Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-04-23

over the greater part OF lis ar'"
These transportation convenience
have resulted in reducing the average
number of persons in dwelling tt
64 The ease with which the trans
hav cities Of Oakland. Alaineda
Berkeley. San Rafael Sausalito ah'
Eelyedere are reached has also con
tributed to that result
The places named are all withn y
minutes tide of San Francisco aho
their total population Of more mar
100 600 * mainly composed Of person
ene,ged in business iii the city.
Tho last three named rrc largely mad
IN of summer homes. Tn" small town
ON the peninsula AZ" also largely il
babitod by San Francisc ms. Burlingnmr
;, fashionable resort. nod led after TUX
edo rs twenty-five miles south Of tn,
CITY. Menlo Park near by, is the home o!
,nany wealthy men.
Palo Alto, the seat Of Leland Stanford
Jr, University, is on the p"n.neuIu. lbour
thirty miles from S IN Frlncigco, and til.
California University is situated III Berkc-
lev Both of these great universities
have intimate relation with the city. tn"
latter 4 STATE institution, ndiIraInIiI,,
&,v, raj affiliated colleges tim III" cIty 81
boundaries. y pant ol tli- great rndoa
n"nt 81 Stanford II IL Sin rdl,-ls"o.
IIe famous a"r' thr cl!n Hpns".
from ne p.dIEd Ul Whi n iIt;I.i.tt ~
q ais rIdy D' seen d sporting i'll TIC v ( /.
on The rocks ana til" u"Irnv hC;i' h. ;'fr3
visited by many thousands ctclN sunday
ana hriItty. NOuut Ianalp1lS. aItu.it, Il
ii. one II Tho tlNn5hHy couHti"s. Is Hc-
ccSSIbi" By ferry and tram in aty,;t two
hours. Its elevation ~ 90 feet and il
CorGElands q view III th, city. the Bay.
he, G.ilf 1fg i n
towns.
The i'nportlncc Of san Franc SEQ i; due
to it3 position On the bay u that nam.
witch IS accounted one uI IT," finest har
b"rs in TIL" world. The are, OF the har
h"r is 40 square miles. and IL; wIdfh
varies ir"n five to twclv" miles II IS
ma vi;sabIe for Il distctuc" Of mure thai,
tnrtH miles by the largest vessel i'll exist
encr.
An active aoaStuisc commerce is car
rid on with Alasit'. til" ports of Pug.
Sound and those on the southern coast Of
California. Ther" is also REGULAR com
nunicatio with tie ports Of tho Atlantic.
In addition. i large fleet Of sailing vesseIs
bear to Europe the SURPLUS grain ana
miscellaneous merchandise of Calftorni.,
most Of which passes through this p1rt.
Exports to foreign countries and Allan
tic ports were recently valued al S4I, h1, -
and the imports at &3f0IS,270. A grea.
deal of treasure pass IS through San Fran
t:sco.
San Francisco is rated as the tenth in
Importance of the manufacturing cities Of
the United states.
IT'S PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIES.
Sugar refining, slauShteriES ara meat
packing and the manufacture of foundry
and machine shop products are the most
important industries. ShipbuiIdng haS
made corsiderabl" progress. BattleshipS
and merchant vessels ara constructed i'll
San Francisco yards. the Oregon and
Olympia being noteworthy examples Of
the former.
San Francisco is governed Under d
charter adopted by tn" people. which
went into effe ct recently. With tho eXccp-
ton Of some bonds issued in lS1i-1j fO.-
the acquisition of a park. now nearly ma
turcd. and to meet which Il sinking fund
exists, the city is absolutely free from
debt.
The charter under which the municipal
it, is governed displaced the act limiting
the rate of taxation for ordinary munich
pal purposes to l PEI, cent on the a.
SeSScd valuation of all property. An eX-
ira tax may be levied to meet unusual re-
Guiremcnts. and there is comprehensive.
license system. The assessed value Of al
property n few years ago was Si2S. .0O0,NO.
There is an active movement in San
Francisco looking tt the acquisition of 1
municipal water system. the present SUD
nly being derived from 4 private CORPORA
tion's reservoirs on the peninsula.
In addition to the safeguard mentioned
the charter has created a civil scrvic
great power in the hands Of the Mayor.
who. by his veto. which can be- overrid-
den only by a tive-sixthS vote of tho
Board of Supervisors. can prevent the
The population of San Francisco iri*
grown very rapidly The population. in
1850 vas $50 in 1870; 1919: in 1880. 2;23,-
95s; in l>9N 2sS9s, ~. in tia lm. H3'> I, ,ooo
numbered 35, 1874; the Irish 1850: The Eng
lish. Scotch and Welsh. 1892; Italians,
7;OS; and Chinese 1854.
Tho CipPSp live in a distinct quarter
which has taken on many Of the char
acteristcS Of their own land. Their $50
lation is entirely voluntary 2nh extends
not farther than the choice Of place ot
hahitatiOn.
Though this clrss Of Orient ols is dimin
ishing: the japanese ar" coming II rapid,
already. but. unlike the Chinese. do not
sccregate themselves.
The first settlement WAS made in th.
CITY on October O. 1716. VIII. n two Francis
liShcd here an Indian mission which th"y
called Sun Francisco de Assist, tho name
san Francisco having been previously
given to tho hav.
About this mission after the Mexi"pnS
obta;ncd control Of California in 1S-"
small village called Dolores grow up. TIL"
mission itSclf proSpertd until 1S2i. when
il WIS Secnlarzed. "nd in fCw years
thereafter little remained hut IT," adoh"
buildings.
In 1896. near tho hest anchorage ami
three milns northeast of the mission.
small trading village. Tcrbl Rr rn. W.
founded ard from it the modern city
really develCDcd
Tho United Statos in 1916 took posses
sion ;.nd in the following v"ar. its poDu-
lation thcr being 10. Ycrbn Rucna ov
changed IT,; old nHmc fer that of thr
lniSSion and the hay.
On the discovery of gold in California
il, 1878 persons Of "vorv social Gtrrtum
and many Municipalities Fockcd hithcr
and ponulation Of San francisco in
creased with tremendous rapid!tv.
'rhc buildings were constructed Of the
most combrstibIe materials ard wcrn
hudtlled closely together, 50 that the
early wears were marked hv terrjhl"
losses from fire. Ir the five big fires nf
December -. 1870: Nav 4. 1Sl1: June T..
$50: May .. 1851: and June >. 1851. thc
nro nertv DESTROYED reached an aggregate
valI" Of $4,000 nnO
In 1854 oversrec',lation and u diminish
ing return from tn" mines caused 2 TOM
Corarv check to the growth Of the citv.
frt in 1853 4 new period of prosperity
opened
San Fra nnc'Sco was Incorporated in 1870
and in 1876 the city and the county wers
consolidated. An earthquake did soma
hamac" on October y. 1868 In 1Ss7-Ss
San Francisco was the centre Of tho
movement known as Kcarneyism in Calf
fornia.