebuilding of your city with smiles on your
faces. l think you are the bravest people
| In the world"
From the reflections of strangers visiting
this city can best be judged the opinions
of the disaster that were commonly held
| by the outside world, and from which It
will be seen how much they were at vari-
ance with those commonly held in the city
most affected A few predicted a second
| Pompeii, to be unearthed in the future cen.
turtles, more believed that a thriving little
| town would spring up out of the ashes and
| ruins, but scarcely any outside San Fran
! cisco thought that this could ever again be-
come the metropolis of the Pacific coast,
or that its citizens would ever again be
the care-free well-fed, well-dressed, we'll
housed and altogether happy people that
had formerly lived here. As a matter Of
fact. eight months after the fire San Fran
ciscans taken as a whole, are the best
fed, best-clothed, best-housed, best-paid,
most prosperous and happiest people In the
world.
San Francisco Nearly Devastated.
The fire burned over an area of about
| $500 acres and destroyed in value about
one-third of the improvements in the city,
or nearly 100000 900. More than 10000 peo-
pie were left homeless, and practically all
the supplies, except those in the posses
! sion of the army, were destroyed. Fami-
lies that still had homes were compelled
| to cook in the streets. and about one
fouth OF the population had no homes.
Here was the most critical situation that
ever confronted city in the modern his
tory of the world. The country at large
was generous in its treatment of San Fran
CISCO and immediate needs were met
mainly from outside sources. But this
was a condition that could not long con-
tinuc. and San Franciscans realized the
fact that for the permanent rehabilitation
OF their city they must look TO themselves
and depend on their own courage and eff
forts and the undaunted courage and SUI
perhuman efforts with which they met the
condition have been productive of results
! that are amazing mankind.
or the two main causes that led TO the
| rapid rehabilitation of the city, one was
internal and the other external. For the