REBUILT AFTER THE FIRES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12483, 20 April 1906, Page 8

REBUILT AFTER THE FIRES.

Many- of the business houses were subsequently built of brick and iron; but the dwellings are still mainly of wood, owing to climatic conditions. Meet of the pioneer structures had disappeared, large and costly buildings in marble, granite, and terra eotta, with interior frames of eteel and iron, taking their places. The public edifices were, for the most part, not of an impeding character. There were a number ol theatres and opera houses, a fiub-treaeury, mint. Custom house, stock exchange, city hall, and other (.fractures of le«s note. There are eleven public squares in tho city. The Gojdcn Gate Park covering an aroa of 1000 acres, was originally a barren tract of sand dunes. There uf.re considerably over a hundred cliMi'thcs and chanelfi in the city, nearly every religious denomination in the world having n representative. San Francisco has boon distinguished for the number and excellence of its free schools and other institutions of learning. In the free schools the instruction is car-ric-d far enough to qualify pupils for admission to the State University at Berkeley. In addition there wore a largo number of schooLs under private- or denominational control. Tho city has a large freo library, besides others belonging to institutions.

.Most of thu streets were* laid out in rectangular form, ami with littk. , reference to the conformation of the surface. The homo tramway was tho pioneer mrthod of street transit, lint the cable road was invented and put into miccoss. fnl operation at S;m Francisco. Tin , city L> the western terminus of the

continental railroads and of many «lji| lines extending to various parts of flsH Stnti , . TJwre are in the city hundred and eighty miks of railways, wj\;euty-seven miks* of c&hPm road, eleven miles of fcteam-duiumy tern, and ten miles of horse railn-aTyE The citeep hilli ti» iijm vention there of tfc'e. railway. now umkl .*b mafS'Jj cities cf the world. The/city hs* hundred and twenty miles of Dat3-il T titreete and three Juindred and twent > ( five miles of sewers. > \ Lines of steamiship.v'ply between iil'l 2 port and Mexico, Central and Sont& I America, Australia. Japan, and (Sγ' 1 and coast lines to all'thu principal I as far north as Puget Sound, with inn?'i I mer trips extended to Akska. I city is ono of the most important oX" J I ports 111 tho United State*, and 'S4fe rapidly acquiring largo manufectnrii2-l£ interests. v^'l?