The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1922-01-14
John B.SIater Tells
About California
Bay Country Around San
Francisco Has Many
Interesting Features

san D1egO, Caluornla-Dedr EN-
aminer: Each of the cities around
San Francisco bay has its distinc-
tive feature as an excuse for it's
place on the map and its peculiarl
claim for recognition. One does not.
have to look far in any one of them
to find something to tell about. For
example, Alameda.
Alameda, a city of $4,000 people,.
is as compactly built as any city in
the state. 1t is on an island in Sam
Francisco bay, comprising about q
square miles of territory, the high
est point being not over 80 feet
above sea level, and it is separated
from the main land by an estuary
owe which Oakland is reached by
five bridges located along the canal
at intervals of every five or six
blocks. On this island are situated
the Bethlehem steel works-in fact
a shipbuilding plant-which, during
the war employed over $4,000 men,
but now less than 1000 are on the
payroll; the Dow Pump Works which
is the largest producer Of pumps on
the Pacific coast, and frequently it
is said this plant fills million dol
lar contract in furnishings for irri-
cation systems; the Twenty Mule
Team Borax Co. plant which is the
largest borax plant in the union, and
a number of smaller enterprises.
With all this activity to excite local
enterprise there is not, with one or
two exceptions, a building in the
city over two stories high. There is
not an elevator, restaurant, hotel
nor cemetery there, and if my men,
ory serves me well | believe there is
not an undertaken in the city. 1t
is a city of fine residences, many of
them the homes of wealthy San
Francisco business men who like the
quietness and cleanliness there, for
it is certainly the cleanest city |
ever saw. Every street is paved,
curbed and walked in asphault or
concrete. Every street is also park
ed with acacia trees which are cared
for by the city. The business of the
town is transacted in community CEN
ters, there being no wholesale quar-
ter or principal business district. A
San Francisco or Oakland whole
sale house receives the orders from
the local dealers for goods which are
at the door of the Alameda retailer
in half an hour. The San Francisco
jobber sends his goods by truck di-
rectly across the bay on the ferry.
Just outside of the residential area
of Alameda is situated the Twenty
Mule Team Borax works. These
being isolated are seldom visited ex-
cepting by persons on business. |
went out there on a hot afternoon
and walked around the building four
times and then stood outside at a
sign marked "superintendent's Of
flee" waiting for some one in au-
thority to appear of whom | would
ask permission to look through. A
man bareheaded in coveralls came
from somewhere. | asked him to di
rect me to the superintendent. He
said "I'm the superintendent, what
do you -want?" When ! told him
would like to look through his fac
tory, he continued, "just go right in.
No one will molest you unless you
try to blow it up, and if you want
any information just ask the boys"
entered to find the building con-
structed of frame work timbers a
foot or more square and divided into
all manner of compartments without
the slightest regard for order.
There were partitions and lofts,
stairs and lifts, inclines and carriers,
as well as hydraulic system for
transferring liquids. Everything on
the first floor was damp, wet like a
mine; and one feels like a prospec-
tor when he tramps around the
muddy floors and crowds between
moist and swollen timbers. 1t was
an interesting afternoon spent
there, and I can tell you how they
get borax.
The history of the discovery and
development of the borax industry
in California is another story. How
ever, a reference to it will be neces-
sary to reach the subject. Some
years ago large field of borax was
discovered in the Mojave desert in
southeastern California, and its de-
velOpment was accomplished by
plowing up the crusty ore mixed
with the silt in dry lake, and haul
ing it across the hot desert with
twenty-mule teams to the nearest
eh;nniu1 noint thanca IN he trans