USA > California > A history of the new California, its resources and people; Vol II > Part 49
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William H. Bray was educated in Trenton, New Jersey, pursuing the high school course there and also in Coleman College at Newark, that state, being graduated from the last-named institution in the year 1886. He then went into the iron mines of Morris county, New Jersey, with the idea of thoroughly mastering the business in both principle and detail. The fol- lowing year he made his way westward to Austin, Nevada, and worked in the old Manhattan Silver mill and concentrating plant for four years. On the expiration of that period he made his way to Kaslo, British Columbia, and had charge of the Antoine mine on the road between Kaslo and Sandon for six months. During all of that time he had been studying assaying and he conducted an assay shop in Kaslo for a year and a half. On the expira- tion of that period he removed to Juneau, Alaska, where he worked for one summer in the employ of the Noel Gold Mining Company. He then be- came associated with Charles D. Lane and spent the following year in looking up, examining and reporting on properties for that gentleman in Alaska and in Arizona. He afterward went to the state of Nevada, where he bonded for himself and others the Burlin mine in Nye county, Nevada. He opened it and equipped the mine and after placing it upon a paying basis sold it to the A. G. Phelps, Stokes Company of New York. This mine has continued on a paying basis and a thirty-stamp mill is now operated constantly in con- nection therewith.
After disposing of his interests there Mr. Bray discovered the now cele- brated Copper Flat property in White Pine county, Nevada. Subsequently he disposed of his interests there and came to Nevada City, California, where he has been engaged in the last three years in opening up different properties, including the Posey group in William Valley, which is now well developed and is thoroughly equipped with modern machinery, including a ten-stamp mill. He also opened up the Red Cross and Examiner group, ad- joining the Red Cross and which is connected by aerial tramway. There is a twenty-stamp mill and full complement of modern machinery, including electric lights, air compressor, etc. He has many interests in the state of Nevada and in Nevada county, California, which he is now arranging to
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consolidate into one large company, to be composed of members from the east and San Francisco who are already associated with him in his mining operations. In the Posey group there are eighty acres and in the Red Cross and Huron group about four hundred and twenty acres. Mr. Bray is the principal owner of the property and its manager.
On the 24th of September, 1902, Mr. Bray was married in Madrone, St. Helena, California, to Miss Mary M. Bowers, a native of Massachusetts and a daughter of John Brayton Bowers of that state. In both the paternal and maternal line she is descended from old Revolutionary stock, and further back the ancestry can be traced to England. She is also connected with the Baurnes of San Francisco. Mr. and Mrs. Bray have one son, William Bowers. Mr. Bray is a Mason, belonging to the lodge at Austin, Nevada, and in politics he is an active Republican and has attended the county and state conventions in Nevada, but has never been an aspirant for public office. He owes his success to the fact that he gained a thorough, accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the great department of labor to which he is now devoting his time and energies. He has, moreover, in his work shown close application, unwearied industry and unfaltering purpose, and he stands to-day as a prominent representative of mines and mining in Cali- fornia.
GEORGE W. WITTMAN.
Since 1882 George W. Wittman has been connected with the police force of San Francisco and his appointment to his present position as chief of police was a merited tribute to his ability and a public acknowledgment of the value of his previous service. He was chosen for the office November 21, 1901, and general satisfaction was expressed throughout the city be- cause of this appointment.
Mr. Wittman is a native of Minnesota, his birth having occurred in Hastings on the 28th of June, 1858. His parents were Anthony and Julia Wittman, early settlers of that state. His father was a farmer by occupa- tion and engaged in the tilling of the soil in Minnesota until July, 1857, when he came to California. He located in Amador county, where he began mining and for some time was engaged in a search for the precious metal. He died in the year 1890, while his wife passed away in 1888. They were the parents of four children, a son and three daughters.
George W. Wittman was brought to California during his infancy and pursued his education in the public schools of Amador county, but at the age of thirteen years put aside his text books and came to San Francisco, where he has since made his home. He was apprenticed to the plumbing trade, about that time, and acquired a practical and accurate knowledge of the business. During the four years of his apprenticeship, in order to further enhance his education he attended the Lincoln school on Fifth street in San Francisco at evening sessions. He worked as a journeyman at his trade until the 25th of April, 1883, when he was appointed patrolman on the police force of San Francisco. For five years he patroled Kearney street from California to Market streets, and on the 27th of August, 1888, following
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the death of J. A. Wilson, he was appointed to the rank of sergeant. On the Ist of April, 1895, he was made a lieutenant by brevet and on the Ist of August of the same year became captain to succeed Captain Douglass, who retired. Mr. Wittman was then placed in command of the northern police district, the most important in the city. It embraces all the territory north of Market street and west of Front street. During the labor struggles in San Francisco Captain Wittman was in charge of the police officers de- tailed by the late Chief Sullivan to maintain order in the business districts and on the water front. He was also an able aid to his chief during the time that President Mckinley was a guest in San Francisco and on all occa- sions he has shown himself fearless and faithful in the execution of his duties. On the 21st of November, 1901, Mr. Wittman became chief of the police force of San Francisco, which now numbers seven hundred men. The growth of this department may be imagined from the fact that in 1883 there were only three hundred and fifty members of the police force. He has done good conscientious work as head of the department and fully under- stands its needs and the demands of the public, having worked his way up- ward from a position in the ranks. He is an energetic man of affairs, pos- sessing marked executive ability and fairness of character, and commands the confidence of the rank and file of the department as well as the property owners and law-abiding citizens of San Francisco. He has made a deep study of the affairs of the police department and is keenly alive to the inter- ests of the public. He did not seek the position which came to him in recog- nition of his worth and is, therefore, a well merited honor. During his incumbency he has put forth every effort in his power to suppress vice and crime, and his course has been such as to awaken confidence in the best citi- zenship and to inspire fear in the hearts of those who do not hold themselves amenable to law and order.
In 1883 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Wittman and Miss Mary L. Long, a native of San Francisco, California, and a daughter of Frederick and Annie L. (Dowling) Long, who were pioneer settlers of this city. Mr. Wittman's name is on the membership rolls of the Masonic lodge, the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Eagles and the Ancient Order of United Work- men. His nature is kindly, his temperament jovial and genial and his man- ner courteous. He is in every way well qualified for the discharge of the important duties which devolve upon him and his course has won for him the respect and confidence of his fellow men.
JUDGE A. B. TREADWELL.
Judge Alfred Benjamin Treadwell, who has spent his entire life in California, is occupying a leading position at the San Francisco bar, to which he has attained through individual merit, close application, and thorough preparation for the profession. In this enlightened age when men of in- dustry and energy are rapidly pushing their way to the front, those who, by their individual efforts, have won success may properly claim recogni- tion. In no calling to which man directs his attention does success depend
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so largely upon personal labor and enterprise, and that one has gained promi- nence is at once an evidence of his superior skill and ability.
Mr. Treadwell, to whom is accorded a liberal clientage of an important character, was born in Stockton, San Joaquin county, California, November 29, 1856. His father, William Treadwell, was a native of England and came to California in 1847, ere the gold discovery was attracting the thousands of emigrants from all sections of the world. He engaged in the commission business in Stockton, being one of its enterprising citizens at an early day. He married Miss Susan Walker, a native of California, and his death occurred in 1858, while she passed away in 1862.
Judge Treadwell was but six years of age when left an orphan. His early education was acquired in the public schools of Stockton, and in 1869 he left his native city for Mexico, becoming a student in the Jesuit College at Guadalajara, in which he continued his education for five years. He re- mained in Mexico until 1878. On leaving the southern republic he made his way to San Francisco and thence to Stockton, where, entering upon the practice of law, he soon demonstrated his ability to successfully cope with the principles of jurisprudence that are involved in general litigated interests. In 1880 he was elected judge of his county and served continuously until 1888, during which time his decisions were regarded largely as models of judicial soundness, being based upon a thorough knowledge of the points presented and the law applicable to them and characterized by the utmost fairness and impartiality. Through the two succeeding years he was prose- cuting attorney in Stockton and before the bar he manifested the same fidel- ity to the public trust that marked his career on the bench. In the latter year he also served as secretary of the judiciary committee during the session of the legislature. In 1888 he had been elected judge of the police court, but held the office for only one year, for the new charter abolished the office. Since 1889 he has continuously engaged in the practice of law. Seeking a broader field of labor he later removed from Stockton to San Francisco. For almost a quarter of a century he has been identified with the legal pro- fession, for which by natural attributes and thorough preparation and re- search he long ago proved his fitness. Realizing that in this calling. more than in almost any other, success depends upon the efforts of the individual exponent of the law, and that analytical power and a logical summarizing of the chief points in a case are essential, he has spared no labor in the at- tainment of the supremacy which he now holds as a skilled and able prac- titioner.
On the 29th of November, 1884, in California, Mr. Treadwell was united in marriage to Miss Hettie E. Fairchild, a native of this state and a daughter of William Fairchild, a supervisor of San Joaquin county. They now have one child, Sophie A., who is a pupil in the University of Cali- fornia. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity, the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Foresters, the Druids, the Ladies Circle of the Druids and the Hartnagh Chapter of Druids. He has a wide acquaintance in central California, has kept abreast
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with the best thinking men of the age and has won among the leading men of the locality the warm personal friendship which comes only from con- genialty of tastes and temperament and equivalent mental ability.
WILLIAM C. ANDERSON.
It is a generally accepted fact that opportunity comes to every indi- vidual and that success does not depend upon environment but upon the recognition of possibilities. The successful man is he who recognizes that the present and not the future holds his opportunity and who utilizes his time to the best advantage. There is in the Union no state that is richer in its natural resources than is California, and yet many who sought wealth within its boundaries failed in reaching the goal of their desires. Mr. Anderson, however, is numbered among those who have so directed their labors as to progress steadily and gain a desirable competence. He is now prominently known in horticultural circles throughout the state as the in- ventor and manufacturer of machines for handling fruit, and his business has reached profitable proportions. He stands at the head of the Anderson- Barngrover Manufacturing Company, controlling one of the most important and extensive enterprises of San Jose.
Mr. Anderson was born in Worthington, Indiana, in January, 1860, a son of John and Elizabeth (Stark) Anderson. In the paternal line he is descended from an old Scotch family, and in the maternal line is of German ancestry, being a direct descendant of Betty Stark, whose husband, leading his heroic little band of Green Mountain boys, uttered the now famous words, "Boys, we conquer to-day, or to-night Betty Stark is a widow." John Anderson was engaged in merchandising in Indiana for a number of years. In 1863, having disposed of his business interests in the Mississippi valley, he crossed the plains in a wagon to California. He traveled on until the days lengthened into weeks and the weeks into months, and when half a year had passed he reached his destination, locating first in the Suisun valley. There he turned his attention to farming. The first house in which he lived was the old and noted Wolfskill place, which is still a landmark in that valley. In 1865 he removed to what was known as Twin Houses on the Sacramento river, where he continued in farming, and in 1867 took up government land in the Montezuma Hills in Solano county. In 1869 lie was accidentally killed in a runaway, leaving a widow and seven children, five sons and two daughters. The mother was afterward married, in 1871, to John Kirk, a farmer, and with him removed to San Joaquin county, where she still resides.
Mr. Anderson acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of Solano county and afterward continued his studies in San Joaquin county. He completed his education in 1876 and then started out in life for himself, being employed on various ranches-at threshing and in other departments of farnı labor. In 1885 he was united in marriage to Miss Maggie Shafer, a daughter of J. N. Shafer, a prominent ranchman of San Joaquin county. Immediately afterward he removed with his bride to San Jose and purchas-
W.t. anderson
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ing a ranch began the cultivation of fruit. The business of fruit culture was then in its infancy in California. Mr. Anderson, realizing the demands for better appliances for handling the fruit crops, began studying and experi- menting along these lines, and in 1890 introduced the Anderson prune dip- per, which immediately found favor in horticultural circles and brought him in touch with the fruit-growers of the state. To-day about ninety per cent of the fruit grown in California is handled with his machines. Since that time he has kept apace with the demand for labor-saving machinery and has placed upon the market many high-grade and useful machines for handling fruit, including the prune dippers, graders, processers, dipping tanks, trucks, sackholders and other valuable devices, in fact, he manu- factures almost every machine needed in handling fruit. About the time that he began business in this line Luther Cunningham, a fruit-grower, also placed on the market a prune dipper. Two years later J. B. Burrell began the manufacture and sale of a machine for perforating prunes, and about the same time H. M. Barngrover invented and placed on the market a perforat- ing machine and engaged in fruit-handling supplies. This made four men in the field in the same kind of business. In the year 1889 Mr. Anderson consolidated his interests with those of Mr. Burrell, the firm of Anderson Prune Dipper Company being formed. Mr. Barngrover consolidated with Mr. Cunningham under the firm name of Barngrover & Cunningham, and at a later date this business was merged into that of the National Foundry & Machine Company of San Jose. On the 4th of February, 1902, the Ander- son Prune Dipper Company consolidated with Barngrover, Hull & Com- pany. Mr. Cunningham had retired in the meantime and Mr. Hull was his successor. The new consolidation was effected under the firm name of the Anderson-Barngrover Manufacturing Company, thus joining in one corpo- ration all the manufacturing enterprises engaged in the manufacture of horticultural supplies in this section. The Anderson-Barngrover Manufac- turing Company was incorporated on the 4th of February, 1902, with a capital stock of seventy-five thousand dollars. It was afterward increased to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Anderson is the president and manager of the company. The output of the factory is shipped through- out California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and the east, as well as to South America, Germany, South Africa and Australia.
To Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have been born eight children: Almer S., Clarence C., Earl R., Marjory E., Charles, Albert, and Evelyn and Ger- trude, twins. The family is well known in San Jose, and Mr. Anderson and his wife occupy an enviable position in social circles, having many warm friends in this city. Honored and respected by all, Mr. Anderson has won for himself an enviable reputation not only by reason of the success he has achieved, but also because of the honorable, straightforward business meth- ods he has ever followed. Unfaltering industry, recognition of possibilities and close adherence to the ethics of commercial life have formed the basis of his prosperity and have gained for him a very desirable position in manu- facturing circles.
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JOHN BENJAMIN MARTIN.
John Benjamin Martin, captain or chief of the detective force of the San Francisco police department, is a native son of San Francisco. He has been connected with the police department for twenty years, beginning as patrolman, and has been advanced to the different ranks because of his great ability, shrewdness and coolness and courage. His promotion has been more rapid than that of any other man in the history of the San Fran- cisco police, and it is the more praiseworthy because it is strictly the result of merit. Captain Martin is well known throughout the city, and his efforts in ferreting out crime and criminals and in upholding law and order have contributed not a little to this city's high reputation for moral cleanliness and safety.
Captain Martin was born in San Francisco, August 25, 1855, when it was pre-eminently the mining metropolis of the west. His parents were Cornelius and Marguerite (Gallagher) Martin, the former a native of Ire- land and came to New York when one year old, and the latter was born in New York. Captain Martin attended the common schools of San Francisco and graduated from the grammar schools. He then worked for four years as a blacksmith, then for two years as bookkeeper, after which he went to the mines about Virginia City, Nevada. He was in charge of the boilers in the mines of the late millionaire, James G. Fair, from 1879 to 1881, and then returned to his native city and did government blacksmithing for two years. He joined the police department on October 22, 1884; was ap- pointed sergeant September 1, 1893; lieutenant June 1, 1899; captain June I, 1902, and, on the same date, captain or chief of the detective department.
Captain Martin married Miss Jennie Aubrey, also a native of San Fran- cisco. Captain and Mrs. Martin have two sons, Frank A., aged twenty- four, and Charles G., aged twenty-two. Captain Martin belongs to the Na- tive Sons of the Golden West, and is an active member of the Police De- partment Widows and Orphans' Aid Society.
WILLIAM H. DUNLAP.
William H. Dunlap, a mining superintendent and proprietor of " The Antlers " at Nevada City, was born October 28, 1869, in Fredericton, New Brunswick. His father, William Dunlap, a native of the same place, is now living a retired life in San Francisco. He came to California in 1875 and has since been prominently identified with political interests of the state. He is a nephew of the late George Torrens, of San Francisco, the well known California pioneer, whose uncle came around Cape Horn in 1848 in company with Thomas Blythe, the noted millionaire. In early manhood William Dunlap, the father, was a wholesale manufacturer of Canada, but on coming to the west purchased land in this state and is now retired from all business cares, save the supervision of his invested interests. He married Margery Henderson, who was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and was of English descent, while he is of Scotch lineage. Her death occurred Janu-
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ary 28, 1896. The only daughter of the family is Mrs. Ada Shannon, the wife of W. W. Shannon, a leading merchant of San Francisco.
William H. Dunlap was educated in the public schools of San Francisco, completing his course there in 1884. He then took up the study of mining there and afterward went to the Tredwell mines in Alaska about February, 1896. In the intervening period he had continued the study of mining and had spent much time in traveling over the United States. At the Tredwell he accepted a position in the chlorination works, with the purpose of gaining a thorough and practical knowledge of mining and assaying. In 1898 he came to Nevada City and took charge of the LeCompton mine as superin- tendent and part owner, and has since conducted this property. The mine was formerly called the Hearst mine, named in honor of the Hon. George Hearst, of the San Francisco Examiner, who located the mine, coming here as a poor boy, but in two years clearing sixty thousand dollars from the property ; he then went to Comstock mine, in which he won the rest of his fortune. Since the LeCompton mine has come into Mr. Dunlap's manage- ment it has been recognized as one of the best producers in the district. It yields a free milling and smelting ore, and the ore is sorted, the best of it being shipped to the Selby Smelting Works, and is one of the highest grade shipping ores of the county. The ore chute has been continuous for over one thousand feet and ledges run from six inches to three and a half feet in width. The LeCompton claim is three hundred and thirty by five hundred feet, and Mr. Dunlap personally owns the claim lying south of it-the In- dependence-which is a quartz claim sixteen hundred by fifteen hundred feet. In this is. found a very rich ledge parallel to the LeCompton. The mine is well equipped with a ten-stamp mill, large pumping and hoisting plants, large slime plant, and all machinery is operated by water power; in fact, it is equipped with every modern improvement and machine necessary to facilitate the business and render it profitable.
Mr. Dunlap is also a director and stockholder of the Phelps Hill Mining & Development Company, owning a large gravel claim sixteen miles above Nevada City. This has been a big producer, and preparations are now being made to continue the work. On the claim is found some of the best timber in the county and a large sawmill is now in process of construction there. Mr. Dunlap is likewise a member of the Nevada county promotion commit- tee, which has for its object the placing before the world a knowledge of the rich resources of Nevada county, and the securing of the investment of capital here. In 1903, in connection with S. Lee Leiter, he took charge of the Hotel Antlers, of Nevada City, under lease and bond, and is still con- ducting this. Mr. Dunlap, however, devotes almost his entire attention to his mining properties, while Mr. Leiter conducts the hotel.
On the 3d of February, 1893, Mr. Dunlap was united in marriage, in San Jose, to Miss Elizabeth Donlon, a native of San Francisco, and they now have two sons, Willard Earl and Harold Anthony.
Mr. Dunlap takes an active interest in all matters of public importance relating to progress and the development of both city and county. He was the organizer and manager of the Nevada City Boys' Band, which is con-
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ceded to be the finest brass band in the state. It was organized two years ago and has attracted most favorable attention in all parts of California. The ages of the members range from twelve to eighteen years, and the band is now under the leadership of Richard Veale.
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