A Year of Energy in San Francisco.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13421, 19 October 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

A Year of Energy in San Francisco.

The catastrophe which was faced by ■every resident of San Francisco after; the great tire of April 18, 1906, was .themost stupendous ruin ever placed before a community. It. was so appalling that, like an overdose, of a violent toxic, it seemed to bring its cure in its .wake. It seemed as if there wore nothing left. ' Therefore there was much to do and. this miist be done. at. .once. Traditions and remembrance have given much to the (Jalifornian of to-day, and the San Franciscan re-call-ed the old days of. the pioneers, the days of '49, the stories they had heard, of previous burnings, and how in its turn each conflagration had been faced by the public in an unflinching manner, and how each time, a better,, a cleaner, and a larger city had arisen on the ashes of the past. . ' . ■ ■ ."Three thousand acres of compactly built, wood, iron, steel, brick, and titoue have been swept away. All public utilities were rendered useless in two nights or paralysed into inaction. The property loss was upwards of five hundred million dollars. Of all the magnificent structures that had made San Francisco, noted all over the world only a bare dozen of buildings' remained, arid muit of theee (the> class of steel structures) had been gutted by fire. "That's another story!. It is past and gone, and only a memory, and not a pleasant memory! The San Franciscan resolutely turned his back on the past and faced the future, and with a determination and an energy that has never been equalled in the world's history, and he set hiineelf to accomplish the task of clearing away the countless bricks and the mountain-high piles of broken granite and limestone, the twisted steel and the iron to make room for the new city. And the new city came. First the temporary, ugiy, low woodeh structure, with little or no architectural beauty and then, when the time came to take a breath and look about, the new and more pretentious business structures began springing up in all directions, as a, result of his labours. "Such a change has been wrought ■ in San Francisco in one year as-cannot bo told in words. It takes pictures to tell this wonderful story. Some idea of the immense amount of building going on at the present time may be obtained from the figures given out by the city authorities. There have been issued innumerable permits to build, and the value of these aggregates 57,500,000 dollars. More.:than 7,000,000 dollars has been spent in rehabilitation. It is estimated that the un-der-valuation being added'to the value given (in asking-'for- building pennite), would raise the figure: to sixty million dol : hire. These were the official figures and estimates recently made since that time of building pernjits granted have raked the figures to more than 75,000,000 dollans. ' .'...."'.'

"During ond nionth the aggregate value in: building permits amounted to. 8,203,880 dollars, and if we add 15 per cent, for-under-valuulion we are given the figures of 9,434,452 dollars,.a good showing, for one month. This shows up well as n. sample month, and the number, of transfers are given a« 800, with a valui of 4,100,000 dollars, i t Within the boun-

davit's of li 11 blocks there arc more than one hundred and fi/ty large building* 111 course of construction, not- one of which m to be less than live storeys high, and some, of which will have twenty storeys'. •San TJYancfceo can employ all-comeni for at least live years, and the population thins added will remain in the .State. California will receive an impetus through the iire that has mil it forward by leaps and bounds, and more people have come u» settle on its farms and handle its agricultural possibilities than ever in any year of its former history. It has been tiillimited that, as far as the .business district is concerned, and excluding the lodginghouses, hotels- and residences, the city has been practically one-half rebuilt and " v hat in another year but little trace of the tile will remain in the business . district of San Francisco.—-"News Letter,"