The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire | Page 6

before the rage of earthquake and fire reduced it to
what it is to-day.
THE CHARACTER OF THE CITY.
The site of the city of San Francisco is very uneven, embracing a series
of hills, of which the highest ones, known as the Twin Peaks, reach to
an elevation of 925 feet, and form the crown of an amphitheatre of
lower altitudes. Several of the latter are covered with handsome
residences, and afford a magnificent view of the surrounding country,
with its bordering bay and ocean, and the noble Golden Gate channel, a
river-like passage from ocean to bay of five miles in length and one in
width. This waterway is very deep except on the bar at its mouth, where
the depth of water is thirty feet.
Since its early days the growth of the city has been very rapid. In 1900
it held 342,782 people, and the census estimate made from figures of
the city directory in 1904 gave it then a population of 485,000,
probably a considerable exaggeration. In it are mingled inhabitants
from most of the nations of the earth, and it may claim the unenviable
honor of possessing the largest population of Chinese outside of China
itself, the colony numbering over 20,000.
Of the pioneer San Francisco few traces remain, the old buildings
having nearly all disappeared. Large and costly business houses and
splendid residences have taken their place in the central portion of the
city, marble, granite, terra-cotta, iron and steel being largely used as
building material. The great prevalence of frame buildings in the
residence sections is largely due to the popular belief that they are safer
in a locality subject to earthquakes, while the frequent occurrence of
earth tremors long restrained the inclination to erect lofty buildings.
Not until 1890 was a high structure built, and few skyscrapers had
invaded the city up to its day of ruin. They will probably be introduced
more frequently in the future, recent experience having demonstrated
that they are in considerable measure earthquake proof.
The city before the fire contained numerous handsome structures,
including the famous old Palace Hotel, built at a cost of $3,000,000 and

with accommodations for 1,200 guests; the nearly finished and splendid
Fairmount Hotel; the City Hall, with its lofty dome, on which
$7,000,000 is said to have been spent, much of it, doubtless, political
plunder; a costly United States Mint and Post Office, an Academy of
Science, and many churches, colleges, libraries and other public
edifices. The city had 220 miles of paved streets, 180 miles of electric
and 77 of cable railway, 62 hotels, 16 theatres, 4 large libraries, 5 daily
newspapers, etc., together with 28 public parks.
Sitting, like Rome of old, on its seven hills, San Francisco has long
been noted for its beautiful site, clasped in, as it is, between the Pacific
Ocean and its own splendid bay, on a peninsula of some five miles in
width. Where this juts into the bay at its northernmost point rises a
great promontory known as Telegraph Hill, from whose height
homeless thousands have recently gazed on the smoke rising from their
ruined homes. In the early days of golden promise a watchman was
stationed on this hill to look out for coming ships entering the Golden
Gate from their long voyage around the Horn and signal the welcome
news to the town below. From this came its name.
Cliffs rise on either side of the Golden Gate, and on one is perched the
Cliff House, long a famous hostelry. This stands so low that in storms
the surf is flung over its lower porticos, though its force is broken by
the Seal Rocks. A chief attraction to this house was to see the seals play
on these rocks, their favorite place of resort. The Cliff House was at
first said to have been swept bodily by the earthquake into the sea, but
it proved to be very little injured, and stands erect in its old picturesque
location.
In the vicinity of Telegraph Hill are Russian and Nob Hills, the latter
getting its peculiar title from the fact that the wealthy "nobs," or mining
magnates, of bonanza days built their homes on its summit level.
Farther to the east are Mount Olympus and Strawberry Hill, and
beyond these the Twin Peaks, which really embrace three hills, the
third being named Bernal Heights. Farther to the south and east is
Rincan Hill, the last in the half moon crescent of hills, within which is a
spread of flat ground extending to the bay. Behind the hills on the

Pacific side stretches a vast sweep of sand, at some places level, but
often gathered into great round dunes. Part of this has been transformed
into the beautiful Golden Gate Park, a splendid expanse of