THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 32

THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

The City of San Franci&co is the successor and heir of two villages — those of Sa.n J Francisco and Yerba Buena. The former . occupied about 150 acres near the mission j church, . found-ed by Franciscan friare in j 1776. For 59 years the authority of the ni'ssion was dominant. In 1835 W. A. Richardson, an Englishman, erected a tent at what is now 811 Durjont street, to Irade ' in .hides and tallow. This was the beginI nino; of the village of Yerba Buena. -which ! in 1845 occupied about 40 acres of land. | In 1846 the American flag was hoisted, and I San Francisco Bay became the headquarters iof the American navy on the Pacific. The two villages, which were separated by three miles of sandhills, were united. The face of Nature has been changed, and vihere . there was searee-'v level space enough for 500 people room has been made for quite 1.000,000. THe =rtt? -of t-he city cor.sist-ed in 1849 of steep ride-ps and deep ravines. The place was mane fit for occupation hy cutting down hills, filling up hollows, and converting the mud -flat and anchorage in front of the town, as it then was, into land. Thf* city rontains more than 400 acres of " made " tjround. The business portion of the city is situated on the northeastern portion of the peninsula of San Franeisoo. The area, of t.he city is about six square miles. Two hills within the city rise to 360 ft and 294 ft respectively, and fiom thes" heights and other smaller elevations the land inclines srently towards the bay. Thp entrance <o this land-locked bay is through thp Golden Gate, a worn waterway, about five miles long and a mile wide, vrith a depth of water averaging 100 ft, but only 30ft on the bar at the entrance. The Boy of San Francisco gives the city much of its commercial importance, and extends from Esst Point wast the city in a southerly direction for about 40 mpes, varying in width from six to 12 miles. Northwards thia bay connect* by a Btreet with San Pablo Bay, 10 miles in length, havinsr at its northerly end Mere Island and the Navy Yard. Nearly in front of the city are three important islands — Alcairaz. Angel Island, and Yerba Buena. or Goat Island, the two first-named being fortified.