The National tribune., 1906-04-26
REBUILDING SAN FRANCISCO.

| HEbt iLD1NG SAN fhANttsto'
OF course San Francisco will be re-
built. There is no other thought. The
work has already begun, and it will be
carried on III way that will make all
previous records of American enter
prise and ability pale before it. AL
ready the word has gone out from
Washington that the Government will
| lend its utmost assistance in immediate
| ly rebuilding the Governments offices
and other property. This may take
millions into the work. There are many
California Iniiiionaires, who are de-
seryedly proud of their great State and
| its chief city, and they have nearly all
signified their intention of rebuilding
! their property there on scale far sur
passing the lavish architecture that has
been the pride of San Francisco for
years. The probability that earthquakes
will be a regular feature of the future
| does not discourage them in the least
II will simply confirm a style of build
| ing that has passed successfully through
the present crisis. Heretofore earth
uuakes have had to be reckoned with
| in San Francisco. and the provision
against them has been constructions Of
\ wood. These have invited the other
great form of disaster-fire-and there
| fore San Francisco has suffered more
| severely from conflagration than almost
any modern city. Through this last
catastrophe steel building has passed
with remarkable success. Whatever
| buildings have survived have becn of
this class, and even the great skyscrap-
ers went through the ordeal remarkably
well. The only great building which
seems to have collapsed was the City
Hall, which appeared to sink OF its own
| weight and imperfect construction.
| From the very first there were ugly
stories of graft in connection with the
City Hall. and undoubtedly 1t was so
badly built that 1t was ready to sue
cumb TO almost any disturbance. So
| far as can be learned the Government
buildings have stood the test very well,
and it may be that they are but little
damaged. San Francisco will be rebuilt
with steel and concrete. and we shall
find there exhibitions of remarkable de-
velopment of this new feature in archi-
| lecture.
One OF the first questions will be that
of the water mains and whether these
can be protected against earthquakes.
The damage by the earth-tremor was
comparatively little. and if the water
| ha Mt ha
would have been relatively slight The
! greatest problem for engineers, there
! fore, is that Of mGking these conduits
OF water secure.
\ While Seattle will profit greatly by
the disaster 70 San Francisco and the
insecurity that will drive some people
away from that city. yet San Francisco
must necessarily remain forever the
great port of the Pacific. The Golden
Gate is the only really good harbor for
more than 1000 miles and it is the
only place where the great, rich interior
valleys of California can reach the sea-
coast. These are rapidly filling up with
small farmers, who will raise world
OF things that must reach market. The
VI tiit great "HGdl itflS Is past.
The immense profits Of cultivating thou
sands of acres OF land in wheat are no
longer possible, and these are being cut
up into small farms, which Will be cul-
tivated intensively in the special prod
ucts for which California is peculiarly
! adapted. There will be thousands OF
homes in the fruitful San Joaquin, Sac
!, ramento and other valleys which must
pour a tide of products into San Fran
cisco. The inconceivably great trade OF
the Orient is now beginning TO pour
across the Pacific through our Western
ports, and San Francisco is, and prob
ably always Will continue to be, the
chief one of these. PheniX-iilSe, San
Francisco will rise from her ashes into
one of the greatest, richest, most active
and most populous cities in the whole
world
1