The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-08-30
SAN FRANCISCO
AS 1T is TliDA 7
pEscRIpftoM ~ ONE WHO 8
JeoElaso TO- HEP NJ
sUIEp THE sEiATTEREn 8
CITY.


al Correspondent OF the NsE York
Times writes that the following Fery
interesting letter:
Having heard from your. correspons; =
emit as 20 the hopeless condition Of san
Francisco, also from the president Of
the California Promotion Committee,
ss TO the general prosperity ct the
same city, perhaps Il would tntcEest
you TO hear from one Of the rank and
file, one Of those who are doing
things, whose ideas. Intentions. and
actions are so differently Interpreted
by your two. correspondents. Let MS
look drst at the black facts. We had
an earthquake that scared us all up
to our full capacity to BIO trtghtcncd.
followed by conhagratIon which de-
voured all the business section of the
city and about one half the resident
section, reckoning in point Of popula-
ton, (not area.) The loss Of life will
never be known. 1 might say three
thousand, oragain five thousand. Each
would be simply guess. The prop
erty loss likewise may have been
$500, 900 900. or again, $T0O,0Ot,ooO. I
don't know nor does any one else.
Dfscomforts we're plenty; actual suffer-
ing not at all. My family AMI dined
OF a can OF corn, eaten out of the
can, this being our sole dish The even
ing after the earthquake. had night
mare in consequence, but have had
nightmare after dinner in which
canned corn bore a very small part
carried wood and water, cooked in
the streets. stood in the bread line for
tour hours, AMI with ti.nnkMl heart
received, in the shape OF two hard
hoiIed eggs, my share OF the millions
of dollars the country at large had
contributed.
Pit Nil this is forgotten, the fact
heirG that we arc ali too busy to
think of it. Look at the city as 1t is.
a green pasture which has been GeV-
astated by fire. All the Weakened
cleaners have fed. leaving the ever
Epringing crop to those who remained.
Everybody here is busy. Personally.
Il hear no one discussing the safety
of the city or its advantages or dis
advantages as place of investment.
That is all newspaper talk. have
found nobody who is worrying him
self over the question as to the opin-
ions OF outsiders. Every day meet
people who left the city after the
shake and have returned and in
shamefaced way admit their error in
leaving the best place there is to
make money in the whole couatry.
I leased 1 place in the burned dis
trict a month after the fire. ] can
sell my lease at 100 per cent advance
today. am doing all the business
/ can take care of. / see nothing but
prosperity about me. This Is The true
condition of San Francisco today.
Whether there are 10000 people here
or $4,000 1 don't know, but do know
the business is here, which is the
thing of interest And it must not
be forgotten that Tie goodwill OF
thousands of firms went up In the fire,
and the business Of to-day is aHybody's
who goes after 1t. 1 don't believe in
the history of the country there has
been such an opportunity for new
house as exists today in San Fran
cisco. 1 can safely say that asser-
tions that business men lack conf
dence in the future of the city are
simply bosh. All those business men
who have this lack of confidence left
here by the first boat after the shake
and kept on going until they reached
the other ocean.
That is the great advantage OF this
city to-day. The population has been
winnowed and the chaff is scattered
to the four winds of heaven. The
present population of San francisco
lis not worrying about. its future. We
haven't time at present to take much
interest in daily chronfcIed ts.tnat
this one or that will erect class A
building. We are not worrying over
the fact that the rehabilitate1 Palace
Hotel will have Ave or seven gilt an
giles at It's pinnacles. We are occupied
in making money in one-storIed ahacl;s
at present, and will turn our thoughts
to putting our surplus into class A
buildings laterson.
| I have endeayored to give yulI an
idea of San Francisco as ii is, and
Ito show you how entirely academic
these discussions of the future Of the
city are.
EDWARD WALDEN.
San Francisco, August 20, 1900.
FIRE COMPANY
VERY ACTIVE.