The City of Domes | Page 5

decided
that the exposition should be held, and formal notification was given to
the world by introducing into Congress a bill that provided for an
appropriation of five million dollars. The bill was not acted on, and it
was allowed to die at the end of the session.
Soon after formulating the plan for the exposition Mr. Hale changed the
date from, 1915 to 1913, to make it coincide with the four hundredth
anniversary of the discovery by Balboa of the Pacific.
In 1906 came the earthquake and fire. The next few years San
Franciscans were busy clearing away the debris and rebuilding. It was
predicted that the city might recover in ten years, and might not recover
in less than twenty-five years.
Nevertheless, in December, 1906, within nine months of the disaster, a
meeting was held in the shack that served for the St. Francis Hotel, and
the Pacific Ocean Exposition Company was incorporated.
In three years the city recovered sufficiently to hold a week's festival,
the Portola, and to make it a success.
Two days afterward, in October, 1909, Mr. Hale gave a dinner to a
small group of business men, and told of what had been done toward
preparing for the Exposition. They agreed to help.
Shortly afterward a meeting was held at the Merchants' Exchange. It
was decided that an effort should at once be made to raise the money
and to rouse the people of San Francisco to the importance of the
project of holding the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San
Francisco in 1915.
As many as twenty-five hundred letters were sent to business men,
asking if they favored the idea of holding an exposition. Out of about

eight hundred replies only seven were opposed. Presently there were
signs of enthusiasm, reflected in the newspapers.
A committee of six representative business men was appointed and the
announcement was made that the committee should be glad to hear
from anyone in the city who had suggestions or grievances. It was
determined that every San Franciscan should have his day in court.
Later the committee of six appointed a foundation committee of two
hundred, representing a wide variety of interests.
The committee of two hundred chose a committee of three from outside
their number.
The committee of three chose from among the two hundred a
directorate of thirty. The thirty became the directorate of a new
corporation, made in 1910, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Company.

Financing

The Panama-Pacific Company two local millionaires, W. H. Crocker
and W. B. Bourn, started financially with twenty-five thousand dollars
each. They established the maximum individual subscription. They also
secured forty subscriptions of twenty-five thousand dollars each. Then
followed the call for a mass meeting. Before the meeting was held the
business men of the city were thoroughly canvassed. The Southern
Pacific and the Union Pacific together subscribed two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. There were many other large subscriptions from
public-service organizations.
On the afternoon of the meeting there was a crowd in the Merchants'
Exchange Board Room. The announcement of the subscriptions created
enthusiasm. In two hours the amount ran up to more than four million
dollars. During the next few years they were increased to about

$6,500,000.
Meanwhile, the State voted a tax levy of five million dollars, and San
Francisco voted a bond and issue of the same amount, and by an act of
the Legislature, in special session, the counties were authorized to levy
a small tax for county Participation, amounting, in estimate, to about
three million dollars.

Recognition From Congress

Next came the task of securing from Congress official recognition of
San Francisco as the site of the International Exposition in celebration
of the Panama Canal.
Headquarters were established in Washington. Presently serious
opposition developed. Emissaries went from San Francisco to
Washington singly and in delegations. Stress was laid on San
Francisco's purpose not to ask for an appropriation from the national
government. There were several cities in competition - Boston,
Washington, Baltimore and New Orleans. New Orleans proved the
most formidable rival. It relied on the strength of of a united
Democracy and of the solid South.
In the hearings before the Congressional Committee it was made plain
that the decision would go to the city with the best financial showing.
As soon as the decision was announced New Orleans entered into
generous cooperation with San Francisco.
The Exposition was on the way.

Naming the President.

The offer of the presidency of the Exposition Company was made to a

well-known business man of San Francisco, C. C. Moore. Besides
being able and energetic, he was agreeable to the factions created by
the graft prosecution of a half dozen years before. Like the board of
directors, he was to serve without salary. He