USA > California > Marin County > History of Marin County, California also an historical sketch of the state of California > Part 45
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LUMBER .- Altogether there has been a great deal of lumber cut in this township, especially in early days. It was from here that the most of the lumber used in Yerba Buena was procured, and when the new city of San Francisco sprang into existence those forests which were the most accessible were drawn on first for supplies. In 1849 a great amount of timber and piling was cut here and taken across the bay. Captain Leonard Story ran a large bark in that trade during that year, and Captain Charles Lauff and William Hood took a raft of eighty thousand feet over, being the largest raft ever floated on the bay. A man by the name of Maple had the con- tract for delivering the lumber and piles at the Embarcadero, and a large force of men was employed.
SAUCELITO WATER WORKS .- In 1850 Captain W. A. Richardson and his son-in-law, Manuel Torres, established the Saucelito Water Works for the purpose of supplying the city of San Francisco. A tank about thirty feet square and eight feet high was constructed on the beach and the water was conducted to it from springs on the adjacent hillsides, whence it was taken to the city in steam scows. When the demand for water in San Francisco outgrew the capacity of their tank they built another about one hundred yards from the beach which was about sixty feet square and eight feet high, which is still standing. The business was discontinued when water was supplied to the city by the Spring Valley Company.
RECRUITING STATION .- For many years before the tide of immigration set in towards California the Bay of San Francisco was used by whaling vessels, war ships and voyageurs as a recruiting station, not only on account of the safe anchorage found in it, but also because of the remarkably fine fresh water and the easily obtained supply of beef to be procured there. For
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HISTORY OF MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
a number of years Captain Richardson drove a very thriving business in slaughtering cattle and disposing of the beef to these vessels. To stock a. whaling vessel for a season's cruise required no small amount of beef and there were a large number of them in port every Winter, and a very busy scene was presented when the carrying of meat by all the crews of these ships was at its height. It was always looked upon by the seamen as a kind of a holiday season, especially as Christmas was usually spent here, and they comported themselves accordingly. -
OLD GRAVE YARDS .- From time to time as men from the vessels lying at anchor in Richardson's bay died they were taken ashore and interred. At one time several Russian vessels lay in quarantine there with some contagious disease, from which a number of their men died, and they were buried in shallow graves extending from the beach back some distance in a little gulch. Since then the tide has washed many of these bodies up, and exca- vations for lots, and the filling in of others have unearthed many of them, and buried others far deeper, and very soon all traces of them will be lost and forgotten. Some distance south of the site of old Saucelito, on the brow of a hill overlooking the bay, there is an enclosure about. forty feet square containing, perhaps, a dozen graves of seamen, two of whom have headstones which tell their story as follows :-
SACRED -
To the Memory of HENRY MORTIMER, A Seaman of the U. S. SHIP " Vincennes ;" Born in London, England, 1820, who Was drowned in Saucelito bay
August 27, 1850, aged thirty years. This tombstone was erected by his Shipmates, though his body's under Hatches, his soul has gone aloft.
+
In Memory of MAURICE MCGRATH, A native of Queenstown, IRELAND, Who died August 29, 1855, aged eighteen years, By falling from aloft On board H. M. S. Amphitrite. Erected by the Ship's Company.
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SAUCELITO TOWNSHIP.
SAUCELITO LAND AND FERRY COMPANY .- From the time the stores and mill were torn down in old Saucelito in 1853 till the year 1868, there was not much of a town at that place, but during the last named year an enterprise was set on foot which was destined to cause new life to spring into the old wreck of a town, and to draw the attention of people seeking a quiet rural home in a lovely place to it as being just the location they desired. This was the organization of the Saucelito Land and Ferry Company. They purchased about one thousand two hundred acres lying on the south side of Richardson's bay, for which they paid at the rate of four hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre, and divided it into town lots and country seats, laying out broad avenues and streets. The company at once established a ferry line between this place and San Francisco, and put the steamer " Princess " in the trade, and continued to run her till 1875, when they refitted and put on the elegant steamer "Petaluma of Saucelito," which now makes about eight round trips daily, thirty minutes being consumed in crossing the bay. The first building erected in the new town was the " Saucelito " Hotel, and was built by Daniel and Joseph Coster in 1869. This was soon followed by a two-story hotel near the Ferry Land- ing, erected by James Greene. This building was burned in December, 1879. A man by the name of Ford built a store south of the Ferry Land- ing in 1870. New Saucelito is a delightful place for a homestead, command- ing a lovely and most extensive prospect, and having a fine climate, and being near the city, all of which conspire to always make it one of the most desirable locations within reach of San Francisco for country residences.
OFFICIAL AND BUSINESS DIRECTORY .-- The post-office was established at this place December 12, 1870, with John Schnell, postmaster. The present postmaster is B. P. Pearson; Justices of the Peace, C. C. P. Severance and C. G. Dye; constables, Charles Forest and C. DeSilla; and M. C. Hamlin, telegraph operator. The business interests of the town may be catalogued as follows: three hotels, three saloons, one carpenter shop, four stores, one bakery, one meat market, two blacksmith and wagon shops, one shoe shop, one livery stable, one harness shop, and one lumber yard. The machine and car shops of the North Pacific Coast Railroad are also located here.
YACHT CLUB HOUSES .- The Pacific and San Francisco yacht clubs have each a fine building and wharf here; the building and grounds of the former being located south of old Saucelito, and of the latter south of the ferry land- ing. The building of the Pacific club was erected in 1878 and opened July 4th of that year; and is forty-six feet square with a twelve foot porch on three sides of it, and two stories high. The house of the San Francisco club was built in September, 1878, and is seventy by forty-five, and one story high.
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HISTORY OF MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
ANCIENT ORDER UNITED WORKMEN .- Saucelito Lodge No. 20, A. O. U. W., was organized January 26, 1878, with the following charter members: N. C. Hamlin, Geo. J. Hood. M. Mancebo, Geo. W. Crow, James Welch, J. Feutren, V. Guerineau, T. P. Powers, S. Susavilla, Charles Forest, M. S. Jeffries, A. R. Shaw, Thomas Wosser, and J. Machado. Their first officers were: G. J. Hood, P. M. W; N. C. Hamlin, M. W; Chis. Forest, Recorder; V. Guerineau, Receiver; and Thomas Wosser, Financier. Their present officers are: R. J. Brown, P. M. W .; Charles E. Wulferdingen, M. W .; T. P. Powers, Recorder; M. Hannan, Receiver; and George W. Crow, Financier. Their present membership is thirty-six.
NEWSPAPERS .- In May, 1870, the Saucelito Herald, a hebdomadal sheet, sixteen by twenty-two, made its appearance with Thomas P. Woodward as editor and proprietor. It was continued for two or three years, and then gave up the fight. Its successor, under the management of James McCue, has had several titles, such as American Union, Telephone, etc., but none of the enterprises amounted to much, financially, at least. None of these papers were printed in the town of Saucelito, hence it can hardly be prop- erly said there has ever been a paper published in that place.
SMELTING WORKS .- The Saucelito Smelting Works were established in 1878 by Henry H. Eames, for the purpose of reducing and manipulating all classes of ore and quartz. The building is eighty-five by one hundred, and contains an engine, pulverizer, roasting furnace, smelting furnace, amalga- mating pans, concentrators, settlers and all the other appliances necessary to carry on the business. All this machinery is the invention of the pro- prietor, and is especially adapted for the purposes of treating ores. Crude petroleum is used for all heating parposes, even in the smelting furnaces.
MANGANESE MINE .- There is quite an extensive body of manganese in the mountains west of the town of Saucelito, and one mine is being quite extensively worked at present, which yields about fifty tons of the black oxide of the metal annually.
TELEGRAPH .- Telegraphic connection with San Francisco for all those lines on the north-west side of the bay is had through a cable extending from Lime Point to Fort Point, a distance of two and one-half miles. There are thirteen telegraph stations on the North Pacific Coast Railroad.
LIGHT-HOUSE AND FOG-SIREN .- There is a light-house and fog-siren at Point Bonito, but to give an idea of what it was like eight years ago, we append the following pen picture taken from the Saucelito Herald :-
" Point Bonito is said to be situated but a little over three miles from Sau- celito, yet it is doubtful if any of the visitors to that section of the country could be persuaded to vouch for that fact. Like the way to Lime Point, it is a rough one, and if possible worse than the former, and certainly there is
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more of it. A stranger needs the services of a guide. Horses were obtained, and the ride from Saucelito to Point Bonito was made in about an hour and a half. The trail, till the government land was reached, was found rather a rough one, up hill and down, and, in the heat of the sun, not a very pleasant ride. Reaching the government land, there was an obstacle-a gate, and what was more, a gate securely padlocked. Numerous keys were brought into requisition, but none would fit. To tear down the fence was hardly deemed advisable, yet neither was the walk to the point, a good two miles off. Recourse was had to an adjoining farm-house, and here the right key was found, and through the gate, on a comparatively good road, but a short time sufficed to reach the destination in view. On the bluff, just in the rear of the house, stands the old fog-cannon, a sixty-pounder, that in years past was fired every thirty minutes during foggy weather. The gun has been standing in this exposed position for a number of years, and of course is deep in rust, though the carriage appears as sound as ever. Murphy, the keeper, told us that when he first came there, nearly two years since, he found in the cannon a large nest of rats, and killed eight or ten by discharging the contents of a shot-gun in the muzzle. It is but a short walk from here to the light-house, through which we were shown. Everything here is a model of neatness and . order, and this requires no little amount of work, on account of the quan-, tities of oil used around it. This oil is kept in large tanks near the entrance and is drawn off when required. Up one flight of stairs and we find a small room, occupied by the keeper when on watch, and in which are kept all the tools, glasses, etc. Up another flight, and we came on the lamp, which in the sun-light, with its many reflectors, it was impossible to very closely examine. It is a Fresnal light, manufactured in Paris. It consumes five quarts of oil each night during the time lighted, from sunset to sunrise. A small tank overhead, connected by a pipe with the lamp, supplies the oil used each night. The view from the upper part of the light-house, in clear weather, is unsurpassed. San Francisco and the bay fortifications seem but a short distance off. Almost beneath us a number of vessels, ships, schooners, even the smaller fishing craft, passing in and out; the rocky line of coast stretching away to the northward, over which the waves dash with a roaring sound, leaving a line of white foam behind; the heavy breakers on the bar beyond; the Farralones in the distance, altogether present a most pleasing picture, an ample return for the trouble experienced in reaching the spot.
The base of the light-house stands three hundred and six feet above the level of the sea. Directly in the rear of it, and facing on the ocean, is the fog-bell, whose dolesome tones, during foggy weather, are heard for miles and miles around. A sort of clock-like machinery, wound up every six hours when in use, moved by a little fan wheel, works the hammer and strikes the bell at regular intervals. Having exhausted this locality, we start for the place where preparations are far advanced towards the establish-
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HISTORY OF MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
ment of a steam fog-whistle. From the high bluff on which the light-house is situated, there makes out a narrow ridge of rocks and earth for a distance of some three or four hundred feet, known under the name of Land's End. It is upon the extreme of this Land's End that it is proposed to place the fog-whistle, and at an elevation of about two hundred and fifty feet or seventy-five feet above the water. But a faint idea can be given of the work experienced, and the dangers through which the workmen passed in making their way to this terminus. At few places could a foothold be gained on the ridge, and to fall was certain death, as beneath, at the water's edge, there is nothing but a mass of great jagged rocks. Many gangs of men were brought over, when the work was commenced of cutting a pathway, but few were equal to the situation. Commencing at the main land, a narrow path has been cut to the leeward, a slow and perilous under- taking, as but one or two men could work at a time. About half-way, where the rocks take a sharp angular turn, it was found necessary to construct a little bridge. From here the path is cut right in the side of the hill-which is composed of a sort of rotten rock-to the front beyond, where the necessary excavations are about complete, and the building, which will have to be firmly anchored, owing to the exposed position, will be commenced as soon as the boilers are in place. During the cutting of the path quite a number of slides occurred, and consequently there were a number of narrow escapes. It was stated by our guide, Mr. Murphy, that it was confidently expected others would occur as soon as the rains set in, owing to the loose- ness of the overhanging rock. Over this chasm we passed on the width of a single plank, with no support, and only a single rope to hold on to, while away below, over two hundred feet, the waves dashed with fury against the rocks, ensuring certain death to any one should the bridge give way, or he fall from it. All these facts taken together might well create some nervous- ness to the passer-by; certain it is, we breathed freer when across. No little trouble was experienced in finding a suitable place for a landing. In the basin, between the point and the main land, a solid rock making out into deep water was determined upon as the most available. Men were lowered by ropes, and the necessary supports and planking put in, and this part of the work completed, and a small derrick erected. Carpenters are now con- structing a way from the landing to the pathway, where a winch will be put in. The way will be continued from here to the building on the end of the point, and a car made to run upon it. The boilers will be landed at the wharf, probably, during the present month, hauled up the way to the road above, and then by the car to the building, and immediately placed in posi- tion. The carpenter work is under the superintendence of Mr. McDonald,
the laborers under that of Mr. Emerson. In the lawn, near the light- keeper's house, a reservoir is being constructed, to supply the water required by the boilers at the point beyond. It is to be of a capacity of about three
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thousand gallons, to be filled from a spring-well in the ravine below, forced up by wind-mill power. At the present time there are about forty men at work in the various departments. Having seen about all of interest to be seen here, we turned our horses' heads homewards again, and concluding to make the circuit of Lime Point, Mr. Murphy accompanied us, not only as a guide, but as the open sessame of the government gates. After a hard ride over the hills we first came to the " gravelly beach batteries," which, of the Lime Point fortifications, are the furthest advanced toward completion; in fact, little remains to be done here, except place the guns in position. There was no one here to give us any information, but judging from the magazines, seven in number, a like number of guns will be mounted. This battery is situated on the beach, which, at this point, makes into a little cove, and it is probable from its nature the battery gains the name as above. From this point there is a good road, winding up by the fortifications on the hill, and down again, to the headquarters on the beach below. Here we again stopped, took a hasty glance at the work-shops, the quarters of the officers and men."
How changed is everything now! A fine grade road, leading through the Throckmorton ranch, has been constructed, and one can drive leisurely along through the beautiful fields, drinking in the fresh sea breeze and enjoying life to the fullest extent. All the projected improvements spoken of above and far more have been completed long since, and we will try to describe it as it is now. The old fog cannon is still there, much more rust-eaten, and the carriage is getting very rotten, and is half buried in the accumulating sand. The fog bell is gone, as its services were no longer required when the siren was put in operation. The tower on which the light was placed is still standing, but as it has been in disuse for the past three years, it is getting much out of repair. It was a round tower stand- ing high on the cliff, so high, in fact, that it was often enveloped in fog, when there was none on the levels near the water, hence the object of moving the light lower down. The present light-house is located on the western or seaside of the point on the north side of the entrance to the Bay of San Francisco, in latitude thirty-seven degrees, forty-seven minutes, forty-eight seconds north, and longitude one hundred and twenty-two degrees, thirty- one minutes, forty-four seconds west, and is number four hundred and eighty- seven. of the twelfth district. The height of the tower from base to focal plane is twenty-one feet, and the light is one hundred and forty feet above the sea. The first light on the old round tower was erected in 1855, and the new building was constructed in 1877. It is a second order stationary light and can be seen a distance of eighteen nautical miles at sea. The building on which the tower rests is twenty-four by fourteen feet, and the tower extends sixteen feet above the roof, and is twelve feet in diameter. The lamp is a Funk's Hydraulic Float, U. S. L. H., 1873, and has three
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circular wicks, ranging in size from one to three inches in diameter. The lamp, including oil chambers, is seven feet high. the lower chamber holds five gallons of oil, and the upper the same amount, the latter having a reg- ister attached which indicates the amount of oil in it. The average amount of oil consumed each night during the year is one and a half gallons. The reflecting apparatus consists of a series of prisms, arranged so that all rays are thrown on the focal plane, or bull's eye, and there are four series of these prisms, two above and two below the focal plane. Of the upper series, twelve are open and six are closed, and of the lower five are open and six are closed. The bull's eye is nine inches in diameter, and on the opposite side of the light there is a silver-plated reflecting concave, two and one-half feet by two and one-sixth, which throws the light to sea south-west by south. The force here consists of a keeper, Mr. John B. Brown, who has been stationed here eight years, and three assistants. There is telegraphic com- munication to all parts of the premises. There are three rooms in the build- ing beneath the tower, one of which is used for an oil room, a second for storage of necessary articles, and the third for a sitting room.
The siren at this place is the only one on the Pacific coast, all the other fog signals being simply gigantic steam whistles. In this the steam passes through a trumpet six inches in diameter at the small end and thirty at the outer opening, and sixteen and one-half feet long. The steam passes through a disc, with twelve holes in it, situated at the smaller end of the trumpet. This disc is revolved at the rate of two thousand two hundred times a min- ute, being driven by a small engine, and the steam passing through it, while going at this rate of speed is what creates the sound. There is an automatic arrangement which governs the length of the blast, which is of four seconds duration, and at intervals of thirty-five seconds. The boiler is ten feet long, four feet in diameter, and contains forty-two tubes. Everything is in dupli- cate, so that in the event of an accident no delay will occur. The sound emitted is very different from the ordinary steam whistle, and can be heard at a great distance. It truly awakes the echoes as the sound pierces through the fogs in the canyons at the rear of it. The building is twenty by sixty, and is located quite near the light-house, only on a spur of the cliff project- ยท ing towards the south.
SHIPWRECKS .- The steamer "Tennessee," plying between San Francisco and Panama in the freight and passenger business, went ashore on a beach about two and a half miles north of Point Bonito some time during the year 1853. All the passengers were saved, but the vessel was wrecked. Fortu- nately the ship stranded on this beach, for had she struck a few hundred feet either side of the place she did not a soul would have escaped. It was claimed that the officers thought they were going into the heads, at the same time they stated that it was so foggy that they did not know where they
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were, hence it would appear that they were taking their chances on finding the entrance to the bay, and struck the beach instead. A bonus of four thousand dollars was offered for her recovery, but to no avail. All that remains of her now is the shaft, which may be seen at low tide, and, as a souvenir of the event, the canyon opening out from the ocean at that place is still called "Tennessee Valley."
The clipper ship "San Francisco" went ashore on what is known as " Devil's Head " rock, just inside the north head, in 1856. She was a new vessel, and was from Boston, with a cargo of assorted merchandise, and had on board twenty passengers. She was beating through the Golden Gate, and when the attempt was made to tack her she misstayed, and dashed upon the rock with such force that her masts snapped like pipe stems from the shock. All on board succeeded in getting ashore in safety, but the vessel soon went to pieces.
In the month of May, 1857, the sloop "General Story " was upset on the four fathom bar just outside the Heads, known as the " Potato Patch," under the following circumstances. The sloop left San Francisco bound for Bolinas at 7 o'clock in the morning of the ill-fated day, with the following persons on board : Captain Charles Allen, Samuel S. Jones, J. C. Crane, August Moldrop, Mrs. Frances Greenwood (now Mrs. Clayton, of Clatsop county, Oregon), and Mrs. Marcella Wise and her infant child. When they reached the Heads they were met by a terrific gale of wind blowing on shore, which caused the waves to run very high on the bar. The ladies and the child were in the cabin, between which and the hold of the vessel there was no partition, while the men were all on deck. Suddenly the ladies felt the vessel careen to such an extent that they knew she must be capsiz- ing, but before they could escape she was lying keel upwards, and the force of the water had bursted the cabin door and driven them into the forward part of the hold. Fortunately the air, which could not escape, prevented the water from filling up all the space. The child was dashed out of its mother's arms and lost, but Mrs. Greenwood succeeded in grasping one of the cross-ties in the bottom of the hold, and Mrs. Wise had clasped her around the body, and in this manner they managed to keep themselves above the water. As soon as the sloop capsized the men succeeded in getting on her bottom, to which they clung until a fishing smack came to their rescue. The last man rescued stated that he was sure the ladies were still alive as he had just heard them calling for help, and he insisted that some effort should be made to rescue them from their perilous position. Luckily there were two Kanakas in the smack, and they proffered to dive under the vessel and rescue them. Taking a boat hook they passed under the deck and into the hold where the ladies were, and, extending the hook to Mrs. Greenwood, told her to make it fast to her and not be afraid, but let go when they dove again and they would bring her out. She fastened the
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