Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-01-03
gos Angeles 4ierald.
LETTER FROM SAN FRANCISCO.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dee. 80

ment With each other. Christmas day
itself was as fine a day as any one
could possibly wish to see. And this
is very exceptional case I can assure
you. While l write it is raining cats
and dogs, and as the wind is s. f. we
may look for continuation of it. For
holiday time, we have been, compar-
atively speaking, exempt from the
usual result of festivities in San Fran
cisco, such as murders, suicides, as
saults, and so on. Our sensational
paper raised hue and cry with re-
spect to an unfortunate man who was
found in the Western Addition bleed
ing to death from hole in his side,
but on inquiry it appeared he had, in
drunken frOlic, attacked ferociOus
dog and got the worst of it. The hood
lums gave great amount of trouble
by their attacks on corner grocery
stores. But take it all in all, it was
quiet time.
a STREET CAR SENSATION.
A bon uiUant, preparing for the GUS
tomary observance of Christmas, Sc
lected a nice live turkey and carried
his prize to q street car, slowing it
away under the seat. OF course he
had to give way to some ladies who
came in and insisted on sitting to-
gether where there was room for only
one. This brought one of the ladies
in front of the turkey, and the passen-
gers who had seen the live stock
packed away prepared themselves for
the denoument which they knew
would follow. And it came. The
ladies were engaged in an earnest con-
versation, when one Of them sprang
up with an exclamation Of fright and
threw herself upon the opposite seat.
Seeing the red head of the turkey on
the floor. her fright increased and she
went into faint, as she murmured
Something has bitten piece out of
my legn She was revived by the
Whit of bad cigar in the mouth of a
passenger on the rear platform, and
restored to her former equanimity on
being assured that the attack was from
the national thanksgiving bird.
HOUSES DIRT CHEAP.
On Saturday last thirty-six frame
buildings, situate at the corner offs ut
ter and Dupont streets, were sold by
auction, the land having been leased
for the erection of a new market. These
frame buildings, more like dry goods
boxes than any thing else, are mostly
occupied by those who delight in
'wearing the green. The prices OBJ
tanned for the shanties ranged from
two dollars to twenty dollars, and the
whole thirty-siX fetched just 1920.
Many of the present occupants bought
the houses that had so long covered
them, under the pleasing impression
that they would be allowed to remain
in quiet possession and much fOrcible
language was INDUCED in when the
discovery was made that this would
be impossible. One lady remarked to
n by-etander who endeavOred to ex-
plain the circumstance of the case to
her: "MOve me house is it? I'd like
to see some of them touch this shanty;
bedad me childer were all born yer,
and now that its mine and I've paid
for it, I'd break every bone in their
body, SO would, if they were to move
me house,
THE BUILDING SEASON.
The prospects for the coming build
ing season are brilliant in the extreme
Buildings that will cost in the aggre-
gate several millions of dollars are al
ready referred to by the press. There
is Sharon's new hotel, Peters new
market, The Mechanics Institute
building, the Opera House, Michael
Reese's block, Stanford's private
dwelling house, besides many more
private residences. Take it altogether
the prospects are in favor OF the build
ers making regular harvest.
"a THE NEW CITY HALL.
A committee appointed from men,
bers of the Legislature is now occu-
pied in enquiring into the manage
ment of the affairs of San Francisco's
elephant, the new City Hall. So far
there has been great confusion Of tes-
tmony, and considerable disagree
ment as to the cost of the building.
The architect states one thing the
commissioners as positively assert
another. The cost of the building was
originally fixed at $1,5OO,OO0, what its
actual cost will be, none can tell 1t is
proposed to run it up substantially for
about two stories and then cover IN
temporarily until the city can afford
to finish it in good style, thus render
ing it an eyesore, instead OF what IL
was first intended to bean ornament
to the city. t..l
THE NAIAD QUEEN.
The largest audience that ha ever
been packed within any place of
amusement Oh this coast, witnessed
the first representation of "The Naiad
Oueen,u at the California, on Christ
mas night. I am at a loss to find terms
of praise sufficient for the artists upon
whom the task Of presenting this
spectacle devolved. Nothing had
been left undone, but it was presented
even on the first night without any
lar or flaw for adverse criticism. The
facile brush of that master artist, W..
IT.. Porter, the scenic painter OF the
theater was observable in every scene.
The fourth scene of the first act, rep,
resenting the Grotto on the Rhine and
the Maids Bath, was a beautiful pic
ture; and in the last act where the
castle is entombed, the artist, in con,
junction with the machinist, applied
every effect which art and mechanl-
cal genius can command. The nature
of the plot of the play enables the