Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-26


For three months now past not only
the people of the United States but of
the whole world have been engaged
with great intentness on the spectacular
events which have transpired in the
city Of San Francisco.
With perhaps the exception Of the
great earthquake In Lisbon, Portugal,
about century and a half ago.
nothing SO sensational and monumental
has occurred in the history of the
lword. The destruction of Pompeii and
Herculaneum was merely the wiping
out OF suburbs. The temporary oblter-
alton of San Francisco was the blottlng
out for the time being of a commercial
mart which stood seventh in the United
states In its financial clearances, and
which, miraculous to say, still stood
seventh in the official list published last
week. This is a miracle of finance
never achieved in the worlds history
In the past. 1t looks Incredible, and
would be only possible in such a state
as California and such a region as the
Pacific coast.
In paper which contributed to The
Herald some months ago 1 gave an
accurate account of previous disasters
by 1re-and fire was the real potent
agent of destruction In the late
late lamentable visitation. In the
ffties San Francisco was as completely
blotted out by the fire fiend as she was
by the conflagration OF the latter part
Of last April, and with not. tithe of
the elements of recuperation which
exist now.
While impatient people are busily ex
claiming about the slowness of the re-
Mobilization at the Golden Gate there
has been nothing slow about 1t. What
has been accomplished there is a
triumphant vindication of the genius of
the American people for civism. The
harmonious working of the military and
the best elements of citizenship to the
conservation of everything that could
be saved is without parallel in the
annals of municipal government.
That much has happened which
should be deprecated and which has
aroused the indignation of right
minded people goes without saying.
The attitude of a large portion Of the
insurance guild has come in time to
supplement the infamous developments
Of the New York life insurance COM
panies and to shake the confidence of
the people of not only California but
Of the whole United States and of the
world in the ephemera of these institu-
tions. The recalcitrant attitude of these
corporations of itself in repudiating or
caballing about their obligations Is
enough to explain whatever of delay
there may be in concert of action about
the rebuilding of the city. The conduct
of those companies Is the more dis
creditable ecause, for quite forty years
past, San Francisco has been a perfect
mint of money to the insurance COM
panies. Owing mainly to its superb
fire system during that long period
there have been few great fires in the
Golden Gate. This has been the more
surprising because the city was so
largely built of wood and the trade
winds sweep through the noble entrance
to the harbor with almost the force of
a cyclone.
The removal of the impedimenta, fol-
lowing the demolition of so vast city,
is thing necessarily slow For
tuntely San Francisco is happily placed
in this regard. Surrounded by the
ocean and bay on three sides, her abil-
ity to dump what she can find no use
for is unlimited. Amongst other things
worthy of note, as an incident Of the
disaster, is that E. Fl. Hartman, the
president of the Union AMI Southern
Pacific railways. was given an oppor-
tunity, of which he has fully availed
himself. of proving himself a statesman
His aid to the people of San Francisco
in escaping from their furnace-heated
peninsula is only equaled bv his en-
lightened policy, which he is now carry
ing out, of giving San Francisco in
creased facilities for transportation by
building a b. -dge across the narrows.
With the insurance once adjusted and
those additional transportation facil-
tiles provided, the building record made
by San Francisco will no doubt be the
greatest recorded on earth.
There are many most encouraging
features there. One is a thing that
most people don't know-the metropolis
of the Golden Gate. in flush times as in
poor has always paid her way. The
municipality doesn't owe 80 cents. For
forty years and more she has always
stood by the dollar limit. When her
municipal statesmen get a little am
bition on themselves they will find