The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-27
San Francisco's Future.

Faith in San Francisco's future has
been stril1ingly eXemplified in the i'm
mediate resolve of property owners
and investors to rebuild the stricken
| and smoking city. AS was the case at
Galveston and at Baltimore, even in
the first shock of disaster there has
been no yielding to pessimism and des-
| pair. Pluck to face losses and to- re-
build on broader and better foundations
is thoroughly American quality, and
San Francisco's determination to rise
again undismayed from her ashes ac-
cords with our national spirit of pro-
gress and optimism. Yet the faith
shown by the interests which center
at San Francisco in that city's develop
ment is not based on mere enthusiasm
and conjecture. 1t rests on solid
basis of fact, for nature has given San
Francisco advantages which assure her
future as center of population and
commerce. She has only to employ
these advantages to hold against all
corners her supremacy as the chief
port on the Pacific and the chief city
on the Pacific Slope
The configuration of the western
coast makes San Francisco its most
useful and most visited harbor. From
San Diego to the Straits of Vancouver
there is no other natural haven for
shipping. San Pedro, near Los
Angeles, has an artificial breakwater,
but no great roadstead like landlocked
San Francisco Bay. Portland, Ore,
lies too far up the Columbia and
Willamette rivers to be reckoned as a
great seaport. Puget Sound, it is true,
offers the shelter necessary, and
Seattle is rapidly becoming an i'm
portant shipping center. For trade
going to Japan, China and Alaska
Seattle is little more favorably
situated than San Francisco and is
the natural sea outlet for the great
wheat growing country along our
northern border from Minnesota west.
But Seattle is hampered now, and will
be hampered more in the future, by
the development of through railroad
lines and ports beyond the Canadian
boundary, and she will lack for years
we'll developed territory Immediately
tributary for which she can serve
commercially as distributing center.
San Francisco is already not only
a great port for foreign trade, but is
the distributing center for all North
ern and Central California. AS the
state grows in wealth and productive
power (and California will some day
be one of the richest, as it is one of
the largest. states in the Union) this
distributing trade will become enorm-
ously caluable. 1t must be remembered
that in the Southern Pacific railroad
San francisco ENJOYS an exceptionally
short overland route to the Gulf Of
Mexico, SO that Eastern products
destined to the Pacific Slope going
either from New York or Galveston or
by way of the Isthmus of Panama can
be delivered in San Francisco much
more cheaply than in Portland or
Seattle. From this point of view Los
Angeles might be considered more
dangerous commercial rival than
! either of the more northern ports.
/ Los Angeles is nearer the East But,
On the other hand, she has littlesor no
sea traffic, and her ability to develop
an ocean trade Is prOblematica1 More
over, she has at present also only a.
limited distributing field; for, though
| Southern California is itself rich and
| fruitful, it Is hemmed in to the south
and east by arid and undeveloped
wastes with which trade on sub
stantial scale is out of the question.
San Francisco is the natural trade
gateway of the western coast and will
retain this distinction. 1t will probably
be shown that the destruction of last
/ week was due in very small part to
the actual earthquake shock and In
| very large part to the non-fireproof
character Of the buildings consumed.
a new city can easily be built safer
to i've in, more attractive, more popl-
lous and Conducting commerce far
exceeding that of the San Francisco
| which has now practically vanished
| New York Tribune.