New-York tribune., 1906-08-26
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When the overland traveller Of to-day ap-
p-osches san Francisco from the hay and stands
On the upper deck Of the ferryboat 20 get hts
first view Of the fire stricken city, he Is prone 20
believe that il is dead He does not see the nm
burned houses OF the Western Addition. He be-
holds only the vast stretch OF desolation IN the
foreground It so fsscinates him that he can see
nothing else.
The Californian at his elbow may ten him that
TIE metropolis Of the Pacific Coast is to be re-
built greater and better than before but he
shakes his head He hears Of plans for vast
new buildings 10 accommodate thousands of
persons and TO cost millions Of dollars. but to
himself he says: Yes. yes; but that's ali on
paper. TO me the city looks as much a waste as
II the fire had burned itself out only yesterday.
The scene which is gradually unfolding before
him would indeed seem to warrant such g belief
As he draws nearer the city he sees more and
more distinctly the ravages Of the great con-
aagrat.on. He sees tail buildings. grirly, win
6oTless. hollow. through which the sun shines
as through vast. empty cages. They we're built
with steel frames and the frames survived.
Around them on every side. where brick build
iugs stood, tower fantastic ruins-jagged walls
the remnants of great stores and warehouses;
iotterfng arches. marking the sites Of splendid
churches. and cavernous pits once the audi
tude Of wooden houses stretch broad fields of
ashes. with only here or there an isolated Chin
ney standing like a giant cactus in the desert.
From Rincon Hill. on the left. to far of TeIe-
graph Hill. on the right, all IS desolation.
AS soon the stranger sets foot on shore.
however. he experiences a peculiar revulsion Of
feeling. He is aroused as Il were. from sleep.
He discovers that San Francisco is by no means
dead Instead OF landing among lonely ruins,
where he may continue his melancholy reverie,
he finds himself in the hurly-burly OF city
crowds and city noises. The whole scene ap-
pears 10 have undergone a sudden change. In
visible before, when he viewed the town from
the water. there now spring into view hundreds
Of rough. squatty buildings all of one story and
al with saloon front" Their low gable roofs
are hid behind square pointed wooden shields.
Their tops 10 one standing directly before them
appear wide as their bottoms. They look ike
huge dry goods boxes with few holes knocked
in for doors and windows. Indeed. the first
glance at these shacks might make the visitor
think that he was in some Arizona mining camp,
we're il not for the character Of the crowds that
constantly pour IN and out of them. Only in
San Francisco can such crowds be fOund-as
energetic as New Workers, yet, IN spite OF calam-
ity. IS carelessly gay as Parisians.
However much the stranger may want to
escape from the new san Francisco OF shacks
70 the old San Francisco Of ashes. to turn from
:he present and TO mediate upon the past he
invariably fingers. The shacks have a certain
charm of their own that holds him. They be-
token the courage and dsuntlessness OF the
West. And although they have sprung out Of
the very ashes Of catastrophe. they all have
cheerful look. One needs only 10 read the signs
which are written in large letters on the fronts
Of many Of them TO discover their optimism.
Here are a few examples: