California, 1849-1913 Part 6

We are all now seated at the supper table, ten in all, and all railroad men except myself, with the dignified paymaster at the head of the table and his check clerk, Olmsby, at the foot, who a.s.sumed the duty of saying grace by making motions around his chest and head, accompanied with these words, "Bucksaws filed and set." This created some amus.e.m.e.nt and was the only time it occurred. The supper went on and the tables were cleared away, and then there was chatting and story telling. Finally I started to tell a story and had gotten fairly into it when I suddenly discovered that every man in the room was sound asleep. It did not take me long to wake them up and have every man on his feet or on the floor.

This did not last long, for I brought out one of my boxes of cigars and that settled the question right there. The next day we were in the San Joaquin Valley and continued the trip, paying the men as we went along, until we reached Bakersfield. This was the end of the road at that time.

Then we returned to Stockton, to Sacramento, to Red Bluff, which was the end of the road in that direction at that time. From there we returned to San Francisco, having had a very fine and agreeable trip, and each one returned to his former allotted position. I at this time was in the produce commission business on Was.h.i.+ngton street near Front street.

Inside of a year Mr. Olmsby left the railroad company, married and went to Chico, in the Sacramento Valley, to run a stationery store. In 1876, the year that President Hayes was elected, his wife gave birth to a child and Olmsby sent a telegram to Mr. Hanford reading like this: "Boy, born last night, has Gerald's feet, Hank Small's hands, my good looks, and hollered for Hayes all night."

Employ of the Southern Pacific.

In 1884 I went into the employ of the Southern Pacific Co. where I remained for twenty years. In 1904 on account of a rule of the company pertaining to long service and age, I was retired on a pension. I protested, they insisted, I accepted (because I could not help myself).

The company was right and I appreciated the pension as they appreciated my services. In all those years I had no reason to complain of the company.

Shortly after my retirement from the employ of the Southern Pacific Company I had sickness in my family and lost "the girl I left behind me," after fifty-three years of happy married life. This was in 1906, it is now 1913, and I am still behind, but I shall get there bye-and-bye and we will go on together side by side.

Sloat Monument.

On June 4, 1910, I went to Monterey, Calif., to attend the ceremonies of the unveiling and dedication of the Sloat Monument at the Presidio of Monterey. The idea, conception and putting through to a successful termination of the erection of this monument, was the work of, we might say, one man, Major Edwin A. Sherman, V. M. W. It has taken the greater part of his time for twenty-four years. A large proportion of the money necessary was raised by subscription, but things lagged for a while, when the Major applied to the U. S. Congress for an appropriation of $10,000 to complete the work and got it. The monument was then finished under the supervision of Lieutenant-Colonel John Biddle.

At the dedication which was held under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Masons, Col. C. W. Mason, U. S. A., delivered the address of welcome, Major Sherman gave a brief sketch of the work and Lt.-Col. Biddle made a few remarks. M. W. W. Frank Pierce, 33rd degree Mason, officiated.

The monument was erected to commemorate the raising of the American Flag at Monterey, the capital of California, July 7, 1846, by the forces under command of Com. Jonathan Drake Sloat, U. S. N. War had been declared between the U. S. and Mexico.

n.o.b Hill.

In later days, about 1877, the term n.o.b Hill was applied to the crown of California street from Powell street westward three blocks to Jones street, on account of its having been selected by the railroad magnates of the State upon which to build their new homes, it being their desire to live together in their home life as well as in their business life.

On the north side of California street commencing at Powell was the residence of Mr. David Porter. This was torn down to make way for the Fairmont Hotel, ground for which was broken October 15, 1902. There were other small homes on other parts of the block but they too were removed and the entire block was used as a site for this famous hostelry.

In the early days a long shanty 40 feet by 10 to 12 feet in width stood where the Porter residence formerly stood. A man by the name of McIntire owned it. It was literally covered with California honeysuckle, and a view point of the town. This entire block was acquired by the late James G. Fair, one of the famous mining men of Nevada, and it still remains in the family estate. The hotel was in the course of construction at the time of the great fire of April 18-21, 1906, and the interior had to be rebuilt entirely as well as the stonework about the exterior openings.

The next of the large homes was that of James C. Flood, a handsome and imposing structure of Connecticut brownstone. This building stood upon the eastern half of the block between Mason and Taylor streets and in order to build, a huge hill of rock as high as the building now is, had to be removed. This was in 1876. After the fire of 1906 this building was remodeled and is now occupied by the Pacific-Union Club.

Mason street had just been cut through this same hill. On the west half of the block stood the home of the late D. D. Colton, who made his fortune out of construction contracts on the Central Pacific railroad.

It was afterwards purchased by C. P. Huntington, another of the famous railroad magnates.

On the next corner stood the large frame mansion of Charles Crocker, one of the builders of the C. P. R. R., built at an expense of $2,500,000.

His son William H. built himself a home on the far corner of the same block. This takes us to Jones street. When the late Charles Crocker selected this site for his home there was one piece of property facing on Sacramento street that he could not buy, so in order to get even with the owner, a Mr. Young, he had a tall spite fence built around the house. The owner lived there for a while, but being shut off as he was from the sunlight, had his house removed; still he would not sell and the fence stood there for years afterwards.

On the south side of the street commencing at Powell stood the mansion of Ex-Governor Leland Stanford. When Stanford purchased the property there stood there a fine house built by the actress Julia Dean Hayne, with an entrance at the corner. This house was removed to the corner of Pine and Hyde streets.

The stone retaining wall on Powell and Pine streets, owing to a spring on the property, gave way and had to be taken down (at the corner) and rebuilt. At the corner it extends 20 feet below the sidewalk and is 20 feet thick and 30 feet high. The ground was then terraced.

The building cost in the neighborhood of $2,000,000.

On the corner above, Mark Hopkins built his home. At his death it pa.s.sed into the hands of a Mr. Searles who had married Hopkins' widow and, not caring to live in California, he had it converted into an art gallery, and the beautiful conservatory into art rooms for the Art a.s.sociation of the University of California, to whom he bequeathed the property. The building cost in the neighborhood Of $2,750,000.

On the next block, between Mason and Taylor streets, were the Hamilton home, the home of Ex-Mayor E. B. Pond and that of the Tobins. While on the block from Taylor to Jones street stood the A. N. Towne, H. H.

Sherwood and George Whittell residences. Just beyond Jones street, on the same side, stood the home of E. J. (Lucky) Baldwin of race horse fame.

In 1861 I moved to 1211 Taylor street, between Clay and Was.h.i.+ngton, and resided there continuously until 1878, a period of 17 years. And I knew of Stanford, Hopkins, Crocker and Huntington, the quartet of railroad magnates, better than they knew of me. But what shall I say of them?

They have all gone beyond the boundaries of human existence and their mansions, together with all the other homes on the hill, were burned in the fire of April 18-21, 1906. They were all men of master minds and are deserving the highest praise for their enterprise, determination and perseverance in the great work they undertook. It was not their money that did it, it was their heads. And there is where the great indebtedness of the State of California comes in to these men.

Going down the eastern slope on California, just below Powell on the south side, at the corner of Prospect Place, stood a house once occupied by Lieut. John Charles Fremont, while on the corner below stood the home of Col. Jonathan D. Stevenson. This building was built in 1851 and had two tiers of verandas that extended entirely around the building. The Colonel died at the age of 94 but had not owned or lived there for many years. It had been converted into a hotel and known as the Harvey House.

Across the street on the other corner stood the Grace Episcopal Church.

The Crocker heirs, not desiring to rebuild on their property on California, between Taylor and Jones streets, bequeathed it to the Episcopal Diocese on which to build a new Grace Church. It is now in course of construction.

On Pine street, at the southwest corner of Stockton, stood the Wilson home. On the southeast corner of Mason stood the home of J. D. Oliver, while on the southwest corner stood the home of Mr. Fred McCrellish, the owner of the "Alta California," while just beyond were the homes of Woods, Jarboe and Harrison and others. On the next block was the old Stow residence while across the street Isaiah W. Lees, chief of police, resided. He was the greatest detective this coast has ever had--his was instinct and intuition, and his records will always remain a lasting monument. On the northwest corner of Jones stood the home of the late James G. Fair, of mining fame, of Nevada.

Going north on Powell street, at No. 812, Mr. Chilion Beach, the bookseller, lived, while next door, No. 814, Mr. D. D. Shattuck resided.

This building was erected in 1854--Mr. Shattuck came to California via the Isthmus and resided here 47 years. On the next block (same side) stood a little one-story house with a high bas.e.m.e.nt in which J. D.

Spencer, a brother of Spencer the sociologist, lived for many years.

Just beyond stood the old High School building. On the next block, at No. 1010, resided for many years another of the old booksellers, Mr.

George B. Hitchc.o.c.k, proprietor of the "Pioneer Book Store," opposite the "Plaza."

At the northwest corner of Was.h.i.+ngton stood the first brick building built in San Francisco. It was built in 1851 by John Truebody, the brick being brought from New York. It was originally two stories high but upon the grading of the streets it was built another story downward to the new grade. He later added another story, the fourth, on top. Even to the time of the fire (1906) you could see the various stairway landings on the Was.h.i.+ngton street frontage. Mr. Truebody originally owned this entire block.

The first church building in Yerba Buena (as San Francisco was formerly called) was the First Presbyterian Church on the west side of Powell near Was.h.i.+ngton. It was built in 1849 of hand-hewn timbers from Oregon.

Upon the erection of the First Methodist Church it was moved to the rear and used as a Sunday school. John Truebody constructed it.

In this immediate neighborhood were many a frame building that had been brought around the Horn "in the knocked down state."

Powell street, from Clay to North Beach, was graded in 1854. It and Stockton street to the east, from Sacramento street north to Green street, were lined with neat homes and was then considered the fas.h.i.+onable residence section of the city, while on Powell street were three churches.

The streets in those days were all planked. Beyond Mason streets ran the trail westward to the Presidio, past scattered cottages, sheds, dairies and vegetable gardens.

On the east side of Stockton street, between Sacramento and Clay streets, stood the old Pioche residence, wherein were given many lavish entertainments, for its owner was an epicure and hospitable to a degree.

He was a heavy speculator and at one time possessed of much property.

His death was a mystery and has never been solved. During the '90's his home was used as the Chinese consulate.

On the west side of Taylor street at the corner of Sacramento street stood the home of Capt. J. B. Thomas, after occupied by Addison E. Head, while on the corner of Clay I had my grocery business, living on the next block, between Clay and Was.h.i.+ngton, No. 1211. Win. T. Coleman, the leader of the Vigilance Committee, lived on the corner of Was.h.i.+ngton street; this house was built by W. F. Walton, and occupied in turn by S.

C. Hastings, Wm. T. Coleman and D. M. Delmas, all men of prominence, while on the next corner stood the home of my old friend, Gross, who came across the plains with me in 1849. In later days, Mr. Chilion Beach resided there.

On the east side at the southeast corner of Was.h.i.+ngton, stood the J. B.

Haggin home, while on the northeast corner stood that of the Beavers, and at the corner of Jackson, the Tevis.' In this neighborhood also lived Ina D. Coolbrith, whose home was the center of the literary genius of the State, amongst them being Bret Harte, Joaquin Miller, and Charles Warren Stoddard. Josiah Stanford, a brother of Leland Stanford, lived on the south side of Jackson street, just below the Tevis home.

Here is as good a place as any to give my readers a short account of the Clay Street Hill Underground Cable Railroad, which operated on Clay street from Leavenworth to Kearny streets, a distance of seven blocks, and at an elevation of 307 feet above the starting point. The cable car was the invention of Mr. A. S. Hallidie, who organized the company which built the line. This was the first time that the application of an underground cable was ever used to move street cars, and on August 1, 1873, the first run up the Clay street hill from Kearny to Leavenworth street, was made, and by September 1st the road was in operation. It was a wonderful exhibition, and half the town was there to witness it. Many were in doubt as to the success of the enterprise. The company required the property holders on the hill to subscribe and donate towards the expense, which they did. The writer owning some property there at that time, gave $100.00 to further the enterprise. This was in 1872. An interested Chinese watched the moving cars and remarked: "No pushee, no pullee, go like h.e.l.lee."

The California Street Railroad Company used the same device. This line was operated along California street from Kearny to Fillmore and first operated April 9, 1878. It was afterwards extended eastward to Drumm and Market streets and westward to Central Avenue. The Sutter Street R. R.

Co. was in operation January 27, 1877, and the Geary street line, February 16, 1880. Cable cars were also operated over Sacramento and Was.h.i.+ngton streets as well as over Powell at later dates.

[1] A few words might be said concerning the princ.i.p.als of this trouble.

King, whose name was James King (before coming to California he had added "of William" so as to distinguish himself from others of that name), came to California November 10th, 1848, engaged in mining and mercantile pursuits and in December 1849 engaged in the banking business in San Francisco. In 1854 he merged with Adams & Co. Shortly afterwards they failed, and he lost everything he possessed. Through the financial backing of his friends, he started the "Daily Evening Bulletin," October 8th, 1855, a small four-page sheet about 10 x 15 inches in size. He was fearless in his editorials, but always within the bounds of right and justice, and took a strong position against corruption of the city officials and their means of election. His paper grew in circulation and size, and soon outstripped all the other papers combined. November 17th, 1855, the Cora and Richardson affair held the attention of the public, and King in his fearlessness inflamed the population into taking matters into their own hands after the Courts had failed to convict. And by his so doing had aroused an enmity, and determination from the lawless element to stop his utterances, even at the cost of his life, so when he attacked in his paper, one James P. Casey, a lawless character, gambler and ballot box manipulator and Supervisor, as having served an eighteen-months sentence in Sing Sing, N. Y., before coming to California, who also published a paper, "The Sunday Times," it brought matters to a crisis, for Casey taking offense at this and other attacks on his ilk, shot King on the evening of May 14, 1856. The shooting of King was the cause of the formation of the Vigilance Committee of 1856 and the direct means of cleaning the city of the corruptness that had had swing for so many years.--[Editor.]