The cab drivers in the San Francisco of 1859 were sure clever fellows. It had not rained in days, and the theater growing crowd took advantage of the nice weather to walk home after they’d seen a show, instead of taking a taxi. The cabmen launched an ingenious plan, and on one night in the early summer, they waited outside the theater door with umbrellas open as the crowd came out, while one of their number  showered water down from a window above. It would have worked in filling their cabs too, if it wasn’t for the meddling police,  who quickly detected and put a stop to the practice.