The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-03-20
BARkARY COAST OF
FRISCO IS NO MORE
(Christian Science Monitor)

tCnrlStldn Science MOnitOrD
Extending back from the bay front
in San Francisco. Cal, to the border
of Chinatown, itself distinctly orien-
tai section of a cosmopolitan city, lies
what has been known, almost since the
days of the gold rush in 1S49, as Bar
barry Coast" A few tourists who have
visited San Francisco have failed at
least to get a glimpse of this excep-
tional relic of the frontier days, in
those hours of the night when its ac-
tivities were at their height. "Barbary
Coast" in daylight, was no more spec
taeular or interesting than its neigh
Dor, chinatown. or the nearby Italian
section. In early times it's kerosene
lamps and gas lights burnt brightly
on street corners and in its entertain
ment halls and worse resorts until
dawn, and its denizens and frequenters
toiled not by the light of the sun.
Chinatown also was, in the days of
its so-called glory, as it is at the pres
ent day, prosy, qSiet and uninterest-
ing, even to the enthusiastic searcher
after the unusual, until after dark. In
the Chinese section the shaded. sub
dued light, indicative of the mysteri-
, Gus, perhaps the forbidden, is the at
traction, even to the wary. In the
'Barbary Coast" section, on the con-
trary, the very brightness of the vari-
colored lights served to attract and
! hold those in search of unusual adven-
lures.
But now the lights have been dim
med; the doors Of dance halls which
were the scenes of unrestrained revel-
ry for possibly seventy years have
been closed and padlocked, and the
denizens have gone their various
ways. The sightseer, maybe not ad-
vised of the change. walks up Kearney
street to the border of the coast
only to turn back very likely for a
stroll out market street and on to the
old mission district, where time and
| changing social conditions seem to
! leave. no visible impress. But the
| tourist, had he stopped to think would
! have been saved the short walk from
! the city's hotel and civic center to the
! border of the deserted coast" He
| would have known that "Barbarv
coast without the saloons and licen-
! sed resorts could not flourish even
! for night. The edict was immut-
able became settled that national pro-
| hlbition was TO be enforced Those
who had reveled in open defiance of
somewhat less drastic social regula-
lions prepared TO write the final CHAP
! ter in the history of an institution
| segregated as distinstivey from the en-
virons of Knob hill and Twin peaks as
! though separated by an ocean.
The devastation which swept San
francisco from the water front to Van
Ness avenue in 1906 transformed the
old San Francisco into the new.
| Much that gave to the city its former
/ quaintness was lost. to be replaced
/ with moro rnndorr, br,iId in opl ~,
Even Chinatown was transformed
It's joss houses gave way to neat and
! attractive shops. to schools and to
modern dwellings. 1t retains it's
customs, its original atmosphere and
! It's language. 1t even has its own
telephone exchange and its depart
ment in the telephone directory, with
the names of subscribers printed in
{ Chinese characters. But the rebuild
ing of "Barbary Coast" section or that
part of it which has been DESTROYED.
! brought little change from the origina!
! outward aspect. And the Coast"
like Chinatown, retained its Language
It's dialect. as peculiar and distinctive
as the dialect of the Apache" in Paris
or that OF the Bowery in New York
NO forbldding warning, apparently.
was seen in this black pail which rest
d NPO'i 'AAN >tIoi ISl Tie tUEtTS
had cooled and order had been restor-
+ ed elsewhere in the city. The reveI-
ry was resumed. and continued until
the people of a whole nation rose up
and declared il forever outlawcd.
From "Barbary Coast" in times
gone by, many an unwilling sailor has
embarked upon a voyage for which he
{ had no liking. The Coast" section.
naturally enough was the place where
! the crimp, the tool of unscrupulous
masters of ships, piled his hideous vo-
cation. The resort keepers and habi-
tues were his paid accomplices The
Coast was the home port of missing
men, of men inveiged into servitude
| through the willing or unwilling slav-
/ cry which drink had imposed upon
them Now. with this weapon OF Of
tense taken from them. the crimp and
his confederate find their OCCUPATION
gone. and they, too, it is said. have
hidden "Barbary Coast" farewell.
Even the hospitable San Franciscan.
IL Is safe TO assert, will not regret tel.
ing his guest that "Barbary Coast"
has been struck out of the revised list
OF attractions in the city of which he
| is so iuStly DrOTd