The San Francisco call., 1906-09-11
Family of Eight
Has New Home
Rent Free.
For the structure that we raise.
Time is with materials filled;
Our todays and yesterdays
Are the blocks with which we build.


are Iue docks WIIA Wlicl we build.
Just as the magic of sunshine causes
chemical changes in the cells of plants,
making them grow each day, so the
sympathetic influence of Mission peo-
pie has prompted daily efforts in be-
half of their unfortunate members, cul-
minating yesterday in the dedication of
the first refugee house to be completed
in SAM Francisco. Many working peo-
pie have donated their Sundays and
other days of rest to the construction
of the house. while the financial ex-
penses were met with donations of
money from those who could afford
it. Not one cent of the general relief
fund was used.
The new refugee house is located at
Dolores and Nineteenth streets, and
will be occupied, without payment of
rent, by Mr.. and Mrs. Patrick Lyons
and their six children. They were Sc
lecJed for this privilege owing to the
family being one of the two largest
among the Mission refugees. The only
other family of as many members is,
that of Mr.. and Mrs. John Cronin. The
committee appointed to make the selec-
tion, consisting of Miss Nora Sullivan,
Miss Bessie Rolph and Miss L. Bernard.
caused the mothers of the two fami-
lies TO draw for the house, and Mrs.
Lyons was the winner
Patrick Lyons is a laborer, and was
not informed of his good fortune in
time to be present at the dedication
exercises yesterday afternoon The six
children of the family, consisting of
Margaret, Mary, Dan, Julia, James and
Cornelius, range from to 10 years in
age.
Mrs. Lyons was overjoyed when she
place of abode from two tents to the
neat little cottage, but ii was not pos
sible for her to keep all of the children
at home while a circus was performing
on the same block, so little James was
not present al the exercises.
Out in the street in front of the cot
tage was gathered a large crowd when
the dedication ceremonies began. These
consisted largely of speeches by men
who were identified with the relief
work in the Mission. Father d. o.
Crowley introduced James Rolph as
chairman. Mr.. Rolph made a few in
troductory remarks and Father Crowley
delivered q short speech.
The remarks of Father Crowley were
applauded by the large crowd on the
sidewalk and street. He said that 1T
was only meet and proper that on the
birthday of California the first refugee
house should be dedicated near the
same spot where the first settlers of
San Francisco built their homes. He
talked of the work of the Mission re-
lief committee, which worked indepen-
IDENTIFY of the Red Cross, and said that
if all the work that had been done
should result only in the construction
of that one house the reward was
sufficient. But more houses are to fol-
low as fast as they can be built.
Eustace Cullinan followed Father
- ff.,p
work in the Mission district. He told
of the formation of the relief commit
tee on the Friday following the earth
quake, the work done by 1t in distrib-
uting food and supplies of other KINDS,
and of how people had torn down the
old relief barracks condemned by the
Board of Health and had carried the
lumber to the Mission Park 10 be used
in building the refugee houses.
After addresses by various other
members of the relief committee, which
has now practically merged into The
Mission Promotion Association; Father
Crowley stepped forward AMI dedicated
the building
The cottage is more expensive than
those which Will be built later, and
would probably have cost, had it been
built by contract, about $1,000. The
money actually expended on it was less
than $500. The work was under the di-
rection OF Henry F'e1Be. The mouse mas
a basement of comfortable size and
four rooms in addition to bathroom.
Facing Dolores street is a porch, and
over the door is the name of the cot
tage, "Aureola," meaning the dawn of
day, and used in this case to signify
a new light of hope for the refugees.
1t is made in tasteful burned-wood let
tering.
Much credit for the good work done
in behalf of the Mission refugees is
given to the women's auxiliary to the
Mission relief committee.
The Lyons family will take possess
sion of the cottage in about a
week Before the earthquake they
lived at 421 Dolores street. in a cottage
that was entirely ruined by the shock.
They have resided in San Francisco
nine years.
PORTUGUESE IN CONVENTION.