The New International Encyclopædia/San Francisco

SAN FRANCIS′CO. The metropolis of the Pacific Coast of the United States and the largest and most important city of the region west of the Missouri River. It is built on a peninsula washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Bay of San Francisco on the other, in latitude 37° 47′ 55″ N., and longitude 122° 24′ 32″ W., and occupies a central position on the coast line of California.

Description. The city's area is 47 square miles. Its site is largely hilly, and it presents a picturesque appearance from the harbor. The part devoted to commerce lies along the shores of the bay, and is moderately level, but the residential districts are on elevated ground. The most fashionable quarters are those which overlook the ocean, bay, and town. ‘Nob Hill,’ upon which the men who constructed the first overland railroad built their palatial homes, is about 300 feet above the level of the ocean, and ‘Pacific Heights’ rise still higher. The ‘Twin Peaks,’ which form a background to the leading thoroughfare, are 900 feet high.

A part of the site of San Francisco is reclaimed from the bay. Some of the most substantial structures in the business section are reared on piles driven to bed rock through made ground, and vast areas of sand dunes have been leveled in order to conform localities to the street system, which was arbitrarily decided upon with little reference to contour. Market Street, a thoroughfare several miles long, and the streets south of it, are level, but those from the north and west intersecting it strike boldly at the hills and have gradients in some cases as great as 50 per cent. It is this feature which gives the town its striking sky line. From the bay it presents the appearance of a city with houses piled on top of one another, while from the points of vantage offered by the hills, views of rare beauty, embracing the ocean, the bay with its islands and active commerce, the densely populated districts, and the distant mountains, may be obtained.

Its situation on a peninsula across which the summer trade winds blow has given San Francisco a unique climate. During thirty years of observation, the lowest temperature recorded was 29° F., and the highest 100°. The lowest mean temperature for any month during this period was 46°, and the highest, 65°. The mean temperature was lowest in December, when it averaged 50°, and highest in September, reaching 63°. Semi-tropical plants flourish in the open air throughout the winter. During the summer months rain rarely falls, but the skies over the city are frequently clouded with fog, which sometimes descends in the form of a mist. The rainfall averages about 21 inches. The precipitation usually begins in October and ceases in May. In normal winter, periods during which the skies are clear from four to six weeks are not infrequent. The term ‘rainy season’ applied to weather conditions in central and southern California is misleading. It simply means that there are certain months during which rain falls, and not that there is continuous rain. A prominent feature of the climate is the regular afternoon wind.

Except the thoroughfares in a very small area near the water front, in the oldest part of the city, the streets are of ample width. Market street, the main artery, starts at the Ferry Building and cuts across the town in a southwesterly direction. It is intersected on the north side by streets laid out in conformity with the cardinal points. This arrangement produces irregular blocks at the points of intersection, which have left some space for placing monuments. The streets south of Market, with the exception of Mission, which describes a lengthened arc, cut each other at right angles. The sidewalks are wide in all parts of the city and are generally constructed of artificial stone. There are in all 750 miles of streets open to travel. Of these 104 miles are paved with bituminous rock laid on a foundation of concrete; there is a large proportion, however, paved with blocks of basaltic rock laid in sand, and in some neglected quarters cobbles still remain.

Copyright, 1903, by Dodd, Mead & Company.

Market Street is the leading thoroughfare, and at all times presents an animated appearance. Some of the largest department stores in the city are on this street, but the chief shopping district is still in the streets to the north of that thoroughfare—Kearny, Sutter, Post, Geary, and Grant avenues, and Stockton Street. Union Square, in this locality, is becoming a fashionable shopping centre. An extensive system of boulevards exists, furnishing a continuous drive of nearly 20 miles. It starts near the heart of the city, traverses the United States military reservation and Golden Gate Park, skirts the Pacific Ocean for two or three miles, and winds in and out among the hills lying southwest of the town. In 1903 there were 274.60 miles of street car tracks—176 electric, 86.68 cable, 4 horse, and 8 steam. One corporation controls 244 miles of this system.

UNION SQUARE

Parks. Golden Gate Park, containing more than 1000 acres, enjoys the distinction of having been redeemed from a sand waste. There are now nearly 300 acres of close-shaved sward, green and attractive all the year round, and a still greater area is planted with shrubs and trees, semi-tropical types being largely predominant. In addition to Golden Gate Park, numerous smaller parks, chiefly four blocks in extent, are scattered throughout the city. These usually contain trees and shrubbery which remain green summer and winter, several varieties of palms being in evidence. The military reservation of the Federal Government, known as the Presidio (q.v.), is practically part of the park system. Its area exceeds that of Golden Gate Park, and it is far more favorably located for cultural purposes. In Golden Gate Park there are several portrait statues, but none of great merit. The monument by Story to Francis Scott Key, the composer of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is the best. Near the City Hall is an ambitious group of bronzes, which cost $50,000, representing the development of California. There are two noteworthy productions of a local sculptor, Douglas Tilden, on Market Street. One is designed to commemorate the admission of California to the Union, and the other is a vigorous group in bronze typifying the progress of manufactures in the city. Union Square has a lofty column to commemorate the achievements of the navy during the war with Spain.

Buildings and Institutions. The abundance of excellent timber and a popular belief that a frame building is safer and better in a locality having the peculiar conditions of San Francisco are responsible for the fact that in 1900 there were 50,494 frame and only 3881 stone and brick buildings. The tendency to use the more durable materials is, however, growing rapidly. The occasional occurrence of earth tremors for a long time restrained the propensity to build ‘skyscrapers.’ In 1890, however, the proprietor of the Chronicle erected a ten-story modern fire-proof building. This example was soon followed by other property-owners, and the city has now its share of tall structures, one of them 18 stories high. The major part of this class of buildings is composed of 8, 10, and 12 storied buildings, the 8-storied being most numerous.

The most conspicuous building is the City Hall, surmounted by a dome 332 feet high. It cost over $6,000,000, and twenty-five years were occupied in building it. It is very solidly constructed, and its walls of brick are covered with cement. Architecturally it is a composite. The interior of the dome is decorated with native marbles. The structure houses all the administrative departments of the city government and several civil courts. The criminal and police courts and the police department occupy a modern building, known as the Hall of Justice. It is constructed of brick and stone and is surmounted by a clock tower. The post office, just completed, is a substantial structure of granite, costing over $5,000,000. It is not a striking architectural production, but impresses by its massiveness. In addition to the post office, the Federal Government maintains a mint and a sub-treasury.

On the water front the State maintains the Ferry Building, a structure over 800 feet in length, built of a light-colored sandstone and surmounted by a graceful clock tower. Through this building most of the strangers entering the city are obliged to pass. It contains a lofty nave running through its entire length, which is frequently used for exhibiting the products of the State. It also houses a permanent exhibit illustrative of the resources of California, maintained by the State Board of Trade, and a fine Alaskan ethnological collection. A complete display of the mineral resources of California is also made in the Ferry Building by the State Mining Bureau. The Academy of Sciences, endowed by James Lick, is a substantial structure. It holds a growing museum devoted to the natural sciences. In Golden Gate Park is situated the Memorial Museum, founded to commemorate a successful international fair held in 1894. The Hopkins Art Institute, situated on ‘Nob Hill,’ contains the nucleus of a fine-art collection. The building and contents were presented to the University of California to be maintained for the public. The Public Library contains over 100,000 volumes. At present it is installed in a wing of the city hall, but maintains several branches. In October, 1903, bonds to the amount of $1,000,000 were voted to provide a new building. The cost of maintaining the library is about $65,000 a year. In addition to the Public Library there are seven other libraries of some importance. That of the Mechanics' Institute is the most useful of these, the collection covering the range of the applied sciences. It has more than 70,000 volumes, and property valued at over $2,000,000. The Sutro Library is a heterogeneous collection of over 200,000 volumes. It contains a large number of rare books and manuscripts. The California Historical Society, San Francisco Medical Society, the San Francisco Law Library, the French Library, and the Mercantile all have collections exceeding 30,000 volumes.

None of the churches are conspicuous examples of ecclesiastical architecture. The Roman Catholic Cathedral is a brick structure. The Jesuit Church of Saint Ignatius, with its accompanying college buildings, covers a full city block. The Dominicans have an equally large church. Many of the older church buildings are of frame. The Mission Dolores is a survival from the days of the Spanish occupation. It is built of adobe, and care is taken to preserve it as a landmark, although it has none of the attractive features of many of the churches built by the friars.

There are 47 hospitals, public and private, and many of them are of recent construction. The emergency system has been well developed, and few cities are bettor provided with the means to care for the victims of accidents. Of literary, scientific, and other societies there is an unusual number. Among the most prominent may be mentioned the Academy of Sciences, Astronomical Society, Geographical Society, Mechanies' Institute, Pioneers of California, and Technical Society. There are 98 public schools, including four high schools. The attendance in 1903 reached 57,603. In addition there are numerous private educational institutions. The Roman Catholics maintain a system of parochial schools. The attendance at private schools in 1903 was 14,002.

Theatres, Clubs, and Hotels. The leading playhouses are the Columbia, the California, the Alcazar, and the Grand Opera House. The Orpheum and Fischer's are devoted to vaudeville. The Tivoli presents opera in some form every night in the year. There are several low-priced theatres, the most conspicuous being the Central and Grauman's.

The clubs are numerous and well housed. The Bohemian, originally founded by artists and literary people, has a world-wide reputation for entertaining noted visitors. Its rooms are crowded with excellent pictures, many of them gifts of artist members. The Pacific Union is composed chiefly of wealthy citizens. The Jews have two prominent organizations—the Concordia and the Verein. The number of women's clubs is large. The leading ones are the Century, Sorosis, Forum, Outdoor Art League, and California. The members of the last two take an active part in civic matters, but the others are devoted chiefly to social and literary work.

There are many hotels of all classes. The most prominent among these are the Palace and the Occidental. The Saint Francis, a modern 12-story building of steel and stone, is admirably situated on Union Square.

Suburbs. San Francisco, like all large American cities, has felt the influence of easy communication. The multiplication of street railway facilities has caused its population to spread out over the greater part of its area. These transportation conveniences have resulted in reducing the average number of persons in a dwelling to 6.4. The ease with which the trans-bay cities of Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, San Rafael, Sausalito, and Belvedere are reached has also contributed to that result. The places named are all within 40 minutes' ride of San Francisco, and their population of over 100,000 is mainly composed of people who to all intents and purposes are San Franciscans, most of them being engaged in business in the city. The three last named are largely made up of summer homes. The small towns on the peninsula are also largely inhabited by San Franciscans. Burlingame, a fashionable resort modeled after Tuxedo, is 25 miles south of the city. Menlo Park, near by, contains the residences of numerous wealthy men. Palo Alto, the seat of Leland Stanford Jr. University, is on the peninsula about 30 miles from the city, and the California University is situated at Berkeley. Both of these great universities have intimate relations with the city, the latter, a State institution, maintaining several affiliated colleges within the city's boundaries. A part of the great endowment of ‘Stanford’ is in San Francisco.

The famous resort, the Cliff House, from whose piazza hundreds of seals may be seen disporting in the water and on the rocks, and the near-by beach, are visited by many thousands every Sunday and holiday. Mount Tamalpais, situated in one of the trans-bay counties, is accessible by ferry and train in about two hours. Its elevation is 2392 feet, and it commands a view of the city, half a score of towns, and the bay and the ocean.

Commerce and Industry. The importance of San Francisco is due to its position on the bay of that name (q.v.), which is accounted one of the finest harbors in the world. The area of the harbor is 450 square miles, and its width varies from 5 to 12 miles. It is navigable by the largest vessels for a distance of over 40 miles from its single opening to the ocean, the famous Golden Gate, the entrance to which is a mile in width. There are several steamship lines to China and Japan, Australia, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands. An active coastwise commerce is carried on with Alaska, the ports of Puget Sound, and those on the southern coast of California. There is also regular communication with the ports of the Atlantic. In addition, a large fleet of sailing vessels bear to Europe the surplus grain and miscellaneous merchandise of California, most of which passes through this port.

In 1902 the exports by sea to foreign countries and Atlantic ports were valued at $47,601,422, and the imports at $36,078,270. A great deal of treasure passes through San Francisco, the exports by sea in 1902 being $14,851,789, and the imports nearly $12,000,000. The exports of wheat have reached as high as 24,802,095 cwt. in a single year. In the freight year ending June 30, 1902, there were 13,205,812 cwt. shipped. In 1902 6,636,186 gallons of wine and brandy were exported by sea, about one-sixth of which went to foreign lands. In the same year 793,156 cases of salmon were exported. Coffee is largely imported from Central America, Ecuador, Mexico, and the East Indies, the quantity in 1901 being 43,614,350 pounds. A great part is for distribution in the States and Territories west of the Mississippi. Imports of tea from China and Japan were 5,781,204 pounds in 1902. The receipts of customs amounted to $7,850,705 in the year ending June 30, 1903. Five years earlier they were only $5,393,753. The activity of trade is reflected in the bank clearings, which aggregated $1,373,362,025 in 1902. A great increase has been noted since the Spanish-American War.

San Francisco is rated as the tenth in importance of the manufacturing cities of the United States. The census of 1900 credits it with 4002 establishments, 41,978 wage-earners, $80,103,367 capital employed, and an output valued at $133,069,416. Sugar refining, slaughtering, and meat packing, and the manufacture of foundry and machine shop products are most important industries. Shipbuilding has made considerable progress. Battleships and merchant vessels are constructed in San Francisco yards, the Oregon and the Olympia being noteworthy examples of the former.

CITY HALL

Government and Finance. San Francisco is governed under a charter adopted by the people, which went into effect January 1, 1900. With the exception of some bonds issued in 1874-75 for the acquisition of a park, now nearly matured, and to meet which a sinking fund exists, the city is absolutely free from debt. The charter under which the municipality is now governed is as rigidly drawn as the act it displaced, limiting the rate of taxation for ordinary municipal purposes to 1 per cent. on the assessed valuation of all property. An extra tax may be levied to meet unusual requirements, and there is a comprehensive license system. The assessed value of all property on March 1, 1903, was $428,000,000. The expenditures provided for in the budget of 1903 aggregated $6,150,400, the chief items being: Public schools, $1,245,000; police, $941,848; fire department, $845,150; public works, $769,867; health department, $340,000; street lights and lighting public buildings, $300,000; park fund, $295,000; free library, $63,000. It has been found in practice, however, that very little is spared for permanent improvements from the ordinary revenues. There is an active movement in San Francisco looking to the acquisition of a municipal water system, the present supply being derived from a private corporation's reservoirs on the peninsula. The project contemplates the bringing of a larger supply from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the cost will probably reach $25,000,000. A two-thirds vote of the people is required to authorize a bond issue. In addition to the safeguards mentioned, the charter has created a civil service system based on merit, and it places great power in the hands of the mayor, who by his veto, which can be overriden only by a five-sixths vote of the board of supervisors, can prevent the adoption of separate items in the budget. He is also endowed with an extensive appointing power and the right to remove his own appointees, but the courts have curtailed the latter. The board of public works is an appointive body and has control of streets, sewers, buildings, and all public improvements.

Population. San Francisco has grown very rapidly. The population in 1860 was 56,802; in 1870, 149,473; in 1880, 233,959; in 1890, 298,997; in 1900, 342,782. One-third of the population in 1900 was of foreign birth. Of these the Germans numbered 35,194; Irish, 18,963; English, Scotch, and Welsh, 12,342; Italians, 7508; and Chinese, 13,954. The Chinese live in a distinct quarter, which has taken on many of the characteristics of their native land. Their isolation is entirely voluntary, and extends no further than the choice of a place of habitation. This quarter, known as ‘Chinatown,’ is freely visited by strangers, who are attracted by its Oriental aspect. There has been a great diminution in the number of Chinese in recent years, owing to the operation of the Exclusion Act. In 1890 there were 25,833 enumerated. Though this class of Orientals is diminishing, Japanese are coming in rapidly. They aggregate several thousand already, but, unlike the Chinese, they do not segregate themselves.

History. The first settlement in this locality was made on October 9, 1776, when two Franciscan monks, Palou and Cambon, established here an Indian mission, which they called San Francisco de Asisi, the name San Francisco having been previously given (in 1769) to the bay. About this mission, after the Mexicans secured control of California in 1822, a small village called Dolores grew up. The mission itself prospered until 1834, when it was secularized, and in a few years thereafter little remained but the adobe buildings. In 1836, near the best anchorage and three miles northeast of the mission, a small trading village, Yerba Buena, was founded, and from it the modern city really developed. In 1846 the United States took possession; and in the following year, its population then being 450, Yerba Buena exchanged its old name for that of the mission and the bay. On the discovery of gold in California in 1848 people of every social stratum and of many nationalities flocked hither, and the population of San Francisco increased with tremendous rapidity. In March, 1848, it was 800; in September, 1849, it was at least 10,000, in June, 1849, there were scarcely 50 houses; in September there were at least 500. The buildings were constructed of the most combustible materials and were huddled close together, so that the early years were marked by terrible ravages of fire. In the five big fires of December 14, 1849, May 4, 1850, June 14, 1850, May 2, 1851, and June 2, 1851, the property destroyed reached an aggregate value of $16,000,000. Owing to the wild and turbulent character of much of the population and the lax enforcement of law by the constituted authorities, vigilance committees were organized in 1851 and 1856, and for a time tried, convicted, and punished criminals in an extra-judicial manner. In 1854 overspeculation and a diminishing return from the mines caused a temporary check to the growth of the city; but in 1858 a new period of prosperity opened. San Francisco was incorporated in 1850 and in 1856 the city and the county were consolidated. An earthquake did some damage on October 21, 1868. In 1877-78 San Francisco was the centre of the movement known as Kearneyism in California. (See Kearney, Denis.) With the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad to the coast in 1869, the city entered upon a new period of prosperity.

Consult: Soule and others, The Annals of San Francisco (New York, 1855), for a graphic contemporary account of conditions during the period of excitement over the discovery of gold; also Royce, California (Boston, 1886); San Francisco and Its Resources (Denver, 1893); and a chapter in Powell (ed.), Historic Towns of the Western States (New York, 1901).