The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-16

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 16.-The
new San Francisco is now beginning
to show above the ruins of the OLD.
Nine months work has been done to-
word clearing away debris, laying
foundations and starting up the walls
of the big buildings which are now
shooting up all over the city.
What has been done, and what is
now showing. is ample evidence that
the pessimistic assertions OF those who
made superficial observations of the
growth of the city after the fire, were
based on false premises. More than
$7O,0oO,000 have been expended in re-
construction work, and the work is
going on more rapidly today than at
any time since the people of San Fran
cisco were confronted with the greatest
problem that has ever been placed
before any people in the world
The California promotion committee
has made a careful canvas of condi-
tons in San Francisco, and feels that
the people of the nation have good
cause to rejoice over the results which
have been achieved since the disaster
of last April. one hundred and fifty
class A buildings are under cOnstruc-
ton, or have been completed since the
fire, all these ranging from five to
- stories in height. AS it is estimated
that it requires from eight months
to two years to complete this class of
building all of them will be fully oc-
cupied within two years from the day
of the fire, the business heart of San
Francisco not only will be rebuilt. but
will be better than it was prior to the
fire.
Building Boom Is On.
Apartment houses. hotels. flats and
cottages are being erected all over the
city, to such an extent that within six
ty days there will be ample room for
all who may come. The greatest diff
ficulty experienced in reconstructins
San Francisco has come from the fact
that there was inadequate house room
for the artisans needed to rebuild the
burned city. That condition has been
surmounted. and the city contains to-
day within 10000 of the number of in
habtants when the fire came. Ac-
cording to a careful census of houses
and average inhabitants there are at
present living in San Francisco, 1873
0G0 people, while in it and the ada
cent cities about the bay, there is a
total of 100000, or $4,000 more than
i,, +l,o
fire
Inquiries develop the fact that there
are now located in the surrounding
cities and towns fully $4,000 people who
Will come back to San Francisco to
make their homes as soon as house
room is provided. These houses are
going up as rapidly as men can put
material together and it is note
worthy fact that they are all rented be-
fore completion. According to inves
legations made by the committee there
are 10000 skilled artisans in the build
ing trades al work in San Francisco
There are $4,000 teams At work haul
ing on reconstruction work. and 90
600 ordinary laborers in constant en-
plOyment in the same line.
For two weeks in the latter part of
January, heavy and continuous rains
held back some of the construction
work, but since clear weather set in
again the tide of building permits has
resumed it's former magnitude More
than $40,000,000 is the value repre-
mits have been issued since the fire.
and when it is remembered that in
nearly every instance the amount eX-