The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-11
THE DAYS OF FORTY-N|NE,
Interesting "reminiscences Re-
lated by Edgar Briggs
Last Night.
A Fine Programme Rendered in the
Lecture-ROom of Simpson
Memorial Church.

large gathering of young people, with
quite complement of their elders, filled
the lecture-room of Simpson Memorial
Church last night.
The occasion was an entertainment given
by the Lyceum of the Epworth League
An entertaining programme had been ar
ranged and it lost nothing in the rendi-
ton. The music and recitations were of
high order. and the audience was quick to
give evidence of it's approval.
Following the devotional exercises there
was piano solo by Miss Harriet Rosen-
thai, recitation by Miss Estelle Hardy,
vocal solo by Miss Stella Werner, reminis-
cences of 40 by Edgar Briggs, soprano solo
by Miss A. Jantzen and a quartet COM
posed of Miss L. Gilliland, Miss A. Jant-
zen, H. E. Spooner and Robert Duncan.
The principal feature of the evenings
entertainment was the pleasing address of
Edgar Briggs on 'The Days of 49," incor-
porating many incidents and episodes of a
highly interesting character. Mr.. Briggs
described the City of San Francisco as it
was in the romantic and historical days
following the gold discovery, the coming of
the first family and the birth of the first
baby. Owing to the sensitiyeness of per-
sons concerned the speaker forbo1e men
tlonlng the names of the first child's par
| ents, but he proceeded to relate incidents
connected with that historic occurrence
which will serve to fix the identity of the
child in the minds of the pioneer residents.
The child was born about Christmas
time" the speaker said, land soon after
the leading men of the town paid visit to
the mother and the wonderful infant.
There We're enough nuggets and pieces OF
money left in the improvised cradle where
the hahU rpr1inp1 6afrov the whole
expenses of her rearing and education.
The first schoolhouse was built in the
winter of '49. After the nucleus of the
| fnnd had been raised sufficient more money
was obtained from the gamblers to COM
plete the building and pay the salary
| of the teacher. There were only mine
pupils, that being all the white children
we could gather together. The people of
early San Francisco-the San Francisco of
'49-were very well behaved. l remem Der
OF but one murder that year, and stealing
was wholly unknown. The only prone
made at that time was along the water
front where Commercial street now is,
and as there were no sidewalks or graded
streets the water front was the fashionab bic
walk of the town.
II remember very well the first fire of
any Importance that occurred in '49. We
had no water, and we scooped up the mud
IN the streets and extinguished the flames
waterworks of the time consisted of dun
colored mule, Spaniard and four five
gallon Kegs of water strapped to the mules
back. The first church fair held in San
francisco was in Union Hall, now the old
City Hall. The proceeds were devoted to
the building OF the first Presbyterian
| church of the times. About $4,000 was
| raised. One of the queer schemes adopted
for raising the wind was the writing of
| letters to the fair postoffice, each person
having to pay 81 before he could take
out his letter. Some men received rs
high as twenty of those expensive epistles;
| and as an evidence of the flush hberality of
the times it may be mentioned that no one
who had letter addressed to him refused
to take it out and pay his dollar. Over
5000 was realized on the letters alone. The
nrst church built was the old Baptist
church on Washington street.
Mr.. Briggs Brought his "reminiscences to
| close with reference to the gallant be-
havlor of a volunteer rescuing party that
went to the aid of number OF starving
Immigrants near Slippery Ford, on the
| north fork of the American River.
The evenings entertainment was sue
cess In every particular, and the members
| OF the Epworth League have reason to be
proud OF the growth of their organization.