USA > California > Santa Clara County > History of Santa Clara County, California : including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description > Part 60
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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
is entirely the product of the Santa Clara valley, while the malt is wholly made on the premises. Last year, the fiscal year to May 1, 1880, the amount of beer sold was ten thousand, two hundred and one barrels, which found a ready market all over the Pacific coast, the Territories, and even in Mexico, and the expectation is that the year 1880-81 will see a produc- tion of fully twelve thousand barrels. It is pleasant to record that the pro- prietors leave no stone unturned so that a pleasant and healthful beverage may be produced; improvements are constantly being made so that the tandard of the beer may be bettered, and the proof that it is so rectified is to be found in the annual increase in the manufacture, sale and consump- tion of Fredricksburg beer.
Tannery of Grozelier & Nelson .- Occupying two fifty-vara lots on the corner of Park avenue and River street, stands the establishment now under notice. It was commenced on its present location, in the year 1860, by Simon Grozelier and Gustavus Nelson, and was the first, and is the only tan- nery in the city of San José. The premises comprise beam house and cur- riers shop, indeed, all the requisite adjuncts to the manufacture of leather, the machinery for which is now driven by an engine of sixteen horse-power, which took the place in 1863, of a horse-power mill. The tan bark, of which there is an annual consumption of about five hundred cords, is procured in the Santa Cruz mountains, and the hides come partly from San Francisco, and partly from the Santa Clara valley, the leather manufactured being principally sole, harness, skirting, bridle, kips, and calf-skins, of which there is an annual out-turn of about ten thousand hides, a sale being found for them all over California. The leather here produced will bear favorable comparison with that of any other tannery in the State. Steady employ- ment is given to fifteen men.
Soap Manufactory of Carl Tischer .- Mr. Tischer's soap manufactory is situated on Orchard, between Colfax and Balbach streets, and was estab- lished in 1876. The material used is procured from San Francisco; the machinery is driven by steam; while, customers are found in nearly all the grocery stores of Santa Clara and adjacent counties.
The San José Woolen Mills .- When Judge R. F. Peckham was on a visit to the Eastern States in 1868 he visited many of the leading manu- facturing establishments of the New England States, especially those engaged in the production of silk, cotton and woolen goods, and carefully inspected their modus operandi.
In this visit his childhood love for mechanics and machinery revived in all its pristine vigor, and as the saying goes, once a man and twice a child, he determined to try and have a toy in San José, in the shape of a respectable- sized woolen mill; and to that end he gathered all the necessary statistics in
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regard to the cost, expense of operating, and products of such an institution. Armed with facts and figures he returned to San José.
He estimated that a mill with six sets of carding machines, with other machinery to keep these cards in operation, was the smallest that could be worked, with a view to economy in the cost of production, and that a paid up cash capital of two hundred thousand dollars was absolutely essential to its construction and operation.
He consulted with some of his financial friends in regard to the possibility of raising, by means of a joint-stock company or corporation, the necessary amount of money for the purpose. They were willing to aid in the concern -probably not so much with the expectation of mere profit, as the encour- agement of a manufacturing spirit in the community-but thought that the better way was to organize on a capital of one hundred thousand dollars ; build the mill, get it ready for operation, then double the capital stock, and get the rest of it taken; and call it in by installments as needed to give the concern a working capital.
This plan was adopted. The company organized and one hundred thou- sand dollars of stock was subscribed in a short space of time. Thirty per cent. was paid in and the work of construction commenced in 1869. Judge Peckham was elected President and managing agent of the company, and has ever since remained in that position. He was his own mill-wright, drew his own plans and specifications, located, geared off and regulated the speed of his machinery, and superintended the business of construction. When the mill was completed it was pronounced a first-class one in every respect. The cost was eighty-three thousand dollars ; leaving only seventeen thousand of the original capital.
The capital stock was doubled, and made two hundred thousand dollars; but when it was put upon the market, the woolen-mill had got to be an old story. It was not the kind of stock demanded by the public appetite. Santa Clara county was thoroughly canvassed and seventeen thousand dol- lars of the new capital was all that could be converted; and the concern was thus compelled to start operations with a quick capital of thirty thousand dol- lars, barely enough to pay the running expenses for ten weeks.
But there was no alternative, operations had to start in this cramped con- dition, or not at all. And for two years the business was carried on with this limited means. Capitalists and bankers had no confidence in manufac- turing in this State; in fact it was something to which they were entirely unaccustomed. There was no respectable mercantile house on the Pacific coast that would take the products on consignment and advance money to carry on the business except at rates of interest and commissions that would eat up all the profits and sink the capital. Cash had to be paid for dye- stuff and they had to be brought around the Horn; and about a year's sup-
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ply kept on hand. Cash had to be paid for fuel, and enough procured in the Summer to last through the Winter and Spring. Cash had to be paid for labor; and cash had to be paid for stock, and it had to be bought while it was in the market, and carried until wanted for consumption. About forty thousand dollars' worth had to be carried in the different stages of manufacturing. Then the company had to establish their store in San Fran- cisco and sell their own goods, and carry a large assortment to sell from. Then it was found that there was no demand for goods in the piece as nearly every one purchased their clothing ready made, and therefore the goods, before they could be sold, had to be made into clothing. Then a large stock had to be carried until wanted by the trade. They had to be sold on a credit of ninety days. Some would pay promptly and others would take four and six months, and even a year before they paid. So that the aver- age credit was from one to two months beyond the stipulated time.
Under these circumstances every bill and obligation of the company, except at their own bankers, were always met and paid promptly at maturity but every conceivable scheme had to be resorted to to raise the money. As high as ten thousand five hundred dollars interest was paid by the com- pany in one year. Consequently there were no profits left for the stock- holders. Among the persons of whom the company bought stock and supplies, there was no want of credit; but it was evident that bankers and capitalists were losing confidence in the concern, and although it never lost a cent of its capital, it was losing its credit when that was most needed; and a loss of its credit among moneyed institutions had but one ending and that was failure and bankruptcy.
For several months the Judge did not know when he went home at night, whether he could make his payments next day. He became sleepless, ner- vous and melancholy to a degree bordering on insanity in the contemplation of seeing all his cherished plans and hopes dashed to the ground. He finally concluded to make a bold push, and if the company had to go into liquidation it should go while it was solvent, though every dollar put into the business should be lost to stockholders.
He called the stockholders together and explained to them the true condi- tion of affairs. He showed them the amount necessary to carry on the busi- ness with any expectation of profit; and the imposibility of carrying it on without it. He showed them the amount of liabilities ; the amount of the assets and their inconvertible character. He showed how the company could go into liquidation and pay up, but there would be nothing left for stockholders; and he recommended that they either let the property go and pay their debts while they could, or try and raise a capital of their own and put the mill on a working foundation.
This raised a storm of indignation. "The woolen-mill was a failure, it
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was bankrupt; and it was his fault, his own incompetency and bad manage- ment. He knew nothing about the business and they were fools for assist- ing him in the first place, they ought not to have done it." Such were the many expressions. It raged with such violence that his best friends advised him, that in order to have the first steps taken for saving the company it would be necessary for him to retire from the Presidency. But upon reflee- tion a different idea began to prevail. It was that, though he knew nothing about the business when he commenced he must have learned something and might be better than a green hand. And as he was the one that got them into the scrape, he might be the best one to get them ont again; and it might be difficult to get any one to fill his place-at any rate it would do no harm to listen to his suggestions.
They were as follows: The company had eighty-three thousand dollars of its two hundred thousand of capital stock undisposed of. Double the the capital stock, make it four hundred thousand dollars ; dispose of two hundred and eighty-three thousand dollars to anybody that would take it for thirty-three and one-third cents on the dollar. This would give the com- pany a paid up capital of two hundred and eleven thousand dollars, or eleven thousand more than he originally estimated would be necessary.
This was adopted and carried out with the proviso that each of the old stockholders should have the right to subscribe for his share of the new stock, and that no subscription should be binding until the whole amount was taken. In less than a month from the time the books were opened, the Judge had the satisfaction of seeing them closed. During the third year the money was all paid in, and the debts of the company satisfied. And in less than six months thereafter the woolen-mill began to pay good dividends and they have ever since been continued.
The character of the goods made are unsurpassed. The products are about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars annually, and they are in demand from San Francisco to Boston, with a small but growing demand in China. The woolen-mill stock, if any could be found on the market, would be as good as that of any banking institution; but none has been seen for the last two years, while during that time twenty-five per cent. of all the woolen manufactories in America have been forced into liquidation. The San José Woolen-Mill Company has not overdrawn its account at the bank, on the contrary, has received as high as one thousand dollars per annum on deposits.
The management of the mills reflects great credit upon its President and Superintendent, and stands as the leading industry of this portion of the State. Its success is but a fulfillment of what patience, perseverance and plenty of muscle will do. The mills are situated at the corner of San Pedro and Hobson streets.
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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
FRUIT CANNING AND PACKING ESTABLISHMENTS .- With the completion of the grand trans-continental railroad, the facilities for San José becoming the center of an industry comprised in the canning, drying and packing of fruit for the Eastern and other markets at once manifested itself. The busi- ness was started at first with caution, and every step in the advance of the trade watched with critical eyes; that the return has realized the fullest expectation is to be seen in the numerous prosperous establishments of this nature in the city of San José.
Porter Brothers .- The business of this firm in San José is merely that of a purchasing and forwarding ageney for the firm of Porter Brothers, whole- sale dealers in foreign, domestic and California fruits, No. 103 South Water street, Chicago, and was established in the year 1869, on the opening of the Central Pacific Railroad., Since then, during the proper seasons, they have shipped annually, on an average, one hundred car-loads of green and from two to three of dried fruits, as well as about two car-loads of nuts, almonds, etc. On arrival at Chicago these fruits are distributed to all parts of the world.
San José Fruit Packing Company .- In the Summer and Fall of 1872 J. M. Dawson and W. S. Stevens commenced in a erude and experimental way to can fruit. They succeeded in putting up a few hundred cases for the market, and, encouraged by their efforts, the next year formed a company, under the firm name of J. M. Dawson & Co., composed of J. M. Dawson, W. S. Stevens, and Lendrum, Burns & Co. They-rented the corner lot on Fifth and Julian streets, where the San Jose Fruit Packing Company is now located, and there built some rough buildings, pro- cured a small boiler, fitted up according to the best information they had, and enlarged their business very much from the previous year, putting up about four thousand cases. The next year, 1874, finding the demand for their can-goods still increasing, even beyond their means, as well as their capacity, in June they took into partnership Wilson Hays, and further enlarged their works and products. In January, 1875, the present company was formed and incorporated in accordance with the laws of the State as the San Jose Fruit Packing Company, the following gentlemen as incorporators: J. M. Dawson, W. S. Stevens, John Burns, Wilson Hays, H. A. Keinath, T. B. Dawson, and George Lendrum, and succeeded the old J. M. Dawson firm. From these small beginnings it has, in seven years, grown to be one of the first institutions in the county, employing over three hundred hands, mostly women and girls, during the running season, and canning about one million eans a year, which involves an outlay in the county of over eighty thousand dollars annually for help and fruit alone. Under its present able management the enterprise is flourish-
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ing and prosperous. The present Board of Directors is: J. Q. A. Ballou, Wilson Hays, J. H. Ogier, J. H. Barbour, W. H. Wright, J. L. Rhodes, and D. S. Payne. The officers are: J. Q. A. Ballon, President; Wilson Hays, Vice- President; J. H. Ogier, Treasurer; J. H. Barbour, Secretary and Superin- tendent; W. H. Wright, Assistant Secretary.
Golden Gate Packing Company .- This enterprise was started in the year 1875, as a partnership concern, among the original proprietors being W. H. Muntz, and W. S. Stevens; it afterwards became the property of a joint- stock company, and was finally incorporated under the laws of the State of California in 1877, by F. S. Hinds, A. P. Jordan, and H. A. Keinath, of San José. The original premises, which occupied the site of the present struet- ure, were burnt December 19, 1879, those now in use being built on its ashes, and completed in May, 1880. It is a two-story fabric, one hundred and twenty feet in length and eighty in width, and comprises a wareroom on the lower floor, one hundred and twenty feet by forty, office, label and case room, the balance of the building being devoted to piling goods and other work. The cans in which the fruit are put are entirely manufactured on the premises, the cases being purchased as required. During the season employment is given to three hundred persons, principally females, while the business is on the increase, each year showing a larger export, chiefly to Eastern and foreign markets. The works of the Golden Gate Packing Company are situated between Julian and Empire streets, on Third and Fourth streets, and the officers are: G. B. Bowman, President; John W. Ilinds, Vice-President; George M. Bowman, Secretary and Superintendent.
California Fruit Packing Company .- This company have their works on Third street, between Julian and Empire, and was established in 1880, the head office being at Nos. 505 and 507 Sansome street, San Francisco. Here a large fruit packing industry is carried on, giving employment to more than one hundred persons, the whole under the management of R. Sresovich. The works are divided into distinct departments, the fruit-drying portion having been in existence since 1876; there was also a wine cellar on the premises, which was unfortunately destroyed by fire in 1879, with a total loss of fifteen thousand gallons of wine. These cellars are now in the course of reconstruction, and the expectancy is to manufacture ten thousand gallons this year. The dimensions of the different buildings are as follows: fruit- packing room, one hundred and forty-seven feet long and forty wide; fruit- drying room, one hundred and thirty feet long, and twenty-five wide; cel- lars, forty feet square, and eight feet high.
NON-COMMERCIAL CORPORATIONS .- Under this head it is purposed to pro- duce those enterprises which have no direct relation with the commerce of the county, but are created more as public benefits than for mercantile gain. 34
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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
San José Gas Company .- This association was started October 6, 1860, under a franchise granted, by the Common Council of the city of San José, to James Hagan, who, immediately thereafter, commenced the erection of the present works, on the corner of Third and San Fernando streets. In the same month the company was incorporated, under the laws of the State, by James Hagan, James K. Prior, and Thomas Anderson. Mains and pipes were first laid October 24th, from the works, along Third and San Fernando streets, thence to First street, to Santa Clara street, then north and south on Market street, and on January 21, 1861, houses were first lighted, the gas being supplied to eighty-four consumers, at the rate of ten dollars per one thousand cubic feet. In 1862, street lamps were erected and the public thoroughfares illuminated, since when the company has extended its mains to the town of Santa Clara, a distance of three miles. During the first year, the consumption of gas was one hundred and sixty-five thousand cubic feet, while the consumption of coal was ten tons on an average. In the year 1875, the fifteen years' privilege, originally granted by the Council, having expired, right was granted, in 1878, to a new company, called The Garden City Gas Company, to make gas by a new system, known as the " Low Process" or water gas, in which year they commenced operations. Works, of an exceed- ingly substantial character, were erected by them, on San Augustin street, outside of the incorporated limits. Gas of this manufacture was first used on June 17th, of that year, and keen competition ensued between the rival companies, while the price of the article declined to one dollar and fifty cents per one thousand cubic feet. The opposition was too strong, however, for the Garden City Gas Company; they existed until February 1, 1879, when they retired from the contest, the "San Jose" acquiring their property, and thus gained the control of the entire gas supply of the city as well as that of the town of Santa Clara. With the increase of consumption the price has declined, until, instead of paying the original price of ten dollars per one thousand, the cost is now three dollars and fifty cents for the same number of cubic feet. At the present time, the product of the two processes, water gas and coal gas, is being used, both being mixed and distributed through mains of about fifteen miles in length. The premises on Third street occupy two fifty-vara lots running from Third to Fourth street, and comprise office, retort house, gasometers, coal shed and purifying house. The works on San Augustin street, near the Alameda, cover nearly three-fourths of an acre, the principal buildings there being the retort house, purifying room, coal shed, as well as a gas-holder, generator and superheater. The present Directors of the company are: James Hagan, James K. Prior, C. T. Ryland, William Buckley, C. N. Felton ; the President being James Hagan ; Secretary, Austin Roberts; and Treasurer, C. T. Ryland. The two establishments are con- nected bv a telephone.
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San José and Santa Clara Horse Railroad Company .- In the month of March, 1868, the Legislature of California granted a franchise, to S. A. Bishop, Charles Silent, Daniel Murphy, D. B. Moody, and their associates, to construct a horse railroad along the Alameda, from San Jose to Santa Clara. Messrs. Murphy and Moody having declined to avail themselves of the fran- chise, a new Directorate was organized as follows: S. A. Bishop, John H. Moore, Charles Silent, Hiram Shartzer, B. Bryant, and D. W. Burnett, from among whom the following officers were chosen: President, S. A. Bishop; John H. Moore, Treasurer ; and Charles Silent, Secretary. On August 31st, work was first started on the road and completed the Ist November, on which day the cars inade their initial trip, running from First street, in San José, to Main street, in Santa Clara, a distance of three miles and a half. In 1869, the line was extended eastward along Santa Clara street, in San José, to the Coyote creek bridge, now known as East San José, nearly one mile and one-half farther, making the whole length of the road about five miles, but the distance being considered too great for horses, if driven at the requisite speed, permission was granted by the Board of Supervisors, July 6, 1870, to use steam, pony, or pneumatie propelling power, while, November 6, 1877, authority was granted to run the cars over the said bridge, along Santa Clara street to MeLaughlin avenue.
Market Street and Willow Glen Horse Railroad Company .- A franchise was granted February 11, 1876, by the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara county, and the Mayor and Common Council of the city of San José, to C. T. Bird, Charles B. Hensley, John Auzerais, F. J. Sauffrignon, J. C. Bland, Oliver Cottle, Isaac Bird, F. Brassy, T. W. Spring, James R. Lowe, R. C. Swan, and S. Newhall, to establish a street railroad. This enterprise developed into the Market street and Willow Glen Railroad Company, which was incorporated in accordance with the laws of California, February 23d, by C. T. Bird, John Auzerais, J. J. Denny, Isaac Bird, F. J. Sauffrignon, C. Yocco, F. Brassy, from among whom the following officers were elected: J. J. Deny, John Auzerais, Isaac Bird, F. J. Sauffrignon, and C. T. Bird, Directors; C. T. Bird, President; John Auzerais, Treasurer; and F. Brassy, Secretary. The route originally authorized was from the intersection of Julian and Market streets to Willow street; it has since, however, been extended from Willow street to Lincoln avenue, and from Julian street to the depot of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, the entire length of the line being a fraction less than three miles. The company's stables and ter- minus are on Willow street ; they run nine horses, three cars, and employ four men. The present Directors are: C. T. Bird, John Auzerais, F. J. Sauffrignon, F. Gambert, F. Brassy; the officers, F. Gambert, President; F. Brassy, Treasurer; J. J. MeLaurin, Secretary.
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HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
The People's Horse Railroad Company .- On February 26, 1877, the Common Council of the city of San Jose granted to the South-East-Side Horse Railroad Company, a franchise, for a narrow-gauge railroad, to Jacob Rich, C. G. Harrison, W. S. McMurtry, J. Y. McMillin, and S. W. Boring, the original stockholders and trustees of the association, the officers being : Jacob Rich, President; S. W. Boring, Secretary. Subsequently the same parties procured a franchise for a narrow-gauge road, taking for its initial point the center of Second and San Fernando streets, and running thence to Market and Santa Clara streets; on Santa Clara street to the Alameda road, and thence to the town of Santa Clara-Approved February 28, 1879. The South-East-Side Horse Railroad Company then deeded all its franchises to the new corporation named the People's Horse Railroad Company; the same Directorate being continued, and are now the officers.
North-Side Horse Railroad Company. - The Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Clara and the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San José granted a franchise to the North-Side Horse Railroad Company in June, 1875, commencing at the intersection of St. John and First streets, and running thence to Fourteenth and Mission streets, in the north-east part of the city. The first President was Davis Devine, and Secretary, D. W. Harrington; those at present in office are: President, W. S. McMurtry; Secretary, J. Y. McMillin; Manager, C. G. Harrison.
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