[Illustration]

Meiggs' Wharf


North from the ferry building, and near the foot of Powell Street, is
one of the old landmarks of San Francisco, known as Meiggs' Wharf.

In the early sixties an old saloon was located on the shore end of
this wharf, and connected with it was a museum which contained many
quaint curios from other lands, some of them of considerable value.

The occupant of this saloon never allowed the place to be cleaned, and
for years the spiders held undisputed possession, weaving their webs
without fear of molestation, until every nook and corner was filled
with their tapestry, and from ceiling and rafter hung long festoons of
gossamer threads that swayed back and forth in the breeze. It was a
place much visited by tourists, and a trip to San Francisco was not
considered complete without visiting this "Cobweb Museum," a name
bestowed upon it by its many guests.

It is said that Robert Louis Stevenson loved to visit this wharf and
listen to the tales told by the hardy sailors, and that out of them he
wove some of his most delightful South Sea Island stories.

Meiggs died in Peru in 1877, where he fled, a fugitive from justice,
and has long since been forgotten except by the older residents. The