Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1870-05-20
DOttings by the Way.
Correspondence Of the Keo,ccc Cour1cr.
Russ House, J
San Francisco, California, :
April &c. 1870.

DEAR CoURIER According to promise,
we will cndeayor to give you short sketch
of our pcregrinations and pcrambuations for
the last three days in and around the cosmo-
politan city of San Francisco She has about
200 900 inhabitants, distributed as follows
$4,000 Americans; 10000 Germans; 40 900
Irish; $4,000 Chinese, Mongels or japanese !;
5000 Spaniards, and 10000 Digger Indians
and mixed. AS she had perhaps not 500 in
habitants in 1910, she has made rapid proerc SIS
in building up. The bay is a fine one. The
largest shipping Of course cannot run up to
her wharves, but lighters como in from tho
main ocean, about four miles out Near the
Cliff House, and different points, she has her
strong forts, one near Goat Island, as YOU an.
preach from the cast or Oakland City side,
and another near tho Cliff House Beach,
Westwardly, &C., ana It is tho western pass
that is termed the "Godcn Gate" entrance.
Out toward the great Pacific Beach, the
city is hilly. Telegraph Till is amongst the
highest point, and to ascend it, the grade is
at least one foot in six. In fact before you
can reach it from Montgomery street, the
most fashionable retail street, and tho one
most of the hotels arc generally on, you have
to walk, as the vehicles cannot ascend to the
top. You reach it by steps Of wood made
along the sidewalks, and tho street goes on,
tho same as if vchichlcs did, anG many of TIC
houses are just on the brink of the prccipice,
overlooking tho street cut out below, and
with the "shakcy reputation" the place has,
we arc rather inclined to ignore this section.
Then you have Russian Hill, which is but
little better, Lone Mountain, and various hills
that We did not find out or recollcct. Tho City
extends over very large area of country
reaching westward, southwest and north to
Pacific Beach, and to Long Bridge, and be-
yond towards Alameda, Contra Costa, &C.,
generally hlly and sandy, without timber,
with cold winds blowing all the time after 0
o'clock, a. m., to midnight. 10 keep clean,
or your'eycs free of dust, is next to impossi.
bio.
The people generally look healthy and har-
hardened by the wind and fresh sea air, eh
We find them generally, too much engaged
to talk to you long, and generally vory much
inclined to attend'to their own business, the
way, VIC presume, most of them make their
! living, good way too, we made ours that
way, somewhat. In fact VIC arc inclined to
think that wo would make good s'Friscoan"
our general appearance, we hattcr .oursclf,
looks like them, and their ways arc pretty
good, we think, upon tho whoc-we mean
the Amerioan part of them, for we would not
want to favor a Spaniard or Mongol, and VIC
need not name others. Tho ways of those
named wo have always abominated: For vii.
ainy and treachcrousncss who could beat
them Along these hills and unsightly
parts of the city is found this GLASS. One
small tenement house, 20 by 40 will keep 200
Chinese, they bunk up, aud as the women get
old aud ugly they set them aside in some
dark and lonely loft or cellar with candle
and plate of rice, to wear out a miserable ex-
istencc and die. The women arc very gener.
ally prostitutes. The mon work some, but
YOU find them all over tho city, day and night,
or until lato at least, with their two baskets,
one on each end Of polo across their necks,
picking up the loose trash, sticks, paper, &c.,
around the city, and to sum tho matter up,
we don't f .cy tho ways Of our celestial
friends, and now brothers, eh!
In our rambles around town wo found no
one we knew, though had heard that there
was some hero. Tho Professors IcContes
are in Oakland city, prettier place and more
genial clime than this, though only six miles
across tho bay. !; Oakland is to San Francis.
co what Brooklyn and Jersey City is to New
York. Their interests arc so near allied that
they are almost the same
| !, Sunday tho military companies paraded, to
tho so,ind Of The "Big Brass Band" and
many follow them around, while some few we
saw went 10 oLarcb. In the evening the
Circus and Theatre was in full blast, but not
being familiar or used to any amusements
offered on that day, we remained in our hotel;
which VIC. like board So per day-7break fast
ia, M, lunch 70 to 2, ,! NJ, dinner 8, :.