USA > California > San Diego County > San Diego > City of San Diego and San Diego County : the birthplace of California, Volume I > Part 40
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It had been customary for many of the residents of this section to wear soldiers' clothes, such as trousers and overcoats, but there came an officer in command at the barracks who did not approve of this custom, and he went up to Old Town and confiscated all he could find, and if any objected he made them dismantle quickly. Captain Grant and Lieut. Mathew Sherman, afterward mayor of San Diego, were here during the latter part of the war, and Sherman was pro- moted to Captain and mustered out at Yuma.
"As I look back," said Captain Hackett, "we in San Diego were so far from the scene of conflict we scarcely realized that there was a war going on in the United States."
In April. 1863, after the whaling season was over, he went to San Francisco and bought the schooner European and fitted her for sealing down the coast at the Elida and Ascension Islands, where he did very well, arriving back in San Diego August 22. He sailed for San Francisco, arriving there October 10. and after discharging a cargo of oil made a trip up the Sacramento River, also to the Tomales Bay for potatoes. Anchored off Hathaway's wharf that night, a southeaster sprang up and the ship Aquila, which had tied up at the wharf, sank with the parts of the monitor Comanche on board, which had just arrived from New York. It took a year or more to get the monitor parts out of the ship and put them together, as the Govern- ment had to send a man from the East to complete the work after San Francisco mechanics had made a failure of it.
It was a wild night, and Captain Hackett saved his vessel only by putting out all the anchors he had aboard. He fitted the European for whaling and brought her to San Diego, but sold her to other parties before the season began, and went aboard the schooner Christiana as captain down the coast. On arriving at San Quentin he found the ship Adelina, the bark Hercules and the brig Caroline E. Foote, whalers from San Francisco, lying in the harbor. He continued to make runs down the coast until December. 1864, and then began whaling with the company with whom he originally came to San Diego.
On Friday, April 14, 1865, Captain Hackett started on a trip to the East and on arrival in San Francisco April 18, found the flags at half-most because of the death of President Lincoln. He made the trip to his old home in Massachusetts by way of the Isthmus of Panama, arriving at his destination June 10. After reviewing the scenes of his boyhood for three months, he started back October 14, had a stormy trip to the isthmus and arrived at San Francisco Novem- ber 12. Here he fitted for the whaling season and reached San Diego on December 13, 1865. He had charge of the company's operations and made the biggest catch in their experience. He went to San
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Francisco and settled up the season's business and purchased an outfit for a company to engage in whaling at St. Martin's Island. They had a vessel to take the men and provisions, but no money for the outfit, so the company turned the vessel over to Captain Hackett for the season. He made a very good catch, and went to San Francisco to settle up the business.
He arrived in San Diego May 11, 1867, and was married May 20 to Miss Mary Refugia Wilder in Old Town. The following winter he fitted out a company and engaged in whaling at Goleta, nine miles beyond Santa Barbara, and again in the winter of 1868-69. At this time the floating petroleum on the ocean frightened the whales away and gummed up the whale lines badly. At that time the whalers did not know where the petroleum came from.
In 1869 Captain Hackett sold out his whaling interests and started in the cattle business in Lower California. In 1870 the dry seasons came on and he had to take his cattle to the mountains, and after several seasons of this experience he found that the cattle business was not profitable under such conditions. After turning over his cattle interests to another man on shares, he got out of the business in 1878.
Mrs. Hackett died in May, 1873, leaving a daughter three years of age, and a son preceded her in death. The surviving daughter is now Mrs. Mary A. Feeny of 2037 State Street, this city, who has three children, John H., Dolores and Easter Feeny.
During the time the captain was in the stock business in Lower California his family lived in Old Town. In 1873 he joined the steamer Gipsy, running between San Diego and San Francisco, and belonging to the Pacific Mail Company. His old friend, Capt. J. C. Bogart, was in command, and Hackett was second officer. In the spring of 1874 he joined the schooner Fanny for sea otter hunting up among the Japanese islands and Sea of Okhotsk, near the Siberian coast. They made the most successful voyage ever made in that line, bringing into San Francisco 442 skins.
He then returned to San Diego and went into the bee business at Bernardo, this county. He liked that occupation, but as in the stock business, dry seasons did not agree with the bees. "They could sting all right," said the captain, "but they could not bring in the honey."
Then in September, 1875, he began driving teams for Omer Oaks on his Bernardo rancho, helping to put in grain, harvesting and hauling it to San Diego. In October, 1878, he bought out a United State, mail contract to carry the mail from San Diego to Temecula, a 72- mile drive, and get permission of the Government to run through in one day instead of meeting another driver half way, which required two drivers. In 1882 he renewed the contract with the Government to July 1, 1886. He drove more than 22,000 miles a year during the period of his contracts and had a driver to relieve him less than six months of that time.
On December 23, 1880, he was married to Mrs. Carrie V. Lithgow Bentzel, daughter of Adam and Caroline Lithgow, old-time residents of San Diego and Upper California. Captain and Mrs. Hackett had one daughter, Carrie, now the wife of Dr. John Benton Bostock of the United States Navy : they have four children living, twin boys, War-
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ren and Benton, and two girls, Beverly and Bernice, all less than six years old. The oldest child, Barbara, born in Denver in 1909, died during the influenza epidemic of 1918. Captain Hackett's two daugh- ters and seven grandchildren are all residents of San Diego.
During the boom which started with the coming of the Santa Fe Railway in 1883 and continued until its culmination in 1888, Captain Hackett, like others, bought a good many lots, but was not loaded up very badly when things quieted down and did not have to leave town to hunt a job. On March 7, 1898, he was elected city alderman to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles W. Pauly. Upon the expiration of the term, April 4, 1899, he was re-elected after a very spirited campaign. The captain naively remarked that "our sal- aries at that time consisted of the curses and thanks of the people, according to their views."
On May 1, 1900, he was elected superintendent of streets to fill the place of F. W. Osburn, who had gone to Alaska and not returned within the limit of leave granted. When Captain Hackett took the position there were thirteen men on the force, including the night sweeping force, hostler and sprinkling cart drivers, leaving only two men left to repair the bridges, also the old flume down B Street to Tenth to the bay, all of which were in dangerous condition. Finding it altogether the "most ungrateful job" he ever undertook, Hackett resigned June 30, 1905, and devoted his attention to the care of a ten-acre lemon orchard he owned.
Although Captain Haskett, after what might be called a reason- ably busy and eventful life, said that he considered himself "retired," he long took in his late years an active interest in public affairs, and personally attended to the upkeep of houses which he rents, making repairs, etc. He and his wife occupied the comfortable two-story resi- dence at 1534 First Street from December 23, 1880, the day of his second marriage, to the time of his death.
He took his Masonic degrees in San Diego Lodge No. 35, F. and A. M., in 1866: San Diego Royal Arch Chapter in 1883; San Diego Commandery No. 25, Knights Templar, in 1901, and San Diego Council No. 23, Royal and Select Masters, in 1910, and has been hon- ored by being elected and having resided over all these bodies. He was installed master of San Diego Lodge No. 35 on December 18, 1918, and his successor was installed December 27, 1919, St. John's day, and Captain Hackett's 83rd birthday.
The captain not long before he passed away recalled the arrival in Old Town in September, 1868, of W. Jeff Gatewood, J. N. Briseno, and E. W. Bushyhead, and how it was soon noised about that San Diego was to have a newspaper after an interval of more than eight years, causing great rejoicing among the inhabitants. And on Satur- day morning, October 10, the San Diego Union appeared, featuring an account of a meeting of the stockholders of the San Diego and Gila, Southern Pacific and Atlantic Railroad Company, O. S. Witherby, chairman, and George A. Pendleton, secretary. "But," remarked Cap- tain Hackett, "Mr. John D. Spreckels was not on the list of directors, and the road was not built at that time."
Captain Hackett was one of the most interested spectators at the driving of the last spike on the San Diego and Arizona Railway at Carriso Gorge. November 15, 1919.
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A San Diego institution to which "old-timers" refer with pleasure was the City Guard Band, organized on January 7, 1885. Its first appearances in public were at an exhibition of agricultural products in Armory Hall in 1885 soon after the California Southern Railway was completed. C. A. Burgess was then the leader. In 1886 he was succeeded by C. M. Walker. In 1887 R. J. Pennell and J. M. Dodge, the well known theatrical man, proposed that the band be sent East as an advertisement for San Diego. In a short time San Diego citizens subscribed a sum sufficient to take the band on the proposed tour, and it started, twenty-one players being on the list. The band was away six weeks and played in a number of cities, being for eight days at St. Louis, where it had the place of honor in the Grand Army parade.
CHAPTER XXXII
SAN DIEGO'S WEATHER
"Bay and Climate" was in the boom days of San Diego a kind of slogan or trademark or catch-phrase, to sum up briefly and attrac- tively the strong points of the city. It told the truth, too-and still tells it. For the bay summarizes in a word the commercial possibilities of San Diego, and the climate stands for the appeal which has drawn thousands to San Diego and elsewhere in Southern California-among these thousands being many who gave at least as much consideration to the possibilities of this section for comfortable living, largely in the great outdoors, as to the advantages to be had here in business and commerce. So weather and climate since the earliest days of civiliza- tion on the Pacific Coast have been important matters to residents of San Diego. And for that reason a generous chapter on this subject was planned for this history from the very start.
San Diego's climate is as nearly perfect, probably, as can be found anywhere in the whole wide world. In San Diego sunshine, health- building and health-protecting, abounds. Yet this sunshine is not accompanied, except on actually rare occasions, by that humidity with which people in many sections of the eastern United States are famil- iar. Nor is there here such terrific yet dry heat as is experienced in some of the so-called desert sections of the Southwest.
Again, San Diego's temperatures do not vary greatly. That fact has been cheerfully advertised for some years in the phrase, "the shortest theremometer in the world." Scientific qualification to this enthusiastic piece of propaganda comes from the United States Weather Bureau, which gives the palm in that respect to one of the Farallone Islands, not far from San Francisco's golden gate, but that is of negli- gible importance after all. Yet this advantage which San Diego holds has not become of general knowledge to many away from San Diego, whose residents have come to their blessing of temperature largely as a matter of course.
Ford A. Carpenter, for sixteen years at the weather bureau in San Diego, aptly summed up the climate of the city-and the verdict applies, of course, to the immediately surrounding towns-by saying that it is characterized by "uniformity of temperature and invariability of sunshine." And these facts, beyond doubt, have had direct and ap- preciable influence on the history of San Diego from the earliest days of which there is record. In his book, "The Climate and Weather of San Diego, California," Mr. Carpenter wrote concerning the equability to be found there :
"The chief cause of San Diego's salubrity of climate lies in its latitude. Among other causes are: Its location to the leeward of
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the ocean, its distance from the eastward-moving storms of the north- ern coast, and the absence of mountains close to the sea. The latitude gives a temperate climate, the proximity from the storm-tracks free- dom from high winds and rough weather, and the absence of mountains in the immediate neighborhood contributes to infrequent cloud or fog."
There have been remarkably few times in which there has been any extreme of either heat or cold in San Diego. For instance, a study of fifty years of weather conditions in this city showed that the average for the three consecutive warmest days, was 82.9 degrees, coming in September. That record was marred somewhat in Septem- ber, 1913, when the temperature mounted to 110 degrees, but even on the hottest day of that month, the 17th, the humidity was so nearly negligible that there was no great suffering and nothing approaching the "heat prostrations" of which long lists, often full of fatalities, are compiled in many eastern cities nearly every summer. Now consider what the records showed for the same half century with regard to "cold" weather. The coldest three consecutive days in that period averaged 40.2, in January. In January, 1913, the temperature got as low as 25 degrees in San Diego. That, of course, was in "the great California freeze," in which there was severe loss throughout the southern part of California in the citrus orchards. But freaks such as these, occuring only twice perhaps in a century, only serve to emphasize the equability of a climate which has no superior anywhere.
The winters of San Diego and the rest of Southern California have become known widely because of their warmth and many pleasant days, but the attractiveness of San Diego's summers has not been so well appreciated by people of other parts of the United States. A com- mon misunderstanding has been that as the winters are warm the summers "must be hot." The fact is that only on very rare occasions does the temperature rise above 90 degrees. To a considerable extent this is due to an atmosphere condition which is rather commonly called "high fog." It is not really fog at all, says Mr. Carpenter in his book, already mentioned, for it is not cold or excessively moisture- laden. Neither, as he also says, is it very high, for its altitude is about 1,000 feet. Mr. Carpenter gave it the name "velo cloud," using the old Spanish word "velo," or veil, to round out his description. This diaphanous cloud tempers the heat of the sun on many a San Diego morning until the ocean breeze sweeps it away and by its cooling breath, as one traveler has said, "renders it no longer necessary for a perfect day by the Harbor of the Sun."
At this point may well be inserted a summary of the temperature records down to the end of 1920, as compiled by Henry F. Alciatore, now in charge of the San Diego weather bureau :
"The normal annual temperature is 61 degrees.
"The warmest month was August. 1891 ; mean, 72 degrees.
"The coldest month was January, 1894 : mean, 50 degrees.
"The highest temperature was 110 degrees, September 17, 1913.
"The lowest temperature was 25 degrees, January 7. 1913."
Always of great importance to residents of San Ditgo and the surrounding country are the rainfall records. For San Diego proper
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has been classified officially as "semi-arid." Its average annual rain- fall is only about 10 inches. A fact that must be considered in close connection with this, however, is that while the rainfall in the city, where the weather bureau is, may reach only 10 inches a year, there are back of San Diego, toward the east, mountain ranges where the precipitation is much heavier. And it is upon that section of San Diego County that the city depends for its domestic water supply. Similarly, large quantities of water are stored up in mountain reser- voirs and rush down from mountain streams into nearby reservoirs for irrigating ranch, garden and orchard lands.
The Franciscan Fathers, early in the written history of this section. found out early that they could not safely depend on the rainfall of what is now the city section for their crops. So they went several miles up the San Diego river-bed and built a remarkable structure which became known as the Mission Dam. Thus early did they do in their small way what has been done in great ways in recent years. Thus early was "the water question" important in San Diego, as it is important today.
The comparatively light rainfalls which the city receives is clearly shown in the weather bureau records, which disclose these facts :
The normal annual rainfall is 10.01 inches. The greatest monthly rainfall recorded was 9.05 inches in February, 1884. Ninety per cent of the rainfall comes between November 1 and May 1, summer showers being rare and thunderstorms being almost unknown. Rainfall classi- fied in the local bureaus as "excessive." or 2.50 inches in 24 hours. has occurred only twice in forty-eight years.
There is no record of snowfall in San Diego, although sixty miles away in the mountains, it frequently provides, in winter, conditions closely resembling those of New England, with sleighs and all that goes with such a white mantle. High winds are also very unusual in San Diego. They have never been of a serious nature so far as craft within the harbor are concerned.
Many notable tributes have been paid to the quality of San Diego's climate, but none perhaps, more striking than that given by Alexander Agassiz in 1872, when, in giving his impressions of San Diego, he said :
"In enumerating the peculiar advantages of San Diego, there seems to be one which is of very great importance. Perhaps, as a scientific man, I may lay more stress upon it than is necessary, but I hardly think it possible : I have seen many parts of the world, and have made some study of this subject. It is the question of the climate of your latitude that I refer to. You have a great capital in your climate. It will be worth millions to you. This is one of the favorite spots of the earth : and people will come to you from all quarters to live in your genial and healthful climate, a climate that has no equal."
This chapter could not be closed without a story of the weather bureau itself. Official weather records of San Diego date from July 1, 1849, only three months after the Fremont's party hoisted the American flag in the plaza at Old Town. The medical corps of the army started the work and kept it up for twenty years. At first the
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thermometer and rain-guage were placed on the roof of the old San Diego Mission used at that time and for a period of a year, as headquar- ters for the United States troops. When the troops went to the presidio at Old Town the instruments were taken there. In 1871 the instru- ments and records were turned over to the signal service. The weather observations in new San Diego were first made at the old H Street (now Market Street) barracks. When the signal service took over the work, the office was established at Horton Square. On October 25. 1871, according to the records, it was placed in the Horton bank block at Third Street and D Street ( now Broadway), where the Union Building was erected in later years. Then it went successively : in 1878 to Fifth Street and Broadway, in 1886 to the Horton bank block at Third and Broadway streets, in 1889 to Fifth Street between E and F streets, in 1895 to the Cole block at Fifth and G streets, in 1897 to the Keating block (later McNeece Building) at Fifth and F streets ; and, at last to its present home in the magnificent Federal Building on F Street. That move was made in 1913.
In its new home the weather bureau has enjoyed of course the use of many new instruments and devices unknown in the early days and has been able to enlarge its service to a marked degree. All important part of that work in recent years has been to issue and disseminate information and warnings of a special value to those engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Officials of the weather bureau in San Diego have been as follows : October 27, 1871, to August 17, 1876-J. B. Wells.
August 17, 1876, to June 29, 1877-C. E. Howgate.
July 9. 1877, to April 4, 1879-M. M. Sickler (resigned). April 4, 1879, to June 26, 1879-W. U. Simons.
June 26, 1879, to November 8. 1879-M. L. Hearne.
November 8, 1879, to December 5, 1880-W. H. Clenderson.
December 5, 1880, to November 17, 1881-William Story.
November 17, 1881, to August 19, 1883-Asa C. Dobbins ( died in office ).
August 29, 1883, to July 28, 1884-F. R. Day.
July 28, 1884, to August 29, 1886-1. C. Sprigg. Jr.
August 29, 1886, to March 9, 1896-M. L. Hearne (died in office). March 30, 1896, to June 30, 1912-Ford A. Carpenter.
July 20, 1912, to January 9, 1917-E. Herbert Nimmo. (Mr. Nimmo went on sick leave January 9, 1917, and died April 7. 1917. Dean Blake, his first assistant, remained in charge of the office until April 27, 1917, when he turned the office over to Henry F. Alciatore. who, as this is written in 1921. still holds the place. The present assistants are Dean Blake, meteorologist, and George W. Carter.)
CHAPTER XXXIII
THEATRES OF SAN DIEGO
The story of San Diego's theatres, in which is included the Spreckels Theatre, one of the finest of all American playhouses, makes an interesting section of San Diego's history.
San Diego's first theatre-if it may be dignified with that name- was Horton's Hall, opened in 1870, at Sixth and F streets, to which reference already has been made. J. M. Dodge, the veteran theatrical manager of San Diego, who came here in 1880, remembers it well and recalls some of the difficulties presented by its small size, little stage and absence of modern appliances for handling of scenery. Still, even in the 80's, it was the local home of two traveling shows each year, both coming from San Franciso to entertain San Diegans. One of these companies was headed by James and Carrie Ward; the other, giving musical attractions, was headed by Harry Gates. At other times the hall was used by local amateur entertainers. Col. E. T. Blackmer at one time presented there a series of comic operas with local talent ; the operas included "The Pirates of Penzance," "Pina- fore," and "Patience."
In the early 80's, Wallace Leach opened a gymnasium on the north side of D Street (Broadway ) between First and Second streets, and called it Leach's Athletic Hall. After several years it was con- verted into a theatre and called Leach's Opera House. It was a small affair, seating only about 800 persons, and was used principally for the presentation of dramas by stock companies. In 1889, J. M. Dodge and James E. Wooley took it over and renamed it the D Street Theatre, booking traveling attractions of various kinds for it.
In 1887, Isador Louis built the Louis Opera House, known later as the Grand Theatre, on the east side of Fifth Street between B and C. The Farini Opera Company was the first to appear there. The theatre is now a motion picture house.
The Fisher Opera House, which later became the Isis Theatre, on Fourth Street, between B and C streets, was built by a stock company of which John C. Fisher of "Florodora" fame was the head, and was opened January 12, 1892, by the Carleton Opera Company. At the time this was one of the finest theatres in the west and still holds much of its grandeur. It was the city's first large and modern playhouse. About ten years after it was opened, it was sold to Mme. Katherine Tingley, the Theosophical leader, of Point Loma ; and H. C. Wyatt and J. M. Dodge became the lessees. All or almost all of the important "road" attractions which came to the Pacific coast for several years after that were booked for this theatre. Until recently it was frequently used for big dramatic attractions and on Sundays by the Universal
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Brotherhood and Theosophical Society meetings. In 1921, it became a motion picture house.
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