USA > California > Humboldt County > History of Humboldt County, California : with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, farms, residences, public buildings, factories, hotels, business houses, schools, churches, etc., from original drawings, including biographical sketches > Part 31
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48
Our space will not permit an extended description of this mill and its improved machinery, and we elose with the follow- ing remarks made hy Hon. J. Russ at the dinner on " Open_ ing Day." which shows the honesty of the man and his positive sympathy with all working men, and especially those in his employ. He lays out a well-considered system for both the employer and employes to follow.
"After having made a careful examination of the old mill I concluded that she was hehind the times and too slow for the
age. Therefore I ohtained Mr. Evans to remodel, rebuild, and reconstruct the mill and everything in connection with it. I am well pleased with his work, and we seem to have a model mill in every sense of the word.
"While Mr. Evans was remodeling the mill, I saw that there were many other things of great importance tbat needed re- modeling. I saw that there was no proper place provided for the men to sleep, and that wrong I determined to right. I try always to measure such things as I would have them meas- ured out to me. After working hard all day I want a good room and a good hed to sleep in, and I want every inan that works for me to have just as good a room and just as good a hed to sleep in as I have myself. This feeling has prompted me to have a house erected containing forty bedrooms, fur- nished with good spring heds, hedding and other furniture necessary to make it comfortable and pleasant. Also a read- ing room and all the other comforts possible to provide under the circumstances.
"I also observed in connection with the hoarding-house that the time allowed for meals was much too limited for comfort or health. Therefore I have arranged for the inen to have as much time to eat their meals as I have to eat mine. Your physical and your mental powers are your capital, and I have endeavored by these changes to so protect that capital that you will realize the greatest results possible from investments.
" I have long heen of the opinion that the relation hetween employer and employe should he readjusted in many respects. At present it seems to he the sole aim of employers to obtaiu the greatest amount of work at the least possihle cost, while those employed too often take no further interest in their work than to put in his allotted hours, with that characteristic slowness of those whose sole interest is bis hire. I am con- vinced that lahor adjusted on this hasis has a constant and al- most inevitable tendency to engender and precipitate the strikes and other harsh and desperate remedies for supposed and actual grievances. The remedy for this is a community of interest between employer and employe. I do not mean hy this co- operation as used in its popular sense. I regard that as im- practicable, unless in exceptional lines of industry, hut I mean such a common interest as will make those in prosperity a eommon henefit. There must he capital and there must he lahor. Without capital, lahor is useless, and without lahor the greatest capitalist is but a helpless man at most. So cap- ital should cherish labor because it is its hands and feet, its eyes and ears, and the strong arm of labor should always he ready to defend capital, for without it lahor is hut a hody with- out hreath in its lungs or blood in its veins.
"And in conclusion may I not express the hope that this step in the right direction may he followed up until it is the rule and not the exception, and until the path here marked ont hecomes a hroad highway along which capital and lahor, hand in hand, shall move around in peace and prosperity."
.
The Lumber Business of D. R. Jones & Co.
IN Eurcka, in 1860, David R. Jones, in company with Mr. John Kentfield, of San Francisco, under the firm name of D. R. Jones & Co., purchased a small saw-mill in Eu- reka from Mr. S. L. Mastick, known in those days as the "Smiley" mill. It was what is called a " sash " mill, having a sash saw as the principal saw, and by which the logs were sawed into boards and then placed on a small edger to be edged and ripped into boards of the required dimensions. The cut- ting capacity of this mill was then about 3,000 feet per day of twelve hours, cutting only spruce and pine lumher. Shortly after they improved the mill, putting in the first circular saw on the bay for sawing cants; also a Hawkins' patent log car- riage. These improvements increased the cutting capacity to about 25,000 fect per day.
HUMBOLDT REDWOOD INTRODUCED.
In 1861 they sawed and shipped on the schooner Dashaway the first full cargo of redwood lumber that had been ship- ped from Humboldt Bay. Previous to this, the redwood in Humboldt County was considered to be of uo value, and nufit for any purpose, but now is considered the best on the coast.
The demand for it is increasing steadily every year. During the last few years there has been from 40,000,000 to 60,000,000 feet shipped from the bay annually. A great deal of it is now being shipped to such ports as foreign as Mexico, South Amer- ica, Sandwich Islands, Australia and other places, the demand increasing steadily as the people learn the many advantages of the redwood. New York and other. eastern citics are also beginning to use redwood lumber and redwood sbingles.
MILL ON INDIAN ISLAND.
In 1866, Mr. Joues and Mr. Kentfield took Captain H. H Buhne as a third partner, the firm name remaining the same, and built the large donble mill on Indian Island, about a balf mile from Eureka, the cutting capacity of which is about 90,000 feet per day. The supply of logs for the mills was then obtained from the forests along the edges of the bay and the small streams emptying into it. But after several years the timber along the edges of the bay and the small streams becoming exhausted, they found it would hecome necessary to go further back for their supply of logs, and to provide some means of transporting them to the bay.
SOUTH BAY R. R. AND LAND CO.
In 1875 tbey, in company with two other gentleman incor- porated the South Bay Railroad and Land Company, and built the South Bay Railroad from the bay up Salmon Creek, D. R. Jones & Co. holdiug half the stock. This was the first steam railroad introduced in the county. The rolling stock consisted of one large Baldwiu locomotive and several ears. In 1878, the old sash inill being pretty well worn out, it was found nec- essary either to make very extensive repairs on it or build a new mill. They finally decided to build a new mill, so the old one was torn down and a fine new one was built on the same site, having all the latest improvements and saw-mill machin- ery, and a cutting capacity of 50,000 feet of lumber per day.
HUMBOLDT LOGGING RAILWAY CO.
In 1880, all their timber on Salmon Creek became exhausted, and they moved the South Bay Railroad to Fresh Water Creek changing the name also to the Humboldt Logging Railway Company, but the stockholders remained the same. In the early part of this spring (1882), D. R. Jones & Co. bought the entire stock of the company, making them the sole owners of the road, and they immediately set to work to extend the road and increase the capacity. The road is now about seven miles long, and the rolling stock consists of two large locomotives and twenty-eigbt cars.
IMMENSE LUMBER OPERATIONS.
They expect to haul this year (1882), about 20,000,000 to 25,000,000 feet of logs.
In oue year D. R. Jones & Co. sawed and sbipped to San Francisco and various foreign markets 20,000,000 feet of red- wood lumber and sbingles, valued at over a quarter of a million dollars. During the year they will employ about 250 men in the various branches of their business. Besides the two large saw-mills and the railroad they own about 11,000 acres of timber land, the tug-boat Lillie Jones, employed in towing rafts, vessels, ete., on the bay, and the controlling intereste in several fine sailing vessels, employed principally in the coasting trade. Among the several vessels which they bave built and own is the barkentine Eureka, one of the finest vessels on tbe coast; she is now in the trade between San Francisco and. Honolulu. At present they are building a fine, large three masted schooner at their mill on Indian Island.
BIOGRAPHY OF DAVID R. JONES.
DAVID R. JONES.
David R. Jones was born May 31, 1820, in Montgomery- shire, North Wales. He was one of five children, two girls and three boys. His younger brother died when about ten years old, and soon after his inother also died. The family circle being broken, home was no more "what it used to be." Some time after his mother's death his father married his sec- ond wife. At tho ago of nineteen Mr. Jones started for Amer- ica, on thic bark Caledonian, arriving in New York, where he met his eldest sister, who had arrived there some time before. Here he engaged with a Mr. McCormick, to learn the carpen- ter trade, and for whom he worked ahout seven years.
In 1847 lic started from New York for New Orleans, going through Albany, Utica, Buffalo, Pittsburg, Cincinnati and sev- erul other principal cities, at some of which he remained a short time, but finally arrived at New Orleans, where, during tlre great cholera plaguc, he also contracted the disease, and for some time his life was despaired of, hut after a while he began to recover and was advised to take a sea trip to repair his broken health. In the hope of fully regaining his health, he embarked on a sailing vessel for New York, where his sis- ter was living, besides a great many friends.
During the voyage they encountered a succession of heavy storms, and wlicn the vessel was about a month overdue and not appearing, she was given up for lost with all on board, and Mr. Jones' funeral sermon was preached in New York, in the church of which he was a regular attendant during his resi- dence there. After being out forty-eight days on the passage, the vessel, with all on hoard, arrived in New York on a Sun- day, and Mr. Jones surprised his sister and friends by walking into church just as the services hegun, where his funeral sermon had been preached the week previous.
Remaining in New York a short while, and having fully recovered his health, he again went to New Orleans, where he remained until the winter af 1849.
D. R. JONES ARRIVES IN SAN FRANCISCO.
He, like many others, hearing of the gold excitement in Cal- ifornia, determined to seek his fortune there also. He took passage at New Orleans on the steamer Ohio for Chagres, and there weut by boat some distance up the Chagres River, and tben ou foot traveled the halance of the way across the isth- mus to Panama, wbere he expected to take the steamer which was ahout to sail for San Francisco. But the steamer having all the passengers she could carry, he had to wait in Panama about three weeks, when a small brig was chartered to take a large uumber of passengers that were waiting for an oppor- tunity to get to California. Taking passage on the little hrig, he arrived in March, IS50, in San Francisco, after a pleasant voyage of ahout forty-five days. When he arrived there he engaged as a carpenter, at $16.00 per day, to help huild a steamer that was to run between San Francisco and Sacramento.
VISIT TO THE KLAMATH MINES.
After working a while at his trade, he, like many others, got the gold fever; and a few days after the great fire in San Francisco, of May, 1850, hy which nearly the whole city was destroyed, he started on the schooner Laura Virginia for Humboldt Bay, which had just been discovered, bound for the Klamath mines; but when a few miles outside of the Golden Gate, and during the night, the vessel struck on Dnxberry Reef, where she laid hard and fast on the rocks until the next morning, floating off at high tide. Leaking very hadly, the Captain decided to return to San Francisco for repairs. After some hard work at the pumps to keep the vessel free, they succeeded in getting back to San Francisco.
He started again for Humholdt Bay on the brig Reindeer Captain Batchelder; and after a very rough trip they arrived ahout the first of June, 1850, in the bay, and landed at what was then known as Humholdt City, situated at the Humboldt Point, opposite the entrance to the hay. This city is now al- most entirely destroyed, only one house remaining, which is still owned hy Capt. H. H. Buhne, the discoverer of Hum- holdt Bay. At this time there were no houses where Eureka now stan ds. Mr. Jones celebrated the Fourth of July, 1850 on the spot where the city of Eureka now stands.
Shortly after he started for the Klamath mines, where he remained only a few months, as the Indians were very trouble- some. Having several fights with the Indians, he became disgusted, and with his little bag of gold, which he dug while there, returned hy way of Humholdt Bay to San Fran- cisco, arriving there in the fall of the same year.
CHURCHES OF SAN FRANCISCO IN 1851.
He again resumed his trade -- house-building and contracting. Early in the year 1851, he huilt himself a small residence in the city, which was destroyed hy the great fire of May 4, 1851. During the same year, among other buildings, he built the First Presbyterian Church, on Stockton Street, between Jackson and Pacific, and the Welsh Presbyterian Church on Vallejo Street, hetween Kearny and Dupont.
In 1852 he married Miss Ann Williams, who afterwards died in Eureka, in 1875, and hy whom he had five children three girls and two hoys, all of whom are still living. In 1881 the eldest daughter, May Jane, married Mr. Z. U. Dodge, of San Francisco.
Mr. Jones continued to work at his trade until 1853, when he, in company with others, purchased a small saw-mill for $30,000, in San Mateo County, which they run until 1858, when the mill was totally destroyed hy fire; hut notwithstanding the misfortune, they immediately rebuilt the mill and continued to run it until 1860, when Mr. Jones sold out and returned to Eureka, Humholdt Bay, where he still lives, and is identified with most of the principal enterprises of the city.
He is one of the founders of the Humboldt County Bank, and for several years has heen one of its Directors.
145
MANUFACTURING INTEREST OF HUMBOLDT.
Manufacturing Business of the County.
HUMBOLDT is quite a manufacturing community. Besides the manufacture of lumber there are several other industries. The Standard says: "Ship-building is becoming one of the important industries, During the year one steamer and several schooners have been launched from the ways into the waters of the harbors, and several others are now on the stocks in pro- eess of construction, while others are contemplated."
There are five ship- yards in the vicinity of Eureka. Oregon pine, as it is called, is very valuable for ship-building, preferred indeed, lo the article found in higher latitudes. The material is here in abudanee, such as long timber, saw-mills, lumber etc., for conducting this business extensively.
H. D. Bendixon, whose yard is near the Government light- house, has built more vessels than any man in the county.
FIRST STEAMER CONSTRUCTED.
The first steamer over built on Humboldt Bay was by Messrs. Allen & Co., in 1854, and named the Glide, and was built for the Eureka and Arcata trade. " Fare, one dollar each way until July 7th, when it will be two dollars."
Including vessels nearly completed there have been con- structed in Humholdt Bay seventy-nine vessels, as follows: sixty-three schooners, three steru-wheel steamers, two propel- lers, three barkentines, two brigs, one scow and one tug.
THIE SCHOONER JOSEPHI RUSS.
The schooner Joseph Russ was launched from Cousin's ship-yard in July, 1881, The eraft is a three-master, with a capacity of carrying 375,000 feet of lumber. The dimensions are 122 feot keel, ten feet depth of hold and 31 feet beam. The cost of construction was $22,000. She was loaded with some 376,000 feet of redwood lumber and sailed for San Diego. This is one of the largest sized vessels going out of the harbor of Humboldt Bay, and is the pride of her builders and owuer.
The Enterprise, who witnessed the launching says :-
" We noticed the pleasant countenance of Hon. Joseph Russ, after whom the vessel was named, standing upon the forecastle deek looking as calm and composed as a sea-faring man of sixty. During this time the workmen were busily engaged in knocking the wedges from under her, when suddenly and without a moment's warning the vessel gave a slight shock, then began to move slowly and beautifully down into the water amid the cheers of the admiring crowd. As she made her first movement, Mr. Russ stepped to the bow and per- formed the usual ceremony of 'breaking the bottle.'
"The Joseph Russ has been about six months in the course of construction and continnally under the supervision of Mr. Cousins the well-known ship builder. The Joseph Russ is cer- tainly a model of beauty in the ship-building line, having all the features that could be combined to form beauty and dur- ability."
JOHN VANCE'S BARKENTINE
Charles Murry launched the largest vessel of the kind ever built in California. She was built for John Vance Esq, and was launched iu December, 1881. The Times tous describes the vessel and its launching.
" As the time for high tide approached, the vessel was wedged up and finally the last block was knocked from under, and the barkentine slowly started for the water. With every instant the speed accelerated and she dipped into the water with a splash and then floated out into the bay. The voices of the people on shore and on board joined iu an uproarious clicer to the successful lanuch.
" Miss Maggie Graham dashed a bottle of champagne over the bows and christened her Uncle John.
"The vessel is owned by Mr. John Vauee and the name given her is a sobriquet by which Mr. Vance is known amoug his mauy employes and others, as well. The Uncle John was built by Mr. Murry, a veteran ship-builder. Captam Manson will be the commamler. The dimensions are: Length, over all, 150 feet; breadth of beam, thirty-four feet and depth of hold ten and a half feet. The registere I tonuage is 334 tons and the capacity 430,000 feet of lumber. She is a beautiful craft, the prettiest ever launched in Humboldt waters. She is a staunch vessel, and will be a ser viecable ship, being constructed of timber from Mr. Vance's owu land, and selected by him and mostly sawed at his mills.
FLOURING MILLS.
The first flouring mill was creeted in September 1854, on a tributary of the Van Dusen fork, by Messrs. Corwine, Burtow and Price. The mill was swept away by high water in Sep- tember 1856.
The Humboldt Flouring Mill, owned by William R. Duff, was completed in September 1854, at Eureka, and began turn- ing ont fifty barrels of flour per day.
J. A. Kleiser established a Hlouring mill in Hoopa Valley in 1855.
There are four flouring mills in the county, each with only two run of stone. They do a good deal of custom work, and in 1880 turned out about 3,000 barrels of flour.
WILLOW-WARE FACTORY.
There exists a thrifty and rapidly-expan ling business of willow-ware manufacture by the Gean Irot Brothers. No bet- ter article than they make in this department of skilled labor can be found in the State, and its realy sale in local and San Francisco markets is only limited by their ability to supply them. Their wares are made from a variety of willow im- ported expressly for their special use, of which they have many acres in cultivation, and of as perfect growth of twig as can be found in any of tbe fine nurseries of the southern por- tion of Enrope.
140
THE VARIOUS MANUFACTURING INTERESTS.
LEATHER AND TANNERIES.
Mr. Thomas Devlin has a tannery at Arcata where a good article of leather is manufactured, hut on a small scale, and one totally ineommensurate with the facilities at hand. He uses about 100 tons of hark a year. He supplies the local dealers with a considerable portion of their stoek. Mr. Devlin deserves great eredit for his energy and enterprise in starting and developing this business, thus demonstrating that it can he suecessfully carried on and hecome a large husiness. There is no earthly reason why one of the largest and most sueeessful tanneries in the country should not he in operation at Areata and other points, unless the timidity of capital and the failure of its possessors to appreciate great advantages may be as- signed for reasons. There are only two tanneries in operation in the county. The one at Eureka uses ahout twenty tons of bark per year.
CANNING OF SALMON.
There are four canneries on Eel River, where are annually put up large quantities of salmon in cans. Cutting & Co. have the largest establishment with a capacity of 200 eases per day. In 1880 the number of cases put up amounted to 3,000. They employ sixty hands, mostly Chinamen.
Messrs. Swett & Adams do quite an extensive business in salting and smoking salmon. Their cooper-shops and salting and smoking building is 100x30 feet with a warehouse attached 60x30. They make their own harrels, employing during the season from twelve to eighteen men-white labor ex- clusively-paying their hands from thirty to thirty-five dol- lars per month. They have thirty-three large tanks with a capacity of salting 700 barrels.
As soon as the "run of fish" commences the news travels round, and in a day or two the non-quiet river hanks are lined with men and dotted with tents and hrush and elaphoard shanties. Two or three hundred men find employment during the season.
SEAL AND SHARK FISHERIES.
In 1878 Captain Stephen Smith carried on the business of scal fishing near Cape Mendocino, quite extensively. The taking of these animals is confined to the shelves and henehes on the seaward side of Cape Roek. The henehes fall in sue- eession to the water, on which is the grand parade ground of the sea-lions. The oil averages to the producer ahout fifty cents to the gallon. From ten to thirty gallons are obtained from a single fish. The bulls weigh from 1,000 to 3,000 pounds. The eows from 500 to 1,000 pounds. The roeks upon which the seals display themselves are covered with hair from their shed- ding coats. The operation of taking sea-lions and rendering the oil is not only laborious hut is attended with mueh expos- ure and danger.
The fisheries of Humboldt County are assuming greater proportions each year. Salmon swarm in all our streams with
the first winter rains. Large amounts of salmon are shipped fresh to San Francisco, as well as halihut and flounders.
VARIOUS MANUFACTORIES.
The Lineoln Mills were lately established. Mouldings and doors are mado at the mill and shipped to Australia, via steamer to San Francisco and sailing vessels across the ocean. On every trip the steamer Humboldt carries away large quantities of the manufactures from this inill. The mouldiug is made from refuse lumher, obtained with little expense from the lum- her mills in the county. Tho Lineoln mill shipped,iu 1881, to Aus- tralia, via San Francisco, 1,033,417 feet of mouldings and 4,029 doors, manufactured from redwood lumber. Ahout 200,000 feet of moulding and a large number of doors made hy this mill have heen used in this county.
The manufacture of furniture has grown to he quite an im- portant industry. This company had to huild furniture ware- rooms, dry-house, steam chest, huy necessary wood for manu- facture, and work tho same up into furniture, and yet with four hands at work the firm has made eash sales, during the six months mentioned, to the sum of nearly $5,000, hesides have several thousand dollars' worth of goods on hand.
The moulding business and ornamental house finish enter as large items in their trade.
Mr. J. P. McKenna, the Manager and Superintendent of the Humboldt Pork Paeking Company, furnishes the following statement of the business done at that company's works from January 1, 1880 to January 1, 1881. Number of hogs killed, 2,416. They shipped the following: 138 harrels lard, 143 kegs pigs feet, 26 kegs pigs tongue, 296 harrels pickled pork, 227 casey hacon, 62 eases hams, 5 cases shoulders; amounting to 225,175 pounds. The ahove is intended to show the amount shipped from the county. It is safe to say that this institution has handled and sold over 400,000 pounds of pork.
The manufacture of tan-hark is likely to prove a large busi- ness. Ahout five years ago some attention hegan to be given to this husiness. John M. Sass huilt a hark mill on his place, on Kneeland Prairie, and engaged in the husiness of cutting, grinding and shipping. The chestnut oak is considered the hest for tan-hark. It grows in quite large forests in this county. It is estimated that there are from fifteen to twenty thousand aeres and the localities in the neighborhood of Trini- dad and Upper Eel River, the Mattole region and Kneeland Prairie. The tan-bark made on the Pacific Coast is considered the hest in the United States, as a hetter quality of leather ean he made from it. There are ahout 28,000 eords of tan-hark used in California each year, of which amount San Francisco requires 16,000 eords.
There are several breweries which manufactured some 25,000 gallons of heer in 1880, and the usual number of small manu- faeturers, of which we have no reports.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.