USA > California > Alameda County > History of Alameda County, California. Volume I > Part 49
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SUMMARY OF AIRPORT ACTIVITIES AND OTHER UNDERTAKINGS
An outstanding accomplishment of the year on the part of the Oak- land Board of Port Commissioners was the development of the munici-
558
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
pal airport. The 825-acre tract was purchased by the city during the early spring, and work was started upon its improvement in June. About a million dollars was spent in acquiring the site and making improve- ments under the direction of the port commissioners. Colonel Lind- bergh described it as being "one of the finest in the world" upon his notable visit here in September. It was the scene of three of the biggest flying events of the world during 1927, and a more detailed account of the exploits of Maitland, Hegenberger, Smith, Bronte, and the Dole flyers will be found in another chapter.
The year witnessed great progress on the Estuary Subway, as it is called, so that its completion was assured during the summer of 1928. This work was carried on under the bond issue of $4,496,000 approved by the voters of the county on May 8, 1923. The draw-bridges between Oakland and Alameda have always been a source of aggravation to those using them, and the completion of this subway has been looked forward to for months. This subway is the first underwater vehicular tunnel in the world to be constructed entirely of reinforced concrete; and, in point of size for a single tube, is the largest in the world. The subway begins in Oakland in the center of Harrison Street at the south side of Sixth Street. An open retaining wall approach extends southerly along the center of Harrison Street to the Ventilation Build- ing located at the north line of Fourth Street. From the Ventilation Building the subway is entirely covered into Webster Street in Alameda. The total length of the subway is 4,436.5 feet, of which 3,545 is closed. The tube part, which is 2,436.5 feet in length, was built of sections, each 203 feet long, and are 37 feet in diameter, outside measurement. They were cast at Hunter's Point Drydock in San Francisco, towed by tugs for nearly ten miles, and then sunk at the proper places. The complete ventilation system for the tube was being installed at the close of the year.
PROGRESS ON WATER SUPPLY
A great deal was accomplished during the year on the water project of the Eastbay Municipality Utility District, organized by the nine cities of this section of the county. The project as outlined and carried forward to date provides for a high dam on the Mokelumne River near Lancha Plana, about five miles north of Valley Springs, which is the nearest railroad point. The reservoir created by this dam will be of about 230,000 acre feet capacity. It will also serve as a diversion for
CITY HALL, BERKELEY
560
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the waters into a tunnel about two miles long, which will emerge to the southward. Pressure pipes will lead from the tunnel to the foothills across the San Joaquin Valley near Stockton and Brentwood, following the foothills of Mount Diablo south of Antioch and Pittsburg to Bay Point. From there it extends southward to near Walnut Creek, where it enters a spur of the Coast Range, the tunnel here being a half-mile in length. For the next three and one-half miles an aqueduct nine feet in diameter will carry the water to still another tunnel, which is three miles in length, which passes under San Pablo Creek, and from there another tunnel passes through the Coast Range, emerging in Temescal Canyon near the line between Oakland and Berkeley. Construction work began in December, 1925, under the large bond issue approved by the district. Further mention of this great undertaking will be made later on.
Many fine churches and club houses were built or announced dur- ing the year in Oakland. The new $500,000 Women's City Club build- ing was started at Fourteenth and Alice streets. In September ground was broken on the site formerly occupied by the Wild Duck Tea Room at Bellevue and Staten avenues for the half-million dollar building of the Women's Athletic Club of Alameda County. The Rock Ridge clubwomen erected a beautiful home on Keith Avenue. During the year women of Berkeley, inspired by the success of the Oakland Women's City Club, organized with Mrs. Frederick G. Athearn as their leader, and secured financial support to insure the erection of a $335,000 home.
School enrollment in Oakland exceeded the 50,000 mark in 1927. This was double the enrollment of 1917. The year witnessed many improvements under the second large bond issue within a ten-year period. The first one was for $4,975,000 in 1919, which provided for three new high schools, two high school additions, six additions to junior high schools, two remodeled junior high schools, four new ele- mentary schools and eleven additions to elementary schools. The im- provements under the 1919 issue had provided 384 new classrooms, and accommodations for 15,000 additional students. The progress of 1927 was carried out under the 1924 bond issue of $9,600,000. This issue included plans for two new high schools, five new junior high schools, one high school first unit, five high school additions and one junior high school addition, to make room for approximately 12,500 students over the capacity of the former buildings. The 1927 building program has placed Oakland in an enviable position in educational matters. With this
561
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
summary of some of the outstanding features of this twelve-month period, attention will now be given to some of the more important events of the year.
NEWS EVENTS OF THE YEAR
Real estate activity for 1927 was started off with the announcement early in January of the sale of the four-story brick building on the southeast corner of Clay and Thirteenth streets, occupied by the Gil- chrest Furniture Company, to J. L. Abrams, San Francisco capitalist, at a price said to have been in the neighborhood of $250,000. The deal was made through Wachs Brothers. This building has a frontage of 100 feet on Clay and 70 feet on Thirteenth. Other large realty trans- actions during the early days of 1927 included the passing of the Dia- mond Theatre at Fruitvale Avenue and Hopkins Street to the control of the Golden State Theatres, a $300,000 deal. The Bedell Company, of New York City, purchased the store of Reich & Lievre, at 1530 Broad- way; and on February 26 opened their new link in a chain of about twenty stores from coast to coast. Setting a record for business prop- erty, the Bank of Italy bought the Henshaw Building, formerly the MacDonough Building, at the corner of Broadway and Fourteenth, for $1,750,000. The sale was at public auction by the court commis- sioner on the front steps of the courthouse as the final act of fore- closure proceedings. It was the property of the late William G. Hen- shaw. The first announcement of plans for the new million dollar thea- tre on Telegraph Avenue, between Eighteenth and Nineteenth, was also made by the Central Oakland Block, Incorporated in January.
The Alameda County legislative delegation left for Sacramento on January 1 and 2 to be on hand for the opening of the 47th session of the state legislature. The senate members who journeyed to the state capitol were Arthur H. Breed, E. H. Christian, Edgar S. Hurley and Tom C. West. The county's contribution to the assembly included Roy Bishop, Harold C. Cloudman, J. Croter, William P. Jost, Harrison C. Kelsey, M. J. McDonough, Eugene W. Roland and Edward J. Smith. Bishop, from Alameda, and Kelsey, from Berkeley, were making their first appearance in the legislature. The others were veterans of one or more sessions. Senator Breed had been president pro tem of the senate since the administration of Gov. Hiram Johnson.
With the installation of new county officers at the beginning of the year came the retirement from public office of Sheriff Frank Barnet.
36V1
562
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Barnet had served Alameda County as its sheriff for twenty years. He was succeeded by Burton F. Becker, former chief of police of Pied- mont. One of Becker's first announcements was the appointment of Mrs. Pauline Walker as the first woman deputy sheriff to receive a badge as such in Alameda County.
In submitting his annual report for 1926, County Clerk George E. Gross gave some statistics relative to cases filed in the Superior Court. His summary showed the filing of 5,889 civil actions in 1926, compared with 6.078 in 1925. Criminal actions also showed a decrease-382 in 1926 to 406 in 1925. There were 1,961 divorce suits filed during the year, while in 1925 1,866 divorces had been granted.
Lester S. Ready became president of the Key System Transit Com- pany early in January, and with his promotion came the announcement that the company had expended about $4,500,000 in 1926, most of which had been in the Eastbay region. This sum was invested in track con- struction, new mechanical equipment and two new ferry boats. The boats were built by the Moore Drydock Company in West Oakland, at a cost of $849,565 each. This was the only electric railway system in the state which carried out a considerable construction program dur- ing the year.
POLITICAL CHANGES
Several important changes in political offices were made during the early part of January. Ezra W. Decoto, former district attorney of the county, became president of the state railroad commission on Janu- ary 3. Decoto graduated from the state university in 1900. From 1903 to 1906 he was in the county probation office, and then entered the office of the district attorney as a deputy and as prosecuting attorney for Oakland. In 1918 he was named district attorney, and in 1925 was appointed to the state railroad commission. Superior Judge Joseph Koford was appointed by California's new governor, C. C. Young, as presiding justice of Division 2 of the First District Court of Appeal, at San Francisco. Judge Koford graduated from the University of California in 1906, and ten years previous to this last promotion had been appointed a Superior Judge of Alameda County by Governor Stephens. To fill the vacancy caused by Judge Koford's promotion, Governor Young appointed Leon Gray to fill the vacancy on the local bench. Gray was then city attorney of Oakland, and had been a former member of the legislature. Gray was graduated from the state uni-
1927
NADIA3MA
-
DRUGSITT MEST THIS
SHATTUCK AVENUE, BERKELEY
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
keley, with a percentage of 95.76, had the best record of any unit in the state. The full report for all units of the county was as follows:
UNIT
CITY
ATTENDANCE
Hdqs. and Hdqs. Co., 1st Bn., 159th Inf. . Berkeley
95.76
Battery B, 143rd Field Artillery Oakland 79.54
Service Company, 159th Infantry
Oakland 78.85
Hdqs. and Hdqs. Battery, 143rd F. A.
Oakland
74.23
Company A, 159th Infantry
Oakland
68.02
Service Battery, 143rd F. A.
Oakland
67.02
Medical Det., 159th Infantry
Berkeley
66.74
Company F, 159th Infantry
Hayward
66.23
Medical Det., 143rd F. A.
. Oakland
65.86
Hdqs. and Hdqs. Battery and Combat Train,
1st Bn., 143 F. A.
Oakland
61.75
Battery A, 143 F. A.
Oakland
61.35
Hdqs. and Hdqs. Co., 159th Infantry
Oakland
61.04
Company C, 159th Infantry
Oakland
58.65
Company D, 159 Infantry
. Berkeley
48.86
Automobile bus service on Telegraph Avenue was officially inau- gurated by the Key System on February first. Fourteen new busses were placed on the run between Telegraph and Alcatraz avenues and between Tenth Street and Broadway, supplemental to the street car service from 7 o'clock in the morning until 7 o'clock in the evening, ex- cept on Sundays. At the same time express street car service between Berkeley and down-town Oakland on both Telegraph and Shattuck avenues was placed in effect. Under this new schedule, street cars op- erating on Telegraph Avenue made only eight restricted stops between Seventeenth Street and Alcatraz Avenue, cutting approximately nine minutes from the running time.
AIRPORT COMMITTEE APPOINTED
Pres. Charles P. Howard, of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, on February 4 announced the personnel of the important airport com- mittee which soon took its place among the leading units of that com- mercial organization. This committee, since its inception, has per- formed valuable service in placing the Oakland airport among the leading fields of the world, and in this manner giving the Eastbay re- gion world-wide advertising. It early threw its influence toward plac-
BANK
EAST FOURTEENTH STREET, SAN LEANDRO
568
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
ing the field in shape for the famous Dole flight. President Howard's committee was composed of C. Zook Sutton, chairman; Arthur H. Abel, Cliff Adams, Harris Allen, Lieut .- Col. Wayne Allen, Stanley Berry, John D. Bullock, August R. F. Brandes, E. L. Buttner, O. H. Fischer, Ralph Friedl, M. M. Harris, G. B. Hegardt, K. A. Kennedy, J. H. King, E. C. Lyon, Ross McCoy, William H. Mayhew, Morton J. A. McDonald, Joseph L. Mortonsen, L. S. Nagle, Jack Okell, T. R. Polin, S. C. Pohlman, Charles A. Robertson, Norman E. Rotermund, Capt. W. H. Royle, Fred F. T. Watson and W. H. Woerner.
The annual art exhibit held in the Municipal Auditorium in Feb- ruary attracted numerous exhibitors; and, before it was over, a con- siderable number of visitors who might never have taken the time and thought to have viewed the paintings and works of art but for a situa- tion which arose over a couple of the paintings. On February 7 Oak- land club women signed a petition asking for the removal of a picture exhibited by Forrest Brissey, of Oakland, and another by Edward Hagedorn, of San Francisco, and placed the document in the hands of William H. Clapp, director of the gallery. Room 2, which was de- voted to modern art (some of it undoubtedly ultra-modern) was de- clared to be a disgrace to the profession. Director Clapp issued a pub- lished statement in which he declared that "this episode is a manifesta- tion of the almost universal desire to suppress that which we do not understand. If a work of art makes wrong attractive, it may be a bad influence, but I cannot see that either of the two nudes can have any such effect. Apart from their merit as works of art these pictures merely say that ugly women should not remove their clothing. While I had nothing whatever to do with the acceptance of the pictures in question, they were chosen by the most competent jury of modernists that we could select. Therefore, they are artistically good according to the viewpoint of the modernists. On the moral side I do not think that the pictures could harm anyone." On the other hand, there were club women who termed the pictures as "most indecent" and "most dis- gusting."
The jury which had passed upon the pictures consisted of Gottardo Piazzoni, Mme. Galka E. Scheyer, Ray Boynton, Bernard Von Eich- man, Selden C. Gile, William Gaw, Maurice Logan and Phillips Lewis. The first four named were classed as "radicals," while the remaining four were termed the "conservative" members of the body. How- ever, they did not split along those lines in considering the two pictures, "Woman," and "A Nude." The Library Board finally placed their
569
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
fate in the hands of another committee, consisting of Mrs. Minna Mc- Gauley and Mrs. Myrtle Fieberling, both club women, and Claud Gatch, banker. The two club women refused to serve. Gatch visited the audi- torium, looked over the sources of the controversy, and referred the whole matter to the board, without announcing any decision. Mean- while, the crowds came and visited Room 2. Unknown to the visitors, Brissey stood around one day and listened to the comments of the cu- rious. The experiment was not entirely satisfactory, for he took his "Woman" off the wall, posted a letter where it had hung, and an- nounced that "the public is more interested in nudity than in art. Com- ments on the picture proved that the public has not yet grasped the gospel of modern art."
§
The carpenters' strike which had been called in the Bay region on April 1, 1926, came to a close the middle of January. The dispute arose over the question of the American plan. During the period of the dispute more than two hundred carpenters were attacked and at least one man was killed. However, there was but little violence due to the strike on this side of the bay.
The warehouse of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company was visited by a disastrous fire on the 22nd, causing a loss of $30,000. Two days later the exclusive Claremont Country Club house, at Broadway and Clifton Street, was burned. The loss in this fire was estimated at over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Charles A. Waterman, a watchman, was trapped in the fire and burned to death. The Claremont Club is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the bay district.
COMMUNITY CHEST DRIVE
The Community Chest Budget Committee on January 24 set the 1927 budget for Oakland, Piedmont, Emeryville and San Leandro at $604,980. The committee for 1927 consisted of Irving H. Kahn, chair- man; Leroy R. Goodrich, Allen C. Hibbard, Joseph A. Kennedy, Ar- thur W. Moore, B. H. Pendleton, and W. E. Strei. These men, under Robert A. Leet, as general chairman, had devoted several weeks of their time to the consideration of the fifty-one agencies which came within the consideration of the chest budget. They set the drive for February 23 to March 9. When the drive came to an end $532,000 had been
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
raised through the efforts of hundreds of workers. Over fifty-two thousand persons subscribed to this fifth annual fund. The number of pledges and amounts raised during the five annual drives, including that of 1927, are shown by the following table:
YEAR
NO. OF PLEDGES
AMOUNT PLEDGED
1923
35,000
$426,000
1924
42,000
476,000
1925
46,000
501,000
1926
51,000
532,000
The drive in Berkeley for 1927 opened on January 25, with $158,000 set as the goal to take care of nineteen welfare agencies of the city. Robert G. Sproul, comptroller of the University of California, was president of the drive, and Miss Jean Rutherford, managing di- rector. The drive came to a successful conclusion, when the subscrip- tions were announced to total $160,508.
HOLY REDEEMER COLLEGE DEDICATED
With Catholic clergymen from all parts of the United States pres- ent, and a large gathering of laymen from the bay district in atten- dance, Holy Redeemer College was dedicated on January 30 by Arch- bishop Edward J. Hanna, of San Francisco. This institution was the first preparatory school to be established by the Redemptorist Order in the west. The first unit of the college was completed in December, 1926, and is located at 8416 Foothill Boulevard, on a forty-five-acre tract which is a part of the old Herron estate and which was purchased in 1925. The building is of old Mission type of architecture, consisting of three wings built around a patio, one for the faculty, one for the chapel and the third for the students. Its cost was about sixty-five thousand dollars, and it will care for fifty students. It is intended to care for students west of the Rocky Mountains and from the Canadian to the Mexican borders. The order has another school in Pennsyl- vania and one near St. Louis.
NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS DEDICATED
The early part of 1927 witnessed further additions to the fast- growing educational systems of the Eastbay. On January 15 occurred
571
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
the impressive ceremonies of laying the corner-stone of the new $128,000 McChesney School in East Oakland. These exercises were under the auspices of the Glenview Improvement Club, J. W. O'Neill presiding. Addresses were given by Commissioner William J. Moore- head; Fred M. Hunter, superintendent of schools; Mrs. Frank L. Burckhalter and J. F. Chandler, members of the school board; E. A. Vandeventer ; Miss Dora Lages, school principal; Mrs. E. E. Lickiss, president of the Parent-Teacher Association; and Mrs. J. Pickering, president of the Glenview Women's Club. On January 17 the Berkeley Board of Education ordered plans drawn for a new administration building to be erected on the property recently acquired at Durant Avenue and Milvia Street, at a cost of $67,000. They retained James W. Plachek as architect. This new structure was financed out of funds realized from the sale of property owned by the board on Allston Way. The Berkeley board at the same time appointed Miss Clara Andrews as permanent secretary of the board to replace George Mouser, resigned; and H. A. Sawyer, principal of the Esparte High School, was named office manager. On February 11 nearly one thou- sand spectators gathered to witness the Oakland Federation of Parent- Teacher Associations lay the corner-stone of the Sequoia Elementary School at Lincoln and Scenic avenues. Mrs. C. A. Reilly, first vice president of the California Congress of Parent-Teacher Associations delivered the principal address. Others who spoke were Commissioner William J. Moorehead, Mrs. F. L. Burckhalter, J. F. Chandler, and Mrs. H. Ward Campbell, president of the Oakland Parent-Teacher Association. The arrangements for the ceremony were under the direc- tion of G. H. Grimsley, principal. On the following day the corner- stone of the $410,000 Frick Junior High School, Foothill Boulevard and Sixty-fourth Avenue, was laid and ceremonies conducted by the Grand Lodge of Masons of California.
Although not organized for charitable purposes, the Merchants' Exchange fosters one annual event which has endeared it to the hearts of many men and women during its long history. Back in the '90s the men who were enrolled in its membership were prompted to step out of the realm of pursuits solely business, and to devote a day's thoughts to the needs of those less fortunate. They established their annual dinner for the poor and needy. This most worthy act of kindness has been continued each year since; and on January 16, 1927, the thirty- second annual dinner was given at the Overland Restaurant, First and Broadway. Pres. Harry G. Williams announced that over five hundred
572
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
men and women were served. No questions are asked by the worthy men who constitute this body of business men. All who seek admission are freely and gladly invited to be guests at these annual dinners. The only admission card necessary is an empty stomach.
Over seven hundred civic leaders, business executives and city and county officials met at the Hotel Oakland on the evening of February 28 at the call of the Oakland Forum, the Oakland Chamber of Com- merce and the Major Highway and Traffic Committee of One Hundred to hear of the traffic plans then being drawn up by the Major Highway Committee. Miss Annie Florence Brown, president of the Forum, opened the meeting, and then turned it over to Stuart Hawley, chairman of the executive committee of the major highway organization. Har- land Bartholomew, the traffic expert in charge of developing the pro- posed street plans, was the principal speaker. That the adoption of a defi- nite plan for future city development would not only save Oakland millions of dollars, but would benefit property owners through increases in values was the message of the evening. The three outstanding merits of the adoption of such a plan were given to be: First, the plan will correct mistakes made in the past. Second, it will prevent future un- certainty in the development of the city. Third, it will prevent making more mistakes in the future. The plans for the highway committee ori- ginated at a meeting in the Athens Club in June, 1926, when $10,000 were raised in a few minutes. Another similar sum was given by busi- ness men during the following year to carry on the work.
§
The last vestige of the old street car station at Fourteenth and Franklin streets disappeared early in March. Forty years previously this old landmark was a credit to Oakland, although it had originally cost less than four thousand dollars. On its last days it stared up for- lornly at the walls of surrounding skyscrapers where but a short life- time before there had been but a few small structures. The block upon which the old station was situated is now given a value of approximately two million dollars.
Twenty-three new deputy sheriffs, scarcely settled in their new positions under Sheriff Burton F. Becker, were cited to take civil serv- ice examinations under orders of the Civil Service Board on March 1. The sheriff's six confidential deputies and eight other veterans did not
1937
ANNUAL RODEO AT LIVERMORE
AIRPLANE VIEW OF LIVERMORE
574
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
come under the ruling of the board. Those ordered to take the tests announced that they would retain an attorney and fight the order.
The second annual California City Planning Conference was held at the Hotel Oakland on March 4 and 5; several hundred delegates at- tending, including city and county officials, city planners, members of women's clubs, property owners, realty men, architects, builders, busi- ness men, and members of commercial bodies from two hundred Cali- fornia cities and towns. It was held under the joint auspices of the California Real Estate Association and the League of California Muni- cipalities. Harry C. Knight was chairman of the executive committee in charge of arrangements; and Bruce McCollum was chairman of the Oakland reception committee.
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