USA > California > A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today > Part 36
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The result of the election was that Cornelins Cole was elected to the United States Senate,
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December 16 following, as the agreed candidate of both parties.
Ex-Governor H. S. Foote, referred to in this chapter, was born in Virginia in 1800; graduated at Washington College in 1819; commenced the practice of law in 1822; edited a Democratic paper in Alabama in 1824-'32, and then resided many years in Mississippi, by which State he was elected United States Senator. In 1852 he was elected Governor of that State, having re- signed his Senatorslip. He camne to California in 1854, joined the Native American party, and was their candidate for United States Senator in 1856, being defeated by David C. Broderick. In 1858 he returned to Mississippi and took an active part in politics; represented Tennessee in the Confederate Congress. One of his daugh- ters became the wife of William M. Stewart, United States Senator; the other two daughters married and reside in this State, and two of the sons are practicing lawyers on the Pacific Coast. During his life Foote became engaged in three duels, in two of which he was wounded.
He possessed considerable literary ability. In 1866 he published "The War of the Rebel- lion " and " Scylla and Carybdis," and in 1871 a volume of reminiscences. He was also the anthor of "Texas and the Texans," published in 1847.
He died near Nashville, Tennessee, at his residence, May 20, 1880.
THE PRESS.
On the 28th of April. 1849, at Sutter's Fort, the first Sacramento newspaper, the Placer Times, was started by E. C. Kemble & Co., as an off-shoot of the Alta California, of San Francisco. The merchants in the vicinity rallied about the pioneer publisher and subscribed lib- erally to secure him from losss. A lot of old type was picked up ont of the Alta office, an old Ramage press was repaired, a lot of Spanish foolscap secured in San Francisco, and the whole shipped to Sacramento on a vessel known as the Dice me Nana (says my mamma), the first eraft to carry type and press to the interior of Cali-
fornia, which trip she made in eight days. An office was built for the paper about 600 feet from the northeast corner of the bastion and near what is now the corner of Twenty-eighth and K streets. . It was a strange mixture of adobe, wood and cotton cloth, but answered the purpose. The paper was 13 x 18 inches in size, with a title cut from wood with a pocket knife. All sorts of expedients were resorted to in cut- ting off and piecing out letters to make up a complement of " sorts " in the cases. The press had a wooden platen, which needed constant planing off to keep it level, and the rollers were anything but successes.
The Times appeared on Saturdays until June, when chills and fever drove Mr. Kemble to " The Bay," and T. P. Per Lee & Co. took charge. Per Lee ran the paper two weeks, but being a tyro in the business gave it up, and J. H. Giles took charge as agent for E. Gilbert & Co., owners of the Alta. In July the Times removed to Front street, where it flourished well for a time. The subscription was $10 per annum. In November, 1849, after a brief period of reduction in size, it resmined its old shape and was removed to Second street, be- tween K and L. April 22, 1850, it began to appear as a tri-weekly, and J. E. Lawrence made his editorial bow. June 5 following, it appeared as a daily, and thus won the dis- tinction of being the first daily paper of Sacra- mento. In July it was enlarged one-third. October 8, same year, it was purchased by Lo- ring Pickering, J. E. Lawrence and L. Aldrich, the price paid being $16,000, which included the cost of the building and two lots. Aldrich soon sold ont to the others. The paper had been neutral, but in 1850 inclined toward De- mocracy. When the Squatter Riot excitement came on, it had been valiant in defense of the real-estate owners, but under its new manage- ment was less partisan. Its last issue was dated June 15, 1851, during which month it was consolidated with its rival, the Sacramento Transcript.
The latter had been started April 1, 1850, as
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a tri-weekly, and the size of the Times. It was the first paper printed in interior California to be issued oftener than once a week. The pro- prietors were G. K. Fitch, S. C. Upham, J. M. Julian, H. S. Warner, Theodore Russell and F. C. Ewer. Mr. Ewer had been a prominent min- ister of the Congregational Church eleswhere. After he left here he went to New York, where he again maintained his pre-eminence as a minister.
The Transcript was a good paper and aimed at literary excellence. Fifth interests in the paper sold during the first summer as high as $5,000. G. C. Weld bought the interest of Upham for $10,000 very shortly after the paper started. In July, that season, the paper was enlarged, and the rivalry between it and the Times became very warm. The Transcript was started as an independent sheet, but in Decem- ber, 1850, came out for the Democratic party and was thus the first interior Democratic paper.
As before stated, the Times and Transcript were united June 16, 1851, and thus was the first double-headed paper printed in California. It was enlarged to a size slightly greater than the present Record- Union single sheet. G. K. Fitch had become State printer, and L. Picker- ing had the city printing. These formed the basis of the fusion, Fitch retaining a half in- terest in the printing, and Pickering & Law- rence holding the other half. The editors were Pickering, Fitch and Lawrence. The new paper found a rival in the State Journal, and in June, 1852, the Times and Transcript left the field and went to San Francisco, where it was pub- lished by the old firm, and subsequently by George Kerr & Co., composed of George Kerr, B. F. Washington, J. E. Lawrence and J. C. Haswell. It passed from them to Edwin Bell, and next to Vincent E. Geiger & Co. Picker- ing, Fitch & Co. meanwhile had acquired the Alta California, and December 17, 1854, they bought back their old Times and Transcript, and the Alta at once absorbed it.
October 30, 1850, the Squatter Association started an organ, styling it the Settlers' and
Miners' Tribune .. Dr. Charles Robinson, the editor, was noted for the active part he took in the Squatter Riots. He subsequently became the Free State Governor of Kansas; James Mc- Clatchy and L. M. Booth were associate editors. Sirus Rowe brought the type from Maine. The paper was daily, except Sundays, for a month, when it declined to a weekly, and after another month quietly gave up the ghost and was laid to rest in the journalistic boneyard.
December 23, 1850, the first weekly paper, the Sacramento Index, was started by Lynch, Davidson & Rolfe, practical "typos," with J. W. Winans, since a prominent lawyer of San Francisco, as editor. H. B. Livingstone was associate. It was nearly the size of the Record- Union, typographically neat, and was issued from the Times office, and was the first evening paper in Sacramento. Taking ground against the act of a vigilance committee in hanging a gambler, it lost ground, and died March 17, 1851, after a life of three months. It was a paper of rare literary ability.
The competition between the Times and the Transcript before their union became so warm that prices of advertising declined until they fell below the cost of composition. The print- ers in both offices rebelled, and the greater number quit. They held a meeting in a build- ing next to the Transcript office, which thereby acquired the name of "Sedition Half." They resolved to start a new paper and secured Dr. J. F. Morse as editor. They bought stock in San Francisco, and March 19, 1851, launched the Sacramento Daily Union, at 21 J street, in rented rooms in Langley's brick building. The proprietors were Alexander Clark, who subse- quently went to the Society Islands and has never been heard of since; W. J. Keating, who died a few years afterward in the insane asylum ; Alexander C. Cook; Joe Conrt, who was burned to death at the Western Hotel fire in this city, in the fall of 1874; E. G. Jeffries, Charles L. Hansicker, F. H. Harmon, W. A. Davison and Samnel H. Dosh. The last named subsequently was editor of the Shasta Courier, and is now dead.
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Nearly a year elapsed, however, before type could be had. A lot had been ordered, but failed to arrive; and J. W. Simonton, having made an appearance with a full printing office, intending to start a Whig paper, his stock was purchased by the Union men. Dr. John F. Morse, the editor, was later known throughout California as one of the chief leaders in Odd- fellowship; and his death in 1874, in San Fran- cisco, was the occasion of profound testimonials of esteem being made at many places through- out the State.
The size of the Union was 23 x 34 inches, with twenty-four columns, thirteen of which were filled with advertisements. The daily edi- tion started with 500 copies, and rapidly in- creased. The paper was independent, outspoken and ably edited. The issue for March 29, 1851, was entitled the Steamer Union, and was de- signed for reading in the Eastern States. April 29, 1851, the Union hoisted the Whig flag, but declined to be ranked as a subservient partisan. S. H. Dosh sold out at this time for $600, and in June Harmon sold for a like sum. April 23 the paper was enlarged about to the size it has since averaged, and appeared with the new type at first ordered. January, 1852, H. B. Living- stone became associate editor, and Hansicker sold out for $2,000, the firm now being E. G. Jeffries & Co. They next sold out to W. W. Kurtz for $2,100. January 10, 1852, the first Weekly Union was issued. February 13 Cook sold out to H. W. Larkin, and April 3 David- son to Paul Morrill. In May Dr. Morse retired as editor, being succeeded by A. C. Russell, who remained until August, when Lauren Upson became editor, retiring for a time in 1853; then John A. Collins filled the place.
November 2, 1852, the Union was burned ont in the great fire. A small press and a little type were saved, and the paper came out the second morning after the fire, foolscap size, and soon resumed its former dimensions. A brick building was erected for it on J street near Second, the same now ocenpied by W. M. Lyon & Co.
RAILROADS.
As the railroads here described were the first in the State and still the most important, we feel justified in giving an account of them at lengthı. The following account, with some cor- rections, is mostly taken from Thompson & West's History of Sacramento County, of 1880.
The project of building a railroad across the plains and mountains was agitated by Asa Whitney, in 1846, in Congress and out of it, till 1850, and he was supported in his move- ment by such men as Senator Breese, of Illi- nois, and Benton, of Missouri, the latter of whom introduced a bill into the Senate of the United States, for a Pacific Railroad, February 7, 1849. This bill was really the first tangible effort made in this direction. The first effort made in California toward the building of an overland road was the formation of a company by citizens of Nevada, Placer and Sacramento counties. There were filed in the office of the Secretary of State, August 17, 1852, articles of incorporation of the Sacramento, Auburn & Nevada Railroad Company, containing the names of twenty-six subscribers of twenty- eight shares each, at a value of $100 per share, and the names of the following directors: S. W. Lovell, Placer County; T. O. Dunn, John R. Coryell, Charles Marsh, Isaac Williamson and William H. Lyons, of Nevada County; John A. Read, J. B. Haggin and Lloyd Tevis, of Sacramento County. A line was surveyed from Sacramento City, through Folsom, Auburn and Grass Valley, to Nevada City. The line was sixty-eight miles long, and the estimated cost of construction was $2,000,000. From Nevada City the survey was continued through the Henness Pass. The enterprise was too gigantic for the means at the command of the incorpora- tors, and they were compelled to abandon the project.
During the month of March, 1853, Congress passed an act providing for a survey, by the topographical engineers of the army, of three routes for a transcontinental railway, the north- ern, southern and middle routes. These sur-
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veys were made, and reports submitted to Con- gress, and published, with elaborate engravings of the scenery along the routes, topographical maps, representations of the animals and plants discovered. These reports were, no doubt, in- inensely valuable, but they did not show that a route for a railway was practicable over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas. The demonstration of the fact that such a route did exist was left to be made by Theodore D. Judah, the chief engineer of the first railroad ever built in California-the Sacramento Valley Railroad. It was while engaged in building this road, from 1854 to 1856, that Mr. Judah became convinced of the practicability of a rail- road over the Sierra Nevadas, which was the only mountain range that had before been deemed impracticable. He made trial surveys, or, more properly, reconnoissances over several of the supposed passes over the Sierras, at his own expense. These were simply barometrical surveys, but were sufficiently accurate to con- vince Mr. Judah that a railroad could be built, and, armed with the data thus obtained, he lost no opportunity in presenting his views and aims whenever and wherever it seemed to him that it would advance the project of a Pacific railroad. He succeeded, through a concurrent resolution of the California Legislature of 1858, in having a railroad convention called, to meet in San Francisco, September 20, 1859. This convention was composed of many of the prom- inent men of California at that time; among them we note Hon. J. A. McDongall, Hon. J. B. Crockett, Major John Bidwell, Hon. S. B. Axtell, Hon. James T. Farley, Sherman Day and others, of California, together with dele- gates from Oregon and adjoining Territories.
They sent Mr. Judah to Washington, Dis- trict of Columbia, to endeavor to procure legis- lation on the subject of the railroad. He pro- ceeded thither in time to be at the opening of the Thirty-sixth Congress. Arrived at Wash- ington, he lost no time in visiting the different departments, and collecting from each all the information they had that could in any way aid
him in presenting plainly to Congress the im- portance and practicability of the enterprise. Unfortunately, this Congress was so entirely occupied with political inatters that little could be done in the way of procuring legislation, bnt great good was effected by the personal in- terviews that Mr. Judah had with the different members and other prominent men. His knowl- edge of the subject was so thorongh that he rarely failed to convince any one with whom he talked of the entire feasibility of the project. A bill was drawn up by himself and Hon. John C. Burch, then a member of Congress from California. It contained nearly all the provis- ions of the bill as finally passed in 1862. It was printed at private expense, and a copy sent to each Senator and member of Congress.
Mr. Judah returned to California in 1860, and set about making a more thorough survey of the Sierras for a pass and approach thereto. He was accompanied on this survey by Dr. D. W. Strong, of Dutch Flat, who contributed largely from his private means to pay the ex- penses of the trip, in addition to assisting very materially the progress of the work by his inti- inate knowledge of the mountains. Dr. Strong was one of the first directors of the Central Pacific Railroad Company when formed.
After completing these surveys, which were made with a barometer, Mr. Judah went to San Francisco to lay his plan before the capitalists of that place, and indnce them, if possible, to form a company to take hold of the work and push it forward. His ideas were received very coldly, and he failed to get any financial sup- port in San Francisco. Returning to his hotel one evening, convinced of the futility of any further trials in San Francisco, Mr. Jndah re- marked: "The capitalists of San Francisco have refused this night to make an investment, for which, in less than three years, they shall have ample cause to blame their want of foresight. I shall return to Sacramento to-morrow, to in- terest merchants and others of that place in this great work, and this shall be my only other effort on this side of the continent."
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Previously Mr. Judah had placed his plans and estimates before a friend, James Bailey, of Sacramento, who, struck by the force of these calculations, introduced Mr. Judah to Gov- ernor Stanford, Mark Hopkins and E. B. and CharlesCrocker; C. P. Huntington he knew before.
A meeting of the business men of Sacra- mento was called, and the preliminary steps were taken to organize a company. This or- ganization was perfected and articles of incor- poration filed with the Secretary of State, June 28, 1861. The company was named the Cen- tral Pacific Railroad Company of California, and the following officers were elected: Leland Stanford, President; C. P. Huntington, Vice- President; Mark Hopkins, Treasurer; Theo- dore D. Judah, Chief Engineer; Leland Stan- ford, Charles Crocker, James Bailey, Theodore D. Judah, L. A. Booth, C. P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, D. W. Strong, of Dutch Flat, and Charles Marsh, of Nevada, Directors.
All but the two last named were residents of Sacramento, showing conclusively that to Sacra- mento and her citizens belongs the honor of inaugurating and carrying to a successful com- pletion the Pacific railroads; for had not Judah spent his time and talents in proving that such an undertaking were possible, it is an open question if to-day the Pacific railroads would be in existence. His coadjutors, named in the foregoing list of officers, and some of whom are still the owners and officers of the road, de- serve full credit for their faith in the enterprise and the masterly manner in which they man- aged the financial difficulties encountered in the years that elapsed between the organization of the company and the completion of the road; but we cannot forget that ior three or four years previous to the organization of the com- pany Mr. Judah had spent all his time, money and energy in collecting data, without which 10 prudent man would be inclined to invest a dollar in the project which was so generally be- lieved to be chimerical. After the organization of the company, Mr. Judah was instructed to
make a thorough instrumental survey of the route across the Sierras, which he did.
The previous surveys or reconnoissances had included three routes, one through El Dorado Connty, via Georgetown, another via Illinois- town and Dutch Flat, and the third via Nevada and Henness Pass. The observations had proved the existence of a route across the Sierras by which the summit could be reached with max- imuin grades of 105 feet per mile. The instru- mental survey developed a line with lighter grades, less distance and fewer obstacles than the previous observations had shown. The first report of the chief engineer to the officers of the company gave the following as the topo- graphical features of the Sierra Nevadas, which renderd them so for nidable for railroad opera- tions:
1. " The great elevation to be overcome in crossing its summit, and the want of uniformity in its western slope." The average length of the western slope of the Sierras is about seventy miles, and in this distance the altitude increases 7,000 feet, making it necessary to maintain an even grade on the ascent to avoid creating some sections with excessive grades.
2. " From the impracticability of the river crossings." These rivers run through gorges in many places over 1,000 feet deep, with the banks of varying slopes from perpendicular to 45°. A railroad line, therefore, innst avoid crossing these cañons. The line, as established by the surveys of 1861, pursued its course along an unbroken ridge from the base to the summit of the Sierras, the only river crossing in the mountains being that of Little Bear River, about three miles above Dutch Flat. Another prominent feature of the location is the fact that it entirely avoids the second summit of the Sierras. The estimated cost of the road from Sacramento to the State Line was $88,000 per mile.
October 9, 1861, the Board of Directors of the Central Pacific Railroad Company passed a resolution directing Mr. Judah, the chief en- gineer of the company, to immediately proceed
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to Washington on a steamer as their accredited agent, for the purpose of procuring appropria- tions of land and United States bonds from the Government, to aid in the construction of the road. Mr. Judah went East and this time ac- complished his purpose, as| was evidenced by the bill which passed Congress in July, 1862. This bill granted to the roads a free right-of- way of 400 feet wide over all Government lands on their route. The Government also agreed to extinguish the Indian titles to all the lands donated to the company, either for right-of-way or to the granted lands. The lands on either side of the route were to be withdrawn from settle- ment, by pre-emption or otherwise, for a dis- tance of fifteen miles, until the final location of the road should be made and the United States surveys had determined the location of the section lines. This map of the route was made by Mr. Judah, filed in the office of the Secretary of the Interior, and the lands withdrawn in ac- cordance with the terms of the bill.
This bill also provided for the issue to the company of United States thirty-year six per cent. bonds, to be issued to the company as each forty-mile section of the road was completed, at the rate of $16,000 per mile for the line west of the western base of the Sierra Nevadas, and at the rate of $48,000 per mile from the western lbase east to the eastern base of the Sierras, the atter subsidy to be paid on the completion of each twenty-inile section. To secure the Gov- ernment from loss, and insure the repayment of these bonds, they were made a first lien on the road. This was subsequently modified, by an act passed July, 1864, allowing the company to issue first-mortgage bonds, the United States assuming the position of second mortgagee. The land grant in the first bill was every alter- nate section for ten miles, each side of the track. This allowance was subsequently doubled, mak- ing twenty sections per mile. The State of California also donated $10,000 per mile to the road, by an act approved April 25, 1863.
The engineering difficulties were great, and had been considered insurmountable, but the 14
financial difficulties were also great, and un- doubtedly required more labor and thought than the engineering, though of a different kind. That these difficulties were surmounted, and the originators of the effort still retain the owner- ship and control of the road, and, in addition to the original line, have built thousands of miles of road in California and Arizona, proves the ability ot the leaders in this movement. These men were merchants in what cannot be classed among the large cities, and consequently not largely known to the financial world; they had never been engaged in the railroad business, and were supposably ignorant of the immense undertaking in which they had embarked. Aside from the natural difficulty of the situation, they encountered opposition from the moneyed men of San Francisco and other places, who gave their enterprise the not very pleasant name of the " Dutch Flat Swindle."
Mr. Huntington, Vice-President of the com- pany, was sent East, with full power of attorney to do any acts he might think best for the in- terest of the company. One of the main objects of this visit was to see that the bill which was then before Congress should not oblige the com- pany to pay interest on the bonds received of the Government for ten years, at least, from the date of their issue. After the passage of the bill, the books were opened for stock subscrip- tions, to the amount of $8,500,000, and for a long time the stock was disposed of very slowly. Huntington, on endeavoring to dispose of the bonds of the company in New York, was in- formed that they had no marketable value until some part of the road was built. Before he could dispose of them, he was obliged to give the personal guarantees of himself and four partners, Hopkins, Stanford, and the Crockers, for the money, until such time as they could be exchanged for United States bonds. The bonds so obtained, $1,500,000, built thirty-one miles of the road.
In 1862 the company was granted the right of way into the city of Sacramento, and also granted the Slough, or Sutter Lake. The first
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+hovelful of dirt thrown in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad was in Sacramento, January 8, 1863, by Governor Stanford, at the foot of K street, on the levee.
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