These memoranda I have written years after the happenings which they
sketch. They are drawn from the records of the company and from the
tablets of my memory. Those upon which I have touched were amongst the
higher lights, they are vivid in recollection and as well remembered as
if they had taken place at a recent date.
Those were strenuous times. Times that not alone tested the dignity and
honor of men, but rocked them to their very foundations. Only the
admittedly honest and honorable men survived the experiences of those
days without blotch upon their escutcheons. It is naturally to be
presumed that the minds of those who passed through those days of
reconstruction recall many deeds of heroism, of sacrifices made upon the
altar of duty. Each has the surmounting of his individual trials to
remember, but amongst all that was done as the result of the San
Francisco conflagration there is, in my opinion, nothing carrying
greater, honor or higher integrity than the work and sacrifice of that
gallant band of men who were directors and shareholders of the
California Insurance Company. They were the pioneers and the sons of
pioneers who braved the hardships and terrors of desert and sea--the
founders of this great commonwealth. Incidents and happenings which have
passed from public record will still live in the memory of those who
played a part. The wonderful rehabilitation period, with all that it
meant of physical and mental suffering, but typifies today in concrete,
stone and brick the sturdy and stalwart spirit of those men who were
made absolute pioneers by the ash heap of 1906. Some of these have gone
to their last accounting, but for those who are still serving, and still
tugging at the oar, there remains but to guard the heritage which they
bequeathed--to bring upon the results of their work a continuation of
their ideals.
The spirit of 1906, glorified by San Franciscans, which alone made
possible the resurrection from the ashes of that "city loved around the
world," sitting serenely upon its seven hills by the portals of the
Golden Gate and whose destiny is oblivious of fire and earthquake, is
worthy of more than a passing tribute. Its example should thrill and
encourage those who are inclined to falter. It is a beacon light to
those who are to continue the struggle with the petty details and the
larger duties of everyday life. And among the contributors none are more
to be admired or borne in reverent respect than the directors, those men
who held either large or small investments in the "California" and were
true to their trust.