nd of
the wedge-shaped section. The portion of the city within the triangle
embraces in its water-front the Mission, Howard, Folsom, Stewart,
Spear, Fremont, and Merrimac Piers, together with Mail and Hay Docks.
Here you may see steamships and sailing vessels from all parts of
the world moored at their piers, while others are riding at anchor a
little way out from the land. The whole scene is at once picturesque
and animated and suggests great activity. We must remember, however,
that where now are these massive piers with their richly laden ships
and noble argosies, as far back only as 1849 there were no stable
docks, no properly constructed wharfs, no convenient landing places.
Here only were clay banks, which gave no promise of the great future
with its commercial grandeur, and everything was insecure and
unsatisfactory, especially in rainy weather, which began in November
and continued with more or less interruption until April. The new
comer, not cautious to secure a sure footing would sometimes sink deep
in the soft mud or even disappear in the spongy earth. With the ships
too came not only the gold-seekers from many lands, but rats also as
if they had a right and title to the rising city. These swarmed along
the primitive wharfs, and at times they would invade the houses and
tents of the people and go up on their beds or find a lodging-place in
vessels and cup-boards. Some of these rodents which followed in the
wake of the new civilisation were from China and Japan, while others,
gray and black, came in ships from Europe and from American cities on
the Atlantic seaboard. Even wells had to be closed except at the time
of the drawing of water, in order to keep out these pests which made
the life of many a householder well nigh intolerable.

The streets were few in number then, not more than fifteen or twenty,
as the town, at the time of which we are speaking, had only a
population of about five thousand people. As San Francisco grew,
however, under the impetus which the discovery of gold gave to it, the
streets were naturally multiplied; and, to overcome the mire in wet
weather and also the sand of the dry season, which made it difficult
for pedestrians to walk hither and thither or for vehicles to move
to and fro, they were planked in due time. Wooden sewers were also
constructed on each side of the street to carry off the surface water.
A plank road besides ran out to Mission Dolores, the vicinity of which
was a