The Hirschman Clock
Urban LifeThe Hirschman Clock
64
April eighteenth at five o'clock
The Hirschman clock was ticking:
It watched the Kearny-Market block
And kept the minutes clicking
Alas! when thirteen told that clook
There came a mighty earthquake shock
Oh! woe to thee,…
A Toast
Urban LifeA Toast
62
I would drink a toast "New Frisco,"
Our beautiful city of godl;
The, health to her pretty maidens,
And health to her gallants bold
Here's health to her patient mothers,
To her fathers old and gray;
Here's a quaff to our dear old…
Resurgam!
Urban LifeResurgam!
393
From ash and desolation
I will arise Imperial, triumphant-on my lips
The hill's song and the sea's song, and the mist
Of an eternal pity in my eyes
From ash and desolation I will arise
And o'er my head the singing stars shall…
The Telegram
Urban LifeThe Telegram
966
I
"Is this the telegraph office?"
Asked a childish voice one day,
As I noticed the click of my instrument
With a message from far away
As it commed I turned At my elbow
Stood the merriest scrap of a boy,
Whose childish…
The Lure Of The Thirst
Urban LifeTHE Lure OF The Thirst
392
I've lost my duds, my home and job,
My coin is burid deep;
And jewels all with watch and fob
Beneath the ashes sleep
My beauty, too, has taken flight,
Complexion's sadly marred;
A ton of brick from topmost height…
Our Stricken City
Urban LifeOur Stricken City
245
You are now among the fallen, our "City of the West,"
You held your head so proudly, you were among the best;
And how we dearly loved you as you overlooked the bay!
You were so strong and beautiful, and what are you…
The San Francisco Earth-Quake
Urban LifeThe San Francisco Earth-Quake
322
It was early in the morning
On an April morning falr
When a city fair and merciful
Was quivering in the air
There swaying to and fro
Were buildings great and small;
Then with a mighty crash
Began a city's…
Phoenix Redivivus
Urban LifePhoenix Redivivus
By Theodor H Hittell
504
A light gleams o'er the Golden Gate;
A pall of of smoke o'erspreads the sky;
The burning city meets its fate;
In smouldering heaps its ruins lie
The morning comes; another light
Far brighter than…
The Aweful Bonanza
Urban LifeThe Awful Bonanza
324
The Friendly Club, which
hasn't missed a meeting since the
fire, held its monthly dinner in
Washington street restaurant on
the day the saloons opened-a
saloon, by the way, being part of
the restaurant "We are here,
"…
Cooking In The Street
Urban LifeCooking In The Street
92
We passed through fire and earthquake,
And close to famine's hungry jaws
We're seen such rights in Frisco,
As have made the whole world pause
We,ve seen such sights in Frisco,
Burned to ushes at our feet
But for undiluted…
A Rude Awakening
Urban LifeA Rude Awakening
507
They were talking of ages-
A giddy, old beau,
And a pretty, young maiden
Of eighteen or so
"I am scarcely too ancient
For you, dear, am I?"
He whispered her softly
Through a plaintive sigh
"Ah, the years are as nothing-"…
The City To Be
Urban LifeThe City To Be
Whaeeler Wilcox
311
OH, ho! for the city, that is to be,
By the great, broad banks of the western sea
It shall spring from ashes, and tears, and blood-
The city of beauty and brotherhood
A delicate marvel of modern birth,…
The Earthquake
Urban LifeThe Earthquake
(Herry M Hyde)
323
MAN scratches little runways in the dirt,
And raises tiny mounds of stone and steel,
To tease the microscopes of curious gods
Sends feeble ships to tempt the awful deep,
Plucks one red feather from the…
The White Pilgrim
Urban LifeThe White Pilgrim
906
I came to the spot where the white pilgrim lay
And pensively stood by his tomb,
When in a low whisper a volce seemed to say
"How sweetly 1 sleep here alone
"Twas the call of my master that led me from
home;
I bade…
Maybe So
Urban LifeMaybe So
967
If every man got all he earned
And none got any more,
Perhaps affairs would be o'erturned;
Some men who heretofore
Have put on lordly style would fall
And meekly work away
While other men obscure today
Would loom up grand…