The San Francisco call., 1910-04-02
CITY ON EVE
OF AN ERA OF
DEVELOP
Prediction Made That Fresno
Viii Have 100000 People
in Ten Years
Road to Tidewater Expected to
Solve Question of Ter
minal Rates
Power Plant Enterprises VIII
Supply Energy for Fac
tories and Railways
BY WILLIAM Y. SPENCE

rtSnO ITAountl
Fresno will have a population OF
100000 in 10 years." declared one Of its
prominent citizens a few days ago.
lust talk" you say.
But is it?
"A careful review of the situation will
show that this citizens estimate, in
stead of being the dream of an enthusi-
asst, is probably practically correct.
Thirty years ago Fresno was scarcely
on the map. Now it is busy. bustling
city of over 10000 popula ton and grow
ing fast Fresno is not experiencing
a boom; the growth is steady, just
keeping pace with the development of
the country.
Within a short time Fresno is going
to secure terminal rates. The lack of
terminal rates is all that has kept the
city's growth from being phenomenal.
It's an old story. this terminal rate
question. and need not be gone into
here.
With the completion of the Panama
canal affairs will assume a new com
plexion. In the meantime a strong
traffic association has been formed In
Fresno, and if there is anything that
can be done that will force terminal
rates the citizens will do it.
NEED LINE TO COAST
What Fresno lacks is railroad to
tideWater. For years it has been agi-
tating the construction of such line.
One scheme was the construction of a
canal to Whites bridge. 80 miles west
of this city. with an electric line from
that point TO Fresno Another was the
deepening of the San Joaquin river to
HerndOn. II miles north of the city.
with an electric line to that point.
Either project is feasible. Tt now
looks, however, as though the solution
of the tidewateT question is to come
through the construction of a railroad
from Fresno to the coast with it's term
inaI at Monterey.
The agitation for the construction of
a big breakwater at Monterey harbOr
has been under way for some time and
it looks as though this breakwater will
eventually be built
Long before the breakwater is com
pleted. Fresno is certain to have rail-
road to the coast, for capital can not
afford TO ignore such a golden oppor-
tunity. With the completion of the
Panama canal. Monterey will become
Fresno's seaport and the terminal rate
question will be solved.
During a recent visit here Luther
Burbank, the plant wizard, remarked
that the development of Fresno county
had only begun.
He hit the nail squarely on the head.
Fresno is a great agricultural center,
the center of an inland empire the
soil Nearly all the raisins grown in
the United States are raised in Fresno
county, but In spite OF cries Of over
production the raisin industry Is stiH
comparatively in its infancy. Every
year the market for raisinS il broad
ening and as the consumption grows
new vineyards will be planted There
is scarcely any limit to the extent of
territory in the county still available
for raisin planting But you can't grow
raisins to any extent outside of the San
Joaquin valley. The wine grape indus
try is also comparatively IN its infancy
just now there is rapid development
in the orchard industry, thousands of
acres being set out to peach trees and
oranges. In the foothill section orange
culture has wonderful possibilities.
To OPEN RICH TRACTS
But 1t is in alfalfa growing. stock
raising and dairying that the most
next few years. The acreage being
planted to alfalfa in the county this
season. particularly in the great west
side country. Is nothing short of as
tonishing. Thousands upon thousands
of acres hitherto farmed for grain or
not titled at all are being rapidly con-
verted into great stock ranches and
dairy farms. This is made possible
partly by the great development of the
pumping plant system, which is render
ing fertile thousands of acres hereto
fore valueless because of lack of irri-
cation.
In other words, diversified farming il
becoming more and more pracHced in
Fresno county, with the result that all
future development will be alo. z well
balanced lines, eliminating all danger
of overproduction in any one industry.
1t is perhaps not necessary to dwell
here upon the great development of the
Coalinga oil fields in the southwestern
part of Fresno county. These fields are
now, perhaps, the most extensive in
America, and new gushers are being
brought in every few days. as witness
the great Mohawk gusher last week.
New trolley lines will open up some
of the richest country in the world and
will also make available the vast gold,
silver and copper deposits in the Sierra.
not to mention rich granite quarries
and great timber tracts. The railroads
are beginning to appreciate the growth
in passenger traffic from different
towns in the valley. and motor car
service Is in operation. all the lines
doing a rushing business. In the
course OF time this will have TO be
supplanted by network of electric
lines.
But perhaps the strongest argument
to clinch the declaration that Fresno
will have 900 inhabitants in 10
years is the great development in
power plant work by the Huntington
interests in the Sierra. Waterpower in
the mountains is unlimited and many
power sites and water rights have been
secured. The power company already
has a big power plant in operation and
at Crane valley great dam has
been recently completed preparatory
to the erection of an immense power
plant at that point. Hundreds OF work
men are engaged in rushing construc-
tlon work. Foreseeing the great de-
velopments certain to occur in the
future, the power company is taking
time by the forelock and storing up
unlimited energy for the development
of irrigating plants, electric roads and
manufactures.