The San Francisco call., 1908-03-22

): the cobbled hills of Chinatown and
:across Portsmouth square, the little
:coynmon that was the center OF life in.
gold san Francisco in the bonanza
sdays-the place of meetings. concerts,
irow after row of bare squares where.
1.-THE trim little cabins built with relief,
funds for The refugees have been lately,
moved off. But on that April day il,
was juss z square OF fresh green lawn
.acscia shaded, sloping mp from old
:kearny street To Chinatown: and there,
:stoed one of the finest old weeping
:willow trees in all California and that
:picturesque drinking. fountain. a full
:rigged ship fashioned in bronze To
iRemember Robert Louis Stevenson"
:sea rover, once a lover Of the old plaza
In the background loomed the dim.
;time SCARED sign on the old hre engine,
;house Of the Exempt company, standing
:there just as it had stood half cen
itury before, when the townspeople,
:having already seen their first san.
;Francisco swept away in flames. looked
80 its brave lads for protection.
/; Willie dodging my way in and out
.among the Chinese. Japanese and
;mongrels that crowded the narrow way
!of quaint. musty old Dupont street,
with its little huddled shops, squalid
iyet gorgeous and reeking with that
:blended aroma of tea, opium. fish
.strange fruits and incense which pro-
iclaim Chinatown afar off, had smiled
:at the signs over the doors OF Chew
Fat, Man Lung and Duck Sing.
-A few minutes later 1 was drinking
mug of the vilest beer In a little old.
dark. ramshackie saloon down Wash
ington street. Noting sign over the,
door proclaiming that this. in the days
of forty mine. was the saloon OF Flood
& oBrien twho later became men of
fabulous wealth. I decided to start a.
;coliection of the odd and interesting
:signs about san Francisco. old and
NEW.
The next one found was down the
.same street. Near the water front it
twas. and appropriate TO the section. It
Tread: Black Eyes Cured in a Hurry,
=: Jp SldlIS.
+. On another and recent tour OF ex-
ploratfon in the new Chinatown the,
fsign ofs@Lay. .son. brought up. scenes
of Macbeth that of June Cum car
4 raed my thoughts away to the woods
and that of r'Sin Low suggested the
!dives beneath the sidewalk. while that
of Wing Soon Gooey gave hunger for
:chicken and gravy.
About midway between the What,
icheer House and the Hotel des,,
;Hautes Pyramides / found little
:Barbary Coast fruit store sporting the
;sign. For Sail. sody Water ana Ruth,
.'Beer.
Many smile is provoked by the
baker of the Fillmore street district,
:lwlicn has. since the disaster. become
THE shopping and amusement quarter
;for the rabble), who advertises.
"Pies like your metner used to make.
Else. Pies like your mctner used to try
Ito make, 25c.'
5: But was his sneighbor the clotIier
!: equally willing TO be funny when he,
put out this sign:
!; These goods would be bargains at
nalI the price.
/: Another little bakery of the district
IS run by a religious enthusiast. Just,
'below the placard announcing Fresh
'sHomemade Doughnuts appears anoth-
er reading: Prepare to Meet Thy
God.1
In -Japtovn'' appears the sign:
Home Made Bakery and Restau-.
:rant-
I There are puns on every hand. and so
:there will be as long as Mr.. Wax is a
\ shoe maker. Mr.. Snow a cleaner, Mr..
:Wood a lumber dealer, Messrs. Light
:: are electricians and Mrs. Plum keeps a
fruit stand and Mrs Cutter dress
:naking establishment
What nerve Mr.. B. Bacilli must
':have 10 operate his Post street coffee
i parlors under his own name, Yet they
TOO say that it is the unappetizing name
..of the Fly Trap" that has made Louis
little old downtown restaurant so pop
u ular.
Z On the whole. the brasses of the
!! physicians are not very reassuring; at.
Z ileast those of DR.. lie Fevre DR.
y Slaughter and DR.. Coffin. There might
ibe comfort in DR. Newman, Dr. Hale
4 and DR. CHEEKY were they not so sadly
4 overbalanced by DR.. Grim, DR. Stoney,
= 1.-TWO Drs. Cross and two Drs. Stern.
! And the dentists, 1t gives one the.
= fortures of toothache just to read the
fBurrows DR. Twist and DR.. Gabbs.
T. Pompous signs have become COM
4 mon that we no longer give them
{thouglit "Tonsorial parlors" are as
numerous in San Francisco these days
las barber shops. The Palace Of
sweets is a hole in the wall for the
] peddling of candy. THE Castle is a,
!: tumble down water front saloon. The.
:: :climax was reached when they hoisted
:over corral in the Mission district
:the sign Horse Clipping Parlors.'
{: Along the Barbary coast and down on,
:the gray water front are the regions Of
;auaintiy named saloons Here are the
;.'Hurry Back" The Bulkhead"
:..Three- fingered Jacks" The Ocean
-sPearl," The So Different The Poor
.Man,s Friend" and the Fair Wind"
I; They must have forgotten the name
swhen they painted the Blue Front Sa-
sloon" a fine red
: During the first two months after the
;fire, when rich and poor alike were al
flowed to cook only at the sidewalks
fedge, the crude shacks. built of almost
3auy old maferial-from window blinds