Alma record., 1913-03-20
W0NDERS0F THE WORLD
Will Be Shown at Americas Great Celebration at
San Francisco in 1915.
The Magnifcence and Grandeur of the Panama-Pacfc In
ternationaI Exposition Cannot Be AdeQ lately Descrbed-A
Gathering of the Nations of the World.

In the grounds and courts of several
hundred thousands of rare trees,
plants and shrubs now being grown
In nurseries.
Early next fall the sightseer In
San Francisco will be enabled to look
from the rim of the encircling hills
at Harbor View down upon the ex-
position city and see the buildings in
progress of construction. To the
west he may look out to the Golden
Gate and to the islands in the Pacific
beyond. To the north he will see the
stream of traffic that passes before
the exposition site.
Easy of Access.
One may easily reach the exposi-
tion in twenty minutes from the
Ferry building. The site of the ex-
position, at Harbor View, lies within
the city limits as a crescent upon the
shores of San Francisco bay, just In
side the Golden Gate. No more pic
turesque location, nor one more ap-
propriate to the celebration Of great
maritime event, could be imagined.
On the south, east and west it Is en-
circled by towering hills with vary
ing contours rising successfully from
$50 to 900 feet above sea level, like
the enfolding walls Of . vast amphi-
theater. Upon the north the site
opens out upon the harbor Of San
Francisco. The panorama at Harbor
View recalls the famous Riviera upon
the shores of the Mediterranean. In
the harbor before the site lies Alca-
traz island, the location of military
prison whose white walls are reflect
ed in the waters of the bay. Beyond
are the hills of Marin county rising
up into the hundreds and in some in
stances into the thousands of feet,
with Mount Tamalpais, loftiest of all,
its summit often shrouded with
turban of fog upon which the sun
shines as upon a vast bank Of snow,
as background for the setting.
The central portion of the site lies
slightly above the sea and is encircled
on three sides by gently sloping
ground; within a short distance from
the boundaries of the site these
slopes change to steep hillsides and
thus the center becomes the floor of
huge amphitheater from whose sides
the exposition will be seen stretched
out below. To the east and south
the residence section encircles the
exposition grounds, and to the west
and southwest the site is embraced
by the wooded slopes of the Preside
military reservation, dark with cy-
press and eucalyptus and interspersed
with occasional vistas of green val
leys.
All told the site comprises 625
acres; it is two and one-third miles
in length with a maximum width of
one-half mile. It's frontage upon the
harbor will be approximately two
miles and further from the bay it will
extend another one-third mile, Fort
Mason, a military post, occupying
corner upon the extreme east and
along the bay.
Faces the Bay.
The exposition buildings built upos
an east and west axis will face the
bay upon the north; they will parallel
the stream of the great incoming traf-
fic Of the world through the western
gate of the United States. The har-
Dor itself will be a part Of the great
theater upon which will be staged
the worlds jubilee and the Golden
Gate will be the entrance to the the
ater.
A marvellous panorama will be af-
forded visitors on ships coming
through the Golden Gate. AS one
looks from the harbor he will see
three main groups of exposition
buildings. There will be the great
central group comprising the fourteen
exposition palaces to be devoted to
general exhibits; there will be the
group upon the left hand or east and
devoted to amusement concessions
and covering sixty-fve acres; this
will be the midway" The right
hand group upon the Preside mill
tary reservation and nearest the Gold
en- Gate will be devoted to the pa
vilions of the states and foreign gov
ernments.