The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-10
REHABILITATION Of
SAN FRANCISCO
A. H. Briggs Tells Commercial
Club What the Coast City
Is and Does.

the guests at luncheon yesterday OF
the Commercial Club. During the
luncheon Mr.. A. H. Briggs, at the in
vitation of the entertainment commit
tee OF the club, gave a short address
on THE Rehabilitation of San Fran
CISCO" Mr.. Briggs had an attentive
audience. quite a number of club mem
bers who had lunched earlier coming
in to hear his address. He was intro
duced pleasantly by George W. Smith,
president of the club.
1T is never a pleasure to me to
make speech" began Mr.. Briggs,
'.but it is pleasure TO meet the gen.
they do. For three years I have had
the honor of being a member o. the
Order of the Friends of Hawaii. l do
not think it requires more than one
visit here to convince anyone that
these islands secure the mainland.
They are the outpost that form the
guarantee of integrity against inva-
sion 1 think the United States owes
one more duty to the peace of the
world. That duty is to impregnably
fortify and invincibly guard these is
lands.
II have been asked to speak on The
Rehabilitation of San Francisco be-
cause your interests and ours are so
closely identified that what interests
us interests you. I remember once to
did not know that there was such a
place as San Francisco. That was an
extreme way of stating a species of
provincialism that does exist in New
York But San Francisco does know
the name of these fair isles. 1t knows
that sugar is raised here In large
quantities; it knows that under these
blue skies there is a superb climate;
and a people with as fine hospitality
as exists anywhere; and that's enough
for most any place.
THE earthquake did about six mil
lion dollars worth of damage in San
Francisco. The fire that followed de-
stroyed between three hundred and
four hundred million dollars worth of
property. That fire was the hottest
that any man ever experienced and
reported back about. When the
Chronicle building was burning, the
window panes of the Paramount Hotel,
mile away, were too hot to touch
with the hand. In such a fire and
such a heat frame buildings were re-
duced. to ashes almost in a breath,
and steel frame buildings melted as
with fervent heat. The old San Fran
cisco was wiped out, destroyed.
But there was one thing that was
not destroyed. 1t was what we call
the spirit of San Francisco. It was
not a disembodied spirit. either It
was incarnate. Tt displayed itself in
men who for the first time, many Of
them. felt the responsibility of doing
for others. 1t did not talk
aItruism. But the best brains of the
city began to think for the commu-
nifty.
1.-THE first manifestation of this
spirit was in taking the people to
places of shelter and safety and then
taking to them the food and the cloth
ing and the medicine without which
they could not live In this work
there was not much distinction of per- |
sons. In those days, when men did |
not battle for a week, nor sleep in |
beds nor eat at tables it was pretty |
hard to tell a millionaire from coal |
oegrimed stoker. Men looked pretty /
much alike 1t was in those days I
that San Francisco learned the value |
If the automobile. With it men drove /
over miles of hot ashes until the rub I
Der tires burned off, and then they |
frove without tires. When they came
o chasms left by the earthquake, they
Jumped the chasms.
Those days put a new light in
mems eyes. 1t was the light Of high
purpose. You could see it in the eyes
If men of all classes and all callings.
<Cl AiAS give you a SOAiOACtC instance
\ man whom | had known intimately
nd well, a man with the best or
sanizing mind l have ever known, as
he fire progressed, locked the door of
lis house, worth 500. 900, and, taking
lis wife and daughter to a place Of
afety. returned to the city. He had a
actory worth a million and a half, a
otei worth two millions, and other
worth two millions, all
within the fire limits. and he knew
t. Paying no attention to these. he
evoted his time for the next eight
avs with his splendid organizing
biiities to the service of the commu-
ity. Not until the work OF organiza-
ion for the care and safety of the
eople had been brought TO a point
where it could be well carried on did
e leave. Then he went over to Oak
and and took the first bath he had
ad for eight days. and ate the first ,
neal from table that he had eaten ,
rom table in that time. Then he !
eturned TO let contracts for the re-
uiiding of his hotel. his factory, and
iS business hloak