The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-09
REBUILDING SAN FRANCISCO.
MANY PROPERTY OWNERS WON'T
NEED SYNDICATE LOANS.

hNAthS w - - eODNNo VNhuOehS WV
Triangular Regions OF Made Land and
swampIand. on which Buildings VIII BE
'fF1ro proof and Earthquake Proof"
The development Of the plans for hnan-
cling the rebuilding of San Francisco will,
1t 10 expected, Progress rapidly to-day.
Generally, men interested in the proposed
syndicate said yesterday, they will follow
the scheme outline by them the preceding
day.
As was stated In THE Sun yesterday
It is expected that the syndicate will sell
bonds secured by mortgages on property
on which loans are made. One Of the men
most actively interested In the proposition
said that this feature had received especial
attention. One way In which this could
be done would be to organise the company
after the fashion Of the European mortgage
banks, sell debenture bonds based on San
Francisco mortgages and use the pro-
oeeds for the loans.
The syndicate, it ives said, will certainly
finance rebuilding to the amount OF $780,
ooo, 900, and 1t was pointed out that this
amount will 60 q long way toward putting
up the big ONCE and business buildings
Of the new city, Several men interested
in San Francisco property we're Of the
opinion that 1t would be quite suflcienti
since 60 many owners Of San Francisco
property are able TO rebuild without OUT
side aid.
franklin K. Lane, for three terms city
the opponent Of Gov. Pardee In the last
State election in California, is in the city
on business nee ted with the tentative
syndicate. Mr.. Lane said yesterday that
the plan has not taken definite shape; no
one knows yet how much money it will
have 70 give to the project nor Just how
There is no doubt that building will
go on at once he said, land no one in
San Francisco, even in the depression
which followed the earthquake, doubted
for a moment that the city would he rebuilt.
There are a lot Of resources apart from
the money which we propose to raise by
this syndicate. There is the insurance
money. which we reckon in San Francisco
at $ls5 900, 900: the banks were never in
better shape than they were just before
the disa ster, and they will have an amount
of money as yet unreckoned to put into
rebuilding. We're going to rebuild sanely.
Of course, with due regard to fires
earthquakes, and with all precautions in
the way Of mains and reservoirs aga inst
another great conflagration. -.
Perhaps the East doesn't understand
the factors in the earthquake problem.
Allthe~b buildings which went down we're either
crazy shacks on the made lands or badly
constructed brick buildings of the type
wherein the frame was Of. wood with a brick
irewall. In b case Of these brick buildings,
also, the greater part Of the damage. was
on the made lands. The great loss of life
was on the southern fringe of Market street
from the waterfront to about Fourth street.
This part of the city was originally aswamp:
A great deal has been said of the fall Of
City Hall. That stood above the dry bed
Of ar old creek and was not anchored deep
enough. The new postofhce was also on
that creek bed; but for that building they
bored for three years to get foundations
deep enough The postofioe was only a
little damaged. ! drove all through the
business district in an automobile within
three hours after the disaster and before
the fire had made any Roadway. Not one
hurt in the least. Some of the Eastern
papers nave told how they cast their shells.
That is not true. They did not lose a brick.
-even the windows remained unbroken.
and the rest in the low land. A modern
steel skyscraper has proved itself the safest
place in al earthquake, Honestly con-:
structed wooden and brick buildings stood
it too, Nine out Of ten houses destroyed
by the earthquake we're old and fimsy
and should have been torn down by city
ordinance long before.
This seems TO be the accepted plan for
rebuilding: Montgomery street will be
widened fifteen feet; Montgomery avenue,
at an obtuse angle. will be extended until
it joins Market street at q point near the
waterfront. This street also will be made
wide. That will form a triangle COM
prising about all Of the made lands except
ing the old swamp already, mentioned.
This triangle. guarded by wide streets on
all sides, will be kept by city ordinance for
fireproof steel structure buildings only. II
they draft and enforce the city ordinances
properly, no building will go up. on that
1t follows that the tendency Of business
building will change; San Francisco has
been building uptown; now the movement
will be downtown.
Nearly a mile west OF Montgomery
street and parallel with it is Var Ness ave-
nue., one Of the widest streets in the city.
Montgomery street, Montgomery avenue
the waterfront, Market street and Van Ness
avenue will bound another area with wide
streets for isolation in case of a great fire.
wide, will be continued to Market street.
which it will meet near the present site OF
the City Hall. Across Market street and
continuing in a straight line from the pan;
handle will be run a new and wide boulevard
triangle and will. include all Of the old swamp
IN which most of the loss of life occurred.
In the district covered by this swamp
the city will probably enforce a steel
structure ordinance. Such new avenues,
l believe. are a part of the Burnham plan,
which We will not be able to put wholly
into operation because Of lack Of meal
in these trying times. We shall probably
keep his idea OF a civic centre. II will be
at the point where Var Ness and Market,
two Of the wide thoroughfaree, meet the
extended park panhandle. The new post
office already stands IN this square and
there is no reason to suppose that the city
hall will be built elsewhere. The city has
in mind a public library and one of the great
private libraries on that spot.
Salt water mains will be installed for
fires. and as a preoaution against confagra-