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- 50 REMINISCENCES OF' OLD VICTORIA
It was customary for the " chain gang " to emerge every morning from a side gate of the jail yard on Bastion Street and march to Government Street to the music of their chains, with two guards in the rear with loaded shotguns. The gang often contained sea-men from the ships at Esquimalt who were serving sentences, usually for desertion. This in course of time caused such indignation that the practice of putting men-of-warsmen in the chain gang was discontinued. The gang worked on the streets, on the Government ground and at other Government work. The uniform consisted of moleskin trousers with V.P., a checked cot-ton shirt and a blue cloth cap. It was thought a wrong to put a Jack Tar with malefactors of all grades, such as Indian murderers, thieves and whiskey sellers to Indians. It was the custom when a fire of any dimensions took place to telephone or send word to Esquimalt, and squads of Jacks were soon on the way to town, running all the way. After working maybe all night in saving property they would walk back to their ship, tired out and wet through, and all for nothing in the way of recompense. All the time they were at work they sang and joked as they do now. Is it any wonder that we have a soft place in our hearts for Jack? I know I shall not forget them and the days that have gone by, and I think we all shall regret the late change that takes him away, and his merry laugh and joke are things of the past.
To return to the directory. Of those remaining whose names are recorded, there are, alas ! only sixty-two to-day with us. I have been carefully over the list from A to Z and sixty-two is the number. Of course there may be others that I did not know, and doubtless there are some; there are omissions also, I am sure, and
VICTORIA'S FIRST DIRECTORY. 51
several I have added to make up the sixty-two. There is one thing sure, that as a rule only the head of a family was recorded, male or female, as there are many residents to-day who were young men or youths, or young women or girls, when this directory was compiled. I shall give here the names of these sixty-two who are still privileged to be residents of this beautiful city that we old residents are so proud of, as well as those of two living abroad and one in Kamloops.
The list alphabetically is :
Adams, Daniel F., contractor. Anderson, E. H., variety store. Alport, Charles (in South Africa). Anderson, J. R., agricultural department.
Barnett, Josiah, in United States. Barnswell, James, carpenter. Bauman, Frederick, confectioner. Beaven, Hon. Robert.
Botterell, Mat., butcher.
Blaguiere, Edward.
Bullen, Jonathan, bricklayer. Boscowitz, Joseph, fur dealer. Borde, August, Chatham Street. Burnes, Thomas, saloonkeeper. Carey, Joseph W.
Cridge, Edward, rector Christ Church.
Crowther, John C., painter. Davie, Doctor John C.
Dougall, John, iron moulder. Drake, M. W. T., solicitor.
Elliott, W. A., engineer Labouchere. Fawcett, R. W., house decorator. Gerow, G. C., carriagemaker. Helmcken, Honorable John S., M.P.P.
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