Chapter 34

THE LATE MR. T. GEIGER.

About thirty-five years ago, maybe a little more, it was a fine bright summer afternoon and rather warm. The sun beat down on the awnings on the east side of Government Street. It was the custom then for all stores to have wooden awnings with a kind of drop curtain awning which rolled up and down, and on the summer afternoons it was sure to be down. But to proceed; when all these drop curtains were down the sidewalk was enclosed from one end of the street to the other. Before I proceed to say anything more about these awnings and sidewalks, I will have to admit that our city was not the Victoria of to-day, and I am sure I shall hardly be credited if I assert that a cannon might have been fired down the centre of Government Street, and chances taken of not striking anyone. I mean that a time could have been chosen when it could have been done with perfect safety. On any of these quiet afternoons, a sudden uproar might have been heard of a flock of geese alighting from a distance on Government Street to feed on the sides of the streets on the grass that grew there. As they passed up the street they chattered away, likely discussing the quiet times which permitted them to make a feeding ground of the chief business street of the city. During the time the geese are chatting with one another, several little groups of Victoria's respected citizens are having their afternoon chat on the several topics of the day. I see them now, as I saw them then, a row of chairs, some of them tipped back and the occupier perhaps smoking. There was, likely, Alexander Gilmore, merchant tailor. Then half a dozen guests in the front of the Colonial Hotel, which was next door to Fletcher's music store; then Joe Lovett of Lovett's Exchange, and then the subject of my little sketch, Tommy Geiger. He was well known and well liked by all, and fond of a joke was Tommy. No one ever thought of calling him other than "Tommy" in those good old days. Very few fortunes were made in those days on Government Street, or those summer afternoon chats, sitting on tipped-up chairs would not have been held.

It must have been a slack time of the day to be able to enjoy themselves in this free and easy manner. A customer goes into one of these stores, the proprietor gets up, goes in to serve him, and then returns to his seat to resume the conversation. They did not worry, they lived quietly, were able to bring up their families as they should, and to-day these families represent some of our best business men. So I say "_requiescat in pace_." He was an enthusiastic fireman in those days when volunteer firemen did so much for nothing and that efficiently, too.

THE ROSTER OF THE "FIFTY-EIGHTERS" IN THE PROVINCE.

The following is a list of those who remain of the twenty thousand people who arrived in Victoria from San Francisco in 1858, the first year of the gold excitement:

Anderson, James R. November. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with sister; retired Deputy Minister of Agriculture Adams, Frank. July Str. Pacific, from San Francisco. Ar. young, with father and mother; now with firm of E. B. Marvin & Co. Allatt, Frederick. August 12. Str. John L. Stephens, Ar. young, with father and mother; from S. Francisco. now carpenter and contractor Alexander, March. Str. Oregon, from San Francisco. Ar. with wife and son Charles. Borde, August. April. Str. America, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother; now Municipal Water Rates Collector Booth, Samuel. September. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with brother Borthwick, Ralph. July 7. Str. Orizaba, from San Francisco. Ar. single; hotel-keeper Burnes, Thomas J. May 11. Str. Commodore, from San Francisco. Ar. single; hotel-keeper, now Customs Officer; was prominent fireman in early days Chambers, Walter. Ar. with father and mother Cogan, August. Ship Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother Mrs. George. Collins, Henry. August. Ship Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother Gribble, Henry. June. Str. Republic from San Francisco. Ar. single; gold miner, then engaged in retail business Harrison, July. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. with husband, son and daughter Mrs. Eli, Sr. from S. Francisco. Harrison, Eli. July. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. with father, mother and sister; from S. Francisco. now Judge Hastings, August. Ship Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with father, mother and sister. Mrs. Oregon C. Maiden name Layzell Helgeson, Hans. July 4. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. single from S. Francisco. Higgins, David W. July 19. Str. Sierra Nevada, Ar. single; newspaper proprietor, from San Francisco. retired Humphreys, Dec. 28. Overland, from California. Ar. single; gold miner, William. now in Customs Lombard, Charles. August. Str. Oregon, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother; now in the optical business Marvin, July. Str. Pacific, from San Francisco. Ar. with husband and son Mrs. Edward. McPhadden, Mrs. July. Str. Brother Jonathan, Ar. with father, mother and brother. from S. Francisco. Maiden name Harrison Moore, John. July. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with father, mother and brother. Purser C.P.R. Co. Moore, William. July. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with father, mother and brother. Miner in Alaska Moore, James. May. Via Bellingham Bay, Ar. single; gold miner from San Francisco. Phillips, July. Str. Pacific, from San Francisco. Ar. with husband and son. Mrs. Alexander. Resident of Seattle, Wash. Phelps, August. Ship Oracle, from San Francisco. Ar. with husband; Mrs. Edward. now widow in this city Scott, June. Barque George Anna, Ar. with husband; Mrs. William. from San Francisco. now widow in this city Seward, Thomas W. May. Barque D. M. Hall, Ar. single; gold miner from San Francisco. Sere, John B. June 11. Str. Republic from San Francisco. Ar. with wife and son; was prominent hotel-keeper--Hotel de France Stelly, George. May. Str. Oregon, from San Francisco. Ar. single; contractor Wolfenden, Mrs. H. August. Ship Oracle from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother

This list and statement has been compiled with the greatest care by the undersigned, who has lived in this city continuously since February 13th, 1859, when he arrived with his mother and three brothers on the steamer Northerner, from San Francisco, Cal., his father, Thomas Lea Fawcett, having arrived the previous year, July, 1858.

Sept. 1st, 1908.

EDGAR FAWCETT.

The undersigned, who has lived in this city since July, 1858, certifies to the correctness of this statement.

D. W. HIGGINS.

Note--Since the original list was compiled in 1908, thirteen have since died, leaving thirty-one remaining, as per above list, on March 1st, 1912.