, 1912-12-26

sary for an immense exposition.
such as this is to be. There were
here many boards marking off the
grounds that had already been
assigned to the different states
and foreign countries, prominent
among which were Sweden and
Japan, each having a generous
scope of ground upon which to
erect their buildings and ground
decorations. The grounds lie along
the water front and slope gently
toward the water. 1t lie only a few
minutes ride on a car from the
Ferry building and it lies partly
under the Presidio and to the east
of it. The societies-the larger
once, like the Knights Templer,
The Scottish Rites, the 1. o. O. F.
and others, will have headquarters
in their own buildings in the city,
which they are building in antici-
patton of the coming of their diff
ferent clans, as each body will have
prominent parts in the doings of
the Fair. The Knights Templer
have their blilding, a fine eight
story structure, on Van Ness Ave-,
almost completed, and the visiting
Commanderies will make it their
home while attending the Fair.
This Temple is up in the City,
near Market street, and as Van
Ness avenue is lined with fine resi-
dences, is very broad, not marred
with street ear lines, and leads
down from the heart of the City
to the Fair grounds, it is a grand
place for automobiles and carriges.
It is really the show street of San
francisco on account of it's great
width and for the fact of it being
the abode of a great many of the
city's wealthy people who are on
it, or in its immediate vicinity. 1t
is historic in that it marks the
boundries of the great coniugra-
ton which ragged in San Francisco
after the earthquake. Every eff
fort was made to stop the progress
of the FIRE by the blowing up of
buildings in its path, but the mar
70 Sness of the streets permitted
the flames to leap across and con.
tinue its devastating advance until
this wide thorofare was reached,
when it stopped. While the dam
age done by the. earthquake was
appalling, 1 am told by every one
hear that the work of destruction
by the quake itself was slight in
comparison to that done by the fire
that followed in its wake. Broken
water mains crippled the fire de-
partment and they were turned
into a dynamiting crew.
One sees many ruins yet lining
the principal streets of the fire
district. In the business sections
the buildings rel quickly rebuilt,
and only here and there is still to
be seen the unsightly holes and
broken walls of former structures.
To pass through the great marts
of trade one could hardly realize
that it had been, but a few short
years ago, the scene OF the greatest
destruction and desolation that
ever overlook any great city, so
completely has the restoration been
accomplished. There still remains
a great deal to be do in other parts
of the city to restore it to it's for
mer prosperity, but the work is
progressing rapidly and there is
much building going on, both in
the business parts as well as the
residence districts, tho not in any
such Wholesale manner as in the
towns ACROSS the bay, which are
evidently pro6ting greatly by the
catastrophy which overlook San
Francisco at that time, and which
evidently gave them their oppor-
tunity to arise from their lethergy
and make commendable progress