Page:California Historical Society Quarterly vol 22.djvu/267

 a new article of dress, the old one which it was to replace was pitched into the street. Borthwick thus sums up California's claim to fame: "California was often said to be famous for three things— rats, fleas and empty bottles; but old clothes might well have been added to list." The reason for discarding so much clothing was that new clothes were cheap and washing was costly. The Chinese laundries charged five dollars a dozen, and other laundries charged more until their prices were forced down by the Orientals. In this custom of throwing away old clothing the Englishman saw untidiness; the Frenchman pointed out that it indicated the absence of extremely poor peo- ple such as rag pickers.

Because of the concealment that the dark streets afforded holdup men, the Alta advised every person living on the outskirts of the town to pick up two bricks when he started home. In September there was a spasm of enforce- ment of the midnight closing law for saloons. The rows and fights accord- ingly diminished but the streets were darkened. By November 6 a com- pany had been formed to put up posts and look after the lights at the cost of one dollar a week to each subscriber. These lights were to be erected be- tween Battery and Dupont and Bush Street and Broadway. By November 28 many private individuals had placed lights in front of their houses. The editor of the Alta when reporting this added that he hoped to see Montgom- ery Street, at least, lighted— whether by public or by private enterprise he did not indicate. By December 8 lights on Montgomery Street (supplied by private funds), with some on Washington Street just below the Plaza, had improved conditions. These lamps burned whale oil which was so expensive that the editor could not understand why they were lighted on moonlit nights.

In the closing months of 1851 an enthusiastic San Franciscan wrote to his friend, a former resident of the city, that a "very ingeniously contrived steam-engine" had been sent out from New York eight or nine months pre- viously and that it was called a "steam paddy" because it could do as much work as many Irish laborers. This machine was clearing away the sand hills in the direction of the Mission, "removing the sand to the sea, on trucks run- ning on rails." The sand, scooped up by the shovel, was put into cars and run down to the waterfront to build up the tide flats. This was a relatively cheap and rapid means of getting level space for a business section. The tracks ran along the most populous streets and piers, without the traffic being thereby interrupted for one moment. In this way, the whole of Sansome, the whole of Battery, and part of Front Streets (which, until now, had been standing upon the bay on piles, and were con- nected by wooden piers) are filled up; and so are also those which run parallel with Commercial Street; so that we may expect with certainty, within six or eight months, to see the bay filled up from Rincon's to Clark's Point.

In Sansome Street, where, a few months ago only, large ships used to discharge their cargo, there is now a colossal brick playhouse. ..

The sand cars ran down by force of gravity and were pulled back by mule