The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-12
The California Club Goes Out
on the Bay for
Pictures.
Mr.. HOsMER AND THE BRUTE.
Visiting the Spreckels Sugar Re-
finery and Photographic
Marine Views.

Club to take its outing and also all the pic
lures its plate-holders and film rolls would
accommodate. So the man and his cam
era, the girl and her kodak, turned their
faces hayward and prepared for what
might come.
The weather seemed to have been wait
ing for just such an occasion, and the little
steamer, gay in her best outfit of bunting
and flying the flag of the Camera Club
from her bow. seemed to spring forward
with more life than when in the hum.
drum OF commerce she carries nothing
more .aristocratic or interesting than
greasy freight. She pulled out from the
wharf some minutes after the time an
nounced, but late as she was some one on
the pier was later.
He was sprinting frantically down the
long wharf, big box camera in one hand
and package of plates almost as big in
the other. The steamer put back for him
and breathless, but pleased at the applause
which his record-breaking speed had
evoked, he stepped on board. 1t was
Harry Hosmer and the "B rute."
The Brute" is snap camera which
resembles trunk, and not small trunk
either. 1t was made at Hosmer's request
and upon his designs, and under the prac-
tlced hand of its owner it has taken some
beautiful pictures; but its beauty is all in
its work, and Hosmer's brute has been
SO named by the club.
Down past LON bard street pier now the
little steamer churned her way, to where,
Just beyond, the ship Carrollton swung
idly at anchor. Here the first enthusiast
found his chance. He leaned against the
afterguard and pointed a new 4x5 caliber
detective camera at the ship. AS she was
helpless, he had no trouble in taking her,
and he smiled in satisfaction as he reload
ed, for the first shot had been taken. He
took the second picture too, this man with
the 4x5, for the Homer steamed by as he
reloaded, and he took a sighting shot at
her. This was followed by rattle of
shutters from the forward deck. 1t was
the first general swapping Of shutters on
the trip.
Several snapped away at the old smelt-
ing works and at Black Point, but still
there had been nothing of Importance IN
til when off the beach at Harbor View a
pilot-schooner was noticed off the starboard
bow. She was slipping slowly through
the water just on the crest of the flooding
tide. Her sails tapped lazily in the gentle
breeze, which, not having strength to fill
them, sent little ripples playing from gail
to boom in way to make the student OF
lights and shadows grab his camera and
make ready. Every one was at the rail
stunning Through -uUueTS, S6bt11S SAuI-
tiers, lingering buttons nervously and
maneuvering for good positions.
She was the Bonita, Pilotboat No. Z, and
one of the prettiest and stanchest of the
crafts of the channel finders. They took
from the starboard side, where the sails
sweiled toward them with what little wind
there was. As the steamer passed her
wake they took her from astern. AS she
hauled up on the port side they snapped
at her again and still again as they crossed
her bows, each plate recording a vision of
tall tapering masts and white sails. Ii
there is any one on the trip who has not q
picture of the Bonita as she appeared al
most asleep on the water yesterday, it was
because he or she did not remove the cap,
did not pull out the slide or did not do'any
one of the little things, SO small in them
selves, but so disastrous when omitted.
Mr.. Hosmer, with great effort, raised
the "brute" to his shoulder and took two
shots. Miss Green one of the lady men,
bers, who never wastes or loses plate,
took six views, and some of the kodak
| fends only pausedsin the swapping of their
shutters to turn a new bit of film behind
the lens.
When the Caroline turned back again
up the shore, and as she did so, family,
but with an intonation softened and made
clear and distinct by the stiffness of the
air, -four bells' f1oated over from the deck
of the schooner. 1t was, Q o'clock No
prettier element helped to form the pic
ture, but none of the camera men could
take and hold it-except among the memo
ries of the trip. go e''2
The Bobolink, heavy lumber laden, with
square bows and i'll fitting sails, will APP
pear on many of the states if the developer
will only work well. She was the next one
passed. Then the c. D. Bryant, with the
tug Vlgilant alongside, came up the bay in
time to be shot. Then the Martha Davis,
towing fathoms behind the Sea King,
brought more CLASSY eyes and black boxes
to the rail.
At this point a long and, to camera
fiends, uninteresting portion of the bay
opened before the Caroline, and so the
children brought .'Chimmie Fadden" from
his home behind door on the lower deck
and proceeded to make his acquaintance.
sChimmie" is a sedate and rather sober
sheep, whose business it is to lead his I'M
suspectlng brethren up and down the gang
plank, when the Caroline, taking down
her flags aud laying aside her holiday at
tire, attends to business.
So sedate is Chimmie that the deckhands
felt no hesitation in letting him out, but
he soon became intoxicated with the picnic
spirit and proceeded to knock the children
about, finally ending by sticking his head
in the basket of peddler who had joined
the party and eating freely his peanuts.
Chimmie was relegated to pens and double
locks for the remainder of the trip.
The next center of interest was the
whaleback. Everett, but as she lay at the
coal wharves with the overpowering bunk
ers for background, only few views of
her were taken. Then came the Oregon,
and then at the refinery wharves was the
first stopping-place.
While there ]. ID. Spreckels showed the
party through the refinery, where every
one ate all the sugar possible, and had an
hour of interest poking in sticky machin-
cry or parboilng in rooms superheated by
the day and by furnaces.
But the steamers whistle blew hoarse
recall, and all returned on board.
The Lyderhorn of Liverpool, lying off
the Union Iron Works, was circled in
order to give each one the particular vie W
he or she wanted, and then the little
steamer turned resolutely home, as if de-
termined not to be lured from her course
again. Nor was she, for within an hour
she was again at Jackson pier, and Captain
Leale, leaning from his pilot-house, was
bidding his guests adieu.
They trooped UP the wharf again,
cameras, view-hunters and their friends,
but as they did SO more than one turned
back to snap the last plate at the little
steamer as she lay tied to the dock. She
was not particularly pictr1res0ua nor beam