USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > Los Angeles from the mountains to the sea : with selected biography of actors and witnesses to the period of growth and achievement, Volume I > Part 17
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The following December, 41 lots in the survey were sold out of a total of 60 offered, from which the Council realized $2,490, which was paid to Juan Temple on account, leaving a balance of $510 in his favor, which the Council pledged itself to pay out of the proceeds of the first lots sold in the future.
CHAPTER X
PIONEERS OF TRADE AND COMMERCE
We are indebted to our old friends of blessed memory who formed the "Literary Committee of Los Angeles," in 1876, and who are held in the esteem of recollection by their Amer- ican countrymen of today, for a relation of facts concerning the pioneer business men of Los Angeles and their activities in the days when the city was in the making.
According to the Literary Committee San Pedro was often lively in 1840-and had been so in mission times-by the trad- ing vessels engaged, with active competition, in the purchase of hides and tallow. Francis Mellus gives a list of those on this coast, August 22d of that year, thirteen in number, as follows : "Ships-California (Capt. Arthur), Alciope (Clapp), Monsoon (Vincent), Alert (Phelps) ; Barques-In- dex (Scott), Clara (Walters) ; Brigs-Juan Jose (Dunkin), Bolivar (Nye) ; Schooners-Fly ( Wilson), California (Coo- per), Nymph, formerly Norse (Fitch), and two more ex- pected."
From 1844 to 1849 the merchants at Los Angeles City were John Temple, Abel Stearns, Charles W. Flugge-found dead September 1, 1852, on the plains below this city-B. D. Wilson, Albert Packard and Alexander Bell. To these add, in 1849, Antonio Cota, Jose Antonio Menondez, from Spain; Juan Domingo, Netherlands ; Jose Mascarel of Marseilles, and John Behn of the Grand Duchy of Baden. The last named came in 1848. He quit business in the fall of 1853 and died in Decem- ber, 1868.
Madame Salandie is to be added to those of '49. She came on the same ship with Lorenzo Lecke from Pennsylvania in that year, started at once a little store, butcher shop, loaning money and general speculation.
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Juan Domingo came to California in 1829, married here, was quite noted, and died December 20, 1858.
The first steamer that ever visited San Pedro was the Gold- hunter, in 1849-a side wheeler, which made the voyage from San Francisco to Mazatlan, touching at way ports. The next was the old Ohio. At San Pedro, from 1844 to 1849, Temple and Alexander had the only general store, and they carried on all the forwarding business. They had the first four wheel vehicle in this county, except an old fashioned Spanish car- riage which this firm bought of Captain Kanem, Major Gra- ham's quartermaster, in January, 1849, paying him $1,000 for the carriage and two American horses. It created a sensation like that of the first Wilmington railway car on the 26th day of October, 1868.
Goods were forwarded to Los Angeles, twenty-four miles, in earts, each with two yoke of oxen, yoked by the horns. The regular train was of ten carts, like the California car- retas. The body was the same, but they had spoked wheels tired, which were imported from Boston. Freight was $1 per hundred weight. This style of importation continued until after 1850.
The first stage line was started by Alexander and Ban- ning in 1852; the next by that man of iron, J. J. Tomlinson, whose death was early for the public good, June 7, 1867. In 1851, D. W. Alexander purchased at Sacramento ten heavy freight wagons that had been sent in from Salt Lake by Ben Holliday, and in 1853 a whole train, 14 wagons and 168 mules, that had come through from Chihuahua, paying therefor $23,000. So ox-carts were supplanted.
Alexander and Mellus became a new firm, at Los Angeles City, in 1850, continuing until 1856. Wilson and Packard dis- solved partnership December, 1851. Other merchants were: Jacob Elias, Charles Ducommon, Samuel Arbuckle, Walde- mar, O. W. Childs and J. D. Hicks-Childs and Hicks; Charles Burroughs, M. Michaels, H. Jacoby, of violin celebrity, and who went rich to Europe, Jordan, Jose Vicente Guerrero, Jose Maria Fuentes, Jose Baltazar of Prussia, Rimpau, Fritze and Company, with Morris L. Goodwin as clerk, John Behn and Frank Laumeistre, a German; afterward, in the
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same year, Behn & Laumeistre, and Mattias Savichi. The latter named estimable gentleman was of Dalmatia. He died in 1852, leaving two young sons. George Walters also had commenced business in this year. He was born at New Or- leans, April 22, 1809.
Mr. B. D. Wilson was Indian agent for Southern California in 1853, and in the same year sold his place on Alameda Street · to the Sisters of Charity for their institute; and in 1854 be- gan to put into effect his plans for Lake Vineyard. He re- moved there in 1856. Mr. Packard went to Santa Barbara, entered into the practice of law. Wheeler & Morgan began in 1849 with trading establishments at Rincon, San Luis Rey, Pala, Agua Caliente. They, in fact, succeeded Wilson & Pack- ard, in their store, in August, 1850. Mr. Wheeler was clerk of the U. S. District Court of the southern district of Califor- nia from 1861 until its discontinuance in 1866; then deputy clerk of the cirenit and later deputy collector of U. S. internal revenne of second division, first district, comprising Los An- geles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, which office he resigned January 1, 1876.
In 1851-52-53 appear Lazard, Arbuckle & Banman, Lazard & Banman, S. Lazard & Company, Lazard & Kremer, Doug- lass & Sanford, 1852, Childs, Hicks & Wadhams, Thomas Brown and Prudent Beandry, Myles & Hereford, Banman & Katz, Hoffman & Lanbheim, Thomas S. Hereford, J. S. Mallard.
In January, 1853, there were three large dry goods stores and ten or more smaller houses that also kept a general as- sortment. Half a dozen other sold groceries and provisions exclusively. The liquor shop-its name was "legion."
In 1853 John Schumacher introduced lager beer, from San Francisco. It was not manufactured at Los Angeles until Christopher Kuhn of Wirtemberg established a brewery in the latter part of 1854.
John Kays was a good baker, 1847. Confectionery was made in 1850, by Papier; Joseph Lelong followed with the Jenny Lind Bakery in 1851. French bread was used alto- gether until August Ulyard commeneed his bakery in 1853.
The merchants of 1853 besides those already mentioned
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were Joseph Newmark, Jacob Rich, J. P. Newmark, John Jones, who was the first wholesale liquor dealer, at the corner of Main and Commercial streets. Others were Felix Bach- man, Phillip Sichel and Samuel Laubheim, Harris Newmark and E. Loewenthal, H. K. S. Labatt, Samuel Meyer and Loe- wenstein, M. Norton and E. Greenbaum, H. Goldberg, I. Co- hen, Charles R. Johnson and Horace S. Allanson, Heiman Tischler, Barruch, Marks and Loeb Schlessinger, Matthew Lanfranco, Louis Phillips, H. Hellman, Casper Behrend.
In 1854 were Adolph Portugal, O. W. Childs, Samuel Pra- ger, Jacob Letter, M. Pollock and L. C. Goodwin. In 1855, Wolf Kalisher, Charles Prager, Potter & Company, William Corbett, G. F. Lamson, P. C. Williams, J. C. Nichols, Dean & Carson, I. M. Hellman, B. Cohen, Morritz Schlessinger, L. Glaser & Company, Louis Cohen. In 1856, Calisher & Cohen, Henry Wartenberg-W. Calisher & Company. In 1857, Men- del Meyer, H. G. Yarrow. In 1857, Samuel Hellman. 1859, I. W. Hellman, eminent afterward as banker, L. Leon, Corbett & Barker, Wm. Nordholt, David Solomon, H. Fleishman and Julius Sichel-Fleishman & Sichel.
In 1860, Edward Newman and Isaac Schlessinger, Jean B. Trudell-in company with Lazards-Domingo Rivera. In 1861, M. W. Childs.
The mercantile link continued as follows: J. H. Still & Company, booksellers and stationery, 1863; H. D. Barrows and J. D. Hicks-J. D. Hicks & Co., 1864. Eugene Meyer and Constant Meyer-Eugene Meyer & Co .- Polaski & Goodwin, 1865; Thomas Leahy, S. B. Caswell and John F. Ellis-Cas- well & Ellis-1866. Potter & Co. consisted of Nehemiah A Potter and Louis Jazinsky. The latter gentleman soon after- ward went into business at San Francisco. George Alexander, in 1872, removed to Columbia, California.
Francis Mellus was born at Salem, Massachusetts, in 1824 and died at Los Angeles City, September 14, 1864. He mar- ried Miss Adelaida Johnson, who survived him with seven children. Mrs. Mellus was a daughter of Don Santiago John- son, an Englishman, who had lived at Sonora, and came to this coast in the year 1833. He married Doña Maria del Car- men Giurado, sister of the wives of Don Manuel Requena and
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Alexander Bell. Brought early in contact with men like A. B. Thompson of Santa Barbara, David Spence of Monterey, Abel Stearns, Alfred Robinson, W. D. M. Howard, and himself having received the ordinary Boston high school education of that day-which must have been good, for at fifteen years he understood French and navigation, and was a neat drafts- man-Mr. Mellus soon amassed the maximum of experience which fitted him to succeed in the California trade. His spirit and independence are worthy to be made a model by youth just entering among the currents and shoals of commercial life. "March 4, 1839,-The Bolivar arrived from the islands," we quote from his diary: "March 9 .- I went aboard as clerk for Mr. Thompson, at $300 for the first year and $500 for the next, which I think is a most excellent salary for me. I hope from this time forward to be a burden to nobody, but to be able to look out for myself."
Bachman & Co. invested deeply in the Salt Lake trade. Merchants were the soul of every enterprise formed to de- velop the resources and expand the commerce of this country. Fortunes were rapidly accumulated. Some sped away to fatherland to spend the rest of their days. Soloman Lazard having once more beheld "la belle France," returned March, 1861, to our sunshine and flowers. Mendel Meyer studied the Vienna Exposition and wandered the world over in gratifica- tion of a rare musical taste, "but to feel better at home," as he often says.
John Temple made the European tour in 1858. He was born at Reading, Massachusetts, in 1796; came to California in 1828, and died at San Francisco May 30, 1866. Juan T. Lanfranco of Italy died May 20, 1875. Prudent Beaudry ar- rived at San Francisco April 26, 1850, and settled finally at Los Angeles, April 26, 1852. Beaudry's Block, on Aliso Street, finished in 1857, was at the time a surprise. What may we have said to "Beaudry Terrace" and its oranges and other magical fruits of his energy? Edward Neuman, another mer- chant, in the bloom of youth was murdered in 1863, on the Cucamonga plain.
From 1850 to 1860 and thereabouts, the cattle trade and shipment of grapes were the main reliance for money. The
LOOKING WEST ON TEMPLE STREET OF TODAY LOOKING NORTHWEST FROM THIRD STREET AND GRAND AVENUE
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cattle sold to go ont of the county, in the former year, were estimated at 15,000 head, at $15 per head. Subsequent years, until 1856, show a constant demand for stock, if not so great ; in this year, it was considered that $500,000 had been invested in cattle, three-fifths of which belonged to native Californians, and, in part, distributed as follows:
Abel Stearns, 12,000; Juan Abila, 7,200; John Roland, 5,000; William Workman, 5,000; John Temple, 4,000; Ricardo Vejar, 3,500; Bernardo Yorba, 3,500; Ignacio del Valle, 3,500; Teodosio Yorba, 3,500; Leonardo Cota, 2,500; Vicente Lugo, 2,500; Pio and Andres Pico, 2,000; Augustin Machado, 2,000; Nasario Dominguez's estate, 2,000; Felipe Lugo, 1,000; Valdez family, 1,000; Enrique Abila, 1,000; Fernando Sepulveda, 1,000. Making just allowance for defective assessments, the amount was probably considerably-one-third-beyond this estimate.
The drought of the years 1863 and 1864 was more or less destructive throughout California. In Los Angeles County 1865 began with 90,450 head of cattle, 15,529 horses, 282,000 sheep. In earlier times sheep made little figure in the annual calculation of gain. In 1875 the total of flocks was counted at 508,757. From 1860 onward wool became a staple, added to wine and brandy, orange and other fruits, wheat and corn. According to the report of the county surveyor, January 15, 1876, the product of the wool was 2,034,828 pounds. Horned cattle were reduced to 13,000; horses, 10,000.
All the oranges in 1850 were from the Mission orchard of San Gabriel, and the gardens of Louis Vignes and William Wolfskill. June 7, 1851, Mr. Vignes offered for sale his "de- sirable property, El Alizo"-so called from the superb syca- more tree, many centuries old, that shaded his cellars. He says: "There are two orange gardens that yield from five to six thousand oranges in the season." It is credibly stated that he was the first to plant the orange in this city, bringing young trees from San Gabriel in the year 1834. He had 400 peach trees, together with apricots, pear, apple, fig, grapes and walnut, and adds: "The vineyard, with 40,000 vines, 32,000 now bearing grapes, and will yield 1,000 barrels of wine per annum, the quality of which is well known to be su-
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perior." Don Louis came to Los Angeles in 1831. He was a native of France.
The shipment of oranges rapidly grew into a regular busi- ness. In 1851 there were 104 vineyards, exclusive of that of San Gabriel-all but twenty within the limits of the city. The San Gabriel Vineyard, neglected since 1834, was now in de- cay. In Spanish and Mexican times it had been called the "mother vineyard," from the fact that it supplied all the original cuttings; it is said to have once had 50,000 vines. In 1875 the grape vines of this county numbered 4,500,000.
In 1851 grapes brought 20 cents per pound at San Fran- cisco, 80 cents at Stockton. Through 1852 the price was the same. Very little wine was then shipped; in 1851 not over 1,000 gallons. Gradually the manufacture of wine was estab- lished. Wolfskill indeed had, at an early date, shipped a little wine, but his aim was to turn his grapes into brandy. Louis Wilhart, in 1849 and 1850, made white wine which was consid- ered in flavor and quality next to that of Vignes, who could produce from his cellars a brand perhaps unexcelled through the world. Among the first manufacturers for the general market was Vincent Hoover, with his father, Dr. Juan Leonce Hoover, first at the "Clayton Vineyard," which, owing to its situation on the bench, produced a superior grape; then from the vineyard known as that of Don Jose Serrano.
The cultivation of the grape about this time took a new impulse. At San Gabriel, Wm. M. Stockton, in 1855, had an extensive nursery of grape vines and choice fruit trees. Jo- seph Huber, senior, came to Los Angeles for health from Kentucky. In the year 1855 he entered successfully into wine- making at the Foster Vineyard. He died, aged fifty-four years, July, 1866, leaving a widow and six children. April 14, 1855, Jean Louis Sansevaine purchased the vineyard prop- erty, cellars, etc., of his uncle, Louis Vignes, for $42,000 (the first large sale within the city). In 1855 he shipped his first wine to San Francisco. In 1856 he made the first shipment from this county to New York, thereby becoming the pioneer of this business.
Matthew Keller said: "According to the books of the great forwarding house of P. Banning at San Pedro, there
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was shipped to San Francisco in 1857, 21,000 boxes of grapes and 250,000 gallons of wine." In 1856 Los Angeles yielded only 7,200 cases of wine; in 1860 it had increased to 66,000 cases. In 1861 shipments of wine were made to New York and Boston by B. D. Wilson and J. L. Sansevaine; they were the real fathers of the wine interest here.
Sunny Slope, unexcelled for its vintage, and the orange, almond and walnut, was commenced by L. J. Rose in January, 1861. December, 1859, the wine producers were: Matthew Keller, Sansevaine Bros., Frohling & Co., B. D. Wilson, Ste- vens & Bell, Doctor Parrott, Dr. T. J. White, Henry Dalton, P. Serres, Joseph Huber, Sr., Ricardo Vejar, Barrows, Bal- lerino, Doctor Hoover, Louis Wilhart, Trabuc, Clement and Jose Serrano. The total manufacture of wine was about 250,000 gallons; in 1875, 1,328,900 gallons, according to the official report of the county assessor, January 1, 1876.
Mechanical industry exhibits a progress slow and difficult for the first few years. In 1851 carpenters had gone to San Francisco, where they could get higher wages. In 1850 Alex- ander Bell commenced Bell's Row, which was a number of well-known little stores on Los Angeles Street, and an im- provement which at the time made a sensation. This work was done by J. R. Barton and William Nordholdt through that and the succeeding year.
In 1853 Anderson & Matthews advertised as carriage mak- ers, carpenters and joiners. September 6, 1861, Perry & Woodworth, Main Street, had matured their pioneer saw and planing mills, with the manufacture of beehives, upholstery, etc., and were prepared for contracting. In 1863 Stephen H. Mott entered this firm.
Eli Tayor, later of Los Nietos, was a carpenter in 1854. Others were as follows prior to 1859: George Stone, R. E. Jackson, George Leonard, Matthew Teed, Thomas Grey, C. P. Switzer, Peter Hendell, William Coburn, P. C. Williams, Har- ris Niles, John McLimond, Willis Stanton, W. Weeks, William Cover, Herman Muller, Herman Koop, Charles Plaissant.
House and sign painters, prior to 1859 were Wm. Shanning, Moses Searles, Charles Winston, Tom Riley, Forbes, Spilling, Viereck, Turnboldt; plasterers prior to 1857, Joseph Nobbs,
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T. Stonehouse, Wm. Mckinney; Newton Foote came in that year. Andrew Lehman set up a shoemaking business in November, 1852; it was three years before he began to "make a living." Afterward, prior to 1858 came Morris and Weber. There was little to do for shoemakers until 1860. B. J. Virgin was an architect in 1855. Viereck, painter of political trans- parencies in 1852, left next year for want of employment. But it must have been for some other reason, for he turned come- dian at San Francisco. In 1857 C. M. Kechnie was a portrait painter. Henri Penelon afterward was a distinguished artist.
John Goller, a blacksmith and pioneer wagon-maker, was one of the emigrants by the Salt Lake Route. Louis Wilhart outfitted him with tools and helped him to customers. The charge for shoeing a horse was $16. Few carriages were made during the first six or eight years. E. L. Scott & Co. were carriage makers and blacksmiths in 1855. Louis Roeder came to Los Angeles in 1856, worked nine years for Goller, then bought out J. H. Burke, later a wealthy citizen of Los Nietos, and in 1863, with Wm. Schwartz, blacksmith, as part- ner, set up for himself on Main Street.
Ben MeLaughlin also was a wheelwright. Among the early blacksmiths were Hiram Mclaughlin, C. F. Daley, Van Dusen, George Boorham, Henry King. John Wilson came August 20, 1858, and set up for himself in 1868. James Baldwin, some- time after 1858. Of gunsmiths, August Stoermer came in that year. He was preceded in 1855 by H. C. G. Schaeffer. In the memory of old citizens, from his former little adobe shop, it is a step into a garden where bloomed the choicest flowers of the world. He was still devoted, at sixty-five to floriculture.
S. C. Foy, in 1854, started his saddlery-the first to make any kind of harness. John Foy joined his brother in the fol- lowing summer. These spirited pioneers led the way soon to flourishing firms in the same line-the brothers Workman, Bell & Green, Heinche, D. Garcia.
The first bricks were made by Capt. Jesse D. Hunter in 1852. From the first kiln was built the house at the corner of Third and Main streets in 1853; from the second, in the same year, the new brick jail. In 1854 was built the Guadalupe
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Ross house. In 1855 the dwelling and store of J. G. Nichols on Main Street, near the courthouse. Joseph Mullaly and Samuel Ayers, coming here in 1854, embarked in brick making the next month. In August of the same year, David Porter arrived. The firm was then Mullaly, Porter & Ayers. Their "great year" was 1858, when they sold 2,000,000 of brick for the proposed improvements of 1859.
From 1855 to 1859 there is a hiatus which cannot be better filled than with the "Garden of Paradise," at the Round House, begun in 1856 by George Lehman, and which was a wonder to all by its mystic Adam and Eve, with the profusion of flowers and ingenious disposition of parterre and tree. In 1859 John Temple built and delivered to the city the market house, with its town clock and bell so "fine toned and sonor- ous," at a cost of $40,000. He also constructed the sonth end of Temple Block. October 22d Don Abel Stearns rejoiced in the finishing touch to his prided undertaking, the Arcadia Block, bearing the the name of his wife, Dona Arcadia Ban- dini-like the good ship, Arcadia, of Mr. Stearns and Alfred Robinson, that brought the second invoice of goods directly from Boston to San Pedro. In the same month Corbett and Baker removed into the northeast corner of the block, and it was soon filled. Then, too, the dining hall, just finished, of the Bella Union, was reported "one of the finest in Califor- nia." The prevailing spirit awhile embraced the Plaza within its range. It proved to advantage to all who heeded it, although good William Wolfskill had forebodings, in Decem- ber, 1860, on his return from the burial of Henry Mellus.
"What a pity !" he said; "if Temple had not built so much he might now be a rich man!" And, at last, Mr. Wolfskill himself ran with the tide and spent $20,000 to build the Lazard Store, Main Street, in 1866. It was completed by his exec- utors.
A once well-known lady of Los Angeles who used to do her "shopping" here seventy years ago, has written a vivid pen picture of the stories of Los Angeles as they were in the year 1850. Her recollections are as follows :
If a person walking down Broadway or Spring Street, at the present day, could turn "Time backward in his flight" Vol. 1-13
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1.610016
VIEW ON THE PRESENT MAIN STREET THE LOS ANGELES RESERVOIR
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seventy years, how strange the contrast would seem. Where now stand blocks of stately buildings, whose windows are aglow with all the beauties of modern art, instead there would be two or three streets whose business centered in a few "tiendas," or stores, decorated with strings of "chilis" or jerked beef. The one window of each tienda was barred with iron, the "tiendero" sitting in the doorway to protect his wares, or to watch for customers. Where red and yellow brick building's hold their heads proudly to the heavens now, seventy years ago the soft hills slid down to the back doors of the adobe dwelling and offered their wealth of flowers and wild herbs to the botanist. Sidewalks were unknown, pedes- trians marched single file in the middle of the street, in winter to enjoy the sunshine, in summer to escape the trickling tears of "brea" which, dropping from the roofs, branded their linen or clogged their footsteps. Now where the policeman "wends his weary way," the vaquero with his lively "cuidado" (look- out) lassoed his wild steer, and dragging him to the "man- tanza" at the rear of his dwelling, offered him on the altar of hospitality.
Among the most prominent stores in the '50s were those of Labat Bros., Foster & McDougal, afterward Foster & Wadhams, of B. D. Wilson, Abel Stearns, S. Lazard's City of Paris, O. W. Childs, Chas. Ducommon, J. G. Downey, Schu- macher, Goller, Lew Bow & Jayzinsky. With the exception of O. W. Childs, Chas. Ducommon, J. G. Downey, John Goller and Jayzinsky, all carried general merchandise, which meant anything from a plow to a box of sardines, or from a needle to an anchor. Some merchants sold sugar and silks, others brogans and barrels of flour. Goller's was a wagon and car- riage shop. O. W. Childs' first sign read "tins to mend." Jayzinsky's stock consisted principally of clocks, but as the people of California cared little for time, and only recorded it like Indians, by the sun, he soon failed. Afterwards he engaged in the hardware business with N. A. Potter.
Jokes were often played upon the storekeepers to while away the time. Thus, one Christmas night, when the spirit of fun ran high and no policeman was on the scene, some young men who felt themselves "sold" along with the articles
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purchased, effaced the first syllable of Wadhams' name and substituted "old" in its place, making it Oldhams, and thus avenging themselves.
It was almost impossible to procure anything eatable from abroad that was not strong and lively enough to remove itself from one's presence before cooking. It was not the fault of the vender, but of the distance and difficulty in transportation.
Mr. Ducommon and Mr. Downey arrived in Los Angeles together. Mr. Ducommon was a watchmaker, and Mr. Downey a druggist. Each had a small stock in trade, which they packed in a "carreta" for transportation from San Pedro to Los Angeles. On the journey the cart broke down, and pack- ing the most valuable of their possessions into carpet sacks, they walked the remaining distance. Mr. Ducommon soon branched out in business, and his store became known as the most reliable one in his line, keeping the best goods, although at enormous prices. Neither Mr. Downey nor any other druggist could have failed to make money in the early '50s, when common Epsom salts retailed at the rate of $5 per pound, and everything else was in proportion. One deliber- ated long before sending for a doctor in those days. Fortu- nately the climate was such that his services were not often needed.
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