The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-04-27
VAST LOSS IN BUILDINGS
Beautiful Structures Ruined by
San Francisco's Earthquake.
SOME FAMOUS THE WORLD OVER
Luxurious Palace Hotel, That Cost
I,00O.OOO-CiiR House. That Slid In
to the Sea. Was Fnvorite Resort OF
ThousanGs-1iassive Mills Building
and DigaeSt Church Gone.

and biggest Church Gone.
According to the most authentic re-
ports from san Franc co. the earth
quake and following fire destroyed the
finest buildings as well as the poorest
in the city. says the New York Times.
The flames went marching up the hill
from the downtown sections, where
huddied the Chinese by the thousands,
to Van Ness avenue. the Fifth avenue
of san Francisco, destroying some Of
the most palatial homes. Here are
brief descriptions OF some Of the best
known buildings in the city that wers
destroyed:
Palace and Grand uotels.-The Pal
ace hotel, at Market and New Mont
gomery streets. covered two and a
half acres Of land. 1t was seven sto-
ries high. The building cost $T.0OO.O0O
and was projected by the late w. G..
Ralston. The Palace was the most ia
nous hotel in the city. 1t was the rem
devious of many notable men about
town, particularly the gourmands of
San Francisco.
The building was huge pile of
stone and brick. in the center of which
was Il court 81 by 144 feet 1t had Il
bitumen drive for carriages fifty feet
in diameter. The floor of the prom
enade was paved with marble. The
west end of the court was encircled by
series of DOric pillars of classic de
sign. The pillars We're surmounted by
a coping on which were tropical plants
and flowers. Tables and settees were
usually scattered about the court,
where men might have an afternoon
chat and smoke.
The court was covered by glass
roof, and goodly number Of the $50
rooms looked out into this opening.
which furnished them with a subdued
light The Palace hotel was connected
by Il bridge across New Montgomery
street with the Grand hotel, which was
under the same management and
which was also destroyed.
The Palace hotel was provided with
reading ana smoking rooms, social,
wOmen's and mems pgrlors, telegraph
offices, billiard rooms, five elevators, Il
restaurant and grill room, which was
considered one of the most elegant din
ing apartments for men in the world.
The outer ANA inner partitions were of
brick from top to bottom. Four arte-
sian wells furnished the hotel with wa
ter. From the top of the hotel fine
birdseye view of the city could be OBJ
tanned. The extent of the corridors
amounted to some two and half
miles. The style of the building was
peculiarly San Franciscan, bay Win
dows Astounding.
The Cliff House.-This stood on Point
LObos, at the south head of the Golden
Gate, on the extreme western coast of
the peninsula upon which San Fran
cisco was built. 1t slid into the sea. 1t
was Il favorite resort in the summer.
attracting thousands from the thickly
settled eastern section of San Fran
cisco. One could sit on the veranda
and look out over the ocean and watch
sea lions playing around the rocks Il
few hundred yards distant. Out to the
south he could see long line of sea-
beach upon which the breakers rolled.
On a clear day Farallone islands, TWEEN
ty-siX miles distant, can be seen from
the spot where stood the Cliff House.
The huge structure that slid into the
Con X,aS InSi.yuo1 - aftnp a N
teau of the seventeenth century. Run
ming around it was an inclosed bal
cony There were parlors, dining
rooms and halls where photographs of
local objects of interest and curios
were sold.
The Cliff House has suffered several
disasters. 1t was first built in 1868. 1t
was partly wrecked in July, 1856, when
the schooner Parallel drifted inshor
with 10000 pounds of dynamite on
board, which exploded. Having been
rebuilt, it was burned to the ground Oh
Christmas night of 1891. Cliff House
was seven miles from the Palace hotel,
and several car lines led to it. Its
keepers boasted that Presidents Grant,
Hayes ana Harrison had stood on its
balconies.
Mills Building.-This was one of the
finest buildings in the city. being ten
stories high and made of California
marble, light pressed brick and terra
Gotta. 1t cost $1,J00,000 and was put
up in 1S91-92 by d. o. Mills at the
northeast corner of Montgomery and
Bush streets. The three entrances from
Bush, Pine and Montgomery streets
led into Il great open court in the cen
ter. The entrance from Montgomery
street was through magnificent mar
bic arch that extended to the top of the
second story. The halls were tiled and
wainscoted with marble. A complete
law library was supplied for the use of
the tenants. The United States wealth
er bureau had its headquarters on the
top floor, with the signal station on the
roof. This was another building which
the San Franciscan was always proud
to point out to the visitor. Built of
iron, stone, brick and marble through
out, it was thought to be proof against
both earthquakes and fires.
City Hall.-This occupied Il large
three cornered tract of land bounded
by Larliin and McAllister streets and
City Hall avenue. 1t required twenty
five years to erect this building, and
San Eranciscans learned to designate a
long period by saying, "As long as it
will take to build the city hall" 1t
cost between $7.0000O0 and $9,O0O,O00