The Washington herald., 1915-08-29
LOOPING NORTH AMERICA
Walls FAIR IN SAN FRANCISCO



A two-cent postage stamp costs two
cents and half in San Francisco.
Tha: tells a good bit of the story of
life in the city that the earthquake
shook down and the politicians have been
shaking down most of the time since. Go
10 a hotel counter or drug store or cigar
stand and ask for a stamp and you will
be pointed to a slot machine where you
drop in q nickel and get two two-cent
stamps.
It's a city of contradictions. There
seems to be no standard for anything
from morals to the price of drinks. or
weather to the tax rate. II they were
ever well organized here they have had
it shaken out of them. They need the
money and use some very cheap and
childish tricks to squeeze it out of
visitors and at the same time almost
give away a lot of things which they
could easily sell.
The Eastern man making his first visit
to San Francisco is going to be as dis
appointed as a bookMdker at Belmont.
It doesn't come up to the prospects or
anywhere near 1t. It's city with one
fairly good. short business street and
some fringe to 1t. good hotels, a residence
district that would be a disgrace to a
city Of 10000 people. picturesque har-
Dor, and climate that was designed to
be an understudy for a crouch.
why, this town. said Buck" is only
a bad imitation of Albany. The only
thing it beats any other place in is that
1t has sleeper streets. In push and pep
it's as nat as the Progressive party. I
tell you, it's q lucky thing my folks took
me away from here when I was a shoat.
If I'd been let grow up here I'd a stamp
ed the place to death before I'd voted
in it.
Say. oRme here to make some money
out of the fair. Well, / went out there
and gave that Zone, as they call the
side shows. the once over, Take it from
me. you could make a Killing fit for a
king running a roulette wheel in poor
house to what you could make running
any kind of a thing on that Zone. There
amt any kale out there. They are all
starving to death. Look at Fred Thomp-
son. who pulled of the Hippodrome and
Luna Park. Put more than 700 in
that Toyland, and I don't think 1t ever
opened. It's nothing but lumber and
paint now. Col. Cummins, with his Wild
Vests and Indians and horses had to
fade out after bad loss. Harry Nc
Garvie wouldn't even take a concession
and SO on down the line. Mcconnell has
a bunch of them. but I'll bet the money
he makes on the Inside Inn he loses on
the shows. No. sir, nothing doing for
me. They ought to call that Zone street
Starvation alley The only easy money
there is that Stella thing. It's nothing
but picture of a woman without any
clothes on. No actors. no salary list.
nothing but a picture, and the boobs pay
25 cents head and flock in and say it's
nothing more than what you see hung
in the back room of every saloon"
Our first glimpse of the fair, beg par
ton, the exposition-you must never call
it a fair-was well worth while. We
steamed through the Golden Gate and
by the frowning heads on our way up
from Panama looping North America,
just at dark. AS we passed the expedi-
ton grounds. nesting along the foot of
the Preside Hill. they sprang into light.
Then the five grim. grey warships lying
along in front also were suddenly out
lined with strings of electric lamps. A
battery of huge scintallators on the
water front shot multicolared rays into
the black sky and changed clouds of
steam pouring up out of standpipes into
glorious and delicatly-tinted sunset ef-
fects. The lighting effects at the exposi-
ton are marvellous. They have never
been even approached before, much less
rivaled.
AS picture the whole thing is ex-
quisite. The color scheme. the lighting |
effects and the beautiful architecture are
as enhancing as a dream. Nobody can |
help admire and praise, but 1t stops
right there. After you have said that