The San Francisco call., 1897-05-31
FREE BEER AND
JA|L-BREAK| INC
The Great and Unique
Brewers Picnic Was
Nice and Speedy.
Six Thousand Went and the
Lunch Vanished, but the
Beer Held Out.
Incidentally Tw nty.F We of the Riot
ers, Jlilsd in Fri3htcar,
Wrecked the Prison.

Evening brought an end to the brewery
syndicaue's picnic.
When the lengthening shadows left un-
buried but the eastern heights OF Niles
Canyon, Manager C. B. Stone thought Of
the last train, and declared, philosophi-
cally this ancient, fresh and blessed piece
of wisdom, Il knew all along that the end
would come"
The complete story of that great free
beer picnic is longer than this one. There
were 5000 people-and the beer never gave
out. That is the astonishing thing about
the picnic-tne first on record at which
ad mission, lunch and beer were as free as
the summer sunshine to every human
being that could get to the fountain.
Neither the picnic grounds at Niles
Canyon nor any other picnic grounds on
the Paclfic Coast ever held such crowd.
Five special trains, twelve and fifteen cars
long, laboriously transferred 1000 guests
from San francisco to the peaceful dell
during the forenoon, and San Jose army
OF guests filled train of sixteen cars. 1t
was roughly estimated that nearly 1000
people got there by regular trains, on loot
and by buggies and bicycles. There was
no admission fee and the only partiality
| shown to any human being came from the
deputy sheriffs' clubs.
There were two features to the picnic
from one standpoint. One was provided
by nature and the other by humanity.
Niles Canyon arranged its two files of
great picturesque rounded hills, its forest
irlls, its live oaks, chaparel and check
ering orchards on the slopes, its manZa-
nitas by the shadowed stream and its wild
oats, wild mustard and varied blooms
where the multitude ground no dust, but
they were of the picnic only as the un-
needed warm sunshine was.
The picnic began on the arrival of the
first train, and was in full blast when the
rest got in within an hour. The lunch
and beer were ready for the first train.
The lunch provided included 5000 loaves
of tongue, $50 pounds OF cheese. $500
franKfurters and potato salad and other
trimmings galore.
The lunch was piled on great counters
and many tables, and the early trainloads
descended on it as though partly in wrath
and partly like the Assyrian.
There was an awful demonstration that
Iunch is not as durable as beer, but with
it all the supply was so large that all
seemed to have enough.
Throughout the day beer was free at
several great brewery headquarters among
the trees. at each there was constant
great, jostling crowd, fertile in funny and
picturesque features and incidents. Be-
sides, thirty or forty white gowned walters
went about with three-gallon buckets fill
ing any glass offered. Nobody cared to
solve the mystery where the vast supply
of beer-glasses came from.
Early in the afternoon two games af-
forded an immense amount of amrse-
ment. From the side of the railroad track
at the ground a hill rises for 800 feet, al
most precipitous in Its rise. 1t is COW
Low
raj. Twenty flags were planted on the
summit and S. was offered for each flag,
all climbers TO start from the railroad
track at a crack of pistol. bout 300
entered, and the thousands laughed 10 the
point of pain while the race was on.
majority slipped constantly and some
rolled half way down the hill. Athletes
with spiked shoes won most of the money.
Then there was greasad-pole climbing
that was so impossible and so funny that
Secretary Alton raised the prize to $1O
After an hour he called it off, when they
got to boosting climbers with poles.
larce number of ladies came, and
ma joriiy of the attendants went home in
respectable sobriety, but minority kept
the afternoon supplied with fights hat
were so frequent they palled on the atten-
ton and did not interrupt the proper flow
of picnic life on the crowded dance floor
and in the crowded shades and hooks.
Sheriff White of Alameda County was
on hand with eleven deputies and q
freightcar on the side track bearing the
sign, Branch County Jail" BY o'clock
small percentage of the improm ptu
fights had furnished twenty-five inmates
of the branch Jail. and at that hour they
decided to emulate the San Quentin strike.
In the fury of their strength both sides
of the car were broken open from roof to
floor, and although deputies at each side
at nrst cracked with clubs every head or
hand that showed. the Sheriff wisely and
discreety allowed the rioters to escape
ana no real arrests attended the picnic
and the frequent but unimportant blood
sned that resulted from wanton insults to
people of keen sensbilities.
Only one Deputy Sheriff was disabled,
the injuries of the others not being
serious.
On the whole the picnic was unique
success. The burden of the arrangement
and management fell on Manager G. B.
Stone and Secretary Thomas Alton Of the
San Francisco Breweries Qimited), as
sisted by d. B. Faktor, L. Mayerhofer +,
Joseph Straub and L. Fricke.