Page:The Tourist's California by Wood, Ruth Kedzie.djvu/401

 SOUTHERN COUNTIES 343 the fairy yacht, was an heir of the house of Spreck- els. Since 1910, due to the launching of a cross-state railroad to give the City of St. James its first direct communication with the east, and due, also, to the publicity acquired through the Pan- ama-California Exposition of 1915, and to the benefits expected to accrue from the Canal, San Diego's population has doubled. Wharves, wide streets, business blocks, handsome hotels, stores, clubs, theatres, schools, churches and dwellings have replaced the barren effort of early days. New Town has come into her own. Old Town, withered on its supercilious stalk, is a dejected " sight " for tourists. The storm-proof haven of San Diego is 22 square miles in extent. The promontory of Point Loma drops southward from the mainland, swerving suf- ficiently to the west to admit of steamers' passing between the high flank of the headland and the sandy beach on which Coronado is situated. War vessels are frequently in the harbour, and freighters, passenger ships, ferry-boats, yachts, sail-boats, power launches and canoes add to the activity of the crescent bay. In the middle is the sprawling island of the Army Aviation School in- stalled in 1911. The Horton House, which for thirty years was the main hotel of the city, stood on a neglected