All that was left of a fine residence.]

[Illustration: =TENTING IN THE SQUARE.=]

[Illustration: =ALAMEDA PARK.=]

The southeast corner of the new postoffice building extended over an
old swamp, and here there was a depression of fully four feet. The
sinking was confined almost entirely to the lower parts of the
city, and particularly to "made" ground. Mr. Woodward gave it as his
opinion that there was no general depression of the city whatever.

City Engineer Woodward was one of those who devised a general scheme
for rebuilding the city, by which the new San Francisco was to be a
city of magnificent buildings, terraces, boulevards, green parks and
playgrounds and gardens.

One prominent feature of Mr. Woodward's comprehensive scheme was the
widening of Van Ness avenue into a magnificent boulevard. To this end
he proposed the acquisition by the city through condemnation
proceedings of all that choice residence property the full length of
Van Ness avenue.

Under his plan there would be no narrow and clogging streets in those
sections of the city laid bare by the fire. Streets in the heart of
the business district which were proved entirely inadequate for the
rush and confusion of a big metropolis were to be widened by slicing
from the private holdings on either side, again through process of the
courts.

Market street was to be left as it was. So with Third and other
streets that were repaired by the city authorities just before the
earthquake, but streets in the commission and wholesale sections were
to be radically altered, both in width and course.

The big construction companies of New York took a great interest in
the San Francisco disaster, especially as far as the damages to
building was concerned.

One of the largest construction companies in the world started an
engineer for San Francisco at once.

Great satisfaction was expressed by the architects of the San
Francisco Chronicle building that the structure had withstood the
shocks in good shape and was practically uninjured until assailed on
all sides by flames. The Chronicle building was of steel framework,
with the outer walls partially anchored to the frame.

George Simpson, the chief engineer of the company that built the
Chronicle building, was of the opinion that the big modern buildings
of Chicago and New York would withstand such earthquake shocks as
those felt in San Francisco.

"The east, and especially New York city," said Mr