USA > California > Los Angeles County > Pasadena > History of Pasadena, comprising an account of the native Indian, the early Spanish, the Mexican, the American, the colony, and the incorporated city, occupancies of the Rancho San Pasqual, and its adjacent mountains, canyons, waterfalls and other objects of interest: being a complete and comprehensive histo-cyclopedia of all matters pertaining to this region > Part 56
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2. He is the inventor of the Compression System of artificially
DIVISION SIX - BUSINESS. . 451
manufacturing ice-a system which has completely revolutionized the distri- bution of food supplies throughout the world. He was the first to demon- strate how fruits and meats could be preserved fresh and transported any distance ; and all the present methods employed in the manufacture of ice, or artificial refrigeration, are but modifications of his patents, which origin- ally covered the whole of the ground now occupied by these industries.
3. His invention of water gas for illumination, and the methods he employed for its manufacture and distribution, etc., have made his name familiar as household words, throughout the scientific world, for the "Lowe process and machinery" are in use in almost every city of any size in the United States.
4. His crowning achievement has been the originating, designing and building of the first electric mountain railway in the world. This last and greatest success marks an epoch in mountain railway building, for no com- pany will ever be found foolish and improvident enough to go back to the old cumbersome, annoying and expensive method of a cog-wheeled locomo- tive engine climbing slowly and wearily up a toothed rail, blowing smoke, dust, ashes and grease fumes into the faces of passengers, when by the Lowe method of applying electricity and the cable, ease, comfort, safety and inexpensiveness are insured.
RUBIO FARM.
The Mount Lowe Railway Company owns a 300-acre farm which it works as an adjunct to its hotels at Rubio Pavilion and on Echo Mountain. With its own cows it supplies all the fresh milk, cream and butter required ; its poultry yards will supply all the eggs and chickens, etc .; whilst its orchards will give an abundant supply in season of oranges, pomegranates, figs, lemons, guavas, loquats, peaches, apricots, cherries, persimmons, apples, pears, plums, strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries, etc. In the vineyard are table grapes of every variety, from the seedless sultana to the muscat, black Hamburg and rose of Peru. Tomatoes, peas,, cucumbers, and all other table vegetables will be constantly growing and will deck the table at all seasons of the year .- Mount Lowe Echo.
GREAT INCLINE BRIDGE.
"This bridge, if placed on the level ground, would be one hundred feet higher at one end than the other ; elsewhere, a pefect monstrosity in appearance; here, appropriate to the road upon which we are climbing. It receives its name of "Macpherson Trestle " from D. J. Macpherson, Prof. Lowe's engineer, and is a worthy tribute to his skill and practical ability. It was planned and drawn by Mr. Macpherson, and the onerous and important work of building it was successfully executed by Messrs. Carson & Son of Pasadena. Mr. Carson is a relative of the celebrated government scout, Kit Carson, whose monument at Santa Fe, N. M., is a worthy tribute to his valuable services to the United States government .- Prof. G. Wharton James.
GOV. MARKHAM'S BEAR STORY.
Among local points named in the Mount Lowe literature is one called "Grizzly point," the same that was flagged as Giddings peak, and a burro trail made to it from Millard canyon, in 1887. But the name Grizzly point comes from an adventure of five members of the " Pasadena Rifle team" in
452
HISTORY OF PASADENA.
1882, viz : David Townsend, H. H. Markham, Chas. H. Watts, E. G. Halleck and Frank H. Heald. At Pasadena's great celebration of the Mount Lowe railroad to Echo mountain, Gov. Markham told the story thus:
" In the spring of 1882, a small party of the bravest bear hunters in Pasadena ( I was one of them) followed a grizzly bear from the base of the mountains right up over much of the ground where Professor Lowe's trails now lead from Echo mountain to Mount Lowe. We followed him clean over the ridge and down into the deep canyon on the other side. We were cautious hunters, and did not press the bear too closely ; but away along in the afternoon he concluded to come back. As soon as we dis- covered this, we wanted to come back too; and we started on ahead of him on a run. In fact, we were not able to go half as fast as we thought we ought to ; and when we reached Echo Mountain we would have mortgaged all our earthly possessions for a trip down that Incline-indeed, I believe we were all sufficiently frightened to have begged the conductor to cut the cable and let the whole business slide, regardless of consequences. I tell you, this Incline will be a great comfort to bear hunters-of our make- up. . (Great laughter.) "
ELECTRIC POWER GENERATORS.
The Mount Lowe Echo gave the following particulars :
" There are several power generators on the system-one of 150 horse- power capacity at Altadena Junction, one of 50 horse-power at Cabrillo Heights, one of 150 horse-power, two of 50 horse-power and one of 30 horse- power capacity at Rubio Pavilion, one of 75 horse-power and one of 35 horse-power on Echo mountain .* The generator at Altadena is operated by two 60 horse-power Otto gas engines ; that at Cabrillo Heights by a Pelton water wheel, which receives its impulsion by the flow of water from the Rubio Pavilion reservoir. This is filled by the flow from Echo mountain, 1400 feet above, which first operates the 150 horse-power generator of Rubio Pavilion, ere it goes on its further career of usefulness to Cabrillo Heights. The three small generators of Rubio Pavilion are all worked by water power through Pelton wheels, which is piped from Mirror lake in Rubio canyon. The motor of the Great Cable Incline is so arranged as to receive its power from either the gas engines at Altadena or the water wheel at Rubio Pavilion."
In August, 1895, the upper trolley section from Echo mountain, four miles up to Crystal springs and the Alpine Club house, was opened for travel. This piece of road startles and amazes and charms the traveler with the as- tounding audacity of its engineering feats, and the consummate grandeur of scenic prospect revealed at each exploiture of salient recurves. [See " Alpine Falls," "Chapman's Glen," etc., page 385.]
*A later account says these engines are fired with gas piped up from Prof. Lowe's Pasadena city gas works, from which source also the Echo Mountain house is completely furnished with gas burners as well as electric lights.
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DIVISION SIX - BUSINESS.
453
Mount Vesuvius
Great Circular bridge, with car on it
Upper or third lap of Alpine trolly line, going north
Mission Hills
San Gabriel Valley
Echo Mountain House
Los Flores Canyon
First or lower lap of the Alpine trolly line, going north- west
Giddings Trail Canyon
Second lap of Alpine trolly line, going southeast
VIEW ON ALPINE DIVISION OF THE MOUNT LOWE ELECTRIC RAILWAY. Photo in August, 1895.
ALTITUDES.
Above Sea Level.
Los Angeles, at Terminal depot, First street
270
Pasadena
850
Altadena Junction
1,550
Rubio Pavilion
2,200
Grand Rotunda platform at Thalehaha Falls
2,800
Echo Mountain House
3,500
Crystal Springs .. 5,000
Summit of Mount Lowe.
6,100
Summit of Observatory Peak [San Gabriel Peak] .6,723
Mount Wilson, at "Harvard Telescope point " (Prof. Picker- ing's measurement) 5,565
Henniger's flat. 2,200
454
HISTORY OF PASADENA.
The grade of the Great Incline is at first sixty per cent., then sixty- two, then fifty-eight, then forty-eight per cent. It is practically a hotel ele- vator out of doors, and is the longest and highest one in the world.
During the first year that it was open this mountain railroad reported nearly 60,000 passengers carried between Altadena and Rubio Pavilion.
THE OBSERVATORY.
From the annual holiday number of the Pasadena Star, 1894-95, I quote this :
"The Mount Lowe observatory is in charge of Dr. Lewis Swift, late of the Warner Observatory at Rochester, N. Y., who is ably seconded in his astronomical work by his son Edward. Dr. Swift is the great comet finder of the world, and his son recently achieved fame for himself and the Mount Lowe Observatory by discovering another of these celestial wanderers. The observatory is equipped with a sixteen-inch telescope and several smaller ones, besides a full complement of other astronomical and scientific instru- ments. It is located on the mountain slope, about a quarter of a mile above Echo Mountain House. It is a handsome and convenient structure, having three other rooms besides the dome-crowned observing room. This observa- tory is to be erected ultimately on the highest of the three crests of Mount Lowe-the monarch of the Sierra Madres."
ECHO MOUNTAIN HOTEL .- See chapter 24-article on "Pasadena's Historic Hotels."
CHAPTER XXIV.
INDUSTRIES .- Canneries and Drieries .- Manufactories .- Poultry and Ostrich Farms. -Electric Light and Gas Works .- Olive Company .- Orange Packeries .- Grand Opera House .- Oil Well .- Mountain View Cemetery .- Hospital.
The Five Historic Hotels.
FRUIT INDUSTRIES.
WALLACE'S CANNERY .- Joseph Wallace came to Pasadena from Can- ada in 1875, and bought thirty acres (one-half) of Ney Strickland's original colony lot, built a house, made improvements, put his land all into fruit, and resides there yet. In 1881 Mr. Wallace started his cannery, under the name of the "Pasadena Packing Company," which was the first manufactu- ring enterprise established here, and used the first steam engine that ever puffed vapor in Pasadena. The first year 10,000 cans of fruit were put up, which gave employment to twelve persons during the packing season. The Union of October 25, 1884, reported that Mr. Wallace had put up 50,000 cans of fruit that season. On September 2, 1885, the cannery was burned down, [see page 152], yet notwithstanding his great loss above insurance, Mr. Wallace rebuilt his works the next year and kept in the manufacturing field. In 1891, Mr. Wallace took in associates to augment the working capi- tal, and on May 7th of that year the company was incorporated, with Geo.
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DIVISION SIX - BUSINESS.
F. Kernaghan, president; Prof. T. S. C. Lowe, vice president; R. C. Com- melin, secretary; First National Bank, treasurer; Joseph Wallace, superin- tendent. Capital stock, $75,000. The Board of Trade pamphlet of 1892 made the following report :
"In the season of 1891, the Pasadena Packing Company put up 250,- ooo cans of peaches, apricots and pears; used three carloads of sugar ; em- ployed during the months of July, August, September and October, from seventy-five to one hundred girls, and paid for wages an average of $3.00 per week. The establishment canned, in addition to the above, about 10,- 000 pounds of strawberries, and dried large quantites of other fruits."
FRUIT DRIERIES .- Fruit-drying enterprises were carried on in a small way by some growers, to prepare their own fruit for market, ever since the colony had any fruit ; but Joseph Wallace, in 1885, was the first to operate a machine drier here-and it was destroyed by the burning down of his cannery that year. He has done some drying every year, to utilize surplus fruit that was not choice enough for canning.
J. R. Lloyd for five or six years did a somewhat extensive driery busi- ness, at the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Painter street, buying up fruit by the ton to prepare for market by the sunshine process. His was the pioneer commercial driery, others before having been only small, private works. [No figures furnished.]
C. C. Thompson has also run a driery for many years in his own ex- tensive apricot orchards on North Lake Avenue, and has been one of our heaviest producers of dried fruit. His output was in 1890, four car loads; in 1891, five cars; in 1892, seven cars; in 1893, five cars. Then in 1894 he went into the North Pasadena or Highland association.
There have been others engaged more or less in the same line whose names and places I did not get.
May 11, 1894, the fruit-growers of North Pasadena organized the Pasa- dena Highland Fruit Association, whose objects were thus set forth :
"To receive, store, prepare for the market and sell the fruit or other food products of its stockholders, on a strictly co-operative basis; to take care of orchards of stockholders and gather and deliver the fruit of the same, etc. The principal place of business of the association is at Pasadena, and the term for which it is to exist is fixed at five years. The following board of directors was elected : C. C. Thompson, C. E. Tebbetts, L. S. Porter, Byron Lisk, A. R. Clark, H. Cooley and J. E. Smyth.
This association established a drying yard and procured a lot of patent cutting and pitting machines, and during the season of 1894-95, they shipped 146 tons, or twelve and a half carloads of dried fruit.
FRUIT CRYSTALLIZING WORKS .- The Union of November 27, 1886, made this announcement :
"A company has been formed in this city for the purpose of engaging in crystallizing fruits. The members of the organization are P. M. Green, F. M. Hovey, Byron O. Clark, and James R. Riggins of Pasadena, and
456
HISTORY OF PASADENA.
Frank M. Schamberger of Anaheim. The capital stock consists of $20,000 in 200 shares, all of which has been taken, and the company is thus enabled to start full handed. They propose to can fruits, and crystalize; and also manufacture jellies, syrups and unfermented wines, etc."
The county records give November 13, 1886, as the date of incorpor- ation of this company. They bought land, erected buildings, and estab- lished their plant on Glenarm street and the Santa Fe railroad. Mr. Hovey superintended the factory work for a while, and produced some excellent goods ; then he opened a store on Colorado street for their sale. But now the "boom " epidemic struck Pasadena ; and all the members of this com- pany caught the fever, and went to speculating in lands and lots ; the fac- tory business was not pushed by them, and it could not push itself - so it went down. The works lay idle for some months. Then in the winter of 1888-89 Messrs. Philbrook and Stetson leased the plant, and started the business of canning baked beans, Boston brown bread, mince meat, etc. This firm was succeeded by F. F. Stetson & Co., in the winter of 1890-91 ; and in 1894-95 Mr. Stetson ran it himself. The articles manufactured are canned baked beans, Boston brown bread, Lima beans, mince meat, plum pudding, and tomatoes ; bottled catsup, and crystalized fruits. Amount of capital, $3,000. Number of employes vary from three to twenty during the season. Amount of first year's business, 1889-$2,000; amount of last year's business, 1894, $5,000.
OLIVE INDUSTRY .- The Union of October 16, 1886, said :
"The California Olive Co. has filed its articles of incorporation with the county clerk. [Incorporated May 15, 1885.] The principal place of business is Pasadena. The term of existence is fifty years. The directors are Fred J. Woodbury, John P. Woodbury, Byron O. Clark, James R. Rig- gins, and Charles H. Riggins, all of Pasadena. The capital stock is $120,000, divided into 240 shares of the par value of $500 each, and is all subscribed."
They planted 200 acres to olive trees, up toward the mountains west from the cemetery, intending to erect an oil mill when their trees came into bearing. But the members of the company all went monkeying with the "boom ;" some of them got bit ; and their oil mill project went out with the general collapse.
CONDENSED VEGETABLES FACTORY .- Started in 1892 by W. R. Baker in a small way, under his own patented process for evaporating potatoes, onions, cabbages, pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots, etc. The water is all elim- inated without letting the natural flavor of the vegetable escape. Amount of capital, $5,000. Number of employes in August, 1895, were fifty. Amount of first year's business, $300. Amount of last year's business, [1894-95] $12,000. The company now consists of W. R. Baker and W. S. Hanaford. Factory at 552 Bradford street, where they own two and a half acres of land for growing vegetables, besides the buildings, machinery, and
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DIVISION SIX - BUSINESS.
fixtures necessary to work up six tons of green vegetables per day. In July, 1895, they had in hand orders for 100,000 one-pound cans, and ten tons of 25-pound cans, for shipment to Alaska, Siberia, China, Russia, and to supply whaling ships and other long-voyage vessels.
ORANGE PACKING .- As early as 1885 the Earl Fruit Company of Los Angeles commenced buying orange crops on the trees, and packing the fruit in Pasadena - and has continued the business every year, up to 1895. [The Germain Company also tried it two or three years, then dropped out.] The Earl Company operates in all Southern California, with a capital of $250,000. I tried to get a table of its pack in successive years in Pasadena, but could only get a verbal estimate that they had shipped about 150 car loads a year for three years past-a car load being 300 boxes. The average price to growers was about $1 per box, on the trees, for navels, and about 75c for seedlings. About 30 men and women are employed here while the work is going on, which includes picking, hauling, washing, packing, box making, car loading, etc. Packery on Glenarm street and Santa Fe railroad in 1895.
During the winter of 1885-86 the Southern California Orange Growers Protective Union was organized. F. H. Heydenreich became its represen- tative in Pasadena; and early in '86 he and Byron O. Clark commenced orange packing here, in a building which then stood at the corner of Locust street and the railroad track; and that year they packed and shipped 35 car loads. Mr. Clark says that growers were getting only 25c per box for their oranges on the trees, from the private packing companies ; but those who went into the Union realized about $1.50 per box.
During the season of 1886-7 Brent Bro's packed and shipped about 100 car loads of oranges from here ; besides what were shipped by the Union, by the Earl Company, and by orchard owners themselves. I requested from the railroad company's books a table of the number of car loads of oranges and dried fruits shipped from Pasadena each year from 1885 to 1895; but, for prudential reasons, the agent was not permitted to furnish me the figures.
THE PASADENA FRUIT GROWERS ASSOCIATION was incorporated De- cember 14, 1893, after several preliminary meetings. C. C. Thompson was the first president and manager ; Dr. Lyman Allen, secretary. Capital stock $15,000, in 1,500 shares of $10 each. There are orange growing districts organized in this county at Alhambra, Downey, Fernando, Glen- dale, Pasadena, Rivera, Vernon, Whittier. These by delegates form the "Semi-Tropic Fruit Exchange " at Los Angeles ; and delegates from that incorporation, together with those from similar corporate bodies in other counties, form the "Exchanges of Southern California," a sort of mutual supreme council for the whole business. The Pasadena Association had 109 stockholders in 1894, and 134 in 1895. In '94, operating only a part of the season, they shipped 43 car loads of oranges, mostly east. In 1895, up to
458
HISTORY OF PASADENA.
June 30 they shipped 60 car loads (about 18,000 boxes) to Chicago, Buffalo, West Virginia, Missouri, Texas, Montana. Their pay roll in 1895 showed from 8 to 28, with an average of 20 employees at work. They used the old Santa Fe freight depot below California street for a packing house. The officers in 1895 were: Geo. F. Kernaghan, president ; B. F. Ball, vice- president ; J. F. Jones, secretary ; First National Bank, treasurer.
NURSERIES .- There have been so many of these enterprises, both large and small, beginning with the first year of the colony, that I could not undertake to give an account of them.
MANUFACTORIES.
THE PASADENA MANUFACTURING COMPANY .- C. B. Ripley came to Pasadena from Maine in 1876, and was one of the earliest contractors and builders here. Then in 1878 Harry Ridgway came here from Canada, and was the first man to open a regular architect business in Pasadena. Upon getting acquainted they formed a partnership and carried on business together ; and in 1884 they built the first planing mill here. This was located nearly where the Union Ice Co.'s office and warehouse are now, on East Union street. This mill had the second steam engine ever run in Pasadena (Joseph Wallace's cannery having the first), and it startled the natives by steaming up and blowing its whistle vigorously for the first time on Tuesday evening, July 29, 1884. The next day the mill started on its regular daily runs for business. The firm at this time had in hand a $3,000 residence for H. W. Magee ; a $2,000 residence for G. H. Tower; a $4,000 business building for W. H. Wakeley ; a dwelling for Geo. H. Little on upper Fair Oaks [now called Lincoln] Avenue ; a new school house at Monks Hill, and another one on East Colorado street. These particulars I gather from the Valley Union of August 2, 1884. Mr. Ripley had projected the mill enterprise and was happy in it, for he was a mill man; but Ridgway preferred his own special work as an architect, and was very willing to unmill himself. Meanwhile a plan was formed to enlarge the mill business into a stock corporation for general manufacturing of all kinds of house finishings, trimmings, etc. A meeting to consider the matter was held in Williams Hall December 10, 1886. Another meeting was held December 16, when organization was effected, under the name of "Pasadena Manufacturing Co."-and on December 20 the company was incorporated, according to Oscar Freeman, the company's secretary ; but the county records give December 10, the date of the first meeting, as date of incor- poration. Nearly the same names occur at all these meetings, and hence I only give the names enrolled as first members of the corporation, as follows: C. B. Ripley, B. F. Ball, James Clarke, W. P. Forsyth, Oscar Freeman, O. M. Arnold, P. M. Green, G. W. Pillbeam, R. Williams, M. H. Weight, M. S. Overmire. The same men were named as board of directors; and the first officers were : Forsyth, president ; Ball, vice-president ; Green, treasurer;
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DIVISION SIX - BUSINESS.
Freeman, secretary ; Ripley, superintendent. Other officers have changed, but Oscar Freeman has been secretary continuously until now, 1895. The amount of capital is $50,000. Number of employes average about 40. Works located between Broadway and the Santa Fe railroad, below Kansas street. Amount of first year's business, $101,092.74. Amount of last year's business [1894], $68,751.74. The first year's business of the corpora- tion, with its enlarged plant, was the opening year of the "boom," and was before the Mechanics Mill, and another one known as the Lindsay Bros.' Mill, which burned down and became extinct, had brought sharp competi- tion into the field ; hence that was the largest amount of business ever done by this company during any one year. The Board of Trade pamphlet of 1888 said of this mill :
"The firm paid out in the last year $72,000 for labor alone. The lum- ber used per month is valued at $6,000, while the glass, hardware and supplies amount to $25,000 per year, making in all about $13,000 per month distributed in Pasadena by a single firm."
MECHANICS' MILL .- This is an establishment for the making of all manner of woodwork, both for inside and outside finish of any class of buildings. It was started in February, 1887, by R. H. Brent, F. F. Crowell and G. C. Halsey. Building 50 x 70 feet, on Chestnut street at crossing of Santa Fe railroad. C. W. Mann bought a half interest in this mill in January, 1888, then in the fall of same year he bought the other half ; and about September 1, 1890, he sold a half interest to G. A. Daniels, the firm being now, 1895, Mann & Daniels. The plant consists of a complete outfit of woodworking machinery and apparatus, run by a 60-horse power steam engine. Number of employes, sixteen in January, 1895. Amount of capital, $7,000. Amount of business last year, 1894, about $45,800. Early in 1895, this firm moved and reconstructed their old mill, and built an entire new one, 40 x 106 feet, two stories, with all modern improvements, at a cost of about $3,000.
THE LINDSAY MILL .- In 1885-86, three Lindsay brothers started a planing mill on Waverly Drive. In a few months the establishment burned down and was not rebuilt.
HOLLAND BLINDS FACTORY .- Started in the spring of 1886, as the Holland Manufacturing Co., by W. S. Holland, Chas. Swift, Fred. Swift, Geo. Durrell, with Holland president, Durrell secretary and W. S. Wright attorney. Amount of capital, $16,000. Works located on Champlain street and an alley leading to Peoria street. Plant consists of grounds, buildings, all machinery for the manufacture of Hill's patent sliding blinds and Hol- land's screens, and both steam and gas engines for driving the machinery. Number of employes in the boom time, 30. First year's business, $25,000 to $30,000. Largest amount of business in any one year, $30,000. [The business had been commenced in a small way at first by Mr. Holland, in a
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
part of Ripley's planing mill near Locust street and railroad track, during the winter of 1885-86.]
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