Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-05-20

fingers ut the sympathy Of such a visitor
that sent him on his way. a butt Of the ire
qucnters Of the place, with a couple or
very red spots on his cheeks.
The streets Of san Francisco always had
as many soldiers and sailors on view as
other American cities have only at times
OF national celebrations The Preside.
one Of the largest. as ii IL certainly one OF
the most beautiful. military posts in the
country is within the San Francisco cor
porate limits. and the soldiers poured out
OF the Presdios gates after their daily
grind Of duties and sought diversion.
Then the heavy artillery soldiers from
Alcatraz Island. the seven acre rock in tho
harbor, were constant strollers on the
San Francisco thoroughfares, and the bunch
OF artillerymen would be augmented by a
vast raft Of doughboys or infantrymen
from Angel Island, the infantry post
across the way from sausalito, where
whole regiment is always stationed. Fort
Mason contributed its bunch. too. and there
would be soldiers on the streets all the
way from Bencia barracks up the San
Joaquin river a bit.
RecOIIectiOns of - "RinEer."
Mare Island tho great west coast naval
station across the way from Vallejo, which
is only about three-quarters Of an hours
ride from San Francisco. would send down
10 Join the soldiers hugh crowd of marines
and bluejackets and the whole crowd Of
uniformed men would fraternize and fight
and have the finest imaginable old time
OF it all hours Of the day and night in San
Francisco.
Great congregating places for the blue
Jackets used to be AL Whites joint on the
waterfront near the Clay street wharf
and the old Farragut ginmill on Kearney
street. The chief barkeeper at the Farra-
gut was redheaded buckle from the Brit
ish navy, who thought he knew lot about
the fighting game.
AS a matter OF fact, he could fight pretty
well, but his abilities were chiefly along
the rough-and- tumble line as exercised in
the bouncing Of disorderly patrons Of the
bar. The Mare Island sailors pulled in a
ringer on him on one memorable occasion.
| They sicked Tom sharkey, then Jimmy
Legs or master-at-arms on board the Phil
adephia, on to the redheaded British bar
keeper and the barkeeper tried to run
Sharkey out the front door. BY the time
the redhead got out of the hospital there
J happened to be British man o. war at
anchor in the harbor and the redhead
went out to her in sampan and shipped
! on board Of her. He wasn't willing to take
chances on meeting any more ringers
/ San Francisco has been racing mad for
a great many years and 1t would not be
unfair to say that almost everybody played
/ the horses out there. Those who couldn't
make the tracks used the handbooks for the
placing of their bets and handbooks were
as thick as blueberries i'm Michigan. Boot
blacks made two-bit handbooks and news
boys took nickel bets on theis MATES Sc
! lections.
One filled with haunting memories could
go on indefinitely pointing out little in
stances in which San Francisco was diff
ferent" The dolorous thought creeps in
however that it will probably never be
different any more-after it is rebuilt. Il
will be clean, steel, spick and span
washed and dressed San Francisco, but Il
will never be the same old reckless. rollck
ing, live and let live sea gray burg that +
was in the day of the not yet old foge,
who used to know. It in all of its riotous op
ulence and who are now filled with memo
ries.-New York Sun.