Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-11
mind b,ew It was impossible to hear Lu-


wind blew 1t was impossible to near L "
cia above high for the Tapping or the :
canvas walls of the opera house.
Where, oh where, between the seven seas
will Won find such another people!
people who rebuild metropolis IN 'nIes
wears: who smile through disaster anu
never forget to keep busy. A people "no
will play with you. be gay with you' OF
join you In prayer a.,
trict every new structure Is much larger.
loftier and more costly than before Tnere
is scarcely an exception. and the improve
ment in architectural design Is the mosI
notable of ALL San Francisco has oeen
the uRiiest Of American cities Love for
the ornate was gratifed at the expense
of dignity and good taste. but men WHO
wear big diamond studs in the bosoms o,
their flannel shirts could not be expec.eu
display, and wanted 1t laid on thick. -.
But the new San Francisco Is very az
ferent, and indicates advance IN cunure
that is gratifying. There are no more
tasteful or beautiful buildings IN tne
world than the three big hotels. the FAR
mont. the Palace and the st. Francis.
There are no finer examples OF business
architecture than the Bank OF California.
the Hibernia Bank, the Union Irust
building. the Bank of San Francisco t the
Flood and the Monadnock buildings. ano
other skyscrapers that could be men
toned, while the Call building and the
Humboldt Savings Bank lift their Iofty
towers above the roofs OF the rest OF the
city with dignified and stately air.
Credit to the City.
The new Federal building is admirable
and the municipality is erecting a series
Of structures that would be credit to
any city-a f1ve-million-dollar city hall.
a courthouse, a hospital, thirty-four new
schoolhouses, several police stations ana
fire department houses.
In addition to these large expenditures
a new water supply system, new sewers
garbage crematories and fire system
with ninety great cisterns are being pro.
yided to meet the needs OF million ana
a half of people. The present population
is estimated at 5O7 600, which will be an
advance from 342, 1872 since the census OF
1900.
There are Is Onew hotels already open:
with 1880 suites and rooms, capable OF
accommodating $1,000 guests. The 81.
Francis, which is q house of homelike
luxury under the management OF James
Woods, who was educated at tne wal
dorf in New York. is a model hotel ana
one of the most satisfactory in the coun-
try. It can accommodate 1000 people.
The new Palace Hotel. which belongs to
the Sharon estate and occupies the site OF
the old one, has accommodations TOT ioo,
and the Fairmont. which was completed
a few days before the fire and would
have opened its doors to the public with
In a keew or SO. has been entirely re-
stored refurnished and equipped with &C
commodations for a thousand guests.
It represents an investment OF more than
SS. 600 600 and belongs to Mrs. Oelrichs OF
New York, daughter of the late Senator
Fair.
The numerous other hotels and apart
ment houses make San Francisco one or
the best equipped cities in the world In
this respect.
Wharves Escape the Flames.
The wharves did not burn. The fire
stopped when it reached the broad paw
ing stones of East street, which runs
along the docks. and this was a great
benefit, because the material for the re-
building of the city-the lumber from the
north Pacific coast. the steel from Eng
land, the furnishings from France. the
cement and other things from Germany.
and the million dollars worth or supphes
from the Atlantic ports of the United
States-could be landed and stored at
convenient places without having to re-
build the wharfage.
There are thirty-one wharves with
eight miles of berthing room upon the
bav front of San Francisco, and seven
million tons of freight We're handled there
last year. A Harbor Improvement Asso-
citation has been organized for their ex-
tension and the introduction OF modern
methods Of handling freight. which in
voNe an expenditure of twenty-five mil
lion dollars by the United States govern
ment, the city, the railroads and the
steamship companies.
One of the most important OF the I'M
proyements Is the construction of Dun
barton bridge, south of Hunters Point
dry dock where, at the narrOwest point
Of the bay. the Southern Pacific railway
trains from Portland and other northern
points and Ogden and other eastern points
freight in the heart of San Francisco in
stead Of at Oakland on the other side or
the bay. This means great deal 70
freight and passenger traffic, and Will
save millions of dollars annually to ship
pers by economy in the handling OF
freight Trains from the south already
land in a convenient section OF the city.
but passengers coming from every other
direction are required to leave the cars at
Oakland and finish their journey on
ferryboat.
Millions Spent in Rebuilding.
The street ar companies have spent
twelve million dollars rebuilding their
tracks, and the facilities of communica-
ton have been greatly improved and are
now equal to those of any other city in
the United States. These improvements
have involved an unfortunate series of
scandals, indictments and prosecutions in
the courts. for which everybody ought to
be regretful but whatever ground there
ma hayve been for the charges Of corrup-
ton the reform movement has been de-
graded into a personal and factional fight
between rival interests whose partisan
vindictiveness is more conspicuous than
their anxiety for the public welfare.
Notwithstanding the enormous expendi-
lures that have been necessary for the
building of the city, the parks and boule-