USA > California > Alameda County > History of Alameda County, California : including its geology, topography, soil, and productions > Part 97
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On the night of September 20th McClure's Military Academy was destroyed by fire, the handsome residence of the Principal being saved only by the most strenuous efforts of the department. During the season 1873, we find that forty vessels were loaded with wheat and six with barley, between July Ist and the end of the year, the quantity of wheat taken being one million five thousand four hundred and twenty-five centals, besides eight-one thousand five hundred and forty-nine centals of barley.
On December 3, 1873, Oakland was treated to quite a respectable fall of snow -- not so heavy, however, as that which occurred on December 31, 1882-and as such meteorological luxuries do not come around very often, Oakland made the most of it. The ground on the lee side of buildings and clear open spaces was covered with the flaky visitant of sufficient depth to enable an industrious person to scrape enough together to form snow-balls, and snow-balling was indulged in by all so long as the material lasted. Youngsters who had never seen so much snow in all their lives, took to the sport as naturally as though they had been born and reared in a snow-bank, and men who remembered the sleigh-rides they used to take "back in the States," became quite gleeful over the old familiar sight, while its presence developed a num- ber of jokes and much pleasantry.
Towards the end of the year a silk manufactory was started under the superin- tendence of John Green, who had two looms at work turning out beautiful ribbons of all colors, but the affair did not take sufficient hold of Oakland's capitalists, therefore it died, notwithstanding Mr. Green carried off the State Agricultural Society's gold medal for his exhibition of home manufactured silk.
1874 .- On June 8, 1874, permission was granted to erect a drinking-fountain on Tenth Street, to the Land and Loan Company; and, on the 29th, the office of City Physician was created; while, on November 9th, an ordinance regulating the hours of keeping open bars, liquor saloons, and all places within the city where spirituous, malt, or fermented liquors or wines are sold in less quantities than one quart, was passed.
In the month of February articles of incorporation of the Oakland Gold and Sil-
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ver Mill and Mining Company were filed, the object of the association being to acquire and work mines in Humboldt County, Nevada. The directors were: A. L. Page, G. A. Miller, W. Graham, B. F. Broiers, I. Ames, E. W. Woodward, and P. Johnson, all of Oakland. Capital stock, four millions of dollars, divided into forty thousand shares of one hundred dollars each. On the 24th February articles of incor- poration of the Oakland Harbor Improvement Company were filed, its object being to dredge and open a ship-channel across the bar at San Antonio Creek, and protect the same by suitable means; to improve and make navigable the waters of said creek and estuary, and to connect by a canal the bay of San Leandro with said creek or estuary, and to construct along the line of and adjacent to said creek and canal, suita- ble wharves and warehouses, for the accommodation of trade and commerce, and to construct across the mouth of San Leandro Bay a suitable dam, with flood-gates suffi- cient to turn the waters of said bay through San Antonio Creek; also to pur- chase and acquire all necessary property, franchises, rights, and privileges for the carrying out of these objects. The principal place of business was declared to be at Oakland; the time of existence fifty years; the capital stock two millions of dollars, divided into one hundred thousand shares of twenty dollars each; the directors, G. W. Bowie, William Graham, F. Chappellet, G. M. Fisher, W. H. Gorill, Elijah Case, Z. Montgomery, E. W. Woodward, John Doherty, R. C. Gaskell, and C. H. Twombly, all of Oakland.
On March 1, 1874, the Plymouth Avenue Congregational Church was dedicated, the trustees for the first term being W. K. Rowell, W. M. Boyd, A. Pratt, W. H. Jor- dan, and W. H. Love; and in the following month the Odd Fellows' Cemetery Asso- ciation was formed, a board of directors of two delegates from each lodge, one from the Encampment, and two at large being elected. On May 12th the Alameda County ·Savings and Loan Society filed their certificate of incorporation with the County Clerk, having a fully guaranteed capital of five hundred thousand dollars, and a list of directors and stockholders embracing fifty of the best citizens in Oakland and the county. On August 1, 1874 the Alameda County Savings and Loan Society opened their bank at No. 969 Broadway, near Tenth Street, the officers being: B. F. Ferris, President; Israel W. Knox, Vice-President; L. W. Kennedy, Secretary; B. F. Ferris, Treasurer; Galen M. Fisher, Cashier; Hon. Zach. Montgomery, Counsel; Theo. A. Mudge, Surveyor; Directors: B. F. Ferris, Henry Durant, Elijah Case, George G· Berry, Zach. Montgomery, Israel W. Knox, John Curry, W. Newcomb, George Tait' Charles H. Twombly, L. W. Kennedy.
1875 .- The first item for the year is on the 23d of January, when the City Coun- cil and Board of Education took official cognizance of the death of Mayor Durant, in the following resolutions :-
Our honored Mayor, DR. HENRY DURANT, has been called away from us by death. We bow down in sorrow under the blow. We are at a loss to express the emotions in us to which this sad event gives rise. There was that in the man which drew forth towards him more than a cold respect, more than perfect confidence in him as a public officer. His qualities made his relations to us seem nearer and warmer than one of mere official position; we felt towards him rather as towards a venerated and beloved father and friend. We knew him to be the very soul of truth and honor; warm in his friendship, wise in his councils, unselfish in all his impulses; having the best interests of our city at heart, even as his own.
He has long stood among us as the foremost promoter of public education in all its branches, a guide and an example to the young.
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His broad charity was such that all, of whatever class or opinion, counted him their friend.
His long residence in this city, dating back almost to its first settlement, and the numerous positions of trust which he has been called to fill, have but deepened the universal confidence and esteem in which he was held; and as we look back upon the many stations of responsibility in which his truly great abilities, as well as his vir- tues, caused him to be placed, we can but wonder at the power for good that went forth from all his life. And now that he has gone from us, we appreciate more fully than ever before the greatness of his worth and services.
In view of these facts, We, the Council of the Board of Education of the city of Oakland, feel impelled to give this just expression, inadequate as it is, to our deep sense of his virtues and to our sorrow at his death; therefore be it-
Resolved, That in the death of Mayor Durant, the honored head of our city government, we mourn the loss · of a wise leader, and a true friend, and that this community and the State at large sustain a great public bereave- ment.
Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with the stricken widow in her loneliness, feeling in our own sorrow how great hers must be who stood in so much nearer relation to the deceased.
Resolved, That the Clerk of the Council be instructed to forward to her a copy of these expressions of our respect and sympathy, that they be spread upon the minutes of both the Council and the Board of Education, and that copies be furnished for publication to the daily papers of Oakland and San Francisco.
It may be remarked that during the funeral of the deceased Mayor, business was entirely suspended, all the public schools closed, and the Council attended the obse- quies in a body.
The next official act performed by the Council in the year 1875, of which we shall take cognizance in this place, was on the 25th October, when the following resolutions were passed, on the demise of George W. Blake, a gentleman who had been prominently identified with the city for many years, and had been some time one of its officials :-
WHEREAS, By the grim fiat of the inexorable foe our friend and predecessor George MI. Blake, who once graced a seat in the Council of this city and by the vigor and force of his intellect materially assisted in the con- duct of its affairs for a term of years with a degree of high honor to himself and universal satisfaction to the peo- ple, but in accordance with a universal law he has yielded to the common fate of man and passed away from earth amid the full luster of his years, his virtues and his usefulness; and
WHEREAS, In his social and personal character he was ever conspicuous as the kind and devoted husband, faithful friend, exemplary citizen and honorable gentleman, associating himself with every benevolent and chari. table enterprise, standing forth prominent among men as Saul stood among the Prophets, as a man whose philan- throphy was co-extensive with the spontaneous emotions of his noble and generous heart, a man who studied diligently in the aggregate the greatest welfare of his own race, and in the detail the greatest comfort of those in his immediate surrounding; who to his friends and such were all with whom he came in contact, never ceased to make himself a source of cheerfulness and joy, imparting to them his magnetic influence, his genial spirit. his grateful pleasantness and warm emotions; therefore be it
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Resolved, That in his departure the City Council and the whole community in which we live have sustained a common loss, at a time too when Oakland can illy afford to part with any of her venerable pioneers who one hy one are receding from our midst and whose places it is most difficult for the survivor to fill.
Resolved, That while conscious of the vanity of human solace in the midst of their profound bereavement, this Council but deem it proper to tender to the surviving wife and relatives of the departed our deep heartfelt sympathies, knowing that He who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb will give them strength, fortitude, and solace in this apparent dark and dismal hour.
2:solved. That the above be placed on the records of this Council and a copy be sent to the bereaved widow with the seal of the city attached.
It may be remarked that the widow of Judge Blake was one of the original educators of the city of Oakland, and had a seminary at the Blake House on Wash- ington Street.
In the month of April, 1875, the corner-stone of the Presbyterian Church was laid, the pastor Rev. Doctor Eells, being assisted in the ceremony by Revs. Messrs. Ham-
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mond, Anthony, McLafferty, Hamilton, and MeLean, while, in the month of October, the Newark Land Association was incorporated, with a capital of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, the Directors being C. Mitchell Grant, J. Cochran, J. Barr Robertson, Stewart Menzies, and D. A. McDonald, and the objects being to purchase, sell, and lease real estate in Alameda County; to lay and maintain streets, roads, and avenues through the same; to ereet hotels and buildings of all kinds; to lay out town sites and to dispose of the lots thereon and generally engage in a real estate business; and, in the same month, the articles of incorporation of the Santa Clara Valley Rail- road Company were filed in the office of the County Clerk of Santa Clara County, the object of this enterprise being to build a railroad from Dumbarton Point, Alameda County, via Alviso to Santa Clara, San José, and Santa Cruz, the following named gentlemen being Directors: H. Bartling, R. D. Coldren, E. L. Derby, San José; N. B. Perrin, San Francisco; John Lowrie, Alameda. Capital stock, one million dollars in ten thousand shares of one hundred dollars each. This road has since been amal- gamated with the South Pacific Coast Railroad.
1876 .- In his message of February 28, 1876, the Mayor remarks :-
" During the official year just closing it has not devolved upon the Council to act upon any important or decisive question of public policy. Your principal labor has been the consideration of the thousands of minor affairs connected with the city government. Mistake or neglect in the discharge of any of these would speedily pro- duce confusion and injury. At the beginning of the year the general condition of our affairs was eminently satisfactory and by your careful attention to duty the Council which will succeed you will labor under no embarrassment of any nature.
" Each department has been managed with economy and ability. All connected with the city government seem to have taken pride in attending to their duties well and thoroughly.
"Our population consists of those who have come here on account of the many opportunities for establishing a profitable business in every department of trade; the mechanic, for whose skilled hands there is a never-failing supply of remunerative employment, and those who have been attracted by our climate, the beauties of the city, and the excellence of our system of free schools, and by the moderate cost of pro- curing comfortable and elegant homes which could only be obtained by the expendi- ture of a fortune in the Metropolis. It is the policy of the city to aid in all proper ways the further development of those influences which have brought Oakland to its present gratifying condition.
" Dropping from sight for a moment the fact that it is the duty of the community to provide ample educational facilities for the young, it ean readily be shown that such a cause is highly profitable, judged from a standpoint of individual interest. If an elegible town site were owned by some one person it would be a profitable investment for him to provide at his own cost the best possible system of public instruction. It is fortunate for us that at an early day there was adopted a policy alike liberal, humane, and profitable. Many thousands have been influenced in favor of Oakland wholly by the fame of our schools; they have purchased land, built houses, and by their business patronage constantly contributed toward the common prosperity.
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
" The low death-rate, the remarkably small degree of mortality among young children; the many things that have aided in the beautifying and adorning of the city have also been potent influences.
"We should be anxious to carry out all measures that will promote the health of the people and to assist in the ornamentation of the city by such legislation as comes within the power of the Council. Reasonable expenditures in that direction will prove to be good investments.
' It was estimated in June last that the population of Oakland was twenty-five thousand, and with all the information attainable I am of the opinion that the calcu- lation is correct. Since that time there has been a continuous increase, so that in all probability a census taken in June 1876 would show a population in excess of thirty thousand persons. A census of the children in the city is taken annually by an appointee of the Board of Education, so that we have partial data for an estimate.
"I regard it as very important that there should be a correct enumeration of our whole population every year. A knowledge of that fact is desirable for several pur- poses. It would be valuable for the Council in legislation; it would be of very great service to the Health Department, and of importance in all cases where it is necessary to pass upon measures affecting the interests of the people as a whole.
"A thorough census can be taken through the Police Department at a nominal cost. Every section of the city patrolled by a regular or a special policeman and the occupants of every house are, or should be, known to some of them. To avoid any interference with their routine duties a month might be allotted as the time in which the enumeration should be taken. The blanks should be prepared by the Health Officer, who should also prepare suitable instructions. The work should be apportioned and the men detailed by the Captain of the Police so that there could be no possible clashing of duties. I believe that a census taken in this manner would possess more than ordinary accuracy and that the only expense attending it would be the cost of stationery and the wages of a clerk for not more than two weeks in a year.
" As ex officio President of the Board of Health, I have attended its sessions, and have been well pleased with the care and attention which the members have given to the discharge of the important duties devolving upon them. The report of the Health Officer is a document of very great value, and is replete with information that is of practical worth. Within the last two years the labor devolving upon that official has vastly increased. The records of the office are becoming somewhat voluminous, the issuance of burial certificates, the recording of births, and the inspection of nuisances demand much time and attention. These services are per- formed without charge to the city, and in a very able and faithful manner. By a careful study of the data collected and arranged by him, it becomes possible to ascer- tain some of the preventable causes of disease and death in our city, and to take suitable precautions. The Health Officer is ex officio City Physician. In that capacity it is his duty to inspect the prison not less than three times per week; have control of the regimen of the prisoners; examine all supplies furnished, and see that they are wholesome and sufficient; and he is the medical attendant of such prisoners as may need his services, for which he is entitled to the usual fee. He reports having
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made one hundred and fifty-three visits last year, so that his compensation has been quite moderate for the various duties performed. It is essential that there should be a medical visitor to a prison as large as this. It might be a salutary check upon officials who were disposed to be cruel, and it is a guarantee that the food of the inmates shall be wholesome and delivered in suitable quantities. Under the dietary table prepared by him, the daily cost of the maintenance of each prisoner is sixteen and one-quarter cents per day. Attention has been given to the cleanliness of the prison, and there seems to be no opportunity for improvement in its management.
"The Captain of Police and the City Physician are equally entitled to credit in this matter.
"A few months ago the small frame building near the mouth of the San Antonio Creek, used as a pest-house, was destroyed by fire. It would be no more than com- mon prudence for the Council to authorize the Board of Health to lease a piece of ground for a term of years, and erect a suitable building which need not cost more than five hundred dollars.
"The city has long been free from the small-pox, but it is well to be prepared so that there will be no delay when action is necessary.
" Needless trouble may be experienced in prosecutions for the abatement of nuisances. It may be necessary to prove, for instance, that certain houses are not connected with the sewers in the adjoining streets. The burden of proof should be changed; it should be presumed in such prosecutions that there is no sewer connec- tion. In hundreds of cases it would be impossible to prove this negative proposition, and it is highly proper to relieve the officers of the law from such an embarrassing position."
In respect to the city wharf and city front, the Mayor continues :-
" The only frontage on the San Antonio Creek owned by the city is upon its northern side, and between the middle line of Franklin Street and the easterly line of Webster Street. A wharf is built upon this property in the form of a hollow square, and bonds to the amount of twenty thousand dollars were issued to provide funds to pay for its construction. It was completed in August, 1873, and the rates of wharf- age and dockage established were expected to more than pay the interest and its run- ning expenses.
" The business has of late increased beyond all contemplation, the receipts for 1875 amounting to seven thousand three hundred and two dollars and ninety-eight cents. During the same time the number of vessels arriving was eight hundred and ninety-three. The principal commodities received were wood, coal, lumber, and brick, all bulky articles which cannot be removed as speedily as landed. In large cities wharves are specially designated for this kind of business. It is indispensable that the area of such a wharf should be greater in proportion to its frontage than a wharf used for the landing of merchandise in boxes and bales, and its revenues can not be as great. Three sloops may occupy as much frontage as a large clipper, and the amount of dockage they would pay would be absolutely insignificant in compari- son with what would be received from the larger vessel during the same length of time. Thus far there have been adequate accommodations; but if the business increases as rapidly during the current year as it did last year, an enlargement will be
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HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
necessary. It is not improbable that before the close of the year there will be such an improvement, for I think that in its present shape it will by that time be worked up to its fullest capacity. This wharf is a source of considerable profit to the city, but that consideration is of minor importance when contrasted with its great utility to the public. It has been managed with prudence and economy. In this connection I would suggest the propriety of appointing a Standing Committee to have general supervision over the wharf and other water-front matters. There is now need of a few simple regulations, for I presume that very nearly two thousand small vessels enter the creek annually. Numerous steamers and other water craft are also laid up, and there should be some authority to regulate the positions they should occupy so as not to interfere with navigation.
"I would also recommend that the ordinance prohibiting the discharge of fire- arms within the limits of the city be so amended as to exempt those portions of the water front and marsh land which are remote from any highway or building, as the ordinance seems to be a needless restraint upon persons desirous of hunting wild game during the winter months."
Consequent on the death of William Hillegass, a much respected pioneer citizen of Oakland, the city authorities under date March 20, 1876, passed the following res- olutions of condolence :-
Resolved, That we, in Council assembled, deeply deplore the sudden demise of our friend William Hille- gass, whose death took place this day, March 20, 1876, at his residence at Berkeley, and have always found in him one of the truest friends of our city, always ready to do his duty fearlessly, and for the past quarter of a century spent his life in doing all that could be done to promote the cause of justice and humanity; kind, affable, and generous to a fault, like the departed J. Ross Browne, takes his flight to the world of peace without one in all the many with whom he became acquainted to say other than: " We mourn our honest friend, most worthy citizen, and most exemplary man."
On June 19, 1875, an ordinance granting to the American District Telegraph Company of Oakland the right to construct and maintain telegraph lines in the city, was passed; while, August 7th, there also became law the ordinance for 'securing the health of the city and regulating the amount of air in eacli room used for lodging purposes.
On June 28th of this year the articles of incorporation of the West Oakland Masonic Hall and Building Association were filed, the Trustees being George W. Drake, Natale Gamboni, Louis Hufschmidt, Gugeishlmo Beretta, Joseph Hollywood, Edward T. Taylor, Henry Hufschmidt, William Wagner, Fred. Gamboni, Fred. T. Houghton, of Oakland, and Andrew Sharboro, of San Francisco; capital stock, fifty thousand dollars.
On August 9, 1876, his pseudo-Majesty Emperor Norton visited Oakland, and issued the following Imperial edict, which, had it been carried out to the letter, would have put an effectual stopper on many matters that have since made many sore- heads :-
WHEREAS, The action of the United States Senate in the Belknap affair proves the total depravity of the present system and Constitution of the United States. being unable to punish crime, now, therefore, WE, NORTON I. DIE GRATIA, EMPEROR, in order to save the nation from utter rain and disgrace, do hereby abolish the entire Washington system, and declare the laws of NORTON I. paramount, for the present.
In the month of August of this year the submarine cable across the the bay,
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putting Oakland and San Francisco in direct telegraph communication, was laid by the Western Union Telegra i Company.
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