History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 14

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1660

USA > California > San Joaquin County > History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 14

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).

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

drawn and run on the Sacramento, her owners, it is stated, having made $300,000.

These steamers might aptly be called specu- lative death-traps, for they were all run on a speculation to either make or break their owners. They were all hastily and cheaply constructed and any kind of an engine was installed, for at that time there were no boiler or hull inspectors in the state. The steamers were usually a partnership affair between sev- eral persons, each person taking some part of the work. . Racing on the river was almost of daily occurrence, and boiler explosions, with a terrible loss of life, were frequent. The Cap- tain Sutter was succeeded on the Stockton route by the El Dorado, Captain Warren in command. As steamboating was a big paying proposition, Warren, in partnership with others, concluded to build the finest steamer on the river. Visiting the Eastern States he purchased steam engines and fixtures, and shipping them to San Francisco, the steamer Santa Clara was constructed. Arriving at Stockton on the evening of February 3, 1851, Captain Warren invited the merchants and cit- izens on board, and in bumpers of champagne they drank "long life to the Santa Clara." Her life was short, for a month later she caught fire on San Francisco Bay and was a total loss. In March, 1852, Warren came into port in, the neat little craft Jenny Lind, named after the Swedish nightingale. The steamer made the trip of about 140 miles at that time, in seven hours, a record not surpassed. Six months later, while lying at the wharf in San Fran- cisco, ready to start for Stockton, her drum- head blew out and some ten or fifteen passen- gers were killed and many more badly scalded by the escaping steam that filled the cabin. One of the worst of explosions was that of the steamer Sagamore, November 1, 1851. She had just left the San Francisco wharf heavily loaded with merchandise and crowded with passengers, bound for Stockton and the way port, Benicia, when her boiler exploded. Fifty persons were killed and many badly scalded.

Explosion of Steamer Stockton

In October, 1853, two accidents took place unparalleled in the history of the state, two steamers, the American Eagle and the Stock- ton, exploding their boilers on the same river not over fifteen miles apart and within eighteen hours' time. The Stockton left her berth at San Francisco at the usual time, October 19, 1853, and at about 5 o'clock, when approaching the mouth of the San Joaquin River, the entire top of her firebox blew off. The hot water and steam escaped through the furnace doors and through the flues in the rear of the boiler, "shivering the cabin to atoms." The force of the steam tore her deck into a thousand pieces,

but a few persons standing in front of the boiler were the only ones scalded. Standing above the boiler were several men, women and children, and although badly frightened none were injured. Two persons were thrown into the water by the force of the explosion, but they saved themselves by means of floating planks. One of these persons, V. M. Peyton, a merchant, was standing by the side of the captain, and although badly scalded by the escaping steam his sudden bath in the cold water saved his life. Fortunate it was for Stockton that his life was saved, for we shall hear much of him in the earlier years of our history. The steamer, H. T. Clay, soon arrived, and, taking on board the seven badly scalded passengers and those not injured, brought them to their destination.

American Eagle on Fire

The American Eagle, noticeable because of a gilded eagle perched on top of her pilot house, was speeding her way over the tortu- ous San Joaquin and when about twenty-five miles from this city her starboard boiler blew out, tearing away completely all of the boat forward of the wheelhouse. There were fifty- three passengers on board, but only two of the passengers were scalded. Eight of the crew of the steamer were scalded and five of them died. Joshua P. Havens, druggist, in partnership with E. S. Holden, was returning from San Francisco with a large quantity of drugs and oil, and freely he gave of the oil to bind upon the blistered bodies of the scalded. In his recital of the accident he says it occurred at exactly 3:15 o'clock p. m. and that at the dreadful moment he thought creation had broken loose for such a noise of the crashing of timbers, smashing of glass and crockery and of the explosion itself he had never heard before. There was on board a large quantity of exposed gunpowder and several large bar- rels of brandy. The concussion broke open the barrels, the liquor caught fire and quickly the steamer was in flames. Colonel "Jack" Hayes, the famous Texas Ranger, was on board, and immediately rushed to extinguish the flames. As he did so a very excited indi- vidual shouted, "Look out for the gunpowder." "Gunpowder be damned !" Hayes replied, "We might as well be blown up as burned up!" and continuing the work of throwing over- board the powder probably saved the lives of the passengers. The first news received of the accident was by Thomas Moseley, Wells Fargo express agent, who probably arrived from the accident in a rowboat. Immediately steam was raised in the boilers of the steamer Sophie and with Drs. William Norcom, Samuel Langdon, William R. Ryer and Richard P. Ashe on board she speedily went to the scene,

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

and passengers and wounded were brought to Stockton.

The Mosquito Fleet

These little steamers were about seventy- five feet in length, round bottom, sidewheelers, with a carrying capacity of between forty and fifty tons. The steamers were run independent of each other and there was at times consider- able competition and cutting of rates. A com- bination of steamers would decrease the cost and larger steamers would greatly improve the service, so a company of San Francisco men concluded to combine and learn if the San Joaquin River was navigable for large steam- ers as far as Stockton. They knew that large steamer navigation was possible, for the steamer Senator had been sailing up the Sac- ramento River to Sacramento since 1850. To learn the possibilities of the San Joaquin River, the large ocean-sailing steamer Thomas Hunt was selected to pioneer the way up to the tor- tuous San Joaquin Channel to Stockton. She was of 413 tons carrying capacity and in com- mand of Captain Van Pelt, who had formerly run on the Sacramento, landed at the Stockton wharf March 13, 1853. The citizens were not only astonished but delighted to see such a large, nicely-fitted-up steamer at the wharf, and they predicted great things for Stockton. The steamer made the run in eight hours, much faster than they now travel, although the bends of the river are now all eliminated, and the captain stated that he had no diffi- culty in making the run, and at a very small expense the river could be so improved as to accommodate such ocean-going boats as the Senator and Confidence, then running on the Sacramento route.

First Class Steamers

In the meantime Charles Minturn, a San Francisco steamboat man who had a ferry line running to Oakland, concluded to send to New York and purchase or build the finest and fastest steamer on the inland waters. He dele- gated Captain Enoch Conklin, who had been running the steamer H. T. Clay on the Stock- ton route, to go east and make the purchase. He left California in June, 1853, and returned in November with one of the handsomest and fastest boats ever seen on San Francisco Bay. The steamer was 134 feet in length, breadth of beam 28 feet, and 9 feet in depth. She had compound condensing engines and was fitted up in first class style, with a ladies' cabin and berths astern and a ladies' maid to wait upon the women passengers. The steamer was named Cornelia, in honor of the captain's daughter. She made the run to Stockton in seven and a half hours, and with a crew, cap- tain, pilots, engineers and mates, that for fif-

teen years were very popular with the mer- chants and citizens. The following year, Jan- uary 9, another big steamer, the Helen Hens- ley, Captain James Whitney, appeared at the wharf. The Hensley and the John Bragdon, which came on later, were an exact type of the Mississippi steamers in the days of Mark Twain. They had two long smokestacks and two steampipes, and to see the smoke in heavy volume rolling from the stack and a big cloud of steam puffing from the pipes at every stroke of the engine, was indeed a majestic sight. The Hensley for a time had a half crew of colored men, and they would assemble on the upper deck, just before the time of sailing1 and sing old-fashioned plantation songs for the entertainment of the crowd that lined the wharf. The Hensley was unfortunate, for after running only three months her boiler exploded as she was leaving the San Francisco Jackson Street wharf, demolishing the entire front of the cabin. Several passengers were several scalded by hot water and steam. A negro, blown thirty feet into the air, fell into the bay and was rescued unhurt. A passenger lying in his berth on the steamer was thrown to the wharf, mattress and all. Arising, he exclaimed, "I believe I will not go to Benicia," and going on board the boat he got his bag- gage and tramped it up the street.

The John Bragdon was one of the largest steamers ever put upon the Stockton route, being 240 feet in length, 33 feet breadth of beam and 9 feet in depth, with two sidewheels, each 33 feet in diameter, with buckets 11 feet in length. Although larger than the J. D. Peters, the largest boat at present on the river, the Bragdon could not carry near the amount of freight as the Peters, because a stern- wheeler has a much larger deck surface. The Peters is 204 feet in length, 38 feet wide and 9 feet deep with a 780-ton capacity. A few months after the arrival of the Bragdon, the California Steam Navigation Company was incorporated March 1, 1854, and until the building of the Central Pacific railroad, they held the inland freighting and passenger traffic in the hollow of their hand. The company was capitalized for $2,000,000, and buying up or buying off every steamer in the state, none could dispute their right to rule.

Steamboat Combination

We will now write of an event that has been a continual source of contention for the past half-century, namely, monopolies and freight and fares. Although the citizens were pleased in some measure because of the combination of steamers, as they said, "We will have no more racing on the river and loss of life," they were greatly displeased because the California Steam Navigation Company raised the rate

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

of passengers and freight, this although the combination gave them a much better service than ever before, new, clean fast boats, quick daily reliable transportation, and a polite and gentlemanly crew. In their complaints they declared, "We have too long submitted to the onerous yoke of the soulless combination," and "ever since the combination was entered into we have been crippled and circumscribed." They complained that passengers were car- ried much cheaper from San Francisco to the Northern mines than they were transported to Stockton. This was true, but the merchants of Sacramento themselves were conducting passenger cheap-fare steamers. They realized the fact that immigration to the Northern mines meant progress and growth to Sacra- mento. And the Times, in an editorial, said, "All that Stockton requires to give prosperity to every branch of business is a population in the interior," and then asks, "How are we to gain it while there is such a marked difference afforded to immigrants in pursuing their jour- ney to the mines."

Merchants' Steamboat Company

The merchants and citizens were up in arms against the combination and their fancied in- justice to Stockton and, proclaiming war, their slogan was, "Down with the combination." The American method of showing their indig- nation at any supposed injustice is by listen- ing to considerable hot air talk and passing resolutions. And a mass meeting signed by sixty-five merchants was called to meet in the city hall December 30, 1854, for the purpose of consultation in regard to the purchase of a steamer. "As the objects to be obtained in clude the welfare and prosperity of the entire San Joaquin district and every branch of in- dustry therein we trust there will be a general attendance." It was a wildly enthusiastic meeting. The meeting was called to order by Enoch Gove; B. W. Owens was elected president, and Fletcher C. Andrews, secretary. David S. Terry, throughout his life an anti- monopolist, was called upon for a few remarks and on motion of A. C. Baine, a committee of five was appointed to canvass for subscriptions for stock at fifty dollars per share. They were given full power to open subscription books in Stockton and the mountain camps. At this or a subsequent meeting directors were elected as follows E. S. Holden, druggist; J. M. Buffington, V. M. Peyton, Emile Hestres and H. T. Compton, grocers; Austin Sperry, foun- der of the flour mill; D. S. Terry, attorney ; William Montgomery, farmer, and B. W. Bours, banker. At the directors' meeting, January 16, 1855, they selected as the name of the company, "The Southern Miners' Steam- boat Association. In the meantime the sub-

scription committee reported that $40,000 worth of stock had been signed up, and the directors levied an assessment of ten per cent on each share payable at the banking house of T. Robinson Bours on Center Street. Dr. E. S. Holden, David S. Terry and William Montgomery were then appointed to go to San Francisco and purchase, charter or have built a steamer for the Stockton trade.

The directors, considering the amount of subscriptions and knowing from the statement of a practical steamboat man that a steamer the size of the Cornelia would cost at least $80,000 in New York, concluded that the safest plan would be to arrange with some steam- boat proprietor to put his steamer on the Stockton route with a guarantee that those sixty-five anti-monopoly merchants would give him their fullest support. Arrangements were made with the owner of the steamer Willam- ette, who had been running on the Oregon River of that name. And then the editor re- joiced for "At an early hour yesterday morn- ing, January 24, 1851, the ringing of bells and the booming of cannon announced the arrival of our opposition steamer. The peal of bells and cannon found an echo in every citizens' heart." As the time approached for the sail- ing of the two steamers there assembled "the largest crowd on the levee for many a day." There was considerable excitement and ex- pressed indignation for the merchants had had arrested a runner who came up on the com- bination line to drum up customers. He was charged with a violation of the city ordi- nance, which required a runner to take out a city license. Here was seen for the first time the shrewd work of corporations. As soon as they found that the merchants meant busi- ness they advertised in the newspaper Janu- ary 1, 1855, "that on and after this date the passage by the steamers Urilda and Cornelia will be reduced to cabin fare six dollars, deck passengers three dollars. On the day of their departure with the opposition, the combination lowered their cabin fare to two dollars, deck fifty cents. The Willamette's price was three dollars cabin; deck, one dollar. It is almost a waste of space to record the result, for human nature is ever the same in every age. The general public, indifferent to the desires of the merchants, patronized the steamer hav- ing the cheapest passage. The merchants themselves began shipping large quantities of goods from San Francisco over the combina- tion line under the cheap freight schedule. The combination boats sailed, crowded with passengers, while the Willamette had only a few staunch supporters. In three months the opposition was withdrawn, and never again did the merchants, in a body, attempt to lower freights and fares.

- -

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

It was the custom of many of the merchants, in order to creat good fellowship, make new friends and advertise their new store, to have what they called a "house warming." South- worth & Greeley, in 1852, had one of these house warmings on the occasion of their re- moval to their new brick store on Center Street. "All the citizens were there and the wines and liquors flowed like rain. Punches and ices of every description were spread and a most generous dessert." We can readily believe the reporter's statement that the liquor flowed like rain. Candidly admitting that he became intoxicated, he said, "We take this opportunity of thanking them for the brick brought home in our hat from their brick building."

Hewlett & Collins in November, 1854, com- pleted their two-story brick building on the corner of Main and Hunter Street, now an annex of the Bank of Italy. "At the opening of the store an old-fashioned house-warming took place and the table was loaded with every variety of choice viands. This firm was one of the most progressive in the town, and their schooner, the "Far West," in November, 1855, direct from New York to Stockton, brought in her cargo the first lot of Cumberland coal ever imported to California, H. Hewlett later became one of California's financiers, president of the First National Bank.

The custom of house-warming was not alone confined to the merchants, and in 1853 J. P. D. Wilkins and his brother, James W. leased and on June 22, reopened the Crescent City Hotel on Sutter Street, now the site of the Hippo- drome Theatre, and they announced that "the lessees would be happy to see their friends and the public generally at lunch from 10 to 1 o'clock p. m." The previous evening a cotil- lion party was given in the dining room of the hotel under the direction of twenty-two of the leading citizens. The tickets were five dollars for gentlman and lady, if he could find one, for women were at a premium. The hotel was a tragedy, for within a year John P. D. Wilkins' wife died, and also his brother James, and in July, 1854, by order of the Probate Court he advertised everything for sale. James . W. Wilkins' widow and daughter are still living in this city.

J. P. D. Wilkins had, previous to this time, purchased a restaurant on the Levee from John Andrews. "Uncle John," as he was familiarly called, had, in 1850, an eating place in a tent at the corner of Main and San Joaquin streets, now the site of the Native Sons' hall. Later keeping a restaurant on the Levee, he was burned out in the fire of 1855, and again on El Dorado Street in 1858, when the Massa- chsetts bakery was destroyed. A very popu-

lar man, he was again keeping a hotel in 1861, and his friends declared, "Uncle John knows how to keep a hotel; in fact, two hotels, for he now conducts his old stand on Center Street and the Magnolia, a Southern style of building adjoining on the west the McNish Building on Channel, corner of Hunter. Yesterday evening his Center Street boarders formed a procession and, led by a band of music, marched the streets to the Magnolia where they paid their respects to the landlord, who, taken by surprise, apologized for not having made any arrangements to receive them. There were about 100 men in the procession and they were served with refreshments."

Today the merchant visits the Eastern states or even Europe and it is an incident of little note, for it would be something unusual if he did not safely return, such is the progress of travel in 1922. But in the earlier days it was a hazardous adventure, for an Eastern trip was full of danger from shipwreck, fire and disease, and the traveler might never re- turn. The steamer Independence, in 1853, struck a sunken rock off the Lower California coast and over 200 were lost; some years later the Golden Gate caught fire off the Mexican coast and although the steamer was beached over fifty were drowned. The Atlantic steam- er, George Law, foundered off the coast of South Carolina, and only a few were saved. Jacob Bonsall, one of the builders of Stock- ton's first hotel, went East and died in New York of cholera, having contracted the dis- ease on his journey. Joshua W. Carlisle, 28 years old, city councilman and of the firm of Dudley, Sanderson & Carlisle, visited the East in 1854, and, returning, died in San Francisco of Panama fever, which was epidemic on the Isthmus when he crossed over it. And so when B. M. Sexitas, a popular merchant of Stockton, announced his purpose to return East, his friends, thinking perhaps that they would never again see him, tendered him a compli- mentary supper. In their letter we find some- thing of the character of the man for, "A few of your friends and those who have marked your enterprising course in Stock- ton, and whom oft-times have been under obli- gations to you for the many fine vegetables and other delicacies furnished by you, thus giving us some of the comforts and luxuries of home, desire to invite you to partake of a supper before your departure." He accepted the invitation, and in his speech refuted the insinuation that Stockton was a one-horse town. "Where is the two-horse town," he inquired, "that has a more benevolent, go- ahead population than Stockton? Look back three years and we only find tents, and now we defy the world against brick walls. I wish

HISTORY OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

you all happiness and prosperity and I now propose the following toast :

'The dear ones of Stockton, The loved ones at home. Short may the time be- That from them we roam.

State Telegraph Established

The telegraph, which was of great assist- ance to the business man before the introduc- tion of the telephone some twenty years ago, was established early in the history of the state. The legislature of 1852, passed a bill giving to Allen & Burnam the exclusive right to construct a telegraph line from San Fran- cisco to Marysville by the way of San Jose, Stockton and Sacramento. Subscription books for the sale of stock were opened at the T. Robinson Bours' Bank at $100 per share, 1,500 shares only being on sale in Stockton. Here was the opportunity for citizens to get in on the ground floor, for as the reporter said, "This will prove one of the most profitable enter- prises ever undertaken in California." The company rushed the work along and in December, their agent, H. B. Platt, adver- tised for 1,000 telegraph poles. The line was ready for business October 24, 1853, and on the evening of that day the Stockton Repub- lican editor was greatly pleased, as he declared he could receive news from the three connect- ing cities twenty-four hours ahead of their newspapers. "Traders from the mines will now stay in this city and transact their busi- ness through their San Francisco agents." A telegraph office was opened January 1, 1854, on the corner of Main and El Dorado streets, and the telegraphic rates from Stockton to San Francisco, first ten words two dollars. every additional word seventy-five cents; to Marysville, first ten words $1.50, each addi- tional five words fifty cents, and to Sacra- mento and San Jose, first ten words one dollar, and each additional word forty cents.

The first Stockton boy to learn to manipu- late the keys was Charles Blake. When the Central Pacific erected their depot in Stockton he took a position with them as telegraph operator and ticket seller. He remained with them for seven years and suddenly taken sick and died two days later of the Asiatic small- pox. Because of the malignant character of the disease, it proving fatal in every case, he was quickly placed in a coffin and buried at midnight, August 2, 1876, in Rural Cemetery without a prayer, hymn or funeral service. There is no similar case on record. How he caught the disease is a mystery, as there was no case similar to it and the only way they could account for it was handling the money of some Chinese or foreign ticket buyers. P. B. Fraser, who later became a bank president,

was in the Western Pacific office during Blake's time and in October, 1868, he married Nettie Parker, the oldest daughter of R. B. Parker. Two other Stockton boys learned telegraphy in that office, James H. Sharon, who now has been sending messages over the wires for forty-eight years, and his brother John P. Sharon, who has been employed for the past thirty-seven years. When young Blake learned the business, the telegraph office was in the Weber House. Subsequently it was removed to the south side of Main Street be- tween Main and Hunter, then to Van Valear's store on El Dorado, near the Levee, then back to Main Street, adjoing the Stockton Savings & Loan Bank, a few doors east of its former Main Street location. On the evening of May 8, 1903, the telegraph office was completely de- molished by an explosion of gas beneath the cement sidewalk in front of the Gerlach & Morach shoe store. It was the evening of the Eagles' carnival.

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.

History of San Joaquin County, California : with biographical sketches of leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present, Part 14

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849 Publication date: 1923 Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co. Number of Pages: 1660

Author: Tinkham, George H. (George Henry), b. 1849
Publication date: 1923
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Historic Record Co.
Number of Pages: 1660