The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-12

Before proceeding, however, / must tell YOU
that in the Comstock mines a ladder goes
down the side of each shaft and every twelfth
rung is iron, so as to give the whole additional
strength. Well father said to him:
""Davis, do you know 1 was almost killed
once in the Crown Point mine?'
elbow was that, Jim?'
"'This way was looking down the shaft to
see if everything was al right, and lost my
balance. Being unable to recover myself, 1
toppled over and fell-yes, Davis, fell. | must
have gone about hundred feet when it sud
denly struck me that If | didn't begin doing
something pretty quick l would go clear
through to hades, so l reached out and
grabbed rung of the ladder. 1t broke, and
grabbed the next That broke, too. but
reached for the third, which also gave way,
and the next, and the next, and so on, but it
broke my fall, and in about five minutes
reached the bottom, q little Jared up, but per-
fectly sound
"Davis looked at him out OF the corners OF
his eyes few seconds and said
"What did you do, jim, when you came to
the twelfth rung? Did you grasp at that, too9
"'Why, l missed it. Do you think wanted
to smash everything that was in the miner"
When Charles finished his story he was
laughing more heartily than any one else in
the crowd, and could not be prevailed upon to
lips of his famous financial father,
j. H. JeWett at the head of Bavier & Co.'S silk
house of Yokohama, has returned from New
York, where he has been investigating the silk
market, and will leave for Japan on the next
steamer.
81 am surprised to find,' he said yesterday,
"that the market in America is in such good
condition 1t is % per cent better than it has
ever been before, and it is all owing to better
times. The manufactured silk goods made in
this country are superior to those made in any
part OF the world. You have the raw silk
shipped to you free of duty, and the freight
from Yokohama to New York is but cents
pound. | cannot understand why there is not
a silk mandatory on the Pacific Coast. Here
you are right up alongside of the best produc-
ing country there is, yet you send East for all
your silk goods America buys half of the 5000
bales that we export from Japan annually, and
it is this country that keeps Japan on the
move. You buy her teas in enormous quantl-
ties and the rest goes to Europe.
"Did you know now that we are discussing
the silk business, that the manufactured silk
sent to America from Japan is no longer pur-
chased in America? The business has gone to
pieces. Why? Because you can make better
article in this country and the japanese can
not compete with you. ! know those state
x,
true, and before long you will see that Amer
leo has the finest silk manufactures in the
world, and hope California will take advan-
tage of the opportunity and get into the bust
ness herself. An institution started here would
make the men who put mouey into it rich in
few years."
Colonel George Washington Granniss. who
was the confidential chief clerk of the old-time
celebrated law firm of Halleck, Peachy & Bill
ings, has just received from Washington
patriotic decoration which he is entitled TO
wear on all occasions. In this instance the
man did not seek the button, but the button
sought the man. The Society of the War OF
1872, with headquarters in Washington, D. c.,
aseertained that Alvin Granniss served in the
United States navy during the dark days OF
the second struggle with the mother country,
and by diligent inquiry the society found that
son OF the veteran survived Further 1nves-
tigation brought to light the additional fact
that the surviving son lived in San Francisco
and had the honor of being also the eldest sur
viving son, and therefore the one to whom the
honor of decoration belonged. In due form
papers to sign, buttons to wear on all occasions
and beautiful badge for ceremonial events
came consigned 10 Colonel Granniss.
In the National Guard of California Colonel
Granniss gained considerable distinction. He
was an active and outspoken Union man in
1861, and enjoyed the confidence of General
Halleck from that time until the hour that the
general passed away. In the colonels safe in
Montgomery block are many letters, docu-
ments, receipts and memoranda that tell
stories of life in California when gold was
plentiful, game abundant and interest 2
per cent month.
PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT.