USA > California > Alameda County > History of Alameda County, California. Volume I > Part 19
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HOWELL A. POWELL
Another attorney who served on the board which wrote the charter was Howell A. Powell, who had resided in Oakland for almost twenty years before the charter was written. His father was one of the pioneer settlers in the Sacramento Valley. He graduated from the State Normal School in San Francisco in 1867, then became principal of the Brooklyn Grammar School. He also studied law in the office of Judge Blatchley in San Francisco, and in 1870 was admitted to practice that profession. He won an enviable reputation in the trial of civil cases, including corporation law and probate procedure, and was one of the attorneys to represent Oakland in the water front litigation with the
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Southern Pacific Railway. He was married to Miss Mary E. King in 1876. Mr. Powell's public services also included services as a member of the Oakland School Board, and in 1896 he was one of the California electors chosen to vote for William McKinley as President of the United States.
E. J. PRINGLE
E. J. Pringle, also an attorney, like H. A. Powell, claimed Oakland as his residential home, but maintained his law office across the Bay in San Francisco. He was a native of Charleston, South Carolina, and had graduated from Harvard in 1845. After his graduation he returned to his native city and was admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of that state. He came to San Francisco in 1853 and formed a partnership with John B. Felton, prominent pioneer attorney. A year later the firm became Whitcomb, Pringle & Felton, by the admission of Mr. Whit- comb to membership. Later on Mr. Pringle joined forces with R. Y. Hayne, under the firm name of Pringle & Hayne, and this connection was maintained until Mr. Hayne was elected to the bench. Mr. Pringle gained a high reputation as a civil attorney, and was active in the city slip cases. He also handled the celebrated Limantour case successfully. In court he was recognized for his logic and sound reasoning powers, rather than for oratory and flowery language.
WARREN OLNEY
Warren Olney was a distinguished figure in pioneer legal circles of the great Bay region. Like many other prominent professional men of those days (and even those of this time) Olney resided in Oakland, but had his office in San Francisco. He was a native of Iowa. When the Civil war broke out young Olney, then twenty years of age, enlisted as a private and served for over four years during that conflict, being discharged with the rank of captain. At the close of the war he returned home, married, and then spent three years studying at the University of Michigan, graduating from the law department. His first law expe- rience was in the office of Judge T. M. Cooley. He came to California in 1869 and formed a partnership with William P. Daingerfield, which was continued until the latter was elected to a judgeship. After prac- ticing alone for a number of years, he became the senior partner in the firm of Olney, Chickering & Thomas. He established a home in Oak- land in 1875, at 481 Prospect Avenue. His public services included that
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of a trustee of the Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind at Berkeley, a director of the State Home for the Adult Blind in Oakland, and he also served for a time as a trustee of Mills College. He was particularly successful in legal cases and questions relative to land law and titles. Olney was one of Oakland's pioneer mayors.
CHARLES D. PIERCE
Charles D. Pierce was one of the members of the hardware firm of Pierce & Company, then owned by him and his brother, W. Frank. This large store had been established in Oakland in 1877 and was located on Tenth Street. The firm did a large retail and wholesale busi- ness, their shipments going into almost all sections of the state. They had a force of twelve clerks in their establishment and had as many traveling salesmen. Charles D. was active in public affairs and had but recently served Oakland as mayor before being named as one of the freeholders to draft the new charter.
CITY BOUNDARIES OF 1891
An election was held in Oakland October 27, 1888, under the stat- utes of 1883, to annex more territory to the city. This procedure, how- ever, was held to have been illegal in the case of People ex rel Adams vs. the City of Oakland. On July 14, 1891, another election was held relative to the same territory, and the previous errors were thereby corrected. The boundaries of the city as defined by the new city charter of 1888, including the territory annexed in 1891, was as follows :
Beginning at the intersection of the center line of Telegraph Avenue with the line between plots No. 10 and No. 11, as the same are shown and delineated on Kellersberger's map of the Rancho of V. and D. Peralta.
Thence south 7334 deg. east along the eastern projection of said line between plots 10 and 11 (15,934 feet, more or less, to its intersection with the center of Sausal Creek; thence down the center of said creek, following the meanderings thereof, to the intersection with the north- erly line of the Cameron Tract) ; thence continuing down the middle of Sausal Creek, as follows: South 10 deg. 41 min. east, 120 feet; thence south 63 deg. 49 min. west, 86 feet ; thence north 50 deg. 26 min. west, 107 feet; thence south 9 deg. 38 min. west, 197 feet; thence south 35 deg. 57 min. east, 79 feet; thence south 50 deg. 55 min. west, 70 feet;
14V1
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thence south 5 deg. 30 min. west, 300 feet ; thence south 20 deg. 28 min. west, 200 feet.
Thence south 45 deg. 12 min. east, 125 feet; thence south 34 deg. 46 min. west, 280 feet ; thence south 39 deg. 4 min. west, 194 feet; thence south 50 deg. 53 min. west, 160 feet; thence south 68 deg. 19 min. west, 70 feet ; thence south 20 deg. 21 min. east, 135 feet; thence, leaving Sausal Creek, north 76 deg. 41 min. west, along the northerly line of land of Stevens, 2,140 feet to the easterly line of Lynn; thence south 13 deg. 8 min. west along the easterly line of Lynn, 5031/2 feet to the south- easterly corner of Lynn.
Thence north 77 deg. 15 min. west, 271/2 feet; thence south 12 deg. 53 min. west, 1,708 feet; thence south 55 deg. 47 min. east, 491/2 feet; thence south 36 deg. 45 min. west, 1,460 and 6-10 feet to the northern corner of the Fifty Associates' Tract.
Thence south 53 deg. 15 min. east along the northeasterly line of the Fifty Associates' Tract, 1,491 and 6-10 feet to the easterly corner of said tract ; thence south 36 deg. 40 min. west, 1,412 feet to the southerly line of the "Old County Road" to San Leandro.
Thence north 85 deg. 50 min. west, along the southerly line of said county road, 9341/2 feet to the northerly line of the Cannon Tract; thence south 53 deg. 14 min. east, 639 feet to the easterly corner of land formerly owned by Sevin Vincent.
Thence south 36 deg. 38 min. west, 882 and 85-100 feet to the south- westerly line of East Fourteenth Street; thence north 5314 deg. west, 187 feet along said line of East Fourteenth Street to the southeasterly line of the Kennedy Tract; thence south 36 deg. 45 min. west, 766 feet to the southwesterly line of the right of way of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Thence south 49 deg. 22 min. east along said line of right of way, 1,447 and 32-100 feet, to the easterly corner of the Knowles and Potter Tract, formerly known as the Kennedy Tract; thence south 36 deg. 45 min. west, 867 and 44-100 feet to the southerly corner of the said Knowles and Potter Tract; thence south 30 deg. 25 min. west, 2,075 feet to the center of the bridge on Park Avenue, at the intersection of said avenue with the Encinal line of the Town of Alameda.
Thence westerly, following the center of the slough and the center of the estuary of San Antonio to ship channel in the bay or San Francisco.
Thence northerly and westerly along ship channel to its intersection with the westerly projection of the line between plots Nos. 10 and 11,
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
as the same are shown and delineated on Kellersberger's map of Vin- cente and Domingo Peralta's Rancho, in Alameda County, State of California.
Thence running along said westerly projection and said line between said plots, south 73 deg. 45 min. east, to the point of beginning.
DIVISION INTO WARDS
The ward boundaries as given in section 6 of the new charter were soon after changed by the council. The boundaries established by a resolution of the council on June 2, 1890, were as follows :
First Ward-All that part of the City of Oakland bounded on the north by the center line of Twenty-second Street and its extension westwardly to the charter line of the City of Oakland; bounded on the east by a line described as follows: Beginning at a point where the center line of Twenty-second Street intersects the center line of Peralta Street ; thence southerly to its intersection with the center line of Center Street ; thence southerly to the charter line of the city; and bounded on the south and on the west by the charter line of the city.
Second Ward-All that part of the city bounded on the north by the charter line; and on the east, southeast and south by lines described as follows : Beginning at a point where the dividing line of Oakland and Brooklyn townships intersects the present charter line, and running thence in a southwesterly direction along said dividing line to its inter- section with the old charter line of the city in the northeast arm of Lake Merritt; thence westerly along said old charter line to a point in the center of the northwest arm of Lake Merritt; thence in a north- westerly direction along the center line of said northwest arm of Lake Merritt to its intersection with the center line of Walnut Street, also known as Twenty-second Street, extended easterly to the center of said northwest arm of Lake Merritt; thence westerly to and along the center line of said street to the center line of Telegraph Avenue; thence north- erly to the center line of Charter Street, also known as Twenty-second Street ; thence westerly along said Charter of Twenty-second Street to the center line of San Pablo Avenue, and thence westerly along the the center line of Twenty-second (22nd) Street and its extension west- wardly to the Charter line of the City of Oakland, and bounded on the west by the Charter line of the City of Oakland.
Third Ward-All that part of the City of Oakland bounded and de- scribed as follows: Beginning at the point of intersection of the center
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line of Twenty-second (22nd) Street with the center line of Peralta Street ; thence easterly along the center line Twenty-second (22nd) Street to the center line of San Pablo Avenue; thence easterly continu- ing along the center line of Twenty-second, also known as Charter Street, to the center line of Telegraph Avenue; thence southerly along the center line of Telegraph Avenue to the center line of Seventeenth (17th) Street; thence westerly along the center line of Seventeenth Street to the center line of Jefferson Street; thence southerly along the center line of Jefferson Street to the center line of Twelfth Street; thence westerly along the center line of Twelfth Street to the center line of Center Street; thence northerly along the center line of Center Street to the Center line of Peralta Street, and thence northerly along the center line of Peralta Street to the beginning.
Fourth Ward-All that part of the City of Oakland bounded on the north by the center line of Twelfth (12th) Street; on the east by the center line of Jefferson Street and its extension southerly to the Charter line of the City of Oakland; on the south by the Charter line of the City of Oakland and on the west by the center line of Center Street and its extension southerly to the Charter line of the City of Oakland.
Fifth Ward-All that part of the City of Oakland bounded on the north by a line described as follows, to-wit: Beginning at the point of intersection of the center line of Telegraph Avenue with the center line of Walnut Street, also known as Twenty-second (22d) Street; thence easterly along the center line of Walnut or Twenty-second Street and its extension eastwardly to the center line of northwest arm of Lake Merritt; thence southerly along the center line of said northwest arm of Lake Merritt to its intersection with the old Charter line of the City of Oakland; thence easterly along said old Charter line to the line dividing Oakland and Brooklyn townships, bounded on the east by the said line dividing Oakland and Brooklyn townships; bounded on the south by the center line of Tenth (10th) Street and its extension east- wardly to the line dividing Oakland and Brooklyn townships, and bounded on the west by a line described as follows: Beginning at the intersection of the center line of Tenth (10th) Street with the center line of Jefferson Street; thence northerly along the center line of Jef- ferson Street to the center line of Seventeenth (17th) Street; thence easterly along the center line of Seventeenth (17th) Street to the cen- ter line of Telegraph Avenue; thence northerly along the center line of
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Telegraph Avenue to the center line of Walnut, or Twenty-second Street.
Sixth Ward-All that part of the city of Oakland bounded on the north by the center line of Tenth Street and its extension eastwardly to the line dividing Oakland and Brooklyn townships; on the east by the line dividing Oakland and Brooklyn townships; on the south by the charter line of the City of Oakland; and on the west by the center line of Jefferson Street and its extension southerly to the charter line of the City of Oakland.
Seventh Ward-All that part of the city of Oakland bounded on the north, on the east and on the South by the Charter line of the City of Oakland, and on the west by the line dividing Oakland and Brooklyn townships.
OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS
The new charter, with amendments adopted January 26, 1895, pro- vided for elections held biennially, in odd years, commencing with 1889. The second Monday in March was the day set for elections. The voters were called upon to elect a mayor, who was ex-officio a Commissioner of Public Works; eleven members of the council; eleven members of the Board of Education; a city treasurer ; an auditor, who was made ex-officio tax collector ; a city attorney; and a city engineer. The two last named were also made ex-officio members of the Board of Public Works.
The terms of office of the councilmen was made to cover a period of two years. Each ward was entitled to a member on this body, and the remaining four were chosen at large. However, no two of the latter could be residents of the same ward. A police judge and two justices of the peace were also provided for. The charter provided for com- pact voting precincts. each of which should have not more than four hundred electors. Seven members of the Council was designated as a quorum, with an affirmative vote of six members necessary to pass any ordinance. The president of the Council could be removed only upon the affirmative vote of not less than nine members. In case of a vacancy in the office of mayor power was given the Council to select a mayor for the unexpired term, but it could not select a member of the Council. The position of city clerk was made appointive, the Council selecting this official.
The charter contained a provision relative to the salaries of city
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officials, as follows : mayor, $3,000; treasurer and tax collector, $3,000; auditor and assessor $3,000; city attorney, $2,400; city clerk, $1,500; chief of police, $2,100; police judge, $2,400; city superintendent of schools, $2,500; chief of fire department, $1,800; city engineer, $600; policemen, $1,200; members of the Board of Public Works, each $2,400; members of the council, each $480. Two policemen might be detailed as captains of police, and two as detectives. Those so detailed were to be paid $300 per year additional to their regular salary as policemen. On June 1, 1893, the Oakland Board of Education, under a state statute, fixed the salary of the superintendent of schools at $3,000 per year.
The charter, in sections 48 to 57, inclusive, attempted to define the city courts and powers thereof ; but our Supreme Court in the case of ex-parte Ah You, 82 Cal., 339, decided that these provisions were void, and that the city courts so established were not legal, but that the general law known as the Whitney Act applied to Oakland.
The government of the city schools was vested in a Board of Educa- tion, consisting of eleven members, or school directors, who received no compensation for their services. They were chosen for two years, one from each of the seven wards and four at large. The charter provided for the maintenance of the public library in conformity with state laws, which provided for a board of five members elected at the same time that other city officials were chosen, in cities of less than 100,000 popu- lation. The police and fire departments were placed under the control of a board of three commissioners. The members of the Board of Public Works were made ex-officio the Board of Commissioners of the Police and Fire Departments. That board was required to meet at least once each week in regular session. A Health Department was created under the management of a Board of Health, consisting of five members appointed for a period of two years by the mayor.
CHAPTER VII
OAKLAND IN THE NINETIES
WONDERFUL CHANGES IN THIRTY-FIVE YEARS-CITY SCHOOLS OF 1895-THE UNIVERSITY AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS- LAND VALUES-PUBLIC PARKS, LAKE MERRITT-HARBOR IMPROVE- MENTS-THE WATER SUPPLY OF 1895-THE LIGHTING SYSTEM- RAILROADS AND STREET CAR SYSTEMS-THE BANKS OF 1895- NEWSPAPERS OF THE DAY-THE LIBRARY AND READING ROOMS- MANUFACTURING-CHURCHES, SOCIETIES AND CLUBS-PASTORS OF THE EARLY NINETIES.
WONDERFUL CHANGES IN THIRTY-FIVE YEARS
Thirty-five years or so have wrought wonderful changes in the cities and towns of Alameda County. It is almost an impossibility for those who have cast their lots with us in recent years to properly visualize these settlements as they existed in the early nineties. Even those of us who have lived here throughout this wonderful growth have some difficulty in turning back the pages of time to picture Oakland and Berkeley and Alameda as they appeared in the middle nineties. Per- haps the newcomer, along with the old-timer, will find something of interest in going back to the period from 1890 to 1895. Perchance the later arrivals will get a better idea of the forward strides accom- plished, and a far better idea of what to look forward to in the next thirty-five or fifty years. Perhaps the pictures here reproduced of street scenes and buildings as they actually existed in 1895 will recall to the pioneer pleasant memories and recollections of by-gone days when present day cities were little more than over-grown villages. May- hap the names and business firms mentioned here will recall to mind incidents and happenings to afford ample reward for once again turn-
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
ing back to the time when the tallest building in Oakland was but five stories above street level.
Oakland's population in 1890 was 55,000, and a conservative and fairly accurate estimate of its size in 1896 was 60,000. That was, in- deed, a figure demanding no apologies from those working for the city's advancement at that time, for in 1870 it had been but 10,500, and but 35.500 in 1880. The taxable property in Oakland in 1895 was $49, 897,649, an increase of over ten million dollars in five years, and of over twenty-one millions since 1880. In 1870 property in the city was assessed at $4,257,294. The city had grown so rapidly that its boun- daries had been enlarged three times since 1854, and by 1895 embraced an area of about fourteen square miles. At this time the question of further extending the boundaries was being considered to include the suburban territory on its northern and eastern sides, which was then built up almost as densely as within the city lines. This was especially true of localities between the city limits and Emeryville, Golden Gate and Temescal on the north, and to Fruitvale on the east. The question of forming a consolidated city and county government to include all of the two townships then partly included in Oakland was an important issue of the day. Those advocating the proposition contended that it would raise the assessment figures to $75,000,000, reduce the costs of government, and greatly increase the population of Oakland. The limit of the city tax for 1895-96 was one dollar on each one hundred dollars valuation.
CITY SCHOOLS OF 1895
By 1895 the school system of Oakland had grown until fourteen school buildings, including the high school, were needed to take care of the 8,698 children attending. A special election held in April, 1892, authorized the issuance of bonds in the sum of four hundred thousand dollars to purchase school sites and erect new buildings. Out of that sum the high school building was erected on the block bounded by Eleventh and Twelfth, and Jefferson and Grove streets, and fully equipped. The remaining two hundred twenty thousand dollars was expended in the erection of several other new buildings and in making other needed improvements. The following list gives the schools of 1895, the number of rooms in each, the number of students attending, and the cost of each :
CHABOT OBSERVATORY.
GARFIELD
SCHOOL
CEOCDE
SWETT SCHOOL, EAST OAKLAND.
LAFAYETTE SCHOOL,. WEST & 18TH STS
D
COLE SCHOOL.
CLAWSON SCHOOL.
OAKLAND HIGH SCHOOL
OAKLAND SCHOOLS OF THE EARLY '90s
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Name of School
No. of Rooms No. of Students
Cost
Clawson.
9
492
$ 30,000
Cole
20
911
45,000
Durant.
20
896
40,000
Franklin
16
650
32,000
Garfield
18
627
40,000
Grant
9
266
30,000
Grove Street.
4
180
3,000
Harrison Street
8
272
36,000
Lafayette
14
818
70,000
Lincoln.
18
914
30,000
Prescott
20
833
30,000
Swett .
9
261
50,000
Tompkins.
12
493
24,000
High School.
48
835.
180,000
Totals.
225
8,498
$640,000
Evening schools
200
Grand total
8,698
J. W. McClymonds was city superintendent of schools in the early nineties, and under him in 1895 were 204 teachers, twenty-eight of whom were employed at the high school. The total cost of the city schools for 1895 was $279,000, of which $112,300 was for salaries. Of that sum $117,000 came from state sources, $65,000 from the county and $97,000 from the city. Primary grade teachers in Oakland were then paid $840 per year; grammar grade teachers $900; while the teachers in the evening schools received $600. Principals of primary schools received $1,200, and those of the larger grammar schools $2,100. High school teachers were paid from $1,050 to $1,500 per annum, according to experience ; and the heads of departments received $1,800. The principal's salary was $2,700. The Oakland schools then possessed the only fully equipped astronomical observatory owned by any public school department in the nation. This was the gift of the late A. Chabot, who gave it to the school department after he had built it and equipped it. It stood in the middle of Jefferson Square, on the block just south of the High School. Its exact geographical position was in latitude 37 degrees, 48 minutes, 5 seconds north; longitude, 122 degrees, 16 minutes, 34.4 seconds west from Greenwich; and three hours, 54.2 seconds west from Washington. The superintendent of
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
schools was director of the observatory, and two astronomers were in charge. Monday evenings were reserved for the school children, and Friday evenings for observatory work. Other evenings, except Sun- days, were given over to the public.
THE UNIVERSITY AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The University of California in 1895 was a growing institution which could boast of upwards of two thousand students. It could be reached from the Oakland city hall in from 20 to 25 minutes, with a choice of either of two electric street car systems, running every five and seven minutes, with a fare of five cents. It had an endowment at that time of about eight million dollars, and an annual income of about three hundred thousand dollars. The seminaries and schools for young ladies included Mills College, the Snell Seminary, the Oakland Seminary, Miss Bisbee's School and Miss Horton's School for both sexes. Then there were the two theological schools-the Pacific Theo- logical Seminary, conducted by the Congregational denomination ; and the California College, maintained by the Baptists. Aydelotte's Busi- ness College, established about 1886, boasted of a fully equipped com- mercial school course. Its home was in the Young Men's Christian Association building, located on the corner of Clay and Twelfth streets. The Oakland Business College, which had moved into the Macdonough Building, was one of the oldest educational institutions in Oakland, and graduates from this school were occupying responsible positions throughout the state. O. J. Willis was principal of this school.
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