|
|
|
|
|
|
Contractor J.L. Langley, 47, "a prominent member of the Methodist Church" building an opera house in Antioch, is a fugitive heading for Oregon after eloping with 14-year-old Clara Maze, of his congregation. "Young Miss Maze seems to have the eloping mania. About six months ago she left home with James Duffy, who is now serving a sentence of six years in San Quentin, as the result of the escapade." — Jan. 22 Coast-to-coast long distance phone service is perfected and touted as the greatest telephone discovery of the century. David C. St. Charles of San Francisco develops a "repeater" system that connects phone lines from the city to New York. — April 16 An advertisement for Duffy's Pure Malt Whiskey claims it "is the most perfect invigorator for the aged, and the safeguard of the young. More than 4,400 old people state that their rugged health and sturdy old age are due to its regular and judicious use." — April 17 Opera sensation Enrico Caruso as Don José in "Carmen" is "rather a puffy picture, but the sound of him is glorious; and once Caruso has warmed to the sultry spirit of the play, he acts with fearless abandon." — April 18 A joint Call-Chronicle-Examiner edition reports that San Francisco is "a mass of smouldering (sic) ruins" after a massive earthquake and a fire raging despite the demolition of buildings in its path. Martial law has been declared, the Mechanics' Pavilion is a makeshift morgue and hospital and The Examiner building has been destroyed. "After darkness, thousands of the homeless were making their way with their blankets and scant provisions to Golden Gate Park and the beach to find shelter," says the joint report. "Everybody in San Francisco is prepared to leave the city, for the belief is firm that San Francisco will be totally destroyed." — April 19 The Chinese community is furious at proposals to relocate Chinatown to Hunter's Point and threatens to invest its wealth elsewhere. "What is there for us at Hunter's Point?" asks businessman Cheun Hung of Dupont Street. "We will re-establish in the old quarter where our property interests are, or we will sell out and forget that San Francisco was ever on the map." — May 7 The city's decision, spearheaded by mayoral advisor Abe Ruef, to grant a lucrative trolley franchise to United Railroads in place of rebuilding the cable cars is attacked repeatedly: "Yesterday the Mayor signed the ordinance granting the street railroad monopoly the right to string death-dealing and fire-kindling trolley wires through the finest streets in the city. His surrender to the corporation was complete." — May 23 An Examiner "Policy for the new San Francisco" calls for wide streets, improved water systems, no overhead trolleys and an extension of the Panhandle to Market Street — all to prevent future conflagrations. — June 16 Three boys are "blown to bits" when they shoot at a gunpowder storage house in Yreka. Sixteen tons of TNT go up, creating a crater 15 feet deep and damaging every house in the town. — August 20 The business district of Tiburon is wiped out by a fire which started in the saloon of George Fearn. Nobody was killed, however, and the residential districts were saved by the efforts of a fire boat and the infantry stationed at Angel Island. — Sept. 14 Mayor Eugene Schmitz and his political advisor, Abe Ruef, are indicted by a Grand Jury for extortion. — Nov. 16 The Berkeley city trustees vote to completely ban the sale of alcohol in the city. — Dec. 28 In what is called the largest judgment ever against a railroad company in a personal injury suit, racehorse rider Willard Zibell is awarded $100,000 from Southern Pacific Railroad for the loss of both arms and a leg in a train accident. — Dec. 30 |
|
|
