USA > California > Contra Costa County > The history of Contra Costa County, California > Part 31
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The Congregational church was organized in Martinez on June 18, 1874, and the first resident pastor was the Rev. W. S. Clark. A few years later the Methodist church building was purchased. The work of the church is now under the direction of the Rev. Clarence A. Stone.
In the spring of 1874 the Contra Costa News was established in the town of Pacheco, but was later removed to Martinez, where it existed under various managements and under numerous names until it has be- come the Contra Costa Standard.
The Alhambra Cemetery (Protestant) was originally a portion of the Pinole grant included within the boundaries of the town of Martinez by the original survey. The area is five acres, and is now the property of the association organized for the purpose of managing its affairs. Con- tiguous to Alhambra Cemetery is St. Catherine's Cemetery (Roman Catholic)) where many of the early settlers in this county and town have been laid to rest.
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For several years Shirley & Mizner operated the ferry between Mar- tinez and Benicia, continuing in that business, with a landing at the foot of Ferry Street, until the late '70s, when they sold out to the Northern Railway Company, which, together with the San Pablo & Tulare Rail- way Company, built the first railroad through Martinez. The original line from Oakland east-the "golden spike" line-was built through Martinez, via Tracy, Lathrop, and Lodi, to Sacramento, the Benicia- Sacramento line-the "Calpe"-being constructed several years later.
The old Morgan House, erected in 1885 at the corner of Main and Ferry streets, was destroyed by fire in 1887, and Bernardo Fernandez, who had acquired the property, immediately started the erection of the Martinez Hotel, which stands today on the property, a three - story structure, lately remodeled, but which at the time was the most preten- tious building in the county. In the same year the Congregational church as it stands today was erected and two years later the Martinez Electric Light & Gas Company was started.
It is no exaggeration to state that Martinez is one of the most pic- turesque towns in the State. It has a sylvan beauty all its own ; shade- trees abound on every street and hedges and flowering plants surround most of the residences. Climate and soil are such that some of the finest fruits and flowers of Contra Costa County are grown in its vicinity. In the near-by valleys are situated some of the finest vineyards and or- chards in the State. They are made possible largely by the mountain range which shelters this region from sea-winds. Through this range the Straits of Carquinez have forced their way.
Situated on the Straits of Carquinez, all the commerce of the Sacra- mento and San Joaquin rivers is brought in touch with Martinez, a goodly share of which she receives. Suisun Bay, about three miles wide at this point, lies directly in front of the town. Across the channel lies Benicia, with its army barracks, and its big railroad ferry, and beyond which may be seen the purple and gently rolling contour of the Coast Range mountains. On the southern side of the straits, Martinez nestles in a crescent-shaped cove, sheltered on the west by a wall of hills which rise abruptly from the water, affording an effective barrier against the trade-winds of the Pacific and forming a picturesque background.
Like all other communities, Martinez has suffered the usual loss from devastating fires. The first serious conflagration occurred in September,
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1856, when the Union Hotel and Blum's, Lazar's, and Hook's stores were destroyed. No serious fire occurred again until July 18, 1867; on this date the mansion on the Gift place was destroyed. Then followed another interval of almost the same duration, but on December 12, 1876, a group of five fine buildings on the southwest corner of Main and Ferry streets was obliterated. A sixth building, belonging to John Mc- Cann, also suffered heavy damage, but he made sufficient repairs to again occupy it by the 30th of December. Fire again visited Martinez on March 16, 1877, on this occasion the home of Mrs. Jane E. Chase being destroyed, and on January 6, 1878, the Granger's Restaurant, owned by F. D. Briare, met a similar fate. A loss that was severely felt occurred on March 8, 1880, when the Alhambra schoolhouse was burned to the ground. Doubtless there have been occasional conflagrations since this last date, but they are here omitted as lacking in the historical interest of the earlier disasters. Today Martinez has a thoroughly modern and efficient fire equipment, of which its citizens are justly proud, and the town is thus effectually insured against serious disaster from fire.
The first serious earthquake to be felt by Martinez was on Wednes- day, October 21, 1868, considerable damage being caused by a temblor that simultaneously visited various other parts of the State. The new stone building of the Alhambra Hotel was damaged to the extent of having two of its walls thrown down. The walls of the brick buildings belonging to Blum, Lazar, Colman, and the Fish Brothers were consid- erably cracked. The heaviest toll was levied on the courthouse, a part of the top and rear walls of which was thrown down.
In common with cities of other sections of the State, Martinez felt the severe earthquake of April 18, 1906, but the damage sustained was slight and such as could be speedily repaired. It may be mentioned at this point that no lives were lost on either occasion. The observation is often made in California that earthquakes in this region are far less to be feared than the devastating cyclones and thunder-storms in the East.
In the old days, when the town was under the spell of the Spanish influence, along with the other sections of central and southern Califor- nia, there was no great haste about doing things. Her population, in which the Latin races predominated, basked in the wonderful California climate, devoid of ambition to enter the lists of commercialism with its attendant hurry and rush. A living could be made with comparatively
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little toil, and why disturb oneself beyond procuring the necessaries of life? There was always mañana, and today one might enjoy a siesta. The old-time afternoon siesta lengthened into years instead of hours. Its sway persisted for six decades, and then it passed out as completely as once had been its dominion. Martinez is living today. Gone are ma- ñana and the siesta, for Martinez, keeping pace with the other thriving cities of Contra Costa County, has awakened to the keen throb of com- mercial activity and civic pride.
The population of Martinez has grown so rapidly in the past two years (1915-16) that hotels and restaurants have been hard pressed to keep pace with the demand for accommodations, although many new buildings have been erected and old ones have been remodeled and en- larged. This was all brought about by the Royal Dutch Shell Company. Selecting Martinez, with its splendid transportation facilities, both by water and rail, as being in every way desirable for the location of its oil refineries, this great concern purchased four hundred acres of land in and adjacent to the town, embracing the Arnstein, Cutler, and Potter holdings, began active building operations toward the end of 1914, and erected a $5,000,000 refinery to employ over two thousand men. The California branch of the immense Dutch-English syndicate is known as the Shell Oil Company of California, and is capitalized at $55,000,000. The parent corporation has extensive oil holdings in the Dutch East In- dies, Roumania, Russia, and Egypt, and is a large manufacturer of gas- oline, kerosene, and lubricating oils and greases. The California opera- tions began with the purchase of some of the finest holdings in the Coalinga oil-fields. A pipe-line eight inches in diameter now extends from the Coalinga oil holdings to the refinery at Martinez, a distance of 176 miles. It is capable of supplying about 15,000 barrels of crude oil per day. In less than two years this company has accomplished a vast amount of work. The first view of the Shell properties is met over the hill and just east of the main refinery. Here are seen twenty mammoth steel tanks, capable of holding in the aggregate over a million barrels of crude oil. These tanks cost a total of over $300,000. Counting all, big and little, the company will have about 175 tanks, with a total capacity of over three million barrels.
At the central refinery one's attention is first arrested by the Trumble plant. Here are found an immense maze and network of pipes that carry
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in the crude oil, to go through the various stages of refinement, at the rate of ten thousand barrels a day. It all looks like Greek to the visitor, although the guide seems to have a mass of information at the end of his tongue. He talks glibly of superheaters, dephlegmators, and con- densers, and we have to take his word for it and pass on. Soon we find' ourselves in the big boiler-house, where eight Heine water-tube boilers supply all the steam for the refinery. Although they develop two thou- sand horse-power, only two men are required to watch over them. The place is scrupulously clean throughout.
Just in front of the boiler-house the pumping plant is situated. Twenty great pumps are kept busy pumping the distilled product, in its various stages, to the storage-tanks, where the finished product is kept. A little farther along we come to the two colossal cooling towers, which help to economize on the water consumption, which is a large item in a plant of this size. Passing around to the north, we view the kerosene agitators, with a capacity of treating four thousand barrels. Then we find our- selves at the bleaching-house, where the celebrated Shell lubricants are made. Our time grows short, so we rapidly pass on to the machine- shops and main storehouse, both marvels of efficiency.
Along the water-front all the varied activities of filling and shipping barreled and canned light oils are carried on. Here a wharf thirty-three hundred feet long stretches out to deep water, where there is a depth of thirty-two feet at low tide, enabling the largest ocean-going vessels to load at all times of the year. Extending from the product tanks to the docks are seven pipe-lines, enabling vessels to load with five thousand barrels of any one product in an hour. All parts of the refinery are con- nected with the wharf by a narrow-gauge railway.
Some idea of the vast amount of work that has been done is gained from the fact that over four hundred thousand cubic feet of earth has been excavated for the erection of tanks, buildings, and the construction of roads. About seven thousand cubic feet of concrete has been laid down for the foundations of buildings. Upward of four miles of maca- damized roads extend to all parts of the large tract, and over forty miles of pipe-line has been laid to date.
Starting with a pay-roll of three thousand dollars a month in Decem- ber, 1914, the Shell Oil Company was paying forty-three thousand dol-
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lars a month in December, 1915. The pay-roll is doubtless much larger now, with the addition of many skilled men to operate the plant.
Just east of the city, at the terminus of a 275-mile pipe-line from the Kern-Midway field near Bakersfield, the refinery of the Associated Oil Company is situated. Work is now (in the summer of 1916) being pushed forward to double the capacity of the refinery, to take care of its rapidly increasing business. The capacity of the new plant will be twen- ty-five thousand barrels a day, the refined products including gasoline, distillate, kerosene, and benzine. The annual output will be worth about three million dollars, and the annual pay-roll will approach $150,000.
The Associated Oil Company has also leased and operates, in con- nection with its own plant, the refinery of the American Oriental Oil Company at Martinez.
Another industry of which Martinez is proud is the Mountain Copper Company, situated about a mile and a half northeast, just beyond the city limits, occupying Bullshead Point, on the shore of Suisun Bay. Here one beholds an immense chimney, surrounded by factory build- ings. An immense sign, large enough to be read miles away, bears the name "Mococo," by which the community is known. The title was de- rived from the first two letters of each of the words Mountain Copper Company. This institution, which is largely controlled by English cap- ital and which operates entirely in California, has been in existence since 1894. Since that year it has operated four copper mines in Shasta County, including the famous Iron Mountain mine, from which twenty million dollars' worth of copper was taken before it showed signs of be- ing exhausted, when other mines were developed to take its place. The company now smelts all its ores at the Mococo plant, established in 1905. A smelter at Keswick, in Shasta County, was abandoned in 1907, and a similar plant in New Jersey was closed down in 1906, it being found more economical and satisfactory in every way to perform all the work at the local plant. To accomplish this the establishment runs day and night the year round.
The product from the mines is divided into two classes, known as siliceous ore and sulphide ore. The former carries about three per cent of copper and the latter is rich in sulphuric acid. The siliceous ore is melted, and from it is extracted blister copper, which is molded into "pigs" weighing two hundred and forty pounds each. The sulphide ore
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is shipped to the various manufacturers of sulphuric acid on the Pacific Coast, including the Standard Oil Company, the General Chemical Company, and the Du Pont Powder Company. After roasting out the sulphur, the residue, containing about one per cent of copper and a small amount of gold and silver, is returned to the Mountain Copper Company. The company also has its own sulphuric-acid plant, utilizing the sulphur from the Iron Mountain ore.
Of growing interest to California agriculturists is the superior qual- ity of fertilizer which Mococo plant turns out from its by-products. It is commercially known as superphosphate, and is the basis of all mixed fertilizers. The plant is capable of manufacturing about thirty thou- sand tons of fertilizer a year. Owing to the fertility of California's soil, agriculturists in the past have used very little fertilizer, but it is com- ing more and more into use, especially by the far-sighted and scientific farmers. According to T. B. Smith, the superintendent of the company, "the State of California at present uses only from forty thousand to fifty thousand tons of fertilizer a year, while some smaller States back East use from seven hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand tons ; but they'll all have to come to it." The company's holdings cover fifty-five acres of highland and twenty-five acres of marsh. The smelter has a capacity of four hundred tons of ore a day, or a monthly output of five hundred tons of blister copper. The heat is contributed by three immense reverberating furnaces, the largest of which consumes ninety- three hundred gallons of fuel-oil a day, the other two requiring seven thousand gallons each. Copper smelting takes place at a temperature of thirteen hundred degrees centigrade, and the process requires the high- est degree of accuracy. An error of five minutes over or under would spoil an entire batch, but such a mistake has not occurred in six years. A foreman, who is a master in his line, is always on the watch. The various products are valued at two and a quarter million dollars an- nually, and the yearly pay-roll is nearly half a million dollars, four hun- dred men being employed.
The operations are conducted in such a manner that no injurious odors are released, and this condition permits the most luxurious plant life to flourish about the grounds. Here are found a variety of fruits, banks of poppies and lupine, and even a field of hay. It is asserted that a similar sight will not be found at any other smelter in the world.
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Martinez has numerous other commercial and industrial interests, of which time and space forbid more than a brief mention. These include one distinctly home product, the Stephenson patent cooler, manufac- tured by the L. Anderson Lumber Company. The device is an iceless cooler, a great boon to housewives, enabling them to keep vegetables, meats, and cooked foods from one meal to another with none of the in- conveniences of a refrigerator. There is also a great demand for it among dairymen. The secret of the cooler, which resembles an ordinary cupboard, is in its burlap side-walls, a water-pan beneath, and tubes for the circulation of air. In a room at a temperature of ninety degrees, the thermometer in the cooler stands at sixty degrees. E. J. Randall, a resi- dent of Concord, is the manager of the company. He gives the sales his personal attention, and states that the cooler now sells in many States of the Union, and even as far away as Cuba. It has never been neces- sary to employ a road salesman, as the demand has kept the plant run- ning to full capacity. About fifteen hundred were manufactured last year. The Anderson Company also operates a complete lumber yard, and is one of the oldest lumber and building-material concerns in the section.
Another long-established business institution is the J. E. Colton Win- ery on West Howard Street. Colton has been engaged in viticulture for over twenty years, and has a fine fifty-acre vineyard, half of which is devoted to table grapes and half to wine grapes. Aged wines are his specialty. Each year over 125,000 gallons of the best quality of dry wines is produced, and this finds a ready sale throughout the State. The Colton Winery, the largest independent winery in the county, is operated under the most sanitary conditions possible. Colton, who is serving his first term as city trustee and mayor, is a strong exponent of the City Beautiful idea.
MARTINEZ DEVELOPMENT BOARD
All the functions of a chamber of commerce are performed by the re- cently organized Martinez Development Board, whose membership comprises some of the most wide-awake citizens of Martinez. The new organization is backed by the business men of the community, and is making every effort to enhance the growth of the town and further its commercial interests. Judge C. H. Hayden, member of the city council,
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is president of the board; O. K. Smith, a prominent official of the Mountain Copper Company, is vice-president; Don C. Ray, district manager for the Pacific Gas & Electric Company, is secretary ; A. E. Dunkel, former county recorder, now head of a large abstract and title business, is treasurer. The board of governors consists of the following prominent citizens : J. E. Rodgers, R. R. Veale, Hardin Morrow, A. E. Blum, E. A. Majors, A. E. Dunkel, B. Schapiro, and C. M. Wooster.
Although organized late in 1915, the Martinez Development Board carried to a successful conclusion a number of large projects before the end of the year. A very important matter which is being ably conducted by the Board is that of settling all litigation over landholdings along the city water-front, so that there will be no obstruction in the way of manufacturing and other interests using this acreage for the future wel- fare of Martinez. During the past year (1916) the activities of the board have been largely directed toward obtaining a new charter for Martinez, in keeping with the larger growth and activities of the muni- cipality. The organization is also working diligently in favor of a city- owned water supply, improvements in paved streets, and for bond is- sues to make these projects possible.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
Among the newer public buildings that reflect great credit on Martinez is the county hospital, recently erected at a cost of seventy thousand dollars. It is picturesquely situated on a promontory overlooking the city proper. Constructed of brick and concrete, the handsome structure comprises three stories, made up of two main wings, with a connecting bridge, or corridor. The surounding grounds are maintained in a man- ner quite in keeping with the dignity and beauty of the edifice. Here a skilled staff of physicians and surgeons ministers to the unfortunate and suffering in a most competent and efficient manner.
The new city hall is located in the heart of town. In this building are conducted all the municipal affairs which are now administered at the courthouse.
Most impressive of all the public buildings of Martinez is the court- house, which was erected in 1901, at a cost of six hundred thousand dollars. It comprises two full stories and a basement, granite and con- crete being used in its construction. The whole is topped by a magnifi-
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cent dome that lends the appearance of a capitol building. One is equally impressed with the interior, all of the offices being handsomely equipped with Oriental rugs and mission furniture, the equal of which is seldom found in a building of this kind.
Martinez became the county seat in 1851, and such it has remained ever since. The present county officials are as follows : Superior judges, R. H. Latimer and A. B. Mckenzie, both of Martinez; supervisors, Zeb Knott, of Richmond, J. P. Casey, of Port Costa, Vincent Hook, of Concord, W. J. Buchanan, of Pittsburg, and J. H. Trythall, of Antioch ; county clerk, J. H. Wells, of Martinez ; district attorney, T. D. John- ston, of Martinez ; sheriff, R. R. Veale, of Martinez ; auditor, A. N. Sul- lenger, of Martinez; recorder, M. H. Hurley, of Martinez; assessor, George O. Meese, of Martinez; tax collector, M. W. Joost, of Mar- tinez ; treasurer, J. Rio Baker, of Martinez ; superintendent of schools, W. H. Hanlon, of Martinez; coroner, Doctor C. L. Abbott, of Rich- mond ; public administrator, C. E. Daley, of Martinez ; surveyor, Ralph R. Arnold, of Martinez; superintendent of county hospital, W. H. Hough, of Martinez ; county physician, E. W. Merrithew, of Martinez ; probation officer, A. J. McMahon, of Martinez ; health officer, W. S. George, of Antioch.
The following miscellaneous items form a part of the history of the town of Martinez: Commercial Hotel, Main Street, built in 1892 ; de- stroyed by fire in 1904. County Hospital established in the '90s, new brick building built in 1910, and new addition in 1915. Atchison, Tope- ka & Santa Fe line built through in 1891. Courthouse erected in 1901, at cost of over $600,000; Hall of Records proposed directly across street, in property acquired several years ago. Fire started August 19, 1904, in Stephenson patent cooler factory, wiping out two blocks, in- cluding the Curry livery stable, the opera-house, the Bank of Martinez, the McNamara-Winkelman block, Rankin building, and Commercial Hotel. Mountain Copper smelter erected in 1892, employing nearly 300 men. Bullshead Oil Works, now American Oriental Company, built re- finery in 1905. Martinez Electric Light & Gas Works inaugurated in 1887. Pacific Coast Steel & Iron Manufacturing Company built steel works in 1884. Northern Railway Company (Southern Pacific) and San Pablo & Tulare Railroad Company built through here in late '70s. Shirley & Mizner then sold Martinez-to-Benicia ferry to railroad com-
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pany, which closed up the ferry service. Peyton Chemical Works built in 1900. California Transportation Company (river steamer line) built wharf and began regular service in 1909. Congregational church built in 1904. Alhambra water plant established in 1903, bottling water piped from Alhambra Springs, six miles out in Alhambra Valley. Under bond issue in 1911 city acquired fifty-five acres of water-front land, and built municipal wharf and city hall. Pacific Gas & Electric Company pur- chased Contra Costa Electric Light & Power Company in 1911 and en- tered local field. Great Western Power Company came in 1913. Contra Costa Gas Company began service in 1915. Corporate limits of town ex- tended in 1909; second extension attempted in 1916, but failed. Alham- bra high-school building erected in 1904, and grammar-school building in 1909. Bonds voted for new $51,000 grammar school.
New home sites opened for settlement in last few years, water mains extended, many miles of cement sidewalks laid, electric-lighting system extended, new homes built, street paving commenced.
The Martinez-Benicia ferry was established in 1913. The State high- way is now building from Martinez to Berkeley. The county highway connects with tunnel road and Mount Diablo Boulevard and new bay- shore highway to Bay Point, bringing Associated Oil Refinery within three miles of city.
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CHAPTER XXVI
RICHMOND
BY HENRY COLMAN CUTTING
TO SPEAK or write about Richmond in a historical way is exceedingly difficult, for as it is a record of achievement from beginning to end, and this achievement has been so truly marvelous, it must sound to the un- initiated more like romance than history. The old saying that "Truth is stranger than fiction" holds good with Richmond, for no fiction writer could possibly chronicle one continual chain of big achievements on the part of a small city as it grew to large dimensions and show a more startling array of fancies than are the true facts and figures concerning the growth and accomplishments of the city of Richmond.
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