Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-08-12
STRIKING ITS FORMER PACE
San Francisco Moving Onward and Upward
in Fine Style.
SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN THREE MONTHS
Notable Achievement in Newspaper
rehabilitation Lessons of
the Fire-Unique Claims
for Damages.

the Fire-Unique Claims
for Damages.
| To the commercial mind the bank clear
| ings of city are the index of progress
| and taking this as the criterion, San Fran
| cisco has returned to very near its nor
NAL business conditions. But while San
| Francisco has resumed business, and Is
| doing more than it did year ago, 1t must
not be understood that it is rebuilt. 1t is
not quite three and one-half months since
the fire started which destroyed the bust
ness portion of the city. Thirty days
| passed before the ruins were cool enough
! to permit the handling of the debris, and
| not much can be done in the way Of re-
J building a big city in seventy-four days
! The fire began on the morning of April Is,
| and on the afternoon of July 80 workmen
| uncovered hot Goals, which burst into
flame when exposed to the air This was
ninety-eight days after the place had been
| burned.
1t is we'll to remember these facts when
! considering the rebuilding of San Fran
| cisco, and the firm which rehabilitates it
self within three and a half months in its
| old place of business shows an energy
which speaks well for the future of the
city. According to the estimates of the
! California promotion committee 5000 firms
| are now doing business in the burned dis
| trict. Temporary structures to the number
of 1850 have been erected and eighty-siX
| permanent buildings are being erected.
| Thirty-five class "a" buildings, damaged
| by fire, are undergoing reconstruction, and
/ eighteen of them are now occupied.
The business of San Francisco is esti-
mated to have recovered to the extent of
! 70 per cent of what 1t was before the fire.
! The bank cearings for the month OF July
! showed an increase of So per cent over
those of July, 1905, while the building per-
mits for the last month exceeded SS000,O0O
in value. Twenty-Five thousand men are at
work on reconstruction of the city, and
the demand for labor in the building trades
and for ordinary laborers is increasing
/ daily. One hunded carloads of debris have
| been removed daily since July l, but even
| at this rate 1t will take fully a year to
have 1t all cleared away.
Recovery of the Newspapers.
| The rehabilitation of the big newspapers
speaks volumes for the energy of san
| Francisco. The fact that the Issues were
continuous, owing to the use OF plants
across the bay in Oakland, is not matter
! of great credit to the enterprise OF the
publishers, but when 1t is known that the
Call was printing its paper in its own
| building within six weeks of the day of the
fire, and that the Chronicle had installed
an entirely new plant in Its building and
was issuing its papers regularly there
! within ninety days, something of the ra-
! pidity with which San Francisco Is being
rehabiltated may be understood.
The Call saved the larger of its presses
and rushed orders for its lnotypes and
other machinery, and was able to utilize
| its old home In a very short time. The
! Chronicle had to get a complete new plant
| of mammoth presses and linotypes, stereo-
| typing machinery and all the accessories
| of a big newspaper. The old building of
J the Chronicle was destroyed by the hre
| and the new building was not completed.
When It is known that $4,000 worth of
marble facing was destroyed in this new
building some idea may be had of It's
| character.
The Examiner was not so fortunate, for
its building was entirely destroyed by fire
| and dynamite, and II has been compelled
| TO use temporary quarters all this time,
but II is rushing work on its old site and
| plans have been made for new building,
better in every way than the one de-
| stroyed.
The Bulletin secured temporary quarters
|
this home in the burned district. Plans
for the new home Of the Bulletin have
been perfected and it expects TO occupy
fine building on Market street by the be-
ginning of the new year.
thrush of Building Material.
| According to the Investigations OF the
! California promotion committee there will
! be a demand for 100000 bricks daily by
the end OF August. but the yards in and
around San Francisco will be fully able
! TO meet this demand. The brick from
burned buildings will materially aid in
making a full supply.
Crushed rock is in great demand for
foundations, facings and other concrete
work, and it Is estimated that the various
crushers in San Francisco, Marin and
! Alameda counties will be able TO furnish
all that will be required. These quarries
haYe a combined capacity of between 5000
and 1000 cubic yards day. and contractors
think this amount will meet all require
ments for some time 10 come.
Cement is short in supply but this will
be overcome before the end Of August.
The big plants In California are working
night and day, and seven cement laden
ships on the way here from Europe are
expected to arrive before September. It is
thought that from these sources the sup
ply will be ample.
There is an appreciable shortage In build
ers' hardware and plumbers supplies, but
as soon as the freight blockade is lifted
there will be an ample supply for all de-
mands
Structural steel Is coming from the east
n large quantities. and the big plants at