THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: NOVEMBER 20. 1010.
Remarkable Feat of Rebuilding a Wrecked Metropolis
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APRIL 18, 190G, San Francisco was crumbled
to mortar and dust by a fire that swept
DOS city blocks, all the retail, banking,
wholesale and warehouse districts, and
left a ghastly desert of withered walls
whero a great city, the hopes and achieve
ments of sixty years, had stood.
April 28, 1910, San Francisco's citizens, at a masB
meeting, subscribed freely and with enthusiasm $4,
089,000 toward an International exposition to bo held
there in 1915, to express America's jubilation at tho
completion of the Panama canal. Blnce that time $3,
000,000 more In voluntary subscriptions have boon
sent to the headquarters of tho exposition that already
is far advancod In careful plans and mighty hopes;
and tho city and state voted for a bond Issue ot $10,-
000. 000 more on November 8.
These April mlracleB now are known around tho
world, and the mettlo of such people, sprung In vigor
from the defeat of four years past, the world appre
ciates. Now what of the city that 6tands upon tho
ashts of the old? How well and how greatly have
the citUons bullded? In all, up to September 1 of this
car, more than $300,000,000 has gono into recon
structed San Francisco of which, $201,498,540 has
been expended la buildings alone. A Bum exceeding
$100,000,000 more has btn the outlay In steel and
concrete wharves, a municipal fire protection system,
sowers, streets and other improvements, liuilding tat
this tlmo Is progressing with Increased activity. And,
In addition. San Franciscans have bonded themselves
to construct what they claim will be the most extensive
and bust municipal water system In the world.
Exposition to be a Marvel.
Such Is the city that asks the honor of building an
exposition that will bu worthy, before the world of
America. Alrt ady her citizens have completed a task
which ranks with the construction of the canal la
magnitude, and represents, in capital expended, more
money than tho canal baa cost to date, and utmost as
much as the "big ditch" will have cost when com
pleted. By 1910, San Franciscans (-ay, every trace
of the fire will have been iraied and foigotte;i in the
city's eitaur csta'e.
It is, of course, not only San Francisco that will
Ko before congress In December and request to be
granted the exposition. Hack of the city is the whole
hiatd of California, and back of both the great west.
The people of California have given wholeheartedly,
through thflr legislature which met September 6 In
Mxclal session $5,000,000 toward the exposition's
s .rites, acd the municipality of Sau Francisco has
1. cen given hr plea to bond herself for a like sum.
In all $17,o00,000, every penny of it legally obligated
to be paid, will be In the hands of the exposition di
rt ctcrs by the tud of November.
Of ortgre?s these westerners lll not a3U one dol-
lar of aid.
Indeed, the Sunsit City is a bit anxious to demon
strate that she ran build a $00,000,000 exposttlou
with money granted by her own state's citizens. Sh
U r?idv to show that she can house in comfort tbi
crowding t hoiisanils that will com? f:-oui the ends and
corners of the earth to witness a graaieur they uever
will seo again. No city In the world, New York even,
London or Paris, has anything superior to such hotels
as the St. Francis, the Fairmont, the Palace, the
Bellevuo and Stewart. There are hundreds of first
class hostelrles In the downtown district. Fully 200,
000 visitors can be taken care of without crowding. In
San Francisco, and more than 23,000 lodged In su
burban cities that are within 30 minutes of throbbing
Market street. By 1915 the accommodations will
have doubled, at tho present rate of building,
New Buildings by Thousands.
Somewhat over 25,000 buildings have been con
structed In San Francisco In the four years since the
fire, or reconstructed from the steel frames of struc
tures gutted by flames. About half of these buildings
arc framo apartment houses or flats, the balance are
of brick, with steel framwork, of solid concrete, or,
as in the case of most of the towering office buildings,
steel and concrete. World famous designers visit
ing the Pacific coe.st metropolis have termed it "archi-
tectually tho last word in cities." its block after
block of many-storied structures, new, artistic, strong
with the strength of concrete and steel, merit the
title.
But of most interest at this time in connection with
the new city is the bid for the Panama Pacific Inter
national exposition In 1916, and the reasons advanced
to show why the celebration of the opening of the
canal ought of right to be held on the bills that look
out over the Uolden Gato to the bosom of the Pacific.
The matter of location deserves first consideration.
Situated as the city is. midway on the . coast that
fronts the Orient, with eight transcontinental lines
bringing the Eastern traveler to her doors, the west
and its wonders must becomo a natural part of any
exposition San Francisco may hold. However, the
viBltor may travel, he must. In approaching the city,
go through the marvels of mountains and canyons
and cataracts, the giant trees, the orange groves, the
oil fields past the missions, through the rich inland
valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin that form
part of California's charm. Near San Francisco, and
accessible to it, is Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta, the To
somite Valley and tho lleteh Hetchy, the half dozen
groups of Big Trees, the regions mads famous by Bret
llarte Sonora, Angels Camp, Jlmtown and Table
Mountain, on which Truthful James resided, that
still stretched its level slope down to the Stanislaus.
Visitors Can Go By New Route.
Such is the city's fortunate situation in respect to
the Panama canal on the one band, and the great cen
ters of population in the east and middle west on tho
other, that the exposition visitors from beyond the
Rockies may take one of the many steamers that will
run excursions throug the newly-opened canal, pass up
tho Central American coast, and, in a continuous voy
age which will measure from the Canal rone not more
than the diatanco between New York and Liverpool,
arrive at the exposition which will celebrate the ca-
Newspaper Man Turns to Fruit Farming
EVEHAL men attending the Fruit and Corn
Ssbow held at Council Bluffs the last week are
representative of a class that will be numer
ously In evidence during the Land-Products
show to be held in Omaha January 18 to 28.
H. E. Turpin, one of the men in charge of the
Colorado fruit exhibit, is a good specimen of the man .
who "goes back" to the farm successfully. He was
a newspaper man In New York City up to Ave. years
ago. His health falling, he came west. Anally landing
In Grand Valley, Colorado. He now owns an eigh-teen-acre
fruit farm and is one of the leaders of a
most progressive community.
"When I first arrived in the valley 1 could not
take a very active part in work," said Mr. Turpin, "so
I agreed with a man on a fruit ranch that I would
work us much as I could during the day, and if the
value of my work did not pay for my board I would
put up the difference in cash. At first I could work
but two or three hours a day, but my strength con
tinued to increase in the open air labor and after a
while I could work all day. During this time I was
picking up information touching the planting of trees
and the best methods of caring for them; in fact,
learning everything possible under the circumstances.
"I did not have much money, and when I began
work my Intention was to regain my health and then
go back to newspaper work In New York. I had
spent a good many jears at it, liked It and it stemed
to me my forte lay In that direction. After a time 1
managed to get possession of a small fruit ranch that
had been allowed to run down to a great extent. Tak
ing hold in earnest and putting my small store of
knowledge Into the effort, the place responded with
encouraging results. Today $2,000 a year in advance
of my income from the fruit farm would not temrt
me to quit and go bark to working for someone else."
Mr. Turpin today is a man apparently In the bfst
of health, clean-skinned and clear-eyed. He talks
most Interestingly of fruit frowinp. Its trials and pos
sibilities, and tells as only a trained uewtaper man
could about the good work done by the fruit raisers
of the Grand valley. "There is a nice balance of cir
cumstance in our valley," he said, "and the sunshine
and general climatic conditions are excellent, while
irrigation eupplles water as needed.
"But we have our troubles, too, though not as
many cow as formerly. It was in the Grand valley
where the efficacy of fire pots to ward off frost was
first demonstrated to a certainty; and It was there,
too, that the coddling moth was hunted so success
fully that Its ravages have practically been eliminated.
And we have nien in that section who have left posi
tions paying aa high as $10,000 a year in order to
jrk for themselves, as one man put It. In former
M-'ITT
kP$ by Alice Van Leer Gmdi
I come when autumn winds are cold
And all the woods re red and gold.
I'm round and fat and yellow,
I'm good to eat, I light the wold,
Oh, such a Jolly fellow!
You praise nie on Thanksgiving day,
And whin on Hallowe'en you play
The tricks thut are so nimble,
And bob for crimson apples say.
And cut for riu; and thimble.
ou see me Kriuning at tfie door
Or at the window, and btfore
You catch me, off I Alitor
To join the Pumpkin Band once more
That tuts the lanes a-glitter'
--By Alice Van Leer Currlok In
Youth's Companion.
times a man 'with the ability to command such a salary
would have been In business for himself, but under
the action of the great combinations they are hired
to work for others.
"Ono man who had left a position paying $10,000
a year, when I asked him about his change to a fruit
ranch .said he had reached that point in life where
wanted to work something on his own account, and be
thought a fruit farm would give him the opportunity.
He was very modest about it, but I think everybody
agrees that fruit farming is the ideal outdoor life.
Of course, success depends largely on personality, and
so there are always chances to secure hearing or
chards, as well as new land, from the fact that In such
a section as ours some people want to go elsewhere
for one reason and another."
Mr, Turpin talks Interestingly of Irrigation, fruit
grafting, marketing and other points connected with
the conduct of n fruit farm. Co-operation is the rula
among the growers where he lives, and they keep a
high class expert here In Omaha all the year round to
look after their Interests. This man knows what Is
wanted, what fruit Is coming and keeps in hourly
touch with market conditions.
"By this system we get the best prices," said Mr.
Turpin, "and we also know Just what the people want.
It h i s been found the fruit of medium size Is the best,
and particular kinds are sent to New York hotels and
other placfs to meet different demands. Peaches are
frst to market, then pears, and lastly the apples.
Great care Is taken with the packing and as a result
gcod prices are realized."
Irrigation Is the rule In Colorado, and the Grand
liver is drawn on for the water in the ditches of the
Grand valley. It also supplies the drinking water,
which Is kept In cisterns. Wells are unknown In that
section of the state, which was formerly a desc-rt.
Where artesian water has been sought It was neces
sary to ro down 1,200 feet or more; "and as the water
we ret Is not at all unhealthy, no one wastes time
tinting wells," said Mr. Turpin.
nal's completion. Returning overland all on ono
ticket the transportation companies promise to Issue
Btopovers will be freely granted at every point worth
seeing, and any route over tho continent may bo se
lected. In one way the city Is well located to hold the ex
position celebrating the canal opening, then, because
of the fact that a continuous trip can bo made, at
small expense, through the canal and onward to the
fair that is tho product of the canal. In another way
it is well located because it is placed at fho converg
ing point of roads passing through the greatest grand
eur of the west.
Upon her bay 100 miles long could float the fleets
of the world, the nations' supar-dreadnaughts. Ad
miral Robley D. Evans has termed San rancisco the
only possible cite among cities mentioned for tho ex
position because the old sea dog sees In San' Francisco
bay a body of water In which the greatest naval pa
geant of all time may be assembled. With an exposi
tion stretching down to tho hay and the whlte-frlnged
Pacific a sight would bo granted the visitor to be re
membered through a lifo time of traveling.
Great Show In Vacation Time.
The air of ennui, as the rocord of the city shows,
does not blow In San Francisco, and the malarial
summers known elsewhere, tho heat and dust, dis
comfort and disease, are to her unknown. Bummer
temperature averages 59 degrees but seven degrees
higher than the winter mean. Tho exposition would
be held during the summer months, when 90 per cent
of mankind take their vacations; tho tlmo when school
teachers and school children, college students, pro
fessional men, workers of all kinds, travel away from
work seeking coolness and diversion. Nw Orleans,
because of her climate, plans to open her exposition,
should she be granted It, in September when all but
10 per cent of Americans have returned to their labors.
An exposition not held during tho summer months can
not be a success.
In the question of climate San Francisco will bear
comparison wl'.h any city or section of tho United
States, and in particular will she emerge with honors
If compared with respect to cllmato to the hot and
uchealthful regions that steam and swelter where the
turbid Mississippi empties through slow channels to
the Gulf.
But in the last analysis San Francisco's chief rea
son for bsllevlng that she should build the exposition
in 1915 lies la her contention that tho Canal means
most meann everything to the west, and that the
celebration of the canal's completion belongs there
fore to the west. Through the canal will come the
men and women (hat are to develop the region west
of the Rockies, and bring It Into world power and
prominence. Through the canal will go the products
of the west. Through the canal will flow a bttter
sense of the common unity and common purprsts of
Americans, and by the canal tho Atlantic and Pacific
coasts will be made one. To tho tlantlc slope tha
canal means only grea(er traie; to the Pacific It
means greater life, the to;intrl-g of the world opened
to quul and msy intercourse, tho promise of the west
fulfilled.