The builders of a great city : San Francisco's representative men, the city, its history and commerce : pregnant facts regarding the growth of the leading branches of trade, industries and products of the state and coast, Part 8

Author:
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: San Francisco : The Journal
Number of Pages: 556


USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > The builders of a great city : San Francisco's representative men, the city, its history and commerce : pregnant facts regarding the growth of the leading branches of trade, industries and products of the state and coast > Part 8


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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


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SAN FRANCISCO.


lines in San Francisco and several others are projected. The gold and silver of the coast has been lavishly spent in building up the city and in providing the fortunes of its million- aires. The combined product of both precious metals has reached an amount estimated at two and a quar- ter billion of dollars, most of the profits on which have contributed to enrich San Francisco. It has been the great heart and center of silver mining no less than that of gold, and the silver era was in its way of as ro- mantic interest and of great practical results as that of gold. In 1863 shares in the silver mines of the Com- stock were at fabulous prices, from one thousand dollars each in Chollar to six thousand three hundred dollars in Gould & Curry. In 1869 some ore at White Pine yielded ten thou- sand dollars a ton. In 1874 the Crown Point and Belcher mines were in the heyday of their glory. In three years they had yielded forty millions of dollars, but a much greater mine was to eclipse theirs and to remain to the present, as far as is known, the greatest heard of in history or even in tradition. There have been mines in Mexico and Bo- livia, the grand aggregate of which was larger, but none that yielded such amazing results in such a short space of time. In May, 1874, it gave dividends of $300,000 per month. Being examined by experts it was declared that theore body in sight was worth a billion and a half of dollars. Under the stimulus given by this the value of the shares in the mines in the San Francisco market advanced a million dollars a day for about two months. This mine was next divided into two, the Consolidated Virginia and the California, with over half a million shares in each. They were owned principally by Flood, O'Brien, Mackay and Fair, whose names have become renowned throughout the earth for their riches. For two years a steady stream of wealth


from the mines flowed into San Fran- cisco to the extent of over one hun- dred and twelve million of dollars. The Stock Exchange became a rec- ognized institution and thousands were, some of them in a day, ele- vated from poverty to wealth. The picture has had a reverse side, and shares during the past few years have sold as low as half a dollar eaclı. Such are the fluctuations of mining stocks; but whatever fate betide particular industries, San Francisco does not cease to progress.


THE POPULATION


Increases at the rate of about twenty thousand a year or two hun- dred thousand in a decade. It is now three hundred and thirty thou- sand. By 1893 it will be four hun- dred thousand, or nearly three times as much as in 1870. Since 1880 over eleven thousand six hundred houses have been built, and despite bad times, bad crops, through good report and evil report they continue to be added to our city at the rate of one thousand four hundred a year. Before the twentieth century has been reached the population of the Golden City will be midway between six hundred and seven hundred thou- sand.


OUR TRADE.


Its foreign imports increased from abont twenty millions in 1870 to close on forty millions in 1886, and $51,562,403 in 1889. Then its for- eign sea-borne trade is only a part of the whole as its commerce with other States and Territories, by rail, steamer and clipper, is not less than seventy millions a year, imports and exports. It buys and sells over two hundred million dollars' worth of merchandise annually, and this amount issteadily increasing. Hither come for exchange the surplus pro- ducts of three continents, the teas, silks, coffees, spices and sugars of Asia and the Pacific islands; the sugars, rice, fruit and cotton of the Hawaiian and other Pacific islands


.


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BUILDERS OF A GREAT CITY.


the coffee, hides, sugar, orchilla and silver of Mexico and Central Amer- ica; the iron, chemicals, cement, woolens, cottons and liquors of Eng- land; the wines, silks, cloth, sar- dines, olive oil, perfumery and arti- cles de Paris of France; toys, liquors, mineral waters, etc., from the Ger- man fatherland; gold from British Columbia and Australia; coal from Australia, British Columbia and Great Britain; furs from the Aleu- tian Islands and British Columbia; cod from the Pacific banks, the most extensive in the world; whale oil, bone and ivory from the Arctic. From the Eastern States, by ship, steamer and rail, come most of our manufactured goods which are not produced at home; drygoods, boots, shoes, hats, hardware, cooperage, tobacco, drugs, oils, paints and do- mestic liquors forming the bulk of our imports thence. Our export trade by sea has increased from nearly eight millions in 1870 to over forty millions in 1890 - seventy- six millions by sea and rail, almost equally divided between home and foreign. In this is reckoned a transit trade of about eleven millions fig- ured also in our imports. Some of the trade by rail from California is from interior points but we have given San Francisco's share. Our foreign export trade consists chiefly of breadstuffs. Like a second Egypt we help to feed the nations. In 1882 our breadstuff exports reached a value of thirty-six millions. Fruits, canned, dried and green, salmon and other articles of food figure largely. Wine to drink for the East, Mexico and Central America and the islands of the Pacific, contributes its share. Lumber to build houses in all parts of the world from Australia to Scot- land, including our famous redwood, when polished one of the most beau- tiful in the world, forms a large part of our export values. Then come groceries and manufactured goods of every description to the islands of the Pacific sea. Perhaps one of


the most curious of all our articles of exports is ginseng, brought prin- cipally from the East-a potent heal- all in China, Japan, Corea and other Orient lands, and selling here at an average of two dollars a pound. Shrimps and shrimp shells form quite a large item of export to China. Leather was formerly shipped in large quantity to Japan, which is still our best foreign customer. But the Japanese are learning to make a good article themselves, and our shipments to their country are growing small by degrees and beau- tifully less.


To the Atlantic and Mississippi Valley States we send refined sugar, coffee, wool, wine and brandies, canned and dried fruits, oranges, green fruits, raisins, salmon, borax, barley, leather, quicksilver, lead, hops, hides and pelts, whale oil, furs. Sometimes our merchants ship con- siderable tea that way, but on the whole that is a transit trade as also is that in raw silk, all of which reaches New Jersey's looms via San Francisco. This great trade by rail has grown to 579,421,970 lbs. in 1890 --- 310,135,970 1bs. from San Francisco, but almost all handled by its mer- chants. : During the past year the growth has been especially notable. The total figures include Sacramento, Los Angeles and other shipping points, but San Francisco enjoys close on 60 per cent. of the whole.


We have referred to our wheat and flour trade. California flour, from San Francisco, is rapidly find- ing its way to all ports, from those of Siberia to Australia and New Zea- land. Even corn has of late become an export, though in almost inappreci- able degree. Great Britain forms the principal market for our wheat, but France often figures largely. Belgium is buying to some extent, Australia considerably, while we have shipped to Gibraltar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Mauritius and other places. We almost an-


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SAN FRANCISCO.


nually send a cargo to Cape Verde Islands.


Manufacturers paying the highest average wages in the world, $2, $3 and $4 a day, we have difficulty in competing with the East in industrial matters, but the railroad tariff pro- tects us, or did until recently, the result being that our manufactures have grown rapidly. In 1870 the census credited us with $37,410,829; to-day the value of our industries is not less than $110,000,000, or over $300 per capita of our population. This is a very healthy exhibit and one that San Francisco need not blush at. There are 33,000 workers steadily employed, who produce at the rate of $3,000 per year. Of these, 15,- 000 are Chinese, whose wages range from half a dollar to $2.50 per day, the latter amount received by some exceptionally good workers in the cigar trade. Their great triple stronghold is the cigar, boot and shoe and clothing trades, though they have representatives in almost all. There are, or were, 6,000 Chinese of all grades in the cigar trade, 3,000 in the boot and shoe trade, and 2,000 in the clothing trade. The cigar business is one of the greatest of our industries. We made during a couple of years 150,- 000,000 cigars, just 500 for every man, woman and child in the city. These were valued at $5,000,000. They are smoked from San Francisco to Chicago, large quantities having been formerly shipped East, but since the anti-Chinese agitation, Eastern goods are supplanting them to some extent, and the number has dropped to 120,000,000.


Despite its great value, the cigar trade, and in fact every other carried on in the city, is cast in the shade by the sugar refining industry. It has progressed with giant strides. This year over 300,000,000 pounds will be refined. We have now the cheapest sugar in America, and dur- ing past years have sold our product as far East as the Mississippi, indeed


even in Chicago. Its great develop- ment is altogether due to the Hawaii- an treaty, at first opposed by our re- finers. But we now take all the sweets of Hawaii and soon shall be ready for much more than it can pro- duce. We ship both raw and re- fined, and the latter this year will sell for $17,000,000. Our beet sugar trade is increasing fast, full data concerning it being given elsewhere.


The manufacture of boots and shoes is of a value of $5,000,000 an- nually. Our iron industry is of the same average annual value, but it is not as active as formerly, owing to the fact that the great quantities of ma- chinery wanted to work the mines of the Comstock are no longer needed, and though last, not least, the great strike. But we have recompensed our- selves in other directions, and iron and steel ship building is at least a real- ity with us. The construction of the cruisers "Charleston" and "San Francisco" has given us the standing of Chester on the Tyne, and by and by a great business will come to our doors. We have, in fact, already in- quiries from Chile and Japan in con- nection with the shipyard. We have one of the largest foundries in the United States, and our mining ma- chinery has no equal for its ingenuity and variety. We make about 500,- 000 barrels of beer every year that sells for close on $3,500,000, and this notwithstanding the abundance and cheapness of wine, of which, how- ever, very little is made in this city. We may, though, except 20,000 cases of excellent champagne.


The manufacture of doors, sashes and other articles of lumber is very extensive as all the Pacific Coast is supplied hence. The total value of these manufactures is $3,000,000. The production of canned goods is valued at $4,000,000; that of clothing at $4,000,000 also; about 500,000 barrels of flour represent the in- dustry of the millers of the Golden City; $1,500,000 may be given as the value of blankets, cloths, etc .;


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BUILDERS OF A GREAT CITY.


$1,000,000 that of shirts. Within urban limits leather to the value of $3,300,000 is produced. Of fine fur- niture, $2,000,000 a year is made. Of other goods, bags are made to the value of $1,500,000; boxes to that of $1,000,000; saddlery and harness worth $1,000,000 are produced. The dynamite product is worth $1,500,- 000 a year; coffee and spices $1,500,- 000, while the production of news- papers, printing and kindred arts cannot be placed at less than $4,000,- 000 in value. Here is set down everything worth $1,000,000 and up- wards, making a total of close on $65,000,000. A multitude of smaller industries helps to round out the total. A cotton mill at East Oak- land is the beginning of California's cotton industries. The coal oil of Southern California is refined at Alameda. In carpet, dry goods, men's clothing, hats, hardware, pork packing, and a few minor industries, the city is backward, but promises to take a great stride ahead in pork packing.


MONEY.


San Francisco is one of the great financial centers of the United States. Here the Branch Mint turns out $23,- 000,000 a year in gold and silver. The capital of the banks of the city is $34,847,206 while their deposits reach the figure of $120,181,293; their resources are $176,550,081. The savings banks have deposits of $96,068,818, of which the Hibernia Bank alone has in excess of $26,- 000,000. The Bank of Nevada, whose stock was owned principally by the bonanza firm, had during its career a capital of $10,000,000. The United States Mint has had at one time on hand over $60,000,000 in liard coin in its treasure vaults. The duties of the port and the internal revenue taxes yield annually an average of $12,000,000. The city las about 123 men who are each worth over $1,000,000; a few of them, such as Senator Stanford, James L. Flood, Jr., Claus Spreckels, James


G. Fair, Charles Crocker, and oth- ers, own nearly $100,000,000 among them. All San Francisco's million- aires are worth unitedly $250,000,- 000. The assessed value of city pro- perty is $230,000,000, the true value not less than $500,000,000.


BUILDINGS.


San Francisco is, or will be, a city of magnificent distances. Even now Market street from the ferries, where it terminates neath the shadow of the Mission mountains, is one of the finest thoroughfares in the West. Broad, ample and imposing, with lines of magnificent buildings, it will in a few years be one of the finest streets in the world. It will proba- bly be continued to the ocean. Van Ness avenue is to-day noted for its splendid residences. It runs from the Bay over the hills and away down to Market street, and is full of magnificent mansions. The great Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary's has been built there. It will be one of the noblest resident streets in America. The business portion of the city is built of brick and stone, principally of the former. Most of the leading establishments are also built of the same material. But as far as regards its private res- idences San Francisco is a lumber- built city. The thousands of fine mansions that it boasts of have all this character though their aspect in some instances is palatial and their appointments of the finest and cost- liest nature. The California red- wood, which is practically indestructi- ble, generally forms the ground- work. These cost all the way from $50,000 to a full $1,000,000. Prior to 1876, people were satisfied with houses costing from $3,000 to $5,000, and the very rich were those reaclı- ing from $50,000 to $100,000, but $250,000 was soon attained and after that there was no limit save the means of the builder. The finest edifices in San Francisco are the Mint, the Appraisers' Store, the Pal-


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SAN FRANCISCO.


ace, the Baldwin and Grand Hotels, St. Ignatius, St. Mary's and St. Dominic's Churches, the Chronicle building, and the Odd Fellows' build- ing. D. O. Mills' building on Montgomery street will be a fine ten story structure. San Francisco is promised a grand Postoffice for which a large appropriation has al- ready been made. The City Hall, now in an unfinished state, will prob- ably cost $4,000,000 before comple- tion. San Francisco is well supplied with churches and schools, having ninety-six of the former and seventy of the latter. The Hebrews have seven synagogues. The children of school age number 75,000. The Chinese children have one school with a very light attendance. The theaters of the city number twelve. The California, the finest theater building in the city, has wit- nessed the early efforts of some lead- ing American actors. Amongst its old stock company were numbered John McCullough, Tom Keene, Henry Edwards, James O'Neil, and others of national reputation. The Grand Opera House, though a fine theater, has proven a magnificent failure. The Alcazar, a theater in the Moorish style of architecture, has been built by one of our most suc- cessful newspaper men, and is itself already a success. The Baldwin was built by the millionaire of the same name.


ELEMENTS OF POPULATION.


San Francisco is now a cosmopoli- tan city and its foreign-born citizens exceed in number the native born. They have come from all lands be- neath the sun, but more especially from Ireland and Germany. Some years ago out of 35,000 registered voters, not less than 10,000 were Irish born, while the Germans, hail- ing from all parts of the fatherland, numbered not less than 8,500. France contributed 2,000, Italy as many more. Four nationalities thus gave close on 23,000 to the electoral roll.


Then came England, Scotland, Mex- ico, Chile, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Por- tugal and many other nations and tongues. Since that time the pro- portion of foreign voters has lessened. Of the total registered in 1890, the natives of the United States num- bered 32,971; foreign born, 26,743, 45 per cent. The figures of 12,373 represent the native sons of Califor- nia; New York, 5,565; Massachusetts, 2,776; Pennsylvania, 1,588; Ohio, 1,270; Maine, 1,227; Illinois, 890; Ireland, 9,824; Germany, 7,454; England, 2,118; Canada, 1,113; Italy, 955; France, 785; Scotland, 670; Sweden, 633; Austria, 507; Russia, 436; Denmark, 423; Switzerland, 391. The exact number of Chinese is not known, but it is said to exceed 30,000. The city has a distinctively foreign quarter, bounded by Mont -. gomery, Broadway, Stockton and Clay streets, where French, Spanish, Italians and Hispano-Americans abound and where everything has a decidedly foreign flavor. The irre- pressible Chinese occupy all that portion of the city lying between Kearny, Stockton, Broadway and California streets, with the exception of the buildings facing on the afore- said streets.


OUR CHINESE.


Dupont street from California to Broadway, a distance of six blocks, Sacramento, Commercial, Clay, Washington and Jackson streets are arteries of this great Chinese settle- ment in the heart of San Francisco, an imperium in imperio intersected by narrow alleys like the streets in Hong- Kong or Canton, and teeming with a strange population, having its own laws, its own tribunals, its secret societies, etc., a human hive where the busy hum of industry never ceases day or night, and where every foot of space is utilized as a store, workshop, or place for sleep- ing in-sometimes for all together. It is, as it were, a slice of China set


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BUILDERS OF A GREAT CITY.


down in San Francisco, and but for the buildings might well be described by selections from some of the works that treat of Chinese cities. It has its Joss houses, opium dens, stores where every article sold in China may be had, butcher shops, restau- rants, cigar factories, boot and shoe and clothing factories, barber shops where customers' heads may be seen shaved in full public view all day long, and others where carpenters, tinsmiths, watch makers, photograph- ers, tailors and a score more trades carry on their several avocations. The women may be seen as busy as the men. The roofs of the houses are in many places covered with clothing, hung out to dry, or meat or shrimps to be shipped to China, or something else of the same kind. The sidewalks are crowded with a ceaseless throng; little fruit and candy stores are found at every cor- ner; cobblers ply their trade and mend their customers' shoes on the sidewalk. Here, too, glides along the treacherous highbinder or Chi- nese bravo, always well provided with concealed arms, pistols, dirks, or small hatchets, ready to execute the behests of the secret tribunals on those of his countrymen that may have been marked out for punish- ment by them. Chinese women shamble along, sometimes with chil- dren led by the hand and decked out in barbaric finery. These children grow up possessed of the traits to a great extent of both Caucasian and


Mongolian. On festive occasions the streets in the evening are gay with Chinese colored lanterns. Good humored crowds throng the streets in blouses, black felt hatsand Ameri- can boots, while the wealthier and the literati parade in full Chinese costume, with serene satisfaction in themselves and a proud contempt for the outer barbarian. The Chi-


nese are generally well dressed after their style, and cleanly; but enter the places where the commonalty live, or rather herd, and what a


change! No regard to hygiene or cleanliness of surroundings is found. Scenes like those mentioned by travelers who have visited the inter- ior of Canton or Shanghai every- where meet the eye. Of course pov- erty is the cause of this, for the Chinese work for very low wages, live economically where opium is not concerned, and save their earnings to return to China with them. From $7,000,000 to $12,000,000 are sent to China in this way every year by public channels-how much by those returning is unknown. Chinatown is essentially Asiatic, and but little impression can be made on it by out- side influence. The Chinese masses are essentially unchanged and un- changeable; a people to themselves and apart from others. All are either members of one or other of the seven companies as they are called -great co-operative institutions that take care of the Celestial almost from the cradle to the grave. The social conditions obtaining here are very similar to those found in China itself-the same extremes of wealth and poverty, the same combination of freedom and slavery, for many, especially women, are in a state of virtual slavery. There is a dark side to Chinese as well as Caucasian life, where we do not feel at liberty to raise the veil-in its surroundings it is several shades darker than outside the precincts of Chinatown. Since the restriction but few Chinese land directly here, but many find their way overland from British Columbia and Mexico. In this way the population is to a certain extent kept up, although Chinese workers are, compared with former times, scarce. Where a Chinese contractor could find lots of his countrymen only too ready to go to work for an advance of five dollars, they must now, in many cases have fifty dollars, and even then some will run away at the first station where the train stops. Thousands are every year employed in the salmon fisher- ies of Alaska; whence the season


SAN FRANCISCO.


being at an end, they return to the city again. They possess neither the excellent virtues nor the hideous vices attributed to them, but they are essentially a people apart to themselves. Some few comparatively have been brought under the influ- ence of the Protestant missionaries, and there are a few Catholics, but generally they go to the mission school to learn English so as to get to work in private houses. The com- munity is occasionally represented in the press by a paper published in their own language, which never seems to enjoy a very prosperous ex- istence. The Chinese born and raised here are much superior in ap- pearance to those from China.


OTHER ELEMENTS.


The Japanese have of late in- creased considerably in numbers. They are generally, when not stu- dents, employed in private families, but there are some artists amongst them who paint on porcelain, etc.


The colored element is not large. It is indeed very small as to num- bers, but hardworking and indus- trious. It has no distinctive pe- culiarity save what is physical. The men are generally employed as waiters, janitors, etc. There are a few wealthy colored people. They are represented in the press and have a couple of church organizations with churches and Sunday schools.


There is little difference to be ob- served, at least exteriorly, between the different white elements of which Our population is composed. Here, as elsewhere, our Jewish fellow citi- zens are mostly found in the walks of trade and finance where they are very numerously represented and very influential. As to the rest, the New Englander, the native of the Middle States, the Western man, the citizens hailing from the chivalrous South are found in most of the walks of life outside of unskilled labor, though stress of circumstances have driven even cultured people to seek


temporary employment even there. Our Irish and German-born citizens fill every position from that of a bank- ing president to a member of the rank and file of the grand army of labor, most of the skilled, as well as the unskilled, workmen being recruited from their ranks. Most of the leading retail drygoods stores are owned and served by those born in Ireland, while in the manufacture and sale of beer and in the retail grocery trade the Ger- mans have an overwhelming pre- dominance. The French, Spanish- Americans and Italians occupy that portion of the city stretching north from Jackson street and west from Montgomery street, a couple of blocks each way, though large num- bers of them are scattered all over the city. Some of our leading wholesale houses are carried on by French and Italians. The English and Scotch elements of our popula- tion control the import and export and shipping trade of the port with Europe, as also the export grain trade, while the ranks of skilled labor are largely recruited from their numbers. All the distinctive ele- ments of our population have spe- cial newspaper organs of their own.




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