The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1921-11-26
John B.SIater Tells
About California
San Francisco, not on the
Ocean, but on the Bay,
Has Many Ferries

San Diego, Nov. 2l-Dear Exam
iner-For the visitor there is so much
of interest in San Francisco that one
is loath to leave. Down at the Oak
land mole stands a great tower with
a clock facing Market street. From
| any point for a mile or so back on
this street the great dial may be
seen, and the observer may mark the
time for reaching the ferry to take
him across the bay. Distances are
so deceiving that mile seems only
few blocks, but a car passes every
half minute so every minute may be
utilized in sightseeing. Surprises
rise on every hand and disappear
like mist on every hand. What one
is looking for he will never see, un-
less it happens to be something once
hoped for and forgotten.
Passing down Market street, hurry
ing to the ferry about S O'Clock
one Friday afternoon, l was passing
| a great block some IL stories high.
| People were pouring out of this build
ing by the thousands. | looked at
the clock and saw that | had missed
my ferry, and had time to wait Like
q stream on reaching the ocean, they
were swallowed up by the passing
traffic as if by magic. Street cars
gliding slowly along gathered up the
~, nf
these people were speeding to their
homes miles and miles away. With
in ten minutes after the time this
| river of humanity began to move it
had vanished and the streets appear
ed to have resumed its usual tran
quillity. These people, men and
women, were we'll dressed and finely
groomed as if bent on some great
social event. There were more than
five thousand of them and not one
exhibited a physical or mental de-
feet. asked 7O-year-old news
boy who was standing at the entrance
what it all meant, and he told me
that the building was the head
| quarters of the Southern Pacific rail-
road company, and that these people
comprised the day shift of the cleri-
cal force going off duty. remark
ed upon their fine appearance, and
| he ventured the further information
that every employee of the S. P. sys'
TEN was obliged to submit to both
a physical and mental test, in quail
flying for service, which is as exact
ing as that required for military and
navy service during the late war.
The facilities for moving people
across the bay of San Francisco are
marvellous. Plying the waters of
this premier of harbors are more
than 80 passenger ferry boats, each
of which cost over 81 100000 and has
capacity of more than 5000 people.
| 1t is 8 miles from Oakland pier at
the foot of Market street across the
bay TO Alameda, Oakland or berkeley,
and it requires l8 minutes to speed
between landings. 1t costs 18 cents
| for a ticket to cross and this in
| cludes street car fare at the terminal
end. Each ferry boat has to pay
| 81 900 month for the landing privi-
lcge at each slip. That is to say,
boat on the route between San
Francisco and Berkeley must pay
| 81 900 per month for landing at each
| place. The passengers for run
| gather in one great reception room
in the mole waiting for the boat.
When the boat lands the passengers
move off quietly and are out of the
building before the gates are raised
for the next voyagers who promptly
move en- masse, like great SER
pent, and in less than 2 minutes
from the sound Of the gong signal the
5000 people are aboard and the YES
sci is clear Of its moorings. With
in five minutes from the time the
| ferry lands it has released it's cargo
| of people, refilled its two immense
decks and is outward bound. In
this way more than 100000 people
per day are transported between the
cities surrounding San Francisco bay.
Besides these palatial passenger
boats there are ferries devoted to the
conveyance of automobiles, and,
others, to moving trains from the bay
terminals across to San Francisco.
An auto ferry will accommodate
about 100 machines which move on
to the boat in less than minutes,
and the fare for the trip is 81 for
the driver and his car, the excess
passengers paying personal fares.
The large railway ferries plying
across the 80 miles of water between
Vallejo and San Francisco will carry
whole transcontinental passenger
train, and the process Of
loading or unloading may be accom-
tcontinued on nsxt pags)