The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-02-17
MAYORfAvORSPLAN
FOR LODGING HOUSE
Promises Cooperation in Prof.
ect for Industrial Emer=
gency Home
Eastern Capitalist, in Destitute
Mans Role, Fails to Find
Place to Sleep

Edwin A. Brown, an eastern capital
ist and student of social conditions. se-
cured yesterday from Mayor Mccarthy
the promise of hearty cooperation In
his project for a local municipal lodg-
ing house or industrial emergency home
for destitute men. Brown had "a long
interview with Mayor Mccarthy yester-
day morning. A municipal lodging house
to accommodate 500 men would cost, in
the opinion of Brown, 100000 Last
week Brown. in the role of a destitute
man, tried to find sleeping accommoda-
tons and failed.
Brown returned over the route of his
practical study of free sleeping accom-
modations which he made last week
with a Call reporter yesterday for the
purpose of refuting allegations made by
j. c. Westenberg, general manager of
the Whosohver Will mission. In COM
munication to The Call Westenberg de-
MED the statements made by Brown.
Westenberg was not present when
Brown revisited the mission yesterday
afternoon. ]. M. Hilbish, the assistant
superintendent, who endeavored to sup
port the assertions OF his cHlSI, IdlllSl
confiicted than agreed with them.
WAS REFUSED ADMISSION
Il went to the whatsoever Will mis-
sion about 1890 o'clock on a Monday
night. representing myself. as desti-
tute man, and was told by some one
standing in the doorway that 1T was
too late to get tickets" said Brown
yesterday.
ANY unemployed laboring man in
California who has ever found it neces-
sary TO seek assistance could have told
Mr. Brown that the Whosoever Will
mission does not close its doors at
nightfall, but is open from a. m. to
midnight wrote Westenberg in his
communication.
Assistant Superintendent Hflbish said:
I'VE usually close our doors after the
evening meeting, about 1880 or maybe
! II o'clock. Mr.. Westenberg could not
have meant II o'clock midnight. He
must have meant during the later part
/ ST the evening"
In Browns narrative of the happen
! ings of the time he went TO the mis-
sion for a lodging he said that when he
! learned at the mission building that
/ there were no more bed tickets to be
given out he went to the missions lodg-
ing house at the corner of Pacific and
Sansome streets There l found a num-
/ Der of men going down into a base
ment, and I started to follow. A burly
attendant grabbed me roughly by the
arm and forced me out, saying that
/ could not get in without ticket. A
young man l met on the sidewalk, how
| ever, opened a manhole for me and
got down into the sleeping place.
/ found this lodging house a terrible
! place, under noisy negro dance hall
Some of the men who went down
laf ad hT1r Of clo writ
their clothes on. The conditions were
filthy there. lay down for moment
and then / jumped up and went into the
fresh air. / could only find lodgings al
the city prison"
CONFLICTING STATEMENTS
| Westenberg took particular exception
TO this point of Browns interview, as
published in The Call Sunday He wrote
THE so called lodging house he pic
tured as a vile den is no lodging house
at ALL but a basement fitted up with
shower baths. fumigators for the cloth
ing of the men who are sent there to be
cleaned up and wooden hunks where
they may lie down while their clothing
is being fumigated."
Assistant Superintendent Hilbish, be
fore he was shown his chiefs commu-
nication, had different description tt
give of the basement sleeping place
| WhIcH mad seemed SO we 10 Brown.
THAT place is not a pay lodging
house-that is. people don't pay to sleeI
there. We call it the free flop place
But don't men lodge therefor
they sleep there?" Hilbish was asked.
'Oh, yes; sometimes we have as many
as a hundred there at one time They
sleep there when they can not afford tC
go to other places. We run severa
lodging houses where the people who
work around the Mission stay, ant
where others may stay for 10 and II
cents night"
"All of which goes to show" com
mented Brown, that there should be &
municipal lodging house in San Fran
cisco"