The San Francisco call., 1897-05-30
FREE BEER FOR
THE MILLIONS
Appalling Programme OF
Brewery Syndicate's
Picnic To- Day.
Free Trains, Free Lunch and
Carloads of Free. Beer for the
Unhearl.Of Festival.
The First Empty Refriger ator.Car
Will Be a "Cooler," AMI Therell
Be Sixteen Beers Apiece.

The picnic season has achieved wild
and dazzling glory that beggars meta
phor-achieved it out here by the sunse
seas amid the dizzying speed of the CEN
tury's end.
On this Sabbath day there will be free
beeI-beers in fact-for all the world that
can get TO Niles Canyon.
To-day will know the first great picnic
of the brewery syndicate. The world FUR
nished the like of this when Nicholas IL,
amid his late crowning, fed the Moujik
hordes with vast hospitality and scoop
shovels on the Moscow plains, put such
events do not often flash in this selfish
world. The idea was conceived at the
office of the San Francisco BTeweries
Qimited), where Manager Stone means
business every minute. But the picnic
was planned and approved by the eight
breweries in the syndicate. There is
peace with vigilance and keen, very keen,
com petition in the local beer world, and
customers are loved and cherished.
Jealous people say that it is sche me to
advertise and popuIarize the syndicate
beers in 'be good fellow way" put
that's just talk.
Anyway invitations were sent out last
week. ITO their customers, employees
and triends,'' said the little folders and
the outside brewers took their" to mean
their customers and friends 100 and they
swore softly. The invitations were excit-
ing reading. Don't bring money !;
nothing will be sold," it reads right there
on the middle OF the third page just
little below plenty to eat and something
10 drink Skip the lunch business and
here it is again-'L;auid refreshments
will be dispensed free and freely by all
brewers and bottiers."
Free beer for the milIionl The effective
ness OF advertising was never demonstrated
before. The syndicate stops at no half
way business. The quality OF its hospi-
tality was not strained. 1t announced
free tickets and special trains to get its
friends TO the Gamprinian fountain. By
last Saturday night the applications
actually on file numbered 80, 600. This
week the requests passed the 90. 600 mark.
1t was decided that the tickets shonld
be apportioned among the eight brew er-
les and the associated bottllng concerns
in proportion to the barrels of beer sold
currently, eacn brewery to distribute its
tickets according to its own shrewdn ess,
skill and generosity. In single week
half of the boss brewers in town have
turned gray headed and sad-eyed and rea-
son has seemed ready TO totter IN its
throne. Delicacy forbids dwelling on this
part of the situation.
The capacity of the Southern Pacific
Railroad on u free beer day had to be
learned, to know how many tickets could
be issued. The railroad might as well
have been a bobtail car line down the
county road. 1t couldn't have got them
all there IN week. 1t has attended to
some pretty big jJDs in its time, but whe n
The syndicate mad cried ''Free beer!'
General Superintendent Fillmore just
threw up his bands. He and Manager
Stone tilted along for two or three days
and then he said that he could supply
cars for 5000 people by using some idle
gondolas. Mr.. Stone heard more rerorts,
viewed the demand again and late Mon
day afternoon gave Mr.. Fillmore the ultl-
matum that if it wasn't made $500 the
picnic would be declared off. Fillmore
surrendered and later surrendered again,
so that 4200 tickets and badges have been
apporiioned. Some strong men are wish
ing mat they had died young. There will
be 46 600 stricken ones IN San Francisco
To-Day.
The 400 will, however, be only the
specially honored guests. Anybody who