542 OCEAN TO OCEAN ON HOBSEBACK. 



six years following the discovery of gold was won- 

 derful. *' Hills were tumbled into the hay, and niu<i 

 flats were made solid ground." Streets were graded, 

 handsome buildings were erected, and San Francisco 

 began to rank among the first cities of the land. So 

 valuable was her water-front that, in 1853, four small 

 blocks on Commercial street sold for over 1,000,000 

 dollars. The assessed valuation of property that year 

 was about 10,000,000 dollars over that of the pre- 

 vious year. 



The population was then estimated at about 50,000; 

 that being about one-seventh of the then population of 

 the State. 



The city had, at this time, 1856, seventeen fire com- 

 panies, twelve military companies, and a number of 

 social clubs, four hospitals, seventeen public schools, 

 thirty-two church organizations, thirteen daily news- 

 papers, and as many weeklies published in half a 

 dozen different languages. 



From that time she has continued ever increasing, 

 ever justifying her title of the metropolis of the Pacific. 



Her City Hall is one of the grandest buildings on the 

 Continent. Its construction cost 6,000,000 dollars. 

 It stands five hundred and fifty feet on Larkin street, 

 seven hundred on McAllister street, and eight hun- 

 dred and sixty feet on Park avenue. 



The Mint at San Francisco is the largest one in the 

 United States. Its architecture is Doric, and it is con- 

 structed of freestone and California granite. 



San Francisco is supplied with water from several 

 large reservoirs, having a united capacity of seventy 

 billion gallons. Her harbor could accommodate the 

 shipping of the whole world. 



