USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > San Francisco, a history of the Pacific coast metropolis, Volume II > Part 57
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73
The first evidences of activity after the fire were those presented by the eager desire of the merchants to reestablish themselves. For a time all the available labor was employed in the remodeling of old structures and the erection of new buildings, many of them little better than shacks. The most of the latter were put up outside of the fire limits, but the restriction in this regard was temporarily relaxed, although a provision of the charter absolutely prohibited any contraction of the prescribed boundaries. Many buildings were erected with the understand- ing that they would be torn down or removed upon the demand of the supervisors. In this particular the example of Chicago was disregarded, it being the best judg- ment of the committee that the work of rehabilitation would be more easily ac- complished by according the utmost freedom of action, it being assumed that owners of property generally would, as speedily as their resources permitted, put up sub- stantial buildings in the place of those hastily erected for temporary use. This expectation was in a measure disappointed by the avarice of some landlords who would have maintained the flimsily constructed shacks indefinitely without regard to the fact that they were a menace to neighboring property, had not the high rates of insurance compelled storekeepers to seek quarters in buildings less liable to destruction by fire.
The great eagerness of merchants and other business men to reestablish them- selves and to restore their properties soon brought about a labor condition almost unique. The artisans and nearly all the toilers of San Francisco were highly organized at the time of the disaster, but the extraordinary rise in the wage scale which marked the first two or three years following the conflagration was not due to any action taken by these bodies. It was solely responsive to the extraordi- nary demand, which, for a brief period, recognized no prohibitory price. This statement applies equally to material, the advance of both making the cost of con- struction very heavy. In many instances the expenditures for building purposes were swollen by a resort to night work for which a much higher compensation was demanded by the workers. During this period the high wages earned by the work- ers were freely expended. The necessity imposed upon a large number of repro- viding themselves with household articles and clothing made the volume of trade large, and the merchants were enabled to recoup themselves for their excessive outlays by charging high prices for the goods they sold.
Wages and Building Material High
Business Transacted in Private Residences
Hastily Constructed Buildings
PUBLIC EXHIBITION OF THE TWO CITY FIREBOATS "SCANNELL" AND "SULLIVAN"
UNITED STATES NAVAL TRAINING STATION, YERBA BUENA ISLAND, SAN FRANCISCO HARBOR
865
SAN FRANCISCO
It is interesting to note, as it bears directly on the high cost of living problem, which, however, was not being discussed at the time, although the prices of all necessaries were much higher in San Francisco than later when the subject be- came a burning one, that the demand was by no means confined to useful articles. For three or four months after the fire there was something like an approach to the simple life. Men affected khaki, wore strong boots and putties, and discarded "boiled shirts" and white collars, and their wives and sisters showed a disposi- tion to eschew the vanities of dress. In the case of the males who had to pene- trate the burned district some such course was necessary, for the dirt and dust were excessive. But this condition endured for a very short time and while it lasted was not supposed by any one to represent any serious departure from the normal habits of the community, for concurrently with the rather ostentatious dis- play of sober raiment there was an astonishing demand for articles of luxury to replace those destroyed, and to satisfy the requirements of those whose new found prosperity, due to high wages, caused them to crave many things hitherto denied them.
The energy of the merchants which brought about these results was almost wholly exerted on the edge of the burned district, and in those quarters which had escaped the flames. At the same time another set of rehabilitators were at work in a region where herculean efforts were required, the exertion of which made its impress slowly. No pen can describe the scene of hopeless confusion presented by the debris of the nearly five hundred blocks of destroyed buildings. Nearly every street was rendered impassable by the falling ruins, and many standing walls menaced the passersby. The archæologist who visited San Francisco in the days im- mediately following the fire would promptly have noted the interesting fact that the experiences of antiquity could not be repeated on the site of the City. The use of iron and steel as building materials made it impossible to resort to the ancient expedient of leveling and building over the ruins. The tangled masses of twisted beams presented an insuperable obstacle to any hasty job. The only practicable course was to clear away and clean up the premises. It was a disheartening out- look and required a powerful imagination to picture the jumble as cleared away, and the City once more in habitable shape.
The first efforts were directed towards making the streets passable. For a few days the travel through the burned district was all in the direction of the ferries. During the first eight days following April 18th the Southern Pacific "handled out of San Francisco and Oakland by rail 216,000 people." During this interval few were permitted to enter the City, only those whose errand was one of helpfulness being permitted entrance. But the tide soon turned and the necessity of making ingress easy asserted itself. Market street in its lower blocks was im- passable for vehicles, and in order to reach Fillmore street a detour by way of Mission was necessary. The debris on this thoroughfare was cleared sufficiently in a few days to permit the careful chauffeur to traverse it safely. This result was accomplished by voluntary effort helped out by a system of impressment. For some days it was expedient for those who did not care to wield a pick or use a shovel to avoid the thoroughfare, for commandeering was relentlessly pursued. It is stated, however, that the impressed in nearly every instance accepted the tasks imposed on them good humoredly, and that not a few made a first acquaintance with manual toil as street laborers.
Luxuries in Great Demand
A Scene of Hopeless Confusion
Making Streets Passable
866
SAN FRANCISCO
Iron and Steel in the Ruins
The vast quantity of iron and steel employed in the construction of build- ings known as classes B and C, which apparently made the work of cleaning up difficult, eventually assisted in the solution of the problem. Iron and steel have a salvage value and very soon that left in the ruins was actively sought, as were also the bricks which were to be obtained from the fallen walls, and those still standing. It was soon seen that the individual owners would easily manage their part of the cleaning up work, but the miles of badly littered streets had to be cared for by the community. This was accomplished largely by the assistance of the Southern Pacific which constructed temporary tracks for the purpose of haul- ing away the debris which was collected at certain points and moved to the flats south of the residence section which had been used as dumps for several years. The enormous quantity of debris transferred to this territory materially promoted a movement that had long been in progress, and permitted that part of the City to improve more rapidly than it had during many previous years.
Pavements Destroyed hy the Fire
The act of clearing away the debris from the streets revealed the fact that the most of those within the burned district had been destroyed. They represented a loss of many millions to the community, and have necessitated the expenditure of extraordinary sums for their reparation or reconstruction. The intense heat of the conflagration spalled the granite curbing in general use throughout the City, and the falling walls destroyed the roadways. The basalt block and the bituminous rock pavements suffered equally, and it was promptly perceived that great amounts would have to be expended in order to restore them and the ruined sidewalks to the condition they were in before the disaster. Under the charter the restoration of the roadway became a charge on the municipality, but the expense of replacing the sidewalks fell upon the individual owner.
The property owners of San Francisco did not have to await the report of the geological survey to make up their minds that the class of buildings designated as A, and commonly regarded as fireproof had fulfilled all reasonable expecta- tions. Nothing inflammable could have withstood the enormous heat of the conflagra- tion which was supposed to have attained 2,700º Fahrenheit, but while the con- tents and trimmings of such buildings were destroyed by the flames, it was promptly ascertained that the steel frames had withstood the wrenching to which they had been subjected, and that the work of restoring them could be easily accomplished. It was probably owing to the fact that these buildings, standing like an oasis in a waste of ruins, could be rehabilitated that the idea of back to the old location crys- tallized and prevented the doubtful experiment of attempting to establish new busi- ness centers. But while this arrestment was easily effected at one time there was threatened a movement which had it been permitted to gain headway must have greatly retarded the process of rehabilitation. The disaster had in no wise extin- guished the desire for the city beautiful which had been given a vague form by the publication of the Burnham plans, and some of his suggestions were revived at an inopportune moment. It was proposed to widen Montgomery and Geary streets and to cut through several avenues which radiating from a common center would overcome some of the inconveniences occasioned by the adoption of the rectangular street scheme by the pioneers. No one contended that the proposed changes would not prove very beneficial if made, but the impracticability of the proposi- tion was recognized by those upon whom the restoration of the City mainly de- pended. It was seen that opposition would be made by individuals and that under
Back to the Old Business Center
IVAIN F
AROUND-THE-WORLD STEAMER "CLEVELAND" AT A SAN FRANCISCO WHARF
٦
867
SAN FRANCISCO
the existing laws obstacles could be interposed which might effectually chill enter- prise and perhaps indefinitely retard rehabilitation.
It was contended by the hard headed element in the community that the chief object should be to make the City habitable at the earliest possible moment, and that energy should not be wasted in building for the future. That for the present, at least, considerations of beauty and luxury should be laid aside, and that all efforts should be concentrated on bringing about a condition which would enable the port to regain its commercial importance. The experience of London after its great fire was cited and it was pointed out that although Sir Christopher Wren made elaborate plans which would have done away with the most of the narrow courts and thoroughfares of the capital, it was more than two centuries before an attempt was made to carry out its main features, and then only when the city felt wealthy enough to accomplish the desired result. The Haussmanizing of Paris was also instanced, and it was urged that it is far more economical for a city to provide itself with certain features when population and wealth attain large proportions, than to attempt to make provision for them in its infancy. In other words it was cheaper for the French capital to buy houses, destroy them and create boule- vards when needed than to anticipate their need many years in advance.
These latter views prevailed, and as soon as it was perceived that no vision- ary plans would be forced on the community men owning property in the down- town districts began to figure on improvements. In those cases in which the steel frames had survived, steps were promptly taken to restore them. Careful ex- amination had developed that they had suffered no injury other than that in- flicted by the fire, and in a very brief period work was in progress upon several of the more important of this class of buildings. Among the earliest of these struc- tures thus restored was the building now occupied by the French bank on Sutter street between Kearny and Montgomery, and the Chronicle's seventeen story annex on Kearny street. The latter was in process of construction and nearly ready to be occupied when the disaster occurred, but the fire had destroyed all the interior woodwork and calcined the marble wainscoating of the halls. The frame of the original building housing the plant and publication office of the paper had only suffered in that part in which a battery of Mergenthaler machines had been installed on the tenth floor; the remaining portion fronting on Market street was in such a condition that the mezzanine was easily put in shape for the use of the editorial force, and in the ensuing August after the fire the writers transferred the scene of their operations to the partially restored building, presses having been in- stalled in the basement of the annex and the composition room having been put into condition for use and equipped with a battery of Merganthalers and the other necessaries of a printing plant. The "Examiner" and the "Call," which like the "Chronicle" had been using the facilities of Oakland papers followed soon after, the former securing a site for its mechanical plant near the Ferry building, and the latter restoring the basement of the Claus Spreckels' building some time in advance of the complete rehabilitation of that monumental structure. All of the papers, morning and evening, for several months had their main publication or business offices on Fillmore street and have since maintained branches on that thoroughfare.
The United Railroads management made the most conspicuous display of energy during the first few weeks after the disaster. It has been charged that the cor-
The Practical View Prevails
Newspapers Reestablish Themselves in Burned District
868
SAN FRANCISCO
Activity of United Railroads
poration took advantage of the situation created by the fire to carry out long con- templated plans, and that it cheerfully accepted the necessity imposed upon it of substituting the trolley for the cable in many parts of the City. That the com- pany embraced the opportunity afforded it is true, but many of the allegations made which would convey the impression that it could have restored the cable lines with the same facility that it provided trolley communication were inspired by malice, and are disputed by the fact that the California street system was not running until long after the United Railroads had made communication by its lines with all parts of the City feasible. That its plans were carried out under conditions that were disgraceful was undeniable, but fairness demands the statement that the community was responsible for their creation and that in all probability had the irregular methods, let them be called criminal if that describes them more prop- erly, not been resorted to, San Francisco would have remained an ash heap much longer than it did. At the time when the irregularities were resorted to, the band of thieves put into office by the people were still in a position to collect toll, and it was obvious that the unscrupulous Ruef would have promptly exerted the power he possessed to block the plans of the corporation, which at the time were in har- mony with the desires of the community, if the management of the United Rail- roads had not consented to being blackmailed into accepting the Boss as its attorney.
Occasional Moments of Pessimism
It would take volumes to describe in detail the work of rehabilitation. Five years, the period allotted for the accomplishment of the herculean task of restor- ing that which had consumed over a half a century in its production, seems a short space of time when looked back upon, but the sixty months had many wearisome mo- ments for the impatient who had to endure the experience of witnessing the re- building of a city. There were times when bragadocio pure and simple sustained the courage of the community. San Francisco before the fire had been accused of lack of enterprise, and its people were charged with being deficient in the boost- ing quality. Los Angeles had been quoted as an example of what can be accom- plished by a people who insist on putting their light on the top of rather than under a bushel measure. San Francisco had to undergo a fresh experience. Hitherto it was preeminently the metropolis of the Pacific coast. On the eve of the fire it was enjoying an expansion which grew with what it fed upon, and which a rotten municipal government was unable to arrest. Under such circumstances the assump- tion that the natural facilities of the port, and the relation of the City to a region of unsurpassed fertility and possibilities of production, was maintained with easy confidence. But cause and effect are sometimes difficult to distinguish between, and it is easy to make the error of ascribing to stately buildings, magnificent stores and commodious warehouses, the production of results when as a matter of fact they merely represent the result of position and production. When all these conveni- ences for the transaction of business were swept away it seemed to many as if the commercial advantages of the port had disappeared with them, and even the optimistic at times were affected by the fear that the rivalry of other cities would militate against the restoration of the prestige of the metropolis.
Manifesta- tions of Rivalry
This feeling was contributed to by observation of the fact that the disposi- tion existed to profit by the disaster. Commercial rivalry is not greatly restrained by sentimental considerations. The world presented a magnificent spectacle of generosity when it learned of the extent of San Francisco's calamity, and in this exhibition no part figured more liberally than the Pacific coast cities whose growth
YREKA
CRESCENT CITY
ALTURAS
EUREKA
Z
ØREDDING
HUMBOLDT
· SUSANVILLE
ORED BLUFF
L
QUINCY
OROVILLE
TRUCKEE RENO
UKIAH
PLACERVILLE
SANTA ROSA
SACRAMENTO
DA
VIS
NAPA
· STOCKTON
SAN FRANCISCO
· TONOPAH
SAN JOSE
MERCED
GILROY
ENOZ
FRESNO
INDEPENDENCE
·VISALIA
y
BAKERSFIELD
MOJAVE
SANTA BARBARA
SAN BERNARDINO
LOS ANGELES
SAN DIEGO
MAP OF ZONES OF NEW PARCEL POST SYSTEM AS RELATED TO SAN FRANCISCO
3 NOZ
THIRD
GOLDFIELD
FIRST I.NOZ
SECON
INOZ
A DA
869
SAN FRANCISCO
during recent years have excited the wonderment of the rest of the country. But as soon as it was perceived that San Franciscans were still standing upright, in spite of the shock they had received, there were displays of eagerness to profit which were in bad taste, but not at all unnatural. That they were a cause of irri- tation is undeniable, but the conviction that the growth of other cities was not at the expense of San Francisco was ingrained and annoyance never ripened into ap- prehension. The people of the City had cut out work for themselves, and they set about their tasks undiscouraged by rivalry, and with a determination to make good their professions of belief, and the results achieved by them testify that they were not vain boasters.
When the Americans first occupied California the harbor of San Francisco was regarded as the chief asset of the vast region acquired. When the rush for gold commenced, and a city grew up about the Cove of Yerba Buena, its inhabitants, for many years, based all their belief of future greatness upon the facilities it afforded for marketing the products of the interior and for distributing the wares of the world which might be brought to its shores. By a happy circumstance, and a liberal exertion of energy, which was rendered effective by the possibility of obtaining water the wharves and their structures, and the shipping were saved from destruc- tion and were ready to be made use of by those who devoted themselves to the work of rehabilitation. The importance of this fortunate escape of the water front from the almost complete devastation of the business part of the City cannot be overestimated. The failure of the fire to lick up the wooden piers and sheds made it possible to expeditiously handle the immense quantity of stores poured into the City for the relief of its inhabitants, and as soon as that purpose was accom- plished its commercial function was resumed and a tremendous volume of mer- chandise of a varied character, including building materials on a great scale passed over the docks. The records show that never in the history of the water front had such excellent use been made of the harbor as during the first two or three years after the disaster.
The harbor was still the City's greatest asset, but the thrift and prevision of its citizens had provided another of almost equal importance so far as the work of speedy restoration was concerned. The merchants and property owners of San Francisco were liberal patrons of insurance companies, and while complaints were not infrequently heard from them concerning the "tumid" profits derived by the corporations who underwrote their houses and merchandise they paid their pre- miums and when the conflagration came they had this great resource to fall back upon. The so-called earthquake clause written in the policies at first caused some anxiety but the liberal attitude of the most important of the underwriting companies soon caused this apprehension to disappear, and before a month had rolled around the most of the prudent holders of policies rated them at their face value. There were some instances of compromise and a few cases in which foreign companies shirked their obligations, but they were insignificant by comparison with the large sums paid over without demur by the great concerns that had taken the largest risks. As early as May 25, 1906 the "Pacific Underwriter" pub- lished a table showing that the total liabilities of the insurance companies aggre- gated $170,601,078. The fear of "welching" was not wholly allayed at the time, and a conservative prediction was made that about $120,000,000 would be paid. As a matter of fact, and one which deserves attention, the amount actually paid
Water Front Property Escapes
Amount of Insurance Recovered
870
SAN FRANCISCO
was $163,713,330. These losses were shared by California, American companies operating outside of the state, and by foreign companies in the following proportion : California companies, $11,160,703; foreign companies, $69,705,009 and American companies other than Californian, $82,847,618. The welching referred to was principally by European companies, the Rhine and Moselle being the chief of- fender. The Alliance of London, the Phoenix of Austria, the Commercial Union, North German, Norwich Union, Palatine and Transatlantic were also offenders. With some few exceptions the American companies paid dollar for dollar.
Results Rapidly Achieved
The command of a capital amounting to nearly $164,000,000 did much to pro- mote rapid rehabilitation. It by no means repaired the losses which were con- servatively estimated at from $450,000,000 to $500,000,000, but it went a long way toward the accomplishment of that result. This sum, together with the otlier resources at the command of San Franciscans, and the energy exercised in making use of them, achieved what few outsiders believed possible. While the rest of the world admired and applauded the pluck of the community, it shook its head dubiously when the claim was made that in five years the City would regain its old position. It was pointed out that the cities to the north and Los Angeles in the south were in a position to profit by the disaster, and it was even inimated that Oakland, to which many had fled, might eclipse San Francisco. These judgments were formed in disregard of the conditions that had made San Francisco a great port and were naturally contradicted by the event. No gains made by the cities to the north and south were at the expense of San Francisco, and the increase of population in the transbay region, no matter what view politicians and real estate dealers may take of the subject, economically considered must be regarded as part of the growth of the City.
Brisk Busi- ness Done by Merchants
A distinguished economist has pointed out that continuous effort is required to prevent the world falling into decay, and that the most of the things produced by man are immediately consumed. Most of the wealth employed in processes of production is slowly accumulated, but the ability to restore it when dissipated is always presented to the energetic. How much of the $164,000,000 received from the insurance companies was immediately put to productive use it would be impos- sible to tell. Undoubtedly the major part was so employed, principally in pro- viding the appliances and conveniences necessary in carrying on the business of the port. But the sum expended immediately after the fire in the purchase of articles of luxury was by no means insignificant, and indicated that many of those who had been partly recompensed for their losses regarded the replacement of the destroyed objects as desirable. This propensity was variously considered, ap- provingly by the merchants and distrustfully by the economist, who, however, was obliged to concede that the inclination to indulge in what has been called "con- spicuous wastefulness," by all classes, by those possessing abundant means, and by the artisan and day laborer, produced a business condition of exceptional brisk- ness, which for a time created the impression that improvidence provided a short cut to wealth.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.