USA > California > Sacramento County > An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California : containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today > Part 17
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The first steamboat that ever plowed the waters of either the bay or the rivers of this State arrived at the port of San Francisco, Octo- ber 14, 1847, owned by Captain Leidesdorff, a man of remarkable enterprise, who was the chief instrumentality in laying the corner-stone of San Francisco's prosperity. She was packed on board a Russian bark from Sitka. Leidesdorff had carried on a trade with the Russians at their American settlement for seven years previous; and, hearing that a small steamboat was in use upon their waters, he sent up and purchased it for his hide and tallow commerce on the small streams leading from the inland embarcaderos to the bay. The vessel, not exceeding forty tons burden, was put together under the lee of Yerba Buena Island, was named "Little Sitka," and on the 15th of November, 1847, steamed out under the management of a Russian engineer who had superintended her construction. From a swivel gun mounted upon her bow was occa- sionally fired a salutation. She successfully rounded the island and arrived in port, hailed by the cheers of a multitude. This boat was long, low, and what the sailors termed very " crank." The weight of a single person on her guards would throw one of her wheels out of order.
Her first trip for business was made down to Santa Clara, with indifferent success. Her next trip was up to Sacramento, in the latter part of November, 1847, and safely arrived at this em- barcadero. Nearly a month elapsed, however, before her return; and in the meantime various were the jokes and jibes " launch"-ed at her and on the proprietor, who nevertheless per-
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sisted that he would yet " make the smoke fly on the bay," and hand the name of his first steamboat "down to dexterity," as he pro- nounced the word.
On the 12th of February following (1848) this little steamer was swamped by a norther while lying at anchor at San Francisco Bay. It was raised, the engine taken out, and the hull converted into a sailing vessel which served well for years. The engine, after having rusted on the sandy beach for a long time, was finally made to do duty in a small domestic manufac- tory in San Francisco. The little steamboat en- terprise just described was, however, more a freak of will than the demand of business.
But to whom belongs the having first pro- jected the running of good steamboats for traffic after the great tide of gold emigration had set in, it is diffienlt to say. The first vessel pro- pelled by steam entering the Bay of San Fran- cisco was the California, February 28, 1849. The excursion of the steamship Oregon from San Francisco to Benieia and back, April 21 of the same year, was the first trip of a steam ves- sel of any magnitude into any of the interior waters adjacent to the main bay. It was indeed a successful and magnificent excursion. Prior to this, however, announcements had been made that steamboats were on their way from the East to California, to ply on the rivers here. The first of these announcements was issued from the office of the old Placer Times, when that journal was first started at Sutterville, in April, 1849. It was printed in the form of a handbill, at the order of some of the proprietors of that place. May 19, the following advertisement appeared in the Times: "Ten thousand cords of wood. We wish to employ any number of men that may call, to cut wood at Sutterville for the use of the steamers. George McDongal & Co., Sutterville, May 15, 1859." Of course the wood was never cut.
During the summer of 1849 a number of steamboat enterprises were on foot, and the keels of several small vessels, brought by some of the ships chartered by the gold hunters, were
laid at different points on the river and bay. The first of this series of which we have any record was one of about fifty tons burden, put together at Benicia, the material having been brought from the East by way of the Horn on board the Edward Everett. She made her first trip to Sacramento, August 17, 1849.
About this period also were established the first regular express lines in the State, two com- mencing business between here and San Fran- cisco, to take the business of the regular mail, which was at that time the subject of bitter complaint and unsparing ridicule. August 25, another small steamboat from Philadelphia be- gan to ply the river, accommodating some thirty passengers and " running about seven knots an hour."
About the first boat advertised for regular trips between this city and San Francisco ap- pears to have been the Sacramento, in Septem- ber, 1849, commanded by Captain John Van Pelt. She had two engines of sixteen horse- power, could carry about 100 passengers, besides freight. She was built abont where Washing- ton now stands, opposite the northern portion of Sacramento City, and the captain, who be- came a sort of Pacific Vanderbilt, made suc- cessful and regular tripe with this vessel as far down as " New York of the Pacific," now where passengers and freight had to be transferred.
About the same time a little steam dredge, brought ont by the Yuba Company, was set up in a scow and started on a trip up the Feather River, carrying a quantity of bricks, at $1.00 each for freight (!), and lumber at $150 per 1,000 feet. Two months after her arrival she was sold at auetion for $40,000.
The next boat was the Mint, also a small one, put up at San Francisco, which was really the first steamboat to make successful trips with passengers and freight all the way between that city and Sacramento, beginning in the middle of October, 1849.
The propeller Mckim was the first large ves- sel that ever navigated the Sacramento River by steam. She had doubled Cape Horn and arrived
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at San Francisco, October 3, and was immediately put in order by her San Francisco agents, Sim- mons, Hutchinson & Co., for the Sacramento trade. She drew eight feet of water, and many doubted whether she could ascend the river to this point; but she arrived here on the 27th of that month, amid the cheers of an immense crowd lining the shore. The fine old steamer Senator became her rival November 6, 1849.
During these times the fare from Sacramento to San Francisco was $30.
The little steamer called the Washington was the first that ascended as far as Vernon, at the mouth of Feather River, to which point she made regular trips. In April, 1850, the ÆEtna, a very small steamer, ascended the American as far as " Norristown," the first and probably the last time that point had ever been reached by a steamboat. May 8, 1850, the Jack Hays reached the town of Redding at the head waters of the Sacramento River, within forty- five miles of the Trinity Diggings. Among those who first took their place on the route between this point and Yuba City, at the mouth of the Ynba River, the early rival of Marysville, was the little steamboat Linda, in the fall of 1849.
The steamer New World was built at New York City, purposely for a trip to California, in the fall of 1849 and spring of 1850. It was 320 feet long, and of 530 tons burden. The proprietor, William II. Brown, becoming finan- cially embarrassed, had to take the sheriff in as partner. The latter employed deputies to go and remain on board during the launching, and to make assurance doubly sure he went upon board himself, but was unknown to the captain, Ed. Wakeman. The vessel was held to the port of New York by law, and the launching was ostensibly for the only purpose of getting the boat into the water. Steam, however, was raised previous to the launching, and the sheriff, in- cognito, inquired what it meant. The reply was, "To wear the rust off the bearings and see that the engine worked well." But the cap- tain, after steaming around the harbor awhile, put out to sea, against the protests of the sheriff.
The captain and his crew, being more numer- ous than the sheriff and his posse, put them ashore in row-boats, and came their way around Cape Horn to California! They made a fine voyage, and arrived at San Francisco, July 11, 1850.
For a long time thereafter the New World and the Senator made alternate trips between Sacramento and Benicia. Afterward she was employed in the coasting and oceanic trade, and some years ago was overhauled at San Francisco and transformed into a magnificent ferry-boat, and as such is now employed on the bay.
Captain Wakeman was, at last accounts, a resident of San Francisco, which he has made his home ever since coming to the coast.
Many interesting partienlars in addition to the foregoing concerning pioneer navigation are given in the biographies of Captains Foster and Dwyer in a subsequent portion of this work. Captain Fourat is another good historian of those items.
STEAMBOAT EXPLOSIONS.
Steamboat explosions and other accidents on inland waters were very common in early days, previous to the many improvements that have in our generation been made in engine machinery and the structure of vessels. During the first several years after the gold discovery and the introduction of steam vessels in California, it was estimated that on San Francisco Bay alone, and its tributaries, there were no less than two or three accidents every week. Thus they were so common that the newspapers did not detail the particulars of all of them, and our sources of information concerning many of them are correspondingly meager.
The first explosion of which we have any ac- count was that of a steamer named the Fawn, occurring August 18, 1850.
The Sagamore suffered a like accident Octo- ber 29, following.
Major Tompkins, January 23, 1851.
The steamer Jack Hays was overhauled and repaired during the earliest months of 1853, expressly for traffic between Sacramento and
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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.
Marysville, in opposition to the Governor Dana, and renamed R. K. Page. She started on her first trip up the river March 22, the same day her opponent was going up. Coming along- side, the crew and passengers began cheering, each one hurrahing for his own boat without thinking of consequences. The engineer of the Page heaved in a barrel of oil, and as they were passing Nicolaus the boiler exploded, being driven ahead. Daniel Moore, the former cap- tain of the boat, Thomas Kirbey and Lientenant Henry Moore were standing on the hurricane deck at the time, and nothing was ever seen of them afterward.
The Jennie Lind, April 11, 1853, suffered a like disaster on her way to Alviso, in San Fran- cisco Bay, killing or badly scalding between forty and fifty passengers, most of whom were at dinner at the time of the accident.
October 18, the same year, there were two similar catastrophes within the limits of the waters deseribed. One was the explosion of the boiler of the American Eagle on the San Joaquin River, at a point known as the Three Sloughs, twenty-five miles below Stockton, which shivered the vessel to pieces, killing one of the crew and three passengers; others were injured. Cause of explosion, defective iron. There were fifty- three passengers altogether. IIardison was captain.
In the afternoon of the same day the steamer Stockton, while passing New York landing, burst a boiler, killing one person and severely scalding eight. One of the latter, Captain J. B. Sharp, died the following day. Cause of ac- eident unknown.
Jannary 8, 1854, the Ranger exploded on San Francisco Bay, with twelve persons on board, killing three and severely scalding five, and almost totally wrecking the vessel. The cause of this disaster was supposed to be the turning of cold water suddenly into a super-heated boiler. The engine was of the high-pressure style, of eighteen horse-power, and was carrying 120 pounds of steam when the crown or arch sheet of the boiler gave way, and the steam rushed
down to the feet and recoiled with sufficient foree to carry away the decks above. The ves- sel was of thirty tons burden; John A. Bryan, Engineer.
On the 19th of the same month, the Helen Hensley exploded at San Francisco, just as she was abont to leave for Benicia. Engine, high- pressure. Both ends of one of the fonr boilers were blown out, cansing great destruction in the front portion of the boat. Canse, some de- fect in the flues or steam connections, or too much fire under one of the boilers. Two men were killed. One passenger was thrown upon a bed and with it quite over upon the wharf, when he quietly gathered himself up and coolly re- marked that he gnessed he wouldn't go to Beni- eia that day!
The Secretary, of whom the captain was E. W. Travis, exploded April 15, 1854, with abont sixty persons on board, when between the islands called the " Brothers and Sisters " in San Fran- eisco Bay, and when engaged in a race with the Nevada, Sixteen persons were killed and thirty- one wounded. The Nevada pieked up those who escaped death and returned to the city, leaving nothing in sight but the bow of the ill- fated Secretary. The engine was the same that had been used upon the exploded Sagamore. Cause of disaster, probably a defective boiler. Bessie, the engineer, was seen to lay an oar across the lever of the safety valve, and that was bending upward from the pressure of the steam just before the explosion took place.
The Pearl, of the "Combination Line," burst a boiler just below the mouth of the American River, January 27. 1855, on her way from Marysville, and was raeing against the Enter- prise, of the "Citizens' Line." Fifty-six per- sons were killed! There were ninety-three persons aboard, many of whom were China- men. Most of the passengers were on the for- ward part, as is nsnal when a boat approaches a landing. The captain, E. T. Davis, was killed. James Robinson would have been drowned liad not a large blood-hound plunged in and saved him! Only four ladies were on board, and they
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were all saved without injury. The vessel was made a total wreck. The verdict of the coro- ner's jury was, cause unknown. The engineer was incompetent, but it was also known that the gauges were inaccurate. The Legislature, which was then in session, adjourned in conse- quence of the mournful event.
February 5, 1856, the Belle, running from San Francisco to Marysville, exploded nine miles above Sacramento, probably from too high pressure or defective boiler. The captain, Charles H. Houston, was killed, and his remains now lie in the Sacramento Cemetery. The steamer General Reddington, coming down the river, picked up the survivors. The entire ves. sel on which the disaster occurred, except the rear forty feet, immediately sank. There were probably about forty persons on board, of whom between twenty and thirty were killed. W. J. Elrick was the chief engineer.
The J. A. McClelland, C. Mills commanding, ran as an independent boat between Sacramento and Red Bluff. Angust 25, 1861, when abont six miles by water and two by land below Knight's Landing, with about thirty persons on board, it exploded a boiler, killing fifteen outright, fa- tally injuring several, and more or less injuring all the rest except one! The action tore away the whole of the front portion of the decks, and fearfully scattered the freight. A large piece of boiler rolled up like a scroll of paper and was thrown across the river, a distance of 200 or 300 yards. Sheldon S. Baldwin, the pilot, averred that he must have gone up fully 200 feet (!) in the air, with the pilot-house and several companions, and that they came down directly into the place where the boiler had been, "not much hurt!"
The cause of this disaster is undetermined, but it is said that the boilers had been much strained by previous racing. The hull, which sank in a few minutes after the accident, was subsequently raised, the vessel rebuilt, "chris- tened" the Rainbow, ran for a time as a strong opposition boat, and was finally bought off by the Steam Navigation Company.
The Washoe exploded September 5, 1864, thirty-five miles below Sacramento, or ten miles above Rio Vista, with about 175 persons on board, killing about half of them and severely injuring more than half the remainder. Cap- tain Albert Foster, with the steamer Antelope, picked up the survivors and hurried on to Sacra- mento, but ran on a bar opposite R street, and was delayed several hours there. Before running aground the captain tolled the bell, in order to convey to the citizens the sad intelligence of the disaster, and the fire-bells of the city were rung in response. In a short time the levee was crowded with anxious spectators. The tedions delay by being aground rendered the pain and suspense of the citizens intolerable.
The Yosemite, commanded by Captain Poole, exploded on the first revolution of the wheels on plying out of the port of Rio Vista, Octo- ber 12, 1865, with abont 150 people on board. About 100 lives were lost, thirty-two being Chinese. Cause of explosion, defective iron, as during the war all the best iron had been kept in the East for military purposes. The bulk- heads were too strong to permit the steam to expand itself in the hull, where the boilers were, and it pushed up, making a great breach, into which the people fell. Captain Fonrat, now of the Modoc, was pilot of the Yosemite on that occasion. The Chrysopolis, on her npward trip, brought the dead and wounded to Sacramento.
The Julia, in September, 1866, exploded in San Francisco Bay, nearly opposite Alcatraz Island, while rounding it on her return trip from Stockton. The total number of deaths resulting from the accident was thirteen. Cap- tain Fourat, being near with a boat, picked up some of the dead. Something was noticed to be wrong with the works before the accident oc- curred, but little heed was paid to it. The en- gineer, Mr. Long, was killed by the explosion.
Many other accidents have of course ocenrred, but we believe we have named the principal ones. Everything pertaining to navigation has so improved that serious accidents nowadays seldom happen.
HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.
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RAILROADS,
CHAPTER XVI.
HIE following account, with some correc- tions, is mostly taken from Thompson & West's History, 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 movement by such men as Senator Breese, of Illinois, and Benton, of Missouri, the latter of whom intro- duced 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 Califor- nia 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, Isaae Williamson and William II. Lyons, of Nevada Connty; John A. Read, J. B. Ilaggin and Lloyd Tevis, of Sacramento County. A line was surveyed from Sacramento City, through Folsom, Anburn, and Grass Valley, to Nevada City. This line was sixty-eight miles long, and the estimated cost of construction was 82,000,- 000. From Nevada City the survey was contin- 8
ned through the Henness Pass. The enterprise was too gigantic for the means at the command of the incorporators, and they were compelled to abandon the project.
During the month of March, 1853, Congress passed an aet providing for a survey, by the topographieal engineers of the army, of three routes for a transcontinental railway, the north- ern, southern and middle routes. These surveys were made, and reports subinitted to Congress, and published, with elaborate engravings of the seenery along the routes, topographieal maps, representations of the animals and plants dis- covered. These reports were, no doubt, im- mensely valuable, but they did not show that a ronte for a railway was practicable over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas. The demonstration of the fact that sneh a route did exist was left to be made by Theodore D. Jndah, the chief engineer of the first rail- road 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 railroad over the Sierra Nevadas, which was the only mountain range that had before been deemed impracticable. Ile made trial surveys, or, more properly, reconnoisances over several of the supposed passes over the Sierras, at his own expense. These were simply barometrical sur- veys, but were sufficiently acenrate to convince Mr. Judah that a road could be built, and, armed
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with the data thus obtained, he lost no oppor- tunity in presenting his views and aims when- ever 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 Fran- cisco, September 20, 1859. This convention was composed of many of the prominent men of California at that time; among them we note Hon. J. A. McDougall, Hon. J. B. Crockett, Major John Bidwell, Hon. S. B. Axtell, Hon. James T. Farley, Sherman Day and others, of California, together with delegates 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 oc- cupied with political matters that little could be done in the way of procuring legislation, but great good was effected by the personal inter- views that Mr. Judah had with the different members and other prominent men. His knowl- edge of the subject was so thorough 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 expenses of
the trip, in addition to assisting very materially the progress of the work by his intimate knowl- edge of the mountains. Dr. Strong was one of the first directors of the Central Pacific Rail- road 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 induce 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 support in San Francisco. Returning to his hotel one evening, convinced of the futility of any fur- ther trials in San Francisco, Mr. Judah 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."
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. Jndah to Governor Stanford, Mark Hopkins and E. B. and Charles Crocker; 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; Theodore D. Judah, Chief Engineer; Leland Stanford, 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.
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