Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/588

SAN FELIU DE GUIXOLS.  corks, which are exported in large quantities. The salting of fish is also important. There is a harbor with considerable shipping. Population, in 1900, 11,253.  SAN FERNANDO, (formerly ). A town of Southwestern Spain, in the province of Cadiz, on the island of Leon, near the inner Bay of Cadiz, seven miles southeast of the city of that name (Map:, B 4). It is a handsome town, but is surrounded by salt marshes. The principal public building, the Casa Consistorial, is one of the finest of its kind in Spain. There is an important naval academy, and outside the city stands a large and well-equipped astronomical observatory. The industries are represented by salt works, flour mills, an iron foundry, and manufactures of cordage and sails. A mile to the north lies the port of La Carraca, with wharves, docks, and an arsenal. Population, in 1887, 20,287; in 1900, 29,802.  SAN FERNANDO. The capital of the Province of Colchagua, Chile, 86 miles south of Santiago, with which it has railway connection (Map:, C 10). Its population in 1895 was 7477.  SAN FERNANDO. A town of Cebú, Philippine Islands, situated on the east coast 15 miles southwest of Cebú (Map:, H 9). Population, estimated, in 1899, 12,155.  SAN FERNANDO. The capital of the Province of La Unión, in Luzon, Philippines. It is situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Lingayén on the highroad and projected railroad between Manila and Laoag (Map:, E 3). It has a harbor protected by a small peninsula. Population, estimated, in 1899, 12,892.  SAN FERNANDO. A town of Luzon, Philippine Islands, in the Province of Pampanga (Map:, E 4). It is situated about four miles northeast of Bacolor, has a telegraph station and is a station on the Manila-Dagupan Railroad. It is an important centre of the sugar industry, and has several sugar mills and large storehouses. Population, estimated, in 1899, 13,266.  SAN′FORD. A town in York County, Maine, 36 miles southwest of Portland; on the Boston and Maine Railroad (Map:, B 9). It is an industrial centre, its manufactures including shoes, plush, blankets, carriage robes, worsted cloth, yarn, and lumber products. Settled about 1740. Sanford was first incorporated in 1768. Population, in 1890, 4201; in 1900, 6078. Consult Emery, The History of Sanford, Maine, 1661-1900 (Fall River, 1901).  SAN FRANCIS′CO. The metropolis of the Pacific Coast of the United States and the largest and most important city of the region west of the Missouri River. It is built on a peninsula washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Bay of San Francisco on the other, in latitude 37° 47′ 55″ N., and longitude 122° 24′ 32″ W., and occupies a central position on the coast line of California.

. The city's area is 47 square miles. Its site is largely hilly, and it presents a picturesque appearance from the harbor. The part devoted to commerce lies along the shores of the bay, and is moderately level, but the residential districts are on elevated ground. The most

fashionable quarters are those which overlook the ocean, bay, and town. ‘Nob Hill,’ upon which the men who constructed the first overland railroad built their palatial homes, is about 300 feet above the level of the ocean, and ‘Pacific Heights’ rise still higher. The ‘Twin Peaks,’ which form a background to the leading thoroughfare, are 900 feet high.

A part of the site of San Francisco is reclaimed from the bay. Some of the most substantial structures in the business section are reared on piles driven to bed rock through made ground, and vast areas of sand dunes have been leveled in order to conform localities to the street system, which was arbitrarily decided upon with little reference to contour. Market Street, a thoroughfare several miles long, and the streets south of it, are level, but those from the north and west intersecting it strike boldly at the hills and have gradients in some cases as great as 50 per cent. It is this feature which gives the town its striking sky line. From the bay it presents the appearance of a city with houses piled on top of one another, while from the points of vantage offered by the hills, views of rare beauty, embracing the ocean, the bay with its islands and active commerce, the densely populated districts, and the distant mountains, may be obtained.

Its situation on a peninsula across which the summer trade winds blow has given San Francisco a unique climate. During thirty years of observation, the lowest temperature recorded was 29° F., and the highest 100°. The lowest mean temperature for any month during this period was 46°, and the highest, 65°. The mean temperature was lowest in December, when it averaged 50°, and highest in September, reaching 63°. Semi-tropical plants flourish in the open air throughout the winter. During the summer months rain rarely falls, but the skies over the city are frequently clouded with fog, which sometimes descends in the form of a mist. The rainfall averages about 21 inches. The precipitation usually begins in October and ceases in May. In normal winter, periods during which the skies are clear from four to six weeks are not infrequent. The term ‘rainy season’ applied to weather conditions in central and southern California is misleading. It simply means that there are certain months during which rain falls, and not that there is continuous rain. A prominent feature of the climate is the regular afternoon wind.

Except the thoroughfares in a very small area near the water front, in the oldest part of the city, the streets are of ample width. Market street, the main artery, starts at the Ferry Building and cuts across the town in a southwesterly direction. It is intersected on the north side by streets laid out in conformity with the cardinal points. This arrangement produces irregular blocks at the points of intersection, which have left some space for placing monuments. The streets south of Market, with the exception of Mission, which describes a lengthened arc, cut each other at right angles. The sidewalks are wide in all parts of the city and are generally constructed of artificial stone. There are in all 750 miles of streets open to travel. Of these 104 miles are paved with bituminous rock laid on a foundation of concrete; there is a large proportion, however, paved with blocks of basaltic rock laid in sand, and in some neglected quarters cobbles still remain. <section end="San Francisco" />