Show PLACES I II G GOING ii I I AND i SEEING THINGS THINGS' F Frisco's col Famous Barbary C Coast ast Is II Only Memory Now Gar Garages ge Lunchrooms and Stores Have Replaced IU Ita Dives Dive s. SAN The FRANCISCO Th FRANCISCO The Bar Barbary ary coast stands s today tott lettering as unsteadily un un- wi- wi steadily as tho the bunt bum that ever reeled down its once evil ovil rail rall Where 0 once n c the midnight was hectic with b br r a aV V w Is Is oaths s sudden shots and ands and's ribald s songs ng ng-l now only ony thc night wind l ot off the bay bays bay's s 's I n. n see eerily r 1 h through the gapin gapin gap gap- in holes holes' and creaking boards I V Walking n. n I k 1 1 g through o u g h tho the oth other r n night i h t. t whistling t to n my myself my- my self as though country passing a dark lark graveyard gra I 1 I met only ri a a. slinking gray cat that scurried by like 3 a a. swept storm wraith ralth at the s und of ot my football There Thero v wa as an uncanny feeling of ot being with tho dead Surely Surel no slatternly slat slat- harlot of its he heyday y day ever er came cameto cameto to la a a sorrier end They have not se seep JJ fit for r one reason or another to bury tho the and scrawny scrawny bones bones' of t this ha hag hac- have havo it H over oyer with They have left have left her skeleton hanging hang hang- Ins ing at the roadside as men once left let criminals criminals criminals-by by by way of ot driving fear into other othet hearts ts Perhaps Ps the tho coast Is less Jess tawdry In in her ler rags rasp than in iii her cheap tinseled Je finery In ry of ot yesteryear I was a bit young oung when old th the the- coast was vas quite Near the street corner there ther Is Is ot of nil things thIngs thIngs-a a malted milk stand Theres There's a con combination hamburger rack and h hot t do dog counter coun counter counter coun coun- ter and then at least at night darkness dark darkness ness ness' ness and abandonment Only the archway y of oc the old Th Thalia all a. a d dance nce h hall hail lt Us its gilt gUt paint worn orn t to a aj dirty dirty- purple seemed familial Its Us swinging swing In ing doors are re time battered and A Afew few families boarded together of spiders baVO lao havo set up housekeeping In the broken places Pressing an anear anear anear ear tho the darkness it seemed possible to hell hear the scampering of f frats within r rats ts s somewhere Across the tho street three thre dives have b been en combined into a n garage and and repair repair- shop Toward the end of ot the block th there ro are arc a lL few tew sc scattered busIness business business busi busI- ness co concerns cerns None of ot them has made mado much effort toward rehabilitating tating the old ld buildings Somehow I 1 expected to lii meet at least one sailor r retracing old oId st steps ps And was a a. bit disappointed when I t. t 1 Nor Not could I 1 find any ny 1 trace ti Of ot II ji fi p E. E Il- Il F Portuguese John or John as is he was also called Bu Du chu was was' a n. form forni of oC gin sin hl h I Ibelle outside ofSan of or orsan believe belle wis was hard bard to find San Francisco It had hd an attractive attractive tive weed veed growing groi In the bottle Which g gave v It its name nante The weed came front from S South SoOth th America or t-r the south seas seas-I seas I forget forgat which now At any any rate rd the drink was a 3 sailors sailor's deJl delight ht After some sonie r encounters with the present day made home gin gln It doesn't seem scent o fio 0 bad as It did atthe at atthe atthe the time It v was as ns as I remember more than slightly potent At any rate It used sed to bo be u John rather than his gin that attracted me mo ne to tho the place John Joh character charac charac- was WitS a R 81 sightly ter ter ter-a. a fell fellow w with plastered well hair an Jn inevitable white vest est vitha a a. hu huge e nu nugget get at the watch charm and other accoutrements which in this this' belt jJ passed for lor or elegance The mirror over his bar was R II masterpiece of or barroom painting painting- what with clusters clusters' of ot seaweed a couple of ot mermaids and some old of rocks The TheS The'S and andea aea ea S 'S usual ships ship In In t- t bottles were vere also sO I there But Just juet ab hung tung I gracefully In a. a rope ropo h Ii a was a 8 huge huie walrus wal wah- aIr aI r rus s tusk This 4 wn was the piece de resistance For ds s 5 John on once e related re re I to tome me mt this had been his hla belaying be el e- e l laying pin John made no pretense at t disguising die dis guising h nil his call call- He had ho tell you been a a crimp that that is ono one who shanghaied hang shang haled sailors when crews crews were wu wanted ted In in ai a a. hurr hurry At this point Joint I In his story he would point variously vari to th the tho walrus valrus tusk arid and to a ahole hole bored under the barone bar A rope one ran through this hoi hole hole- and connected with an an adjoining card room When the tho men ho wanted were sufficiently full of or he would pull jilIn the rope and a trap door Down they would go go t to Into a IL dark bel below awaken at sea mea th the next day If It trouble aro arose e out came carno the walrus tusk and thc they were tapped oV over r the h head nd Oh yes cs John always sot his crew t But crimps harlots harlot i brothels sailors sail sail- ors all all now and only the s sea a. a ors gone wind in the cracks cr to 10 sins sing their dirge GILBERT GILBERT- SWAN Copyright 1929 NE Be Service Inc I I 1 1 |