The San Francisco call., 1910-07-06
EUROPE IN FAVOR
OF San FRANCISCO
Sentiment in Spain Friendly to
This City in Fight for
Exposition
Seville Plans Spanish-American
Celebration in 1914; May
Ship Exhibits

Sentiment in Spain and the countries
of the old world is favoring San Fran
cisco as the city in which to hold the
1915 Panama Pacific exposition. Bound
by historic ties to the Pacific coast
cities, Spaniards, official and civilian,
are evincing unusual interest in the
plans of San Francisco to hold a
worlds fair
William M. Bunker, honorary COM
missioner OF foreign commerce, repre-
senting the San Francisco chamber of
commerce, who is now in Spain. has
written to President William l.. Gerstle
telling him of the situa ton there.
Seville, from which city he last wrote.
is planning Spanish American fair in
1914 and is willing to send to this city
large part of it's historical exhibit, as
well as other exhibits which would be
of interest to Americans and South
Americans. The historic exhibit would
be of particular value. for in the ar
chives of Seville are found the docu-
ments relating to the discovery by Don
Gaspar de Portola of San Francisco
bay. Other papers relating to Pacific
coast discoveries are on exhibition
there.
SEVILLE IS FRIENDLY
Bunker writes in part:
Il have called on the alcalde and
Don Cayetano Luca de Vena and other
leading men of Seville. with view to
interesting the city in the projected
Panama Pacific exposition in San Fran
cisco in 1915. For historical and senti-
mental reasons Seville has a friendly
feeling for San Francisco and is there
fore in a receptive mood.
1.-The city of Seville is 54 miles from
the mouth of the Guada lquivir river.
Because of a bend in the stream just
below the city steamers having a
greater length than $50 feet can not
make the port. To open the port to the
world a canal three and one-half miles
long and costing 100000 is being cut
across the bend. The canal will reduce
the steamer trip by nine miles, enable
10000 ton vessels to reach the city and
provide space for unlimited docking
facilities
The completion of the enterprise viii
be celebrated with a Spanish-American
exposition in Seville in 1914. The
people of Seville and Andalusia aim
to make the exposition educational AS
we'll as attractive and interesting. All
the countries of America that were
once Spanish colonies Will be specially
invited to participate in the exposition.
Handicraft will necessarily be promi-
nent. The people of this region viii Il
lustrate the development and expan-
sion of arts from the Arabic period to
date with particular reference to the
art of lace making taught the Arabs
by Egyptian Copts. The exhibition OF
hand made Spanish lace and the hand
made laces of the former Spanish col
onies will be of practical value. The
process OF Arabic tile making dating
back to 1914 and still in vogue in
Seville will be another feature of the
exposition. In brief, the arts that ma de
Seville famous in the days when the
city was the envy OF the other great
cities of Europe and which still sur
vive will be conspicuously demon
strated in 1914.
WANT CALIFORNIA EXHIBITS
.'The. official promoters of the expo
sition are eager to have California
represented in the American section. If
feasible these gentlemen would be
pleased later to send the most i'm
ton to the Panama Pacific exposition
in San Francisco.
AN added cause for Sevillian interest
in San Francisco is the fact that the
documents relating to Don Gaspar de
Portola's expedition, that resulted in
the discovery of San Francisco bay, are
in the archives of Seville. These docu-
ments include a detailed account of the
equipment Of the famous expedition.
One can not see these and other
papers relating to Pacific coast discov-
cries without being impressed with the
logical fitness of San Francisco for the
Pacific Panama celebration. SO many
and varied are the records of Spanish
enterprise that their analysis will fur
nish research work for the next 20
years. The historical bonanza has