The morning call., 1893-06-18
QUERY COLUMN.
Information About Many
Matters.
RELATIVE TO THE BICYCLE.
Who Has the Authority at Fire-The
Original agstaff-First Legal
Execution.

CITIZENSHIP. PAwNBRoKER's SIGNS
AND OTHER QUEsTIoNs-G. F.. Alameda.
| The correspondent says that A was born
while the parents were visiting Germany.
that both parents are of direct German
| descent, but at the time of the birth the
| father was naturalized citizen of the
| United States, and that shortly after the
birth returned TO the United States, where
the child was raised, and he wants
to know the child's nationality and
citizenship. The child having been
born in Germany is German, but at
the same time Is a citizen Of the United
States for the reason that the children of
American citizens horn abroad while the
parents are on a visit are citizens of the
United States without being naturalized
| ~ 1t is generally held that the three
golden balls used by pawnbrokers
| as sign, were adopted from the armorial
| bearings of the Medici family of Italy by
| the Lombard merchants. among whom
were several representatives of that fam
| lily. The sign was used in London in very
| early times by some of those merchants
who emigrated from Italy and established
the first money-lending establishments in
England. (S) The use of the term, "set-
ting the tense on fire." as already ex-
! planned In this column, was intended TO
| designate rapid worker, but when some
| one changed 1t TO Twill never set the
| Thames on fire" that phrase was used to
signify. laziness. After that the different
| countries OF Europe changed the phrase by
substituting the name of the principal
| river IN the country, and now wherever the
| expression is used it is to convey the
| idea that the person who is named
in connection with it is very indolent
one: ~ There is no ordinance in this city
which regulates the time when liquor
saloons shall close. In Alameda saloons
are required to close at midnight (5 1t is
! difficult to state with any degree of GER
! tanty when the present form of rear
! driven safety was first originated. In 1867
Nj. MichauX, Frenchman, fitted to one of
| tne ola style vel0cipedes a pair of pedals
! by which the first wheels could be re-
volVed by the feet, and he fixed to the
| wheel transverse handle which per-
mitted it to be turned at any angle. This
machine was the first enc to which the
name OF bicycle was applied. but it was
| commonly called the bone breaker" be-
cause being made of wood, without springs
and having iron tires, its movements were
| very hard on the rider. Nevertheless
| these machines were quite a craze in
| France and England for time. George II.
Strong of this city. chief councillor of the
| California Division. League of American
| Wheelmen, one of the best informed men
on the subject of wheels. in answer TO a
| question about safeties, said: During the
| time the old velocipedes were in use, as
late as 1869 and 1670 great variety of ex-
| perlmental machines were made, ia some
| of which the driving from the rear wheel
| occurred in various forms, but as the
velocipede was never success until the
rubber tire was applied, and as the i'm.
proved forms of driving chains were nee
eSsary TO the success of the form of safety,
it is probably best to give credit to the
| first company that actually put these ma
chimes upon the market in com
mercial way. This was the Rover
bicycle manufacturing company OF Gov
entry. England, during the season of
1886 The first safeties of this class
we're made in the United States In 1887 by
the Overman Wheel Company" A very
short time before the Rover was offered to
the public in England, a machine built
somewhat on the same lines and called
'The Kangaroo" was offered TO those who
wanted to ride. 6) The Park Commits
sioners control the roads in the park and
direct where bicycles may and may not be
used. Wheeimen are permitted to use all
roads over which buggles pass except on
the days when there is concert music, then
the wheeliDen, between the hours of II in
the forenoon and in the afternoon, are
excluded from the main drive leading di-
rectly to the music-stan
FLAGsTAFF-G. T. B.. City. The flag
staff on the plaza opposite the old City
Hall is not the one that was originally
placed there. The first staff erected there
was one put up under Mexican rule. On
the 18th of June, 1850, this pole was taken
| down and placed in front Of the Custom
house, on the northwest corner of Cali
f0rnia and Montgomery streets. In its
place was erected pole Ill feet in height,
foot in diameter at the base and tapering g
up TO three inches at the tor, the gift of
W. W. Chapman and S. Coffin of Portland.
| Or. The gift was accepted by John W.
Geary. Mayor of the city, on the Fourth of
July. 1850. 1t remained in position until
March II. 1860. when some one ran up an
efigy by means OF the halyards to the top.
This aDeared parties, who cut the flagpole
down. Another was offered in place of
this. but IL was not accepted. The present
one was put up by the city. The original
staff was destroyed on the 4th of May,
1851, at the time the fire swept away the
| Cust0m-h0use, which was new four
story brick building and the most impos-
ing one in the city. Colonel James Collier
was Collector of the Port at the time.
INDIANS ON CARS. BoNDs-M. c., City.
Indians are not permitted to ride free on
the freight or baggage cars of the North
dClHC Sudot IhuiiiUdu. w Ou tue OUbU Oh
June, 1890, there was outstanding of AZ
per cent bonds S1O9. 9.015. .75O By the terms
of issue these bonds were redeemable at
the pleasure OF the United States after
September 1. 1891. On April /, 1891, bonds
of this Issue were redeemed by purchase
or redemption in the sum of S53. .S54, $50, of
which half was deposited with the Treas
urer of the United States by national
banks to secure circulation or deposits.
The Secretary of the Treasury, to avoid a
monetary disturbance. offered to the hold
ers of the bonds their choice of presenting
them for redemption with interest to Sep
tember 2, 1891, or for continuation at the
pleasure of the Government with intere It
at 2 per cent after that date. Under that
| proposal there was continued to Decem ber
81, 1891, s25, 1864, 500. On the remainder
in terest ceased September 2. 1891. The
bonds have nearly all been redeemed.
LEGAL EXECUTIONS - D.. City. The
first legal execution in San Francisco was
the hanging of Jose Forni on the western
slope OF Russian Hill on the 10th day Of
December. 1852, for the murder of Jose
Rodriguez. otherwise Atari, in Happy
Valley" The gailows had been originally
erected on the summit of Russian Hill,
but short time before the hour set for the
hanging ii was moved about 100 yards
down the western slope of the hill, so as to
be out of view of those who were in the
then principal part of the city. The hang