Norwich bulletin., 1909-04-24

Arrived in San Francisco January
 8, 1851. I landed on Long Wrarf and
 was met by Charley Rockwell, Albert Converse Joe Brewer. Park Wood
 ward Henry Potter and several other Norwich people whose names 1 do not now remember. It was the anniver- sary of the battle of New Orleans, which, in that early day, was duly celebrated. In fact, any sort of an anniversary would be celebrated on the slightest provocatiOn, and my ar rival on that day gave the boys an opportunity of celebrating a double event. As a general thing it took three or four days to do justice to the great occasions. San Francisco, during that period of her history, was, no doubt. the liveliest city on earth. The May and June fires and the Wig ilance Committee kept every one wen dering what would come next. The streets, at midnight. were as crowded and as full of life as at midday.
 The custom house was budned in the great May fire. and the vault, contain ing over a million dollars, was left en- tirely exposed. Collector King made a name for himself in the organizing of a Spartan band that safely guard ed the transfer of the coin from the corner of California and Montgomery
 
 new quarters at the corner of Wash mgton and Kearny streets. That cav alcade as it followed the line of march through the streets, was a sight to behold. made up as it was of all sorts of men, from the custom house off cials to the sailors and marines of the revenue cutter Polk pressed into ser vice by the collector. Emperor Nor ton was a silent spectator of the nov ing pageant A barkeeper in Trues- dale's saloon on Commercial street celebrated the event by a song com posed and sung by himself night after night to crowds of admiring listeners. Collector King, learning that his name figured rather cOmically in the song, in order to silence the singer, gave him an appointment in the custom house-the only instance, I believe, of which there is any record of ba~ keepers singing himself out of the barroOm into the custom house
 By way of illustrating the changes which time will effect in mans views of what is enough to retire up- on, I call to mind an old schoOlmate, Benjamin Brewster. who had come to California about a year and half be- fore I did. He waS~in the ready-made clothing business, and when I hunted him up and we had discussed the old times and the old town. said:
 Ben, how are you making out here?"
 "Oh." said he, "I can't complain. Business is first-rate but I just want to be worth twenty five thousand dol- lars and I will go back to dear old Norwich and spend the remainder of my days"
 Tn five months from that time the great May fire swept his business off the face of the earth. but his credit was good. and he soon had another well-furnished store. He was in buci- ness during the civil war when he could buy clothing for greenbacks and sell for gold, and money came pouring in on him. so that when he retired from business he invested sixty thous- and dollars with John D. Rockefeller, and died worth five millions. I met MT. Rockefeller in Yosemite Valley in 1S9S and introduced myself in order to make some inquiries concerning my old schoolfel0w. Mir. Rockefeller unhes- jtatingly pronounced him the best man he had ever met. and said he had not yet found any one who could effect ually take his place in the company; so there was more than luck" to be counted as a factor in the making of his fortune.
 l. was during the exciting times of the early fifties that the young men Dl Lllt tIlH. DttOlliuB DdlnIullN aware of the demOralizing effects of mixed drinks. organized a society known as the Young Mems Reform club, with the motto, How happy is the man who nEver drinks" This was a con undrum which none of the members were able to solve. but the moral re- form feature of the club was that it's members were never to drink mixed drinks I had the honor of being elect ed the first president. There were twelve members, and our meetings were held at the Mission on the last Saturday night of the month, with the Cliff House omnibus to convey us to and from our place of meeting. But one after another broke tre pledge and was borne out to Lone Mountain cem- etery, until there were but two sur vivors. the superintendent of public instruction. and myself. In 1895 I went east. and my fellow member of the Reform club must have been be- guiled from the paths of rectitude, for he, toO~ died, and I am now the soie representative of the organization which was famous in it's day and gen. eration. If my example shall have been the means of persuading young men to abstain from mixed drinks and cn'iine themselves to tine moderate uee of WhiskeX straight, I shall feel that l have not Overhauled the storehouses of memory in vain.
 jolly qudrtette composed of Cap tain Burns. George Bird John San born and myself. once conceived the idea of economizing in living All samples of canned goods came 10 the custom house. and We decided that we could live on them cheaper than We could board anywhere else. I had charge of all these things-ducks geese and oil from China as well as al kinds of canned goods. We were to have a stove in the appraisers store and all we would have to buy would be bread and butter We be- gan our economical programme on the