146 



SAN FRANCISCO 



SAN GERMANO 



The total length of these bays and connecting 

 straits is 65 miles. The Sacramento and San 

 Joaquin rivers debonch near the head of Suisun 

 Bay. Nearly in front of the city are three import- 

 ant islands Alcatraz (fortified), Angel Man. I 

 ( fort Hi. -d ), and Yerba Buena or Goat Island. 



The original site of the city was a grant 

 made by the king of Spain of four square leagues 

 of land. This grant was afterwards continued by 

 congress, and is now wholly within the limits of 

 the municipality, which extends its jurisdiction 

 also over the islands in the bay. In the early part 

 of 1849 the population of San Francisco was about 

 2000 ; at the close of that year the population 

 had increased to 20,000. A lar^e part of the 

 mining immigration made it a point for supplies 

 and departure for the mines in the interior (for 

 the discovery of gold and the social conditions of 

 that period, see CALIFORNIA). The city was 

 originally built of wood, the first houses and stores 

 being constructed in the Atlantic States, brought 

 round Cape Horn, and set up as wanted. Three 

 great fires in 1850 swept the greater part of these 

 wooden structures away. Many of the business 

 houses were thereafter built of brick and iron, but 

 to this day the dwellings are chiefly of wood, for 

 climatic reasons. Most of the pioneer business 

 structures have disappeared ; many large and 

 costly buildings have been erected ; and marble, 

 granite, and terra-cotta are coming into extensive 

 use, with interior frames of iron and steel. The 

 public edifices for the most part are not of an 

 imposing character ; there are seven theatres and 

 opera-houses, a sub-treasury, mint, custom-house, 

 stock exchange, city hall, and other structures of 

 less note. The largest edifice in the city is the 

 Palace Hotel, costing upwards of three million 

 dollars, with accommodation for 1200 guests. 

 There are eleven public squares. The Golden 

 Gate Park covers an area of 1050 acres ; originally 

 a barren tract of sand-dunes, it has been gradually 

 converted into one of the most attractive places in 

 the state. It is about 3 miles in length and 1 mile 

 in breadth ; and it is bounded on the west side by 

 the ocean. 



The number of churches and clmpels is about 

 one hundred and twenty. Of these eighty or more 

 are Protestant, and not less than twenty-live are 

 Catholic. Nearly every religious denomination in 

 the world has a representative in the city. There 

 are few church edifices of the first class. The new 

 Roman Catholic cathedral, the Unitarian church, 

 Grace Church, and the First Congregational Church 

 are the more notable edifices for religious worship. 

 The charities of the city are numerous and well 

 supported. San Francisco is distinguished for the 

 number and excellence of its free schools and other 

 institutions of learning. There are sixty-five public 

 schools which are practically free. In these the 

 instruction is carried far enough to qualify pupils 

 for admission to the state university at Berkeley, 

 which is the culmination of the free-school system. 

 In addition to these there are a large number of 

 schools under private or denominational control. 

 The higher institutions include the law, medical, 

 and dental departments of the university, the 

 Cooper Medical College, the Hahnemann Medical 

 College, the School of Mechanic Arts, founded by 

 a bequest from James Lick of $540,000, and the 

 Academy of Sciences, enriched by another large 

 bequest from the same benefactor. The city has 

 also a free library with 75,000 vols. ; the Mercantile 

 Library and the Mechanics' Library have nearly 

 the same number, the Oddfellows' Library 40,000 

 vi. I-., and the Law Library 25,000. 



Most of the streets are laid out in rectangular 

 form, and with little reference to the conforma- 

 tion of the surface. The horse tramway was the 



pioneer method of street transit. But the abrupt 

 elevation required some better facilities ; and the 

 cable-road (see TRAMWAYS) was first invented 

 and put into successful operation in San Francisco. 

 Gas, electric light, and water are supplied by pri- 

 vate eor|>orations. The water supply comes from 

 springs, creeks, and reservoirs at points about 20 

 miles distant from the city. The Chinese quarter 

 is one of the most curious, if least admirable, feat- 

 ures of the city, has its own joss-houses, theatres, 

 and opium dens, and a population of 25,000, mainly 

 adult men. One of tin- most interesting historical 

 relics is the old church of the (Spanish) mission 

 Dolores, built of adobe, and dating from 1 77s. 



San Francisco is the western terminus of the 

 continental railroads, being '.M.'U miles \V. <if St 

 Louis, and 3452 of New York. Lines of steamships 

 ply between the port and Mexico, Central and 

 South America, Australia and New Zealand, 

 Ja|vn, and China. The exports include ..'old, 

 silver, grain, wool, wine, and fruit. Shipbuilding 

 is carried on. and large war-vessels have been 

 built here. Since 1895 the harbour is defended 

 by pneumatic dynamite-guns. A stone dry-dock 

 admits vessels of 6000 tons, and smaller docks 

 take up the coasting fleet for repairs. Several 

 whaling companies send out Meets to the Arctic, 

 comprising both sail and steam vessels, and about 

 a million dollars in value of oil mid Imne are an- 

 nually brought in by these vessels. San Francisco 

 is one of the most important grain jmrts in the 

 United States. The annual exports of wheat range 

 from 750,000 to 1,000,000 tons, and more than three 

 hundred ships are employed in transporting this, 

 wheat to foreign countries. Iron and steel vessels 

 of British register have the preference for wheat 

 charters. 



The city is rapidly acquiring large manufactur- 

 ing interests. It gives employment to aluiiit 

 30,000 persons in the various manufactories, with 

 an estimated annual product of $134,000,000. There 

 are large sugar-refineries, rolling-mills, foundries, 

 machine-shops, where the largest steam engines 

 are constructed, ship-yards, cordage- works, SM-II 

 and door factories, woollen-mills, tanneries, brew- 

 eries, boot and shoe factories, and type-foundries. 

 The whole range of mechanic arts, with few- 

 exceptions, is now represented in San Francisco. 

 Pop. ( 1860) 56,802 ; ( 1870) 149,473 ; (1880) 233,959; 

 (1890) 298,997, including about 25,000 Chinese; 

 (1900) 342,782. See works cited at CALIFORNIA 

 (Soule, Hittell, Bancroft), and the Johns Hopkins 

 Studies, Feb. -Mar. 1889. 



San Fratello, a town of northern Sicily, 53 

 miles WSW. of Messina. Here is the cave of San 

 Teodoro, discovered in 1859, and containing pro- 

 digious quantities of liones of mammals mixed with 

 1 flint implements. Pop. 7554. 



SailSJJlF'<' (Span, sangria), a West Indian 

 1 beverage, consisting of wfne, sugar or syrup, 

 1 water, and nutmeg, drunk cold. 



SailKerliailSOII, an old town of Prussian Sa\- 

 I ony, on the SK. of the liar/ Mountain*, '22 miles 

 i E. of Nordlmusen, with manufactures of machinery, 

 iron, copper, and beet-root sugar. Pop. 10,188. 



Sail <'rinan, a cit v in the SW. part of Porto 

 Rico, 10 miles direct SE. by S. of Mayaguez, and 

 66 miles WSW. of San Juan. Pop. ( 1899 ) 3954. 



San GrrmanO, now more generally called 

 'Asstso, a town of Italy, standing 3 miles K. of 

 the celebrated monastery of Monte Cassino (q.v.) 

 :.n.l ii!i miles N\V. of Naples. It is built on the 

 site and from the ruins of the ancient Volscian 

 town of Catinum. The principal ruins are a monu- 

 ment and an amphitheatre. The first, now em- 

 ployed as a church, is built in the form of a 

 Greek cross, constructed with enormous Cyclopean 



