Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-10-04
TRAVELLING IN THE ORIENT.
CLARENCE E. EDwoRDs, A NEwspA-
PER JOURNALIST, WILL WRITE
WEEKLY LETTERS FOR THE RE-
ooRDER OF Hrs TRIP IN THE
FAR EAST.

NoTE-Mr. Clarence K. E,lwords, Q
well known newspaper journalist, who
Is special correspondent fol the High
land Recorder, will spend some time
travelling in the Philippines, Borneo, SUI
matra, Indian Archipelago, China and
Japan. We feel sure our readers will
look forward to these letters with fnte-
rest as they will contain much informs
ton OF the Oriental countries.-Ed.
Especial to Recorder)
Honolulu, Fl. l., july 8-As We
sailed out of the Golden Gate |
looked back upon the hills Of San
Francisco, wondering il my two
years absence would bring changes
that would make the city look as
it did before the great disaster. In
fourteen months wonders in the
way of reconstruction have been
accomplished in the great metrol-
oil Of the Pac ITO, and | feel that |
can best begin my series OF letters
with q few words about San Fran
cisco and ITS phenomenal growth
after it was rayaged by earthquake
and FIRE.
IL must be remembered that
nearly 10000 buildings were de.
stroyed at that time. and that more
than 500 city blocks were wir' d
out. The entire business section
of the city was burned, entaiIing a
monetary loss of about thousand
million dollars. How many people
lost their lives in that disaster will
never be known. In the year that
has passed the people have been
city building on a scale never be-
fore seen in the world. They are
building a city in its entirety all
at one time, and have already erect
I'd complete one-third as many
buildings as were before the fire.
and have thousands Of others und.
err way. IL that rate he kept up
until | return the city will be a
better one than before the disaster
came.
The old San Francisco was the
pride Of the world, and no traveller
was satisfied until he could fell of
a visit to the city by the Golden
Gate. Because Of it's intense BIO.
hemianism it was a city OF infinite
charm. One could walk a few
blocks and imagine himself in a
foreign country. Streets marked
the lines between Asia, France,
Spain, Italy, Russia, Poland and
other countries, and the colonies
within these lines of demarkation
were as distinctive as the countries
themselves. The people kept to
themselves, holding to their old
manners and customs rs it they
were actually in their fatherlsnds.
When q visitor wandered into one
of these districts he would hear
nothing but the language OF the
country represented. 1t was a we'll
known fact that in many Of these
foreign colonies of San Francisco
people lived who had been born
there, vet who could speak no
language but that of their ances-
tors.
When San Francisco was envel.
oped in flames wondered If the
old colonies would ever be re. estab.
lished, little thinking that the first
feature to be restored would be the
unique and interesting congregat-
ing of foreigners. But It's a mat
ter of fact that the first permanent
reconstruction done was that Of the
foreign elements which hurried
back to their old homes, Italy,
Spain, France, China, Japan, Ko-
rea, POLAND. all are again there,
lust as before the fire, and | am
sure that when | return will'have
no difficulty in finding the same
old Bohemian haunts which made
San Francisco so fascinating to her
visitors.
A voyage across the Pacific is
usually marked with little Of Incl
dent, consequently there was an
unbroken rest and quiet on the
ship until yesterday morning,
when The captain said we would
see the islands BY noon. His pre-
dictinn came true, for just as the
bell was marking 10 o'clock some
one cried out, 20, see The coconut
trees" There they were. sure
..on,b lo.b;,,u n,nch no fhev ware