USA > California > El Dorado County > Historical souvenir of El Dorado County, California : with illustrations and biographical setches of its prominent men & pioneers > Part 28
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THE ALTA CALIFORNIA TELEGRAPH COMPANY.
This company was organized September Ist, 1852, and incorporated September Ist, 1853, with a capital stock of $70,000, divided into 700 shares of one hundred dollars each ; the period of incorporation to be perpetual. Said line to commence at Sacra- mento City and terminate at Nevada, passing through Mormon Island, Diamond Springs, Placerville, Col- oma, to Auburn and Grass valley, and from Coloma to Georgetown .* The officers of the Company re- quired by the articles of association were a President, Secretary, Treasurer and eight Directors.
It is the duty of the Directors to inspect the line when completed, and if found to be in accordance with the contract, to accept it in behalf of the com- pany ; to alter or arrange tariff prices, and generally to superintend the administrative affairs of the com- pany. The sharers of the stock are subject to no as- sessments.
Previous to the commencement of the work in constructing the line, 450 shares of the stock were sold on subscription at Sacramento, Nevada, Grass Valley and Auburn. The work of constructing the line was commenced in the fall of 1852, and prose- cuted until the raining season commenced, when the work was necessarily suspended, and could not be resumed until June, 1853. In consequence of this suspension of the work, the public very naturally came to the conclusion that the enterprise had "fallen through," and that the line would not be completed. It was, therefore, thought best under these circum- stances to omit calling on the people for more sub- scriptions until the line was completed or at least till the work had so far progressed as to convince the public that it would be completed. Accordingly, the money necessary to complete the line was obtained by other means in order to avoid further delay. The line was then completed and put in operation in 1853.
The terms of subscription were as follows : Twenty- five per cent. of the amount subscribed by each to be paid at the time of subscribing ; twenty-five per cent. in 30 days ; twenty-five per cent. in sixty days and the residue in 90 days thereafter. When the full amount of any subscription had been paid, the subscriber thereto was entitled to, and received a cer- tificate of stock for each share subscribed.
The following estimate has been carefully prepared, founded on actual data, during the first period of operations :
MESSAGES PER DAY, ORIGINATED AT
Sacramento, 15, $1.75 each $26.25
Answers, 8,
14.00
* Georgetown was connected on August 16, 1855.
129
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. RAILROADS.
Mormon Island,
5,
$1.75
each 8.75
Answers, .
3,
=
5.25
Diamond Springs,
7,
=
7.00
Placerville,
IO,
"
17.50
Answers,
6,
10.50
Coloma,
6,
10.50
Answers,
4,
7.00
Answers,
5,
8.75
Grass Valley,
7,
12.25
Answers,
4,
7.0
Nevada,
7,
12.00
Answers,
4,
7.00
From other lines
IO,
17.00
Answers, .
8,
14.00
Newspaper Messages,
15.00
$226.75
Total receipts per month ;
$6,802.50
RENT AND CLERK HIRE PER MONTH:
Sacramento, $275.00
Mormon Island, .
50.00
Diamond Springs,
150.00
Placerville,
170.00
Coloma,
75.00
Auburn,
100.00
Grass Valley,
100.00
Nevada, .
150.00
Incidental Expenses,
600.00
$1,670.00
Aggregate amount net profits, $5,132.00
Or equal to 772 per cent. per month on the capital stock of $70,000.
At the annual meeting of the stockholders of the company in September, 1853, the following officers were chosen for the ensuing year : President, J. E. Strong, of Sacramento; secretary, H. R. Hawkins, Auburn ; treasurer, B. F. Hastings, Sacramento; di- rectors-Ferris Foreman, I. M. Hubbard, V. E. Gei- ger, Sacramento ; H. Davis, Nevada ; George Wood, J. Winchester, Grass Valley ; Wm. Gwynn, H. T. Holmes, Auburn.
The length of the telegraph wires in El Dorado county is 75 miles.
The Sacramento Union on this subject says :
First, from Nevada to Downieville ; second, from Dia- mond Springs to Columbia, there to connect with the Tuolumne line; third, from Stockton to Oakland, and thence across the bay to San Francisco. The com- pletion of this line would make complete connection between Downieville and San Francisco, connecting with Forest City, Nevada, Grass Valley, Auburn, Co- loma, Placerville, Diamond Springs, Mormon Island, Sacramento city, Volcano, Jackson."
The Placerville, Humboldt and Salt Lake Telegraph Co. was organized in May, 1858, in Placerville, with the intention to extend the telegraph from Placerville to Genoa, Carson valley, and Salt Lake City. The members of the company were Messrs. Bee, Bishop, Lovell, Randall and Jones. The citizens of Carson valley took a lively interest in the enterprise, and being anxious to see it succeed, had invested $1,200 in the stock right from the start. The first wire was stretched on this line on September 7th, 1858, and the first sec- tion between Placerville and Genoa, Carson valley, was finished before the end of the year. To push the work on as fast as possible to its destination, Salt Lake City, the capital stock was then increased to $100,000, and the Board of Directors enlarged from five to twelve members, for the purpose of giving other localities a fair representation on the Board.
At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Placer- ville and Humboldt Telegraph Co., held at Placerville on April 9th, 1861, the proposition of the companies of this State to consolidate the lines into one company was agreed to, and Messrs. McCrellish, Gould and Tucker, of San Francisco, directors of the company, were authorized to sign the articles of agreement. The Placerville and Humboldt company received $80,- ooo in the stock of the Consolidated company in pay for wire and other property not in use at that time, and $1,500 in money.
CHAPTER XXVI.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS-RAILROADS.
The peculiar geographical situation of the State of California in regard to the facilities that the perfect water-ways all along the coast and for hundreds of miles interior were offering, and on the other side the character of her population, which, with the exception of a small fraction, had come here not for a settlement, but for only a short stay, to make a fortune as quick as possible and then go back home again. These pecu. liar circumstances were not favorable to the enterprise of large speculations, which afford investment for large sums and do not promise quick returns ; this has to
" We are gratified to announce that the prospects of the Alta Telegraph Co., and the miners' demand for telegraphic communication in the northern and cen- tral portions of the State are growing. At a meeting held by the stockholders at Sacramento, it was decided to increase the stock and extend the lines as follows : be considered the cause of retardation of railroads,
12.25
Answers,
4,
A uburn,
8,
14.00
130
HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
even there where the adoption of the railroad system was quite commanded.
The inland trade and travel through El Dorado county, from the earliest period of the golden era, was the largest of all mountain counties, not only on account of her population being the largest of all the counties, but she had to provide a large portion of the neighboring counties with all the necessities; there being no other outlets for the south-castern part of Placer county as well as the whole of Amador county. The whole of this travel and freight transportation was carried on by teams and stages ; but certainly this transportation being quite slow and tedious, particu- larly for those who had learned to appreciate the com- fort of the railroad system in the Eastern States and elsewhere and the demand for better shipping means became more and more urgent.
Sacramento as the supplying depot for all the North- ern mines, in answer to this incessant demand, in 1854 took up the idea. The Sacramento Valley Rail- road was planned in that direction from this central supply station, whither the principal shipping was going on, from Sacramento leading up the American river to a point not far from the junction of the North and South forks of this stream. No sooner had this plan made its appearance, than some of the leading men of Placerville, in true comprehension of the importance of the matter, called together a public meeting at that place to bring the affair before the people, and arouse the public interest for an extension of the railroad from the terminus of the Sacramento Valley Rail_ road up to Placerville. The meeting was held on November 16th, 1854; Mayor Alex. Hunter was called to the chair, and George White appointed secretary. Col. Handy then explained the object of the meeting," and a committee of tive, consisting of Messrs. Handy, Jones, Norton, Conrad and White, was appointed, to which the Mayor was added, to draft resolutions. Nothing, however, was done besides this agitation for the subject.
The Sacramento Valley Railroad, according to the planning, was built then to benefit the supply of the El Dorado route, from Sacramento along the South bank of the American river, a distance of twenty-two and a-half miles, in 1855, to be completed in Feb- ruary, 1856. This being the first steam railroad in California, and as up to the year of 1849 railroads were quite a scarce article in the Western States, west of the Mississippi river ; for many of the Californian pioneers this was the first chance to see the steam- horse, and learn the advantages of its use. The line of this railroad being traced by Theodore D. Judah, the afterwards chief engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad over the Sierra Nevada; Col. Chas. Lincoln
Wilson was president of the company. The cost for the construction and equipment, etc., was $1, 100,000. Quite a large sum for the length of twenty-two miles, but labor in California at that time was very high, and, with only the exception of the ties, all the ma- terial had to be imported from the Atlantic States or from Europe ; and the shipping of freight then was quite an object, on account of there being none or very little return freight, besides other reasons for which the port of San Francisco was haunted by owners of vessels. Thus, after being finished and in fine running order, it did not seem to be an enterprise to invite and encourage more capital to invest in an extension of the road, at the terminus of which a town sprung up, christened Folsom in honor of Capt. Folsom, who had been quarter-master in the army under Col. R. B. Mason's command.
About a year after the completion of the Sacramento Valley Railroad, early in the Spring of 1857, some enterprising men of Marysville surprised the public with a new plan to build a railroad from Folsom to Marysville. A company under the title of " California Central Railroad Company," was formed at the latter city, and Col. C. L. Wilson, who had been connected already with the Sacramento Valley Railroad, was sent East to procure the necessary funds for the con- struction of the road. He being fortunate on his errand, the construction was commenced immediately, and pushed on with all energy. From the connection with the Sacramento Valley Railroad, this new road crossed the American river a short distance above by means of a wooden girder bridge, then fol- lowing the river on the northern bank for about a mile for the purpose to get the height of the bluff, from whence it took a northwesterly course along the foot- hills to Lincoln, Placer county, to which point it was finished in October, 1861, the total length of the line is nineteen miles; the section from Lincoln to Marysville was not completed until 1869. The construction of the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento to Roseville, in 1863, laid that portion of this line that used to run from Folsom to this junction entirely idle, because all the travel thereafter turned into the fourteen miles shorter route, and the track was finally removed.
THE CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY,
Made up by the business men of Sacramento city, or- ganized and filed their articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State, June 28, 1861, and on Octo- ber 9th, the Board of Directors of this company passed the following resolution : " Resolved, That Mr. T. D. Judah, the chief-engineer of this company, proceed to Washington on the steamer of the 11th
RESIDUE & LIME KILLN ON M.W. MANNING'S RANCH , CAVE VALLEY. ELDORADO,Co · CAL·
131
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. RAILROADS.
of October, instant,, as the accredited agent of the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, for the purpose of procuring. appropriations of land and United States bonds from the government, to aid in the construction of this road."
Pacific Railroad Company may, in all probability, not have ignored this argument, as it is a fact that they were negotiating with the owners of different sections of toll roads over the Sierra Nevada mountains in El Dorado county. These negotiations, however, after long debates, were finally broken off on account of the stubborn claim of those toll road men, who did not want to dispose of their rights under any other condition than to receive a controlling interest in the railroad in exchange. This proposition of course set- tled the question and decided for a mountain passage on the Placer county line. This it may be understood, is an explanation of ex-Governor Stanford himself. But there was still another motive which caused the approval of the route from Sacramento via Auburn and Dutch Flat, in preference to the other line through El Dorado county, which at that time seemed important enough to those directors of Sacramento business aristocracy, viz: The fear that the travel, after having accepted the latter road, could not help but find out that the nearest way to reach San Fran- cisco on the through travel was not at all by the way of Sacramento, but from the lower end of El Dorado county in the direction of Galt and Stockton, and that such a change would cut off the travel from Sac- ramento, and derive that burgh from all the benefit of the travel and traffic.
This mission was successfully accomplished, through the liberal aid of Gen. James A. McDougal, Senator from California, the bill passed Congress and was ap- proved in July, 1862. This bill granted a free right of way to the roads of 400 feet over all government lands on their route. The land on either side of the route was to be withdrawn from settlement, by pre- emption or otherwise, for a distance of fifteen miles, until the final location of the road should be made, and the United States surveys had determined the lo- cation of the section lines. This bill also provided for issuing to the company, as a loan, United States thirty-year six per cent. bonds, as each twenty-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 Nevada, which was fixed by President Lincoln at seven miles from Sacramento, and at the rate of $48,000 per mile from the western to the eastern base. To secure the government from loss and to insure the payment of the 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 to the same amount as The first earth thrown up, and the actual work of the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad was begun January 8th, 1863. the Government bonds, the United States taking the position of second mortgagee. 'The land grant in the first bill was every alternate section for ten miles The extension of the Sacramento Valley Rail- road from Folsom to Placerville had been agitated by the Placerville people since the fall of 1859. An enthusiastic meeting on the subject was held in the Court house at Placerville on on each side of the track, but this was afterwards doubled, making it every alternate (odd) section for twenty miles on each side of the track. And this is how the Central Pacific Railroad Company became interested in El Dorado county, whose territory she January 30th, 1860. B. F. Nickerson was elected did not benefit in any other way. Out of the words chairman. Hon. J. A. McDougall, addressed the meeting in an argumentative speech, followed by Dr. Rabe, of San Francisco, Secretary of the Central Pa- cific railroad convention ; other addresses were made by Messrs. Sanderson, Hume, Nickerson and others. J. G. McCallum, from the general committee, re- ported the following resolutions, which were adopted : of this bill it is clearly visible that at the time of the petition the directors of the company were not yet decided about the route of the railroad; there being two different ways, from Sacramento through El Dorado county, where the Sacramento Valley Railroad had pushed on her track already for twenty-two miles, and where, after the opinion of Resolved, That a railroad between Placerville and Folsom is essential to the prosperity of this city, that the road is entirely practicable and may be con- structed within a short time. all engineers and surveyors, the Johnson Cut-off route offered the most favorable crossing of the Sierra Nevada, or through Placer county, on a route that Chief-engineer Judah had surveyed some years ago, Resolved, That the cost of the road would not ex- ceed the sum of $1,000,000 ; that it would increase taxable property of El Dorado county to the extent of the value of the road, and therefore would increase the revenue of the county, at present rates of taxation $20,000 per year. and which he, of course, demonstrated most favorably; the blockade of the road by snow, and the interrup- tion of the transcontinental travel in every season, notwithstanding the many miles of snow-sheds on this road don't prove for the impartiality of that favorable epresentation. And the directors of the Central- Resolved, That while railroads are projected or
132
HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
constructed to Marysville, Auburn, etc., Placerville must have a road for self-preservation, that with a railroad the city will become the eastern depot of Central California, and the western depot of the State now rapidly forming, comprising what is known as Nevada or Washoe Territory.
Resolved, That the recent discoveries of extensive mineral wealth in said Territory, with the favorable geographical position of this city and county, in view of the immense traffic, renders it necessary that im- mediate steps should be taken to advance this enter- prise.
Resolved, That thequestion of tax, to be submitted to the vote of the people of this city, should be favorably received, and a tax unanimously voted to secure an immediate survey of the route.
Resolved, That our delegation are further instructed to prevent the passage of a bill which shall authorize a vote of the people of this county, on the question of the county taking stock and issuing bonds in pay- ment thereof to the extent of $300,000.
Upper Placerville, also, offered its assistance in a public meeting heldat Independence Hall, on February 16th, 1863, McK. Burton presiding and C. H. Elder, secretary. The meeting was addressed by Messrs. G. W. Swan and C. W. Brewster, and the proposition discussed to incorporate 'Upper Placerville with the city, taxing the property of Upper Placerville for rail- road purposes only.
The Common Council of Placerville, on January 23d, 1860, appointed Messrs. Kirk, Lacy and Arvid- son as a railroad commission for the purpose of making arrangements for a survey for the railroad be- tween Placerville and Folsom.
The preliminary work for the extension of the rail- road went on, and to follow with actual work, on May 23d, 1863, a notice called for sealed proposals for the grading, bridging and masonry work on the first sec- tion of the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad -between Folsom and Miller's corral-to be handed in at the office of the Chief-engineer in Placerville until June 6th.
(Signed by) S. W. SANDERSON, President of P. & S. V. R. R. Co. FRANCIS BISHOP, Chief-engineer of P. & S. V. R. R. Co.
Chief-engineer F. A. Bishop's report of November 2d, 1863, declared that the road was graded and in such condition as to receive the rails and ties, from the intersection with the Sacramento Valley Railroad at Folsom to the boundary line of El Dorado county, near Carson creek, a distance of eighteen and one-fourth miles. The Board thereupon "ordered
that the chairman of the Board, the County Auditor and County Treasurer, constituting the railroad com- missioners of this county, be directed to issue bonds in the sums of five hundred dollars and one thousand dollars in equal proportions, for the amount of the first installment of ten per cent. upon the amount of the subscription of the county, as required by the Board of directors of said railroad company, said bonds to bear interest at the rate of ten per cent. per annum from the date of issue, November 5th, 1863, and the principal made payable in twelve years from said date, at the office of the Treasurer of El Dorado county, and the interest to be paid semi-annually on the 5th of May and the 5th of November in each year."
In accordance with the above order, the Railroad Commissioners issued the bonds, and the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, having presented the bonds duly signed to the County Clerk, were undersigned by him in the presence of the Board of Supervisors, and the seal of the County Court affixed to each. J. C. McTarnahan, one of the Board, was authorized to de- liver the bonds to the secretary of the railroad com- pany. Arrangements, in the meantime, had been made in New York to procure the necessary material to put the road in running order.
The Board of Supervisors at their meeting the first of January, 1864, "ordered that the Railroad Com- missioners of this county be and they are hereby directed to issue bonds to the amount of twelve thousand dollars, in equal proportions in the sums of five hundred and one thousand dollars, being the first installment of ten per cent. upon the county's subscription of two hundred thousand dollars to said stock of the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Rail- road Company." The money thus provided, the work could be pushed on more rapidly.
The directors of the railroad, with a view of the speedy completion of the first section of the same, on January 5th, elected the following officers for the ad- ministration : Charles E. McLane, President ; Ogden Squires, Vice President ; J. M. Douglas, Treasurer ; N. A. Hamilton, Secretary ; F. A. Bishop Chief-en- gineer and Superintendent.
But the directors of the Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad, anxiously wishing to attract the at- tention of the government to their enterprise, on February 19th, had the satisfaction to see two car loads of members of the Legislature from Sacra- mento coming out on an inspection trip. They were conveyed from Folsom over the grade of the road to the new town of " Latrobe," at the junction of the railroad and the Cosumnes wagon road, where a sump- tuous collation was prepared and taken ; and some remarks were made by Col. Bee, N. A. Hamilton, J.
I33
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. RAILROADS.
P. Robinson and others. After that the guests re- turned, expressing their surprise about the work, which far exceeded their expectations, and greatly pleased with it, they thought that it was deserving of more State encouragment.
During the summer of 1854 the work on the road was pushed vigorously, a force of more than 300 men were always employed. The last consignment of rail- road iron arrived in San Francisco harbor about the Ist of September ; the road being finished then, the first regular freight train was running from Freeport to Latrobe September 19th, 1864.
The following is a copy of, the first official freight bill :
PRICES OF FREIGHT :
Freight from Freeport to Latrobe per ton . . . .. $4.00
Down freight from Latrobe to Freeport or Sacra- mento will be forwarded (shipper to load and unload) at the following rates :
Ordinary freight per ton $ 3.00
Ores per ton. 2.00
Marble per ton. 2.50
Lumber per thousand 3.00
Wood, car of 612 cords 12.00
Hides
.08
Kips
.05
Pelt
.03
J. P. ROBINSON. F. A. BISHOP, Sup't.
On October Ist the passenger trains commenced to run on regular trips, according to the following time table :
ON AND AFTER OCTOBER IST, 1864,
Trains connecting with Sacramento Valley and Free- port Railroad, will run as follows :
Leave Latrobe at 612 and Ir A. M. and 4 P. M.
Leave Sacramento at 612 A. M. and 4 P. M.
Leave Freeport at 612 A. M., 4 P. M. and at mid- night.
On Sundays all trains will run as follows:
Leave Latrobe for Sacramento only at TI A. M.
Leave Sacramento for Latrobe at 612 A. M.
All trains stop at Folsom.
There will be no train up on Sunday nights from Freeport.
The Ir A. M. train in from Latrobe and the mid- night train from Freeport, run in connection with the steamboats on the river and the Pioneer stages across the mountains.
The 612 A. M. train from Sacramento, will also con- nect with the Pioneer line of stages, as well as with stages to all the mountain towns throughout El Do- rado, Amador and Calaveras counties.
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