The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
FRlSCO'S TWIN EXPRESSES.
Planted in Pioneer Days, They Are Flour
fshing still.
nam tha San Francisco Chronlcls.

From the San Francisco ChrOaiels.
On the hillside lot at the southwest cor
ner of Pacific avenue and Cough street,
where no house at present stands, ana
" here a dilapidated fence has only re-
Gently been torn away, there are two
big trees, the finest specimens Of the
Monterey cypress to be found on TINS
peninsula. The trunk of one will easily
measure ten feet in girth at the ground,
and both are straight and symmetrical
There was once a house beneath the
shade of the big expresses. quaint old
fashioned home, one of the first Of per
manent character in San Francisco, and
which was brought in sections from Aus
tralia aboard ship and put together on
this tract. This house was then reckoned
very far out of town. and looked upon
almost as a rancho, but it was pleasant
and attractive home. nevertheless, and
many sought its hospitabe doors. There
was a lovely flower garden there, and
many ornamental shrubs and trees, of
which the expresses are The sole surviv-
Ors. They seem to be altogether out OF
joint with tie trim little checker board
gardens of the present day and the flying
cable and electric cars, asphalt pave
ments. and electric lights. The old sea
Captain who brought them up by ship
from Monterey as trim young Saplings,
and who set them out with his own hands
and nursed and Watered them, little
thought that the time would come when
his name would have passed from recol-
lection while the trees should stand look
ing down upon the unfamiliar sights and
the unfamiliar faces. For great changes
have come since they were planted there
The little hodGe-podge of a tented vii
lage covering the hillslopes and the low
lands bordering the bay has been replaced
by a stately city; which has swept out
and past the old sea Captains retired
home. greedily absorbing all but this
sorry remnant into lots, ana now the
business portion Of the city Is steadily
advancing upon il, and some day another
generation may see handsome retail
shops rising above the ground in which
the Expresses have buried their deep
roots. The old house, many years ago,
was literally sawed in twain. One portion
being demolished and the other, reJuVe-
mated and partly rebuilt, being moved 10
a frontage on Jackson street.
For thirty-three years the place was
the property OF Mrs. Nellie Hail Bacon,
now dwelling i'm Bacon Villa, Martinez,
i'm 1866 from NJ. C. Bateman, now de-
ceased Six weeks ago Rudolph SpreckelS
bought il from Mrs. Bacon through his
agent, Joseph II. Sanford. Just what Mr..
SpIeckelS iuttHuS 10 90 Win lIlt iDl 10
one geems able to tell. II lies directly
opposite the attractive site on which he
will rear his beautiful new home, and IL
is only reasonable to suppose that II
would be an object TO him to control a
piece of property which has long been un-
improved and is In some respects un-
slightly. There are rumors that he Will
erect some modern fats. and another ru-
nor that he VIII build there another and
smaller private residence of architectural
besuty. The only rumor that concerns
the public is that the fine old expresses
are doomed and are TO be chopped into
kindling wood 10 make room for modern
improvements. The announcement has
come like A shock to the neishborhood.
Half a century of kind service and gal
liant life, half a century of braving the
winters storms and the summer winds,
half a century with children playing be
meath their balmy shade, and grown peO-
pIe looking Jenderly on-these and many
other associations have endeared the old
trees 10 the people Of that part or San
Francisco, who Will be 10th 10 see them
fall