The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-22
Banking by Automobile.

(By Russell Lowry, American National
Bank of San Francisco, in the Com
merce Monthiy.)
Any gold?
Any coin?
Any greenbacks, notes or silver today?
There's a big bank auto a-comin' this
way.
The above sentiment was irresistibly
suggested to me when 1 first encoun-
tered the latest device in banking in
regenerated San Francisco-a receiv-
ing cage on wheels. Think of the
naughty and dignifed tellers you have
met in the east, and imagine them go
ing about from door to door, from Of
flee to office, collecting deposits and
taking orders for drafts, after the man
ner of a gTocer'S clerk
But out here in Frisco we haven't
had time to cultivate dignity and haul
teur since the little unpleasantness of
year or so ago. New conditions aris-
ing have called for new methods, and
the proverbial conservatism of the city
of the Golden Gate has suffered some
severe jolts.
This particular innovation in bank
ing came into vogue soon after the big
earthquake and fire of April, 1906. At
that time most of the big banks were
in the vicinity of California and Mont
gomery streets. Although their build
ings were badly damaged-in some in
stances totally destroyed-by the fire,
all the banks were ready to resume
business within month. and nearly all
in their former locations.
Then a peculiar difficulty arose For
three-quarters of a mile in every d.
rection from the financial district
nothing remained but charred ruins.
Such few stores and office buildings as
escaped total humiliation were unfit
for occupancy, and the customers of
the banks were scrambling for quarters
on Van Ness avenue, or in the un-
burned residence district beyond. Cars
were running on but few lines, and
heaps of broken brick and stone In the
streets made walking or driving diff
cult. The banks found themselves iso-
lated. Some solved the problem by
establishing branches on Van Ness
avenue. Those holding national char
tiers, however, were barred from adopt
ing this plan. and they faced the pros
pect of losing some of their best GUS
toners. whose loyalty could hardly be
expected to stand the strain of con-
slant Inconvenience.
In this emergency the idea of the
! automobile run was evolved The
American National bank bought a rum
about of sufficient power to negotiate
the Uttered streets and rugged hills of
the city. equipped it with a strong box
and sent man out each day to collect
the deposits of remote customers The
latter saw at once the ADVANTAGES of
the system and showed their apprecia-
! ton. Some who had strayed from the
fold returned when the new scheme was
presented to them, and number of
entirely new patrons were secured.
Before the end of the summer several
of the large banks were using this
method, and each morning a little pro-
cession of gasoline buggies started in
irregular file up Suffer street to the
new business area. Some of the older
| f1nanciers, clinging to the time-honored
idea that Mahomet should come as a
humble suppliant to the mountain.
gasped with establishment when thew
saw the mountain jOurneying on rub
/ Der tires to the abode of Mahomet. But
! they finally admitted that the exigen-
| cy demanded unusual measures.
When vacation adjustments shifted
me into the automobile rum for a few
weeks 1 welcomed the opportunity.
| Riding about in an automobile and
| gathering up other peoples money
| struck me as being a singularly pleas
ant form of occupation. Besides, being
a recent arrival on the coast, 1 wanted
| to get acquainted with the CITY. So
| ] armed myself with a pair of goggles.
/ a linen buster and a 3S-caliber six-
| shooter and Jared forth to corral the
wealth of the town. or so much of il as
was peaceably proffered.
In the main. it was pleasant enough.
| Summer days in San Francisco are
never too hot and rarely too cold, and
| rain is practically unknown from Nav
! to October. There are some Disagree
/ able features, of course. The trade
winds which sweep in from the Pacific
every afternoon stir up vast clouds of
dust in certain unsprinkled streets of
| the burned area, and there are days
when the fog is chilling. But these
| drawbacks are more than outweighed
by the bright sunshine, the soft Cali
fornia air, and the occasional glimpses
from many hills of San Francisco bay.
dotted with steamers and talI-masted
ships. and bordered by the green slopes
| of the Coast range.
The hills caused me some trepidatiou
at first. As everybody knows, they are
both numerous and steep in San Fran
cisco. Going up on the high-ear / did
not mind. But the descent was differ
ent. My chauffeur. Harry McMichaeIs
an Old-time bicycle rider of renovn
| would dislocate the sparkling plug, on
| whatever the thing is, steer the wheels
into the grooves of the street car
| tracks, and down we would plunge for
a couple of blocks or so. In the midst
of one Of these dives I casually in