The San Francisco call., 1906-06-24
TWICE D0WNED, BUT STILL UNDAUNTED.
By James S. Tyler.

George was intensely indignant and
answered: Hang it, there was a ten
foot flame, which had licked up Coul-
ter's painting and was reaching after
4eith, and 1 just grabbed the first
thing 1 laid my hands on and
skipped"
Jack Harrigan OF The Call and one
of the Chronicle men, whose name I
do not remember. had managed TO
climb into the ruins and save all but
one volume of the original prints of
the Arabian Nights" which unfor-
tunately were lost in the recent big
conf1agration. There was a thousand
dollars insurance on the clubs per-
sonal property, although there were
books and furniture worth twelve
times that amount destroyed Our
total liabilities were about s140o. and
President Bill Naughton said: Well
guess we would better start in again
to build up, but I don't see even the
ghost of a foundation"
Napghton got a foundation" the
very next day. The Bohemian Club
had kindly offered all Press Club mem
bers use of their clubrooms, and in the
Bohemian red room the burned-out
Press Club directors got together and
devised scheme for making money.
Naughton appointed a special enter
tainment committee to assist the regu-
lar committee, and through the kind
ness of Adolph Sutro use OF the new
Sutro Baths was rendered for a grand
aquatic exhibition. The newspapers
lent hand, and after six weeks work
the benefit entertainment was given
and about $4,000 made for the club.
The thousand dollars insurance was
collected and the search for new quar-
ters began
The board chose the Thurlow block.
and after great deal of pickering
signed a lease for five years at $3.50 per
month. The club had to remodel the
premises. but Willis Polk offered his
services as architect and succeeded in
reducing the expense of fixing up the
rooms considerably. There was a joke
on Willis that the club members never
forgot, however, and he will pardon me
for repeating 1t. There was an old
AeAoiiiOhSu . ate iAl tie TOOn1S, and the
members conceived the idea that it
would be well to have 1t rebuilt for
q large open fireplace Polk designed
the thing, and 1t was certainly a
triumph of architecture; but he
thought more of art than service, and
when a fire was started 1t was discov-
cred that the flue had been overlooked
entirely and was several feet to the
right and incapable OF drawing even
the smoke frorA cigar
The error of the fireplace was cor
rected, the rooms handsomely fur
nfshed, and the club logged along mer-
rily for several years, until DR.. Somers
proposed putting up a building for the
organization. The Ellis-street Press
cub building was constructed. and the
clubrooms and fixtures designed by a
committee of which Billy Bunner and
Tom Van Frank were members. and
they did splendid work
When the new quarters were occu-
pied many of the prominent artists
of the city donated fine paintings. All
of these were lost in the recent fire.
Keith painted a beautiful landscape.
Hill gave his Grand Canyon of Arf-
zona and Robinson had fine creation.
mountain scene with somber shadows
and splendid tintings of sunset. Miss
Hudson. Miss Chittenden, Mersfelder.
Cadenasso-in fact, all of our best
dTtlSts-cO 10 that treasured
collection that has since gone up in
smoke
Wise provision for a largely in
creased insurance. was made some
months before the Ellis-street fire. and,
of course, the club will go ahead and
provide new home for its members.
The thousand little things dear to the
hearts of those who have watched the
progress of the club through its years
of ups and downs are lost forever. but
the spirit that has maintained ethe
oldest Press Club in America" is there
and already the work of gathering
more treasures of art and literature
is being done with all the old-tfrno
conviction that our club is the best
and most progressive of its kind In
the country
California glace fruits and choice cam
dies. Full stock Townscnd's residence
and factory. 1920 Valencia ST.. and the