'^l I 1^ % ^ n ^M y^i v^ 'W IflinNIIMIMnMIIIIIMIMIIIIIMIIIIIIIIMIIIIIMIIIMIIIIIIIIMIIIIiniMIIIIIMIIIinilinHIIIIMIMIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllll^ ft.) JOURNALISM IN CALIFORNIA By JOHN P. YOUNG Pacific Coast and Exposition Biographies 4- CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA TIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIMIIIIJIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIMIllillllllllll^ ^^ PRINTED AND BOUND BY W. B. CONKEY COMPANY HAMMOND - INDIANA PREFACE ** T OURNALISM in California"' was written to celc- ^ brate the fiftieth anniversary of the existence of the San Francisco Chronicle. It appeared, with the ex- ception of Chapter XXIII, in the Golden Jubilee and Ex- position Edition of the Chronicle published on January IG, 1915. It Avas so well received, and the- suggestions that it should be reproduced in book form were so numer- ous, that Mr. M. 11. de Young decided upon issuing the present edition, copies of which will be sent to all tlie newspapers belonging to the two leading newsgathering as- sociations, and the important literary journals and libra- ries, and to the various colleges of journalism in the United States. The request that the sketch should be given a per- manent form came with particular urgency from the teachers of journalism in several American Universities, who were pleased to say that it would prove a valuable auxiliary in their work, and to express the hope that edi- tors in other parts of the Union w^ould do for their section what the author sought to accomplish when he wrote "Journalism in California." John P. Young. San Francisco, June 1, 1915. innnnn-T-^-^- TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE PEEIOD BEFOEE THE AWAKENING OF CALIFOENIA. A People Who Were Not Disturbed by News — Naming of the Golden Gate — Communication Between the Missions— First Printing Press in California^ The Earliest Discovery of Gold at Los Angeles in 1841 — The First House in Yerba Buena- — The First Civic Improvement in California — Marine In- activity and Industrial Languor Match Each Other — California's First Saw- mill — Arrival of the Mormon Colony — A Press and Font of Type Brought in 1846 — California's First Paper Published at Monterey in 1846 — Defense Against Wild Indians — First Paper "Almost Pays Expenses "—First Type Used in Monterey Found in One of the Missions — Two Weeks Between Los Angeles and San Francisco — The California Star Issued by the Mormons — Hard Times in Yerba Buena — The First "Boost" Article printed in Cali- fornia — Desire to Make a Slave State of California — The Eush to the Mines — Yerba Buena Is Officially Named San Francisco by Alcalde Bart- lett — Commerce and Population of San Francisco in 1848 Page 1 CHAPTER II NEWSPAPEE PEESS OF SAN FEANCTSCO IN THE EAELY FIFTIES. Changes in Journalistic Methods — Apparent Innovations Often Only Exaggera- tions — A Six-Column Description of California Eesources in 1848 — Early Papers Had Few News Facilities — Pioneer and Eastern Contemporary Period Journalism Compared — First Telegraph Line in 1852 — Completion of Line Between San Francisco and Missouri Eiver — News by Pacific Mail Steamers — Files of Eastern Papers a Great Source of News — The Pony Express and the Newspapers — Eeporting During the Fifties — The First Vigilance Committee — Avoidance of Mention of Crime Did Not Prevent Its Becoming Eampant — Twelve Dailies in San Francisco in 1851 — Denuncia- tions of Municipal Corruption — "Affairs of Honor" Common During the Fifties — The Newspaper Graveyard of Early Days— The Birth of the Alta — San Francisco's First Newspaper Merger^The Founding of the Bulletin — No Overset in Early Day Composition Eooms Page 8 CHAPTER III POLICIES AND ATTITUDE OF THE PEESS DUEING THE FIFTIES. Grafters Judged With Leniency — The Press and the Land Grabbers — Collectivism Not in High Favor — City Lots Solil for a Song — Legislation to Eemove Clouds on Titles^The Squatter Troubles — Fraudulent Spanish Grants — An Attempt to Grab the Whole City — Limantour's Claim Pronounced Fraudu- ii Contents lent in 1S58 — The Condonement of Evils — Subordination of Loeal Interest to National Affairs — The Constitutional Convention of 1850 — The Slavery Question and the Disposition to Compromise — Filibusters and Filibustering — — National Affairs Freely Discussed by Editors — The Fugitive Slave Act Applauded — Contradictory Attitude on the Subject of Slavery — Opposition to the Introduction of Slaves — Eace Prejudice Prevalent — Absolute Dis- regard of the Principles of Neutrality — Advocacy of Cuban Independence in 1851 — The Manifest Destiny Idea — "Fifty- four Forty or Fight" — Open Recruiting for Filibustering Expeditions — Editors Who Thought Walker Was a Hero — Editors Who Could Smell Out Intrigues — American and French Attempts to Grab Sonora— The Absorbing Editorial Topic — — No Sentiment in Favor of Dissociating Local From National Politics — A Scolding Press Which Accomplished No Reforms — The Unceasing At- tempts to Gain Party Advantage — Warfare Betv^een Editors .Page 17 CHAPTER IV DISORDERLY ELEMENTS AND THE A^GILANCE COMMITTEE OF 1856. Events That Led to the Committee's Activities — Neglect of Civic Duties by San Franciscans — Ballot-Box Stuffing and Ballot Boxes With False Bottoms — Municipal Extravagance — A Big Reduction in Expenditures — Nothing to Show for Money Expended — David Broderick's Career as a Municipal Boss - — Assaults of James King of William on David C. Broderick — A Specimen Bulletin Editorial in 1855 — Sudden Rise in the Popularity of the Bulletin — Popular Approbation of Personal Journalism — Exposure of Jury Corrup- tion — The Law and Order Party — Casey Murders James King of William — The Vigilance Committee Hangs Cora and Casey — The Herald Ruined by Withdrawal of Advertising Patronage — Earlier Popularity of the Herald — Formation of the People's Party — Conventionality Abhorred by Early Editors and Reporters — Honest Harry Meiggs — Reporters Never Suspected His Shortcomings — His Unsuccessful Attempt to Divert Business to North Beach^Fraudulent Use of City Scrip — His Flight from San Francisco and His Subsequent Rehabilitation in Peru Page 24 CHAPTER V THE CALM THAT FOLLOWED THE VIGILANTE STORM OF 1856. Decent Elements of Society Assume Control of Affairs — The People's Party — Drifting in a Political Sargossa Sea — A Nominating Junta — The People Saved the Trouble of Selecting Candidates — Reduction of Municipal Ex- pejiditures in 1857 — Bulletin's Advocacy of Pay-as-You-Go Municipal Gov- ernment — Newspapers Easily Founded — Many Journals Live a Short Life — Limited Circulation of Early Papers — The Contents of a Paper More Im- portant Than the Number of Cojties Printed — Per capita Consumption of Papers Very Small — A Host of Forgotten Once Popular Journals — News- papers Make a Limited Appeal to Readers — Small Forces Required to Get Out Daily Papers — A Limited Police Force and Scant Information Con- cerning Crime and Criminals — The Editor and the Field of Honor — Gentle- Minded Men Who Called Each Other Hard Names — The Attention Paid to Dramatic Criticism — Early Boosters of California's Climate — California Spoken of as God 's Country Page 33 CHAPTER VI VARIOUS TROUBLES ON THE EVE OF THE CIVIL WAR. Effect of Telegraph Construction on Appetite for News — San Francisco Papers Take on a More Newsy Appearance — Backroom Nominations Cheerfully Ac- cepted — An Insistent Demand for Retrenchment — Hot Discussions of Burn- Contents H! ing Questions — No Doubt Eegarding Stand Taken by Editors — David C. Broderick's Career in San Francisco — Broderick's Championship of Free Labor — Loose A'iews Concerning the Institution of Slavery — Broderick Elected United States Senator — Broderick and Terry Members of Law and Order Party in 1856 — Terry Kills Broderick in a Duel — A Forerunner of Evils to Come — Not Much Interest in State Division — San Francisco Not Eager to Become a Capital — All Agreed on Subject of Importance of the Harbor — Fremont 's Prophetic Instinct — Maritime Proclivities of Early Press — The Defeat of the Bulkhead Scheme — A Seawall Project Headed Off — Editors Stimulating Agricultural Development — Advocacy of Big Farms — The Mining Industry Kegarded as the Premier Page 42 CHAPTER YII JOURNALISTIC METHODS OF THE LATE FIFTIES AND EAELY SIXTIES. A Long List of Defunct Newspapers — Papers Conducted to Forward Political Aspirations of Owners — Wires Sparingly Used in Early Days — Use of Italics in Early Days — The Tyranny of the Composition Boom — The Day When Many Jobs Were Performed by One Person — When Big Type Was Frowned Upon — Effects of the Cheapening of White Paper — The Big In- crease of Price During the Civil War — Early Day Eeporting Criticised — Not Many Trained Reporters — Editors Guess What Reporters Fail to Discover — Facts Carefully Concealed by Papers — The Press and the Slavery Question on the Outbreak of the War — A Minister Who Would Not Pray for the President— Few Editors Called to an Accounting for Their Proclivities — A Civil War Fighting Editor — Newspaper Offices Gutted When Lincoln Was Assassinated — Adherence of California to Gold Money — The Specific Contract Legislation — Influence Exerted by the Press to Promote Honest Monetary Dealing Page 53 CHAPTER YIII THE CHRONICLE ENTERS THE FIELD OF SAN FRANCISCO JOURNALISM. Advent of the Examiner — Its Founders — The Youthful Projectors of The Chronicle — Acumen Displayed in Selecting a Title — An Amusement Loving Public — A Newspaper P"'rom the Very Beginning — San Francisco Restaurants During the Sixties — The First Home of The Chronicle — Hustling to Get Money for a Start — Rapid Growth of Popularity Eases Finances — Mark Twain's Contributions to the Dramatic Chronicle — The Budding Author Has Desk Room in Dramatic Chronicle Office — Bret Harte Helps Out With In- teresting Squibs — The Criticisms of Tremenhcre Johns of the Dramatic Chronicle — The Efforts of the Beginners Cause Amusement — Prosperity Soon Follows Success — Movement to New Quarters on Montgomery Street — A Handsome Sign, of Which the Yo'ithful Publishers Were Very Proud — A Theater Manager and Actress AVho Disliked Criticism — First News of the As- sassination of President Abraham Lincoln — Early Efforts to Illustrate a Daily Newspaper — Extras Tell of the Gutting of Local Newspaper Offices. Page 63 CHAPTER IX MANY INNOVATIONS BY THE BROTHERS, CHARLES AND M. H. de YOUNG. The Chronicle Begins to Make Investigations — Early Contributors to the Sun- day Edition — Charles Warren Stoddard, Prentice Mulford and Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie — The Chronicle's First London Correspondent — The Prefix Dramatic Dropped — The Daily Morning ('hronicle — The Earthquake of 1868— An Extra Issued While the Earth Was Trembling— The Enterprise iv Contents of the Bulletin — Career of the Alta California — Policies of the Bulletin and Call — The Attitude of the San Francisco Press Toward the Railroad — Fear of Goat Island Becoming a Rival City — When the Southern Pacific was "The Railroad"— Little Distrust of the Future— The Press Confident That the Railroad Would Promote Prosperity — The Mania for Mining Stock Speculation — The Rush to the White Pine Mines — A Hopeful Press on the Eve of Hard Times Page 70 CHAPTER X STOCK GAMBLTNCt AND OTHER TROUBLES IN THE SEVENTIES Conditions Preceding the Adoption of the Constitution of 1879 — Henry George's Connection with the Chronicle — General Protest Against Land Monopoly — Disturbing Results of the Spanish and Mexican Land Grant System — The Revivifying Influence of the Finding of Large Bodies of Ore in Nevada — The Big Bonanza Discovery and Its Effects — The Rage for Gambling in Mining Stocks — Stock Gandding an Excuse for All Delinquencies — The Big Deals Put Over — Men Who Yearned for Misinformation — The Failure of the Bank of California and the Death of Ralston — Manufacturing Enter- prises That Did Not Succeed — Early Aspirations for a "City Beautiful" on the Bay of San Francisco — The Industrial Activities of Ralston — The First Irrigation Project and Its Outcome — Abatement of the Speculative Mania — A Milked-Dry Community Page 78 CHAPTEE XI THE STORY OF GEORGE M. PINNEY AND A BIG LIBEL SUIT. Result of Agitation Against Land Monopoly — The Product of the Bonanza Mines — An Extremely Capable Chief Clerk of the Mint — The Meteoric Career of George M. Pinney — Broker, Millionaire, Enlisted Man and a Political Boss All Rolled Into One Personality — Pinney Meets With Reverses and Flees the Country — His Adventurous Voyage to South America — Sends Out S. O. S. Calls, Which Are Not Heeded — Pinney Surrenders Himself as a Deserter from the Navy — Pinney Makes Accusations Which Create a Sen- sation — Politicians Invoke the Law of Libel- — The Chronicle Assailed for Exposing Political Corruption — How an Editor Got Rid of Some Bad Eggs — Pinney Has an Attack of Forgetfulness — Pinney 's Financial Operations Cause the Wreck of Several Banks — Creation of a Bank Commission the Result of The Chronicle 's Exposures Page 84 CHAPTER XII THE CHRONICLE'S SUCCESSFUL FIGHT FOR THE CONSTITUTION OF 1879. A Misrepresented Organic Law — Assaults on the Men Who Framed It — The Unreasoning Fears and Unscrupulous Methods of Its Opponents — The Chronicle's A'igorous Fight for the Instrument — Big Sums of Money Ex- pended to Beat the New Organic Law — Fruitless Efforts to Muzzle The Chronicle — Threats of withdrawal of Patronage Fail to Intimidate — The Charge That It Was a Sand-Lot Instrument Refuted — Framed by the Best Legal Talent of California — The Chronicle's Defense of the Freedom of the Press — Composition of the Constitutional Convention — A Thoroughly Discussed Document — Settling a Question of Newspaper Makeup — Meet- ings Organized by M. H. de Young — A Big Meeting in the Mechanics' Pavilion — Victory Celebrated by Fireworks. Page 9] Contents CHAPTER XIII OLD-FASHIONED METHODS OF NEWSPAPER ING DISAPPEARING. Journalistic Progress in San Francisco — History in Outline — Appearance of Newspapers During the Seventies — Breaking Away From Conventionalised Metliods — San Francisco's First Eight-Page Paper — An Olil-Tinie Supple- ment — Newspaper Offices on Side Streets — Publication Center in Unsavory Quarters — The Chronicle's Bold Move to Kearny Street- — First San Fran- cisco Newspaper to Have a Real Home of Its Own — Newspapers That Lacked Confidence in the Future — Changes in Ownership of Papers — The Bulletin and Call Under Pickering, Fitch and Simonton — Printing on a Hand-Fed Press — Highly-Paid Hand Composition — News])aper Career of Henry George — Robert Louis Stevenson and the Newspapers — Bryce 's Opinion of The Chronicle — Writers With Imagination — The Pioneer Sun- day Magazine of the Daily Press of America — Reporting Sports and Sport News — San Francisco's First Sporting Editor — Newspaper Staffs Re- cruited from the Pulpit, the Schoolroom and the Bar — The Chronicle a Training School — Expounders of "Sound" Democratic Doctrine — Found- ing of the Argonatit — The News Letter and Its Writers — Samuel Seabough a Forceful Editorial Writer — Boosting a Senatorial Candidate and Its Results — The Chronicle Gets a New Managing Editor , Page 97 CHAPTEE XIY JOURNALISM BEGINS TO FIND ITSELF IN SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco 's First Newspaper Building — The Chronicle 's Home on the Corner of Kearny and Bush Streets — An Exhibition of Confidence in the Future — A Thoroughly Up-to-Date Plant — Those Who Inspected It Believed It Would Never Be Outgrown — First American Demonstration of Electric Lighting in Chronicle Otfice — An Illustration of the Journalism That Does Things — When Kearny and Bush Streets Were the City 's Center — The Germ of the Index Card System — The Chronicle's Contemporary Library — A Big Account of a Big Fire — The Big Inyo Earthquake Pictures by The Chron- icle — The Diamond Mine Swindle Exposure — The Battle in the Lava Beds With Modoc Indians — An Interview Which Attracted World-Wide Attention — When Interviewing Was Much in Vogue — Passangers by Rail Prom the East Win Distinction — Publication of Letter Lists— No Press Club in Early Days — Newspaper Men Who Were Bohemians — The Glorification of San Francisco and Its Atmosphere — Liberal Use of the Wire Page 107 CHAPTER XV PEOBLEMS RAISED AND TROUBLES PRODUCED BY NEW ORGANIC LAW. Result of Adoption of Constitution of 1879— There Was No Hegira of Capital— The Last Big Mining Stock Deal — A Quietus on Stock GamVjling — The Con- stitution's Adherents Were the People of the Interior — Greed of Agitators for Office an Obstacle to Realization of Benefits — Charles de Young the Ablest Newspaper Man Produced by San Francisco — The Reception to Gen- eral Gr.int— It Enabled The Chronicle to Set the Pace in Reporting— A World-Beating Journalistic Exploit— A People Proud of Their Paper — Another Great Report of a Big Local Event— The Author's Carnival— The First Real Woman Journalist — A Case of Makeshift Illustration — Renewal ■ of Prosperity — The Crusade Against Chinese Immigration — Passage of the Exclusion Act by Congress — A Great Wheat Producing State— Popularity of The Chronicle's Annuals — The Chronicle's Thoroughness Page 116 y'l Contents CHAPTER XVI NOTABLE INSTANCES OF THE "JOURNALISM THAT DOES THINGS. ' ' Slow Eecognition of the Demaiul for Eegulation of Monopolies — Democratic De- fenders of the Eailroads — Eastern Attitude Slow to Crystallize — The Frus- tration of Attempts to Reform — A Problem That California Migh Have Suc- cessfully Worked Out — Failure to Elect Honest Commissions — A Victim of Judge-Made Law — Absurd Results of the Board of Equalization Decision — The Evils of Non-Partisanism— Political Career of George Hearst — He Makes a Handsome Present to His Son — Examiner Passes Into Possession of William R. Hearst — The Chronicle's Advocacy of the Protective Policy — A History of Education in the United States — Another Instance of the Journal- ism That Does Things — The Chronicle Demonstrates the Desirability of Weather Warnings to Agriculturists and Fruit Growers — Millions Saved to the State by Newspaper Enterprise — The Chronicle Forms a News Associa- tion — Numerous Patrons Served — Chronicle Press Association Absorbed by Associated Press — M. H. de Young a Director of Associated Press for Twenty-seven Years — Illustration Growth — Big Type in Heads — Book Reviews — Dramatic Critics — A Training School for Statesmen — Noted contributors Page 123 CHAPTER XVII MIDWINTER EXPOSITION OF 1894 AND ITS EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS. A New Building for The Chronicle at Market, Geary and Kearny — An Archi- tectural Departure Which Caused Much Headshaking — M. H. de Young's Bold Innovation- — The Chronicle 's Big Strides in the Eleven Years Between 1879 and 1890 — A Sixty-Page Edition — Some Remarkable Comparisons — Hard Times After a Period of Prosperity — A Successful Attempt to Turn Aside Adversity — M. H. de Young's Proposition to Hold a Midwinter Fair — A Conspicuous Instance of the Journalism That Does Things — The Story of a Big Enterprise — The Manner of Its Suggestion in Chicago at the Colum- bian Fair — An Idea Received With Enthusiasm — The Ball Set Rolling in Chicago — Local Attempts to Head off the Project — Fears That It Could Not be Successfully Carried Through — The First Modest Plans — Organiza- tion Effected and M. H. de Young Selected Director-General — Commissioners Oppose Location of Fair in Golden Gate Park — Formal Ground Breaking August 24, 1893 — Work for the Unemployed — Four Short Months in Which to Get Ready — One Hundred and Fifty Buildings Erected — Ready to Open on Time — A Succession of Festivals and Other Events — An Exposition Which Was Made to Finance Itself— What It Did for Golden Gate Park and the City of San Francisco Page 135 CHAPTER XVIII JOURNALISTIC CHANGES AND POLICIES PRIOR TO NINETEEN HUNDRED. No Monopoly in the Field of Journalism — Great Journals the Product of Toil and Patient Upl)uihling — The Disappearance of the Alta California — A Newspaper Killed by Cheapness — Objection to the Introduction of Pennies — Diminishing Interest in Stock Speculation Causes Death of Two Papers — The Bulletin and Call Change Hands — John D. Spreckels Acquires the Call — Strenuous Adherence to the Policy of Pay-asyouGo — The New City Hall of 1870 a Ruin Before It Was Finished — Property Sold by the City Repur- chased to Secure a Building Site — The Dollar Limit of Taxation and the Water Supply — The Regulation of Water Rates — Dollar Tax Limit Used as a Political Bait by Boss Buckley — Newspaper Hostility to Smooth Pave- Contents vii ments — Editors Who Were Eeserved in the Matter of Expressing Opinion — Samuel S. Moffat 's Free Trade Articles in the Examiner — The Chronicle 's Advocacy of the Development of the Eesources of the State — Helping Neigh- boring States and Territories — Good Advice Given to Southern Californians — The Eush to the Klondike — Big Force Sent to Eeport the Discoveries — A Twelve-Page Edition of the Northern El Dorado — Optimistic Predictions Concerning Alaska — A Book Published in a Single Issue — Chronicle Mono- graphs Eeprodueed as Public Documents by Congress Page 141 CHAPTER XIX CHANGING METHODS AND FEATUEES OF MODEEN NEWSPAPEES. Effect of the Cheapening of Printing Paper — Cause of the Popularity of the Sun- day Magazine — Contributors of the Highest Bank — The Sunday Magazine Has Eliminated "Grub Street" — Development of the Syndicate — Effect of Illustration on the Production of Magazine Matter — Improvement in the Pro- duction of Pictures — Introduction of Typesetting Machines — General Adop- tion of the Linotype by Newspaper Offices — Growing Propensity to Dress Papers — Introduction and Use of the Telephone — Care Taken to Verify Eumors and State Facts Correct!}' — The Part Played by the Telephone in Getting at the Truth — General Use of T^vpewriting Machines in Newspaper Offices — Copyreaders and Compositors Grateful for Their Introduction — Shorthand Eeports Not Commonly Made in American Newspaper Offices — Effect of Longhand Eeporting oii the Development of Literary Style — The First Sunday Editor of The Chronicle — Writers Who Came From the Case — Attaches of " The Chronicle Who Have Made Their Mark— Well-known San Francisco Newspaper Men Now in Other Fields — Frank Norris' Early Con- nections—The Chronicle 's City Editors Page 153 CHAPTER XX AFFAIES ON THE EYE OF SAN FEANCISCO'S GEEAT DISASTEE. Efforts of San Francisco to Obtain a New Charter— Strenous Opposition of Part of the Press to Abandoning the Consolidation Act of 18-36 — Contests Over Details — A Charter Finally Adopted in 1898 — The Changed Attitude of Bulle- tin and Call After 1895 — San Francisco Embarks on a Career of Improve- ment — Approval of Park Panhandle Boulevard Project — The Chronicle 's Ex- posure of Graft, and Its Opposition to Grafters — Creation of the Euef-Schmitz Machine— Eeformers Who Eefused to be Stirred Into Action — Euef and Schniitz Claim That Their Administration Brought Prosperity to San Fran- cisco—The Bitter Antagonism of The Chronicle to the Grafters— The Burning of the Tower of The Chronicle Building— Suit Brought by Members of Schmitz Gang Against The Chronicle— It Took an Earthquake to Eouse the Eeformers to Action— The Visit of Eoosevelt to San Francisco— His Approval of The Chronicle's Political Course— Protection Versus Bimetallism— Pro- prietor of The Chronicle Elects to Stand by the Former— Schemes for Beauti- fying the City— Summer Outing Editions of The Chronicle— Charity Work Done by Newspapers— Women 's Clubs and the Press— Cartooning, and Chronicle Catoonists P^«® ^^^ CHAPTER XXI SAN FEANCISCO'S GEEAT DISASTEE AND ITS EAPID EECOVEEY. Newspaper Warnings That Went Unheeded— Prosperity Produces a Careless Atti- tude Toward Municipal Government— The Chronicle the Only Paper Hate.l by the Grafters— Eeformers Inactive on the Eve of the Great Conflagration— A Case of Purification by Fire— Part Played by the Press m the Great viii Contents Disaster — IJespondiiifr to the Call of a Self -Imposed Obligation — Prepara- tions to Get Out an Extra — A Messenger Sent to Oakland Asking Hos- pitality — The Joint Paper Published on the Morning of April 19, 1906 — . It was a Marvel of Calm Statement — A Journal That Lived One Day Only — Charles de Young Eeceives His Baptism of Journalistic Fire— He reorgan- izes the Circulation Department — Paper Temporarily Printed in Oakland — The Loss of The Chronicle 's Eeference Library — Charles de Young Made Business Manager of The Chronicle — Men Who Retained Their Positions During Long Perioils — A Great Newspaper Feat Successfully Carried Through by Charles de Young — Tetrazzini Sings in the Open Air on Christ- n'as Eve at the Eequest of The Chronicle — The Untimely Death of Charles de Young Page 170 CHAPTER XXII THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF JOURNALISM. Purchase of the San Francisco Call by M. H. de Young — Eetirement from the Field of a Survivor from Pioneer Days — Introduction of Wireless Telegraphy ■ — Increased Complexity of Newspapering — An Album of Portraits of the Working Force of The Chronicle — Eemarkable Expansion of the Midwinter Exposition Memorial Museum — A Product of the Journal That Does Things — The Chronicle 's Christmas Ship — Over a Quarter of a Million Articles Sent to the Little Ones of W^arring Europe — Charles de Y'oung 's Efforts to Brighten the Lives of Unfortunates — Eescuing the Careless from the Clutches of Loan Sharks — The Chronicle 's Japanese and Pan-American Editions — Imminence of Another Chronicle Skyscraper Page 180 CHAPTER XXIII THE CHEONICLE'S GOLDEN JUBILEE AND EXPOSITION EDITION. A Publication That Stimulated Interest in the P. P. I. E. — Ninety-two Pages of Eeading Matter and Illustrations — Advertising Eecord Breaker — Aus- picious Opening of San Francisco 's Great Show— Critics Declare That It Has Surpassed All Previous Expositions — Eecord Breaking Attendance of the First Months- — An Ancient Question Up for Decision — The Attempt to Unload Spring Valley on the City — A Contest in Which The Chronicle Stood Alone and Won Out Page 190 ILLUSTRATIONS Frontispiece — Charles and M. H. de Young, founders of the San Fran- cisco Chronicle, and Charles de Young, son of the latter. 2 — Prospectus of first paper published in California. 3 — Rev. Walter Colton, editor of first paper published in California. 5 — Samuel Brannan, publisher of Cali- fornia Star of San Francisco. 6 — The Washington press on which San Francisco's first paper was printed. 7 — Monument to Father Junipero Serra in Golden Gate Park. 14 — Daily Alta California, containing account of wreclv of the George Law. 20 — William Walker, the Nicaraguan filibuster. 26 — James King of William, murdered by James P. Casey in 1856. 27 — Pictorial Town Talk, with an ac- count of the Vigilance Committee's doings. 30 — William T. Coleman, leader of Vigi- lance Committee of 1856. |4 — Harry Meiggs, one of San Fran- cisco's earliest promoters. ♦ 3 — David S. Terry and David C. Brod- erick, principals in a duel of the fifties. 64 — Title page of the Dramatic Chron- icle, showing form in which San Francisco Chronicle first appeared. 65 — The home of the San Francisco Chronicle on Montgomery street in 1865. 66 — Mark Twain. 68 — Bret Harte. 70 — Charles Warren Stoddard. 79 — Pine-street Mining Stock Exchange and Montgomery street during tlie seventies. 81 — William Sharon and William C. Ralston. 82 — Interior Court of Palace Hotel, erected by W. C. Ralston in 1S75, destroyed by fire of 1906. 93 — Dennis Kearney, the Sand Lot agitator of the seventies. 95 — The fifth Mechanics' Pavilion, on the corner of Mission and Eighth streets, in which the great meeting advocating the adoption of the Con- stitution of 1879 was held. 99 — Title page of first eight-page paper printed in San Francisco. 101 — Evolution of the Printing Press: Washington hand. Hoe four-cylin- der and modern perfecting press. 102 — Henry George, author of "Progress and Poverty." 108 — Chronicle building, erected by the brothers, Charles and M. H. de Young in 1879 on corner of Kearny and Bush streets. 110 — Chronicle's Reference Library, first organized in 1879. lis — Chronicle building decorated, on the occasion of reception of General Grant on his return from his world tour. 128 — Bulletin board of Weather Service started by Chronicle in 1885 to demonstrate the feasibility of giv- ing timely warnings to the agri- culturists cf California, subse- quently adopted by the Government. 136 — First steel "skyscraper" in San Francisco, erected by M. H. de Young in 1890, on the corner of Market, Geary and Kearny streets, and occupied by The Chronicle until June, 1906. 138 — The Midwinter Exposition buildings in 1894. The exposition was sug- gested by M. H. de Young, who was made its President and Director- General. 148—' 154- 156- 158- 164- Chris Buckley, the Blind Boss of the Democratic party. -Robert Louis Stevenson. -A part of the San Francisco Chron- icle's battery of Linotypes. -Joaquin Miller. -Destruction of the tower of the Chronicle building on the night of November 5, 1905. -Title page of the joint paper issued by San Francisco's three morning papers on the day after the disaster of 1906. Illustrations 176 — 1 'resent home of the San Francisco Chronicle, constructed by M. H. de Young after the disaster of 1900. The first building erected in the downtown district after the great fire. 185 (2 cuts on one page) — Thanksgiv- ing day at the Kelief Home and the Children's Hospital. The cus- tom of entertaining the children was inaugurated by Charles de Young and has been kept up since his death by his father, M. H. de Young. 186- — The Midwinter Exposition Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park. 188 — Trucks loaded with contributions of clothing, toys, etc., collected by the San Francisco Chronicle for tlie women and children of the warring nations of Europe. 189 — Willis Polk and Company's Design for a New Chronicle Building. 191 — Panoramic view of Panama-Pacific International Exposition and Di- rectors. Key to portraits: (1) Leon Sloss, vice-president; (2) I. W. Hellman Jr., vice-president; (3) R. B. Hale, vice-president; (4) Charles C. Moore, president; (5) "W. H. Crocker, vice-president; (6) M. H. de Young, vice-president; (7) James Rolph Jr., vice-president; (S) Captain John Barneson; (9) John 194- A. Britton; (10) George T. Cam- eron; (11) R. A. Crothers; (12) Henry T. Scott; (13) A. W. Foster; (14) Curtis H. Lindley; (15) James McNab; (16) Rudolph J. Taussig, secretary; (17) M. J. Brandenstein; (18) Frank L. Brown; (19) P. T. Clay; (20) Alfred I. Esberg; (21) Henry F. Fortmann; (22) Homer S. King; (23) A. W. Scott Jr.; (24) Charles S. Stanton; (25) C. S. Fee; (26) Joseph S. Tobin; (27) Dent H. Robert; (28) Thornwell Mullally; (29) P. H. McCarthy. -Title page of Jubilee Edition of San Francisco (I^^hronicle, published January 16, 1915. 195 — Scene at the Panama-Pacific Inter- national Exposition on the opening day. 200 — Sculpture at the Exposition: Autumn, by Furio Piccirilli. 204 — Palace of Fine Arts, Panama-Pa- cific International Exposition. 208 — Sculpture at the Exposition: The Genius of Creation, by Daniel Chester French. 212 — California Building, Panama-Pa- cific International Exposition. 220 — Sculpture at the Exposition: Water, by Robert Aitken. CHAPTER I THE PERIOD BEFORE THE AWAKENING OF CALIFORNIA. People Who "Were Not Disturbed by News — Naming of the Gohlen Gate — Com- munication Between the Missions — First Printing Press in California — The Earli- est Discovery of Gold at Los Angeles in 1841 — The First House in Yerba Buena — The First Civic Improvement in California — Marine Inactivity and Industrial Languor Match Each Other — California's First Sawmill — Arrival of the Mormon Colony — A Press and Font of Tyjje Brought in 1846 — California's First Paper Published at Monterey in 1846 — Defense Against Wild Indians — Firsc Paper "Almost Pays Expenses" — First Type Used in Monterey Found in One of the Missions — Two Weeks Between Los Angeles and San Francisco — The California Star Issued by the Mormons — Hard Times in Yerba Buena — The First "Boost" Article Printed in California — Desire to Make a Slave State of California — The Rush to the Mines — Yerba Buena Is Officially Named San Francisco by Alcalde Bartlett — Commerce and Population of San Francisco in 1848. URIXCI the seventy years intervening between the naming of the Mission JDolores by Juan Bautista de Anza on March 28, 1776, and the proclamation of Commodore Sloat on the 7th of July, 18-i6, in which he announced to the natives of California that they were to enjoy the advantages of the beneficent institutions of the United States, the vast region now forming the second largest state in tiie American Union liad experienced an almost undisturbed repose. The few easily quelled uprisings of Indians, and the occasional dissensions between the religieuse and the military authorities, and the not very serious feuds of the more prominent of the gonte de razon were all that happened to cause a ripple on the surface of the placid life of the sparsely inhabited country. The people of California lived a life so entirely apart from that of the rest of the world that the successful revolution of IMexico in 1823 scarcely afforded a real sensation. The interests of the province were necessarily vitally affegted by the shaking off of Spanish rule, but the event probably excited less general interest than a primary election does today. There were sporadic exhibitions of differences of opinion by the more prominent landowners, and some show of opposition was made by one or two padres, but, on the whole, acquiescence in the change of rulers came so easily the inference is permissible that it was the product of indifference. It does not require much penetration to understand the cause of this attitude. During the three-quarters of a century between the day when Journalism in California Portola's hunting party discovered the bay of San Francisco in 1769, and the entrance of Fremont's first exploring party into the prov- p . , ince in 1848, the natives of California had lived lives as of devoid of active curiosity as of ambition. The padres were Repose engrossed in the work of saving the souls of the Indians who became inmates of the mission establishments; and the few soldiers who garrisoned the widely separated posts, and the beneficiaries of land grants and their dependents vegetated. The turmoil of the outside world caused them no unrest, and only the echoes of revolutions reached their ears. It is related by a French traveler named De Mofrat, who visited California some years after the overthrow of the Bourbons, that he heard the Indian neophytes singing mass to the tune of "The Marseillaise," which had been taught them by one of the padres who had probably never heard of the enthronement of the goddess of reason in Notre Dame, or of the bitter warfare in La Vendee. At this time, and for many years after, the feeble desire for intelligence was ministered to only when a warship or a trading vessel found its way into the harbor of San Francisco, through the entrance which later had conferred upon it by Fremont the Greek name Chrysophylae, Intelli- which was subsequently translated into Golden Gate by the Rarely pioneers. It does not appear from the numerous descriptions Received we have of such visits that great eagerness was exhibited for news ; but there are some positive statements to the effect that the padres were disinclined to give credence to any stories calculated to upset their geographical or scientific views. While the padres and the rancheros may have felt that indifferenc3 concerning the outside world which is the natural product of isolation, they manifested a lively curiosity regarding their own affairs and found frequent means to gratify the very human desire for news. The missions of Upper California, which were located at suitable intervals between San Diego and San Francisco, extended their hospitality to all travelers, and the latter usually requited the attention by imparting such intelligence as they pos- sessed concerning the doings of the establishments through which they had passed. It was a chance sort of interchange of intelligence and was never re- duced to a system. Thus it frequently happened that there were long inter- vals of complete repose for the padres, who escaped the No Desire harassing doubts which a too lively desire for the very latest Latest news, and the disposition to minister to it, brings in its train. News This nearly somnolent condition endured in California down to the time of the discovery of gold at Sutter's mill, a fact which may be inferred from the authenticated statement that the people of Monterey did not hear of Marshall's find until several weeks after the inhabitants of Yerba Buena had been stirred by the event. It is not without the bounds of possibility that the discovery at Sutter's mill might have proved as unimportant as an earlier find of the precious metal in Los Angeles county, made by Francisco Lopez -in 1841, had not the men who made their way to California in 1846 and 1847 brought with them the means as well as the news disseminating propensity. Lopez' dis- covery, unlike that of ]\LTrshall's, was not the result of an accident. He had heard that water- worn pebbles of a certain sort were foimd in thp vicinity 75 PUBLISHED IN MONTEREY, EVERY SATURDAY MORNING, Bt COLTON a SEMPLE. FOR FlUE DOLLARS PER ANNUM IN ADVANCR. V This ii the fir«l jvip^r e»fr piihli«hcd in Cnliforni^. nnfl itiough i>juc, til obedience lu lier nioii- duiri. NIC •hnll n.l>octtc an r.hli.in,, of ill pnuil he iii'J h«»o lakeii in pratKua n fniunona. »• «h«ll inaiiiluiii ftordnm ..f apcich nnd ihe preaa. and Ihixe f;«iian In votrhip God according tu the ditUlaa of hii own c«n«ci>-nce. wj «hn|| advra-aie aurh a ajr«|pm nf puhlir inalruclinn aa aaiil briiiB ihr- nixna of a good piaciieal EDUCATION to eierj chil.l la Lalifumin wr ahall urg« ih<> iniiredial* eaiaWiahmrnI of a well nr. gvnizcd gnvrromrnl and a uniTtraal obed'cnra to it* Imwi. » a ahall •ncouraga imigratino. and lako aporial paina to point nut to agricultural imigranta Ihoafl af«tinn< of tin*c> cgpicoil will nioal am- piT rtpaf th,- talMra of lh<^ hu.Undman "t ahall encournga rtnniraiic inanufaclurra and the me- chanic arta aa anuicca of pfi%ale wealth, indtftduol comfort anil inditpcnaaUlc to iha puhlir proaporiiy. vit >liall uree ihf orgaDimtioii of interior defences aitf- Krirnt lo prnlirl Ihe property of cilizena from the depreda- tionanflhe odd Indiana wi ahall adx<»c«le n icrritorwl r^lntion of Californin to Iha Unitad Slatet. till th-: nuniUr nf inhabitniila is iiui.li that ah*- cun t>« admitted a ineinljcr of th;it gli.iious con- federacy. •WI iIhII auppo'l lh» pr'.fMt mcnuurea of ll.r eommnndor in tlhpf of Iha Americnn ai|Miii|..rn ..n our C"«-l, ao far un they cniidnce to the pnhlia ii(x with the Uniic.l S::itei. nr. all iD adaoealO the li.no-t rale oriliilies on foreign import", anil Ijvru an ctciiiption of the necea^nries of life, oeii Iron, thu-e dull'.. wr ahull go for Cali/ornia—for til tier Inlernlt. jonVi/, CM'i/ oar/ rf/i:.'-ion!— eiieoumginff ftrery thing tliil proinottS liia-c, rcai'llng fVeiy thing ihat can do llicm linnn Tina preal >l.iill be frer ni.d in.l^p^ndenl : linawe.ll.y p-lic in- lelhgcnre and tha t:arli--t foreign noita. Thc C>Liraitfe. It i« to bo huped that the increasing pitpulnlinn, the e<- mrnl of thc govarniBent at .Mnnlery will increase our atib- arriptiiin liai, ao a> In justify the eiira expense of enlarging the paper. Out tlinnks arc tcndrred lo nor patrons nml frienda f-r paM favnura and we hnpetliat mir future elfotts will meet with n continuance nf thrir cnnfiilencc. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. ?lace of residence. PROSPECTUS OF FIRST PAPER PUBLISHED IN CALIFORNIA REV. WALTER COLTON Editor of first paper published in California. The Period Before the Awakening of gold and while pulling up wild onions at San Francisquito, about tliirty- five miles north of Los Angeles, he noted some clinging to the roots which appeared to answer the description. He at once instituted a search and was rewarded by finding about eighteen ounces of the precious metal, which was sent to the Mint at riiiladelphia, where it was found to be worth $344. The discovery, although no attempt was made to keep it secret, pro- duced only a ripple of excitement, and was not followed as in the case of the find at Sutter's mill by a rush which took on world-wide proportions. It is doubtful whether the people in the village of Yerba Buena in 1841 ever heard of Lopez' find. At that time the place numbered thirty families, clustered in the neighborhood of Jacob Primer Leese's store, which he had started in 1836. This establishment occupied a hundred vara lot about 250 feet from the beach of the cove which then reached what is now Mont- gomery street. The location chosen by Leese remained the center of such activity as Yerba Buena developed down to the time of the American occu- pation and during several years afterward. Leese had associated with him in business Nathan Spear and William Sturgis Hinckley. The latter arrived in California in 1840 and in 1844 he Avas elected Alcalde of Yerba Buena, the first to bear that title in what was to be the future metropolis of the Pacific Coast. During ^*" . , his incumbency, Hinckley executed what seems to have been Pjyst the first civic improvement in California, and, perhaps, on Improvement the whole Pacific Coast. The locality now bounded by Montgomery, Washington, Kearny and Jackson streets at that time was covered with a lagoon of salt water which rose and fell with the tide of the bay. Over this obstruction Hinckley caused to be con- structed a rude but serviceable bridge, which obviated the necessity for those coming from North Beach of making a long detour when they desired to reach the store. The construction was of the simplest character, but any- thing in the nature of a public convenience was so great a curiosity that the rancheros of the surrounding country traveled miles to see the marvel. It is not surprising that the desire for information should have been at a low ebb in such a community. The newspaper was by no means a stranger to peoples in other regions where contact with the world was closer. It had been a growing factor in the development of civilization in Europe from the middle of the fifteenth century, and had attained to considerable importance on the Atlantic seaboard of the United States where mental expansion and material progress kept pace. But the need for newspapers or books was not felt throughout the vast area in which the spiritually zealous padres and the sluggish Spaniard and his descendants dominated. Taking Yerba Buena as an exemplar of conditions, it is not difficult to comprehend why the need of a newspaper or the desire for books was never felt. Its commerce, if so sonorous an appellation may be applied to trading operations so insignificant, was confined to the occa- J^®, . sional visits of Yankee skippers who brought miscellaneous Hlbit"^ cargoes, which they exchanged for the hides and tallow de- Unformed rived from the great herds of cattle which roamed over the country surrounding the missions. The padres had no incli- nation for the sea and utterly neglected boat building. As a consequence, the navigation of the bav was monopolized for many years by a single schooner'sailed by a Captain Eichardson, who, as early as 1822, contracted Journalism in California with the heads of the missions to gather their products at various places and assembled them for reshipment in the cove of Yerba Buena. The marine inactivity of the period was fully matched by the general industrial languor. Outside of the missions there was no energy at all, and within their precincts it seemed to be directed to the solution of the preservation of existence in its simplest form. There was no ^° g flourishing agriculture. An examination of the inventories for the of the most prominent establishments of the padres discloses Sea that their products, considering the number of laborers avail- able, were insignificant as to quantity and woefully deficient in variety. Manufacturing, as we understand it, was absolutely unknown. The missions, and the soldiers and natives living near them, were entirely dependent upon outsiders for the commonest kind of utensils, and such luxuries as were consumed were obtained by exchanging hides and tallow for them, the skippers who engaged in the trade usually, if not invariably, getting the best of the bargain. If it were desirable to heighten the lights in this picture of apathy toward material progress, it might be done by stating that until Stephen Smith in 1843 started the first sawmill in California, the people around the bay of San Francisco had been dependent for lumber upon an Irishman named David Hill, who operated a whipsaw as early as 1822, and apparently had no trouble in supplying the demand, which was confined to such simple things as stoutly-constructed doors and rude window frames for the adobe houses, which were guiltless of such luxuries as board floors, and whose furniture was in keeping with the general style of construction. It is not in such a community that one looks for journalistic develop- ment, and the fact that it is never found under the conditions described may seem to negative the assumption that newspapers and books were as impor- tant a factor in bringing about the great metamorphosis which followed the occupation of California by the Americans as some are disposed to claim. But there are many facts to support the belief that those who made their way into the new territory in the days immediately following the settlement of our difficulties with Mexico would not have made the material progress since recorded had they not been an inquisitive and a reading people. It is not without significance that the awakening of Yerba Buena did not occur until the advent of the printing press. From the day when Leese built his store on the corner of Clay and Dupont streets in 1836, until the arrival of the Mormon colony in the Brooklyn on July 31, Awakenine of l*^"^^' ^^^^ village retained all the peculiarities of a poverty- Yerba stricken settlement of the Spanish-American type. If there Buena were any other improvements than the bridging of the slough by Hinckley the records are silent concerning them. But from that time forward changes began to occur indicative of advancement, and it is impossible to dissociate them from the fact that a part of the Brooklyn's cargo was a press and a font of type, and that the 238 colonists aboard that vessel and others who found their way to the little town, brought Avith them books; more, one careful writer tells us, than could be found at the time in all the rest of the territory put together. The press brought by the Mormons was not the first brought to Cali- fornia, nor did the California Star, issued under the auspices of the colony, which was headed by Samuel Brannan, afterward conspicuous in the up- SAMUEL BRANNAN Publisher of California Star of San Francisco. The Period Before the Awakening buildin,"? of San Francisco, enjoy the distinction of being the pioneer pub- lication. That honor is claimed by The Californian, a one-page sheet which made its first appearance in Monterey on August 15, 1846, F^" SCO's nearly six months earlier than the issuance of the California YiTst Star. Col ton and Semple were the publishers and editors of Press the Monterey publication, which was a very modest paper, indeed, being printed on one side of a single sheet 121/2 by 8% inches. This initial issue was in the nature of an announcement, the principal feature of which was a ringing editorial on the subject of the American annexation of California in which fealty to ^lexico and her laws was renounced once and forever. It was characteristic of the new-born spirit which synchronized with the advent of The Californian, that the editor should have advocated public instruction, the establishment of stable and well organized government, and the encouragement of immigration and of domestic manufactures. There certainly was need for all the changes which the editor demanded. Such a thing as public instruction was wholly unknown in Califcmia : im- migration had been persistently discouraged and even prohibited by law; as already stated, the natives were absolutely dependent on "^^^ outsiders for such manufactured articles as the conduct of Qf their simple life demanded, and, after the upheaval in Mexico Change which resulted in the abrogation of Spanish rule, the province was absolutely neglected by the central government of the new republic, which left the provincials to shift for themselves, scarcely taking the trouble to provide them with a Governor. The announcement contained also a recommendation that a force be organized for the purpose of "defense against wild Indians," which appears to have been inspired by a groundless fear, as the aborigines gave little or no trouble during many years following the occupation. Those in the neighborhood of Monterey never were a cause of apprehension to the whites. The Californian was issued weekly on Saturdays, and the subscription price was $5 a year, payable in advance. Its editor and publisher evidently did not contemplate making a fortune through its publication, for in a subsequent issue the reader was informed that: "The Cali- Cahfornia's fornian has been published upward of six months, and, con- "News- trary to our expectations, it has about paid its own expenses." paper" It is difficult to understand how it was able to perform the latter feat, for at best it was nothing but a circular, the prin- cipal purpose of which seemed to be the dissemination of the orders of Commodore E. F. Stockton, commander of the American forces in Cali- fornia. ' These orders were printed in English and Spanish, and probably were the most interesting news California afforded at the time. The type used in printing the Californian was found in the cloisters of one of the missions, and was deficient in capital Ws, and the font was otherwise defective. That the publishers labored under great difficulties in the matter of the presentation of news may be inferred from the fact that a proclama- tion of Stockton, announcing the American occupation, which was dated at "Cuidad de los Angeles. ""August IT. 1846," was printed in an extra of September oth following. On the same date a notice that a general civil election would be held on September loth appeared. It was dated at Los Angeles on the ^^d of the preceding month. If expedition was used by 6 ' Journalism in California Messrs. Col ton and Seniple in producing their extra two weeks were prob- ably occupied in transmitting the copy from Los Angeles to Monterey, which indicates that the American courier had not succeeded in greatly improving upon the leisurely habits of the natives. The Californian, despite the boast that it had made ends meet during the first six months of its existence, moved from Monterey to Yerba Buena on the 22d of May, 1847, and issued the first number of "its second volume from that place, Robert Semple being the sole publisher. Francisco's Meanwhile, however, the Brooklyn with its Mormon contin- First gent had arrived, and the printing plant brought by the Paper colonists was utilized to get out a weekly paper which the publisher, Samuel Brannan, named the California Star. The first number appeared on January 7, 1847. It was a small sheet of four pages, the type on each page occupying a space of 12x15 inches. It was much better printed than the Californian, and its editor, E. P. Jones, exhibited some taste in the arrangement of the matter. An announcement that it would carefully eschew sectarian discussion was something in the nature of an intimation to the settlers of Yerba Buena that Brannan, who had come into collision with the Mormon colonists, intended to withdraw from the organization, which he did subsequently. The condition of affairs in Yerba Buena during the first year after the occupation was the reverse of prosperous. The war had effectually suspended the little business enterprise formerly displayed, and immigration j^^^ was almost at a standstill. The outlook was very gloomy, a, ° but the few Americans who had found their way to the port Prosperous on the Pacific were not easily discouraged. They believed Community • that the future Avould bring prosperity because they had un- bounded faith in the resources of California. Unlike the prior occupants of the land, they were not disposed to adopt the Manana habit. The fact that they had an instrument at hand which would help them to forward their designs probably accounts for their not imitating the example of other Europeans and Americans who had penetrated California before the occupation. That instrument was the newspaper press. They used the California Star to disseminate the information which they believed would prove sufficiently alluring to bring plenty of desirable settlers to the new territory. A committee was formed and itwas resolved to have printed a circular which was to set forth in detail the advantages which the soil and climate of California offered to the husbandman, grazier and artisan. The article was prepared by Dr. Victor J. Fourgead, who entitled it, "The Prospects of California." It was printed in an extra number of the Cali- fornia Star dated April 1, 1848, and a courier was dispatched on the day of its issue with 2000 copies, which he contracted to deliver in Missouri in sixty days, and to spread the document among the people of that State. This first boost edition of a California newspaper barely mentioned the rumored discovery of gold and treated it as a matter of no importance. Marshall's find at Sutter's mill had been made in the previous January, but it appears to have made no serious impression on the boosters, who were con- vinced that the future of California depended upon its grazing and agricul- tural possibilities. The authors of the circular were particularly desirous of attracting Missourians, and it is not unlikely that they desired that they should belong to the class whose sympathies could be depended upon when THE WASHINGTON PKKSS ON WHICH SAN FKANCISCO'S FIKST PAPER WAS PRINTED •■' -JMm wmdMi t MONUMENT TO FATHER JUNIPERO SERKA IN GOLDEN GATE PARK The Period Before the Awakening A California Star Extra the Territory had acquired a sufficient population to promote its admission to the Union as a slave State. Their intentions and calculations, however, availed nothing. The circular of April 1st was to have been ^^^^'. , followed by another on June 1st, but before the arrival of the YiTst ^^^^ ^^'t for the appearance of the second extra of the Cali- Booster fornia Star, nearly everybody connected with the i)aper had gone to the mines, and in the excitement which attended the rush to the new diggings it was lost sight of forever by its projectors, whose thoughts were turned into another channel. When the California Star extra was published on the 1st of April, 1848, Yerba Buena had ceased to be the name of the village on the cove which had so many years served as a safe harbor for the few cra'ft visiting the Coast. On the 30th of January, 1847, Washington A. Bartlett, the first American Alcalde, in order to anticipate the expected appropriation of the name of St. Francis by Mariano 0. Yallejo and Thomas 0. Larkin, who contemplated the creation of a port and city in the locality of Benicia, re- quired that all documents issued in the village should be dated San Fran- cisco, which was the designation applied to the place on the official map. The projectors of the rival city reluctantly yielded and gave it one of the Christian names borne by the wife of M. G. Vallejo. In the same year that Bartlett fixed the name which the erstwhile Yerba Buena now bears, the exports of the premier port of the Pacific were valued at $40,597.53 and the imports at $53, 581). 73. Six square-rigged vessels entered the bay during the year and the population of San Francisco fell forty-one shor^ of 500. The manners of the village had changed somewhat, but the Ameri- canization was not complete. Some of the native habits had been easily accepted by the newcomers. The taste for the card game known as monte was promptly acquired, and more rebosas were seen on the "Street of the Foundation," the high-sounding name given to the one thoroughfare of the place when Yerba Buena was first laid out, than the garb commonly worn by women on the Atlantic seaboard. But the change of name did not greatly increase the activity of the place. San Francisco was nearly as dull as Yerba Buena had been, and remained ro until Marshall's discovery stirred up the inhabitants, and caused the rush from all quarters of the globe, which soon turned the village into a city and in an incredibly brief space of time converted it into the liveliest spot on the footstool. CHAPTER II NEWSPAPER PRESS OF SAN FRANCISCO IN THE EARLY FIFTIES. Changes in Journalistic Methods — Apparent Innovations Often Only Exaggerations — A Six-Column Description of California Resources in 1848 — Early Papers Had Few News P''acilities— Pioneer and Eastern Contemporary Period Journalism Compared— First Telegraph Line in 1852 — Completion of Line Between Han Franeifrco and Missouri River — News by Pacific Mail Steamers — Files of Eastern Papers a Great Source of News — The Pony Express and the Newspapers — Re- porting During the Fifties — The First Vigilance Committee — Avoinv nnh 0r^tr Jforcfs. frj> H' ^*r »t.l.'*-.A-4^^Hj,| ^_^' |.a^ »«( a^'£» (^ te^fc* « :^ilouuieJ!» Uatalllon In lilctton. ^^ ^^ CHARGE UP WASHHI6T0N STIfflT. fi>«t\u-<3A3^, xuxie stxm\, xenso. PICTORIAL TOWN TALK, WITH AN ACCOLtnT OF THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE'S DOINGS Vigilance Committee of 1856 27 on Brodoriek afford. In his salutatoiy, the editor of the Bulletin told hi? readers tliat necessity, not choice, had driven him into the experiment of ])ubliphing a jxiper, and that he was "fully sensible of the J^mes*Kine of ^^^^' ^^ ^ newspaper enterprise as an investment of money." William "I'^s public scarcely needed to be informed that King's news- on Broderick paper venture Avas in no sense a business enterprise, for it was well informed concerning his grievances, which were con- nected with what he deemed the imjust treatment of his brother by the politicians in the matter of a Federal appointment, and his further an- nouncement that he intended to use his paper for the purpose of meeting his enemies with weapons of their own kind was joyously accepted by that part of the community which delighted in recrimination of the sort de- scribed by the term "making the fur fly," while those who believed in his integrity and honesty of purpose, about which there appears to have been no question, despite the fact that the motives for some of his attacks suggested ])ersonal animus, looked forward with eagerness to the effecting of reforms through the instrumentality of an untrammeled press. "It has been whisperecl to us," wrote King, in his salutatory, "that some parties are about pitching into us. We hope they will think better of it. We make it a rule to keep out of a scrape as long as possible; but, if forced into one, we 'ar' thar', entiende?'" This warning EdftorSr^"^ or "defi" was issued on October 8, 1855, and promptly drew of Early ^^e, and a week later the battle was on. One of the very first Days objects of King's attacks was Broderick, who, in accordance with the habit of the time, he nicknamed David Catline Broderick. His arraignment of the politician was a piece of coarse invec- tive, every line of which was calculated to incite violence. lie charged that he was endeavoring to have himself elected for the purpose of accomplish- ing unworthy ends, and accused him of complicity in the job by which the Jenny Lind Theater was unloaded on the municipality to be converted into a City Hall, although unfit for the purpose. Other swindles and robberies were laid at his door, and he was plumply accused of ballot-box stutFmg and other corrupt electioneering practices. On the following day King continued his tirade, specifically indicating cases of men having paid considerable sums of money to Broderick for nominations, which were equivalent to an election, and paying for them nearly as much as the salary attached to the office. Another attack he concluded Avith the remark: 'We have every confidence that the people Avill stand by us in this contest; and, if Ave can only escape David C. Broderick's hired bullies a little longer, Ave Avill turn this city inside out, but Avhat we Avill expose the corruption and malfeasance of her officiary." The allusion to "hired bullies" Avas not a figure of speech in this case. James King of William knew Avhat he might expect. He had no apprehension of a libel suit, for the object of his assault did not dare to tempt the proof Avhich he kncAV aa^ouM be forthcoming in a court, even one in ^^® . Avhich justice miscarried as often as it did in San Francisco Hired about this time. But the bullies did not meddle Avith the Bullies bold editor, probably because they saAv in the rapidly increas- ing popularity of tlie new journalistic A'enture a danger flag the sight of Avliich gave then a premonition of wliat folloAved a few months later. The sudden rise in popularity of the Bulletin gives an insight into Journalism in California tlie kind of juurnalisni ^\llil•h met approval in 185-j, and at the same time enlightens us concerning the reading hahits of the puhlic, for we are in- formed that in les-^s than a montli the circulation of King's paper was 2500, and that hefore the end of Decemher it reached nearly ooOO copies daily, a larger number than was circulated by any other newspaper in the city. There are no accurate statistics of population for the year mentioned, but it is probable that San Francisco in the closing months of 1855 contained 55,000 inhabitants. There had been an attempt at enumeration two years earlier, which indicated that the State had about 100,000 population, and it was estimated that during the winter of 1853-54 at least 50,000 lived in the city, a fair proportion of this number being miners who early developed the habit of making their way to the bay when the weather prevented mining. The degree of popularity attained by the Bulletin testifies to the ap- probation of a style of journalism scarcely tolerated nowadays. The rivals of James King of William were no less vituperative, but his personalities are drawn upon for illustration, because, at the time, and Approbation ^-^j, ^ ]ong while after, he was extolled as a model editor. His Personal contemporaries might have been persuaded that he was capa- Journalism ble of making mistakes, but they were profoundly convinced that his methods were sound and productive of good results. They found nothing shocking in his comments upon court procedure, and when Cora was on trial for killing Eichardson and the jury was being impaneled he was applauded for saying in the Bulletin : "Look well to the jury. And, again, what we propose is this: If the jury is packed, either hang the Sheriff or drive him out of town and make him resign. If Billy Mulligan lets his friend Cora escape, hang Billy ]\Iulligan or drive him into banishment." Cora was a professional gambler who had a quarrel with a man named Richardson in a saloon and shot him on the 18th of Novem- ber, 1855. The murder was not particularly notable of itself, but, as an addition to the long list of the preceding months in city and State, it made an iiiipression which was greatly strengthened by the comments of the Bulletin, but which would have weakened and died aAvay if the editor had not boldly drawn attention to the attempts made by the friends of the murderer to secure immunity for him by corrupt methods. It was openly hinted that a large sum of money had been subscribed, the amount mentioned being $-10,000, which was to be employed to fix the court or buy a jury, and color was lent to the rumors by the repeated delays in the trial of the case. The murder, like the remaining 488 Corruption recorded in the "Annals of San Francisco," might have of _ passed unnoticed, and gone unpunished, had not James King Juries q£ "WiHiai-,^ ]q{ loose his stream of invective which washed away tlie indi (Terence of an apathetic and nearly cowed pub- lic, and called forth in its stead one of the most remarkable exhibitions of virile dealing on primitive lines ever witnessed in this or any other country. If the outcome had not been so tragic, the investigator might almost be tempted to say that it was the result of editorial "scrapping," but it requires no extraordinary penetration to discover that while James King of William was the rod that attracted the lightning it was the suddenly awakened con- sciousness of a long indifferent community that provided the tinder which started a conflagi-afion that burned with such fierceness it extinguished civic enterprise while sweeping away criminality. Vigilance Committee of 1856 29 It is not conceivable tliat all of those who lifted up their voices in dis- approval of the Bulletin's harsh strictures sympathized with the criminal class. There were plenty who in arraying themselves on the side of what they called "law and order" believed sincerely that they The Law were fighting behind the bulwark of modern civilization. Order They may have deprecated the tendency of the courts to Party encourage criminals by postponements and other lax prac- tices, but they felt certain that if the ordinary processes were dispensed with society would be a rudderless ship and surely go on the rocks. But those who sympathized with Casey were not among this num- ber. Many articles in rival papers dealing with the subject of delay were more a defense of evil practices than of orderly procedure, and some editors were quick to align themselves on the side of those accused of shortcomings. It is not surprising, considering the disposition to indulge in personalities which had been the fashion for years that when King assailed the Federal brigade Casey should have hastened to its aid, and that he should have employed the favorite weapon of the period in the weekly paper to which he contributed so frequently that he was regarded as its editor. Unfortu- nately, the champion of the turbulent element had a history like many an- other man who had found his way to California when the fame of the new El Dorado was spreading about the globe. His story was not unknown to San Franciscans. The fact that he had made a slip in his old home in New York State had been brought out in the course of a trial, and King, when the fight waxed hot, was not slow to use the advantage it gave him. Cora had shot Richardson in Wiliia^^"^ °^ November, 1855 and nearly six months later he still remained Assails James ^^ntried and there was every reason to believe that he never P. Casey would be convicted, and King said so in plain terms. Casey was extremely virulent in criticising the attitude of King, indulging in many personalities, and the Bulletin came back at him in this wise : "The fact that Casey has been an inmate of Sing Sing prison in New York is not an offense against the laws of the State; nor is the fact of his having stuffed himself through the ballot box as elected to the Board of Supervisors from a district where it is said he was not even a candidate, any justification why Mr. Bagley should shoot Casey, however richly the latter may deserve having his neck stretched for such fraud upon the people." This assault appeared on May 14, 1856, and King had no particular reason for believing that it would cause serious trouble, for in the preceding November he had reproduced from the California Chronicle a strong denunciatory article in which the methods by which Casey was elected Supervisor were referred to, and in which his Sing Sing record was paraded without any harm ensuing. But the friends of Cora, the gambler, saw an opportunity to create a diversion and they took the perilous course of instigating the assailed politician to avenge "himself, which he did by shooting King as he left his office. The towTi flamed up at once. The committee called upon to deal with the troublesome characters in 1851 had maintained some sort of an organi- zation during the intervening five years and was swiftly brought into shape for action. Officers were chosen, and they formed companies of well armed men who made it perfectly clear by their attitude that they were going to take the law into their own hands and dispense with the formalities of the 30 Journalism in California courts. King, although the ^vound inflicted l)y Casey proved fatal, lingered six days after being shot. Meanwhile, the Vigilantes had taken Cora and Casey from the custotly of the Sheriff. The latter made some The Murder resistance, but was persuaded by the determined attitude of James King ^''^ members of the committee to deliver the prisoners into of William their keeping. For a while there were signs of a conflict between the persons who called themselves the Law and Order party, in which the State authorities showed a disposition to participate, but the determined front presented by the aroused citizens and the vacillation of the Governor prevented a serious collision. The committee, which awaited the result of the wound inflicted by Casey, as soon as the death of James King of William was announced by the tolling of the bell of the Monumental Engine Company, at once strung up the two murderers side by side on gibbets, where they Casev^Haneed ^^^^^ allowed to swing for several days to serve as a warning to Ijy the ^'^G wretched crew who had so long terrorized San Francisco. Vigilantes According to the accounts of the journals which survived the storm, the lesson was a salutary one and was taken to heart by the disorderly element. Nugent's paper, the Herald, which strenuously championed the Law and Order party and unsparingly de- nounced the committee, was ruined by the concerted withdrawal of the advertising patronage of the business community, and soon ceased publica- tion. This action did not meet the unanimous approval of the Vigilance Committee. It was deprecated by William T. Coleman, a prominent mer- chant, who was chosen to head the banded protestants against official cor- ruption and laxity, and who argued that no good results could be expected from direct or indirect attempts to curb the lilierty of the press. He did not prevail, however, and the Herald was sacrificecl. The striking fact that Coleman should have opposed the extirpation of the Herald suggests that its general course, apart from its unfortunate attempt to defencl or apologize for the shortcomings of the courts, was not reprehensible, and an examination of its columns confirms Befor^^the* ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ' ^^^^ attained to considerable popularity before Murder of ^'^^ Bulletin came on the scene and was regarded as the King leading paper. It was undoubtedly the best edited daily up to the time of its collapse, and the probabilities favor the belief that Coleman's opposition to killing it were based on the belief that the motives of those who advocated that course were inspired more by hostility to its political course than to any other cause. Perhaps no ether phase of the 1856 Vigilante uprising has presented greater difficulties to the critic than the forcible extinction of the Herald, but it does not appear that any of its contemporaries mourned, its loss. Nor is there any evidence in their columns of a consciousness that the problem which the Vigilantes were called upon to deal with M'as due to incivicism. Through them all there runs the singular assumption that by some extraordinary process, which is not clearly described, the criminal element gained control, and that the only ]iossiblc way to shake off the incubus was the one adopted. Occasionally, there was found in the columns of the papers warring on municipal extravagance and corruption a recognition of the true cause of the insolence of the law-defying class. The charge was made that men who styled themselves good citizens were too busy attending to their own WILT.TAIM T. COLEMAN Leader of Vigilance Committee of 1S56. I Vigilance Committee of 1856 31 affairs to bother themselves about those of the community. Although there are no quotable expressions of the belief that the respectable element was numerous enough to beat the disorderly at the polls it must Element Not ^^'^^^ existed, for it was no infrequent thing for an editor Preponderant before 1856 to draw upon the affairs with the Hounds in 1851 in 1856 to support the assumption that all that would be necessary to bring about a change would be to imitate the example of the Vigilance Committee formed in the earlier year. Obviously, a con- viction of this sort could not have obtained unless those entertaining it were convinced that the people desirous of law and order were in the majority. And such was the case, as was shown in the sequel. After the lynching of Cora and Casey, a party which concerned itself exclusively with muni- cipal affairs was formed, and its adherents had no trouble in maintaining order at the polls and reducing election irregularities to a minimum. Perhaps another cause may have operated more potently to prevent good government than is generally suspected by the present generation. There was unquestionably in the early fifties a bonhomie with which we of the present day have little familiarity. The columns of the Too Much newspaper press of the fifties teem with evidence of its in Early existence. Throughout their pages there was an astonishing Days al)sence of conventionality. Men were spoken of by their first names, and their popularity could be gauged by the friendly touch given by the writers for the press. The prefix "Mr." was often used to suggest that the bearer was just a little too good for San Francisco, while the hearty "Jack" or "Bill," and the caressing "Harry" and "Charlie" conveyed to the reader the idea that there was something genial about those who bore those and similar appellations. One of the most remarkable figures in the early history of San Francisco, it is asserted, was enabled to pull the wool over the eyes of the people for a long time because no one could possibly suspect a man known to every one by his first name, to which the community had prefixed "honest," of being any- thing else than he was popularly supposed to be. When Hari-y Meiggs, on the 6th of October, 1854, fled from San Francisco owing about $800,000 the community was astounded. The press shared in the general amazement, for the popularity of the man was so great that no one, least of all the reporters, thought of pr^ht f regarding as singular the fact that he was in such trouble that Harry ° he was borrowing money at a frightfully high rate of interest ; Meiggs nor does it appear that the commercial and financial editors of the time concerned themselves very greatly respecting the character of the securities offered by him, for, notwithstanding the strong inclination of the newspapers to mix in personal affairs, the fact that he was hawking scrip whose fraudulent character should have been easily detected, he succeeded in imposing a large amount of it upon easy-going lenders of money. Meiggs was a great promoter, and started his meteoric career by an attempt to divert the business of San Francisco from the neighborhood in which it first established itself to North Beach. He was energetic beyond comparison, and from the day when he landed in San Francisco in 1850 he was constantly pushing some enterprise or other. When he conceived the idea of 1)Ooming Xorth Beach he built a road about the base of Telegraph hill to Clarke's point, where he had invested 32 Journalism in California a considerable sum of money, and constructed a wharf 2000 feet in length from the foot of Powell street, which extended in the direction of Alcatraz island. To forward his project of putting Xortli Beach on the business map he promoted the grading and improvement of many streets in the section he was trying to boom. In pushing through these various under- takings he incurred the hea^7■ obligations which caused his ruin. At the time he was operating, street work was paid for by warrants drawn on the city treasury, which were signed by the Mayor and Con- troller. In order to facilitate matters and save trouble, the latter official was in the habit of signing entire books of the blank war- Loose rants, and he found no difficulty in persuading the city's Municipal chief executive to lend his signature in the same loose fashion. Methods Qj^g q£ these books was obtained by Meiggs from the clerk of the Controller, who was a particular friend of the energetic boomer. As there was no money in the street fund at the time, Meiggs experienced no particular difficulty in negotiating the fraudulent warrants, the unsuspicious money lenders not taking the trouble to inquire whether those in whose favor they were drawn hatl performed the work or whether there was anything due them. It may seem extraordinary to a more cautious race of bankers that the value of the securities was not challenged until the crash came, but the accounts agree that Meiggs' interest account had climbed up to about $30,000 a month before an investigation was made which caused the exposure which he anticipated by his flight. With the aid of his brother, he made his escape on a vessel which landed him in Valparaiso, Chile. It was supposed at the time that he had carried away a large sum of money, but there is no good reason for questioning the state- ment made by him later that when he reached the South American city he had only $8000, and that before he got a fresh start in life he was reduced to the necessity of pawning his watch. When Meiggs did get a start he soon accumulated a great fortune. The amount of his accumulations was said to be nearly a hundred millions, but that is probably an exaggeration. Whatever the sum, however, he used a part of it to satisfy every creditor in full. Peru, the country Harry jj^ which he operated as a railroad contractor, was not con- Tries to genial to Meiggs and he experienced a great desire to return Come Back to California, and to that end he sought while the Legislature of 1873-74 was in session to have that body pass an act ordering all indictments against him to be dismissed, and forbidding future Grand Juries reopening the cases against him. The proposal met with no adverse criticism and the act passed the Legislature by a practically unani- mous vote, but Governor Newton Booth interposed his veto, rebuking the legislators for their complaisance, and pointing out that the act of im- munity, if adopted, would be regarded as a scandalous exhibition of defer- ence to wealth as well as an unconstitutional usurpation of power. While the State was saved the disgrace of condoning felony by legislation, the comment of the press shows that the people at large saw nothing extraor- dinary in the proceeding. It would, however, be a mistake to assume that the community was governed by any other motive than the belief that Harry meant to do no wrong, and that he was the victim of a perfectly laudable- ambition to boom a part of the town in whose future he had great faith. CHAPTER V THE CALM THAT FOLLOWED THE VIGILANTE STOEM OF 1856. Decent Elements of Society Assume Control of Affairs — The People's Party — Drift- ing in a Political Sargossa Sea — A Nominating Junta — The People Saved the Trouble of Selecting Candidates — Eeduction of Municipal Expenditures in 1857 — Bulletin's Advocacy of Pay-as-You-Go Municipal Government — Kewspapers Easily Founded — Many Journals Live a Short Life — Limited Circulation of Early Papers — The Contents of a Paper More Important Than the Number of Copies Printed — Per Capita Consumption of Papers Very Small — A Host of Forgotten Once Popular Journals — Newspapers Make a Limited Appeal to Readers — Small Forces Required to Get Out Daily Papers — A Limited Police Force and Scant Information Concerning Crime and Criminals — The Editor and the Field of Honor— Gentle-Minded Men Who Called Each Other Hard Names— The Attention Paid to Dramatic Criticism — Early Boosters of California's Cli- mate — California Spoken of as God's Country. HE storm is always followed by a calm. When the fury of the Vigilante gale had subsided there was quiet sail- ing for a long time. It was speedily discovered that the decent elements of the city were greatly in the ma- jority, and that it was only necessary for them to go to the polls on election day and exercise a moderate degree of watchfulness to prevent the abuses which had enabled the disorderly classes to put venal and incompetent men in office. Out of the Vigilante episode there came a municipal party which retained power for many years, and to recur to the nautical metaphor, when it ol)tained control, it trimmed its sails in such a way that in order to catch the breeze of popularity it steered the municipality into a Sargossa sea of its own creation, in which it drifted about for many years without getting anywhere in particular. This new organization was named the People's party, and there was not the slightest doubt in the minds of its creators that the appellation fitted it perfectly, despite the fact that the people had no other duty imposed on them than that of going to the polls and voting for the candidates put forward by a junta which derived its original authority from the Vigilance Committee and finally converted it- self into a self-perpetuating organization. If the object of government is to achieve the results aimed at by the stable elements of a community, the People's party, called into existence by the desire to do away with corruption and extravagance in the conduct of municipal affairs which had marked the years prior to 1856, must be credited with accomplishing that result. Perhaps a combination of circura- 33 Journalism in California stances assisted in furthering the aims of the promoters of the party, cliief among which were the reduction of expenditures and the elimination of the disorderly classes. Eighteen fifty-seven was a year of Municipal great tinancial stress throughout the Union, and, despite the Cxit f'at't that California was still producing gold on a great Down scale, San Francisco did not escape the eli'ects of the general prostration. Business became very dull and it grew increas- ingly difficult for the parasites of society who had flocked to the city to nuiintain themselves. And, as is usually the case, with decreasing pros- perity there was decreased insolence on the part of the "swell mob," the designation applied by the press to those who if the police Avere disposed to ask pertinent questions could not always give a satisfactory account of themselves. The depression would naturally have called for retrenchment, but the inclination harmonized so perfectly with the necessity no effort whatever Avas recfuired to effect the extraordinary reduction already noted. Had the condition of affairs produced by this resort to the policy of retrenchment endured for a short period only, it would possess no special interest for the student of civics, but it extended over many years. It there- fore becomes an object of inquiry to determine whether the ^ . . strict pursuit of economy was due to the lessons administered Policy ^0 ^^^^ extravagant and corruptly inclined by the Vigilance Adopted Committee or to the adoption of narrow views concerning the functions of municipal government. A very little research makes it perfectly clear that the latter played by far the biggest part in the course adopted after 1857, and continued during many years. There is no question about the influence exerted by the uprising. It was most salutary, as may be inferred from the tremendous reduction of expenditures for local purposes already quoted. It is inconceivable that the depression of 1857, no matter how severe, could have prompted so great a degree of retrenchment, but the fact that after the recovery from the panic a course bordering on parsimony in dealing with municipal affairs was adopted, sug- gests what was actually the case that some of the more powerful editorial writers of the period were coming under the domination of the individualis- tic idea, which was very assertive at the time. The Bulletin exhibited this influence in a marked degree, and its editorial columns teemed with articles in favor of a let-alone policy, so far as collective effort to provide municipal conveniences was concerned, and it was insistent in its advocacy of a pay-as- you-go plan for the city. San Francisco at the time was sadly in need of many public improve- ments. It had few small parks, and the idea of an extensive people's pleasure ground had not yet been mooted. Its City Hall was a make- shift* affair and its streets were ill-paved and the sidewalks Ingrained were wretched. A few years earlier the desirability of caus- Municipal i^^o the roadways of the city to be constructed with some Corruption regard to its topography was advocated, but, after 1856, considerations of that sort were wholly lost sight of, and the example of rectangularity furnished by one or two cities of the East was blindly imitated. The impression derived from a perusal of many editorials written between the occurrence of the Vigilante uprising and the close of the sixties is tliat the fear of official corruption had become so ingrained that no one had the courage seriously to propose anything which might reopen HAKK"f JMKi(U5S One of San Francisco's earliest promoters. The Calm that Followed the Storm of 1856 35 the doors of opportunity to extravagance. It is not impossible that this abstention from discussion might have been produced by absorption in the oversliadowing question of the day. It might be assumed that such was the case if the prodigious space devoted to articles on the extension of slavery and cognate subjects were alone considered, but the fact that during the period referred to, side by side with profoundly earnest attempts to solve the greatest of American problems, could be found efforts suggestive of a livelier interest in purely esthetic matters than we find in many modern newspapers. At the time we speak of the newspaper was not developed to any extent outside of the purely practical. It dealt chiefly with everyday affairs and relegated art ancl literature to odd corners. Very often the apologetic head "Miscellaneous" was placed over a bit of poetry, or Newspapers a short story, as if the editor was not quite sure that they Easily deserved admission to the columns under his control. Per- Started haps the explanation of this attitude may be found in the fact that very few persons concerned in the publication of newspapers regarded Journalism as a profession. It could hardly be con- sidered such at the time for various reasons, chief among which was the ease with which a newspaper could be called into existence. It has already been told how James King of William started the Bulletin, convinced that such money as he might invest in the enterprise would be lost. Undoubtedly, there were others like him who entertained no hope of profit, but sought to accomplish a purpose in entering the journalistic field. Still others saw an opportunity to make a living, even if the business of publishing held out no promise of great rewards ; the latter may be properly inferred from the number of papers called into existence, most of them, however, destined to live only a short life. The significant feature of the mushroom growth of newspapers in the early days was the facility with which any one possessed by the desire to enter the journalistic arena could achieve his wishes. It required very little capital to create a plant capable of turning out such sheets Papers ^g ^^.^^^ produced during the fifty decade of the nineteenth Limited century. Although the Adams steam power press had been Circulation invented as early as 1835, it did not speedily supplant the old-fashioned hand press, and, indeed, there did not seem to be much demand for a machine which would produce a great number of copies, a statement attested by the fact that the paper of greatest circulation in 1856 only boasted the issuance of 3600 copies daily. But the word '•boast" is misapplied in this connection. It does not appear that publishers or editors concerned themselves half as much about that phase of the busi- ness as they did about what appeared in the columns of the papers printed by them, and they oftener asked themselves what effect this or that article had produced on "the community than they did the number of copies issued. Obviously, under such conditions, the relations of the business office and the editorial rooms of newspapers were not the same as at present. Indeed, not infrequently they' were so closely associated as to be inseparable, and in not a few cases the owner performed the functions of editor, publisher and reporter, and made them fit in with each other admirably. It was several years after Iloe built his first rotary press for the Parisian paper La Patrie, in 1848, that machines of that sort were introduced into 36 Journalism in California this country, and it was not until ISGl that the first practical perfecting press was put up in Cincinnati. It did not achieve a marked success, al- though 8000 to 10,000 copies of a small sheet, printed on C ifit 1 '^'*°^^^ sides, could be turned out by it in an hour. As late as Invested in IS'^'O, American newspaper proprietors were convinced that Newspapers they would liave to resort to England for a rapid printing machine, the success achieved by the Walter press of the London Times having turned attention in that direction. Prior to the adoption of these rapid printing machines, with their accessories of stereo- typing plants, engines to provide the power for running them and the later development of the linotype, the starting of a newspaper enterprise did not call for the investment of a very great amount of capital. A hand press, which would turn out five or six hundred papers printed on both sides, a few hundred pounds of type and the cases to contain them, and a number of other essential but not very expensive articles constituted an ample equipment for publishing a journal whose appearance on the street with an article written under high pressure created as big a sensation, relatively, as a modern publication with press facilities capable of produc- ing as many papers in a single hour as could be turned out in a year with the more modest facilities of the papers of the fifties. The comparative ease with which any one so inclined could embark on a newspaper enterprise, owing to the cause indicated, accounts for the large number of dailies and weeklies in San Francisco in the earlier fifties. It is not to be attributed to any extraordinary development Twelve ^^ ^j^g appetite for news or such literature as was provided in Sau ^^ ^^^^ time. That may readily be inferred from the fact Francisco that the combined issues of the twelve dailies that flourished after a fashion in the years preceding 1856 did not exceed 15,000, a per capita consumption ridiculously small when compared with that of the present day, when the demand for newspapers seems insatiable. And this ratio of circulation was not greatly increased in San Francisco until some years after the close of the Civil War, although in the meantime the ability to produce a larger number of copies was facilitated by the introduction of the cylinder presses, operated by steam power, which were capable of printing over 10,000 single sheets an hour. As the city was reasonably pros])erous during most of the fifties, and very flourishing throughout the Civil War, the limited circulations of the period must have been due to some other cause than lack of mechanical facilities, and the only one that suggests itself is the failure of the pul)lishers to make their papers generally attractive. In this connection, a list of the papers published in San Francisco with the dates of their birth, and, in most instances of their demise, from 1846 to 1859, inclusive, may prove both illuminating and interesting. The first on the list was the Californian, started in Monterey in p^" . , 1846 and transferred to San Francisco in 1847, to be merged Earliest ^^'^*^* ^^^^ California Star, the plant for the production of Newspaper which was brought to Yerba Buena by ]\Iormon colonists. The merger took place in 1848. In 1849 the Alta Cali- fornia, the Pacific and Prices Current were founded. The Pacific survived two years and" Prices Current was able to keep alive a little less than a year. The Alta California, after occupying a leading position during a The Calm that Followed the Storm of 1856 37 couple of decades, lost prestige during the seventies, and disappeared in the eighties. In 1850 the Herald was started by John Nugent. It was nearly ruined by its attitude of hostility to the Vigilantes, but managed to survive until 1SG2. The Public Balance was another of the ephemeral publications of 1850, dying after a sickly existence of about six months. The Evening Picayune, established in the same year, lasted for a brief period only. The California Daily Courier endured for about two years. The birth of the Journal of Commerce dates back to 1850. It is still published, although it sulTercd an interregnum of two years, but has flourished since its revival, it and the German Demokrat being the only surviving dailies of pioneer days, the latter being first published in 1853. A French paper, Le Cali- fornian, was started in 1850. In 1851 the Christian Advocate, still exist- ing, and the Christian Observer made their appearance. The Golden Era, started in 1852, manifested literary tendencies from the start, and in 1854 was converted into a magazine. In 1852 three other papers also saw the light. The Whig, the Bugle and the Catholic Standard Weekly. Tlie latter ceased publication in 1855, the Bugle was merely a campaign paper. In 1853 there were more new candidates for public favor. The Demokrat, c 'd'd t already spoken of, the California Chronicle, the San Fran- fQj. cisco Sun and the Commercial Advertiser. The Sun shone Public Favor until 1857, and then went into obscurity. The Commercial Advertiser ran its career in four years, being absorbed by the Daily Whig in 1857. In 1851 there were several new publications. The Town Talk, afterward named the Times, started in that year, and in 1869 was taken over by the Alta California. The Town Talk, wdien pub- lished as a weekly, essayed illustrations, portraits produced from wood cuts being specially favored, although it occasionally pictured scenes. The California Farmer, established in 1854, was discontinued in 1865. La Chronica, a Spanish paper, started in 1854, dropped out in 1863. The California Mail, started in 1854, had a checkered existence, and finally dropped out of sight in 1878. The Benton Critic was a short-lived journal started in 1854. The Abend Zeitung had its birth in 1854 and was still running after the great conflagration in 1906. In 1855 the Fireman's Journal, afterward the Spirit of the Times, was issued. In the same year the American Daily and the Evening Bulletin began publication. In the fol- lowing year the True Vigilante was issued. It had a short life, making its exit when the committee conceived that it had finished its work. Sunday A^arieties commenced to bid for popular patronage in 1856 and lasted until 1865. A paper called the Daily Globe was started in 1856. In 1858 it changed its title to the Xational, and lived until the opening year of the Civil War. The Pathfinder, published Pictorial ^^ advocate Fremont's candidacy for President, was started of^the^^^ in the same year. In 1857 the California Eegister was Fifties published. The Athenaeum and California Critic began publication in 1858, and, in the closing year of the decade, llie growing popularity of the Police Gazette of Xew York tempted San Francisco to imitate that publication, and it had a more or less successful career until 1865. This long list of journals has led to some comment hardly justified by the facts. At least one historian has drawn the inference from it' that San "Franciscans were exceptionally eager for news in the early 38 Journalism in California days, but their appetite, measured by luodern standards of consumption, was very small and was easily satisfied !)y the purveyors, whose facilities would not have permitted them to provide a much greater quantity than they did had the desire for it existed. That the patrons of the newspapers of the fifties were dissatisfied with the publications prepared for them might be inferred from the large mor- tality record, but it is not probable that the many interments in the jour- nalisic graveyards were due to that cause. It is more likely Early Papers ^^^^^ ^j^^ development of the reading habit did not keep pace Limited with the increased aspirations for patronage; or, perhaps, it Appeal would more exactly represent the fact to state that the public had not acquired the habit of looking to newspapers for their mental pabulum, not at all a surprising circumstance when the motives for producing them are considered. An epitome of the contents of a leading journal of the early fifties has already been given. Anyone who will take the trouble to examine it closely will speedily discover that it appealed to a very limited number of tastes. It almost wholly disregarded all classes excepting those in search of solid information in the shape of news and comment on politics and current happenings. It is not intended to convey the impression that the papers whose names are above quoted confined themselves to the publication of news and edi- torial comment. They occasionally stepped aside from the straight and narrow path. Not infrequently verse was admitted to the ^P^^*"^ columns of the soberest of the dailies, and sometimes fiction to Attract ^^^ jokes were permitted to obtrude themselves on the atten- All Classes tion of serious readers; but there is no evidence of any studied attempt to attract all classes of the community by presenting matter calculated to interest even those showing a disinclination to be interested. The editor did not have for his motto, "We study to please." He printed such facts as he could conveniently gather without putting forth much effort, and if an unappreciative public refused to buy his paper he ceased to publish it and allowed it to be included in the list of "has beens." It is not to be inferred from this statement that papers pub- lished under such conditions did not contain matter that was interesting; the idea sought to be conveyed is that the editor of the fifties did not realize that it is possible to stimulate the disposition to read, and, failing to appre- hend that possibility, he only catered for those in whom the desire for news and comment, chiefly political, already existed. At the close of 1853, when twelve dailies were published in San Francisco, nine of which were morning and three evening, the entire news gathering force of the dozen, according to an estimate made l)y a printer whose memory went back to that period, did not exceed gTo'^°'^'^^^ nineteen persons. At the same time, there were two tri- Daily weeklies and three weeklies, one Sunday paper and two Papers monthly publications, one of which was devoted to literature and the other appealed to the agricultural element. The same authority who estimated the newsgathering force in 1853 ventured the opinion, which was based on a tolerably intimate acquaintance with the publication business of the j^ars preceding 1856, that less than a hundred and twenty-eight persons were employed in the newspaper offices of San Francisco at any time before the introduction of power presses, and of this The Calm that Followed the Storm of 1856 39 number not a few were engaged in job printing, many of tbe early dailies supplementing the arduous work of getting out a news journal by doing commercial work. As already explained, large forces were not required. The news field in the city was circumscribed. The district to be covered by the reporters was confined to a few blocks. The police and the criminal courts were close together, but the police were so greatly in the minority that they did not interfere seriously with those who were supposed to be under their supervision. In 18J:9 there were only six constables in San Francisco, and no particular anxiety was manifested because of the smallness of the force when the population of the town was increased by the rush of gold hunters to the State, many of whom, after a brief sojourn in the Scant mines, found their way to the bay. This indilference con- Concerning tinned during several years and was partly responsible for Crime the necessity of the citizens' organization taking the adminis- tration of justice out of the hands of the constituted author- ities, as they did in 1851 and again in 1856. It was not until the latter year, when the Consolidation Act, framed by Horace Hawes, was adopted that any considerable increase of the force was made, a fact which explains the paucity of detail concerning crimes recorded in the early dailies. It not infrequently happened that mention of a murder would be made, in which no attempt to ascertain the name of the victim was apparent, and absolutely no suggestion which would help the reader to determine the cause of the crime or to guess who was its perpetrator. But while crimes of this sort were passed over without much comment, barroom brawls, which had no other outcome than a few blows or a bloody nose, were described with some minuteness, especially if the participants happened to be well known. The publication of divorce news was often accompanied by displays of facetiousness. One or two papers made a feature of recording matri- monial separations without comment, in a department immediately follow- ing that devoted to marriages. There was also a marked Vicious tendency to deal in innuendo of a sort which would not be Personal tolerated for a moment in a modern daily, and it was more Journalism ^^ ^ess fruitful of crimes of revenge. Tbe author of the "Annals of San Francisco" asserted that the work of ca- lumnious writers was responsible for a part of the "sad daily record of murders," and an examination of some of the ambiguous items which none but a person perfectly familiar with the actors whose names and actions were hinted at could understand, furnishes convincing evidence that he did not err in laying the blame for some of the crimes of daily occurrence on the sort of journalism he condemned. But the journalism of the early fifties had its virtues as well as its short- comings. Its editors took themselves seriously, and the public was inclined in many cases to accept them at their own valuation. While they devoted themselves to the elucidation of difficult political problems, Wh*°T k many of which offered themselves for solution in those days. Themselves they on occasion, like Silas Wegg, dropped into poetry. Seriously aijd some of them were quite as ready to "Decline and Fall," as Dickens' quaint character. Gibbon had a remarkable vogue among the more erudite editors of the fifties, a fact betrayed by frequent quotations, and a marked disposition to find analogies for existing 40 Journalism in California conditions in the pajijes of liis great history. The readers of newspapers at any time during the years between 1r CUi SiraM. Volume I. 8AN- FU VNTISCO. CAI.IFOIINIA. WnnNESDAY. MAY Q t. iHHr.. Nu mlx-r no. HAYES^PAEKi^aguiifji ($pm ^ousc^cttopolitan (Thratn THIS FASNIOMBK kM POPULAB f^o..r...cJ.;7 : ...;..i.or..i.V....ti. UNKyUlVOCAL SUCCESS Un SETCHELL! BIANCHI'S GREAT ITAI.IAM BABES IN THE WOOD I: 'OURSEUVES. PACinC MUSEUM 'f.V;;^ FOUBTH 8UB8CBIPTI0N NJGHT ,j;~:-*S"^3;;^r:j ' Wednesday Sre'ag, May 24 ■'■ir..: »i™. ULC >OD. F. hionab ■oaroo e M ';rfc i ■i^ioncbli giwiii iri ••.»• '"*" .,..w;^ ;,'.r J. O*.. » 1>. M— " D. U.VOE, A REGULAE FIX„.„ 11(11 il llUMIillii Opera- Season. IC( CREIM WITH ITRIWBEUIIES, HAQAN tt, HARHIS, WASHINOTON aOBE OOICPANIr Bo. 1 DDTCH OOVEENOR, JOHN JONES, T00DLE8 ' .. BUY YOUR I WILL * FIHOK, 613 ":^:i:^rx::'' 6i3 Gilbert's Helodeon *lr«t ApjMU-ca of JXKKY XUBPKY. SENORITA MARIA AND IITTLE LULU I J^raddttg oi ||iu$ir Wednesday Ere'n^, May 24. ITAT.TAN T^."^r"r"?™'I!^'"^^*°^^**>' ETeulog. Kay ^^- ApVD 1 TRftTTPl? '■■■■■■■■' Rlei£lff0 Bradley & Rulofson a kew walk ARouND-HmDtiDKoVdeCkiL, — ^- I MidJeleDs, BifUr of 8pM*fnd3« Him AdeUjde PI CELEBRiTEQ c.'^;,;^" Photograph Gallery sEZ",^* ^ _ A. 0. UIETZ & CO., 'ESS^SM ffowaiawwii om^mxsa CQAL QIL LAMPS ,^r COAL OILS, Etc j J«~. .!» .« »,, rr..l «■. , _-_^_^____ .^ ■ ^- ,^ ^ ,_,„ „ liiiMoooitio./icuoit, I Oreluu, Ok^ 50, 1 pi^,., S5.llaat ' . 12 1 13 1 ^h"!^ lOCinilTHIK A KU-RUKNIC .-. .-3 Wud'i ?»fcrt Filtmt BhiltL S. W. I. WARD A SON, ^ «* l»«AI»UU*Mk us WuhlBgton Street, TIEO. KAN TASSEl, ^^ — i» Do. )]& Hostgomtrj SL, Of al OnAUr madinad BAt« : TITLE PAGE OP THE DRAMATIC CHRONICLE Showing form in whicli San Francisco Clironicle first appeared. >-*^*iS^' V-s'^A'^f^-**'' ATIC GH BestAdvertisins Mediura THE HOME OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ON MONTGOMERY STREET IN 1865 Up-to-Date Methods of The Chronicle 65 gramme is that which the formal mode of printing the names of characters and players presents. In all other particulars it differed, and in the material one of hour of issue. The publishers of the Dramatic Chronicle did not wait until the theaters opened. It was well distributed Newspaper ^^ *^^^ middle of the day, when the restaurants were crowded, From the ^'^^^ they were numerous and large at the time. Indeed, in Beginning 1865, and for many years afterward, San Francisco was noted as a city of eating places and lodging-houses rather than of homes. There were establishments in the middle of the sixties that boasted serving as many as four thousand dinners a day, and their proprietors were pleased to assist in the promotion of the digestion of their patrons by placing on their tables the freely distributed paper with its bits of news and its bright paragraphs. This circulation was supplemented by distribution in the theaters and other public places, and it soon became of sufficient im- portance to cause advertisers to "sit up and take notice." Before attempting to give an idea of the make-up of the Dramatic Chronicle it will be interesting to describe the place and means of its production, and the financial resources of its founders. The plant was not large, nor was a great sum of money used in launching the Chronicle's enterprise. The paper could scarcely boast a home of its YiTst own, for it was produced in the corner of a room occupied Home by the job printing establishment of Harrison & Co., on Clay street, east of Sansome. That was then the heart of the city, and the neighborhood, for a dozen years afterward, remained the publication center, the Chronicle, Bulletin and Call maintaining their plants there until 1879, when the erstwhile Dramatic Chronicle moved into a build- ing on the corner of Kearny and Bush streets, constructed for its especial use. In the office erf Harrison & Co., the quarters of the new aspirant for public favor were very limited. Room was provided for two type frames, and alongside of them there was a makeshift desk, upon which the printer edited his copy; for editor and printer were combined in the person of Charles de Young, his brother Henry assuming the responsibilities of the business management. Despite these modest beginnings, the duties of the business manager were by no means light. Harrison & Co. were hard-hearted landlords, rnd took no account of the ambitions of their tenants. The rent of the quarters of the Dramatic Chronicle and the use of the Adams ^^ press on which the paper was printed was $75 per week, Fhfancfal P^rt of which had to be paid in advance. This involved the Transaction necessity of hustling on the part of the business end of the concern. A loan of $20 was secured from a friend upon the distinct assurance that it would be repaid at the end of the week. As the circulation brought in no cash, the revenue of the paper had to be ob- tained from advertisers. Perhaps the first patrons may have felt a little dubious about receiving returns upon their investment, but such a feeling, if it existed at any time, must have speedily disappeared when they dis- covered the avidity with which the little sheet was read in restaurants and theaters, and the disappointment betrayed when the supply of Dramatic Chronicles ran short. As already noted, the Dramatic Chronicle, in addition to the pro- grammes of the different theaters in which it circulated, contained a varied 66 Journalism in California assortment of original and selected matter, and some news, both telegra])hie and local. There were nine and a quarter columns of advertisements in the first issue, the remaining six and three-quarter columns, the equivalent of about two columns of solid matter of the present daily, being of "the*^ devoted to reading matter. The most conspicuous feature of Earliest the latter was the dramatic criticisms and the squibs directed Chronicles against the writers on the contemporary press. At that time the local writers were well known to the public generally, and their peculiarities were so well understood that none of the pungency of the items touching on the foibles of the staffs of the American Flag, the Call, the Alta and the Times was lost. The more satirical the allusions the better the readers liked them. Restricted as were their quarters, the youthful publishers of the Dra- matic Chronicle were able to spare desk room for Mark Twain, for which he paid in contributions. In those days Mark had not acquired the fastidi- ousness concerning his surroundings for which he became Mark Twain s j-^q^^j when fortune smiled upon him. He was then acting Contributions • n , ^ ,, /-, ^ * , oi -m • to The ^s correspondent ot the Carson Appeal. ban l^rancisco was Chronicle the mecca of all Xevadans in the sixties, and the representative of a prosperous Nevada paper ranked as high as the editor of the publication. So far as the desirability of the position was concerned, there were few newspaper men in what afterward became the Silver State who would not cheerfully have exchanged with the fellow fortunate enough to be able to live in "Frisco." At any rate, Mark never developed a great fondness for his sage-brush surroundings, and found life more congenial "at the bay," even though he had to put up with a rude redwood desk in a stuffy printing office. Although ]\Iark was the correspondent of an outside paper, he was well known in the city at the time. His letters to the Carson Appeal were widely read in San Francisco and throughout the Coast and were greatly appreciated for their wit and quaint cynicism. He was far ^d^^h from being celebrated in those days, and that probably accounts Carson ^^^" ^be fact that the Dramatic Chronicle made no special brag Appeal about his contributions. TMany of the satirical bits about San Francisco editors which appeared in the columns of the little sheet were written by Twain to relieve his feelings. Whether because he resented lack of appreciation, which he received in such full measure afterward, or for some other reason. Twain delighted in prodding his fellow workers on the press. The late William S. Wood, who at one time worked Avith Clemens on the Virginia Enterprise, declared that his most biting satires were devoid of malice, and that their production was uninfluenced by any other motive than an irresistil)le desire to "stir up the monkeys." Bret Harte's contributions were due as much to the desire to get something out of his system as to any other cause. He, too, like Twain, found the inclination to take a pot shot at public characters ^ hard to resist, and many a bright squib whose anonymity pre- fer vents its identification, could be verified as his if the first edi- Bohemians tor of The Chronicle were alive to bear testimony. Harte, like Twain, frequently visited the young journalists at their establishment, which became somewhat of a resort for early bohemians. In subsequent years, numerous poems and stories written by Harte, appeared MARK TWAIN Up-to-Date Methods of The Chronicle 67 in The Chronicle. Some of them bear no indication of having been copy- righted, and it is not impossible that there may be fugitive bits of verse from the pen of the author of "The Heathen Chinee" concealed in the columns of the struggling little daily which do not appear in any of his collected works. And it is not unlikely that some of the facetious criticisms of Twain's lectures delivered in San Francisco, which appeared in The Chronicle, were written by himself. Anything he wrote would have been welcomed, for he was persona grata in the office and understood the value of publicity. At this distance of time, and since Harte and Clemens have achieved fame, a writer in reviewing the beginnings of The Chronicle mav attach undue importance to the fact that they helped to give its founders a start on the path of popularity ; but no one who studies the methods Bull ing ^^ ^i^g youthful pulilishers will fail to recognize that the really a important factors in the early upl)uilding of the paper were Circulation the business acumen displayed in securing the attention of the reading public, and the recognition of the marked preposses- sion of San Franciscans for the drama. Ingenious managers have devised many modes of extending the circulation of their journals, but it is doubtful whether any one before or since hit on the expedient of making a paper do double duty. In England it was once the custom to hire out copies of the London Times, but, in tliat and similar cases, the middle man profited. The double circulation of The Chronicle was secured in a different manner. Every night, after the performances in the theaters, the de Young boys gathered up the crumpled Dramatic Chronicles, smoothed them out as nicely as possible and mailed them to interior hotels, thus obtaining for their sheet a country circulation and considerable reputation. Of course, reputation could not have been achieved had there not been a reason for its formation other than the persistent circulation of sheets of printed paper. That reason was very patent to the average reader of the period, who had no difficulty in recognizing that the Dramatic A Dramatic Chronicle was meeting a real want in satisfying the desire for Who Hit news concerning the drama. It Avas promptly perceived that Hard the little sheet was no mere play bill. It contained a quantity of interesting intelligence concerning persons in whom the community took a great interest. That was real news to a people as fond of the theater as San Franciscans were at that time and for a long while afterward, and it was only obtainable in the paper which devoted close attention to the fortunes of the artists who had visited the city or who con- templated a visit. But this feature was overshadowed in importance by the frank and discerning criticisms of Tremenhere Johns, who could be facetious, scathingly denunciatory or enthusiastically approbative when the circumstances seemed to call for such a display. There was a tendency at first to regard with amusement the presumption of the editor of the Dramatic Chronicle in permitting his little journal to take on the airs of the bigger and longer established papers, d ^ ^^^^ their managers were soon obliged to recognize that ex- Bulletin pressions of opinion when well found make an impression Board which has to be reckoned with. They saw that the freely distributed Dramatic Chronicle was being widely read and that advertisers were appreciative of the fact and were beginning to seek 68 Journalism in California its columns. The result of this increasing prosperity enabled the paper to move into more pretentious quarters on Montgomery street, near Clay. Here it was housed in one large room, a portion of which was devoted to the typesetting, the front part being provided with a counter for the trans- action of business. The young journalists now owned their type and furni- ture and were especially proud of an imposing bulletin board on which the name of the paper appeared on a gilded background, challenging the atten- tion of all passers-by and arousing interest in the fortunes of the aspiring publishers. This interest was being added to in other ways. The disposition of Critic Johns to tell the truth brought the Dramatic Chronicle into collision with Manager Maguire, who was then conducting the theater which bore his name. Matilda ITeron, a famous star of the early sixties, With^a^ whose prosperity had the effect of greatly increasing the Theater avoirdupois of the tragedienne, essayed the role of Camille. Manager Johns ventured the opinion that 200 pounds of adipose were not calculated to create the impression that she was suffering from consumption. The actress became very angry and demanded that the Dramatic Chronicle should not be circulated in the theater. The exclusion was resented, and a bitter fight ensued in the course of which the manage- ment was severely criticised. The Chronicle being provoked to take such a course by articles which Maguire printed in a little paper called the Daily Critic, started by the irate manager to defend himself against criticism. Among the assertions made by The Chronicle was one to the effect that the manager freely admitted to the theater improper and notorious characters, and that his negligence in this regard was resented by the public. The charge caused Maguire to commence an action for criminal libel, which was never prosecuted because the paper was fully prepared to substantiate its allegation. When the news of the assassination of Lincoln was received on the morning of April 15, 1865, the Dramatic Chronicle was just three months old and did not boast a telegraphic news service. But its editor was resourceful. The morning papers had all been issued without i}^^^ f a word concerning the tragedy. At 8 o'clock the Western Lincoln's TTnion Telegraph Company posted a bulletin with some de- Assassination tails. The Dramatic Chronicle a few minutes afterward was on the street with an extra, which was eagerly bought. The company received more news and posted it, and the enterprising little Chronicle spread it broadcast by means of a second extra. The people were soon in a frenzy of excitement and began raiding the offices of the news- ])apers of known secession proclivities. The Democratic Press, published by Moss & Co., and edited by Phil Poach, had all its type and material thrown into the street. The office of the Occident, a Ifethodist religious weekly, edited by Pev. Dr. Fitzgerald, was treated in like manner, as was also Marriott's paper, the News Letter. The police were called out, but displayed no particular desire to interfere with the mob, the successive spasms of which were duly recorded in Chronicle extras, the energetic little aspirant for public favor having the whole field to itself, its bigger rivals not having realized that something had happened. M. H. de Young acted as reporter. He followed the mob. and as quickly as he could secure details he wrote them up and ran to the office, where his brother Charles sqt up the BRET HARTE Up-to-Date Methods of The Chronicle 69 Early- Efforts at Illustration type. Extras were put on the street after each occurrence, all of which were snapped up by an intensely excited people eager for the latest news. An interesting fact connected witli the publication of the news of the assassination of Lincoln is the recognition by its young editor of the de- sirability of illustration. On tlie 16th of April a portrait of the assassin Booth was printed. It was from a wood cut, which the reader was informed had been produced in two hours. It was a good likeness of the actor, and was significantly adorned with a noose. The Chronicle was so well satisfied with its perform- ance it repeated it on the day after. A few days afterward the scene of the assassination was illustrated in The Chronicle. Like the portrait, it was from a wood engraving, the drawing for which was by Tojetti, a well-known San Francisco artist. These pictures were not the first to appear in The Chronicle. On February 2, 1865, a portrait of Edward Everett was printed. It has been claimed for these publications and some which appeared a short time afterward that they are the earliest indications in an American paper of the disposition to make illustrations a feature of daily journalism. CHAPTER IX MAXY IXXOVATIOXS BY THE BROTHERS, CHARLES AXD M. H. de YOUXG. The Chronicle Begins to Make Investigations — Early Contributors to the Sunday Edition — Charles Warren Stoddard, Prentice Mulford and Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie — The Chronicle 's First London Correspondent — The Prefix Dramatic Dropped — The Daily Morning Chronicle — The Earthquake of 1868 — An Extra Issued While the Earth Was Trembling— The Enterprise of the Bulletin — Career of the Alta California — Policies of the Bulletin and Call — The Attitude of the San Francisco Press Toward the Kailroad — Fear of Goat Island Becom- ing a Rival City — When the Southern Pacific Was "The Railroad'' — Little Distrust of the Future — The Press Confident That the Railroad Would Promote Prosperity — The Mania for Mining Stock Speculation — The Rush to the White Pine Mines — A Hopeful Press on the Eve of Hard Times. HE Dramatic Chronicle, though bright and breezy, did not accomplish an immediate revolution in journalistic methods in San Francisco. It is just possible that its repeated increases in length and width may have at- tracted the attention of the established papers, but they showed no signs of welcoming or discouraging the stranger. They may have been annoyed at its propen- sity to do unexpected things, as in the case of the extras announcing the news of the assassination of President Lincoln, but they still looked upon it as a play bill and entitled to no special consideration as such. It was not until the ambitious journalists began to engage in the work of investigating the affairs of institutions that had thitherto enjoyed immunity from criticism, that its mature rivals began to notice its existence by intimating that it was a sensational sheet and therefore unworthy atten- tion. Somehow or other, although the Call and the Bulletin vehemently asserted that no one believed what appeared in the columns of The Chronicle, its assertions usually created a stir, because they were backed up by details which stam])ed them as something different from the not infrequent assaults on municipal shortcomings in the past, which, as a rule, Avere unaccompanied by specifications. Perhaps the fact that the Dramatic Chronicle's advertising patronage was increasing rapidly gave the older papers more concern than its innova- tions. During the first three months of its existence advertisements in- creased from nine and a quarter to fifteen and a half columns. As the paper only contained twenty columns of matter, the proportion of reading 70 CHARLES WARREN STODDARD Innovations and Investigations 71 was very small, but the brightness of the squibs, and the fact that a fair share of the advertising was news of a sort looked for by the community, caused the popularity of the Dramatic Chronicle to continue to grow. There is evidence that the proprietors were well satisfied with Patro^nage^ ^^^^ success they were achieving, for on the first anniversary of The of the publication, January 16, 1806, there was a poem of Chronicle felicitation headed "Our Birthday," and a cartoon, "The Infant Hercules," which depicted The Chronicle in the act of destroying its envious competitors, who were pictured as snakes. A few days later, the first signed contribution of Charles Warren Stoddard ap- peared. It was a poem entitled "To an Uncrowned Poet," and marked the beginning of a connection which endured for many years. At frequent intervals during 1S68 the Dramatic Chronicle contained accounts of incidents in which Bret Harte figured; there was also a manifest disposition to boost Mark Twain, and the manner of the boosting is so sug- gestive of the humorist's peculiar style that one might readily n^!!f5-u,f5„L i^e pardoned for suspecting that he knew something of the Contributors .j , . . t. • i ^ • , i Tin -.o/^r. " i • i of The authorship. An editorial printed on July 3, 186S, m which Chronicle remarks made in a lecture delivered by him on the previous evening were liberally quoted and highly complimented, must have been appreciated at a time Avhen Mark was not so much of a stage lion as he later became. A few days later, on the 11th of July, 1868, the Dramatic Chronicle introduced to its readers Mrs. Anna Cora Mowatt Eitchie, in a London letter, and proudly announced that she would there- after act as its exclusive correspondent at the British metropolis. The letter was noteworthy as foreshadowing the paper's intention to add to its literary attractions, and because it was a month in transit. A couple of weeks later a sketch entitled "The Eagle Bird," by Prentice Mulford, marked that writer's advent in San Francisco journalism. He continued to write for The Chronicle almost to the day of his tragic death, caused by the capsizing of a sloop yacht which he was sailing on the Hudson river. On the 1st of September, 1868, the Dramatic Chronicle appeared as "The Daily Morning Chronicle." In dropping the prefix "Dramatic," which it had borne for over three years and a half, the paper lost none of its brightness. It was now a four-page sheet with seven columns p^® to the page. It had literally grown by inches, its original "Dramatic" length of column having increased from 131/2 to 221/2 inches, Dropped and it contained about three times as much of all varieties of matter as it did when it first made its bow to the public. On its first page it presented an article, "An Evening With the Bruisers," the sub-title of which, "A School for Crime and Some of the Scholars," indicated the attitude of the paper toward the then popular exhibitions of "boxing." The first number of the morning edition was particularly strong in editorial, two and three-quarter columns being devoted to comment. All the features of a full-fledged daily were introduced, including commercial and marine news. The contents of the twenty-eight columns embraced: Advertisements, 15 columns; local news, 814 columns; telegraphic and mail news, 2 columns, and editorial, 2^/4 columns. On the following day a poem by Bret Harte, entitled "The Hero of Sugar Pine," was published. As already stated, there is no indication that it was specially written for The Chronicle, and the same may be said of 72 Journalism in California ''The Stage Driver's Story," '"The Executive Committee of the Colored Population/' "The Babes in the Woods" and "For the King/' which ap- peared at intervals between 1868 and 1874. The fact that they were not copyrighted, and that no special claim was made for them is and iiot surprising, for the author had not yet found himself. The Joaquin same comment applies to some short poems by Joaquin Miller, Miller who, when they appeared, was glad to break into print on terms whieli did not involve the recognition of the counting- room. Later, Joaquin became a regular contributor of The Chronicle to the great grief of the editors, who were called upon to decipher his wretched chirography, which was also the despair of the printers, and was received by them only under protest. Occasionally, the poet's copy was so bad it had to be relegated to the waste basket. That was the case with at least two letters of a series written from Europe, one of them, as nearly as could be ascertaiucd, dealing with the origin of the search of Jason for the Golden Fleece, which he argued was not a myth, but a real occurrence. On the 21st of October, 1868, the Daily Morning Chronicle was afforded an opportunity to exhibit its enterprise under trying conditions. The bay region on that date was visited by a severe earthquake shock, which did considerable damage to buildings constructed in an un- ^sued ^'^^ substantial manner. The first shock occurred at 7 :54 A. M., TjndcT ^ritl ■"'^s followed at 10 :35 and 11 :20 by less severe shocks. Difficulties x\.t 1 :30 P. ]\I., The Chronicle issued an extra containing nearly six columns of fine print, consisting of brief paragraphs devoted to describing the extent of the damage, and noting the few casual- ties which accompanied the seismic disturbance. It was a fine piece of re- porting, and a source of special wonderment to later editors, who were at loss to imderstand how the feat was accomplished with the comparatively small force at the disposal of the de Young boys. The explanation was simple. It was a case of rapid organization. Everyone connected with the establishment Avas drafted into the service. Carriers, printers, clerks and pressmen each contributed his mite of observation in the district especially assigned to him. But the journalistic enterprise displayed in getting the facts before the public so promptly is no more noteworthy than the sensible comment in the editorial columns on the succeeding day, which Avas designed to be reassuring and certainly had that effect. The editor remarked : "The Sh v"^* severest shock San Francisco has ever experienced, or is likely After to experience, has come and gone, resulting in less damage All to life and property than attended the great earthquake in London in John Wesley's time." This sounds like making the best of a situation, as floes also the assertion, made a day or two later, that "the crowds that filled our streets on Tuesday did not wear an aspect of sadness or depression. In fact, a stranger ignorant of the cause of the excitement, would think they were enjoying some great holiday." But there was no possibility of mistaking the significance of the statement made in the real estate records on the followins: Sunday morning in which the writer said : "The recent severe earthquake shock has caused a temporary dullness, but no depression of values ;" nor would it be possible to interpret the action of The Chronicle in getting out an illustrated earthquake edition as an exhibition of lack of confidence, for it was filled with matter calculated Innovations and Investigations 73 to convince tlie reader that while earthquakes may be put in the category of undesirable manifestations, on the Avhole they do not remotely approach the destructiveness of cyclones, floods and. other phenomena unknown to San Francisco. With eight years and more of a start, the Bulletin, which was still the paper printing the greatest quantity and variety of matter in 1S66, was in a fair way of being ousted from its premier position when The Chronicle dropped the prefix "Dramatic." It retained its early four- EnterTDrise V''^S^ form, and the eight columns to the page inaugurated of the some years earlier. The average of a period extending over Bulletin several years after the above date shows about nineteen columns of advertisements daily, to thirteen of varied matter, in which telegraphic news was not conspicuous. Several issues of 186G-67 and. 1868 exhibit these proportions. Telegraphic news, 1 column ; mail correspondence, 2 columns; reprint, 3 columns; editorials, 2 columns; markets, financial and commercial news, l^/g columns; marine news, i/g of a column ; local or city news, 21/4 columns, a large proportion of the latter being bald accounts of the doings of municipal officials and very brief court notes. In 1870 telegraphic news had increased to about three columns daily, but some of it lacked up-to-datedness, being a day old. A little earlier than this date the Bulletin departed from a long maintained practice of grouping its news under a general heading in paragraphs without heads, and ventured on the bold experiment of making it easier for the reader to find what he was interested in by putting heads on some of its news items, and, in the same year, it printed a map of the Franco-Prussian war zone, one of its few ventures in the field of illustration. The Alta, established in 1819, still retained, its prestige at the close of the sixty decade. In 1869 it absorbed the Times and was regarded by the community as the representative of the substantial elements. Its course was conservative, even in the matter of gathering and. pre- of 'The senting the news. Its subscription price was higher than Alta f'^^t of any other city paper, and it had a monopoly of the California shipping and auction advertising, and of the general adver- tisements of the jobbing trade. It was conceded to be the special representative of the commercial element, and scarcely considered as a rival the Call, which a few years earlier had been launched as a co-operative enterprise by a few printers. The Call started out with the purpose of obtaining subscriptions by offering its paper at the temptingly low rate for the period of 121/0 cents a week, excluding Sundays, on which day it was not issued. Its success was only moderate and its circulation probably did not exceed ten or twelve thousand daily at any time during the sixties. Its policy was in marked contrast to that of the Bulletin, which for many years was extremely aggressive in its opposition to expenditures for municipal purposes. The joint ownership of the Bulletin and Call by the same proprietors was the source of much ill-natured comment directed chiefly against the latter. The Bulletin was managed by George K. Fitch, and the Call by Loring Pickering and James A. Simonton, the latter, up to the time of his death, being the representative of the Xew York Associated Press before the formation of the present association, which was accomplished by a mer- ger process. It was generally understood that the distinctly different policies 74 Journalism in California pursued by the two journals was the result of an understanding which had for its object the pleasing of all sorts of readers. Fitch, who was very familiar with the conduct of municipal affairs and took an and Call active interest in local politics, was to continue the course Under One which James King of William and the march of events seemed Ownership to have marked out for the Bulletin, while Pickering elected to secure the patronage of a cosmopolitan community in which the disposition to find lines of cleavage early manifested itself. The mode adopted to accomplish this object was adherence to innocuousness, and the editor of the Call developed a facility of avoi'dance which was masterly, his journal on most subjects carefully avoiding the expression of a positive opinion. The Bulletin was the very antithesis of the Call. It expressed itself with boldness and vigor upon most topics and its editorials were well written. There is no doubt that between 1856 and 1870 it was the most important factor in promoting the fortunes of the People's Mouthpiece P'^^^J' ^^^^ ^^ "^^'^^ ^^'^^^ understood in political circles and by of the ^'iG informed in the community that it had a voice in the People's Party selection of candidates for municipal offices, a duty assumed by a junta after the frightful miscarriage of the more demo- cratic primary system in the years prior to the Vigilante uprising. This usurpation came in for a great deal of criticism from rival journals as the years wore on, and the memory of the saturnalia of extravagance and corruption preceding 1856 faded from the public mind, but it Avas power- less to shake the popular conviction resulting from Fitch's teachings, that the only safe plan of dealing with municipal officials is strictly to limit taxation. He had succeeded in persuading citizens that the consolidation act framed by Horace TIawcs, with its numberless restrictions, was an ideal fundamental law, and that the best municipal government W'as that sort which reduced public expenditures to a minimum. There were few who openly dissented from this opinion until the close of the sixties, when dissatisfaction began to be expressed over the failure of the city to provide public buildings commensurate with its growing im- portance. There was also a growing demand for a park Imoos d which would provide a desirable resort for the people who Restrictions were obliged to patronize a private pleasure ground when they wished to take an outing. The Chronicle was one of the earliest advocates of a more liberal course and insisted that some means would have to he adopted to break through the self-imposed restrictions if San Francisco w^as to be put in readiness for the influx of immigrants which it was expected would follow the opening of the transcon- tinental railroad. This event had long been a subject of comment in the editorial columns of the city press, and, while there was much divergent opinion respecting the methods adopted by the beneficiaries of the liberality of municipalities, counties, states and the Nation, there was none respecting the enormous advantages that were to accrue to San Francisco on the com- pletion of the overland highway. The railroad was to effect a complete metamorphosis. The earlier argument so diligently urged, that it was a military necessity, ceased to be employed when it was seen that the civil conflict must inevitably terminate long before the road could be completed, and critics could be outspoken in their condemnation of methods which smacked of monopoly w'ithout having disloyalty imputed to them. •, Innovations and Investigations 75 Perhaps the earliest cause for general distrust was that excited by the imconcealed desire of the constructors of the Central Pacific to head off all rivalry. The city and county of San Francisco had joined with San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in extending aid to a road connecting ^^^^^ the city and San Jose, which was begun in 1860 and corn- Railroad pleted in 186-i. The city had also extended aid to the Monopoly Western Pacific to the amount of $-iOO,000. The two sub- sidies aggregated $600,000, which the railroad managers re- ceived in the form of bonds, giving an equal amount of stock in exchange. The city authorities were persuaded to surrender the stock, the consideration being tlie return of $"200,000 of the bonds, reducing the city's railroad in- debtedness to $400,000. This action was criticised by a part of the press and defended by another section. In 1865 the Southern Pacific was incorporated, and it soon became apparent that the chief object of the formation of the new corporation was to prevent the entrance of the Atlantic and Pacific, a company which proposed to construct a railroad as nearly as practicable along ijj^ line of the thirty-fifth parallel of latitude, which was to be aided by a frDeral land subsidy. It would be hard to determine the real sentiment of the community toward the Southern Pacific at this time. The incorporators were the same men as those who projected and were in the w^ay of successfully carrying out the Central Pacific scheme. They were Sacramentans, General ^^^^^ ^^lat fact seemed to excite no jealousy, perhaps because Railroad it was plainly seen that while the overland railroad nominally Connection had its beginning at that city its true terminus on the Pacific would be San Francisco, tlndoubtedly, the boldness which characterized the operations of Huntington, Stanford, Crocker and Hopkins inspired confidence in the success of their undertakings, and there was a strong desire prevalent for railroad connection with the southern part of the State, with which communication was slow and infrequent at the time. It is not improbable that in addition to these motives the inertia produced by the hostility to taxation for improvements played its part and made the com- munity indifferent to the w^arnings of those who saw a menace to the future prosperity of the State in the attempt to shut off rivalry. Whatever the cause, the attitude of the State toward the project w^as sufficiently acquiescent to permit Congress to adopt a course which excluded the Atlantic and Pacific from entrance to the State for many years. Somewhat different was the course adopted when in 1869 an attempt was made to persuade San Francisco that it would be to its interest to permit the Central Pacific to acquire Goat island for terminal purposes. Papers which had not displayed any anxiety regarding the possible ^^^^ evil effects of shutting out a rival transcontinental railroad Goat Island became bitterly antagonistic to the proposal, and assailed it Rivalry on various grounds. The Bulletin seemed to be particularly apprehensive that the granting of the 300 acres, which was about the area of the island, would result in the creation of a rival city in the bay, which would seriously injure the business of the port of San Fran- cisco. California's representatives in Congress would cheerfully have •assisted in carrying through the project, but the uproar created deterred them from acting, and Goat island still remains an asset of the Federal Government, which may at some future day be put to a more beneficial use than the limited one it now serves. 76 Journalism in California Looking backward, and reviewing some of the circumstance? attending the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, it does not seem sur- prising that its projectors met with a great deal of hostility. In the early stages of the enterprise the utmost liberality was displayed Corrupt ^j ^i^g people, and when the enthusiasm flagged it was Eailroad stimulated by devices that transcended ordinary criminality. Managers Bribery was freely employed to accomplish purposes conceived in the fertile brains of the builders. They were uuAvearied in their pursuit of favorable legislation, and shrunk from no measure which they deemed necessary to protect their interests. Although beneficiaries on a huge scale, they repaid those who conferred the benefits by charging excessive rates for the services performed by them and by practicing all sorts of discrimination to advance their own personal fortunes and those of chosen' friends. It would have been extraordinary, indeed, if this condition of affairs had not influenced the journalism of the time. And it did to a degree hardly conceivable by the newspaper reader of today, who still hears the echoes of the conflict which began wliile the Civil War was raging, and which some politicians would like to see continued indefinitely, although the cause for hostility has long since disappeared. It is one of the anomalies of this long continued discussion that the State, when there were the best of reasons for hostility to the railroad which practically had a monopoly of transportation, and sought to perpetuate it, refused to use the power it had to compel fair treatment; F n isco while now, that the machinery for effective regulation exists. Press and ^^^^ is persistently exercised, there should be an affectation the Railroad of fear of the machinations of the corporation. The railroad has been rendered powerless for harm and it is amazing that it should still be regarded with fear. It shows a lack of intelligent appre- ciation of the situation. It is not difficult to follow the curious variations in the attitude of the San Francisco press toward what for a long time was called "the railroad," an expression singularly inappropriate at the present day, when three rival transcontinental roads are bidding for favor, but which fittingly indicated the Southern Pacific corporation when it absolutely controlled the transportation facilities of California, and made freight and fare rates tell in an unmistakable fashion the story of a grinding luonopoly. As this narration progi'esses, it will be seen which papers fought the railroad when the people needed a defender, and those who rushed to the aid of the corporation will be pointed out. The last spike of the first transcontinental road, built assumedly as a war measure, was driven May 10, 1869. As heretofore remarked, the com- pletion of the road was looked forward to hopefully by the community, and this hopefulness found frequent expression in the press, some- Looking times in a very exuberant fashion. There apparently was With little distrust of the future, although there were rumblings of Hope the trouble which culminated in the sand-lot disturbances a few years later. The people of San Francisco had received a foretaste of the evils of mining stock speculation, but, as is often the case, they were more inclined to blame something else than the true cause for the slackness of business, which it was expected would be ended with the advent of the railroad. The town still believed that mining was the backbone of San Francisco's prosperity, and could not be persuaded that there was a vast Innovations and Investigations 77 Mining Stock Speculation difference between the legitimate practice of that industry and dabbling in stocks which had become very general toward the close of the sixty decade, owing to the discovery of rich ores on the Comstock. The lode was first found in 1853, but the extent of its richness was not disclosed until 1859, when the argentiferous character of its ores was made known. Although reports intimated that the ores were fabuh)usly rich, the Comstocks did not possess the attractiveness of the placers, but they drew to Nevada a comparatively large number of prospectors, who found a country abounding in minerals. Up to 1859 brokers were not very prominent in San Francisco. The few who called them- selves by that name dealt chiefly in local securities, and when the legal tender money of the United States began to depreciate they included the sale of currency in their opera- tions. The San Francisco Stock and Exchange Board was formed in 1862, with forty members, and the number suggested a nickname which was freely applied, indicating the degree of esteem in which tlie profession was held. On April 15, 1863, a second board, known as the San Francisco Board of Brokers, was formed, and three months later still anotlier organization, named the Pacific, had come into existence. Altogether, in the short space of a year, the professional dealers in mining stocks had increased to 160, the first-formed board, yclept "The Forty Thieves," having doubled its membership. It is hardly necessary to accompany this recital of the rapid expansion of the cult with the statement that the community was infected witli tlie fever of speculation. Perhaps the press was responsible for the attitude of aloofness which the community assumed toward mining stock speculation in its early stages. The Bulletin refused to recognize the operations of the first-formed board as legitimate objects of newspaper notice, and declined to publish the quotations of stocks for quite six months after the opening of the exchange, and then did so seemingly under ]u-otest, furnisliing no further information than that contained in the printed lists of bids and sales. The Call, likewise, saw no reason for getting excited about a matter which was engaging the attention of the whole community, and was nearly as cautious as its evening contemporary. The x41ta was more liberal, but none of the dailies, until some years afterward, countenanced the belief that found almost general acceptance that a lively stock market was a good thing for business. It is interesting, nearly a half century after they were written, to read articles in which the writers solemnly argued that a community cannot get rich by gambling, and tliat marking up the price of stocks did not increase their value any more than "changing tlie price tag on a coat would make it a better or more valuable garment." Early Hostility to Speculation CHAPTER X STOCK GAMBLING AND OTHER TROUBLES IN THE SEVENTIES. Conditions Preceding tlie Adoption of the Constitntion of 1879 — Henry George's Connection With The Chronicle — General Protest Against Land Monopoly — Disturbing Eesults of the Spanish and Mexican Land Grant System — The Revivifying Influence of the Finding of Large Bodies of Ore in Nevada — The Big Bonanza Discovery and Its Effects — The Rage for Gambling in Mining Stocks — Stock Gambling an Excuse for All Delinquencies — The Big Deals Put Over — Men Who Yearned for Misinformation — The Failure of the Bank of California and the Death of Ralston — Manufacturing Enterprises That Did Not Succeed — Early Aspirations for a ' ' City Beautiful ' ' on the Bay of San Fran Cisco — The Industrial Activities of Ralston — The First Irrigation Project and Its Outcome — Abatement of the Speculative Mania — A Milked-Dry Community. HE failure of superficial observers of the course of events in California to go back far enough in their effort to as- certain the cause of the so-called sand-lot troubles has led to many misconceptions. If the inquiry is to be thorough it must begin in the opening years of the seventies, and it will be found in the editorial com- ment and in the news columns of the San Francisco press; and perhaps it is not taking an extreme view of the matter to say that an editor who subsequently attained an inter- national reputation as an economic writer started a movement, the progress of which could not be arrested until a complete reform was effected. It does not matter that it was not brought about in the mode he conceived to be proper; the really important thing is the fact that the monopolization of the land which he dwelt upon was broken, and the abuse which he con- demned was effectually and permanently done away with in California, which, to his alarmed vision in 1870, presented the spectacle of a great State in the hands of a few landlords, who would ultimately control all the land within its borders. The writer referred to was Henry George, author of "Progress and Poverty," wlio began his literary career, as many others have done, as a typesetter, graduating from the compositor's case to the editor's desk. George was a very earnest and an intensely sympathetic man, Henry ^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ position of editor he was disposed to inaugurate nection With crw^a^^es against oppressors. In 1873, while acting as editor The Chronicle of the Evening Post, he took up the case of some sailors who had been brutally treated by the captain of the ship ^"unrise and his officers. His earnestness and the vigor of the prosecution, 78 Stock Speculation and Land Reform 79 which was conducted with the assistance of W. H. L. Barnes, one of the city's foremost attorneys, resulted in the conviction and punishment of the offenders. The case attracted international attention and won a decoration for the attorney, and the editor of the Post received as his reward tlie applause of the community. Prior to George's connection with the Post he had done some editorial work for The Chronicle, which had, as early as 1869, hegun to express its disapprohation of the policy of encouraging land monopoly. The files of The Chronicle between 1870 and 1873 contain several editorials on the land question which were probably written by him, none of which, however, suggest the physiocrat idea of making the entire burden of taxation fall on land. There is one in particular in which the writer expressed views very similar to those which had earlier appeared in an article published in the Overland Monthly over George's signature, in which he predicted that the overland railway, approaching completion, would prove a detriment rather than a benefit to the State of California. George and The Chronicle were by no means alone in their antagonism to land monopoly. All the papers recognized the big holdings resulting from the liberal grants made by the Spanish and later by the Mexican government as a great evil, but some of them did not permit Opposition ^j^g criticism to extend to the gifts made to the overland Land railroad by Congress. There is nothing surprising about Monopoly this abstention, for it was supposed that the provision in the subsidy acts which required the corporation to sell the granted lands at a price not exceeding double the minimum charged for Govern- ment lands would result in the alternate sections being promptly sold to settlers. It was not foreseen that the device of contract and finance com- panies, which had enabled the builders of the transcontinental railway to acquire immense fortunes by contracting with themselves, would be em- ployed to successfully lock up the most desirable land so that it might be sold at prices in excess of tliose fixed by the subsidy act. And, besides, the notions concerning the disposition of Government lands at the time were exceedingly liberal, as the records will show, the opinion generally prevailing that the sooner they passed into the possession of settlers, or into private ownership, without restriction, the better it would be for the country at large. But the most potent influence in diverting attention from reform move- ments was the sudden change in business conditions produced by a brisk speculative movemet in the mining stock market in 1872, which was accentuated by the discovery of the fabulously rich mines The Big which afterward became known as "Thei Big Bonanza." This Discovery lucky find in 1875 was immediately followed by a fever of in 1875 speculation which made that of the previous decade seem in- significant by comparison. The Big Bonanza consisted of several mining properties on the Comstock lode in Nevada, known as the Consolidated Virginia. These valuable mines were owned by four men, John W. Mackay, James G. Fair, James C. Flood and William O'Brien. From first to last they produced nearly two hundred million dollars to which must be added about $138,000,000 more taken out of other mines of the Comstock in previous years. It would have been impossible to have injected into the channels of trade so vast a sum without giving a great impetus to business and creating an atmosphere of prosperity fatal 80 Journalism in California to tlie practice of economy. Easy come, easy go, produced a condition of artificial briskness wliicli did not reckon witli the future. Everyone was anxious to get rich, and everyone speculated in the hope that fortune would smile upon him. It was a groat gamble in which the dealers used marked cards; the public was not unaware of the nature of the game, nor of the character of the men Avho shuffled, cut and dealt, but that made no difference. They "sat in/' and submitted to being fleeced with a meek- ness which deservedly earned for them the name lambs, which Avas con- temptuously applied by those who sheared them. The press for a while was influenced by the glamour produced by the enormous output of the precious metals, and saw little that called for se- rious deprecation. The objection of the earlier period when a merchant who dabbled in stocks was regarded with suspicion had disappeared, and few escaped the contagion. Everybody bought shares. The minister and his deacons, the master and his servant, the doctor, the lawyer, the me- chanic and the day laborer were all eager investors, and ^®. watched the reports of the fluctuations of stocks with fe- Stock verish interest. The established press no longer satisfied the Gamble unlimited demand for news and gossip about the mines, and special class papers were called into existence. The little sheet with quotations known as the Stock Report expanded into a good- sized paper, chiefly if not wholly devoted to mining intelligence, and a new candidate for favor, named the Stock Exchange, came into existence. They have both passed away, but during the period when the excitement ran high they were in great demand and were read with much interest, not alone for their mining news, but as well for their bright and breezy com- ment on current events and the foibles of the actors in the big speculative game. They by no means occupied the center of the stage, for the dailies generally were quick to perceive the eager interest of the community in all things pertaining to the mining game and ministered to it in various ways. The methods of the mine operators were essentially secretive and investiga- tions started for the purpose of learning facts or to expose misrepresenta- tions were common, and it may be added that exposure and truthful infor- mation produced little effect on the pithlic, the gambling mania having for the time destroyed its capacity for rational thought and action. The occurrences of the three or four years while the excitement ran liighest would have provided subjects for many a novel, for they realized to the fullest the saying that fact is stranger than fiction, and were suggestive of plots which were hardly imaginable. Fortunes were made Stocks r^^^\ j^g^ overnight; the saloon-keeper of yesterday was the the millionaire of tomorrow, and the man in comfortable circum- Mischief stances who risked the hazard of the game emerged from it stripped. There were tragedies innumerable, and San Fran- cisco's suicide list was abnormally swollen. Did a man go wrong in a business way, the blame was placed on stocks. A trusted treasurer was shy in his accounts some $300,000, and the public did not wonder, for the explanation came promptly that stocks did the mischief. If a corrupt offi- cial seemed to be accumulating wealth too rapidly suspicion as to its source was diverted by the information that he had made a winning. The community was easily satisfied and manifested a disposition to regard the basest forms of deception as a joke. A minister was given a tip in con- Stock Speculation and Land Reform 81 fidence by a wealthy operator. The pointer proved to be a false one, and the generous manipulator with professions of regret made good the divine's loss, but the deacons and the other members of his congregation who shared the information confidentially imparted to him paid tlie piper. The twentieth century speculator in grain probably gets as much excite- ment out of a market in which a fraction of a cent represents points, but movements of that sort cannot possibly appeal to the imagination as the tre- mendous fluctuations in the value of shares expressed in dol- Wall and j^^.^ ^j^ ^^ ||^g years following the uncovering of the Big Bon- Streets anza. The stock of Ophir, quoted at $G5 on October 6, 1875, Compared was down to $39 on November 4th. California was depressed from $54 to $21 in an equally brief period. These rapid al- ternations were not confined to the stocks of the mines known to be produc- tive. Shares of companies concerning which the public had no information other than that which interested parties chose to impart were as eagerly dealt in as if they were dividend-paying concerns. If a strike was made in a productive mine the shares of all the companies located in the neigh- borhood rose in sympathy. Men seemed to yearn for misinformation and misrepresentation, and regarded with disfavor those who sought to open their eyes to the facts. The manipulators were ready with calumny to assail those who exposed their deception. If a newspaper persistently warned its readers that they were being made the victims of adroit rascals no attempt was made to disprove its accusations; a rejoinder from the accused that the accusing editor had been "stung" sufficed. It did not occur to a community obsessed with the desire for gain to reflect that ex- perience is excellently adapted to qualify a person to give advice. Perhaps the most tragic occurrence of this saturnalia of speculation was the death of W. C. Ralston, the president of the Bank of California, which closely followed the temporary closing of the doors of that institution on the 26th of August, 1875. Ralston's business career was ^f^th^^ one of exceptional brilliancy. He was untiring in his efforts Bank of ^o promote industry of all kinds, and his desire to stimulate California the development of the resources of the State was unbounded. His failures have sometime* been treated as avoidable blunders, but some of them were based on economic ideas usually reckoned as sound. He used his personal funds and those of the bank lil)erally to stimulate manufacturing. The production of wool was a leading indus- try of tlie State, but the raw material was shipped to remote countries to be fashioned into cloth, which was sent back in the form of goods ready for consumption. Ealston sought to correct this economic absurdity by found- ing the Mission Woolen Mills. The factory succeeded in producing ex- cellent flannel, cloth and blankets, but did not pay as an investment. It was preposterous to bring carriages and wagons thousands of miles when they could be made at home, but the Kimball Carriage Factory, although it turned out fine vehicles, was a financial failure. The West Coast Furni- ture Company started by him was equally unfortunate. We now know why these ventures failed, and realize that manufacturing cannot be forced in a region with a limited consuming population and a high labor cost, but our knowledge is largely founded on his painful experiences. That he failed in some enterprises does not detract from the fact that he was the foremost man of his day in San Francisco, standing head and 82 Journalism in California shoulders above his rivals and detractors. In addition to the concerns above enumerated, he was instrumental in promoting many others. of °an °" ■^^ ^^^ especially interested in irrigation and long before Irrigation Californians had broke away from the belief that the future Project of agriculture was bound up with the cereals he began to stimulate experiments in intensive culture. He was among the most energetic in promoting the project of redeeming the west side of the San Joaquin valley by the construction of a canal which was to lead the waters from Tulare to tidewater. lie had unbounded faith in San Francisco and was the first to give practical effect to the claim that it was capable of being made "the Paris of America." He conceived the magnifi- cent project of building the biggest and handsomest hotel in the world, and the conception was nearly realized when he was drowned at Black point on the bay, succeeding the closing of the doors of the bank whose affairs he had controlled for so many years. The failure of the bank was precipitated by a struggle for the control of one of the great mining properties, the contestants being the men who originally had possession of the Bonanza mines. Although the pul)lic had unbounded faith in the solidity of the Bank of California, Cause of there were occasional doubts expressed respecting the pro- Bank of priety of a man in the position of Ralston engaging in such a California contest, but the common assumption that all those heavily in- terested in the institution were standing together hardly left room for the suspicion that he was acting on his own responsibility. Al- though Ealston was regarded as a man of immense wealth, capable of taking care of himself, he was generally associated in the popular mind with the group with whom he operated and which was commonly spoken of as the bank crowd. It is not necessary to go into details of the contest in which Ealston was worsted, further than to say that it made a heavy draft on the institution's reserves. So unexpected was the outcome that on the morning of August 2Gth large deposits were made by well informed opera- tors. But this confidence was disturbed with startling rapidity. At 2 p. m., a small crowd had gathered at the teller's window; at 2:15, a run had developed ; at 2 :40, Ealston stepped from his private office and ordered the teller to cease paying. The next day the banker, while bathing at Black point, as was his daily practice, w^as seized with a cramp and was drowned. The effect on the community was amazing. The failure and the rapidly following tragedy divided the city into two camps. Concern for the elfect of the suspension of payments was subordinated in the minds of the majority by genuine sympathy for the victim of what a later and ^•^•n'^d calmer judgment decided was loose banking practices. A Into Two P'^rt of the press was sweeping in its denunciations, endeavor- Camps ing to throw all the blame upon Ealston, disregarding the fact that those interested with him would have cheerfully shared the benefits if he had won out. At first, it was proposed to declare the bank insolvent, but the liability of stockholders act proved an obstacle to such a course and rehabilitation was agreed upon, "William Sharon shoulder- ing the chief responsibility. As soon as the affairs of the bank could be thoroughly investigated payments were resumed, and the institution promptly resumed its old-time leading position. On the 4th of November IxNJTERIOR COURT OF PALACE HOTEL. Erected by W. C. Ralston in 1875, destroyed by fire of 1906. Stock Speculation and Land Reform 83 following the Xevada Bank was started by Flood, O'Brien and Mackay, but it never attained to the financial importance of its rival. The failure of the Bank of California did not put an end to the speculative game, but there was a visible abatement of the fever and a growing disposition on the part of the people to take an account of stock. Before the death of Ealston The Chronicle had frequently ^^'^^^J'^*®"^®"* pointed out the pitfalls prepared for the feet of the unwary. Speculative ''^^^ after tliat event it was unceasing in its exposure of the Mania false pretenses of manipulators, its most effective work in this regard being statistically accomplished. Day after day articles were published showing how purchasers of stock were duped by the issuance of false statements, and the large amounts paid in the form of assessments, which were consumed in the maintenance of high-priced offi- cials and handsomely appointed offices, were paraded. But, while the statements made were undeniably trutiiful, it is doubtful whether they would have made much impression if the meretricious appearance of pros- perity could have been maintained. Tiiat was impossible, however, because the community had been milked dry; and, unfortunately, the lack of diver- sification of industries had prepared the way for something like a complete breakdown. When the State was visited by a disastrous dry season in 1876-77, it so curtailed production that prosperity tied, and, in its place, there was unemployment, discontent and those uneasy manifestations which are taken for a desire for reform, but, as the sequel in this case shows, are sometimes a realization of the couplet: The devil ivas sick, the devil a monh would he; The devil ivas ivell, the devil a monk was he. CHAPTER XI THE STOEY OF GEORGE M. PINNEY AND A BIG LIBEL SUIT. Result of Agitation Against Land Monopoly — The Product of the Bonanza Mines — An Extremely Capable Chief Clerk of the Mint — The Meteoric Career of George M. Pinney — Broker, Millionaire, Enlisted Man and a Political Boss All Eolled Into One Personality — Pinney Meets With Reverses and Flees the Country — His Adventurous Voyage to South America — Sends Out S. O. S. Calls, Which Are Not Heeded — Pinney Surrenders Himself as a Deserter From the Navy — Pinney Makes Accusations Which Create a Sensation- — Politicians Invoke the Law of Libel — The Chronicle Assailed for Exposing Political Corruption — How an Editor Got Rid of Some Bad Eggs — Pinney Has an Attack of Forgetful- ness — Pinney 's Financial Operations Cause the Wreck of Several Banks — Crea- tion of a Bank Commission the Result of The Chronicle 's Exposures. HE facts cited establish beyond dispute that tlie so-called sand-lot troubles did not come from a clear sky. There were evidences of discontent long before the eruption took place, and they were by no means the product of riffraff talk. They w^ere genuine manifestations of dis- satisfaction with a condition of affairs which meant mis- chief and were a source of apprehension to the thought- ful. Henry George's diatribes against land monopolists and the vigorous editorials of The Chronicle may be chargeable with stir- ring the public mind, but it cannot be urged that they gave an untrue pic- ture of the situation or that their prophecies might not have been fully realized had not the agitation stirred up by them effected a genuine and enduring reform. It is a fact that the bettering of affairs was not accom- plished by the adoption of George's panacea, and it is equally certain that The Chronicle did not foresee the method by which land monopoly was eventually rendered impossible in California, but, on the other hand, it is true that the agitation of the seventies paved the way for the adoption of a system of land taxation which made it impossible for the owners of great tracts to preserve them intact. It has been related how the agitation which seemed to have opened so formidably in 1872 was interrupt'ed by the spasm of prosperity produced by the discovery of the Bonanza mines and the successful workings of other properties on the Comstock, which, according to a computation made by a careful stockbroker, added at least $340,000,000 of the precious metals to the world's stock in the course of a few years, but the conciseness with which the salient facts of the great speculation was presented pre- vented the mention of some details of a highly interesting character to 84 The Chronicle Assails Corruption 85 the student of economics, and still others the relation of which would corrob- orate the assertion that the city was half crazed by the passion for gambling. It is not essential that the reader should l)e informed that the Circumstances caller of one of the stock boards advertised his prosperity by Linked wearing a fresh pair of pantaloons every day in the year, or Together tliat it was considered a joke for a flourishing broker to be seen with his wife on the Cliff House road rather than with some other "lady," but, in order to understand clearly the origins of a trouble which caused the closing of several banks, the temporary obscuration of a national party in the State, one of the most bitterly waged wars against a newspaper and which finally played a leading part in causing the adoption of the Constitution of 1879, it will be necessary to relate with some circumstantiality a number of occurrences which, when properly linked together, tell a story abounding in more exciting experiences than can be found between the covers of the most sensational novel. During the early part of his incumbency of the position of superin- tendent of the United States Branch Mint in this city, Oscar 11. La Grange had for his chief clerk a man named George M. Pinney. Pinney was a person of exceptional attainments, as the sequel will Extremely show. There was no doubt about his competency. All the Capable civil service examiners, aided by a perfect merit system, could Clerk not have found a more capable chief clerk. Had Pinney ap- plied his talents exclusively to the performance of his duties he would have been a model functionary, but he had other fish to fry. Whether all of his qualifications were kno-^Ti to those who placed him in his position, or whether he developed them after he became chief clerk, is a matter of doubt, but it is certain that very shortly after he entered the Mint he began to take a hand in local politics, so far as they connected up with the selection of Congressmen and Senators. La Grange, who owed his appointment to President Grant, who knew him as a soldier, was an easy-going sort of individual, who readily fell in with the idea that the chief duty of a Federal official was to help along the men who put him into position. Consequently, he rarely interfered with his principal sub- ordinate, who, in spite of his devotion to politics, seemed to experience no difficulty in running the office. But, despite his proficiency, Pinney was only a man after all, and could not perform the impossible feat of being in several places at one time. He would have experienced little trouble in holding down his chief clerk- ship job and manipulating local politics concurrently, but A Too when he attempted to combine with those activities that of Sided stockbroker on the floor of an exchange in a period of great Functionary excitement, he found that he had his hands more than full and had to be relieved. He was too useful a man to be j)ermitted to get out of politics, so another position was found for him, and this time it was in an office in which there were no strings of duty on him. He was made chief clerk of the naval pay inspector, but under conditions which might have been regarded as a degradation by those who did not know all the circumstances. In order to fill the position, he had to be enlisted in the Navy. The enlistment was merely a formality, for, as the records show, Pinney from the beginning was the boss and Rufus C. Spalding, his nominal superior, was as putty in his hands. 86 Journalism in California Pinney, for a while, was very fortunate in mining ventures entered into after his purchase of a seat on the exchange. In 1872 he was sup- posed to he a millionaire, and it was known that he had an interest in properties in Idaho which were regarded as valuahle. But pfnnev's ' ^^^^ ^°^ ^ cautious operator. While not a plunger, he Meteoric was bold and quite ready to take big risks, and when the Career Bonanza craze was at its highest he was speculating with great freedom. Xo one thought of asking where the large sums of money staked by him came from. In the midst of a crowd of frenzied people all bent on getting rich, a bank burglar might have invested his loot if it consisted of marked greenbacks without exciting suspicion, and, for a man who had the reputation of being on "Easy street," and who was supposed to own rich mines in Idaho, it was not thought strange that he should be putting up large sums on margin. Nor was it considered a matter worthy attention or comment that he should be operating with the chief local boss of the Eepublican party, the man who had the reputation of arranging delicate affairs with the Legislature for the railroad managers, and who enjoyed the intimate friendship of a United States Senator and Congressmen. Like many others, who for a while seemed to be riding on the crest of the wave of prosperity, Pinney suffered reverses. His mining adventures in Idaho went to the bad, and the sources of his former supplies of ''mud'' were dried up, and one fine morning he was numbered among 'P'l®^ the missing.' His sudden disappearance excited little atten- •^illi tion on change ; there were too many who were dropping out Reverses without explanation to create a commotion, and, as no one seemed to be hurt, no fuss was made. Something like a sensation was created in social circles as it was understood that George had deserted his wife, a very estimable woman, and had fled with a disreputable female. The memory of the affair was revived by the steps taken by Mrs. Pinney to secure a divorce, and occasionally San Franciscans were reminded that Pinney was still alive by floating rumors from South America that he was flourishing like a green bay tree, especially in the neighborhood of the high-class gambling houses of the cities of the Latin-American republics, the most persistent of the stories locating him in Valparaiso, Chile. Eumor told the truth, but not the whole truth. Pinney did reach Chile, but he was not satisfied with life as he found it in the seaport of Valparaiso. Perhaps he might have been had his former pals continued to pay attention to his demands for money, but they refused B e^hi^ to do so, doubtless thinking that a man so far away as Chile With the could not harm them. They had furnished him with $12,000 Skipper when he fled on the British ship Baron Ballantyne on the 1st of September, 1875. This amount, if frugally used, should last a resourceful man like Pinney a long time, they thought, and let it go at that. But Pinney was not frugal, but he was resourceful. That he was not frugal is attested by the fact that when ho got tired of the woman who had accompanied him he paid the Captain of the Ballantyne $2000 to put him ashore at Pernambuco. It is said that the bargain was facilitated by the fact that the skipper had become infatuated with the frail one. Be that as it may, Pinney was put ashore in the Brazilian port and The Chronicle Assails Corruption thence made liis way to Chile, where lie enjoyed himself getting rid of the remainder of the amount with which he was staked by his wicked but careless partners. When Pinney's S. 0. S. calls went unheeded, he resolved on the course which resulted in making a great deal of exciting and important San Francisco history. He pulled up stakes in Chile and sailed for the United States, and one fine May day in 1877 he made his S.^O^T^ appearance in the city of Washington. Notwithstanding the Calls fact that he had formerly enjoyecl the intimacy of Senators Unanswered and Representatives, not to speak of numerous Federal offi- cials, he neglected to call upon them, but, instead, marched straight to the Navy Department and there surrendered himself as a deserter. It appears, however, that they were not looking for deserters of his kind, and treated his surrender as a useless formality. But Pinney was, for the moment, disposed to treat it seriously, and sought the cor- respondent of the San Francisco Chronicle at the national capital. To him Pinney told a story of fear of being arrested that had haunted him for a couple of years or more, and which he had sought to assuage by sail- ing several thousand miles for the purpose of delivering himself to the authorities. He also told a tale which was telegraphed to The Chronicle, the appearance of which on the morning of May 7, 1877, shook San Fran- cisco from center to circumference, and which caused nearly as great a commotion at the national capital, pointing as it directly did at corrupt practices of naval contractors. Pinney's relation can be condensed into the statement that he charged certain contractors named Montaigne, Hanscom and Jordan with improp- erly obtaining large sums of money for repair work alleged to have been done at the Mare Island Navy Yard, and that Senator Aaron Made**^°"^ ^' Sargent and Congressman Horace F. Page knew of the yyy irregularities. He also stated that Page had paid $3 apiece Pinney for a number of votes cast for him, and indicated in a general way the existence of a ring which had succeeded in gobbling a vast quantity of arable land under the loose provisions of the desert land act. The accusations fitted in with charges iterated and reiter- ated by the New York Sun, and which were being investigated by Congress, that large sums of money were being spent under the guise of repairing to build new ships which at that time was accounted a high crime by Demo- crats, it being the policy of the party, which had a big majority in the House, to discourage the creation of a Navy, at least until they could con- trol its construction. The reason assigned for this attitude was the belief that the Navy Department's affairs were being corruptly administered by the Republican Secretary, Secor Robeson. The appearance of the dispatch in The Chronicle on the morning of May 7th was th^ signal for an attempt to have its proprietors criminally indicted in every county in the State, but the effort proved successful in one county only, that of El Dorado, which contained the home town of Page, who had followed the honest occupation of stage driver before he engaged in politics. This forced The Chronicle to incur heavy expenses, its witnesses being compelled to travel great distances in order to testify. The trial was a protracted one and was bitterly contested. The accused men had a number of prominent attorneys and The Chronicle was well repre- Journalism in California scnted on its side by Alexander Campbell and David S. Terry. Pinney ... was the principal witness, being on the stand several days. Invok"^"^ During the course of the trial he made many revelations con- the cerning the luethods of the men in control of the destinies of Libel Law the Republican party in California, and of the means adopted by them to improperly secure large tracts of Govern- ment land. In his testimony on the first trial he touched upon the methods of the Navy pay inspector's office, and disclosed what was known to only a few at the time, that at least two San Francisco banks held large quan- tities of worthless paper which had been accepted as security for loans made to him. The first trial resulted in a failure to convict; the proprietors of The Chronicle were not acquitted by the jury, but the people of the State showed their confidence in the paper by greatly adding to its circulation and by converting a big Republican majority in California into a Chronicle's rousing lead for the Democrats. The Chronicle had always Exposure of '^een stanchly Republican, but never hesitated to assail what Abuses it considered abuses. Very early in its career it had come into collision with the petty municipal bosses, who resented interference with their slatemaking. Following the example of the People's party junta, they sought to put a ticket forward which was filled with objectionable names. Charles de Young protested to the manipulators, who asked him what he was going to do about it, facetiously reminding him that The Chronicle was a Republican paper and would have to stand by the party. It was a late hour at night when he received the refusal to be decent, but not too late to convince the bosses that they had made a mis- take. He hurried to the office, called in the Managing Editor and asked him what editorial he had. He was given the titles of several stirring Republican articles, whooping up the national candidates. "I don't want any of them," was the abrupt comment. "Have you nothing else?" "Absolutely nothing," was the reply. As no explanation was made, the Managing Editor ventured to lighten the gloom occasioned by the prospect of being called upon to produce a couple of columns of editorial at mid- night by a joke. The Chronicle at the time had a special writer on agricultural subjects who lived in the country, and a batch of his matter had just been received by mail. It was usually redolent of the soil and ponderously technical, for he was a real farmer, so the M. E. supplemented his statement that there was nothing with the information that he had "Stock- ton's manure," the name by which the ribald compositor designated Mr. Stockton's contribution. "Just the thing," said Mr. de Young, slapping his thigh. And the next morning The Chronicle appeared with a learned discussion of different brands of fertilizers, an eloquent appeal to plow deeply, and other abstruse comment, but not a word of politics. The hint was taken, and the objectionable impossibles were taken off the ticket. Perhaps the political fortunes of the men who dragged The Chronicle to Placerville would have been better served if its proprietors had been acquitted. But they were insistent upon a second trial, and that forced the paper to exert itself to the utmost to fortify the charges made by Pinney, for there were signs that he had accomplished his purpose and that some sort of an understanding had been reached with those with whom he had The Chronicle Assails Corruption 89 been at variance. When first on the stand Pinney told a straightforward story and showed a marvelous memory for dates and minute occurrences; when testifying at the second trial he developed as great a Loses^ capacity for forgetting as he had had earlier for remember- His i^igj 3iid The Chronicle was nearly put in the awkward posi- MemoTj tion of discrediting its chief witness. Nevertheless, the prose- cutioii failed, the jury disagreeing, as in the first case. It is impossible to tell just what influences were used to "pull dow^i" Pinney, but a guess may be ventured that it was in some way connected with the fact that civil suits were instituted by the banks that had accommodated him when he was dealing in stocks. It was a forlorn hope, but their man- agers evidently believed that Pinney, if pressed, would present evidence which would connect solvent persons with his transactions. The attempt failed, however, but it succeeded in depriving The Chronicle of its chief witness. He went back on his word, and struck hands with the men on whom he had "peached." The banks never recovered a cent from Pinney or his partners. The paper on which they had loaned so freely was worthless, but it was so cunningly devised that it might have deceived men more cautious than San Francisco bankers were durin.q- the seventies. It had the B nks^ sanction of the Secretary of the Navy and was known as Are Navy pay certificates. This designation sounded well, for Wrecked the certificates plainly recited that the amounts they repre- sented would be paid when funds should be available. They purported to be issued to the contractors Montaigne, Hanscom and Jordan, but whether the latter were always cognizant of the use of their names has not been divulged. The mess was too nasty to be stirred up much, and the civil suits were not pushed and were finally sidetracked. The banks most seriously involved were the Saving and Loan Society and the Masonic Bank, the two holding Pinney's notes secured by the "fake" certificates to the amount of half a million dollars. Pinney's exposure and the vigorous demands of The Chronicle for a better system of bank examination resulted in the creation of a commission by the Legislature of 1877-78, which did some effective work. Its inquiries divulged the extreme weakness of several banks, whose doors were closed by the Commissioners. Prior to the creation of this Bank Commission, there was absolutely no public supervision of the affairs of California financial institutions. The law required that reports should be made at regular intervals, but there was no one to challenge their accuracy, and depositors \vere ^° in the dark respecting the real status of the institutions to Supervision which they entrusted their money. They were called upon to of Banks exhibit a degree of confidence which would be regarded as amazing nowadays. The Bank Commission act of 1877-78, however, was only a half-way reform, because of the parsimony of the Legislature, which refused to make adequate provision for clerical services, and, as this narrative progresses, it wall be seen that the same fault was responsible for the failure of a provision of the Constitution of 1879 to anticipate the regulative activities of the Interstate Commerce Commission. The people saw clearly the necessity for the application of restraining measures to curb the rapacity of the transportation corporations, and created a body and gave it ample powers to carry out the popular will; 90 Journalism in California but, as soon as they had aeconii)lished that much, they ceased their efforts, elected men to the LegisUiture who were obedient servants of the railroad and accepted as Railroad Commissioners and members of the Board of Equalization men practically nominated by organizations who were to be subjected to their surveillance. CHAPTER XII THE CHEONICLE'S SUCCESSFUL FIGHT FOR THE CONSTITUTION OF 1879. A Misrepresented Organic Law — Assaults on tlie Men Who Framed It — The Un- reasoning Fears and Unscrupulous Methods of Its Opponents — The Chronicle 's Vigorous Fight for the Instrument — Big Sums of Money Expended to Beat the New Organic Law — Fruitless Efforts to Muzzle The Chronicle — Threats of Withdrawal of Patronage Fail to Intimidate — The Charge That It Was a Sand- Lot Instrument Refuted — Framed by the Best Legal Talent of California — - The Chronicle 's Defeni-e of the Freedom of the Press — Composition of the Constitutional Convention — A Thoroughly Discussed Document — Settling a Ques- tion of Newspaper Makeup — Meetings Organized by M. H. de Young — A Big Meeting in the Mechanics ' Pavilion — Victory Celebrated by Fireworks. HERE probably never was a more misrepresented and misunderstood political instrument than the Consti- tution adopted by the people of California on the 7th of May, 187!). Embracing, as it did, nearly every reform, the American people are now seeking to bring about, it was denounced throughout the length and breadth of the land as a mob-inspired monstrosity, and for many years was held up as an awful example of what can be accomplished by agitators when the electorate cuts loose from "born" leaders and tries to make laws for itself. It would seem impossible that men and their work could be as wantonly libeled as were the framers of the Constitution of 1879, and the product of their long and arduous labors, in these days when printer's ink makes it possible easily to ascertain the facts concerning any event of enough consequence to be fully reported, but it was chiefly because so much attention was devoted to the instrument by the newspapers that the truth al)Out it was obscured. There was so much evidence that men shrunk from studying it. Even a historian of the standing of Bryce, confessed, in acknowledging a blunder committed by him in discussing the subject, that lie had neglected to examine the only evidence available — that contained in the files of contemporary newspapers — because to have done so would have consumed too much of his valuable time. It is now indisputable that the allegations made when the uproar against the sand lot was loudest were false, and that the men who opposed the adoption of the instrument did so because in most cases they were the victims of an unreasoning fear that an attempt to curb the aggressions of corporations would prove destructive to business. This was the view taken 91 02 Journalism in California by the representatives of all the "interests," whose members organized themselves for the purpose of fighting the instrument and raised a large sum of money, which, in a spirit of braggadocio, they declared was big enough utterly to wipe out the agrarian and socialistic spirit Victims which they said was halting the progress of California and Unreasoning driving capital from the State. The sum commonly named Fear as being at the command of those conducting the campaign against the "'new" Constitution was $750,000, and the proba- bilities favor the belief that the amount was not greatly exaggerated. It was used to hire halls and speakers and to buy space in newspapers. Every journal in San Francisco but one was secured for the work of assault, and while the opinions of the editors may have been honestly expressed, it is nevertheless true that they temporarily profited by turning over a large part of their papers to the bureau for a consideration. The one paper which advocated the adoption of the instrument was the San Francisco Chronicle. Undeterred by menaces, and unmoved by promises, it took on its shoulders the herculean task of answering all the arguments and misrepresentations directed against the instru- Job^Unde?'^^ ment by all the so-called "leading" journals of the State. It taken by ^^''^s a stupendous job and at the outset it practically had no The Chronicle support, but, as the campaign advanced and the people be- came aroused, the paper succeeded in securing assistance, for it also found it necessary to effect an organization, hire halls and induce speakers to lay before voters the arguments in favor of the adoption of the new organic law. The financing of the movement for adoption was wholly assumed by Charles and M. H. de Young and backed by the re- sources of their paper, the San Francisco Chronicle. Its efforts were some times referred to derisively, but it was impossible to charge that it was helped by the "interests," for they were all on the other side. The only support received was that which the people gave, but in the end it proved more profitable than that accepted by the other papers from the railroad, the insurance companies, the banks, the gas companies, the water company and practically every capitalist, merchant and business man of consequence in tlie city, who were all lined u)> against the instrument. It was a trying decision for the two brothers de Young to make, and there was more than one conference before it was reached. Virtually to assume an attitude of opposition toward the elements of a community from which a newspaper derives the main part of its direct support Muzzle required nerve. Under ordinary circumstances, the business The ' P^rt of a community does not seek to interfere even remotely Chronicle with the policy of a newspaper. Only two such blunders have been made in Califoriiia. The first was when the Vigi- lantes attempted to drive the Herald out of business in 1856, an act which the sagacious leader, William T. Coleman, condemned, and that of 1879, when pressure was exerted on advertisers to induce them to with- draw their patronage from The Chronicle. The first effort was practically successful, for the Herald died a lingering death. That directed against The Chronicle had a different outcome. When intelligence was brought to its proprietors by patrons who objected to underhand methods, that a committee of women, headed by the wife of a prominent railroad official, was threatening withdrawal of patronage from merchants advertieing in DENNIS KEARNEY The Sand Lot agitator of the seventies. Successful Political Fight 93 The Chronicle, the bold announcement was made that The Chronicle pro- posed to discuss the Constitution on its merits, and that if any attempt was made to interfere with it doing so, it would resent it, or, to put it plainly, if it was struck it would strike back with all the vigor at its command. The intimation sufficed ; the intimidating committee was called off and during the remainder of the campaign the bureau trusted to defama- tion and such arguments as it could advance to encompass the defeat of the instrument. The silly lie most persistently iterated was that Not a^ which .misled the East and caused it to condemn the pro- Sand-Lot posed organic law without giving it so much as cursory atten- Instrument tion. That any Eastern editor who denounced it as a sand- lot document ever read it through is inconceivable. The com- ment in the most prominent journals was silly twaddle, and could all be boiled down into a declaration of belief that the mob had taken possession of California. The Eastern press simply accepted the accusations of the bureau formed by the interests as facts. That they should have done so is, perhaps, not surprising, for the weight of so-called respectability was in the scales against aspirations for reform ; but it is cause for wonder that an investigator of the standing of the author of the American Commonwealth should have accepted statements so easily disproved. The Constitution of 1879 was not the product of the sand lot; it was framed by the best legal talent of the State, and it voiced the demand of the people for a system of taxation which would destroy the tendency to hold immense tracts of land in the ownership of single in- bv ^e dividuals, and responded to the urgent need for the regula- Best Legal ^ion of transportation and other corporations. The move- Talent ment in favor of holding a convention was started years be- fore the name of Denis Kearney became known and before the sand lot was used as a meeting place. On the night of September 7, 1877, Kearney made a speech in Dashaway Hall and announced that a meeting would be held on the lot in front of the City Hall, then in process of con- struction, on the following Sunday. But two years earlier resolutions had been adopted by the Senate and Assembly of the Legislature of 1875-76 denouncing land monopoly, and, on the 3d of April, 1876, an act was passed authorizing the submission to the people of a proposal to hold a Constitutional Convention. The election was held on the 5th of September, 1877, and the proposal was carried by a vote of 73,460 in favor, 41,200 voting against. In conformity with the provision of the existing Constitu- tion, the Legislature of 1877-78 passed an act calling the convention and ordering an election of delegates, which' was held on June 19, 1878. Bryce's indictment of California Legislatures, that they were composed of mediocre men and were hopelessly inefficient and often extremely cor- rupt, while in the main correct, did not accurately describe the body which assembled in December, 1877. The session was productive of ^ . several reform measures, and members seemed animated by a Legislature desire to remedy land abuses. It is true that many were under the domination of the railroad, but there was a vigorous opposition to the attempt of Stanford, who personally super- vised the operations of a lobby which sought to put through legislation de- sired by the railroad. It was at this session that Grove L. Johnson, the father of Hiram, introduced an act in the Assembly which had for its 94 Journalism in California object the muzzling of the press. It was known as the retraction law, and was justly suspected of being inspired by the desire to gag The Chronicle, .whose course had made it obnoxious to the interests and especially to the Central Pacific managers. The Chronicle defended the freedom of the press with its characteristic vigor, and succeeded in beating the measure in the House, in which it originated. It followed up its victory by an assault on the privilege which rascals had thitherto enjoyed of persuading Grand Juries in several counties to bring indictments simultaneously against pub- lishers of newspapers, and had placed on the statute books a law which limited the place of action to one county only. This principle was sub- sequently embodied in the Constitution of 1879, which recites that "indict- ments found, or information laid, for publication in newspapers, shall be tried in the county where such newspapers have their publication office, or in the county where the party alleged to be libeled resided at the time of the alleged publication, unless the place of trial shall be changed for good cause." The convention finished its work on the 3d of March, 1879, and the Constitution was submitted as a whole to the electorate of the State on May 7, 1879. It was printed in its entirety in the newpapers, and during the sixty-five days between its submission and the Thorouehlv election it received a more thorough discussion than any Discussed document ever submitted to the voters of this country. There Document were some of its provisions that received more attention than others, but none was ignored. When The Chronicle went into the contest, it did so with the intention of winning. The de Youngs were satisfied that it embodied the principal reforms for which they had contended when they decided upon advocating its adoption. If they had had any doubts on the subject they would have been speedily resolved by the action of the combined interests in forming a bureau equipped with $750,000 to beat the new Constit\ition. They had an uphill job before them, but they never faltered. Day after day their paper discussed every phase of the rather voluminous instrument. Column upon column was de- voted to argument and the editorial rooms were converted into a bureau of information. It was no unusual thing during the noon hour for men to abridge their lunch for the purpose of having some moot point resolved by the editor in order that they might successfully controvert an argument advanced by an antagonist. Never was a paper so completely engrossed by one subject as The Chronicle was during the sixty-five days between March 3d and May 7th, 1879. An article written by one of the editors, captioned, "One Hundred and One Eeasons Why the New Constitution Should Be ^ . . Adopted," was submitted to Charles de Young, who directed Engrossed ^1''^^ it be used the next morning. The pressure of other Paper matter was so great the editor concluded that it could be held over until the following day. About midnight Mr. do Young appeared in the office and asked what position had been given the 101 article. He was told that it had been crowded out. "It must go," he repeated. "Come and show me where to put it," demanded the editor who added that there were already some thirteen columns of new Constitution matter in the paper and little else but advertisements. They adjourned to the composition room and inspected the forms. It was a hard problem he was Successful Political Fight 95 called upon to solve, but the solution came promptly. "Take out this, and this, and this," he said, rapidly indicating a number of features on the last page; and the next morning The Chronicle appeared minus the bulk of its commercial matter. "They won't miss it," he remarked, "they (the public) are thinking too much about beating us to pay much attention to markets and stocks." His brother, M. H. de Young, was called upon to display equal energy in another field. On him devolved the work of or- ganizing meetings and securing meeting places, in the city and elsewhere. The task was not a light one. The bureau of the interests early in the discussion deliberately hired every obtainable hall for the purpose of shut- ing out the advocates of the new Constitution. They forgot the Mechanics' Pavilion, Mr. de Young secured it, and the biggest indoor meeting ever convened in California was held under its roof. The floor area was so large that there were practically three meetings in full blast at once, there being enough speakers to go around. When the morning of May 7th arrived, M. H. de Young was so con- fident of success he laid in a stock of fireworks for the purpose of celebrat- ing the victory. There being but one proposition, the vote was easily and quickly counted, and tlie night was still young when bombs, ^^"^iT^d^^ skyrockets, roman candles and red fire announced to the fQj people of San Francisco that the new Constitution had been Victory adopted by a decisive majority. The vote was an unusually full one, 145,093 out of a total of 161,000 qualified electors casting their ballots. When the vote was finally canvassed, it was learned that the instrument had been adopted by a majority of 10,825. Words cannot describe the disappointment and chagrin of the men operating the bureau. They had derided the infiuence of The Chronicle and laughed at its predictions of success. They did not realize that, for the time at least, the people of California w^ere bent on securing the reforms which the new Constitution promised them. Their astonishment was so great that they forgot that in denouncing The Chronicle for bringing about the result they were paying the paper an unequivocal compliment, which it deserved, and that at the same time they were advertising the fact that its rivals were destitute of real influence. The Constitution of 1879 deserved the support which the people gave it, for it provided the means to effect every reform demanded by them. It created a Eailroad Commission with powers as plenary as those conferred upon the Interstate Commerce Commission by Congress, or Constitution |^y ^j^^ ^^^^ which now effectively restrains the transportation Support companies of the State. It created a State Board of Equal i- It Received zation which, had not a corrupt court deliberately misinter- preted the provisions of the article creating it, must have completely eradicated the practice of favoring large landowners at the expense of the general taxpayer, and which, even after its emasculation, sufficed to remove the chief abuses which raised the cry of unequal taxation and made the growth of land monopoly impossible. The adoption of the Constitution of 1879 was followed by the cry that it was driving capital out of the State. It is true that some owners of money left California, but they were chiefly of the sort the State was well rid of, and, besides, they had milked the kind of people upon whom they preyed dry. Their de- parture was so speedily followed by an era of prosperity that a careless 96 Journalism in California writer might easily fall into the hluntler of assuming that their exit had something to do with the change for the better, if he were not warned that the true cause was the sudden awakening to the fact that it pays a people better to devote their energies to the development of resources than it does to speculate or sit in a game with men who hold marked cards. CHAPTER XIII OLD-FASHIONED METHODS OF NEWSPAPERING DISAPPEARING. Journalistic Progress in San Francisco — History in Outline — Appearance of News- papers During the Seventies — Breaking Away From Conventionalized Methods — San Francisco's First Eight-Page Paper — An Old-Time Supplement — News- paper Offices on Side Streets — Publication Center in Unsavory Quarters — The Chronicle 's Bold Move to Kearny Street — First San Francisco Newspaper to Have a Eeal Home of Its Own — Newspapers That Lacked Confidence in the Future — Changes in Ownership of Papers — The Bulletin and Call Under Picker- ing, Fitch and Simonton — Printing on a Hand-Fed Press — Highly-Paid Hand Composition — Newspaper Career of Henry George — Eobert Louis Stevenson and the Newspapers — Bryce's Opinion of The Chronicle — Writers With Imagina- tion — The Pioneer Sunday Magazine of the Daily Press of America — Reporting Sports and Sport News — San Francisco's First Sporting Editor — Newspaper Staffs Eecruited From the Pulpit, the Schoolroom and the Bar — The Chronicle a Training School — Expounders of "Sound" Democratic Doctrine — Founding of the Argonaut — The News Letter and Its Writers — Samuel Seabough a Forceful Editorial Writer — Boosting a Senatorial Candidate and Its Results — The Chronicle Gets a New Managing Editor. NE swallow does not make a summer, nor does the recital of a single episode in the career of a great journal con- vey to the reader an accurate impression of the steps by which it reached the position and influence that en- abled it to make an almost single-handed fight against the combined interests of California. Neither is it possible by reviewing the growth of a single paper to tell a story complete in all of its details of the progress of journalism in San Francisco. That could be done only by following the course of each journal from the date of its first issue down to the present time, an almost impossible feat, even if its performance were desirable. It is feasible, however, to give the reader a tolerably comprehensive idea of the expansion of the modern newspaper by using the career of a typical journal as an illustration of the processes by which distinction is achieved and a place won among the great publications of the world. The Clironicle may fairly be placed in this class, and the description of its exploits and growth, even when the connection between them and the development of the city in which it is published is not always perfectly clear, will coiivey to the acute reader a distinct impression of the causes that contributed to the alternations of prosperity and adversity of the community. But there is much in the story of the growth of a newspaper such as The Chronicle that is so closely linked up with the history of the city that 97 98 Journalism in California its narration must bear some resemblance to historical writing. In the nature of things, however, the picture must be a mere outline, for events will be referred to which when they occurred occupied col- ^^istory umns and pages in the recital of their details, but which must Outline ^^ dismissed with a few lines, even when the more important happenings have been culled from the vast number recorded during the fifty years since the birth of the paper. There will also be descriptions in such a narration of innovations in journalism made from time to time during the past fifty years which will be recognized by those in the profession as part of the exjierience of every growing news- paper, and some for which the claim will be made that The Chronicle was the first to institute them. Whenever such a claim is made, it will be ac- companied by corroborative dates, and the reason for assuming priority will be given. In an earlier chapter, the appearance of the daily San Francisco papers was described as very conventional. Those in the business saw peculiarities in their publications, but to the average reader, excepting so far as size differentiated them, the various sheets must have looked very Looked much alike. They used type of the same sort, and the Much distaste for display was shared by all. They were not as Alike fearful of telling in head lines the contents of articles as the Philadelphia Ledger, which during the Civil War occasionally headed a bit of startling intelligence, "Important, If True," and let it go at that; but they were very chary of repetition, and assumed that people who bought papers did so to read what was printed in them, and that it was entirely superfluous to tell the story twice. Perhaps the fact that it was a less busy age than the present accounted for the absence of detail in heads, but it is more than likely that the poverty of uncultivated imagina- tion was responsible for such uninformative heads as "Miscellaneous," "General Xews," "Coast Intelligence," "Eastern Telegrams," and, occa- sionally, the very interesting announcement "By Wire," Avhich was evi- dently supposed to be a sufficient voucher that what followed would be worth reading and, therefore, "like good wine, required no bush." The Chronicle, even in the days when it maintained the prefix "Drama- tic," showed a disposition to break away from the very serious set head and tried to convey an idea of the contents of an item in its caption. The conundrum habit had a great vogue in the late sixties, and Breaking during the seventies, and Avas responsible for numerous queer From Old heads whose meanings are difficult to guess because we have Methods lost the key to the riddles. There was also a pronounced tendency to add piquancy to the heading of an item l)y using nicknames, or referring to eminent citizens as Tom This or Bill That, and the modern investigator is confronted with numerous obscurities, due to the use of slang which has long since lost its familiarity. But these were mere verbal departures. The form of the head Avas regulated and as rigorously adhered to as the laws of the Medes and the Persians. The composition room may have had something to do with this adherence to the stereotyped head, but, whatever the cause, it was not departed from for many years, and when a departure was made it was not in the direction of varying the type as is now the practice in most papers, but by increasing the number of lines of heading, all of which were set in modest type. m §xmmco Chi;oni(lc, TITLE PAGE OF FIRST EIGHT-PAGE PAPER PRINTED IN SAN FRANCISCO The Pioneer Sunday Magazine 99 On December 19, 1869, The Chronicle printed an eight-page edition for which the claim was made that it was the largest paper ever issued in San Francisco up to that date. It was a Sunday issue and represented a brave attempt to anticipate the modern Sunday magazine. 'Francisco's Such original articles as it contained were from local con- First Eight- tributors. The editor of those days was working in a re- Page Paper stricted field. The number of trained writers was relatively small and the propensity to break into print had not yet developed. There were no syndicates, and the Eastern press was not very far in advance of that of the West, so far as matter of a real or near literary character was concerned. The New York Ledger, Street and Smith's Weekly, Gleason's Literary Companion and "Dime Novels" were still the favorite literary pabulum on the other side of the Eockies, and the California editor who sought to make an interesting paper with a pair of scissors, a paste pot and a pile of Eastern exchanges had a hard time of it, and his paper exhibited the fact plainly. Some time in the late sixties the Evening Bulletin began to issue a two-page supplement, almost wholly devoted to the reproduction of matter derived from other papers. It usually started a page with a short story, the remainder of the two pages being made up of excerpts from magazines and reviews. The selections were well made and the supplement was held in great esteem by the serious- minded, who found plenty of good information, but the major part of it was from European publications. This feature of the Bulletin was maintained until the sale of the paper by its owner, George K. Fitch, and a copy of it produced in 1870 presented the same appearance, typographically and otherwise as it did twenty-five years later. This conservatism exliibited itself as well in the Newspaper daily Call, edited by his partner, Loring Pickering, and in on Side the methods of the two editors in securing the results at which Streets they aimed. The Call and the Bulletin had their business offices on Montgomery street, and their mechanical and editorial rooms were on Clay street, between Montgomery and Sansome, a neighborhood much affected by the San Francisco press until 1879, when The Chronicle occupied its new building on the corner of Kearny and Bush streets. There was nothing pretentious about the quarters of the two publications of Messrs. Pickering and Fitch. Clay street, in that por- tion in which the newspapers had established their mechanical and editorial departments had long been favored by vegetable and poultry dealers, and there was a particularly unsavory market in the block between Montgomery and Sansome. Only the careful observer passing along the narrow thor- oughfare would note the modest sign in a dingy hallway bearing the simple legend "Editorial Booms." This brief announcement sufficed to discover to the seeker where three of the leading morning papers were made. The Alta, which still flourished throughout the seventies, did not divorce its publication office from its printing department and editorial rooms, but so far as advertising itself was concerned, it did not make a much braver showing in its California-street quarters than its rivals, and, like them, it enjoyed the odors of a near-by general market. This retiring disposition is explained by the fact that until Mr. de Young made his bold move of constructing a building especially adapted to the needs of a newspaper, publishers seemed to be possessed of the idea 100 Journalism in California that aii}^ makeshift place woukl serve the purpose of getting out a daily paper, and, considering all the circumstances, they were justified in the assumption, for the making of a newspaper during the years Afraid*^^'^^ prior to the opening of the decade 1880-90 was a compara- of the tively simple affair, and publishers catered for a not very ex- Future acting public, or at least one which had not accpiircd the idea that innovation stood for improvement. The printers who started the Morning Call in 1856 were very modest in their aspirations. One of the number, who subsequently dropped out and established himself in Victoria, B. Q\, later remarked that they were '"'men who put on no frills." Their object was to print a newspaper on lines familiar to them, and it is probable that the thought that tliere might be a great change in methods never occurred to them. It would have been surprising if a co- operative body, made up of men with scarcely any capital, had entertained a more ambitious aim than to make a living out of their venture. That, indeed, was their purpose, a fact attested by the ease with which they were induced to surrender their shares when they received what they considered good offers for them. In 1867 Pickering began to acquire an interest in the Morning Call, and in the course of a couple of Sf"san°"^ years the men who started the paper had disposed of their Francisco entire holdings in the concern. Pickering had been associated Journalism with Fitch as early as 1852 in the publication of a paper in Sacramento, known as the Times-Transcript, which was later removed to San Francisco, when the glories of the city nearest the placer diggings began to pale before the rising commercial importance of the port on the bay. They sold the Times shortly after its removal to San Francisco and bought the Alta California, which, in turn, they disposed of to Fred- erick W. McCrellish. The Alta during its career underwent many changes and had numerous owners. It was once the property of David C. Broder- ick, who, however, only maintained his interest in it long enough to carry through some of his political undertakings. Its era of greatest prosperity was that enjoyed when the business interests of the city withdrew their patronage from the Herald in 1856 at the instance of the Vigilance Commit- tee. After the sale of the Alta to McCrellish, the partnership of Pickering and Fitch was severed and the former went to Europe, where he spent several years. When Pickering acquired control of the Morning Call the old-time partnership with Fitch was resumed. J. W. Simonton, who was previously associated with them, also engaged in the venture. Most of the time of . . the latter, however, was spent in the East or devoted to the of the^^ Xew York Associated Press, one of the numerous news Bulletin gathering concerns subsequently amalgamated into a national and Call association. The conduct of the Bulletin, which ceased to issue a morning edition, devolved on Fitch, and the Call was looked after specially by Pickering. The two editors, who managed to maintain policies which may have appeared divergent to the uncritical as it was disclosed in their respective papers, were really very harmonious and understood each other perfectly. They worked in the same room, sitting at desks almost side by side. They were not very fastidious concerning their surroundings. Ella Sterling Cummings, in her "Story of the Files," has given us a description of the sanctum. It was an inside room, lighted by a The Pioneer Sunday Magazine 101 skylight, which, on the occasion of her visit, was in such a leaky condition that a puddle of water stood on the floor. Their quarters, however, were no better than those assigned to the remainder of the editorial force ; those occupied by the compositors were far superior, for they boasted light and ventilation from the noisome street. The Chronicle's editorial and composition rooms were situated on the same side of Clay street and resembled in a general way those of its two competitors, for the rivalry between the papers at that time was not confined to the morning editions. Like the Call's editorial rooms, Street a those of The Chronicle were situated in the rear part of the Publication second floor, light and air being reserved for the compositors. Center The pressrooms of the paper were on the ground floor of the premises in the rear of the Clay-street building, and opened out on Sacramento street. During the seventies. The Chronicle was using a four-cylinder press, the printing for a considerable period being from the type on flat sheets of paper, which were folded with a special machine. Before growing circulation had suggested to The Chronicle proprietors the desirability of the perfecting press the Call had installed a French machine which was the first and last of the sort brought to the Coast, and was one of the few modern presses imported into the United States from Europe. The possession by the Call of this fast French press failed to have the effect which the installation of two Hoe perfecting presses by The Chronicle produced a few years later. There was no disposition manifested by its owners to increase the size of their issues, and the Call and Bulletin con- tinued to be put forth as four-page papers. This lack of enterprise prac- tically put The Chronicle's four-cylinder press in the running and per- mitted its owners to turn out a larger edition than its rivals. But while there was no trouble on this score there was much in the matter of time which had to be remedied by the introduction of faster machines and the stereotyping process. Before that was resorted to columns of type were at- tached to the surface of a rapidly revolving cylinder, against which the sheets of paper were carried on impression cylinders to the surface of the revolving cylinder, the feeding being done by hand. The process, com- pared with that of the perfecting press, which permits the use of an indef- inite number of plates produced by stereotyping from one or more forms, seems slow, but the multiplication of cylinders and the practices of printing four-page papers permitted the issuance of editions which seemed numeri- cally formidable in those days. The type was all set by hand, and the price of composition, like that of white paper, was high. In the closing years of the seventy decade San Francisco printers were better compensated than in any other city of the Union, excepting Washington, where an artificially high rate Pafd^'^' ^^^ maintained through the instrumentality of the Govern- Hand ment Printing Office. The price per thousand ems was 60 Composition cents, and this fact casts doubt on the assertion made in one of the encyclopedias that Henry George, "although of un- usual intelligence and energy," found great difficulty in supporting himself while in San Francisco, "and was often reduced to extreme want." The statement is followed by the explanation that "this was in part due to his uncompromising hostility to the all powerful railway interests and to other monopolies." As George was reputed to have been a good printer, this is 102 Journalism in California obviously a mistake, for it is inconceivable tliat any compositor should have been reduced to want in San Francisco at the time. As a matter of fact, George was never an object of persecution, as has been represented, nor was his hostility to the railroad of a character calculated to provoke reprisals. Had there been any such feeling, George would not have been permitted to enjoy the sinecure of the gas inspectorship of San Francisco, to which he was a])]X)inted by a Governor by no means unfriendly to the railroad. When the fight over the adoption of the Constitution of 1879 was in progress, George arrayed himself against the instrument and his career at that period was not marked by any particular devotion to the objects which early re- formers sought to achieve. lie certainly was completely at variance with the people of California on the question of excluding the Chinese, and he appeared to believe that no other reform was desirable excepting the de- struction of land monopoly. His proposed remedy to abate that evil did not disturb the railroad because of the existing arrangement which freed its lands from taxation until they were patented. It is idle to speak of a competent reporter or compositor suffering want in San Francisco during the seventies, and the tales that Henry George met with such an experience in this city must be regarded as pure inventions. His abilities were well enough known to enable him to reach Newspaper the position of managing editor of an evening paper and in Career of ^j^^^ capacity be made his mark as a news gatherer and the George promoter of reforms. He had been recognized as a capable writer before he took the managing editorship of the Evening Post, and, doubtless, could have obtained a remunerative position at any time after leaving that paper had he not become absorbed in his project of writing a book which had for its purpose the destruction of land monopoly. Instead of making it appear that the literary lines of George were made hard in San Francisco, the fact should be recognized that it was a munici- pal salary which enabled him to prosecute his great work in comparative comfort. The George story is matched by another linked up with the his- tory of San Francisco journalism of this period, which represented Robert Louis Stevenson as being employed in the city department of the San Francisco Chronicle in the spring of 1880, and that he performed his work "in such an unsatisfactory manner that the item he was assigned to write had to be given to another reporter to put into English suitable to the readers of the paper and the latitude of California," and that later "he continued to Avrite articles for the Sunday edition of The Chronicle, but that there is no indication that he thought affectionately of them, for he never rescued them from the files." If The Chronicle could have added the name of Roliert Louis Stevenson to the long list of distinguished authors who contributed to its columns in early days it would have done so cheerfully, but the records of the paper were carefully examined several years before the fire, and his name was not found on any pay roll during the period of his sojourn in California. The only boast the paper can make in connection with Stevenson's work, is that it was one of the first journals in America to recognize the merits of his writing, as Mr. McClure, who placed one of the author's first stories with The Chronicle, can testify. The slur contained in the article of one IT. W. Bell in the Pall Mall Gazette which sought to convey the impression that the city editor of The §"^«;' •t\|.--V r/.>.;S. HENRY GEORGE Author of "Progress and Poverty.' il The Pioneer Sunday Magazine 103 Chronicle in 1879 was unable to recognize good English, or having it offered to him rejected it, is amusing in view of the testimony of another English writer, James Bryce, who stated in his "American Commonwealth" that at this particular time "the activity of The Chronicle Bryce 's counted for much, for it was ably written and went every- of The where," and that, indeed, was the case. If The Chronicle Chronicle had a distinguishing characteristic it was its propensity to get away from the dry-as-dust methods of its contemporaries, and with that object in view it was quick to engage good men when they presented themselves. It is true that the comparatively limited space neces- sitated brevity of treatment in dealing with ordinary occurrences, but it is astonishing to note in running through the files how often room was made for a bit of imaginative writing at the expense of crowded-out local. A case of this kind was presented when some reporter was permitted to de- scribe the exploits of a flying shijD which made regular trips between San Francisco and China, consuming only three or four days in +he passage. The writer located the station for arrivals and departures on the corner of Montgomery and Clay streets, and, in his mind's eye, he saw a big business doing. The article was unsigned, but it was probably the product of the pen of Thomas J. Vivian, who had a fondness for the fanciful and could make the seemingly impossible appear very probable. The journalism of the seventies was breaking away from the traditions of the first two decades of the city's growth. On December 19, 1869, The Chronicle printed the first eight-page daily paper produced in San Fran- cisco, and the announcement appeared in its columns that it ^f^th^^°"^^^ ^^'"^^ ^^^^ largest paper printed in the city up to that time. Sunday That might be recognized as an important event, if it had Magazine not been so greatly overshadowed by subsequent perform- ances, but its size was not as significant as the intimations it gave forth of entering a field hitherto occupied by a couple of weekly papers, which were issued on Sundays, and whose demise seems in some way linked up with the new departure of The Chronicle. It would scarcely be true to say that this issue was a distinct forerunner of the modern Sunday magazine, nevertheless there is abundant evidence in its makeup that there was a struggle to get original matter, and to present readable selections. There are many features common to the modern Sunday magazine con- spicuous by their absence. One seeks in vain for the voluminous accounts of sporting events with which readers are now regaled. Sports were not wholly ignored, but they were not reckoned as of enough consequence to be reviewed in a Sunday paper. Occasionally, however, a column was de- voted to the subject, which was modestly headed "Sporting Notes." Thomas E. Flynn, until recently proprietor of the Wasp, was probably tlie first sporting editor in San Francisco to conceive the idea that sports would occupy a big share of attention in this country, and before the seventy dec- ade was well advanced he was recognized as the sporting editor of The Chronicle. To be the sporting editor of a newspaper in the seventies did not imply that the writer filling the position devoted himself to that particular sort of work. A good reporter in that period was qualified to deal with any matter that came up; he could report a sermon with the same facility that he de- scribed a horse race, and was equally at ease at a "slugging" contest as at 104 Journalism in California a college commencement. Since that time there has been a great deal of specialization in journalism, but there were many reporters in the seventies who would easily fit in to many of the positions created under the change of method. The jokesmith in dealing with this phase of Ed^^^'^*^'^^ journalism has managed to convey the impression that when of the t^^6 sporting editor combined with his duties the Avork of Seventies reporting a religious occurrence that he brought to his task the cultivation of the stables, but, oftener than otherwise, the reverse was the case, for in the days when there were no colleges of journal- ism the local room was frequently recruited from the pulpit and the school- room, the training of which was not at all calculated to impair the efficiency of those who entered the field which presented an opportunity for a better all around acquaintance with mankind than they were able to obtain in the callings they abandoned. The local rooms of San Francisco journals in the seventies also drew upon the legal profession, and not a few who found the job of reaching eminence in the law an uphill one resorted to newspaper work as affording a surer income than practice in the courts. The ranks of the editorial writers were filled u'p in the same fashion and embraced a number who found writing a more congenial occupation than teaching the young idea how to shoot or hunting for clients. Occasionally, a doctor strayed into journalism, but medicos rarely achieved success. It would be impossible to name all those who contributed to bringing about the manifest change in San Francisco journalism which occurred dur- ing the seventies. Long before the close of the decade the work of reporters had ceased to be what it was when George E. Barnes de- ^. scribed it as "beneath contempt." This deservedly harsh Reporters criticism came from a man well qualified to pass judgment, for he was an excellent observer and had a distinctive style. The paper on which he worked had other good writers on its local staff, notably Hugh J. Burke and Barbour Lathrop, but the limita- tions of the Call were an obstacle to effectiveness. Its director was as firmly convinced as Whitelaw Eeid that the newspaper of the future would be a sort of epitome of daily events written by Macaulays, a view which ignored the fact that the historian of the English revolution, while not a diffuse writer, required a great deal of space in which to express his views and paint his word pictures. Perhaps the most significant fact in the history of San Francisco journalism during the seventies was the value attached to a training on The Chronicle, and the ease with which an attache of that paper could obtain a position on a rival journal. Among the number who worked on The Chronicle during the seventies who transferred their services to other fields may be mentioned A. B. Henderson, who filled the city editor's desk under Charles de Young for several years and subsequently became managing editor of the Call and later of the Examiner. Albert Sutliffe, one of the best all around men in San Francisco journalism in the closing years of the seventies, did the dramatic criticism of The Chronicle and the book reviews. On the outbreak of the Tong King rebellion in 1884, which resulted in the establishment of a French protectorate over that part of China, Sutliffe was sent to the seat of war and had the distinction of pene- trating the lines of the rebels known as the "Black Flags" and securing an interview with the chiefs, which, after its publication in The Chronicle, was translated and printed in the leading journals of France. After the quelling The Pioneer Sunday Magazine 105 of the rebels, Sutliffe made his way to Europe, his object being to visit the principal countries with a view of studying their horticultural and flori- cultural methods for the purpose of writing a series of articles for The Chronicle. Subsequently he acted as Paris correspondent of the paper. Among the contemporaries of Sutliffe were Daniel O'Connell, Arthur McEwen, Joseph Goodman, Chester Hull, Will N. Hart, W. S. Dewey. Thomas E. Flynn, James V. Coffey, Frank Gassaway, John Timmins, Ernest C. Stock, who was police reporter for half a century; Expounders Frank Ballinger, who went from tlie city room of The Democratic Chronicle to tlie city desk of the Call ; G. B. Densmore, who Doctrine wrote editorials for the Call and dramatic criticisms for the Bulletin; William Bausman, Sam Davis, Frank Pixley, Fred Somers and Samuel Seabough. It is so long since Judge Coffey wrote for the press only old-timers will remember that he was the principal edi- torial writer for the Examiner during tlie period preceding its purchase by George Hearst, the father of William E. Hearst, who secured it to forward his Senatorial aspirations. The Examiner was a faithful expounder of Democratic doctrine, and, while Mr. Coffey was contributing to its columns, it indulged in no heretical outbreaks. As was the fashion at the time. Democrats were apt to select journalists as political representatives, and the Judge was thus rewarded. He was sent to the Legislature in 1877 and his ability was there recognized by his election to the chairmanship of the San Francisco delegation of the Assembly, which at that time numbered twenty and wielded a much greater influence than at present. During his legislative career, the Judge was foremost in the reform movements of the session, and subsequently he was placed on the bench by his fellow citizens, who manifest an inclination to make his term perpetual. Frank Pixley, the founder of the Argonaut, did editorial work for The Chronicle before he began his career of antagonism to a couple of elements in the community, the Jews and the Catholics. The fact that he was able to maintain apparently friendly personal relations P^® with the people he was constantly assailing gave rise to an of the impression that his animosities were not as deep-seated as Argonaut would be inferred from a perusal of some of his leaders, in which he was in the habit of introducing nicknames so picturesque that they may have seemed more amusing than hateful to those whom he abused. Associated with him in the publication of the Argonaut was Fred Somers, who for a time was a reporter on The Chronicle and represented it in the Legislature of 1875-76. He was addicted to telling the truth without regard to the feelings of the person upon whom he re- flected and one fine day a member from Mariposa county, whom he ac- cused of being in the service of the railroad, hit him over the head with a cane and nearly killed him. He recovered, however, and had the satisfac- tion of seeing his assailant driven out of politics. Somers severed his con- nection with the Argonaut to start Current Opinion, which, under his management, became a financial success. The News Letter, founded by Frederick Marriott, the father of the present proprietor, was a widely read journal during the seventies, and was known all over the Coast for its caustic comment on current affairs. It was on this paper that Ambrose Bierce's work first attracted attention, and San Francisco rendered a verdict upon its merits which has since been ratified by the literary world. 106 Journalism in California Samuel Seaboiigh, for many years one of the principal writing editors of The Chronicle, commenced his journalistic career on the Sacramento Union and remained with it during the time of its bitterest antagonism of the railroad. He arrived in California about the time the Forceful earliest gold seekers made their appearance and engaged in Editorial ^^^6 search for the precious metal, but, failing of success, he Writer became a school teacher. He was a reader of few books, but they were of the best, and he read them thoroughly. He almost knew his Gibbon by heart, and was prone to draw illustrations from and find analogies in the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," and, like many English writers, he laid great stress upon the value of the King James version of the Bible. His strength as a writer, however, was much more dependent on his familiarity with current legislation, State and national, than upon his literary attainments. He was an assiduous reader of the Congressional Record, and a close student of statistics, which he de- lighted in analyzing and drawing inferences from. He produced remarka- bly clean copy, an erasure or a correction rarely appearing in what he wrote. He had a habit of leaning back and rocking in his chair before be- ginning an article, and when he started he usually wrote to a finish without a pause. What he wrote required no correction, if the subject and tone were acceptable. His forte was stinging criticism of railroad abuses, but, like Silas Wegg, he occasionally dropped into poetry. When the sap began to rise an editorial redolent of the perfume of the woods and the fields was forthcoming, and when the leaves began to fall there would be an article breathing the melancholy of autumn. When he died the editor of The Chronicle had a score or more of his editorials on hand which were subse- quently published, a fact which may suggest that they were not of an ephemeral character. Among the spectacular entrances into the journalistic field during the seventies was the Daily Mail. It was started early in 1876 by D. D. Dalziel, a young Englishman, the husband of Dickey Lingard, a popular soubrette. Just what prompted Dalziel to embark on this d^the venture is not quite clear, but it very soon developed that Evening ^1^6 new aspirant for public favor was to boost the candidacy Mail of Mark McDonald for the United States Senatorship. Mark ■\vas a Democrat, but did not appear to be a favorite in rail- road circles and, therefore, failed of his ambition, the choice of the Legis- lature of 1877-78, guided by the railroad, falling upon a man named Farley, promptly nicknamed Champagne Farley, because of the copious libations of "fizz" which followed his triumph. When McDonald suffered defeat, he ceased supplying the sinews of war. While the money lasted, Dalziel made a good paper, employing such men as Pixley of the Argo- naut and David Nesficld to write editorials. During its brief career, the Mail had three city editors, S. F. Sutherland, Arthur McEwen and John Paul Cosgrove. Among the reporters were numbered Dan O'Connell, a bohemian of bohemians, whose memory is still annually honored with a dinner l)y the members of the Bohemian Club; Will L. Visscher. John H. Delahanty, George B. Mackrett, Thomas E. Flynn, Charles J. McCarthy, Henry Cioddard, Charles B. Flannagan, Harry McCausland and John St. Muir. On tlic demise of the Mail Dalziel disappeared from the scene, and his force was absorbed by the surviving city papers. ., The Pioneer Sunday Magazine 107 It was about this time that Charles de Young decided to relieve him- self of part of the heavy burden he had taken on his shoulders. Up to 1878, Charles practically looked after the details of the editorial depart- ment, while his brother, M. H., gave his attention to the Tlie , ^ rapidly expanding business of the paper. One or two at- NewManaginff*^"^P^** ^^ ^"*^^ ^ suitable managing editor had been made by Editor importing Eastern journalists of experience, but they did not fit into their new environment. In 1877 the writer of this sketch, who had commenced his newspaper career on the San Diego Union when it began the publication of a daily in 1870, and afterward had filled the city desk of the Washington Chronicle, and served on the Washington staff of the Chicago Times as correspondent on the Senate side of the Capitol, returned to California. He found no difficulty in securing a position on The Chronicle and during the summer of 1877 was chiefly employed doing special work. During tlie winter of 1877-78 he reported the doings of the Legislature in its last session under the old Constitution. After its adjournment, on his return to San Francisco, Charles de Young offered him the managing editorship of the paper, coupling the offer with the announcement that he was about to depart for Europe. The offer came as a surprise, but was promptly accepted. At the time, John Timmins, who had grown up with The Chronicle, was nominally managing editor. He was a valuable man, but Mr. de Young had never devolved the duties of manager upon him. It is characteristic of Charles de Young that when he bade good-by to his new managing editor he earnestly requested him to endeavor to reconcile Mr. Timmins to the change. The effort to do so was attended with success, and he remained on the staff of the paper until the middle of the eighties. CHAPTER XIV JOURNALISM BEGINS TO FIND ITSELF IN SAN FRANCISCO. San Francisco 's First Newspaper Building — The Chronicle 's Home on the Corner of Kearny and Bush Streets — An Exhibition of Confidence in the Future — A Thoroughly Up-to-Date Plant — Those Who Inspected It Believed It Would Never Be Outgrown — First American Demonstration of Electric Lighting in Chronicle Office — An Illustration of the Journalism That Does Things — When Kearny and Bush Streets W^as the City 's Center — The Germ of the Index Card System — The Chronicle 's Contemporary Library — A Big Account of a Big Fire — The Big Inyo Earthquake Pictured by The Chronicle — The Diamond Mine Swindle Exposure — The Battle in the Lava Beds With Modoc Indians — An In- terview Which Attracted World-Wide Attention — When Interviewing Was Much in Vogue — Passengers by Eail From the East Win Distinction — Publication of Letter Lists — No Press Club in Early Days — Newspaper Men Who Were Bohemians — The Glorification of San Francisco and Its Atmosphere — Liberal Use of the Wire. N THE 29th of September, 1879, The Chronicle, then in the fifteenth year of its existence, moved into a buikl- ing, especially constructed for its use on the northeast corner of Kearny and Bush streets. It was a journalistic event of importance because it marked the beginning in San Francisco of a new newspaper point of view. Hitherto the publishers of daily papers in San Fran- cisco had acted as if their business was a makeshift affair, devoid of elements of permanency. Even in cases in which capital was not lacking, proprietors of daily papers had pursued hand-to-mouth methods which suggested instability. Their publication offices were dis- sociated from the premises in which their papers were produced, and their quarters were invariably rented. The propensity of those pursuing the same avocation to get close together caused them to plant themselves in the narrow and somewhat unsavory streets in the neighborhood of the City Hall, which was then situated on the spot where the Hall of Justice now stands, and there they showed a disposition to remain until the brothers de Young made the bold move which carried them several blocks away from what was then regard od as the business center of the city, and they thus advertised their confidence in the future of San Francisco, and their pride in their paper, by establishing themselves in a building which for a period was as well known as the lofty structure erected in 1890 by M. H. de Young on the corner of Market, Geary and Kearny is today. It was not merely the new building that gave importance to the move 108 ^ c:. « 1 ^*l«««^ ' ^. CHRONICLE BUILDING Erected by the brothers, Charles and M. H. de Young in 1879 on corner of Kearny and Bush streets. First Real Newspaper Building 109 whicli put The Chronicle so prominently in the public eye; its c(|uipnient, which the proprietors took good care to exhibit to the most prominent citizens of San Francisco at a reception tendered to them, announced that journalism was no longer to be a haphazard afi'air in San Thoroughly Francisco, but an institution which would thenceforth devote Up-to-Date itself with increased energy to the promotion of the interests Plant of the city, and the commonwealth. It had already given am- ple evidence of intelligent virility with the restricted means at its command, but in its new quarters, and with a thoroughly up-to-date ])lant, and all the means necessary to produce a great paper, it announced its intention to surpass its previous exploits, a promise which it faithfully kept. To those who viewed the first real newspaper building of San Francisco on that September day in 1879 nothing seemed lacking, and more than one expert who inspected the spick and span new machinery and appliances from the two Hoe perfecting presses in the basement and the en- gine which provided the power to revolve their cylinders, to the conven- iences for mailing in the fifth story, was ready to admit that there was little opportunity to improve on the plant of The Chronicle, and joined in the prediction that it Avould be a long time before the marvelous facilities exhibited to their wondering gaze would be worked to their limit. Among the visitors were many journalists from interior cities, and they united in the expression of the opinion that the two wonderful web presses, each, capable of printing 33,000 copies of The Chronicle in an hour, would al- ways meet circulation requirements, no matter how great the expansion. Those were days when men expressed themselves in big terms when speaking of the future, but a review of their actions suggests that their faith was cast in a mold which was inimical to expansion. They spoke with unbounded confidence of a city that would be inhabited ^nd ^^^^^ ^'-^^ millions, and planned for one of thousands. The narrow- Inadequate "Gss which had impelled Horace Hawes, when he framed Plans the consolidation act in 1856, to throw out what is now San Mateo county, and confined the city to its present restricted area, had worn away to some extent, and men had begun to think that population might flow beyonk Polk street, which was then the most dis- tant thoroughfare penetrated by the Clay-street cable road, but they had no more conception of the needs of a million inhabitants than we have of the numbers billion or trillion. Impressions concerning the future of newspapering were equally vague. Every one who gave the matter a thought felt assured that "it would have a great expansion, but the most penetrating were not able to guess the phenomenal changes which were to take place before The Chronicle should round out the first half century of its existence. Yet the germs of most of these would have been perceptible to the discerning had the belief in the possibility of boundless accomplish- ment which now obtains been existent at the time. But it was not. It was easy to quote the trite observation that great oaks grow from little acorns, but imagination was not sufficiently developed to create mental forests of mighty trees from the imperfectly recognized ■ seeds which were about to germinate. A short time before the opening of The Chronicle's new building, on the return of Charles de Young from the Paris Exposition of 1878, he brought with hint a Gramme electrical machine, and three or four Jablochkoff candles, which were used to lUumi- 110 Journalism in California nate the local room of the paper, while it was still in its dingy quarters on Clay street, and to make a display in front of the publication office, which was then situated on Montgomery street near Commercial. Father Neri, one of the professors in the Jesuit College, then occupying A Practical ^j^^ present site of the Emporium department store on Mar- Demonstration , i , 1 T • 1 1 x- XI • \ i. C T ^ A of Electric ^"^^^ street, had given an exhibition on the niglit ot July 4, Lighting 1876, of an arc light which he had fashioned, the electricity for which was produced by a French machine; but The Chronicle's efforts were directed toward demonstrating that a new illu- minant had arrived, Mr. de Young having unbounded faith that it would soon displace gas. It was the first attempt in the United States to utilize electricity for lighting purposes. It was not a great success, the candles sputtering, the current created being defectively supplied, but it was a newspaper triumph of the first magnitude, and caused more talk in San Francisco than any of the previous feats of The Chronicle, affording one of the earliest illustrations of "the journalism that does things." It likewise provided innumerable texts for editorial comment on "the light of the future," in which the prediction was freely and repeatedly made that it would displace all other illuminants. When the new Chronicle building was erected, part of its prediction concerning the use of electricity was already in a fair way toward realization. A little more than a year had elapsed since the first sputtering Jablochkoff lamp was exhibited in front of the Montgomery-street office A Brilliant ^^ rpj^^ Chronicle, but in that brief interval the Brush machine Francisco ^''^^ ^G^n perfected to such a degree that it was determined to Corner make the new quarters of the paper the most attractive part of town after nightfall, and this was accomplished by erecting ornamental iron posts surmounted by arc lamps, the wires for which were led through the hollow cores of the posts from the basement of the building. There were six of these lamps on Kearny and Bush streets and the blaze of light was considered one of the sights of the city. The corner was then in the midst of the amusement center, three of the principal theaters being on Bush street, the California, the Bush and the Standard. The new Baldwin on the corner of Market and Powell streets was still voted a little far out, although promenaders — the practice of taking a walk after nightfall was still in vogue — made it the western boundary of their "constitutional." But no one saw in this extension of the use of electricity the fore- runner of its general application to the processes of producing a daily paper, nor did any observer on that opening day see in the three hundred tin boxes in pigeon holes ranged along the blank wall of a narrow room ■^^® *'®"'^ what was doubtless the germ of the index card system, and [ndex Card of the vertical file now in such general use. A few papers System of the East had inaugurated the practice of preserving in- formation concerning individuals, the outcome of which is known in newspaper offices as "the morgue," and some had thought it worth their while to index the contents of their papers. Both of these con- veniences had been adopted by The Chronicle while quartered in the Clay- street editorial rooms, and a respectable array of scrap books had ac- cumulated. Much of the scrapped matter being ephemeral in character, the number of useless books increased. The resort to the tin boxes was for the purpose of thinning out matter which appeared to be of no further First Real Newspaper Building 111 use. Naturally, it occurred to the librarian, and such a functionary was promptly appointed when the new building was occupied, to put the clip- pings where he could easily find them. This he accomplished by arranging his boxes in the same fashion as tlie index of a ledger, and from this begin- ning The Chronicle's filing boxes came to be numbered by the thousand. The late Whitelaw Eeid, who was much interested in the details of news- paper methods, on the occasion of his frequent visits to San Francisco was in the habit of dropping into The Chronicle office, and invariably took a look through the library, which he complimented as the best arranged of any paper in the country, and it is on his authority that the statement is made that The Chronicle was the first to apply the principle of the index card system in a newspaper office. Toward the close of the seventies there was a marked change in the morale of the forces of newspapers on the Coast and in Eastern cities, which sometimes was made the subject of comment. But, as is often the case, when the facts are only half understood, the ciiticism J ,. is too severe, being based on the erroneous assumption that That Does intemperance was the rule, whereas it was merely the excep- Things tion, even in the most indulgent offices. Had this not been the case, The Chronicle, in the history written in 1879, in which it described its achievements, could not have presented so long a list of successes, especially in the field which some recent ill-informed writers imagine was not discovered before that date. Long before the now famous editor of the Xew York World was credited with inaugurating the journal- ism that does things. The Chronicle had been working along those lines. It had scarcely emerged from its dramatic form before it began investigat- ing abuses and exposing them, the result being a long list of reforms ac- complished. But it w^as fully as busy in the work of construction, as the account in the chapter describing the part it played in securing a much- needed Constitution for the State abundantly testified. But the paper distinguished itself in the work which the conservative thinker has always contended is the true function of a newspaper, namely, the printing of the news. It has been related how during the excitement of the earthquake of 1868 it took the pains to gather details A ount ^"^ issue in extras accounts of the extent of the damage, of a which had the effect of removing the fears produced by Big Fire uncertainty. Considering the youth of the journal, this was a notable exploit, but not more significant than its treatment of the Chicago fire of October 10, 1871. The disaster was the greatest of its kind experienced in any American city up to that date and a tele- graphic account of it, which required four columns space for its presenta- tion, was printed. But the length of the dispatch, and the fact that a head twenty and a half inches deep and one column wide preceded the account of the fire is less notable than the accompanying sketch of great conflagra- tions in ancient and modern times which was written with such a knowl- edge of the subject treated as to preclude the idea that the writer's source of information was the encyclopedia. It was an interesting study and a precursor of much more of that sort of work to be done in the future. In 1872, on April llth of that year, Inyo county was visited by a severe earthquake, which was accompanied by loss of life and many mar- velous physical changes. All the papers contained accounts of the event, 112 Journalism in California but The Chronicle dispatched a man to the scene of the disturbance, who was able to sketch as well as describe the event and the changes it wrought. On the following Sunday The Chronicle appeared with an extended de- scription, accompanied by a full page of pictures, consisting Illustration Qf four large cuts drawTi on wood. Unlike tlie finished draw- g . ?■ ing of the artist Tojetti, executed for the paper some years Disaster earlier, these cuts were sketchy and somewhat amateurish. But crude as they were, they satisfactorily illustrated the event, and made clear the allusions in the description. In the same year, on November 26, 1872, another illustration was furnished of the fact that Charles de Young was convinced that pictures and maps were to be a feature of daily journalism. An entire page was devoted to a map which showed the region in which diamonds were said to have been found. The alleged discovery was a cunningly devised scheme of a group of rogues and succeeded in separating several wealthy San Franciscans from some of their hard cash. The deception was accomplished by "salting"' a considerable area with African diamonds, purchased in London. Preceding the salting a couple of apparently rough miners made their appearance in the city with a lot of stones about the value of which they professed to be uncertain, but they suspected them to be diamonds. The story soon spread, and the rich "suckers" referred to became interested. The character of the stones was determined by sending them to New York, where the Tiffanys, after examining them, said they were worth about $150,000. An "expert" was sent to the alleged diamond fields, the location of which was kept secret. He found more diamonds. A company was formed to operate the mines, but before it got to work Clarence King of the United States Geo- logical Survey exploded the mine. He had been over the whole country and was certain that there was no diamond formation. Convinced of this fact, he caused inquiries to be made in London and learned of the purchase of a lot of African diamonds in the rough by an American, who turned out to be one of the pair who engineered the swindle which cost the dupes over $350,000. In the following year The Chronicle had an opportunity to distinguish itself by furnishing its readers with earlier and fuller accounts of the last Indian uprising in California, an event which attracted national attention and brought two or three Eastern correspondents to the Coast. Accounts It was the so-called Modoc war, which was brought on by the ?J J^® murder of General Canliy and Dr. Thomas by Captain Jack, Indian War Jo^^n Sconchin, Black j'im and Boston Charley. The Gen- eral and the doctor went to the Klamath country to incjuire into the grievances of the Indians, who had been threatening trouble for some time. There were conferences and in the course of one of tbem the General and Dr. Thomas were treacherously murdered. After the com- mission of the deed, the Indians fled to the lava beds of Modoc county. Troops were sent to dislodge them from their fastness, but they managed to evade rounding up for over a year. The murders were committed in April, 1872, but the murderers were not captured until the tribe was subdued. The four Indians mentioned above were tried and executed on the 3rd of October, 1874. The progress of the war had been followed _ for The Chronicle by a special correspondent, and when the culminating event occurred its representative succeeded in getting his report into San Fran- cisco ahead of all competitors. First Real Newspaper Building 113 Another triumph was scored by The Chronicle in May, 1874, by the discovery in San Francisco of Henri Eochefort, who had managed to elude the vigilance of reporters after his escape from New Caledonia. The notorious Frenchman not only consented to be interviewed. Interview ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^° persuaded to tell the story of how he contrived With Henri ^o get away from the island in which he had spent some years Eochefort of exile in a signed article in which he made some interesting comments on political conditions in France. These were made on the eve of his departure from the city and caused quite a ferment in the French colony, which apparently failed to share the sentiments ex- pressed, and if a resolution passed by a local club correctly represented the opinion of its members, they believed that The Chronicle had committed a breach of international courtesy in permitting the ex-communist to discuss the affairs of France in an American journal. At this particular time interviewing had great vogue in San Francisco, and few persons of con- sequence escaped the enterprising reporter, who was almost invariably received with a show of courtesy easily construed into a welcome by the interviewer, who had less trouble in securing an expression of opinion than supposed by the outsider who too readily believed the animadversions upon the practice which sometimes found their way into the papers. During the seventies it was the custom of the newspapers of San Francisco to have the names of passengers en route to the city telegraphed from Ogden. The practice was continued until the lists trespassed on space to such an extent that it was deemed expedient to omit their Passengers publication. When that was done, there was a wave of «ie^ast protest which had to be met by an explanation that persons by Rail coming to San Francisco by rail from the East were of no more consequence than those who made their way into the city from other points and by other transportation routes. The readers of newspapers were exceedingly opposed to innovation and resented being de- prived of any feature to which they had become accustomed. It would be difficult to imagine any considerable number of patrons at the present day uniting in a round robin to a publisher concerning such a matter as the publication of a passenger list, but such communications were not uncom- mon at the time. In the early part of its career The Chronicle had under- taken the publication of the list of letters remaining unclaimed at the General Postoffice. The remuneration was insignificant, but it was sup- posed that the publication of the names created a demand for the paper. When the pressure for space began to be felt, an investigation was made which disclosed that it was not the subscribers or regular readers of the paper whose letters were uncalled for, but those of strangers whose acquaint- ance with the fact that the list was published was derived from a copy posted conveniently near the delivery window. Nevertheless, when the list was missed from its accustomed place on Monday morning, grave doubts Avere expressed by patrons as to the wisdom of the discontinuance. It will be inferred from the preceding statement that the community was still very provincial in action and thought despite the fact that the local press was fond of dwelling on its metropolitan position. The inference would be perfectly justifiable. Railroad communication with the East, which had been established for several years, did not accomplish all that was expected of it by a people who had been taught to believe that once in 12 114 Journalism in California touch with the communities on the other side of the Eockies, hahits would be revohitionized and we woukl at once fall into the mode of life of those on the Atlantic littoral. Never was an expectation subjected A Metropolis ^^ greater disappointment. The first transcontinental rail- Provincial ^'^^^^ ^^'^^ completed, and in the course of time it had several Ideas rivals; but California remained as if isolated, and the pecul- iarities inherited from the pioneers continued to endure in a form not always recognized, because they were disguised by words which obscured the fact. In some measure the press was responsible for this obscuration. It did not occur to the early workers on newspapers to form a club of their own, but they constituted a considerable and important ele- ment in the Bohemian Club, which- began its existence in the seventies. From its inception its membership, composed as it was -of artists, literary and professional men, adopted the belief that there was something dis- tinctive about California worth maintaining, and they managed to convey it to the stranger who easily became convinced that San Francisco had an "atmosphere" of its own. An inspection of the newspaper files of the seventies and eighties exhibits the deep-seatedness of the conviction, for they are filled with articles breathing the sentiment so assiduously cultivated in Bohemia. When their authorship is traced, they are found to be from the pens of such well-known men as John F. Bowman, editorial writer of The Chronicle, and a colleague of Samuel Seabough ; Charles Warren Stoddard, whose connection with The Chronicle extended over many years; Hugh Burke of the Call and Bulletin ; Peter Eobertson, for many years dramatic critic of The Chronicle; Fred M. Somers; Dan O'Connell and others. All of these writers in one way and another contributed to the glorifica- tion of San Francisco as a place apart, and they were auled and abetted by the community generally, which loved to be spoken of as the metropolis of the Pacific Coast, while insisting on the retention of habits of Liberal |j£g gj^^j modes of thought whicli contradicted the assumption o/the ^'^'^^ ^^^^ ^'^^y "^^^ thoroughly cosmopolitan. As a matter of Wire fact, it was nothing of the sort during the seventies and for several decades after. That is as almndantly testified to as the other statement that there was an undue quantity of community adula- tion. But, while the people of San Francisco were thus disposed to speak well of themselves, they never lost interest in outsiders. As the city papers grew prosperous they became patrons on a large scale of the telegraph company, bringing extended reports of all happenings of importance in the East or in Europe. The publishers of The Chronicle thought that the rejoinder of Henry Ward Beecher to the charges made against him by Theodore Tilton was interesting enough to warrant having the whole of it telegraphed, and, when General Custer was killed by Indians, it devoted three columns of special to the tragedy. It has already been told that when George M. Pinney made his charges involving Secretary of the Navy Eobe- son and a Senator and Congressman that it deemed the matter of enough importance to have several thousand words wired from Washington. The same lively interest was manifested in European doings, the San Francisco Chronicle reporting the occurrences of the Franco-Prussian war as fully as its Eastern contemporaries. It can hardly be said that the interest was reciprocal. When The Chronicle was being assailed by the Federal ring by means of criminal libel trials, although the testimony pointed to official First Real Newspaper Building 115 turpitude in high circles at the national capital, a scant fifty or sixty words daily was deemed a sufficient number to keep the Eastern public apprised of the progress of an investigation of national importance. That has always been the course pursued by the Eastern press in dealing with California affairs; publishers on the other side of the Eockies have permitted the cost of long haul to interfere with their judgment of the importance of an event. The San Francisco press very early learned to be cosmopolitan in its treatment of news. CHAPTER XV PROBLEMS EAISED AND TROUBLES PRODUCED BY NEW ORGANIC LAW. Result of Adoption of Constitution of 1879 — There Was No Hegira of Capital — The Last Big Mining Stock Deal — A Quietus on Stock Gambling — The Constitution 's Adherents Were the People of the Interior — Greed of Agitators for Office an Obstacle to Realization of Benefits — Charles de Young the Ablest Newspaper Man Produced by San Francisco — The Reception to General Grant — It Enabled The Chronicle to Set the Pace in Reporting — A World-Beating Journalistic Exploit — A People Proud of Their Paper — Another Great Report of a Big Local Event — • The Author's Carnival — The First Real Woman Journalist — A Case of Make- shift Illustration — Renewal of Prosperity — The Crusade Against Chinese Immi- gration — Passage of the Exclusion Act by Congress — A Great Wheat Produc- ing State — Popularity of The Chronicle's Annuals — The Chronicle's Thorough- HE adoption of the Constitution of 1879 produced none of the dreadful consequences predicted hy its opponents. Tliere was no hegira of capital. It is true that a few men who had made some money in the mining stock gamble deserted San Francisco, but their departure was due, not to the operation of the new fundamental law, but to the fact that the speculative craze had spent its force, the depletion of the resources of the people, and the continued exposure of the tricks and devices of the manipulators to coax money from the pockets of the dupes having effected something like a lasting reform. There was sometliing like a revival of the old-time excite- ment produced by a cleverly worked up interest in the Sierra Nevada mine, which caused its stock to advance from a figure below $10 to upward of $200 in 1879, but the community generally did not become much interested in the deal, and when it finally collapsed and the stock of the company dropped to less than tlie point from which it had started on its upward fliglit few outside the coterie of inveterate gamblers were seriously injured. There were no longer lists of suicides whose deaths were attributed to the roguery of the men who engineered the jobs, and the evidences of returning sanity multiplied as the months rolled on, and the activity on the stock boards decreased to such an extent that the newspapers only followed the transactions in a perfunctory manner. Perhaps the hard times and the legislation designed to prevent what were called "wash sales" would have eventually made mining stock gambling unprofitable, but that end was hastened by the persistent exposure by The Chronicle of the falsity of reports issued with the object of keeping up the hopes of holders of shares of non-dividend paying mines and inducing them 116 V Big Feat of Reporting 117 to pay their assessments which were levied with clock-like regularity. The most effective method adopted by The Chronicle in the pursuit of this purpose was that of showing just how the money derived from A Quietus assessments was expended. It was able to show statistically stock ^^^ otherwise that month after month, and year after year, Gambling large sums of money were paid to high-salaried officials, who maintained luxuriously-appointed offices, and that only an infinitesimal proportion of the money collected was expended in what was called development work. Constant iteration of stories of the same general character had the effect of completely destroying confidence in the cooked-up reports, and finally the fleecing business became so unprofitable that it had to be abandoned. The exchanges, of which the city had more than its share during the height of the bonanza excitement, and for some years after those mines ceased to pay, were closed up and brokers were obliged to find their lambs in other pastures. But the collapse of the Pine-street mining industry by no means put an end to the real business of extracting minerals from the soil. When The Chronicle was making its most energetic assaults on the speculative mania attempts were made to discredit its efforts by charging M°"n^^ that it was placing obstacles in the way of the development Industry o^ the resources of California, but these accusations were met Uninjured in a characteristic manner. The Chronicle showed by argu- ment and actual demonstration that the future prosperity of the State depended upon the development of its varied resources, and that it could not hope to accomplish that object by the process of betting. It also showed that the real work of development in the mines was not being forwarded by companies listed on the boards, the shares of which were made a football of by brokers, but that it was being done by private individuals who would continue to extract gold after the exchanges had closed their doors. And, taking a look backward, there seems to have been good ground for this sound criticism. At least, it is a matter of record that as early as 1876 persistent efforts were made to interest San Francisco opera- tors in the development of the oil industry in A'^entura county, but they were unsuccessful because of the indifference begotten by absorption in stock jobbing. It was not even possible to induce an investigation of the possibilities. The death of Charles de Young in 1880 removed from San Francisco journalism the ablest newspaper man the city had produced. Under the joint management of the two brothers the paper had become influential and prosperous. During his lifetime Charles devoted himself |*° . , more particularly to the news and editorial conduct of the Ablest News- paper. In the earlier part of its career his brother, M. H., paper Man had lent a hand in every news enterprise of consequence, but when the business of the paper grew in importance there was a sharper division of labors, and M. H. was compelled to give the most of his attention to the finances and the multiplying duties of manager. On the death of his brother he assumed entire control, giving close attention to the details of every department. The two brothers had worked in such unison that there was no perceptible change in the policy of the paper. Its career of vigorous enterprise was continued, and tendencies which had begun to manifest themselves a few years earlier were accentuated, and The Chron- 118 Journalism in California ifle soon became known throughout the country as an exponent of "the journalism that does things." An illustration of this propensity was furnished by the successful fight made for the adoption of the Constitution of 1879, when the two brothers were still working together, and this was closely followed by an example of enterprise of another kind which set a pace in reporting that g. proved a surprise to the press of older communities, and Feat of extorted the admission that it surpassed in its thoroughness Reporting any feat of reporting ever attempted by an American or European paper. The occasion which gave rise to this exhibition was the return of ex-President Grant to the United States after the completion of his world's tour. The attention paid to him by foreign potentates and peoples had proved a source of intense gratification to Americans, and from the moment the ship which bore him from the Orient to San Francisco was sighted outside the heads until he reached his home in the East his journey was a continuous ovation. No emperor or king had ever before been accorded such a triumph. The enthusiasm of San Fran- cisco was so exuberant it drew from the phlegmatic commander of great armies the simple but heartfelt remark that it made him feel at home. The reception occurred on the 21st of September, 1879, and on the following morning The Chronicle devoted thirty-eight columns to picturesque descrip- tions of every detail of the stirring event. The wonderful water pageant which embraced every vessel big and little that dared venture outside the heads was viewed from every vantage point ; on the decks of ships, on the headlands which form the Golden Gate, and even on the vessel which bore the voyager reporters were stationed who told about the first greetings and pictured the scene of the white sails and the fluttering flags, the shrieking whistles and the clanging bells of the hundreds of welcoming craft. The procession through the streets of the city and the shouts of the multitude ; the lavish decorations of public buildings, stores and private residences were treated with equal thoroughness, and Charles Warren Stoddard wrote a poem of welcome worthy the occasion. Never was such appreciation of journalistic enterprise shown before. Edition after edition was printed to supply the demand for copies, which were mailed to all parts of the earth, avowedly, in most instances, because the senders were convincd that never before had there been so Proud^ ® thorough and interesting account of a contemporary event. of Their I^ made San Franciscans proud of their city and it put The Paper Chronicle on the crest of the wave of popularity. The other papers were not unmindful of the importance of the occasion. They printed accounts which would not have been criticised had The Chronicle's comprehensive treatment not completely overshadowed them. The Chronicle was so well satisfied with tlie impression produced by its Grant's reception edition, it ventured another stroke which more particu- larly interested San Francisco. A little over a month later, to be precise, on October 24, 1879, an Authors' Carnival was inaugurated in the Mechan- ics' Pavilion, which was then situated on the corner of Mission and Eighth streets. The entertainment was projected to aid the charity organizations of the city, and the flower of the youth of San Francisco and of its society was concerned in making it a success. Perhaps there were fully two thousand who personated the characters from the pages of well-known CHRONICLE BUILDING Decorated on the occasion of reception of General Grant on his return from his world tour. Big Feat of Reporting 119 authors, and they all participated in the procession which was viewed by thousands of spectators. On the following morning The Chronicle appeared with a five-page account of the opening of the carnival, describing the pro- cession and the costumes of those who took part in it. As in the case of the comprehensive report of the Grant reception, The Chronicle had the field to itself. Its rivals were not ungenerous in their allotment of space, according it, in one instance, nearly two columns, and in the other not quite a column and a half, but those who were interested in making the enter- tainment a success felt assured that the more than sixty thousand dollars netted for charity was largely owing to The Chronicle's liberal treatment. The report of the Authors' Carnival deserves a place in a sketch of journalism for other reasons than its length and comprehensiveness. It probably signalized the advent of women in the field of journalism. The major part of the advance descriptive work of the carnival ^?® was done by Mrs. Florence Apponyi Longhead, and the Woman claim is made for her that she was the first woman regularly Journalist employed on a newspaper to do all around work. She was on the staff of The Chronicle several years after 1879, and accepted daily assignments, but did much special work on her own initiative. She was a graceful writer and was the winner of a handsome money prize in a best-novel contest started by the McClures. The occasion thus made memorable in journalistic annals also deserves recalling because of a partially successful effort to illustrate the account. At that time there were exactly one and a half available engravers on wood in San Francisco. One was efficient and sober, the other was an excellent artist, but unrelia- ble. As a result of the latter shortcoming the ambitious design of decorating the opening of each chapter devoted to the description of a booth was not fully realized, despite the search made to eke out the deficiency with what were known as stock cuts. Mr. de Young having established a reputation for thoroughness, his paper continued to seek occasions for its exhibition. It never afterward neglected an opportunity to display its enterprise along these lines. During the decade 1880-1890 many such presented themselves. De- ^^® spite the predictions made by the antagonists of the Consti- of ^^ tution that capital would abandon the State and retard its Prosperity advancement, in the event of its adoption, the decade was not many years old before there were signs of a return of prosperity. Just how much the fact that the organic law contained provi- sions which, if executed, would compel the equitable assessment and taxa- tion of property, it would be difficult to say, but the boom of the early eighties synchronizes with a marked disposition of the holders of large tracts of land to subdivide and offer them for sale. It is not impossible that this phenomenon might have occurred in any event, but there was a firm conviction in California, which was voiced in Henry George's "Progress and Poverty," that landowners would seek to add to their acres rather than diminish them. It was based on the assumption that the desire for the con- sequence and honors attached to the possession of great estates would prove as irresistible in California as in countries where the ownership of land is linked up with political privilege, and it was to some extent influenced by the belief that coolie labor could be obtained in abundance to profitably work large areas. 120 Journalism in California This latter illusion was effectually disposed of by the energetic crusade against Chinese immigration, which resulted in the passage of the exclusion act by Congress in 1882. But this legislation had been preceded by an expression of opinion secured by a secret ballot taken at the Sntt election of September 3, 1879, when, out of a total of Chinese 1G2,000 votes cast, only 638 declared themselves in favor Immigration of the introduction of Chinese laborers. It must have been ol)vious to the very few wlio entertained the belief that the use of cheap Oriental labor would make the farming of large tracts of land profitable, that the people of the State would not consent to its introduction, but, nevertheless, a persistent agitation was kept up in favor of the admis- sion of Chinese immigrants which did not cease until the great national parties were compelled to consider the question in the campaign of 1883. The leaders then saw that no party could withstand the sentiment which would be created by a general discussion of the subject in the Eastern states, and the act of exclusion followed. The San Francisco Chronicle led the fight for exclusion. It had been advocating legislation of that character long before the sand-lot uprising, and had succeeded in bringing about a Congressional inquiry in 1868, which resulted in a report unfavorable to the introduction of Chinese, but no positive action was taken by Congress until 1882. Probably a greater factor than any other in bringing about a better state of affairs in the early eighties was the growing recognition of the fact that the future development of California would be along horticultural lines. The year 1882 was a record year in the production California Was''^"*^ exportation of breadstuffs. At that time Californians a Great were pointing with pride to their enormous wheat fields and Wheat State still clung to the idea that they would always prove the State's greatest source of wealth. This view had been adopted instead of the one formerly held that mining would remain the chief indus- try. It is not surprising that such should have been the case, for in 1882 breadstuffs to the value of $40,138,557 had been exported from the port of San Francisco. There had been some success achieved in fruit growing, and the railroads were beginning to realize the possibility of building up a great trade in orchard products. The Chronicle was assisting in the Avork. On the 1st of January, 1884, it published what it called a "Prosperity Issue." It was composed of eight pages, several of which Avere devoted to describing the advances made in each of the fifty-three counties of the State during the preceding five years. Two pages were devoted to the material development of the port and city of San Francisco. The presentation of statistical matter at the beginning of the 3Tar was not an entirely new feature, but with the 1884 edition was inaugurated the plan of compre- hensively surveying the growth of the State, wliich has been continued down to the present time. The principal characteristic of these annual editions was the introduction of a new mode of treatment each succeeding year, and a constant enlarge- ment of the volume of matter presented. Thus on the 1st of January, 1888, the space accorded to describing the development of the State was sixteen pages, or double that of two years earlier. In the annual of 1888, twenty-two full pages were given up to statistics and accoimts of the prosperity of all sections of the State, and in the following year the number of pages was Big Feat of Reporting 121 increased to twenty-three. Many of the statistical features of earlier issues were retained, but there was a successful eifort in eacli succeeding year to introduce novelties and before the close of the decade there Chronicle's ^^'^^ ^ liberal use of illustrations. In 18!)0 the annual con- Annuals sisted of forty pages, eight of which were devoted to describ- ing the clumges wrought in California in forty years. Great numbers of these papers were mailed to all parts of the world, it being the practice of persons interested in the development of the State to prepare lists of people to whom they were to be sent. The esteem in which these annual editions have always been held is evidenced by the fact that their appearance is always followed by numerous letters to the pub- lisher urging that the matter in them be given permanent form, and for a long time they have been the acknowledged source from which many statistical bureaus derive much information concerning California and its development. Annual publications cannot be regarded as an innovation of j\Ir. de Young, for other papers had preceded it in the presentation of statistics at the beginning of tiie year, but the development editions of The Chronicle took on a form which distinguished them from mere statis- ttfe^SJoJSfes ^^^'^^ records. They were, in fact, the first well thought out Qf plan of advertising the resources of California, the object California being to present in an attractive m.anner information calcu- lated to arouse interest in the State, and they accomplished their purpose admirably. To their dissemination can be traced much of the growth of the desirable immigration from the East, which has since resulted in developing tlie great industries of the State. In the columns of these annual surveys of the growth of the State will be found appreciations of its climatic advantages which long antedate the discovery by the boosters of Los Angeles that the climate of California is one of its greatest assets. It is no vain boast on the part of The Chronicle when it asserts that it induced the inhabitants of the once sleepy city of Los Angeles to make the best use of that with which they were so liberally endowed l)y nature. There is another innovation in journalism introduced l)y The Chronicle during the eighties deserving of more than passing mention. One of the charges brought against the American press by British critics was a lack of thoroughness, by which was meant the disposition of the Ch^ ■ 1 ' average writing editor to recognize that busy people wish to Thoroughness get at the nub of a proposition quickly, the result of which was the production of articles lacking in detail and otherwise defective. In its thirty-eight column report of the reception to Grant, The Chronicle showed that it was possible for an American paper to be thorough. On numerous occasions afterward this exploit was matched. On August 19, 1883, the Knights Templar of the United States held their triennial conclave in San Francisco and The Chronicle signalized the meet- ing by publishing a history of the order, which occupied seven pages. Ap- preciative Templars declared nothing of the sort had ever been done before by a newspaper. On May 14th of the succeeding year, the occasion being the laying of the cornerstone of the Odd Fellows' building on the corner of Seventh and ^Market streets, the paper presented a history of Odd Fellowship in America. On August 2, 1886, the Grand Army of the Republic held its annual encampment in San Francisco. The event sug- |00 Journalism in California The Advocacy of Principles gested the writing of a "^'History of the Civil War," which occupied 102 columns of The Chronicle, an amount of matter which would fill a good- sized volume. The centenary of the death of Junipero Serra, August 28, 1884, was the text for a four-page sketch of the missions of California and the work of the padres. These and other serious efforts contrihuted greatly to the reputation of The Chronicle and caused it to be recognized as one of the foremost journals of America. From its inception, The Chronicle had been pro- nouncedly Republican. In its infancy, when it still retained the prefix "Dramatic," it was a strenuous supporter of the Union cause, and, when peace was established, it remained devoted to the party which had preserved the integrity of the Union. But, while there was no mistaking its Eepublican proclivities, it did not hesitate when occasion seemed to demand to criticise and oppose the men who controlled the party. It gave a significant example of this tendency when it unhesitatingly exposed the machinations of the Federal ring in 1877, and it was unceasing in opposition to the domination of the party by the railroad. Its constant antagonism to the practice of corporation interference with politics procured for it the enmity of the managers of the railroad and the friendship of the people. It was, however, a stanch believer in the integrity of the Eepublican national organization and constantly advocated the theory that abuses could be best dealt with by effecting reforms within the party, and, because of its devotion to that principle, it achieved a degree of influence approached by no paper outside of the great Eastern cities. CHAPTER XVI NOTABLE INSTANCES OF THE "JOUENALISM THAT DOES THINGS." Slow Eecognition of the Demand for Eegiilation of Monopolies — Democratic De- fenders of the Eailroads — Eastern Attitude Slow to Crystallize — The Frustra- tion of Attempts to Eeform — A Problem That California Might Have Success- fully Worked Out — Failure to Elect Honest Commissions — A Victim of Judge- Made Law — Absurd Eesults of the Board of Equalization Decision — The Evils of Non-Partisanism — Political Career of George Hearst — He Makes a Hand- some Present to His Son — Examiner Passes Into Possession of William E. Hearst — The Chronicle 's Advocacy of the Protective Policy — A History of Education in the United States — Another Instance of the Journalism That Does Things — The Chronicle Demonstrates the Desirability of Weather Warnings to Agriculturists and Fruit Growers — Millions Saved to the State by News- paper Enterprise — The Chronicle Forms a News Association — Numerous Patrons Served — Chronicle Press Association Absorbed by Associated Press — M. H. de Young a Director of Associated Press for Twenty-seven Years — Illustration Growth — Big Type in Heads — Book Eeviews — Dramatic Critics — A Training School for Statesmen— Noted Contributors. T MAY not be amiss to explain to the reader who might gain the impression that the spotlight has been kept too steadily on The Chronicle that it practically kept the center of the stage during the eighty decade, and that its rivals made little effort to dispute the position it had attained. Tlie Alta had long since ceased to be regarded as a leading journal and had become the target of the jokesmith. Not that it lacked good writers, but the vehicle for conveying what they wrote to the reading public had become so impaired by the failure to keep up to date that it had almost ceased to run. In the later years of its existence it had become a Democratic organ, and preached sound Democratic doctrine, some of which placed in parallel columns with the utterances of present-day papers would seem very strange. That was the period when Democratic editors wrote vigorously in opposi- tion to the alleged Eepublican tendency toward centralization. The closing years of the eighty decade were made memorable by the confusion created in the minds of "Bourbon" editors by the radical attitude of Senator Eeagan of Texas, the introduction of whose interstate commerce bill was coldly viewed by many of them as an invasion of the rights of the states, but the necessity for supervision of transportation corporations had become so apparent that there was little serious opposition to what is now recog- nized as the Federal entering wedge of governmental regulation. The Alta, 123 124 Journalism in California and the other Democratic papers of California, were slow to recognize this feature of the new legislation, although some of them, considering their ownership, should have been quick to perceive the outcome of a movement which made a national question of what had been a purely local one up to 1887, when the first interstate commerce act was passed by Congress, Before 1887, there had been plenty of discussion in the East of the ])ossibilities of railroad monopoly, but it never assumed the acute form it took on in California as early as 1871, when, as already related, a conven- tion of electors in San Francisco openly denounced railroad Defenders abuses and ^demanded that they should be abated. These Railroad resolutions almost passed unnoticed in California. When Monopoly editors deigned to speak of them they were more apt than otherwise to treat them disrespectfully because of tlieir source. The Democratic press, in particular, adhering to the idea of laissez faire, spoke of them as agrarian vaporings or treated them with silent inditTerence if not contempt. Between that date and the adoption of the California Constitution of 1879, the discussion in the Eastern press was academic or flippant. The growing tendency of the Pennsylvania Railroad to gain favors by controlling Legislatures did not excite much indignation, and the degree of alarm felt may be measured by the fact that it was regarded as a stroke of facetiae to speak of New Jersey as "the State of Camden and Amboy," thus delicately implying that the corporation which directed the destinies of that railroad, which was one of the nucleii of what has since become the great Pennsylvania system, did pretty much as it pleased in the commonwealth separated from Philadelphia by the river Delaware. In Massachusetts some apprehension concerning the growth of monopoly found expression, and the legislators of the Bay State thought they had discovered a solution of the problem when they provided for a Commissioner who was endowed with no powers, but was permitted to have his learned reports printed at the expense of the State, which were promptly forgotten as soon as issued. The agitation in California had a different outcome. After eight or nine years of denunciation and demand for the enactment of regulative legislation, the Constitution of 1879 was adopted. It created a Commission consisting of three members and endowed it with plenary Frustraf on P"wers, but it proved no more efficacious in curbing the evils of Attempts complained of than the body which it supplanted, which could to Reform only re])ovt and make recommendations to the Legislature. This result is directly chargeal)le to the hostility or indiffer- ence of the press which had antagonized the Constitution of 1879, when it was up for adoption. A^arying motives accounted for this unfortunate attitude, and the least creditable of them all was that of jealousy of The Chronicle. Had not that spirit manifested itself the country would have been saved much later turmoil, for California could have worked out the prol)lem in such a way that it would not have occurred to anyone in Congress to suggest the revolutionary step of breaking down the safeguards against Federal encroachment, which the wisdom of the fathers had pro- vided. It was decreed otherwise, however, for as soon as the victory had been gained by the people, the railroad at once set to work to prevent its fruits l)eing gathered. By clever manipulation it succeeded in having venal Commissioners elected, and also Legislatures which were quite ready to tie Training School for Statesmen 125 the hands of the solons, if they showed any disposition to break tlirough the restraints imposed by the corporation. The provisions of the Constitution whicli would have enabled an honest Commission to carry out every reform contemplated, and which would have anticipated later legislation in this State and made Federal interference pi"at-tically unnecessary, were permitied to fall into desuetude, to Choose ^^ ^'^^^ ^^^^ *^^°^^ relating to the State Board of Equalization, Honest which were designed to prevent the unecpial assessment of Commissions land. So indifferent were the people to what they had gained that they allowed their courts to read a meaning into the Constitution for which there was no warrant in the words or spirit of that instrument. The express object of the creation of the State Board of Equalization was to correct the abuse of assessing the land of a person or corporation at a figure lower than that at which land of equal value and similarly situated had been assessed to others. This was provided for in unmistakable language, but the courts deliberately held that the organic law did not mean what it said, and set up the absurd rule that the State Board could not raise or lower individual assessments, but would have to correct inequalities by raising or lowering the entire roll' of a county or counties. This produced the absurd anomaly of raising the value of gold coin and mortgages, and it became necessary to remedy the inconsistency by amendment. The amendment did not abate tlie evil, but it converted the State Board of Equalization into a machine which could be and was used to punish the taxpayers of one part of the State to relieve those of another part. In the end, relief was found by practically converting the State Board into a body whose most important duty now is to compute the gross earnings of corporations in order to determine how much they must pay into the treasury. The attempt to arouse the people from the indifference into which they had fallen occupied a great deal of space in the editorial columns of The Chronicle, but naturally it proved unavailing. It is difficult to place the blame for this miscarriage. Partisan politics is sometimes ^^? held responsible, but in view of the fact that those who j]-on- benefited by the laxity of the courts, the venality of com- Partisanism missions and the turpitude of Legislatures were strictly non- partisan in their manipulations, the charge is manifestly absurd. It was not partisanism, but popular indifference that did the mis- chief. Had the same active interest been manifested when times became better that was shown during the period when depression operated to pro- duce sand-lot troubles and widespread discontent among farmers, the out- come would have been vastly different. It is impossible to keep interest at concert pitch when times are good, for then common sense and warnings of all kinds are treated as were those of Cassandra of old. Perhaps that explains why The Chronicle enjoyed a monopoly of the dubious privilege of finding fault. Whether it does or not, the fact remains that it alone of the daily papers of San Francisco unceasingly denounced the failure to enforce the provisions of the new Constitution. Not that much would have been gained had the attitude of the remainder of the press been different. As already stated, the Alta had declined in prestige so greatly it was said of its editorial columns that they were a safe repository for secrets. The Call and Bulletin had committed themselves so absolutely to the assump- 126 Journalism in California tion that the Constitution was utterly bad it would have been ludicrous for them to champion anything in it, no matter how thoroughly its wisdom might have been approved. The Evening Post had already entered on its career of alternation of ownership, which implied a power behind the throne, and the Examiner was too entirely devoted to the higher politics to interest itself greatly in such matters as the regulation of corporations. The Examiner did not appear as a morning paper until October, 1880, when it passed out of the ownership of Philip Eoach and his associates and nominally passed into the possession of W. T. Baggett. It was soon transferred by him to the Examiner Publishing Company, of Examiner which George Hearst was the head. There was no secret Property of concerning the object of its acquisition. Mr. Hearst had W. R. Hearst political ambitions, and believed that they could be attained most easily with the assistance of a personal organ. He was a member of the California Assembly in 1865 and in 1882 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor. In 1885 he obtained the complimentary vote of the Democratic minority in the Legislature, and on March 23d of that year he was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator John F. Miller, but the Republican Legislature did not permit him to till out the unexpired term, electing A. P. Williams in his stead. But in January, 1887, he had his innings, the Democratic majority sending him to Washington to represent California in the upper house of Congress. On March 4, 1887, Senator Hearst signalized the occasion of taking his seat in the United States Senate by turning over the Examiner to his son, William Randolph Hearst. During the period preceding the accession of William R., the Examiner was run on substan- tially the same lines as those followed in its previous career. Its managing editor was Clarence Greathouse, better known as a genial gentleman and a clever politician than as a newspaper man. Perhaps he recognized this fact, for he subsequently abandoned the profession and became the confidential adviser of the Emperor of Corea, graduating from the United States Con- sul Generalship into that position. While Mr. Greathouse was in charge of the Examiner it was always stanchly Democratic and was never guilty of straying from the straight path. The Chronicle on national issues after 1880 was always Republican. It had before that time exhibited its devotion to the principles of protection, but as the years wore on, and California began to build up its great horti- cultural industry, it began to urge more strongly than ever A Leading ^^^^ desirability of the State, arraying itself on the side of the the Protective P^rty that could be depended upon to secure for the citrus Policy fruit growers and the producers of prunes the same advan- tages which the Eastern commonwealths had derived from the protection of manufactured articles. The Chronicle was not very sanguine that the policy would have any appreciable effect upon the devel- opment of manufactures on the Pacific Coast, for it recognized that a large near-by market was essential to the profitable pursuit of the industry, but it was convinced that the State would profit by creating a great home market for its products, and, therefore, urged with vigor and all the argu- ments at its command that prosperous ironworkers in Pennsylvania and other Eastern states would result in the creation of big armies of consumers of prunes, oranges and other fruits. It did not content itself with repeating Training School for Statesmen 127 the stock arguments of the protectionists, but displayed tlie same thorough- ness in its investigation of this great problem as it had shown in other fields. As early as the campaign which resulted in the election of Garfield, the subject was treated in all its aspects, and in the succeeding years it became recognized as one of the foremost exponents of the protective policy and its articles on the subject were widely quoted. In the campaign of 1888, it devoted eight pages of a special protection edition to a history of the operations of the protective tariff in the United States, which was spoken of in Congress as the most thorough presentation of the subject ever made in the columns of a newspaper. The fact that The Chronicle devoted much space to the elucidation of the tariff problem, and that its proprietor, M. II. de Young, began very early to be recognized as a factor in national politics, being fretpiently chosen as a National Committeeman and as a delegate to the j~f , national conventions of the Eepublican party, did not have of The ^''G effect of making an organ of the paper. It steadily and Chronicle consistently advocated the vital principles of Republicanism, but unhesitatingly criticised what it regarded as abuses within the part}'. It was zealous and untiring in a campaign, but never took orders or looked for any reward other than the satisfaction derived from being on what it conceived to be the right side. It believed in a paper clearly enunciating its principles, and unhesitatingly characterized as a mischievous tendency the disposition to get rid of party responsibility by the device of non-partisanism, which it urged was usually a cloak for carrying out designs which could not receive a formal indorsement from any body of men desir- ous of upholding a principle. But these convictions were urged in the same manner and with the same object that it published its "History of Educa- tion" on July 17, 1888, on the occasion of the meeting of the National Educational Association in this city. It believed it was performing a public service in devoting eight pages to that subject, and felt that its publication would reflect credit on. the community, whose support made possible so voluminous a treatment in a daily paper of so vital a subject. In the preceding chapters many instances of "the journalism that does things" have been presented, but none transcends in importance and perma- nent value the part played by The Chronicle in broadening the operations of what is now kno\\Ti as the Weather Bureau, but which in ^^® 1887 was a corps of the United States Army, known as the That Does Signal Service. Meteorology was then an undeveloped sci- Things cnce. It would not be accurate to say that it was in its infancy, for it had occupied the attention of many students for a long lime, but the practical results of their studies at this time extended no further than the issuance of maritime warnings which kept sailors from putting to sea when a storm was brewing, and predictions con- sulted by the credulous who wished to know whether it was j)rudent to go abroad without an umbrella, or prospective picnickers who w^ere anxious concerning the state of the weather. But there were men in the Signal Service who had great faith that meteorology with proper encouragement would some day be developed into an exact science, whose workings would prove of incalciilable l)enefit to mankind. Among these believers was Lieu- tenant, now Colonel. "W. A. Classford of the United States Army, who was then in charge of the branch of the Signal Service having its headquarters 13 128 Journalism in California in San Francisco. Lieutenant Glassford's duties brought him into contact with The Chronicle, and he succeeded in imparting some of his enthusiasm to the paper, which undertook the costly experiment of demonstrating that the weather warnings could be made as useful to the agriculturist on land as to the mariner who goes down to the sea in ships. The Chronicle had long been engaged in the work of stimulating the orchard and vineyard industries of California and had made a study of the drawbacks attendant upon the culture of citrus fruits and grapes. In com- mon with everyone who gave the matter attention, it recog- ^^® . . , nized that if the science of meteorology could be developed Weather to the stage that would permit forecasts to be made a sufficient Warnings time in advance to allow warnings to be sent to producers much might be done to minimize the hazards of the horti- cultural and viticultural industries. Lieutenant Glassford was confident that storms and low temperatures could be foretold sufficiently long in advance of their coming to admit of proper precautions against injury. But the question was : How can the warnings be got to those interested? It was at this stage of the meteorological game that The Chronicle stepped into the breach. The Federal Government had not been unduly liberal in making appropriations for the weather branch of the Signal Service, and it was obliged to hew close to the line in its operations. A sum was provided for a fixed number of observers, for the rental of quarters and for the pur- chase of instruments, but there was no provision made for sending out warnings by telegraph or otherwise. There was no order, however, inter- fering with the making of experiments, provided that they involved no draft on the Treasury, and when the suggestion was made to Lieutenant Glassford that a demonstration be made of the feasibility and value of land warnings, he was quick to embrace the opportunity which The Chronicle offered him to prove that the service could be made highly beneficial to the horticultural interests of the State. A scheme was mapped out which required the active co-operation of the communities to be benefited. In addition to the stations where volunteer and regular observers had already been provided with the necessary instru- ments, a large additional number of stations were created. How *^6 ^j^g volunteer observers of which were expected to make the Warned by readings and perform the simple duties connected with the The Chronicle carrying out of the plan, the principal feature of which was the posting of warnings which were to be sent from San Francisco by telegraph. For the purpose of displaying these warnings The Chronicle had constructed neat frames of tin properly glassed to protect the bulletins from the weather. In all, there were nearly one hundred of these bulletin boards provided, on which were daily displayed the weather predictions of the chief signal officer in San Francisco. Local interest in their dissemination was so great that steps were taken promptly to utilize the information, and by various devices, such as the raising of flags, blowing of whistles, etc., the countryside was quickly acquainted with impending changes. The demonstration was a thorough success, and was made at great cost to Mr. de Young. It was continued during three months, and before its conclusion Congress was being bombarded by the horticultural and other interests of California to maintain it permanently. The response was not as swift as it might have been, perhaps because the predecessor of Gen- o WtATHER InDICATTONS -FURNISHED DAILY BYTOE SflNFRANCKCOCHRONICLE M I ' I I I 1 Mm I >i I li > > I M • I k t t > a SAN FRAliClSCO CHROMIC LE: 1 1 kl U U / ^ftS FOKCAUroKNIA I I H 1 V, I' ' I I I I / M t I » I » t 1 », I BULLETIN BOARD OF WEATHER SERVICE Started by Chronicle in 1885 to demonstrate the feasibi giving- timely warnings to the agriculturists of Cali subsequently adopted by the Government. lity of fornia, Training School for Statesmen 129 eral Greely did not take a lively interest in the matter. When that officer came to the head of the service he framed a report which was considered hy Congress and acted on in a half-hearted way. General Greely dwelt wit'h emphasis on what had been accomplished by The Chronicle and urged an appropriation which would permit the continuance of the service along the same lines. He obtained some recognition, out of which has grown the system of warnings which annually pave large sums to California growers, but, to quote the opinion of G. H. Wilson, the local forecaster, the service is still a long way from conferring all the benefits which we might be deriving if The Chronicle's scheme had been carried out in its entirety. Turning from the contemplation of a bit of newspaper enterprise of the kind yclept "the journalism that does things," it will be instructive to recount the development of the telegraphic news service of the San Fran- . . Cisco press. Incidentally, the recital may clear up some News^"^ purposely created obscurities concerning the organization From the familiarly known as the Associated Press. When Mr. do East Young entered the journalistic field his finances did not permit him to entertain the notion of carrying a regular telegraphic service, but with the growtb of his paper and attendant pros- perity he began to study methods of keeping its readers in touch with the rest of the world. It was open to The Chronicle, of course, to bring a special report from the East, but that precluded anything like an extrava- gant display of news by wire. There are traces in its columns of that curious idea that there is something about the gathering of news whicli makes combinations to that end a public matter in which any one desirous of doing so should be permitted to enjoy the specially created facilities. But that attitude did not endure long. The Call, the Bulletin and the Sacramento Union had associated themselves together for the purpose of bringing to the Coast the news gathered by the New York Associated Press, one of the several associations formed for the purpose of bringing news to the papers of the sections in which they operated. There was no possibility of breaking into this combination, so The Chronicle secured a report from an organization called the American Press Association, which was brought over the wires of the Union and Central Pacific Eailroad. This company was known as the Pacific Telegraph Company, and was energetically seek- ing business, and the result was a fairly good service, but not comparable with that furnished by the Associated Press of New York. After a long struggle. The Chronicle secured a franchise from the New York Associated Press. This involved the bringing of a report from the East, the entire expense of which had to be borne by the paper until it organized a news service of its own, under the title of the M^H.deYoungQj^^Qj^j^jg p^pgg Association. Very early in its career The Associated Chronicle had begun effectively to cover the news of the Press Pacific Coast. It w^s thus placed in a position to serve a report to its clients, covering the whole field of news when it obtained its franchise from the New York Associated Press in 1875. It soon had numerous customers, among them the San Francisco Examiner, the Evening Post, the San Jose Mercury, the Oakland Tribune, the Sacra- mento Bee and the Portland, Oregon, News. About ISSl, the Western Associated Press, which up to that time had maintained relations with the New York Associated Press, resolved to act as an independent o^ganizatio^ 130 Journalism in California and sought' to effect alliances which would strengthen it sufficiently to make it a national organization of great strength. Overtures were made to The Chronicle to take over its association, the business of which was not very profitable and was attended with some inconveniences and annoyance. M. H. de Young went to Chicago and was at once made a member of the Western Associated Press. Before the Chronicle Press Association ceased to exist, Mr. de Young stipulated that his clients should receive the reports of the Eastern organization. Subsequently, he was elected a director and continued to serve in that capacity for twenty-seven years, during the period in which it was developing into the greatest news-gathering association in the world. The most notable change in journalistic methods during the eighties of the nineteenth century was the growing disposition to use pictures. lief- erence has been made to early efforts in tiiat direction, but they never developed into a steady feature. The facetious were still in- o?th?'^°^*^ clined as late as 1885 to charge that the portrait of Lydia Illustration Pinkham, which appeared in the advertising columns of most Habit dailies of the period, was made to do duty as a representation of all sorts of celebrities "without regard to sex, color or previous condition of servitude." There is a tradition in the artroom of The Chronicle that a timid effort to illustrate reading matter begun in 1880 was abandoned because of the ribald jokes and the insistent prediction that all efforts to produce passably decent pictures in papers printed on rapid perfecting presses must fail. Whatever the cause, it is a fact that Sunday illustrations were dropped for several years. In June, 1885, there was a sudden outburst of artistic energy and, after that date, pictures were regularly printed in the Sunday magazine section and sometimes appeared in the daily. On January 1, 1887, The Chronicle annual appeared with a full-page map of California and some fifty illustrations of business houses and manufacturing plants of San Francisco. By this time the use of illus- trations in the daily had become common, and tbey were growing in size, a fact which testifies that the editor was becoming hardened to criticism, or that the art had really advanced sufficiently to destroy the point of the Lydia Pinkham joke. The ability to turn out cuts quickly enough to make them available for use in a daily paper was due to the adoption of what came to be known as the chalk process, an invention attributed to Mark Twain. Although the author had taken out a patent, it later developed tliat the Progress process had been successfully used in England many years Newspapei- earlier. It had no advantage over the wood cut, except in the Illustration matter of rapidity of production. In the preparation of a wood cut the artist made a pencil drawing upon box wood, which was cut in relief by an engraver, and from this it was necessary to secure an electrotype, which had to be properly mounted to make it avail- able for use on a rapid press. In the chalk process, the artist drew his picture with a bent steel needle on a steel plate covered with a thin layer of precipitated chalk and white clay. The drawing once finished the plate was ready for stereotyping without further preparation. It was a great time-saving method, a block being easily made ready for the chase in less than twenty minutes. But it had its disadvantages. The artists found the work of scratching the chalk-covered plates very disagreeable, and its use placed Training School for Statesmen 131 all sorts of limitations u})on them. There was no opportunity to use pen or brush and freedom of execution was entirely out of the question. The process, however, was speedily superseded by the resort to zinc etching, which permitted more liberties to the artist. At first only pen drawings on Bristol board were used when this method was employed. These drawings were photographed and printed on sensitized sheets of zinc and etched with nitric acid; the part to receive the impression was a high relief, and specially devised machines were used to cut away the superfluous metal. This method, introduced in 1890, was in vogue until 1898, when photo engraving took its place. By tliis method, pliotographs, wash drawings, paintings and water colors are reproduced directly. The copying by camera was done by interposing a finely-ruled glass screen. After transferring the image thus obtained to zinc and etching it a block was produced ready for the printer. In the earlier stages of tlie photo engraving process screens ruled too finely were employed, and the subsequent stereotyping process resulted in the filling up of the lines. This difficulty was over'-ome in a measure by inserting the zinc plates directly into the stereotype plate. Tiiis took more time than could be spared in regular daily editions, so the plan of printing direct from the etched zinc was confined to the pictures for Sunday editions and a coarser screen was used for quick work. Although the use of pictures grew rapidly toward the close of the eighties, the tendency to employ large display type in the construction of heads was not very marked. There were some departures from the uniform style prevalent, but they were not pronounced enough to Advertiser attract general attention. While the uniform method of and heading articles was maintained, it was possible for the Big Type editor who "made up" the paper to arrange his matter so that the reader could easily find the sort of news in which he was specially interested. The later resort to what is called "freaking^' has made this impossible. The insistence of the advertiser upon having his announcements printed alongside of reading matter has helped to con- tribute to this result, and the most ingenious "maker up" no longer attempts to mass matter of the same sort, and feels happy if his skill is adequate to the task of presenting a story in unbroken sequence. It is urged in favor of tlie new method that a busy generation refuses to take the trouble to read a description of any length and that, therefore, it is desirable, if not absolutely essential, to give as much information as possiljle in heads, the type of which should be large enough to arrest the attention of the indifferent as well as the real seeker after news. During the eighties there was a marked accession of capable writers and newspaper men in San Francisco, many of whom were graduated from The Chronicle on to other papers. There were no colleges of journalism in those days, but The Chronicle had achieved a reputation as Q°™® an excellent training school, and a long list of men who were Time oiice on its staff and later achieved success in running papers Writers of their own could be quoted. The destruction of the records of The Chronicle and other newspaper offices renders it difficult to present anything like an accurate "Who Was Who" in journalism at this particular time, but tiie names of several of the best-known come readily to the mind of old-timers. Frank M. Pixley was still firing at his chosen targets on the Argonaut; D. F. Verdenal was writing snappy para- 132 Journalism in California graphs for the Stock Exchange; J. F. Bowman, for many years an editorial writer for The Chronicle, continued with the paper until his death in 1884; E. J. Andersen, for many years private secretary for Charles de Young, found time to write on naval subjects, and to organize the library of The Chronicle on a basis which made it one of the best-known sources of con- temporary information in the country. Mr. Andersen is still in harness, and enjoys the distinction of having been connected with the editorial end of a newspaper longer than any other man in San Francisco. George Hamlin Fitch came to The Chronicle from the New York Tribune in 1880, and his work still delights the readers of the paper. He has been its book reviewer for nearly thirty years, and he is acknowledged to be one of the best and fairest of American critics. His duties though onerous have not prevented his entering the literary field in the capacity of author, and it takes a good-sized shelf to hold the books which bear his name on their title pages. Before Mr. Fitch took charge of the book reviews of the paper that department was under the charge of Albert Sutliffe,who combined the duties of dramatic and literary critic. Mr. Sutlilfe was a versatile writer and frequently contributed editorials and special articles. He Dramatic shared the ambition of the newspaper man of the period and Reviewers of ^vlien the French made war on China he went to Toncjuin The Chronicle for The Chronicle as its special correspondent. Mr. Sutlilfe was succeeded by Piercy Wilson, an English writer, with a taste for dramatic criticism, which he combined with a love of sport. He was assisted by Thomas J. A^ivian, now with the Hearst papers in ISTew York. Vivian was gifted with a vivid imagination, which enabled him to conceive the impossible and describe it as an actuality in a convincing manner. He wrote many special articles for the Sunday Chronicle, and struck a novel note as often as any writer for the American press. He was an especially forceful dramatic critic, and had an astonishing familiarity with the literature of the stage. In the early eighties, Peter Eobertsou became the dramatic critic of The Chronicle, a position filled by him for nearly a quarter of a century. Mr. Robertson had the faculty of telling the truth without irritating, and was greatly esteemed by members of the dramatic profession whose fur he sometimes stroked the wrong way. Mr. Eobertson, like many other writers on the staff of The Chronicle, must be ranked as an author. His collected sketches, appearing under the title of "The Seedy Gentleman," had a considerable vogue. He was a great favorite among the members of the Bohemian Club, who honored him by making him their president. It may refpiire more evidence than two or three instances afford to establish the claim that The Chronicle newsroom was a training school for statesmen, but that department of the paper has to its credit two United States Senators and one Secretary of the Interior. Henry ^ . C. Hansbrough presided at the telegraphic desk of The School for Chronicle for two or three years. He was a rapid copy Statesmen reader and could construct a liead which attracted attention. He took a keen interest in ])olitics and when the Dakotas were coming into proininence he left California to strike out a new career for himself in that country. He achieved success in his chosen field and w^as elected to the United States Senate, serving his State two terms. Training Scho ol for Statesmen 133 Shortly after The Chronicle entered its new home on the corner of Bush and Kearny streets, a young man named Frank J. Cannon introduced him- self to the editor, stating that he would like a desk position which would give him the requisite training to fit him to run a paper which he con- templated starting in Ogden. There was a vacancy at the time and he was installed as reader of Coast exchanges and Coast telegraph editor, lie was industrious and quick to learn, but did not exercise undue haste in finish- ing his education. He carried out his purpose of starting a paper, and later was elected United States Senator from the State of Utah. He is now the editorial writer for the Denver Eocky Mountain News. The third on the list w^as Franklin K. Lane, the present Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Lane acted as The Chronicle's telegraph correspondent in New York. He was a young man at the time, but possessed a fund of discretion, and the news editor paid him the compliment of permitting him to do his work without telling him how to do it. "Xed" Townsend, as he was familiarly called at the time, might be referred to as a fourth on the list, for he is now a member of Congress from New Jersey. Mr. Townsend began his San Francisco career on The Chronicle, but later joined the Hearst papers. His "Chimniie Fadden" papers won for him national newspaper fame. An attache of The Chronicle whose work attracted attention in the eighties was Harry Dam. He had a brilliant style and an aptitude for dramatic work. After some years' service on the paper, Mr. Dam was made the executive secretary of Governor Stoneman. When ^ his labors in Sacramento were concluded he emigrated to Chronicle London, where he succeeded in .having two or three of his Contributors plays staged and achieved a distinct success. Charles Warren Stoddard, Joaquin Miller, Prentice Mulford, George Alfred Townsend and Alexander Del Mar were regular contributors of The Chronicle during the eighties. Stoddard was sent to the Hawaiian islands and to the Near East and his letters were a regular Sunday feature of The Chronicle for nearly eleven years. Joaquin Miller's contributions were as frequent, but did not extend over so long a period. Prentice Mulford wrote articles which were characterized by one critic as common sense philosophy. He was far more familiar with life in the mining camps of the early days than Bret Harte, and came nearer giving a true picture of the gold hunters than that author. Alexander Del ]\Iar was a mining engineer whose occupation carried him all over the globe, and, in addition, was an author of distinction and became a recognized authority on the subject of money. Some of his earliest work was done for The Chronicle, and one notal)le article, written in 1881, on the growth of corporations, foreshadowed in a remarkable numner what has since come to pass. It was sometime in the eighties that W. W. Xaughton, afterward the sporting editor of the Examiner, attached himself to The Chronicle staff. He recalled with considerable amusement a short time before ^^\% his death, in a conversation with the writer, the fact that Writers ^^''^n he first began to make a specialty of reporting sports for The Chronicle the question was seriously raised whether there was enough news of that particular kind to furnish a couple of columns regularly on Sundays, in addition to that pre- sented in the dailv. Tliomas E. Flyim, who was the first to undertake the task of providing a regular column of that sort, can testify that the job 134 Journalism in California was not an easy one. The reference to Flynn's connection with Tlie Chronicle recalls the fact that he, with Arthur McEwen and Joseph Good- man, during the eighties started a weekly paper, the professed object of which was to hold up a journalistic mirror in which defective San Fran- ciscans might see themselves as others saw them. The venture earned Avhat the French call "an esteemed success," hut it was not profitable, and met an early fate. The trio were exceptionally fine newspaper men and excellent writers, but their journal, even with the help of Sam Davis, who was one of the organizers of the Sazerac lying club, proved an unprofitable venture. CHAPTER XVII MIDWINTER EXPOSITION OF 1894 AND ITS EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS. A New Building for The Chronicle at Market, Creary and Kearny — An Architectural Departure Which Caused Much Headshaking — M. H. de Young's Bold Innova- tion — The Chronicle 's Big Strides in the Eleven Years Between 1879 and 1890 — A Sixty-Page Edition — Some Remarkable Comparisons — Hard Times After a Period of Prosperity — A Successful Attempt to Turn Aside Adversity — M. H. de Young's Proposition to Hold a Midwinter Fair — A Conspicuous Instance of the Journalism That Does Things — The Story of a Big Enterprise — The Manner of Its Suggestion in Chicago at the Columbian F^ir — An Idea Received With Enthusiasm — The Ball Set Rolling in Chicago— Local Attempts to Head off the Project— Fears That It Could Not Be Successfully Carried Through— The First Modest Plans — Organization Effected and M. H. de Young Selected Director- General — Commissioners Oppose Location of Fair in Golden Gate Park — Formal Ground Breaking August 24, 1893 — Work for the Unemployed — Four Short Months in Which to Get Ready — One Hundred and Fifty Buildings Erected — Ready to Open on Time — A Succession of Festivals and Other Events — An Exposition Which Was Made to Finance Itself — What It Did for Golden Gate Park and the City of San Francisco. N THE 10th of June, 1890, the proprietor of The Chronicle held a reception in the new hiiilding on the corner of Market, Geary and Kearny streets, especially constructed to house the new plant of the paper. The event was one of more than ordinary importance hecause it marked a departure in architecture which was char- acterized hy many as venturesome, hut the wisdom of which was approved by the event. The era of tall build- ings had begun at the East several years earlier and the term "skyscraper" had already become familiar to San Franciscans, but no one in the city imagined that anyone would be bold enough to .introduce the new style of construction to Californians. When M. IT. de Young, in 1888, announced the consummation of his plans for building a ten-story steel structure on the site which was made the center and heart of the city by the carrying out of his determination there was a general shaking of heads. San Fran- cisco had undergone an experience twenty years earlier which was still fresh in the minds of many, and predictions were made that in the event of another visitation the innovator would have cause to regret his temerity. But the apprehensions and criticisms of those who had not investigated the subject had no effect on Mr. de Young, who had gone into the matter thoroughly with tlie leading architects of Chicago, Burnham & Root, the 135 136 Journalism in California Saved From Being a Squatty City pioneers in the construction of lofty office buildings in that city, and Avas convinced, that a building erected, on the most approved modern lines would stand any shock to which it might be subjected. Tlie erection by M. IT. de Young of The Chronicle's ten-story building in its central location may, therefore, be cliaracterized as an exhibition of '"the journalism which does things," as it encouraged the timid to abandon a fear the retention of which would have caused San Francisco to stand out as an exception to American cities. In an era of lofty structures it would have remained a city of low build- ings, wliich would have seemed squatty by comparison with those of the otlier great marts of the country, and would have perpetually advertised to the rest of the world an apprehension which had no real existence, for it was not true at the time that San Franciscans were afraid of earthquakes or gave their possibilities much consideration. The prognosticators of evil were sim])ly indulging in speculations suggested by an innovation, a fact attested by the comparative promptness with which the "daring" example of Mr. de Young of The Chronicle was followed. Nevertheless, it is reasonably certain that the almost' dormant feeling would have proved a sufticient obstacle to a departure from the old order of con- struction liad not someone been brave enough to break away from a limita- tion which was fettering the progress of the city. The erection of The Chronicle building and its occupation on June 10, 1890, was noteworthy, also, for another reason. It marked in a most sig- nificant manner the strides made by the journal in the short space of eleven years. In 1879, when the paper moved into the home built for it on the corner of Kearny and Bush streets, the newspaper men invited to inspect the equipment of the new building concurred in the opinion that it would be adequate to the needs of a growing journal for a century to come. The most imaginative on that September day in 187!) were unable to foresee a tithe of the groat changes eleven years would bring about; they could talk fluently about the expansion of the city, and make estimates of future population, but their prophecies were attended by that vagueness of detail which tells the story of the shadow of an idea too faint to be dignified as a concept. In 1890, when the throngs invited to inspect The Chronicle's new home invaded every part of the Imilding, from the pressroom in the basement to the outlook from the tower, there was a more respectful atti- tude toward possible change. There was a feeling that the new location would become the heart of the city, but, in the minds of some at least, there lurked the idea that more room might be needed on that particular corner at some future day, and that the spick and span new e(iuipment from top to bottom might have the same fate as that left behind at Kearny and Bush streets, when The Chronicle moved into its new quarters. Although the reception occurred on the lOtli of June, the event was not celebrated in the columns of the y)aper until June 22d, when a sixty- page edition was issued. This was by all odds the largest paper ever printed on the Pacific Coast. Its princi])nl features were an illustrated description of the new building, and a detailed history of the progress of the paper during the twenty-five years of its existence. This afl"orded a fine opportunity to make some instructive comparisons, and they were made in a way whicli conveyed to the reader the impression that the juipp in size Big Strides Made in Eleven Years l-'IKST STKEL "SK YSCJiA IMJ i; ' IN SAN FKAXCISCO Erected by M. H. de Young in 1890, on the corner of Market, Geary and Kearny streets, and occupied by the Chronicle until April, 1906. I Story of a Big Enterprise 137 from the little sheet of four pages of four columns each, to a sixty-page paper of 420 columns was a big one, and well worth dwelling upon. There was no disputing the fact that the 9345 inches of reading matter Largest ^^ ^'^^ sixty-page issue made a formidable showing when com- Paper pared with the 216 inches of the premier issue, of which to Date nearly three-fourths was advertising, l)ut the writer, had he been able to put aside the veil of the future, would have been less sure than he seemed to be that high water mark had been reached, for since that time special editions of twice sixty pages have been printed, and the regular Sunday issue ecjuals that upon which so much stress was de- servedly laid in 1890. Another feature of the sixty-page edition was a section devoted to describing the growth of Pacific Coast towns, and the resources which promoted their advancement. On the literary side there was a distinct advance, and the first installment of chapters of a serial by Bret Harte, written especially for The Chronicle, and entitled "Through the Santa Clara Wheat," gave promise that the Sunday magazine was to con- tinue distinctive as well as interesting. The prosperity which falsified the predictions of the antagonists of the new Constitution of 1879 continued during the eighties and showed no signs of abating until 1893, the year of the Columbian Exposition. Nearly a quarter of a century of the closer relations with the East, ^. produced by the opening of the transcontinental railroads, Tollow ^^^^ created conditions on the Coast which made its trade and Prosperity finances respond more quickly than formerly to the aberra- tions of Eastern markets. It was no longer possible as it had been twenty years earlier to escape a panic or depression having its origin on the other side of the Eoeky mountains. When the collapse which fol- lowed the election of G rover Cleveland in 1892 occurred San Francisco began to show signs of suffering in common with the rest of the Union. That it escaped without serious injury and went through a financial storm which resulted in broken banks, receiverships and bankruptcies throughout the rest of the Union is wholly attributable to the fact that M. H. de Young, realizing the impending danger and being a firm believer in the theory that it is wise in times of great stress to divert the mind from brooding, suggested and promoted a project which accomplislied that object and tided the community safely over the shoals of impending disaster. The project and the mode of carrying out were frankly recognized at the time as the' most conspicuous instance in the history of American newspapering of "the journalism that does things." From the moment of the inception of the idea of holding an interna- tional exposition at Chicago, The Chronicle had taken a lively interest in the success of the enterprise and contributed largely to the enthusiasm which resulted in California making one of the best and most Y ■ ^' ,^^ attractive exhibits. In recognition of the personal part taken Work^a\ ^^Y ^^^- ^^ Young in promoting the idea of making Cali- Chicago fornia's showing in its peculiar industries unrivaled, he was appointed National Commissioner at Large, by President Harrison, to represent the United States Government at the Chicago Columbian Exposition, and was subsequently elected vice-president of the National Commission. Having accepted the important positions, he gave the duties devolving upon him earnest attention, and before and after the 138 Journalism in California opening of tlie exposition he was in constant attendance in Chicago. His work as National Commissioner brought him into close relation with many foreign exhibitors, and that fact played its part in the formation of the idea which bore such excellent fruit. He found that many of them were greatly interested in California and their inciuiries suggested that their curiosity inight be made to take a form that would prove beneficial to the State. Having satisfied himself on this latter point, he broached what he had in mind to several prominent Californians who were in Chicago at the time, and was gratified to find that the suggestion made by him, that it would be possible to hold a fair in San Francisco at the conclusion of the Columbian Exj)osition, was received with enthusiasm. The idea, as first outlined by Mr. de Young on May 31st, was much more modest than the subsequent realization. He thought that a suitable location could be secured in (lolden C}ate Park on which to erect a building the size of the ]\Iechanics' Pavilion, in which exhibits coukl j^ be housed, and that their exhibition could be made attractive That Grew % inducing some of the best concessions to visit San Fran- Rapidly cisco. Twenty acres was tentatively mentioned by him as about the quantity of si)ace that would be required. The exchange of views by the Californians in Chicago was immediately followed by the transmission of dispatches to the Governor of California and the Mayor of the city, and prompt replies were received from them indicating their willingness to assist in forwarding the project. The latter called a meeting of prominent San Franciscans. They all agreed that such a. fair as Mr. de Young proposed would be beneficial in many ways, but the most of them thought that the depression in business which had already made itself felt in San Francisco would prove an insuperable obstacle to raising the necessary funds to carry out the enterprise. A little inquiry by tlie minority of the conference developed the fact that Mr. de Young's suggestion, which was given publicity by the press, aj)pealed to the people. When he was informed concerning the apprehen- sion that the enterprise could not be financed in a time of th^*^"^ depression, Mr. de Young, on June 5th, telegraphed : "Per- Ball ^""I't me to put down my name as a subscriber to the amount Rolling of $5000." On June lith, Mr. de Young, at a meeting called by the California Colum])ian Club in Chicago, at which there were over a hundred persons present, went more fully into details. There were several commissioners from foreign countries present, who expressed favorable views and gave assurances that their respective nations would be represented creditably, if not in an official way, at least satisfactorily so far as exhibits were concerned. Speeches were made by prominent Cali- fornians in which the belief was expressed that the fair could be made a great success and that it would result in a magnificent advertisement of the climate and resources of the Golden State. A subscription list was passed around at this meeting and $11,500 was subscribed. A full account of the meeting in the Califoi-nia Building was telegraphed to San Fran- cisco, which had the effect of increasing the popular desire for the suggested fair, but did not entirely allay the fears of those Avho had expressed doubts concerning the a])ility to raise the fund that would be required to finance the undertaking, and at a meeting held on June 13th in the Mayor's office a resolution was offered which would have sidetracked the proposition had 14 Story of a Big Enterprise 13!) it carried. But the advocates of the fair protested against tiiis suinniary disposition, and asked tlie appointment of a committee of fifty to investigate the matter furtlier. The fifty citizens were named by the Mayor and effected an organiza- tion. A committee of eleven of their number was created to formuhite a plan of progress, which was submitted at a meeting held in the City Hall on June 2yth. At this gathering the aijprehensive were out Desienation "^ ^"^^ force and several of them expressed the oi)iniou that Midwinter if would be impossible to carry out Mr. de Young's idea of Fair getting up an exhibition whose name would advertise to the world (California's climatic advantages in the brief period allotted. When the idea was first broached by Mr. de Young in Chicago lie spoke of the potency of the phrase "Midwinter Exposition," and that title was accepted, as was also the suggestion that it should be opened on the 1st of the succeeding January. The majority of the conMuittee did not share the timidity of those who urged that the time was too short to get ready and that the money to do so could not be raised in a hurry. Speeches were made in favor of going ahead, and there were numerous allusions to the suggestion made in a telegram from ]\Ir. de Young that the effect of holding a fair in a time of depression would serve to convince the rest of the country that the affairs of San Francisco and California were on a solid foundation. The discussion ended in the adoption of a plan of pernument organization, wliicli liad for its main feature the provi- sion that four buildings should be erected, the cost of which in the aggregate was not to exceed $500,000. On the ensuing day, M. IT. de Young was elected President and Director-General by the citizens' committee, and an advisory board, con- sisting of P. N. Lilienthal, Irwin C. Stump, E. B. Mitchell and A. Andrews of San Francisco, Eugene Gregory of Sacramento, Young Elected •^''^^'^^^ ^^- ^^'^ °^ Colfax, Fulton G. Berry of Fresno and Director- *^ Joseph S. Slauson of Los Angeles, was also formed. As soon General as Mr. de Young was apprised of his election he returned to San Francisco from Chicago, and immediately on his arrival set to work formulating the details. His experience gained as a National Commissioner to the Ccjlumbian Exposition was drawn upon and he soon had affairs moving in such a fashion that the skeptical abandoned their doubts. The work of securing the necessary funds was energetically ])uslied, and it speedily develoj)ed the soundness of the view that the right thing to do when a financial stress is threatened is to create a condition which will divert thought from impending trouble. It is noteworthy that when the subscription list was passed around all sorts of persons were ready to contribute, the workingman handing in bis offering as freely as the mer- chant who had faith that the enterprise would Ijcnefit business, or the railroad, whose managers could foresee increased transportation receipts. The total amount sui)scribed, including the value of ccmtributions other than money, was $344,319.59. The sum may seem small compared with the amounts expended on other expositions before and since, but the results achieved will bear comparison with the best. When the idea of the Midwinter Exposition was first mooted by Mr. de Young, he spoke of twenty acres as a tract sufficiently large for the pur- pose in view, and be also mentioned Golden Gate Park as the proper place 140 Journalism in California in wliic'li to locate the exhibition. It did not occur to him, or to anyone else for that matter, that there would be any objection to temporarily devoting a portion of the people's pleasure ground to a use which would . . benefit the community. By far the greater part of the more Location" *° ^^^^^ ^ thousand acres composing the Park M'as a waste of in sand hills and scrub brush, and he proposed redeeming as Park much of this unfrequented wilderness as would be required. But he had revised his opinion concerning the area which he at first had thought would suffice for all requirements. The multiplying evidences of popularity, and requests for space from neighboring states and counties, and from concessionaires, made it clear to him that ten times as much land as was at first suggested would be needed, and he astonished the Park Commissioners by preferring a re(iuest to set aside two hundred acres. Intimations had been thrown out before formal application was made that it would be denied on the ground that the Park could not properly be put to the use proposed, but Mr. de Young, by an energetic presentation of what he expected to accomplish, persuaded the Commissioners that good public policy demanded that "Concert Valley," then a wild waste, should be temporarily surrendered, the promise, afterward made good, being given that it would be restored in such shape that the original plans for its permanent improvement would be greatly facilitated. The Park Commissioners' consent to the use of Concert Valley being obtained, Director-Ceneral de Young lost no time in preparing the site for the occupation of the buildings decided upon. On the 24th of August, in the presence of about sixty thousand people, ground was Formallv formally broken. The ceremony was preceded by a military Broken ^^id civic procession, one o,f the divisions of which was a big band of workingmen, a part of the army of unemployed who were to be benefited by the enterprise about to be inaugurated. Mr. de Young made a speech before turning the first shovelful of earth, which was largely devoted to describing the benefits which he predicted would follow the successful carrying out of the enterprise, in the course of which he dwelt ujwn the relief that would be afforded to a large number of unemployed artisans and toilers of all kinds, not forgetting to remind his hearers that the l)est possible remedy for a business depression Avas to do something calculated to turn the mind from its contemplation. This he declared would surely happen when the community woke to the full realiza- tion of what it was purposed to accomplish. Speeches, of similar import were made by W. H. L. Barnes and Irving M. Scott, and the first earth was turned with the silver shovel especially made for the occasion. From that moment. Concert Valley was a scene of activity. With an eye to dramatic effect, the Director-General had in readiness a band of workers with teams, and the crowd of sixty thousand witnessed the begin- ning of the task of converting an unsightly waste of two hun- Months^n^* dred acres into a suitable site for the big buildings, the plans Which to Get ^'^^ which would be in readiness before the contractor, work Ready he ever so swiftly, could prepare the ground. There was no waiting for anything after the ground breaking ceremony, for it had been decided that the fair should be opened on the 1st of January, 1H94. That left but four short months in which to complete some loO buildings, great and small, put the grounds in order and to ini:,tall the ex- Story of a Big Enterprise 141 liibits. It will be recalled that when the project was first suggested a single building of the size of the Mechanics' Pavilion, and provision for the attrac- tions of concessionaires, were spoken of, but long before the ceremony of ground breaking the Director-CJeneral had foreseen that every foot of the two hundred acres asked for would be needed to meet the demands of intending participants. The main buildings decided upon, which were to surround the Grand Court of Honor, were under construction before the contractor who was putting the grounds into shape had completely finished his task. They were five in number, and the largest, dedicated to Manufactures Buildings '"^*^ Liberal Arts, was 4G2 feet long and 225 feet wide, and the ^^''^'^ ^'^ annex 370 feet by GO feet. The style of archi- Grand Court tecture was an adaptation from the California mission. The next largest was the Horticultural and Agricultural Building, 400 ])y 200 feet, surmounted by a dome 100 feet in diameter and ninety feet high. The architect in the main followed Spanish and Romanes(|ue in his treatment, which had also a suggestion of the old missions. The Mechanical Arts had an East Indian motive. It was 330 feet long by 160 deep. The Fine Arts was suggestive of Egypt, and with its decorations of sphinxs and hieroglyphs it presented a unique and not unpleasing appear- ance. Its dimensions wore 120x00 feet, but, before the fair opened, an annex had to be provided to accommodate the exhibits. The Administra- tion building, with its gilded dome 1:55 feet high, was one of the most striking structures on the Grand Court. The architect went to Byzantium for his model, but in the ornamentation used Gothic and Moresque motives impartially, producing a satisfactory effect. It is worth noting that in scheming the general effect the color idea was adopted. The historian of the Midwinter Fair, commenting on this feature, said : "The buildings were so beautifully colored that the Grand Court, around which they stood, was said by visiting journalists to entitle the exposition to the name of 'The Opal City.' " In addition to the five main buildings on the Grand Court the Com- mission constructed a Festival Hall, LSOxlGO feet, in which concerts were given and which provided a place for the meeting of conventions, several of which were held while the fair was in progress. The ^^f ^}^}}^^^^ affffreffate cost of these six principal structures was $353,731. Buildings No account appears to have been kept of the amount expended Erected in the construction of most of the other buildings erected by states, counties, foreign countries and concessionaires, some of which nearly rivaled in size the principal structures. Several of the counties maintained separate exhibits, notably Alameda, while, in other cases, sections united for a common display. The Northern and Central counties resorted to this latter course, and Southern California had a hand- some building, in which its special products were displayed. The State of Nevada made an effective display, and Oregon showed what could be done with the lumber from its great forests. The Chinese had one of the most striking exhibits, housed in a structure of a style not seen outside of China before, and the Japanese gave visitors an idea of their landscape gardening l)y fashioning the "Tea Garden," which still exists in the Park as a memorial of the Midwinter Fair, it being presented to the Commis- sioners after the closing of the exposition. 142 Journalism in California The Plaisance of the Midwinter Fair was one of its greatest attrac- tions. The popularity of the name given to the section devoted to conces- sions in Chicago caught the fancy of San Franciscans and hy common con- sent the thoroughfare along and near which the concessions Midway were arranged was called "The Midway." Among the most the Many alluring of these side shows were: The Forty-Nine Camp, Festivals a Dahomey Village, the Streets of Cairo, the Crater of Kilauea of Hawaii, Arizona Indian Village, A^ienna Prater, Heidelberg Castle and German Village, Japanese Theater, Firth Wheel, Oriental Theater, Scenic Eailway, Esquimau Village, North American Indians and Boone's Arena and Menagerie. The buildings and the inclosures for all these concessions, the state and county buildings, the prin- cipal structures on the Grand Court, grandstands and innumerable booths were all in readiness on the day announced for the opening, but untoward weather delayed the arrival of some of the principal exhibits and prevented their installation before the 1st of January, but the fair was informally opened on that date, the Director-General having resolved to redeem the promise made when the project was first launched. The ceremonial opening, which was marked by a grand parade, did not occur until January 29th. The day was beautiful and a vast throng was in attendance, 72,248 passing through the turnstiles. All the foreign exliibits were in place and the concession attractions were ^ ® . . running in full blast. The states and counties were all in Opening readiness, and their displays were a source of gratification to the Pacific Coasters who had the pleasure of seeing them. The exhibits in the foreign sections were very attractively dis- played in booths, many of which were constructed at great expense and handsomely decorated. From that day until the closing of the gates on the Fourth of July, there was a continuous succession of fetes and events. There were parades by day and fireworks and electric displays by night. The first real acquaintance with the possibilities of electricity in the way of illumination was made by San Franciscans when the lofty tower in the center of the Grand Court was picked out with colored incandescent lights, and the fountain at the north end was playing, showing, with the aid of colored prisms operated from beneath, sheaves of wheat, golden and silver cascades of water and other l)eautiful objects. There Avas no lack of music, the best military bands of the East and one specially organized for the fair playing by day, and a splendid string orchestra discoursing symphonic and other liigh class music in Festival Hall at night. There were almond blos- som days and rose and other floral festivals and tournaments at arms. There was something doing all the time, either gay or serious, among events in the latter category being congresses discussing Economics and Politics, Religion, Literature, Education, Chemistry and Woman's Affairs. Nearly 200,000 persons passed through the turnstiles during the first two weeks after the formal opening. The total number of admissions between January 27th and July 4tli Avas 1,315,022. In addition, there was a pre-oxposition record of 78,192 and of 40,8(57 between July 5th and 31st, making a grand total of 1 ,434,081. Among the days of largest attend- ance were the following: Washington's Birthday, 35,000; Examiner's Children's day, 55,000; St. Patrick's day, 75,000; Chronicle Children's day, 90,097, and the closing day, July 4th, 79,082. It was confidently expected Story of a Big Enterprise 143 that the attendance on the closing day would top the 100,000 mark, l)ut the distraction produced by a railroad strike in progress, which had resulted in interrupting communication with the city, destroyed this hope. Attendance ^^'^^en it is kept in mind that the population of the region and the which finds San Francisco easily accessible was not more tlian Big Days one-third as great in 1893 as it is at present, the above showing must be regarded as marvelous and thoroughly indicative of the pleasure loving propensities of the citizens of the Pacific Coast metropolis. In order properly to understand what was accomplished, it is necessary to recall the fact that the Midwinter Exposition did not receive one cent from the municipality, state or nation. It was a purely voluntary affair, and an exhibition of public-spiritedness and enterprise the like of which had never been witnessed in this or auy other country. When compared with some of the expositions which were the recipients of public aid on a liberal scale, San Francisco's Exposition does not suffer by the comparison. The Centennial at Philadelphia only boasted five main buildings and less than 200 structures of all sorts. The Wa^^Mad^^t? ^^^"^ Orleans Fair of 1884-85 received a national loan of a Finance million, which was never repaid, and in addition sold a half Itself million of stock, and obtained $100,000 each from the city of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. The Jamestown Exposition was also liberally endowed by the Xa^ion, but failed to justify itself. San Francisco's undertaking stands almost alone as an instance of an enterprise which practically financed itself after the original volun- tary subscription was provided, and on that account the figures of its final accounting are interesting. The receipts aggregated $1,200,112, being made up of the following items : Subscriptions, $370,775 ; sales of space, $77,855; gate receipts, $531,722; grandstand, $9997; concessions, $125,086; privileges, $89,471, and salvage, $10,445. The principal items of expendi- ture were: Salaries, $240,539; amusements, $113,740, and construction and purchases for museum, $731,377. When the affairs of the enterprise were all wound up, improvements and donations aggregating in value $194,051.49 were turned over to the Park Commissioners. On the oc- casion of the formal presentation of the Museum to the Park the chairman acknowledged the gift in these words: "For years to come the building will remind our people that in the years 1893-94, in the midst of almost unprecedented financial depression, an industrial exposition was here pro- jected and carried to a successful termination. * * * It is no secret that the Park Commissioners did not receive the exposition project in its incep- tion with any degree of hospitality, and that, when they ccmsented to allot space in the Park they did it with misgivings and really in obedience to an overwhelming public opinion. * * * The differences between the exposi- tion directory and the Commissioners are of the past. The exposition has been a success." And that was the verdict of the wliole community, and, because it proved so, the writer makes bold to claim for it the distinction of being the most conspicuous example of the journalism that does things which the country has witnessed. It was the conception of a newspaper man who depended chiefly upon the energetic efforts of his paper to promote the enterprise. Through the instrumentality of The Chronicle enthusiasm was aroused and interest kept alive, and what at first was characterized by the timid as a doubtful undertaking was converted into a glorious success. CHAPTER XVIII JOURNALISTIC CHANGES AND TOLICIES PRIOR TO NINETEEN HUNDRED. No Monopoly in the Field of Journalism — Great Journals the Product of Toil and Patient Upbuilding^ — The Disappearance of the Alta California — A Newspaper Killed by Cheapness — Objection to the Introduction of Pennies — Diminishing Interest in Stock Speculation Causes Death of Two Papers — The Bulletin and Call Change Hands — John D. Spreckels Acquires the Call — Strenuous Adherence to the Policy of Pay-as-You-Go — The Ne\v City Hall of 1870 a Ruin Before It Was Finished — Property Sold by the City Repurchased to Secure a Building Site — The Dollar Limit of Taxation and the Water Supply — The Regulation of Water Rates — Dollar Tax Limit Used as a Political Bait by Boss Buckley — Newspaper Hostility to Smooth Pavements — Editors Who Were Reserved in the Matter of Expressing Opinion — Samuel S. Moffat 's Free Trade Articles in the Examiner — The Chronicle 's Advocacy of the Development of the Resources of the State — Helping Neighboring States and Territories — Good Advice Given to Southern Californians— The Rush to the Klondike — Big Force Sent to Report the Discoveries — A Twelve-Page Edition of the Northern El Dorado — Optimistic Predictions Concerning Alaska — A Book Published in a Single Issue — Chronicle Monographs Reproduced as Public Documents by Congress. HE most important factor in the development and exten- sion of journalism in the United States was the growth of the prosperity of the country. The increasing wealth of its inhabitants made possible the ex])loitation of the numerous inventions, ])oth European and Ameri- can, which had for tiieir object the improvement of the processes of newspaper production, all of which tended toward the multiplication of journals and periodicals of all kinds and the enlargement of the circulations of those already estab- lished. This latter phenomenon concurred with the extinction of once popular favorites. The disappearance of the latter, however, is in no wise attributable to the crowding-out process, for simultaneously with the valedictories of the unfortunate publishers there were constantly appearing salutatory announcements from fresh aspirants for approval who were undeterred by the bad luck or the ill results of the mismanagement of tlie unsuccessful. There is nothing in the history of ncwspapering in San Francisco more striking than this latter fact, and it disposes of the fallacy entertained in some quarters that the great journals of this and other American cities enjoy a monopoly in newsgathering or any other journal- istic field. The fact that it would be hopeless for the possessor of great wealth to enter into successful competition with established journals by the lavish expenditure of money does not prove that those already occupying 144 ^ ' / The Opposition to Pennies 145 the field enjoy a monopoly; it merely emphasizes what many have learned to their cost, namely, that a great newspaper can he created only hy the slow process of upbuilding. On the other hand, a newspaper assumedly well established, and in the enjoyment of all the facilities which experience and public favor can confer, may^ despite apparently inexhaustible resources, meet the fate of the struggling aspirant who attributes his failure to succeed to Calffornia exclusive privileges possessed by his competitors. That was Ceases ^l^e case of the Alta California, which passed out of existence Publication in 1801. The Alta was a pioneer paper, the lineal suc- cessor of the Star and Californian of 1<„«, ritory which afterward became the State of Washington. It Neignboring i"^j. i t, • p ^t i xni tat States and ^'^^ performed a like service tor JSevada, idalio and Mon- Territories tana, taking pleasure in championing their interests and being foremost in advocating their admission to statehood. It had no doubts concerning the value to a people of the right to regulate their own affairs, being convinced that however well intentioned Congress and the executive departments in Washington might be they could not do as well for communities situated thousands of miles from the seat of government as they could themselves. On this theory it urged the admission of Arizona many years before the boon of statehood was conferred. Its tendencies in this direction earned for it the distinction of being regarded as a Pacific Coast journal. Its local contemporaries shared this interest, but they were less convinced of the value of consistent and persistent presentation of the resources and progress of the region "west of the Rockies than The Chroni- cle; at least, they did not lay as much stress on the desirability of pro- moting its settlement as The Chronicle, which constantly acted on the conviction that the development of what was familiarly termed "the Coast" would redound to the advantage of its metropolis. It was upon this theory that The Chronicle boasted of the climate of California and its attractiveness long before the people of Los Angeles awoke to the fact that climate was one of the most valuable assets of South- ern California. In an editorial written shortly after the Southern completion of the railroad which linked Los Angeles with Best ^^^ Francisco, The Chronicle predicted that in tlie near Adviser future people from the East would find their way to that city in as large numbers as those of Europe did to the Riviera. At a later period, when Los Angeles boasted only two very mediocre hotels, the Pico House and the Westminster, it pointed out that hostelries which would rival the best found in Eastern resorts would prove paying invest- ments. It saw in its growth, and that of the entire region south of tlie Teliachapi a promise of the future greatness of San Francisco, which could only occur through the filling up of tlie State and the development of its great resources. In one of its annual issues, that of January 1, 1Cb MO HOPE LEFT FOR SAFETY OF AMY BUILOIMGt BLOW BUILDINES WHOLE CITY UP TO nils ABLAZE IMIAYOR COMFERS WITH MILITARY AMD CITIZENS TITLE PAGE OF THE JOINT PAPER ISSUED BY SAN FRANCISCO'S THREE MORNING DAILIES ON THE DAY AFTER THE DISASTER OF 1906 i Purification by Fire 175 The plants of all the newspapers were totally destroyed by the fire and had to be replaced but before that could be accomplished places had to be prepared for them. The Chronicle was in better case than the other morning papers as it was enabled to install presses in the base- of ^t*he^*^°" ment of the seventeen-story annex, which was approaching Chronicle completion when the disaster occurred. The western part Building of the building on the corner of Market, Geary and Kearny had suffered from the precipitation of the battery of lino- types on the top floor to the basement. This was caused by the burning of the false roof which was constructed after the tower fire in November, 1905, and maintained wdiile two stories were being added. The fire from the roof was communicated to a large quantity of drawings stored in a gallery, which also contained about five or six tons of zinc etchings. The floor of this gallery was of wood, and, when it caught fire, the zinc was dumped on the top of the linotypes and the shock and the added weight caused the entire mass to break through the terra cotta and cement floors of story after story until it reached the basement, burying the three perfecting presses under the debris and carrying with it in its descent the valuable library of the paper which represented more than a quarter of a century's accumulation of reference matter. It was the one irreparable loss. The machinery, which represented an investment of several hundred thousand dollars, could be replaced, but the records and scrapbooks were irreplacable. Although the western end of the building had to be restored, that part facing Market street was easily put in condition for use. A press, procured from the Los Angeles Times, was set up in the basement, a battery of linotypes was installed on the second floor of the annex and a large room on the mez- zanine floor of the old building, accessible from Market street, was devoted to the use of the editorial staff, and The Chronicle was able to announce to the public that it was back in its old home. There were some who were disposed to regard the early removal of The Chronicle to the ash heap as premature, and not a few, strange as it may now seem, had reached the hasty conclusion that the business center had permanently shifted itself to Van Ness avenue, which speedily ^ . . took on the air of a watering place thoroughfare in which Which Had uiucli bunting and plate glass take the place of substantial Consequences structures. But M. H. de Young was convinced that the causes which made Kearny, Geary and Market streets the heart of the city before the fire still existed, and that his example would soon be followed by others. The movement downtown, however, was not precipitate and it is recalled by an employe of the business department of the paper that the appearance of a woman on Market street two or three days after the force took possession of one of the small stores on the Market street side of the building created quite a commotion, the clerks wondering what she was doing down in the ash heap. This was in the closing days of July, 1906, and it was several months before the workers of The Chronicle got rid of the feeling of isolation which familiarity with the neighborhood of Lotta's fountain after nightfall created. The spot, now the busiest in the city, w^as practically deserted when the forces engaged in wrecking buildings had finished their labors for the day, and the street car lines, although they maintained a service, might have abandoned it without greatly impairing their profits. 176 Journalism in California While what was nominally the main office of The Chronicle was estab- lished in the i)resent building before the opening days of the June following the earthquake, the branch, opened on the 21st of April at 1801 Fillmore street, Avas for a long time the busiest. Advertisers found the The First latter the most convenient, and it w'as not until the banks. Start Up insurance companies and the principal commercial establish- Downtown ments, one by one, found their way back to the localities in which they had done business before the conflagration that the publication office of The Chronicle assumed its old-time bustling appear- ance. Apart from that, however," the readers and other patrons of the paper, in less than six months after the disastrous April ISth, could see little in it to remind them of the experience through which it had passed. It was a strenuous time for the proprietor, who was compelled to devote himself untiringly to the work of rehabilitating the mechanical end of his journal and simultaneously drive the reconstruction of the seventeen-story annex and that of preparing to restore the Market street structure. Accord- ing to the records, M. H. de Young's order to rebuild was the first given after the fire. Before the end of July daily editions of fourteen pages were sent out and forty-eight pages were printed on Sundays. In November the daily issues were of sixteen pages, and the Sunday edition was increased to sixty-two pages. On December 22, 1907, an annual containing eighty pages was issued, the largest paper ever printed in San Francisco up to that date. The Examiner and Call displayed less alacrity in getting back into their old quarters. The former of the two continued to be printed in a temporary construction near the water front until the new Hearst build- ing on the corner of Third and Market streets w^as completed, a wooden shack on the corner of those thoroughfares serving as a downtown business office until the erection of its present home. The Examiner and Call, like The Chronicle, had established offices on Fillmore street, and they remained for a long time their principal places of business. Charles de Young was promoted to the position of business manager in the busy days of rehabilitation. His father had not contemplated so rapid an advancement, but during the trying period of lUOG he revised an earlier view and concluded to lessen his own labors by Business making his son assume some responsibilities. A vacancy oc- of^T^^e^^ curred in the management of the business department, and Chronicle Charles was placed in charge. He was the fourth to fill that res])onsib]e position. From the time of the launching of The Chronicle until the death of his brother in 1880, M. II. de Young had given his personal attention to the management of tlie details of the business and had not appointed a manager. The first to fill the position after that date was JosGi)h B. Eliot, who had many years' experience in the office. He remained in charge of the publication department for many years and was succeeded by W. P. Leech and the latter by C. H. Hornick. Charles de Young filled Ihe position of business manager up to within a few weeks of his untimely death, which occurred on Sepiember 17, 1013. The growing business of the paper suggested the necessity of a general supervision, and Charles was designated as publisher, a title which had scarcely become familiar to the public before he passed away. When Charles de Young became publisher, W. H. B. Fowler, the present business manager, was appointed. Mr. Fowler began his career in the Chronicle offic^^as a boy nr. t PRESENT HOME OP THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE 'constructed by M. H de Young- after the disaster of 1906. The first building erected in the downtown district after the great fire. Purification by Fire 177 and filled several roles before assuming his responsible position. His con- nection with the paper was interrupted only long enough to take a Stanford collegiate course. After graduation from that institution he served a while as telegraph news editor, but his aptitude for business attracted Mr. de Young's attention, and he was put in charge of the automobile advertise- ments, which rapidly assumed large proportions under his management. He remained manager of this department until he assumed the business managership. It is worth mentioning as a characteristic of the proprietor of The Chronicle that he has the faculty of retaining employes during long periods. In the fifty years of its career, The Chronicle has had only three cashiers : B. A. Wardell, James G. Chesley and W. D. Burlingame, who now fills that responsible position. Mention has been made in a preceding chapter of the increased atten- tion paid to sports. A column or so of varied paragraphs published once a week and furnished by a reporter familiar with all sorts of diversions met all requirements until near the close of the nineteenth cen- ^^ , fury. After that time the amount of space devoted to the of Interest subject began to be reckoned by pages, requiring several re- in Sports ])orters to produce it, all of whom had to be specialists in their particular line. This necessitated the organization of a de- partment presided over by a sporting editor who directed and supervised. Benny Benjamin was the first sporting editor of The Chronicle in charge of a force of men. He had an international reputation as a turf reporter, and his accounts of prize fights were considered unsurpassed by the critics, and their number was legion. Harry B. Smith, at present in charge of the department, also enjoys the reputation of being an authority, his specialties being baseljall and the ring. There are some who profess to regard with amazement the extraordinary attention paid to sports by American news- papers, but their surprise would suffer diminution if they had any concep- tion of the demand for such intelligence. It is possible that lectures or ser- mons would have a greater educational value than an account of a prize fight, if the patrons of daily papers could be induced to read them, but, un- fortunately, they cannot be persuaded to do so, and insist on neglecting the papers which refuse to print what they desire. Hence the great pre- ponderance of sporting over matter of a more solid character; and, by the way, there would be much less of the latter printed than there is at present if the people who interest themselves in sports threw upon the serious the entire burden of supporting newspapers. The preceding remarks are by way of explanation of a newspaper feat of The Chronicle successfully carried througli by Charles de Young, whose activities when he was business manager, as was befitting in one who ex- pected to succeed his father as head of The Chronicle, were ^ not confined to any department of the paper. In 1910, when Newspaper ^''^ approaching Johnson-Jeffries fight, which was to take Feat place at Eeno, attracted almost as much attention as a Euro- pean war, Mr. de Young organized and personally took charge of a corps of sixteen reporters, correspondents and photographers sent to Reno to report the "great" event for The Chronicle. The force consisted of Ben Benjamin, Harry Smith, Waldemar Young, C. A. Home, Charles Eem- ington, B. D. Johnson, Helen Dare, Jack Densham, Leroy Ripley, George Stanson, Harold Fitch and F. A. Purner of the Chronicle staff and Jack 178 Journalism in California London, Ivex Beach and Thomas E. Flynn, who acted as special corre?])ond- ents. A special Avas engaged to hriiig the photographs taken at the ring- side, which were developed while the train was thuii(lering on its way to tlie city. The fight terminated at 3 P. M. in the defeat of Jetfries, and at 10 P. M. the photographer, accompanied hy Charles Eemington, who was de- tailed to descrihe the flight of the special, arrived in the office. Meanwhile, the Western Union Telegraph Company was transmitting over its wires over 40,000 Avords of descri])tion, which appeared in The Chronicle on the succeeding morning, accompanied hy sixteen half-tones of the rounds, in- cluding the final knockout. Mr. de Young had so thoroughly systematized the work at the Reno end that the vast numher of AVords, representing scores of different filings, reached the office in perfect order, j\Ir. Fitch, the night editor, reporting to the managing editor that in his long experience he had never received a story hy telegraph more easily handled. To round out the account of this newspaper exploit, it should be added that the paper Avas out on sharp time on the morning of the 5th of July, and that at 11 o'clock on the night of the 4th a special edition was dispatched to Reno, Avhich was the first to reach the croAvds Avho had Avitnessed the fight. Charles de Young had to his credit another ncAvspaper exploit which attracted as much attention to San Francisco as it did to the paper. The suggestion being made that the prima , donna Tetrazzini might be induced to sing in public, he succeeded in persuading her to do so on C^mferT^in^ Christmas eve of 11)10. The concert occurred in front of the Front of The ni^in entrance of the Chronicle building, the diva using the Chronicle proprietor's office as her retiring room for the occasion. Never Avas there a greater or more enthusiastic throng as- sembled to hear a singer. The number of listeners Avas estimated to exceed a hundred thousand. JMarkct street for Iavo blocks Avas densely packed, and Third, Geary and Kearny streets contained thousands avIio, although they could not see the singer's face, were content to hear her voice. The evening was delightfully pleasant, and the male part of the audience complimented the prima donna, who insisted on adopting San Francisco as her home, by removing their head coverings. Flashlight pictures of the immense crowd were taken and sent to the leading pictorial publications of the United States and Europe, many of Avliich reproduced the same. An amusing com- mentary on municipal pettiness is contained in the inscription on Lotta's fountain, Avhich falsely states that the diva sang at that spot, but the fact remains that she sang in front of the Chronicle office at the request of The Chronicle. The tablet on the fountain Avas expressly prepared to suppress the truth, but it has only serA-ed to elevate the occurrence to the dignity of an historical event and to call the attention of future generations to the varied forms assumed by ncAvspaper rivalry in the first decade of the twentieth century. The young man Avhose imagiiuition and activity Avere responsible for this and other Chronicle performances, took the same lively interest in public affairs as his father, and Avas foremost in the promotion of ceh'l)ra- tions and pageants. In tlie Portola Fiesta in 190!) and in simihar demon- strations he was full of suggestions and his assistance and advice were always sought. ITe was a director of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, as was also his father, Avho Avas one of the sul)scribers of $25,000 at the big meeting in the Merchants' Exchange Avhen the project was Purification by Fire 179 Untimely Death of Charles de Young launched. Charles was a tireless worker in and out of the office, and en- joyed an extraordinary i)opularity among his fellow workers on the paper. When his untimely death, which occurred on September 17, 1913, was announced, the community was profoundly shocked. lie was carried ofi by typhoid fever, contracted, it is supposed, by- drinking water which had been standing in a neglected pipe. The press of the entire country united in paying a tribute to his marked journalistic ability, and in extending sympathy to his father, whose dream of a lifetime had been that his only son would take up the work when he laid it down. The death of Charles de Young followed very closely on the consummation of a transaction in which he had taken the liveliest interest, and which he expected would achieve great results for the paper. His satisfaction over this accomplishment of his father was the subject of his last conversation with the writer, who had followed his career with the liveliest interest from the day of his birth to the hour of his untimely passing away. .A m CHAPTER XXII THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF JOUENALISM. Purchase of the San rrancisco Call by M. H. de Young — Eetirement From the Field of a Survivor From Pioneer Days — Introduction of Wireless Telegraphy — Increased Complexity of Newspapering — An Album of Portraits of the Working Force of The Chronicle — Kemarkable Expansion of the Midwinter Exposition Memorial Museum — A Product of the Journal That Does Things — The Chioniele's Christmas Ship — Over a Quarter of a Million Articles Sent to the Little Ones of Warring Europe — Charles de Young's Efforts to Brighten the Lives of Unfortunates — Rescuing the Careless From the Clutches of Loan Sharks — The Chronicle's Japanese and Pan-American Editions — Imminence of Another Chronicle Skyscraper. HEN the latest census of newspaper publications and periodicals of all kinds in California was taken in 1913 the total of the enumeration was 818. This embraced 161 dailies, 4 triweeklies, 31 semiweeklies, 502 weeklies, 2 fortnightlies, 9 semimonthlies, 101 monthlies, 5 bi- monthlies and 1 quarterly. Of this number, 1G6 were published in San Francisco, there being nineteen dailies, fifty weeklies, one semiweekly, fifty monthlies, four semimonthlies, one bimonthly and one fortnightly. Of the dailies, nine were published in the English language, four in Chinese, three in Japanese, one in German and two in Italian. Only three of the entire list of dailies, the Bulletin, the German Demokrat and the Journal of Commerce, are survivals from the fifties. Of the weeklies, the News Letter and the Chris- tian Advoc-ate date their birth back to pioneer days. Only one paper, that which today celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, enjoys the distinction of liaving remained uninterruptedly in one ownership from the date of its foundation. All the other journals established a half century or more ago have undergone many clianges of proprietorship, and some of them have been subjected to such transformations that little more than the name originally bestowed upon them links their history with the past. The Ex- aminer, for instance, started its career as an evening paper about the same time that The Chronicle made its first appearance, and was changed into a morning paper several years later. The Call, whose advent in the journalistic field preceded that of The Chronicle by several years, maintained its existence for more than half a century. It was founded, as related in an earlier chapter, ])y a small coterie of printers, who operated it for a short period only. The paper was subse- quently purchased by Claus Spreckels and passed into his possession on 180 The Call Suspends 181 the 1st of January, 1895. During the first two years after its acquisition hy him it was under tlie management of Charles M. Shortridge. On the 113th of August, 1897, tlie Call passed into the possession of M. H. de John D. Spreckels, in whose ownership it remained until Purclmses the September 1, 1913, when it was purchased by M. H. de Call Young, and its publication permanently suspended. The ex- tinction of the Call created a national journalistic sensation, and was hailed with expressions of satisfaction by advertisers, who re- garded the conversion of San Francisco into a two-morning-daily city as tending greatly to simplify their relations with the newspapers and the public generally. At the time of the acquisition of the Call by Mr. de Young it possessed a splendid equipment, the major part of which was absorbed into The Chronicle's plant. The purchase of the Call was the subject of extended comment by the editors of Pacific Coast papers familiar with the early rivalries of the extinguished journal and The Chronicle. Many of them recalled the energetic efi'orts of the de Young boys to break into the San Building Francisco newspaper field, and one claimed to have predicted Qi-eat ^^'6 outcome in 1879. The prophecy, however, made no Newspaper deep impression, and when the purchase was made the sur- prise was general. During the period while the Call was in the possession of John D. Spreckels it was conducted as a thoroughly up-to- date newspaper and was a vigorous competitor for public favor. Had the fact been otherwise, the passing of a journal that had rounded out an ex- istence of nearly sixty years would have attracted less attention. The mortality list of San Francisco newspapers was a long one, but in most instances the community was not disturbed when a publication dropped out of line. The circumstances attending the disappearance of the Call, however, were of such a character that few newspapers throughout the length and breadth of the land refrained from comment, most of it taking the form of approval of w'hat was considered an important tendency in modern journalism, namely, to build up and make a few great newspapers rather than multiply their number at the expense of efficiency. Much space has been devoted by the press of San Francisco and by observing visitors, to the marvelous energy displayed by the community in the work of rehabilitation since the disaster of 190G. The rebuilding of a city is something that forces itself on the attention of the least Introduction observant. When skyscrapers and less lofty structures are Wireless rising in every direction they are recognized by all as im- Telegraphy ])rovements, but the changes made by newspapers, which are usually in the direction of greater efficiency in the presenta- tion of news and increased attractiveness, are less likely to be noticed, be- cause the reading public has become accustomed to accepting journalistic innovations as a matter of course. Some of these latter, however, are worthy recording in a sketch of journalism. Perhaps the most important of these is the extended use of wireless telegraphy, which became of such practical importance in the work of news gathering about 1910 that it is now regarded as an indispensable part of the machinery for collecting in- telligence. It has begun to share with the ocean cables and land wires the duty of swiftly conveying to the editor accounts of occurrences on land and sea, and sometimes it has the mournful monopoly of the recital of 182 Journalism in California disasters on the deep wliieli would never be heard of if Marconi's wonder- ful discovery had^not been made. Tlie results of the employment of wireless communication may pass unnoticed by the average reader, who is not so much interested in the source of tiie news, or how it was obtained, as he is in the news itself, but the investigator who takes the trouble to compare an issue of a Marvelous morning paper of some five or six years ago with one of the Made present day will discover that there are features whose daily Commonplace presentation makes them seem commonplace which really indicate an advancement more marvelous than any recorded during the nineteenth century. In the most prosaic fashion the leading journals of the country daily print items whose publication would have been deemed impossible by a past generation. The owner of a vessel at sea learns from this unostentatious column as he peruses his morning paper that the craft in which he has invested a fortune is safe in some exactly indicated part of a vast ocean; a busy father, whose wife and daugh- ter are traveling, gathers from the brief wireless message that the ship on which they are sailing homeward will reach port on time; the merchant awaiting the arrival of a cargo is informed that he is not likely to be dis- appointed. Sometimes the news brought is tragic, and then it finds a place aniongthe more startling intelligence; but Avhether the information brought by wireless is that of a disaster, or merely a record of the location of a vessel at sea, the method of bringing it will always seem more wonderful than that employed when transmitted through a cable or a land wire. Another innovation more particularly confined to the two San Fran- cisco morning papers is that of issuing successive editions to meet the wants of different localities in the vast area served by them. Before the disaster of 1906 it rarely happened that more than one edition was issued Making ^^^ ^ morning paper; at present as many as five are sent out of Many every morning. The earliest of these appears on the streets at Editions 11 p. m., and meets the requirements of San Francisco's large night population. It is followed at intervals by other editions, which are dispatched by special train or other conveyances to vari- ous localities, all of whose particular needs are recognized and provided for by the publication of items of local interest. The innovation of successive editions was compelled by the rapid growth of population since 1906 in the area contributory to San Francisco. Before tliat date the night editor, unless some accident causing an interruption to communication occurred, awaited the signal "good night" from the Associated Press and telegraphic correspondents. The welcome good night never comes now. The various editions are sent to press at a prescribed minute, and if there is a failure in that regard the circulation department, through the business manager, is sure to ask for an explanation. As a result of the issuance of many editions, the work of the night editor is made much more arduous than in former times, when the paper nearly made itself up. It is no longer possible, as it once was, closely to estimate the quantity of matter to be set by the printers, and it frequently happens that the editors upon Avhom devolve the duty of selecting what shall appear in the paper are obliged to discard much that has been pre- pared for publication. On occasion enough is thrown aside to fill a good- sized sheet. As pointed out in an earlier chapter, the scarcity of news, or The Call Suspends 183 rather the facilities for assemhling it, necessitated efforts to fill up. The problem in the modern newspaper office is entirely different. It is to find a place for the "stuff" which comes to it from hundreds of ''f^the sources and that which is diligently gathered by the large staffs j^ight of reporters and special writers employed on all the leading Editor city papers. Instead of being concerned about obtaining matter to print, the heads of the various departments are called upon to observe the closest watch over the copy prepared by or sub- mitted to them in order to keep within the space allotted them, otherwise the paper would be flooded with relatively inconsequential matter. This requires the exercise of discrimination on the part of every editor en- trusted with the preparation of copy for the printer, but even that fails of its purpose, for when the matter is all up in type there are usually many columns more than can be accommodated in the various editions and the editor is called upon to make a swift decision as to what shall go and what shall be left out. The making of successive editions greatly increases the work in all the mechanical departments of the great city dailies. In the infancy and grow- ing period of American city journalism, the making of a daily paper was a simple affair. No special training was required for those M "^h nerv engaged in its preparation. Given a few competent printers of a, and a press which would print a few thousand copies of a Great Daily four-page sheet in four or five liours and any man capable of writing a swinging editorial and putting together such scraps of information as came to hand could easily turn the trick. The production of a modern daily is something entirely different. There is nothing more complex than the highly organized machinery of a great daily journal. Every part must w^ork in perfect harmony to produce results. The pos- sibility of accident is never considered. Every day takes care of itself. Prevision of the highest order cannot prepare for the morrow. In every other occupation those in charge can foresee what they will be called upon to perform during the ensuing twenty-four hours, but the editor cannot tell what the day may bring forth. It may promise no more than a hum- drum experience requiring the exercise of nothing else than ordinary dili- gence, and may end in the application of high-pressure energy helped out by ingenuity and the eager co-operation of everyone in the establishment. But whether the day is dull or crowded with excitement, everything must go like clockwork, otherwise the paper would not be out on time for the toiler to read on the way to his daily occupation, or the people of leisure to peruse at their breakfast tables. Few people outside the profession have any comprehension of the enormous toil and the great number of persons required to produce the paper which they read with such comfort and satisfaction in the morning. The comparatively insignificant price at which it is sold has a l^rce^"f a fendency to cause those who enjoy the benefits of the mar- Big velous cheapness of newspaper intelligence to underrate the Daily efforts that must be put forth to enable publishers to make a daily presentation of the news of the world. Many will be surprised when told that thousands of active minds and willing hands co- operate to produce that which the reader of the daily paper accepts as a matter of course. Not Ions since the attaches of The Chronicle signalized 184 Journalism in California an occasion by presenting M. H. de Young with a handsomely gotten up album containing the photograph of every employe of the paper whose duties were performed within the precincts of the Chronicle building. The por- traits numbered exactly 258, made up as follows: Editorial staff, ninety- four; business office and circulation and advertising departments, fifty-four; compositors and linotype operators, sixty-three; photo engraving depart- ment, six; stereotypers and pressmen, twenty-nine; engineers, electricians, etc., twelve. In addition to this force, the paper maintains telegraphic correspondents in every place of importance on the Pacific Coast and rep- resentatives in all the news gathering centers of the East and the world. How this large number is emj^loyed it would take a sizable volume to tell. There are some in the editorial department whose productions occupy much space, and others who work just as energetically whose efforts hardly show up at all. There is an impression outside of newspaper Effort to offices that modern journalism exhibits recklessness of state- Get mcnt, but if the average man or woman would display a tithe the Facts of the energy exerted by newspapers to get at the exact facts this would be a more truthful world than it is. A large part of the work of the local staff of a groat city journal is the ascertainment of the truth or falsity of stories circulated by individuals. If the men whose business it is to write had nothing to do but to fill space the force of such a paper as The Chronicle could easily provide matter for thrice as many pages as are daily printed. But, odd as it may seem to the outsider, re- porters are not selected because they can express themselves with facility. That is a qualification eminently desirable, but it is not rated near so highly as the ability to get at the bottom of things. The two qualities are combined in the most successful reporter, but the city editor who understands what the public desires considers the man who after carefully investigating a rumor reports that it has no foundation more favorably than he does the one who thinks he can perform the feat which was once thought impossible of making bricks without straw. In the preceding chapters attempts w^ere made to determine the status of reporting, and some evidence was presented which pointed to a con- tinued improvement in every branch of the art. The esteem in which the work of certain reporters of earlier days is held by oldtimers is g?^® no trustworthy basis for comparison. Not infrequently the of claim is put forward that the haste of turning out a modern Reporting paper militates against the production of good reportorial Avork, but the files do not bear out the assumption, and the fact that the local rooms of the big city dailies have proved the halfway house or the preparatory school for many Avho have found their way into the higher walks of literature abundantly supports the assertion that the modern newspaper, taken as a whole, is very well written. Eecognition of the good work of the present does not constitute a disparagement of the past; it merely tends to discourage a sort of criticism destitute of value because it ignores the conditions responsible for slips, and shuts its eyes to the merit of performances which would be impossil)le to most of the fault finders who pick the flaws and pass over the good things. If there was a greater disposition to hunt for the latter the critics would find abundant opportunity to frame their criticism in appreciative terms. THANKSGIVING DAY AT THIO REI.TKF H< >:«]•: AX1> THJ': CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL The custom of entertaining the children was inaugurated by Charles de Young and has been kept up since his death by his father, M. H. de Young. j The Call Suspends 185 There is still plenty of "the journalism that does things," and the kind that perpetuates things that -were well done. The story of the Midwinter Exposition has already been told, but the success of that Memorial achievement of M. H. de Young by no means ended with the Museum accomplishment of the immediate object aimed at by its pro- ponent. After the closing of the Exposition, Mr. de Young, who always had a fad for collecting curiosities and antiquities, succeeded in getting the consent of the Park Commissioners to leave the Art Building in the Park and permit him to create a museum. This museum was named the Golden Gate Park ]\Iemorial Museum to recall the Mid- winter Exposition. During the past twenty years, M. H. de Young has devoted all his spare time during his travels throughout Europe and the Orient in purchasing curiosities, armor and other valuable exhibits, in the beginning using the fund left after the closing of the Exposition and sub- sequently using his own money. At least eight-tenths of the articles at present in the museum, of which there are over 250,000, have been acquired through the efforts of Mr. de Young. Mr. de Young has main- tained a lively interest in the Museum since 1894, and has ceaselessly worked to promote its growth. It has since become the most popular public institu- tion in San Francisco and has outgrown its original home. An enumera- tion of the treasures in the various departments discloses that it has long since passed the nucleus stage, and is now a full-fledged museum, inviting contributions and recognition. At this writing the pioneer room has a collection of 50,000 articles connected with and illustrating the early history of the State. In the mis- sion room there are over a hundred articles, all relics of the California mis- sions. In the department devoted to ceramics there are 8000 Growth pieces, including royal Meissen Dresden, Majolica, etc. The Valuable chief feature of this room is a cloisonne vase valued at Collection $8000, presented by M. H. de Young. In the room devoted to numismatics there are 2000 coins, many of them ancient and rare. There are 2000 pieces of jewelry, including jades, watches, miniatures, etc., some of them very valuable because of their rarity. In the Napoleonic room there are more than one hundred articles, among them a throne chair and the field glasses of the Emperor. There is a Dutch room containing fifty or more articles of typical Dutch furnishings of vari- ous periods. One of the most interesting departments is that illustrating the Colonial period of the United States, and there is an Egyptian room, containing over 500 reminders of that ancient civilization. The Xorth American room contains 4000 articles; there are fully 600 ecclesiastical exhibits, such as Bibles, vestments, etc. ; a tapestry collection embracing more than a thousand pieces of French, Spanish, Italian and German work- manship, and, in the Oriental department, there are 3000 objects. There is a natural history department, containing fully 40,000 articles pertaining to every branch of this science. The value of these collections is attested by the great interest exhibited by visitors and by the fact that the library pertaining to California history, which already numbers 7000 volumes, and the exhibits are closely studied by an increasing number of students. The increasing popularity of the ]\Iuseum is a tribute to the sagacity of its prac- tical founder, M. H. de Young, and is as much a memorial of "the jour- nalism that does things" as the success of the Midwinter Exposition, which it commemorates. 186 Journalism in California The journalism that does things was given a practical illustration by Charles de Young, the son of M. H., after his assumption of the duties of business manager. It consisted in a sympathetic recognition of the fact that the duty of society does not end with providing homes for Uie\iives"^ unfortunates. Several weeks prior to Thanksgiving day in of the Noveml)er, 1911, Mr. de Young conceived the idea of Unfortunate brightening the cheerless lives of the sick and crippled little ones confined in the Children's Hospital, and that of the aged inmates of the Relief Home. With his accustomed earnestness and energy, he organized an entertainment which appealed greatly to those for whom it was contrived. A troop of soldiers, the Nationals, the oldest military organ- ization in tiie State, in their bright zouave uniforms, and performers from the various vaudeville establishments of the city, were taken early in the morning, in sightseeing automobiles, to tbe hospital and the home. Tlie soldiers were put through their evolutions and the performers did their best stunts and there was plenty of music to enliven the affair. The unwonted treat was so greatly appreciated by those for whom it was designed that it was repeated in the ensuing year, and since the death of Charles de Young the custom has been perpetuated by The Chronicle to honor his memory. The most recent of the activities of The Chronicle was that whicli resulted in the collection of fully a quarter of a million of toys, articles of wearing apparel, etc., in San Francisco and the surrounding country, for the little ones in the warring countries of Europe. The con- ^^®. ception of the happy idea of sending a shipload of Christmas Ship of The gifts to the region in which the conflict was raging met with Chronicle an instant sympathetic and zealous response. The announce- ment was made by The Chronicle on the morning of Septem- ber 26, 1914, that a ship laden with things that would give joy to the sor- rowing youngsters whose fathers were at the front or who had already suf- fered the soldier's cruel fate, would be dispatched to Europe. The prom])- titude with which the readers of The Chronicle responded to the call sur- prised even those familiar with the readiness of San Franciscans to put their hands in their pockets when an appeal is made for children. Before the ink was dry on the paper in which the announcement was made gifts began to pour into the office. Little children brought toys and the grown ups contributed luoney with which to buy articles of wearing apparel, and many brought things in their own hands. Tbe contril)utions poured in so freely that a depot for their reception and storage had to be provided, and M. II. de Young placed at the disposal of the committee which he caused to be organized, a large store in the Chronicle building. Here a corps of volunteers consisting of ^^^*^, well-known society ladies, assisted by employes of The Chron- Children of ^^^^^ received and arranged the gifts for shipment by the Belligerents United States collier Jason, which was tendered by the Secre- tary of the Navy, to transport the contributions to Europe. During the month devoted to the collection of gifts it is estimated that over a quarter of a million articles were brought or sent to the depot, and, when the Christmas Ship campaign came to a close on October 25th, there were 450 big packing cases, filled to the bursting point, ready for shipment. The Southern Pacific Railroad undertook the transportation of f The Call Suspends 187 the gifts to the East. The procession of the eleven hig trucks from tlie Chronicle office to the freight station on Berry street was viewed by tliou- sands of people. But the generosity of contributors did not cease with this consignment. Gifts continued to come to the office, and a day later fifty- four more -cases were sent after the original lot. The Jason carried them safely over the water to Europe, and their distribution in the countries to which they were consigned drew forth expressions of gratitude and appre- ciation from highest to lowest. The press sometimes succeeds in remedying evils of long standing, and which have occupied a largo share of public attention, with a rapidity which surprises those who have labored to mitigate them. In all cities there is a class of improvidents and unfortunates whose carelessness or Sharks and necessities drive them into the toils of what are familiarly Their called "loan sharks." San Francisco had its share of the Victims latter, and, if the records of the courts can be depended upon, they are a particularly voracious breed. In the early part of the year 1912 The Chronicle inaugurated a crusade against these creatures, which had for its outcome the establishment in San Francisco of a "Eemedial Loan xVssociation." On February 20, 1912, the Welfare Com- mittee of the Board of Supervisors was waited upon by a number of prom- inent citizens, who proposed a plan for the abatement of the evil, which was subsequently adopted. On the 24th of March articles of incorporation and a constitution for the San Francisco Eemedial Loan Association were drawn up and favorably acted upon by a committee which met in the Chamber of Commerce. It provided for the creation of a board of fifteen directors, and authorized the making of small, loans on chattel mortgages. On December 6th of the same year the new institution opened its doors, and in the course of the first month's business the association loaned $13,601 to 1295. Thus there was accomplished in less than a year, through the agency of The Chronicle, an object which earnest men and women had been aiming to achieve for more than a decade. The Eemedial Loan Association is now a fixture, and the community is satisfied that it is doing excellent work and making it more and more difficult for rapacious money lenders to extort money from needy persons who may be frightened into paying extortionate rates for small accommodations. The "journalism that does things," while commanding popular applause, and often entailing the expenditure of a great deal of tliought and energy, is after all only the spectacular side of newspapering. The greatest accom- plishment of journalism is the ability displayed by those Growth directing the affairs of great journals to constantly enlarge of The their spheres of usefulness, and to increase the interest of their Chronicle patrons. The hallmark of successful journalism is innovation and improvement. In the retrospect each year must present an improvement over that of the preceding year. That has conspicuously been the case with The Chronicle since its foundation fifty years ago by the brothers, Charles and M. H. de Young. The survivor of the two is able to look back half a century and see in the files of The Chronicle the result of his care and arduous labors. The fact that there was no slip back during the interval is eloquently testified by the evidences of constant growth. The product of his paper was good fifty years ago; it was better ten years later. ' Every decade has added to its attractiveness and value. 188 Journalism in California Improvement has been made when improvement no longer seemed possible, and that is likely to be the future record of the paper. In no way can the vast strides of journalism in California, or, for that matter, the whole United States, be more accurately measured than by a comparison of the special papers issued by a great i)ublication. Special . publications may be regarded as the milestones in the develop- Pan-American ^^^^^^ ^f journalism. They clearly mark its progress. During Japanese recent years there have not been many noteworthy changes Editions in the regular daily issues; the number of pages printed is about the same as when the introduction of the perfecting press caused a reduction in size and an increase in the number, but enter- prise has been exhibited in the field which The Chronicle entered when the brothers de Young were still working together. Their example has been followed by many papers and exhaustive accounts of noteworthy occurrences are no longer uncommon. Big annuals are printed by the leading journals of the great American cities, and none now neglects to signalize great hap- penings Ijy exhaustive accounts which deal with the subject treated from every possible angle calculated to interest or inform the reader. But it remained for The Chronicle to introduce still another innovation, namely the issuance of editions dealing with the commercial development of nations having intimate relations with the United States. On October 22, 1911, The Chronicle published an edition of 104 pages, fifty-two of which were devoted to describing the industrial advancement of the Japanese people. A representative of the paper was sent to that country and as a result of his visit every conceivable phase of the commercial development of Japan was fully dealt with. In like manner, on October 28, 1913, a Pan-American edition was published, seventy pages of which dealt with the countries of Central and South America. It was the most exhaustive presentation of trade conditions in Latin American, and the possibility of developing more intimate relations, ever printed in an American paper. These great editions tell the story of newspaper development with almost scientific precision. The daily presentation of the news is a matter of ef- fective organization which permits the prompt recording of happenings. If the latter are important they are interesting to the reader, Editions ^^"^ ^''® most absorbing details of an occurrence of an unpre- Milestones of rneditated sort, unless possessed of extraordinary features. Progress part with their interest very rapidly and prevent comparison, excepting on a basis of length or mode of arrangement. But the special edition never loses its interest. It has tlie qualities which have caused such writings as Froissart's Chronicles, or Motley's description of a Dutch pageant to retain their freshness for successive generations of readers. That is due to the fact that they are conscious efforts to realize what is called the most important function of a newspaper; to faithfully mirror the times in which it is printed. The elaborate account of the re- ception to Grant in 1879, on his return from his world tour, and the ex- tended description of the Portola festivities in October, 1909, have a his- torical value, as do also the Rehabilitation issue of May 3, 1908, printed to show the degree of recovery since the disaster of two years earlier, and the big edition of May 7th, eleven pages of which were devoted to the re- ception of San Francisco to the United States squadron of battleships on the occasion of its voyage around the world. WILLIS POLK AND COJMrANY'S DESIGN FOR A xN'EW CHRONICLE BUILDING The Call Suspends 189 Another Chronicle Skyscraper There are still other indices of journalistic progress. In earlier chap- ters mention lias been made of the fact that the de Young brothers con- structed the first building in San Francisco wholly devoted to newspaper purposes in 1879, and that M. H. de Young made the bold move of erecting the first skyscraper in this city in 1890, and now it remains to round out the narrative by a reference to the ambitious design of the gifted architect, Willis Polk, who has drawn jilans for a Chronicle building to be erected on the site of the present structure on the corner of Market, Geary and Kearny streets, which will exceed in loftiness the tallest building in tlie city. It is proposed to erect in the place of the existing Chronicle editice, whose height on the Market-street side is eleven stories, a structure which will contain thirty-seven habitable stories. This is to be accomplished without interfer- ing with the service of the present building by a well thought-out sectional mode of construction, which would permit the removal of occupants from one part to another as rapidly as each section was completed. The plans of Polk provide for a concrete, fire-proofed, class A building of structural steel, with exterior walls of stone and brick and floors of reinforced con- crete and steel. The corridor walls are to be of marble wainscot and the floors of encaustic tiling and the interior woodwork of oak, the cost of the structure to exceed eleven hundred thousand dollars. The construction of this monumental edifice will not be the "last word in California journal- ism," but it will fittingly indicate to the world that it is marching onward, and that M. H. de Young is determined to keep in the van by being to the fore in civic improvement and placing his great journal in the lead. CHAPTER XXIII THE CHKONICLE'S GOLDEN JUBILEE AND EXPOSITION EDITION. Publication That Stiroulated Interest in the P. P. I. E. — Ninety-two Pages of Beading Matter and Illustrations — Advertising Eecord Breaker — Auspicious Opening of San Francisco's Glreat Show — Critics Declare That It Has Surpassed All Previous Expositions — Record Breaking Attendance of the First Months — An Ancient Question Up for Decision — The Attempt to Unload Spring Valley on the City — A Contest in Which The Chronicle Stood Alone and Won Out. HE ]ireceding cliapters appeared in a special edition of the San Francisco Chronicle published on the 16th of January, 1915. Certain references have probably in- dicated to' the reader that, the publication of the sketch of journalism had for its object the celebration of an event which was regarded with great interest by the newspaper fraternity of the United States; but it remained to be related in this concluding chapter how it was received, and to describe at some length the features of the San Francisco Chronicle's Exposition and Golden Jubilee Edition. That it merits attention in a sketch of California journalism will be conceded when it is stated that the appearance of the jubilee edition was greeted with eulogistic comments by contemporaries throughout the entire Union. The tone of these told the story of a clear recognition by editors that a great journalistic feat had been accomplished, and that The Chron- icle had added another to its long list of striking achievements of the sort characterized by the phrase : "The journalism that does things." The tributes to the publication were exceeded in warmth only by the congratulations extended to M. H. de Young, wliose fiftieth year of con- tinuous ownership and conduct of The Chronicle tlie Jul)ilee Edition cele- brated. The foremost publishers and editors of the land literally showered good wishes and compliments upon him, and commented on the unique position he occupies in Ameri- can journalism. In successive editions of The Chronicle after January 16th pages of these congratulatory letters were printed to testify the recipient's appreciation and to substantiate the as- sumption of the writer of this sketch that the leading journalists of America recognized in the San Francisco Chronicle an exponent of "the journalism that does things." The Jubilee Edition consisted of ninety-two pages. Its principal feature 190 Lavish Praise Bestowed OJr* c ■- - ~-^ . . t. C I^ "^^ ■^j ro -: ^ " Oj" .o JT . - "3 c w <^ w ^ 0) O M ■-'"5 O ^^ _, ^ Cti «£> Hi) Golden Jubilee Edition 191 was the sketch of "Journalism in California," here reproduced. It oc- cupied twenty-two pages, or 176 columns, making it, perhaps, the longest article ever printed in a single issue of a daily paper. In addition to this there were presented twelve pages devoted to describing the scope of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, which was on the eve of being opened to the public. It was by all odds the most comprehensive account of the preparations for the great event published up to that time and was accompanied by numerous half-tones, among them a double-page birdseye view of the palaces and other completed buildings. It shared with tiie history of journalism the lavish praise bestowed upon the edition. The editors who reviewed the contents of the Jubilee Edition of The Chronicle were not slow to remark that the issue in itself constituted a milestone on San Francisco's road of progress. One writer called attention to the significance of the fact that there were 335 columns Formidable °^ advertisements. "It would have been marvelous," he said, Show of "even if the onward march had been uninterrupted, that a Advertisementscity whose years numbered scarcely sixty-five should be able to furnish the support so great a quantity of advertising in a single issue implies, but when it is borne in mind that less than nine years ago The Chronicle was compelled to reorganize and grow over again, words fail adequately to describe the astounding accomplishment." This sized up the situation exactly, and it is not surprising that the thousand or more editors who critically examined the Jubilee Edition were able to form a juster estimate of the thoroughness of San Francisco's rehabilitation than they could have done from the perusal of pages of statistics, albeit there was plenty of such information in its columns. "Boosters" do not lack the ability to frame alluring stories, but ninety- two page editions containing 335 columns of advertising tell a tale that the most critical examination by an advocate of blue sky legislation could not discredit. There can hardly be two opinions concerning the judgment passed on that part of the Jubilee Edition devoted to showing the state of com- pleteness of the exposition. There had been much misinformation dis- seminated by Eastern newspapers calculated to convey the D bt impression that circumstances created by the war would make Cleared i^ necessary to defer the opening of the fair, perhaps compel Away its indefinite postponement. Contradictions seemed power- less to correct the error, perhaps because the few words in which they were couched failed to attract public attention. But when The Chronicle hurled its broadside of facts, which it took pains to get into the hands of every influential editor on the other side of the Bocky mountains, doubts on the subject vanished like mist before a summer morning's sun. The Jubilee Edition was published on the 16th of January, and long before the opening day of the exposition, which occurred on the 20th of February, there were few places throughout the length and breadth of the land that had not been made aware of the stage of readiness attained. Birdseye views, pictures of State buildings and those of foreign countries furnished evidence from which there was no escape. There was no more incredulity. It was exchanged for wondering expressions that San Fran- cisco, in spite of all that had happened, was courageously moving ahead. 192 Journalism in California and Avas to afford to the world the spectacle of showing the progress made in the arts of peace while the greatest conflict of all times was raging in Europe. The opening took place on the day planned, and the promise of those who projected the great enterprise and devoted years of strenuous labor to perfecting the design of making the Panama-Pacific International Exposi- tion surpass all preceding affairs of the kind was realized. ^ ® The palaces devoted to exhibits were completed and the Opened^on installation was so far advanced that the gaps made by Time tl'e failure of several foreign nations to get their displays into place were scarcely noticed. The ceremonies attending the opening were less formal in their character than those witnessed at previous international expositions in this country. Instead of a military parade it was suggested that an invasion of the grounds by citizens en masse would be more impressive. No serious attempt was made to organize the throngs that passed through the many gates into the grounds, but the multitude marching along Van Xess avenue comported itself with as much orderliness as if drilled by captains, and presented a spectacle as amazing as it was unique. Nearly a quarter of a million people passed through the turnstiles on that eventful 20th day of February, the exact number recorded being 245,143. This vast multitude must have shared the view later expressed by the eminent art critic, Royal Cortissoz of New York, in Q the Tribune of that city, that "the most interesting work of Million ^^^ ^^ ^^^® f^^^ ^^ ^'^® ^'^^^" itself." It is a fact worth putting Attendance down in black and white that comparatively few on tliat open- ing day penetrated to the interior of the exhibit palaces. They were content to feast their eyes on what Mr. Cortissoz characterized "the realization of the poet's vision," "a dream come true." They felt what he so well expressed that it was "exquisite, the quintessence of all things exquisite." Admiration equally enthusiastic was felt and expressed by other dis- tinguished visitors, perhaps in a more prosaic but none the less convincing fashion. The Secretary of Interior, Franklin K. Lane, deputed by the President to represent the Nation at tlie opening function, tlie chief ex- ecutive feeling that he could not desert his post at ^yashington, owing to the constant demands upon his attention created by the European war, voiced his amazement in a brief but eloquent speech which was telegraphed all over the world, and was accepted as a deserved tribute to the greatest achievement of modern times. There were many who had feared that the great conflict raging on tlie other side of the Atlantic would compel the postponement of tbe exposition, but when the President touched the button in his cabinet Avliich sent tlie radio flash that started up the machinery of the fair, they Started revised their earlier o])inion, and freely gave utterance to jjj^^iQ the belief that the perseverance in the project would cause Plash it to be distinguished from all similar undertakings. It would focus the attention of mankind upon the fact that, while the nations of the old world were engaged in the bloody work of trying to extinguish each other, Americans were occupied in an admirable effort to show the progress achieved by mankind in the arts of pea^ee. Golden Jubilee Edition 193 During the first three days of the exposition 440,644 persons passed througli tTie turnstiles. It had been supposed that the remoteness of San Francisco from the great centers of population would militate against a large patronage. It was said, when San Francisco urged upon Congress the propriety of according to the city which had been foremost in promoting interest in the construction of the Panama canal the honor of celebrating the completion of the greatest enterprise of modern times, that the Pacific Coast was too far away from the heart of the country to make the affair a success. Doubtless those who urged this objection were convinced of the sound- ness of the assumption, but they underrated the spirit of the community which had in the short space of nine years completely recovered from the terrible disaster which had wiped out the efforts of more than ^^^ . a half century of energetic city building. Long before the Not'^off^tlie opening of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition the Map rehabilitation had been the subject of wondering comment throughout the world, but it needed the accomplishment which has extorted universal tributes to crystallize the freely expressed opinion that the twentieth century had witnessed no greater achievement than that of the metropolis of the Pacific Coast, which had succeeded in surpassing all previous attempts to illustrate the progress of mankind. Whether the expectations created by the astonishing record of the first two months of the exposition are realized or not does not much matter. There is every reason for believing that the figures of attendance at the Columbian and the Louisiana Purchase Expositions will not greatly exceed those of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, if at all. At the date of this writing. May 9th, 4,370,897 admissions had been recorded, and the tide of travel toward San Francisco was just beginning to rise. There is, therefore, some warrant for the assurance felt that the exposition of 1915 will not suffer by comparison on this score, and that it will have proved more than what the French speak of as a success d'estime, which it is already conceded to be by competent and unbiased critics who un- hesitatingly declare that in comprehensiveness and attractiveness it has never been surpassed. That the newspapers of San Francisco may justly claim that a large part of this success was due to their untiring efforts to stimulate interest in the great enterprise is recognized on every hand. The people, however, have become so accustomed to witnessing the performance of ^^'^^ this duty they have almost ceased to recognize the service per- ^j^g formed and accept it as a matter of course, only pausing to Newspapers express surprise when the boost note is occasionally inter- rupted by a deserved bit of criticism. It is too early to tell the story of the exposition. That will be done later by many writers, some of whom may see the propriety of according to the press full credit for the share taken by it in the promotion of the great undertaking. To round out this sketch of journalism in California another verification of the saying that history repeats itself may be cited. In an earlier chapter the story of the winning of the fight for the adoption of the Constitution of 1879 by The Chronicle was told at some length. Its m.ost pronounced journalistic feature was the prominence it gave to the fact that the only newspaper advocating its adoption was The Chronicle. This feat of 194 Journalism in California winning out against the combination of many interests was nearly paralleled in the contest over the proposal of the Spring Valley Water Company to sell a part of its property to San Francisco for the sum of $34,500,000. The question of the acquisition of a water supply by the municipality had been under discussion for many years, and the public mind had become greatly confused over the subject. Upon one point there was something approaching unanimity of sentiment. At an election held to Another secure the necessary authority to issue bonds for the purpose Sup^ply °^ introducing water from the Iletch-Hetchy valley to the Campaign city, the people voted nearly twenty to one in favor of the project. At this election there was little evidence that the voters had in mind acquiring any supply other than that which could be derived from the Sierra. Had there been a suggestion that the $45,000,000 asked for was to be supplemented by a demand for an addi- tional $35,000,000, it would have been flouted. There was no mistaking the attitude of the community at that time. It found plain expression in denunciation of the course of the corporation and in the emphatic demand for pure mountain water. Subsequently Spring Valley by clever manipulation succeeded in placing obstacles in the way of the speedy introduction of Sierra water, and actually managed to create the impression that the only mode of settling the water question was to buy the reservoirs and other property of the peninsula system. There were some who believed that it would be desirable to acquire the Spring Valley system, but the most of those who lent support to the proposition submitted in 1910 to buy it at a cost of $35,000,000 frankly admitted that they did so because they were convinced that the Spring Valley corporation was a sort of "old man of the sea," and that if permitted to continue in ex- istence the growth of the city would be retarded. At the election when the $35,000,000 proposition was submitted, all the property of the Sprjng Valley was included. The proposal came near receiving the requisite two-thirds vote, and would probably have done so had not the then Mayor, McCarthy, opposed the purchase on J^Jl® . the ground that the price was excessive. He undoubtedly Wins a influenced enough voters to defeat the proposal. It does not Big Victory appear that there was any effort made to secure a reduction of the price demanded by Spring Valley. After some agita- tion condemnation proceedings were begun by the city, but they were not pushed, and the community toward the close of 1914 was treated to a gen- uine surprise by the administration in power, which announced that it looked with favor on an offer of Spring Valley to sell part of its property for $34,500,000 and half of a large sum of impounded excess rates which the courts had decided should be restored to consumers from whom they had been illegally exacted. The Chronicle vigorously opposed the proposal, pointing out that the offer of Spring Valley was a virtual increase of from ten to fifteen million dollars over the amount rejected at the preceding election. It demonstrated statistically and otherwise that the withdrawn lands were worth several million dollars and that the company proposed to hold out much land which would be needed if its stored waters were to be saved from pollution. Every paper in San Francisco but The Chronicle advocated the purchase, but it failed of acceptance by nearly 8000 votes. ^ swn^asco CHRONICl Jan.lG 1915 Fiflj/ Ifearp oFCati£rjm okamahsMj '■^m^PS' TITLE PAGE OP JUBILEE EDITION OP SAN B'RANCISCO CHRONICLE, PUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 1915 19 SCENE AT THE PANAMA-PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION ON THE OPENING DAY Golden Jubilee Edition 195 It is probable that the question will be definitely settled before this sketch of journalism in California ceases to interest San Franciscans, but it may be confidently predicted that better arguments will have to be sup- plied than were offered on May 20, 1915, before the people of San Fran- cisco will be induced to abandon the idea of bringing water from the Sierra to the city. Memoirs of George Hamlin Fitch ^ George Hamlin Fitch His Memoirs of Thirty-five Years on The Chronicle HIETY-FIVE years of continuous service on one news- paper is a rather remarkable record in this country, where change is the rule, not the exception. Yet my long service on The Chronicle is exceeded by that of several men, still in harness, among whom may be named John P. Young, the managing editor; Edward J. Andersen, the librarian; Henry F, Blote, collector, and W. F. Cameron, traveling advertising solicitor. All these men were on The Chronicle when I joined it in the winter of 1879-80. It is a distinction of The Chronicle, shared by very few newspapers in this country, that it has kept men as heads of departments for long terms of service. FREE FROM OFFICE POLITICS The Chronicle office has been, in the main, free from what is known as politics — that is, if a man was competent and attended to his work, he felt assured that his situation was safe. In too many American news- paper offices the caprice of the proprietor makes employment very uncer- tain. No one can tell what a day may bring forth. On one New York newspaper the proprietor, who is largely an absentee, has been known to jump an obscure reporter to the important post of managing editor and to install a correspondent in a small suburban town as city editor. Of course, in such an office, there is no loyalty to the paper, and no feeling of safety. In other offices the proprietor has favorites who are permitted a free hand, and no one who does not kowtow to these favorites is permitted to remain on the staff. In such offices rivals for the favor of the chief always have a knife ready for each other. They spend much of the energy which should be devoted to their work in protecting themselves from attack and in planning means of removing dangerous rivals. STARTING OF THE CHRONICLE It was not my fortune to see the founding of The Chronicle by Charles and M. H. de Young in 1865. My boyhood was spent in San Francisco, but in the same year that The Chronicle was started my parents removed to the East. For fourteen years my life was spent in New York State and South Carolina, in preparatory schools, on a Southern plantation 199 200 Journalism in California and in Cornell University. During all these years friends iu this city frequently sent me copies of The Chronicle, so that I was familiar with its remarkable success. Finally in June, 1879, I came back to San Francisco, intending to spend a few months with my parents and then return to the K^ew York Tribune, where I had been three years. MY FIRST WORK ON THE CHRONICLE The fact that a substitute at the telegraph news desk proved incom- petent gave me a chance to work several weeks on The Chronicle. Then when the regular editor returned I tried to do work in the local department, but the city editor, evidently fearing that I might prove to be a rival, refused to print any of my contributions. lie was exceedingly polite and was always desolated, as the French say, that there was no sjjace for my articles, but I soon saw that it was hopeless to attempt to do any work under him. When fall came and I was preparing to return to New York, my parents urged me to stay in San Francisco, and suggested that I try to get a place on The Chronicle. As the telegraph editor, Horace E. Hudson, was about to go to Sacramento to serve as Legislative correspondent, I was offered his place, and in addition was given the work of book reviewer, which then was not strenuous, as The Chronicle printed only about two columns of reviews every Sunday. WORK OF THE DE YOUNG BROTHERS Thus it came about that I was brought into daily contact with the two proprietors of The Chronicle and witnessed some of the stirring history of those early years. Looking then at the youthful face of Charles de Young, it seemed scarcely credible that he had been engaged for fourteen years in the work of issuing a daily newspaper, with no help save that of his brother, M. H. de Young, who managed the business department. The history of American journalism has no parallel for the founding and the growth of the San Francisco Chronicle. Most of the large news- papers of this country were founded by men Avho had conspicuous financial or political backing; but here was a paper started by two boys, 17 and 19 years of age, practically self-educated, and carried on from week to week with no assurance that it would live beyond any week. AGAINST THE FIERCEST COMPETITION No assistance was ever given The Chronicle by any big corporation or political body. The two brothers fought their way up against the fiercest competition. The old, well-established newspapers seemed to feel it as a personal grievance that this young, aggressive journal should have the hardihood to rush into the field and to beat them at their own game. Started as the Dramatic Chronicle for free distribution in the various theaters, the paper in three years won such success that it became a regular daily newspaper, independent in politics and in all other things. The success of The Chronicle was largely due to the fact that both proprietors were practical printers, knew all about the newspaper game, and had the instinctive news sense without which no great success in journalism was ever won. They also possessed the equally valuable faculty of selecting SCULPTURK AT THt: KXiH.i.srriON: AUTUMN, BY FURIO PICCIRILLI Founding of the Chronicle 201 the right men to carry on the various dej^artments of the paper. Ilence it was that with a comparatively small but brilliant editorial force, The Chronicle won its way to the leadership of the San Francisco newspaper world. Its first big news beat was in giving all the details of the great earth- quake of 1868 hours before the other papers appeared on the street. In the years that followed The Chronicle was always first in the field with the news and first also to champion the cause of the common people. Its history is mainly a record of fights against old established rights by which monopo- lies and cajDitalists cheated the people who work with their hands. BRILLIANT STAFF OF EARLY DAYS Among the brilliant men who helped to make The Chronicle famous in those early days were William M. Lalfan, who afterward became a power on the New York Sun and organized a great news bureau ; Tom Xewcombe; Howard F. Sutherland, one of the best city editors San Francisco ever saw, who is now known as a poet and writer of unusual charm; Ned Townsend whose "Chimmie Fadden" sketches gave him a national reputation; Sam Davis, a genuine humorist, who made the Carson Appeal known all over the country for its racy humor and its laughable "fakes;" Dan O'Connell, a writer of melodious verse and a man of singular charm of manner; Charles Warren Stoddard, the poet of the South Seas, and one of the finest writers California has produced; Frank Pixley, who afterward founded the Argo- naut and made people watch for its appearance to see what he had to say of the week's events ; Fred Somers, a literary genius, whose early death was a great loss to American periodical literature; Sam Scabough, the ablest of the old-time editorial writers, who abandoned the Sacramento Union when it was bought by the railroad and who continued to write sledge-hammer editorials for The Chronicle literally to the day of his death ; Charles Wet- more ; D. F. Yerdenal, a brilliant, witty writer, who for years wrote a regular weekly letter from New York ; Harry Dam, most versatile of Avriters, who afterward made a great hit in London Journalism, and Frank Bailey Millard, who as a literary free lance has contributed for years to leading American magazines. GENIUS OF CHARLES DE YOUNG All these men were Avriters and most of them had the newspaper faculty highly developed ; but abler than any of them was Charles de Young, who had picked up his newspaper training. In fact, he was a newspaper genius, with no limit to his capacity for grasping news opportunities and turning them to brilliant account. A tireless worker, he seemed to have the power of infecting others with his own enthusiasm, so that when he set about the working up of any big newspaper "story" he electrified the whole office. Every man was on his mettle, and the result was a remarkable amount of work done in record time at the highest pressure. When I came on The Chronicle my curiosity was very strong in regard to the personal traits of Charles de Young, whose fame as a newspaper genius had reached New York. He usually came into the office late in the evening, and generally he was "loaded" with some story, unknown to the 202 Journalism in California other newspapers. He was the terror of the old night editor, because he began at once to rip up all the arrangements for the morning paper. He sent out half a dozen men to get further facts, and then when they came lushing in with their stories he rapidly ran through their "copy" and indi- cated features which should be further developed. The pages that had been carefully "made up" he cleared for his sensation, and he remained to see that the heads were well written and that everything was in shape. Only when the presses began to clang would he go home with a copy of The Chronicle damp from the press. SPECIMEN OF HIS EFFECTIVE WORK A few days after I joined The Chronicle Charles de Young gave a conspicuous exhibition of his genius for newspaper work. The City Archi- tect had been harshly criticised because of some errors in his plans for what was then known as the new City Hall at McAllister and Larkin streets. Charles de Young sent to his correspondent in Chicago and had the archi- tect's Chicago record dug up. It was found he had been dismissed because steps that he had designed for a schoolhouse did not reach to the front door. All these facts, with a diagram showing the faulty plans, were printed by The Chronicle in a broadside which filled more than a page. The architect read The Chronicle at his breakfast, came down to his office and handed in his resignation. That was a specimen of the effective work done by Charles de Young when he once decided on a course of action. TRAITS OF M. H. DE YOUNG When swift and unexpected death removed Charles de Young in 1880, the control of The Chronicle was taken up by his brother, M. H. de Young, who ever since has continued to manage the newspaper. It is not often that a man combines the qualities of a great editor and an able business man- ager, yet M. H. de Young is one of the few men who have made a con- spicuous success in both branches of journalism. Whitelaw Eeid was the only other American editor who was able to manage both branches of a news- paper with rare ability. The elder Bennett, Qreeley, Raymond, Bryant, Dana, AVatterson, Murat Halstead and Samuel Bowles — all were great editors, but not one could have managed the business department of the journals that they made famous. It was this rare business ability, with a conservatism which never interfered with the development of the news, which gave The Chronicle such a great impetus in the early '80s, The State in those years made rapid progress, and The Chronicle kept pace with the growth and development of California. My relations with M. H. de Young have always been pleasant and so great became my attachment to the paper that one time when offered a very large increase of salary to join the staff of another San Francisco paper, I found when I attempted to go that it was impossible. And this loyalty is shared by nearly every one who has worked years on the paper. Founding of the Chronicle 208 WORK AS NIGHT EDITOR Much of my work in the last thirty-five years has been that of the night editor, the man who actually arranges the news in the paper and has the last word in its development. He it is who meets sudden emergencies late at night and often recasts the paper to disphiy sensational news. The work demands prompt decision, iron nerve and great capacity to resist nervous strain. The successful niglit editor always has one eye on the clock, and he must have the faculty of getting the best work out of the make-up men in his charge. He must be able to "cut" a column stoiy to a third of a column and yet not drop out any nuiterial facts, and all this must be done at top speed. ONE OF THE CHRONICLE "BEATS" In my career on The Chronicle the greatest news beat scored was on the occasion of the death of General Grant at Mt. McGregor on the Hudson. Grant had been kept alive for days by his doctors so that he could finish his biography, the proceeds of which he desired to leave for the support of his wife. He died at 8 o'clock in the morning, which was 5 o'clock in San Francisco. On that night I had had a feeling that the news of his death would come. So I had the three-page obituary stereotyped and ready and after finishing work at the office I strolled down to the Western Union office to have a talk with the night manager. He happened to be alone in the large operating room which, usually noisy with the click of many telegraph instruments, was now as still as death. Suddenly while we were talking there was a sharp call on the New York wnre. The manager said, "That's it!" and jumped to the key. In a moment he called out, "General Grant is dead !" I seized the sheet and rushed at high speed to The Chronicle office. Instantly tlie news was set up, the headlines changed, and in 15 minutes The Chronicle, announcing the death, was flying from the presses. Although 25,000 papers had been ''run off," these were "killed" and The Chronicle reached all its country and local subscribers with the news of Grant's death. The other papers got out extras three hours later. The Chronicle was the only American newspaper which reached every subscriber with this important news. THE SUNDAY BOOK PAGE Another branch of newspaper work in which I have taken the keenest interest is book reviews. It is not often that one man imites executive work and the writing of literary criticism. But with me books have been my hobby, and writing which would have worn out another man has been my chief relaxation from strenuous executive work. In carrying on the literary page, which has become so marked a feature of the Sunday edition of The Chronicle, M. H. de Young gave me an absolutely free hand from the out- set, so that the page has been conducted with perfect freedom from all advertising taint. Never in all these years has Mr. de Young ever asked me to give a poor book a good notice because it was advertised liberally. With consistent purpose I have managed this page in the interest of the reader of good books, and although many readers may have differed with me in my judgments of books, no one ever brought the charge of dishonesty 204 Journalism in California or incompetence against any of the reviews. In these years hundreds of letters have come to me from men and women saying they had been helped by my suggestions in this' book page. Scores of young authors, especially California writers, have told me that my reviews were the first to call at- tention to their work and to predict for them the success and fame which the years brought. This literary page has come to have a distinct value in the eyes of local and Eastern publishers, and much of this success is due to the fact that M. II. de Young trusted my judgment and never interfered with my work, CHARLEY DE YOUNG'S INFLUENCE All those who worked on The Chronicle during the last nine years could not fail to be influenced by young Charles de Young, who seemed to have inherited much of the newspaper genius of his dead uncle, whose name he bore. The great tire first tested the qualities of Charles de Young. Every night for over two months that The Chronicle was printed in Oak- land he came down to the ferry in his auto after midnight and personally saw to the work of starting the launch across the bay. Usually he accom- panied it to the foot of the pier across the bay, where the Chronicles were w^aiting. He saw that the bundles were all ready, and on this side he car ried them up-town in his auto and personally supervised the sending out of the carriers. Many times in those weeks he sent me messages over the tele- phone, warmly praising the good newspaper which we had got out with so much labor and nervous strain. Later, when The Chronicle building was rehabilitated, he became the life of the place and continued to show his keen interest in every depart- ment of the paper until stricken with the illness which cut short his active and useful life. Singularly democratic in all his tastes, Charles de Young had the faculty of inspiring those around him with his own abounding energy and enthusiasm and had he lived he would have impressed his personality on California journalism. The saddest feature of his death Avas that it came just Avlien he was reaching the fullness of his powers. These reminiscences I have written very frankly because it seems to me that such work as this is only effective when it comes straight from the heart. Much of my life has been given to the service of The Chronicle, and although it may have lacked variety or any conspicuous success, yet in this retrospect there is the satisfaction of work done honestly and well, and of having had a share in the building up of a great American newspaper. f Early Day Men 20 ^ Early-Day Men A Record of Some of the Achievements of The Chronicle By THOMAS E. FLYNN ONDERING on the fact that The Chronicle has reached its fiftieth anniversary overwhelms me with a flood of recollections, and out of the glooming shadows of the past appear many once familiar faces that are seen no more in the crowded haunts of men. The thoughts of the journalistic world, concentrated chiefly on things of today and tomorrow, seldom turn to those of the long ago. Only when some extraordinary occurrence stirs the memory, does the mind of a busy newspaper man concern itself deeply with the what-has-been. Longfellow's lines, "Let the dead past bury its dead, act, act in the living present," would be an appropriate motto for the editorial rooms of every live newspaper. On the fiftieth anniversary of The Chronicle, however, the motto would fail to check a retrospective turn of the thoughts of any journalist who was connected with the paper in its earlier struggles for recognition and success, CEASELESS HIGH PRESSURE OF NEWSPAPER WORK Fifty years is a long time in the life of anything human, and nothing devoid of flesh and blood is more intensely human in its interest and pur- poses than a great morning newspaper. Every day it must be created anew, and it dies with the sunset. The creators must forever toil like Sisyphus doomed to roll his huge rock to the summit of a hill only to see it return to the base and perpetuate his agony. For human endeavor at ceaseless high pressure is a form of agony. Call it, if you please, a labor of love, as, indeed, journalism ever continues to be to the born journalist, but the eupheanism does not alter the fact that the morning newspaper which greets us with unfailing regularity, is born daily of an unremitting travail of mind and body unknown in any other form of human enterprise. The merchant, the farmer, the manufacturer — aye, even the warring soldier — has his periods of relaxation ; and when the harvest is done, or the busy commercial season is ended, or peace restored, the agriculturist and the trader and the man of battles make up in grateful relaxation the waste of nervous energy. But the newspaper man must never sleep at the switch, lest the train of opportunity go thundering by and leave him in the lurch. Tn his eternal vigilance for news he must emulate the many-headed Cerberus, watchdog 207 208 Journalism in California of the gates of Pluto, who took even his noonday naps with at least one eye wide open and fixed on business. In the newspaper profession a man may toil for ten years to establish a good reputation, and lose it all in one night by some accidental slip, for which the rigid rules of discipline hold him responsible. Nothing is ac- counted so worthy of commendation on a live newspaper, and succeeds so well, as infallible success in beating the hated rival, so that the proprietor thereof may tear his hair when he compares botli newspapers over his morning coffee, and, if of unchristian tendencies, load the atmosphere with language not set forth in his family Bible. Occasional success does not succeed in journalism. It must be continuous. A SUM IN MULTIPLICATION When you multiply by 365 the sum of the mental and physical effort embodied in one issue of a great daily newspaper, you obtain an idea of what a single year's production requires in expenditure of intellectual energy as well as physical labor and hard cash. Multiply that again by the fifty years of The Chronicle's existence and the stupendousness of the figures becomes staggering to anyone conversant with the complicated and costly processes of modern newspaper publication. Not one man in a thousand who founds a daily newspaper of even the least importance lives to see the fruition of his hopes and plans at the end of half a century. For that reason Mr. M. H. de Young, seated at his desk, directing all the departments of his great journal, and seemingly as alert, ambitious, resourceful and progressive as when I first saw him in the earlier stages of The Chronicle's existence, is to me an amazing example of inexhaustible mental and physical force — in a word, a remarkable phenomenon of perpetual motion. This may seem extravagant language, but, looking at the proprietor of The Chronicle, I cannot disassociate him in my mind from the hundreds of his contemporaries who long since reached their ultimate milestone. Some of them dropped by the wayside before they approached their desti- nation, and few journeyed to the end with anything suggestive of the elasticity and unshaken courage of their vigorous manhood. WHERE ARE THE SNOWS OF YESTERYEAR? Where are all those old-time publishers whose names were as household words? Where be the host of clever writers of those bygone days, the merry wits of Bohemia whose quips and cranks so often set the table in a roar? Where be the grave and serious-minded editors, whose incisive pens dis- dained the tittle-tattle of the hour and dealt with the deeds of men who were making history ? Where are the snows of yesteryear ? Of many more I might ask the same That are but dust that the breezes blow, But I desist, for none may claim To stand against death, that lays all low. So wrote Francois Villon, who, besides being a fine poet, was a great scapegrace. What an epic could have flowed from the pen of that talented rascal had he been part of the early life of San Francisco in which The Chronicle was born and attained its virility ! What a field for the exercise SCULPTURE AT THE EXPOSITION: THE GENIUS OF CREATION, BY DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH Some of Its Achievements 209 of the genius of a Dickens, observant of the rapid evolution of a gokl-seeker's rendezvous into a great entrepot, full of picturesque adventures from the four quarters of the globe! Seldom has there been such a heterogeneous collection of contending forces. There was to be seen in sharp contradistinction the culture and aristo- cratic class, pride of the old Southern planter life, arrayed against an ag- gressive and plebeian democracy recruited from the farms and manufactur- ing centers of the Atlantic states and the peasantry of Europe. ]S"ew Eng- land puritanism and thrift struggled uncompromisingly with the forces of riotous pleasure and the rampant spirit of reckless speculation and outright gambling. STRENUOUS JOURNALISM TO THE LIMIT In the early days when The Chronicle began to be recognized as a journalistic influence to be reckoned with, the memory of the vigilante days was comparatively fresh in the public mind, and law and order were in control of the community. Nevertheless, the public still demanded strenuous journalism carried to the full limit, and if a little in excess it did not hurt the publisher's circulation. The personal note was very strong in jour- nalism, though it was not altogether a safe or wise proceeding to express one's full detestation of a hated rival. The code of honor had but lately beeii in full force and effect among gentlemen in California, and if duelling pistols had been relegated to the junk shops, or disposed of to the pawn offices, revolvers and derringers that carried ounce bullets were plentiful. To ascribe to a journalist the domi- nant characteristics of Ananias, or impugn his previous record for honesty was not unlikely to call forth a spirited physical protest, more effective than a double-leaded editorial reply in a newspaper. Occasional clashes between impetuous knights of the quill were a source of great perplexity to Police Judges, who then, as now, preferred to hold the scales of justice so evenly that nobody of influence went to jail, and all hands helped the eminent jurist at the next election. Evidently the enterprising management of the Chronicle was eminently satisfactory to the community, for the paper grew in circulation and adver- tising prosperity. Youth loves to be iconoclastic, and the pet amusement of the young Chronicle was to smash popular idols and show that their feet were made of common clay. To expose cheats of any kind was an enter- prise in which proprietors and staff joined whole-heartedly. Among the characteristic exploits of the young Chronicle was the unmasking of a spiritualistic fraurl, who had mystified and deceived the greater part of the English-speaking world which was then intensely interested in occultism. One of The Chronicle's reporters was William Laffan, who afterward became a metropolitan publisher. Laffan conceived the idea of suddenly illuminating the hall where the materializing seances were given, and M. H. de Young entered heartily into the plot. All the paraphernalia of exposure having been prepared, the journalistic conspirators took their places in various parts of ^Piatt's Hall. As usual, the spirits were energetic, and ghostly manifestations set the hair of the credulous on end. Musical instruments floated above them and the air seemed overladen with spooks. 210 Journalism in California CHRONICLE'S EXPOSURE OF A CHARLATAN At the psychological moment, the signal to light up was given, and every Chronicle man in the hall touched olf his magnesium light, illuminat- ing the place with a merciless glare that j)ut the medium out of business. The charlatan was caught with the goods on him, for the lights exposed the fellow as he stood on the edge of the stage personating his stock ghosts by the simplest devices, and relying on the superstitious credulity of his audience to bamboozle them. Next day The Chronicle, of course, made the most of the expose, and thus deepened the growing conviction of the early-day subscribers that they should buy the new paper, and keep buying it if they wished to get the news. I could write many pages of The Chronicle descriptive of reportorial exploits that kept the circulation rising like the thermometer on a mid- summer day. Let nobody suppose that the standards of literature in journalism then were such as any noodle could hope to exceed. Mark Twain had not long ceased writing for The Chronicle, and aspiring humorists were expected by such ruthless city editors as Dennis McCarthy, S. F. Sutherland and Tommie Newcomb to endeavor at least to be Twains. What a task ! McCarthy had been editor of the Virginia City Enterprise, where Twain made his reputation, and had slaughtered reams of the great humorist's manuscripts with his merciless blue pencil. McCarthy afterward became managing editor of The Chronicle prior to John P. Young's appearance on the staff, and having made a considerable fortune in Comstock mining shares, bought the Virginia City Chronicle, which was then a valuable property. FAMOUS OLD-TIME MANAGING EDITOR Another famous old-time managing editor of The Chronicle \vhose familiar face I recall, was John Timmins. Shaven like an Episcopal minister and suggestive in appearance and manner of the pulpit rather than the editorial chair, John Timmins was for decades the Fidus Achates of Charles and M. H. de Young, until he was induced to enter the service of W. R. Hearst as managing editor of the Examiner. How many have been the changes in the personnel of The Chronicle since I first saw John Timmins bending over his editorial desk in the old office on Clay street, like an austere clergyman conning his notes for the next sermon ! Men have come and men have gone, changes almost cataclysmic have occurred in San Francisco, but throughout all the mutations of time and fortune The Chronicle has steadily advanced from the position of a journalistic experiment to a recognized place in the front rank of the great newspapers of America. In those days the standard of literature had been set by Bret Harte and his contemporaries. They composed a galaxy which so far has not been outshone. Many of the recognized literary men of the early days, including Harte, were contributors to The Chronicle. Some of Its Achievements 211 FAMOUS CONTRIBUTORS TO THE CHRONICLE San Francisco then supported a purely literary weekly, "The Golden Era," which was edited by RoUin M. Daggett, who afterward was con- nected with the American diplomatic service. Some of his work can be found in the old files of The Chronicle, as can that of Joaquin Miller, Charles Warren Stoddard, and other literary people whose reputations became far more than local. It would take a page of The Chronicle to tell of the literary set alone — of Ina Coolbrith, Minnie Myrtle Miller, Anna M. Fitch, Stephen Massett, Orpheus C. Kerr, Prentice Mulford, James McDonough Ford, Gilbert B. Densmore, Harry McDowell. The Chronicle, ever alert for valuable contributors, was in close touch with all the celebrities of the day. At that period San Francisco prided itself on supporting the finest stock company in America — the old California Theater aggregation, headed by John McCullough, the famous tragedian. In the history of the American stage the story of the old California Theater stock company has become a classic. The great actors of the world appeared in the California Theater and every gallery god in San Francisco knew what Booth's Hamlet looked like. THERE WERE GIANT ARTISTS IN THOSE DAYS There were painters, too, in those days, whom time proved to be giants — Tom Hill, William Keith, Julian Eix, Jules Tavernier and others whose pictures live. In such an environment, with an art atmosphere distinctly developed, no new journal could hope to succeed on the plane of frontier or provincial journalism. Cleverness was an essential in the quality of the matter pre- sented to the reading public, and The Chronicle bid for the best writers obtainable in New York as well as in San Francisco. Many bright men from the New York Sun and the Herald have rendered valuable service on The Chronicle staff, and helped to establish a metropolitan standard. One of the best known of the Sun men who worked for The Chronicle for sev- eral years was R. D. Bogart who, in several lines, had no superior on any paper in the country. As early as 1880 a man who went to New York with a- record of having done good work on the San Francisco Chronicle could get an en- gagement on the leading metropolitan newspapers. Even at that time the California contingent had made a name for San Francisco journalists, dramatists and actors. The Chronicle's intimate connection with New York journalism through its policy of employing the best men obtainable had a great deal to do with making the California invasion so successful. THE BEGINNING OF THE BOHEMIAN CLUB In recent years the owner of the New. York Sun was W. M. Laffan, the same Laffan who in the early days of The Chronicle assisted as a reporter in the exposure of the spiritistic fraud in old Piatt's Hall. He went to Baltimore early in the 'seventies and became proprietor of the Baltimore Daily Sun. When the younger Dana disposed of the Sun Laffan was able to purchase that fine property. 212 Journalism in California On the Sun's staff in recent years, as foreign correspondent, was S. F, Sutherland, who was second city editor of The Chronicle. Tommie Xewcomb, who conceived the idea of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco, and, in conjunction with Dan O'Connell, founded the organization, was the first city editor the struggling young Chronicle could boast. The real birthplace of the Bohemian Club was the first Chronicle office in the loft on Clay street, which some ingenious carpenter had managed to partition into the semblance of up-to-date editorial rooms. The club obtained a habitation and a name when Tommie Newcomb, Dan O'Connell and other kindred spirits of The Chronicle's small staff, rented quarters upstairs, at the corner of Sacramento and Webb streets, where the vista included a full view of a well-kiiown undertaker's shop, with the coffins in the win- dows. When the leading lights of printers' row on Clay street could not be found anywhere else, it was safe to bet that an X-ray leveled at the corner of Sacramento and Webb streets would have revealed tlicir where- abouts. James F. Bowman, a literary celebrity of the early days, a poet of considerable talent as well, was one of the few older men who visited the club. Bowman did splendid work as an editorial writer on The Chronicle, and preceded Samuel Seabough, who had made a reputation upon the Sacramento Union as the greatest of California editors. DIFFICULTY OF ESTABLISHING A DAILY PAPER A noteworthy example of the difficulty of establishing a daily news- paper in the early days was the failure of the Mail, which was started to assist in the Senatorial ambitions of Mark McDonald, an affluent celebrity of the mining stock market, and a contemporary of Jim Keene of San Francisco, afterward such a spectacular figure on Wall street. Mark McDonald evidently had money to burn, for he not only started a big daily newspaper, but helped Dr. Wade to build the Grand Opera-house on Mission street, where Patti and other famous queens of song furnished many opportunities to the wealth and fashion of San Francisco to wear their best clothes. The Chronicle had become a recognized fixture in San Francisco journalism by that time, but nevertheless M. H. de Young and his serious- minded and intensely resolute brother Charles, as shrewd publishers, must have looked anxiously at the new Eichmond in the journalistic field. The staff of the ■Mail included men who had done good work on The Chronicle, but the enterprise was foredoomed to failure, and one fine day the Sheriff slapped so many attachments upon the paper that the financial props col- lapsed. That was the last ambitious effort to start a large daily newspaper in San Francisco, THE CHRONICLE DISTANCED ALL RIVALS The Chronicle tacitly announced to the people of San Francisco that it had distanced all its rivals when it abandoned the primitive quarters down on Clay street, where a flickering gaslight struggled to illumine the dingy stairs up which Mark Twain, Bret Harte and many literary celeb- rities of the pioneer cycle had many times climberl. The new home of The Chronicle in its substantial four-story building ^ Some of Its Achievements 213 seemed the acme of journalistic ambition, but almost as soon as the building was constructed the ever-busy mind of M. H. de Young was planning to obtain the coveted corner on which The Chronicle's present skyscraper is situated, at Market and Kearny streets. In the Kearny and Bush street office I met many clever Chronicle men who distinguished themselves in journalism — Ned Townsend, the creator of "Chimmie Fadden," and now a New Jersey Congressman; Harry Dam, afterward private secretary for Governor George Stoneman and still later a magazine writer and London correspondent for New York papers; Peter Eobertson, famous as a dramatic critic; Thomas Vivian, who almost became a really great short-story writer; Charles Warren Stod- dard, the poet, who did brilliant special work; George Hazelton, Wash- ington correspondent, who developed talent as a financier and became a street railroad magnate; A. B. Henderson, formerly of the New York Herald, and correspondent of The Chronicle on the expedition headed by the late Sheriff Harry Morse, which ended the pernicious activities of Tiburcio Vasquez, the last of a band of desperate Mexican bandits and murderers; John Hamilton Gilmour, Frank Bailey Millard, Hugh Hume, afterward proprietor of the Post and now publisher of the Spectator in Portland, Oregon; J. Eoss Jackson, afterward city editor of the Examiner and famous as a raconteur; Horace Hudson, who was city editor of The Chronicle for years and is now manager of the estate of George Hazel- ton; "Bill" Naughton, who became a famous sporting editor; Arthur H. Barendt, afterward president of the Board of Health and shining light in the legal profession ; R. M. Wood, now owner of several thriving class publications; John Bonner, a vigorous editorial writer and father of Ger- aldine Bonner, who contributed serial novels to prominent Eastern pub- lications. While I was connected with The Chronicle in its Kearny and Bush street office a remarkable experiment in journalism was tried by Fred Somers, who had been a reporter on The Chronicle in its Clay street days before Somers, in conjunction with Frank Pixley, who was editorial writer for The Chronicle, started the Argonaut. Not content with that feat, Somers launched a daily called the Epigram, which depended entirely upon feuilletons and disdained to publish the news of the day. The staff of writers included Frank Pixley, Harry Dam, Ned Townsend, Dan O'Con- nell, Jerome A. Hart and myself. The experiment was a distinct failure and the financial loss caused Somers to dispose of his interest in the Argo- naut and go to New York, where he performed the remarkable feat of establishing Current Tj'terature and Short Stories. He sul)se(|uently pub- lished the California Magazine, which proved an unprofitable venture. Altogether the list of Chronicle writers who have distinguished them- selves in journalism and literature compares favorably with that of any daily paper in America. I have a clear recollection of the building of The Chronicle's new home at Kearny and Bush streets. I was editing the Daily Exchange, a financial journal which was published around the corner, and owned by the late Colonel John P. Jackson and D. F. Verdenal. The latter had been a prominent member of the first editorial staff of The Chronicle, and in comparatively recent years was New York correspondent. 214 Journalism in California WHEN RAPID PRESSES WERE NOVELTIES Dan OX'onnell and S. F. Sutherland assisted me on the Daily Exchange, and, being all former Chronicle men, we were much interested in watching the new edifice rise from the deep excavation that had been dug for the presses. Eapid presses were still novelties in those days. One morning when passing the new building with O'Connell, I saw Charles and M. II. de Young engaged in earnest conversation, while standing on the joists of the ground tlcor that had just been laid. "I'll bet they're discussing the business office plans. Let's go over and talk with tiicni," said O'Connell, and we went. The poet's conjecture was right. Not only did we learn how the business office was to be laid out, but we got a comprehensive idea of the whole structure, floor by floor. Charles de Young, though quite cordial and frank with people he knew and liked, was never as communicative or lively in disposition as his brother, and the latter did most of the talking that morning. He had the complete plans of the building fixed in his mind, and the new features that he thought would give the new edifice distinction — the expensive onyx counter, suggestive of money to spare; the massive safe behind the counter, emblematic of solidity and satisfactory daily profits; the proprietors' luxurious private office, the elaborate edi- torial department upstairs, with rooms for special writers, managing editor, city editor and news editor; the big local room, tlie composing room, stereotyping room, and the library. THINGS NOT BEFORE HEARD OF Whoever had heard of a library and a librarian before in pioneer journalism, and an onyx counter? If O'Connell had written on the spur of the moment one of his celebrated "City Lyrics," descriptive of the prob- able effects of The Chronicle's new magnificence on the rival publishers who still adhered to pine and redwood counters and primitive environ- ments, it would have been a gem worth preserving. M. IL de Young was a young man himself in those days, and I think he must have lauglied in his sleeve, in young man fashion, at the thought of his contemporaries' feelings on seeing the new departure in journalistic extravagance in San Fraiicisco. In listening that morning to the description of the building, and ob- serving the complete acquiescence of the two brothers in the business plans, one could see how closely the men were drawn together by the ties of business ambition and consanguinity. First of all they were brothers, and eeeondly were business partners, working enthusiastically and in full accord, THE TWO YOUNG PROPRIETORS OF THE CHRONICLE Charles, the editor, was reserved and contemplative, a man of the quiet sanctum, more disposed to earnest thought and consultation than to untiring business activity. M. H. de Young was the restless, energetic, bustling man of affairs, full of novel projects and happiest in exploiting new fields of enterprise and overcoming serious and sometimes seemingly insurmountable difficulties. IIow he managed to overcome some of them has always been a marvel to me, who have known the inside workings of mi Some of Its Achievements 215 The Chronicle so ■well, for at some critical turns in the earlier history of the journal— not to mention the great fire of 1DU6 — there was recjuired for the directing mind of the newspaper a combination of forethought and executive talent rarely found in a newspaper or any other office. Partnership in business is not always conducive to the greatest success, but undoubtedly the partnership of Charles and M. II. de Young in the early days was most beneficial to the struggling newspaper. While Charles was engrossed in editorial duties within doors, his younger brother was here, there and everywhere, at public meetings, social gatherings, theaters, concerts, constantly studying, planning and executing schemes to increase the circulation and advertising patronage of his newspaper. The untiring energy of the two brothers made the combination perfect, and to that fact I have always ascribed the extraordinary ra])i(lity with which The Chi'onicle, so small in its infancy, obtained a footing among its strong and prosperous contemporaries. Eitlier of the De Young brothers, alone, could not have laid the foundations of their enterprise so quickly and well. FIRST REQUISITE IN A NEWSPAPER OFFICE With the experience of many years of writing and publishing, I have come to regard business talent as the first requisite not only for the estab- lishment of a newspaper but for all stages of its existence. It is also the most difficult to obtain. Y'oung writers regard the business office, except on payday, as a rather prosaic superfluity, and think that the space given to advertisements might be more profitably utilized by their brilliant productions. The experienced publisher, however, has no illusions about the relative value of gems of literature and business-getting talent as essentials to newspaper success. Both are invaluable for a really first-class journal, but a badly written publication under -a clever business manager will live and perhaps prosper Avhere a brilliantly written journal, with an inefficient business manager, would die. The ideal condition is M'here the editorial and the business depart- ments vie in excellence, and that is most likely to be found under one strong executive head, notwithstanding the tenets of a triumphant democ- racy in these days that all kinds of autocracies are pernicious. The Chronicle has been an autocracy during all the years since M. II. de Y^oung was called upon to assume the responsibility of sole proprietor- ship. The extent of The Chronicle's success, during the thirty years of its highest prosperity, is the measure of his great executive ability. When he lost the invaluable assistance of his wonderfully talented brother, it became his task to rebuild The Chronicle on new lines as well as broad ones, to meet the requirements of an ever-expanding field. The Chronicle for a full generation has been solely M. H. de Young's Chronicle. I am sure that when the history of California journalism shall have been written by some competent and impartial critic, and at the proper perspective of years for a comprehensive review untinctured by personal or partisan bias, it will be recorded that The Chronicle lias been a powerful influence for the promotion of the best interests, the good repute and the prosperity of the great city where it is published. The San Francisco Chronicle's Jubilee 21 The San Francisco Chronicle's Jubilee M. H. DE Young Felicitated by Prominent Editors upon the Com- pletion OF Fifty Years' Continuous Conduct of His Paper VETERAN PUBLISHER OF ST. PAUL SENDS FELICI- TATIONS George Thompson of Noted Dispatch and Pioneer Press Congratulates M. H. de Young and Coniuiuuity. 1AM in some doubt whether congrat- ulations should properly go to you and The San Francisco Chronicle or to the California community in whose progress to prosperity, populousness and wealth you and The Chronicle have been such potential factors. So I give myself the benefit of the doubt and divide my felicitations among the man, the institution and the city. For a great newspaper is first of all institutional. Give me to read the leading news- paper of a community and in its char- acter I will find engraved the character of the cummunity. In my judgment, your half-century of endeavor has con- structed no more of a monument in The Chronicle than in the many other insti- tutions, the civic spirit and the habit of newspaper thought of San Francisco. I wish every community had a real- izing sense of its obligations to the right-minded newspaper, which holds its character as the virtue of a woman and faces its duty with the courage of conviction. Fifty years of association between editor and community — some- thing not given often, even to the most fortunate in life — should enable each to find the other out. A half-century of unintermitted contact outlives the last shadow of doubt of responsibility. It is both significant and romantic to turn toward the setting sun to find the only figure in American journalism which can be crowned with this royal dis- tinction. "Out of the East comes light," says the proverb. "Out of the West comes service," I would add. From a long life broidered by the lights and mel- lowed by the shades of newspaper ac- tivities, I am able to draw the powers of appreciation which qualify me to congratulate you. The Chronicle and San Francisco upon the event cele- brated by your Jubilee anniversary. GEORGE THOMPSON. "AN EVENT OF INTEREST," SAYS ST. LOUIS REPUBLIC OWNER Charles W. Knapp of Great Missouri Newspaper, Himself in Harness Forty-eight Years. THE fiftieth anniversary of The San Francisco Chronicle is an event of much interest to me because my personal acquaintance with the De Young brothers, who founded the paper, began within seven years after the first issue of the Dramatic Chron- icle. I have not only been able to follow by direct observation the won- derful development from that small beginning to the great public journal that now constitutes one of the most potent forces in the newspaper field, but in this forty-three-year period I have been situated to know how com- pletely Charles de Young, up to his un- timely death, and M. H. de Young, during the whole half-century of The Chronicle's existence, were its inspira- tion and moving force. Fifty years is a long time to be con- nected with a single newspaper. I am conscious of that fact, as I began my own newspaper work forty-eight years ago and have never worked for any newspaper except the one I began with. My uncle, who died in 18S3, had a record of fifty-six years on the same news- paper, and forty-nine of those years he was an owner and manager, while my father, who came into the business at a later date, rounded out a full third of a century. This personal experience enables me to appreciate in an unusual degree the remarkable record of M. H. de Young. Let me tender congratulations to both The Chronicle and to Mr. de Young, since they are due to both. For The Chronicle they are offered because it has become the great paper it is, not merely by growing as the city in which it is published has grown, but on ac- count of the individuality and the force that are peculiarly the De Young char- acteristic, which have contributed so much to make the city as well as the newspaper. For M. H. de Young my congratulations are offered because it 219 220 Journalism in California has seldom happened that a founder of a newspaper has been preserved in health and vigor to attend as sole owner its golden jubilee. The Chronicle has had hard knocks in the long years of its aggressive existence and it took much strenuous, courageous work to make it the power in the community it became long ago, but that is the only way a newspaper can progress to public influence and financial success. Because the De Young nature was especially fitted for just such battling as The Chronicle had throughout the early tempestuous years of its career it has remained a De Young property and stands today an enduring De Young monument. Yours very truly, CHAS. W. KNAPP, President the St. Louis Republic. CHICAGO TRIBUNE WRITES CAREER REFLECTS HISTORY Editors of "The ^Vorld's Greatest News- paper" Send lutere-stins Letter to M. H. de Young. THE editors of The Chicago Tribune extend their congratulations to you and The Chronicle upon the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of your editorship. Few newspapers in this country of perpetual movement can boast a half century of successful management under one directing mind. It has been a w^onderful and inspiring period which The Chronicle has been privileged to reflect and be a part of, and no com- munity on the continent has been better worth expressing, as a vital newspaper is able to express the city from which it springs, than San Francisco. From the city of Bret Harte to the great metropolis of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition your com- munity has contributed an intensely vivid page to American history, a page full of light and shadow and inspiring to all the American sisterhood of cities because of the indomitable spirit which has carried San Francisco always for- ward through the most terrible of ordeals and through many lesser trials to new achievement on the road of progress. Very truly yours, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE. STRIKING AND EXCEPTIONAL, SAYS HARRISON GRAY ' OTIS Publisher of Big Los Angeles Ne^fS- paper Says Record of Chroniele Is Notable Aehievenient. I AM struck by the showing The San Francisco Chronicle has made under the De Young brothers. The truth is I did not before quite appreciate the striking, significant and exceptional fact that The Chronicle and Mr. M. H. de Young, its present sole owner, are qualified to jointly celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this conspicuous jour- nal's foundation. Fifty years of journalisnr in Califor- nia, a State not yet old, convey to the mind a meaning far above and beyond the ordinary, when it comes to the con- sideration of journalism, journalists and a commonwealth whose lives cover that pregnant span in the life of the Nation. So far as I am aware, none of the great men who have figured in the history of journalism in this country, other than Mr. de Young, have rounded out fifty years in the active manage- ment of a newspat)er in the United States. During that long and sometimes turbulent period the man at the helm had neither time nor opportunity to recline "on downy beds of ease" for any considerable number of hours in each twenty-four. I congratulate The Chronicle and Mr. de Young on the coming of the fiftieth anniversary of the journal itself and upon the fact that Mr. de Young him- self is still on deck. Yours truly, HARRISON GRAY OTIS. EDITOR OF SEATTLE TIMES SAYS EVENT UNPRECEDENTED Head of Family of Editors Compares M. H. de Young's Achievements AVith Those of Other Editors. ON January 16, 1915, a most remark- able occurrence will take place in the journalistic field of the Pacific Coast and one to be remembered by the newspaper fraternity throughout the land. On that day Hon. M. H. de Young will celebrate his fiftieth anniversary as a journalist, and The San Francisco Chronicle at the same time will cele- brate its fiftieth anniversary. The coincidence occurs by reason of the fact that Mr. de Young was one of the founders of The Chronicle, and yet Mr. de Young had had no newspaper experience when he and his brother Charles established The Chronicle. To be sure, it began in a very humble way as a small publication, both in size and circulation, and took ample time to develop. While several leading journalists of the United States during its one hun- dred and thirty-six years of history have served on newspapers now more than fifty years old, there is no other living editor who has served on the same paper for half a century, except M. H. de Young of San Francisco. James Gordon Bennett founded The New York Herald in 1S35, and, although The Herald is in its sixty-third year, James Gordon Bennett, Sr., died in 1S72, having relinquished the immediate management of The Herald to his sen several years before. Mr. James Gordon Bennett, Jr., now in his seventy-fourth year, has been in exclusive charge of The New York Herald but forty-two years, or eight The Chronicle's Jubilee 221 years less than Mr. de Young has been in charge of The Chronicle. Horace Greeley founded The New York Tribune in 1S41, and while The Tribune today is over seventy-three years of age, Horace Greeley severed his connection therewith in 1S72, serv- ing but thirty-one years with the news- paper he established. Henry Watterson has been the editor of The Louisville Courier-Journal for more than forty-six years, and as The Courier-Journal has been in charge of it all that time. Still The Courier- Journal is a consolidation of two former papers that were published many years before Henry Watterson became the editor of the combine. As a journalist, Henry Watterson, now seventy-four years of age, has been in the journalistic field considerably more than fifty years, but lacks that distinction of being with the same newspaper for half a century. Mr. Samuel Bowles founded The Springfield (Mass.) Republican in 1844, and was its editor until his death in 1S7S, but while The Springfield Repub- lican is more than seventy years of age, Samuel Bowles, Jr., has had con- trol for many years, taking charge thereof at his father's death. The late Col. Harvey Scott, who died at seventy-two, was the editor of The Oregonian for a period of almost half a century, although The Oregonian was taken over by Mr. H. L. Pittock in 1860 and Mr. Pittock has been the manager thereof since that date. General Otis of Tlie Los Angeles Times was in the Civil War fifty years ago today and had not thought of enter- ing the journalistic field. In spite of that fact, however, he has been in charge of The Los Angeles Times for nearly forty years and the identity of The Times and General Otis and Gen- eral Otis and The Times is so complete that the name of the one means the other. But We might refer to the biographi- cal histories of a dozen other men in the United States who have passed the main portion of their lives in the journalistic field and yet never reached the point that has been reached by Mr. de Young. Mr. de Young and The San Francisco Chronicle stand out today absolutely unclouded in the bright sunshine of success and prosperity as the only living editor who founded a newspaper fifty years ago, which newspaper to- day is stronger than it ever was before. It is unnecessary to speak of the splendid financial success which has for many years characterized The San Francisco Chronicle, for the world knows all about it. It is unnecessary to speak of the splendid enterprises which have taken up the great portion of Mr. de Young's time of a state, national and even inter- national character, for the world knows all about his work therein. It is only necessary at this time to call attention to the uniqueness of the situation and to remember that Mr. de Young is in possession of his full strength and powers, as competent today to carry on Tlie Chronicle as he ever was, and that The Chronicle itself is a greater newspaper today than it ever was before, and one of the very few great newspapers of the world. ALDEN J. BLETHEN. HARTFORD COURANT WISHES "MANY HAPPY NEW YEARS" Charles Hopkins Clark, Editor of Con- necticut's Foremost Daily, Is Cordial in Greetings. THE Hartford Courant, which has recently celebrated its one hun- dred and fiftieth birthday anni- versary sends cordial greetings and hearty congratulations to The San Francisco Chronicle. It's a great thing for a newspaper to be fifty years old. We've tried it three times, and ought to know. But, while the Courant's experience in this is unique, that of The Chronicle is unique, too, and perhaps more remarkable, in that the same man who established The Chronicle, Hon. M. H. de Young, is still at its head, and, from a small begin- ning, has built up and still controls a newspaper known all over the country, one of the potent factors in Pacific Coast life. The oldest newspaper makes its bow and wishes many happy new years to the oldest founder, editor and pub- lisher. Mav he long stay on his job. THE HARTFORD COURANT. By Charles Hopkins Clark, Editor. PROVIDENCE JOURNAL HEAD IS CHRONICLE "GRADUATE" John R. Rathoni. Kdit4»r of Stroni; Rhode Island Publication, Tells of His Satisfaction. THE fiftieth anniversary of the founding of The San Francisco Chronicle and of Mr. M. H. de Young's entry into journalism is an event that will be recognized with genuine pleasure not only in California, but throughout the United States. This anniversary will also be greeted with much more than ordinary satis- faction by the hundreds of newspaper men in the East and West, who, like myself, have graduated from The Chronicle. The life of The Chronicle has been no parlor game. Nobody but Mr. de Young himself, who for fifty years has been The Chronicle, can fully realize the strenuous character of its career or recall with such completeness of detail its thousand and one struggles' for or against the innumerable ques- tions that have been fought out in California in the past half-century. It gives one genuine happiness, however, to look back upon his own period of a few years of intimate connection with The Chronicle and to realize that >)00 Journalism in California during the whole of that time his ef- forts, under the direction of Mr. de Young- and Mr. Young, both of them happily on deck today, were devoted constantly to fighting graft, exposing corruption in high places and low places and helping every worthy object in the city of San Francisco and the State of California. I have no doubt that the same spirit that led the young men of those happy days is the spirit that survives at this time. And I am sure that though The Chronicle in its long and vigorous career has torn down many shams, wrecked many a political ambition and seriously disconcerted the plans of many public men, there will be a uni- versal feeling of satisfaction over this anniversary, extending even to its past or present enemies. JOHN R. RATHOM. EDITOR OF THE OMAHA BEE WISHES CONTINUED SUCCESS Yictor Ro.sewater Tells How His Father Worked in Years (ione by With SI. H. de Young;. TO me it is a rare privilege to be able to extend greetings and felici- tations to The Chronicle and to Mr. M. H. de Young on their joint completion of fifty years in active newspaper work. I couple with my congratulations best wishes for long continued usefulness, although it goes without saying that The Chronicle, as a successful and progressive news- paper, must outlive its founder who has given it a permanence no indi- vidual can possess. The Chronicle dates back a little over seven years longer than the Bee. The founder of the Bee, my father, the late Edward Rosewater, who was inti- mately associated with Mr. de Young in many public movements, was per- mitted to guide its destinies contin- uously for thirty-five years, which we felt was making a notable record in journalism; and yet to have held the reins for an even half century, as has Mr. de Young with The Chronicle, is much more exceptional. Everyone who knows anything about journalism knows that such an achievement would be impossible without brains, brawn, bravery and business ability. VICTOR ROSEWATER. WONDERFUL GROWTH IS SEEN BY NEW YORK GLOBE Jason Roj^ers, Publisher of Paper Founded in ITO.*?. Appreciates Chronicle's Influence. PERMIT me to heartily congratu- late you and The San Francisco Chronicle on reaching your fiftieth anniversary together. There must be a strong feeling of personal satisfac- tion in having been so long identi- fied with so influential a paper as The San Francisco Chronicle, which has so successfully promoted and supported the best interests of San Francisco, the gateway of the Orient from the United States. The wonderful growth and influence of the San Francisco Chronicle are ac- knowledged and appreciated by news- paper men throughout the country. Its commanding position as one of the great newspapers of the United States, developed from a very small beginning by you and your brother since 1865, should be abundant satisfaction for the lifetime efforts of any individual. As publisher of the New York Globe, which is the oldest daily newspaper in the United States, founded in 1793 by Noah Webster, I extend to you my heartiest congratulations and best wishes for future success and pros- perity. JASON ROGERS. BUFFALO TIMES EDITOR IS VOLUBLE IN HIS PRAISES IVornian E. Mack, Owner of Famous Publication,' Says Chronicle Is a Familiar Visitor. PERMIT me to extend congratula- tions as The Chronicle passes in triumph its half-century mark. Most people are happy in the thought of one's own life and health at fifty, so it must, indeed, be a pleasure to view the creation of your own intel- lect, courage and labor as it rounds fifty years of continued progress in a splendid burst of brilliant achievement. The best years of your life have been given over, through the columns of The Chronicle, to the service of the people of your city, your State and the Nation. Yours has been a rare period of service. But out of your life, and that of your distinguished brother, you have reared an institution which will go on and on in the great work you started as generation follows gener- ation. It is a pleasure to have this oppor- tunity to look back upon the success and the achievements of The San Fran- cisco Chronicle. Here we are, you and I, at the extreme ends of the continent, yet The Chronicle is as familiar a visitor in my office as my nearest neighbor in Buffalo. For years your great newspaper has been a source of enlightenment, entertainment and in- spiration. No one can read The Chron- icle without being impressed with its fairness, its force, its intelligent direc- tion, its typographical excellence, its devotion to the public welfare, its courage and its completeness. To you, Editor de Young, permit me to convey assurances of my congratu- lations on the golden anniversary of your newspaper service, to extend my cordial wishes for the future, and to join with the multitude of your friends i The Chronicle's Jubilee 223 in celebrating this fifty-year triumph of The Chronicle. I expect in the very near future to visit with other members of the New York State Commission, your great In- ternational Exposition and will then look your splendid city and State over and I have no doubt we shall all leave for our homes at the conclusion of that visit with the greatest admiration for the Golden Gate and its people. Very cordially yours, NORMAN E. MACK. FRIENDS ARE LEGION, WRITES BUFFALO NEWS PRO- PRIETOR DES MOINES CAPITAL PUBLISHER SUGGESTS BOOK Lafayette Youtis of Leading Iov*a Ne^v.spaper Harilly Realizes The Cbronic-le Is Fifty Years Old. IT HARDLY seems possible that the San Francisco Chronicle is fifty years of age! I have met M. H. de Young several times, and he never looked old to me. But such men do not grow old. How lonesome it must have been in 1865, when the De Young brothers sprung The Chronicle on the new city on the golden shore! Mr. de Young ought to write a book giving a chron- icle of his experience in assisting the new West in doing things, for he has always been a leader. He is one of the great editors of America, where great editors abound. It is a pleasure to congratulate him. He has stood the storm; has never succumbed to hurried partnerships nor stock companies. He has evidently been a single-purposed man. Yet, when I read his history, I find he has been an all-around man in directing many things. Such a life is worth living, and the establishment of The Chronicle Is achievement enough. I extend my congratulations. LAFAYETTE YOUNG. SPOKANE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW SENDS ITS CONGRATU- LATIONS W. H. Cowles, Publisher of Big Wash- Ing'ton Newspaper, Lauds M. H. de Young's Efforts. I WANT to congratulate Mr. de Young very heartily on the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the foun- dation of The Chronicle. The Chronicle has preserved for a very long life a strong hold on the most substantial people in San Fran- cisco. It has been conducted with a remarkable mixture of wise conserva- tism and aggressive constructive work. There are only a few publishers in the United States whose names are as well known from one end of the country to ithe other as M. H. de Young's. His great success has been due not only to his large ability, but also to an astounding energy and cour- age. Sincerely yours, W. H. COWLES. Edward H. Butler of IVor^hern New York's Big Newspaper Says San Fran- cisco and Chronicle Are Synonyms. ALLOW me to congratulate you upon your fiftieth anniversary as head and founder of The San Francisco Chronicle. I know of no one who is more of a success in the newspaper world than yourself; always having before you the interest of your own city, and it is well known through- out the newspaper world that Mr. M. H. de Young has done more for San Francisco by his untiring efforts in its behalf than almost any other man in that city. I wish I might be there to personally congratulate you, but as that is im- possible I am sending this letter, w^hich will be only one among many from your friends, who are legion. The San Francisco Chronicle is synonymous with the word San Fran- cisco, and one never thinks of that city without connecting with it The Chronicle, the same as Atlanta and the Constitution, and Springfield, Mass., and the Republican, and I trust that The Chronicle may continue in its suc- cess, and that I shall be able to con- gratulate you on its seventy-fifth an- niversary. Sincerely your friend, EDWARD H. BUTLER. VETERAN AT HELM OF THE ORE- GONIAN EXTENDS HAND "Congratulations," Says H. L. Pittock of Portland, Himself Old in "The Game." 1HAVE known The San Francisco Chronicle well during the entire fifty years of its publication as a daily newspaper. I recall clearly its early days, when it began to make a real impression upon the California public, and I have watched its develop- ment into a great metropolitan news- paper, with real interest and real sym- pathy. I think that Mr. de Young is the only American publisher, except myself, who has been at the head of an im- portant newspaper continuously for more than a half-century. In that re- spect, therefore, there is a striking parallel in the history of The Chronicle and of my own newspaper. It is proper for me to say that after eight years of service as printer and publisher on the Weekly Oregonian I founded the Daily Oregonian on February 4th, 1861, and have been its publisher continuously from the beginning. I congratulate Mr. de Young upon his great accomplishment in building up so influential and well-organized a newspaper as The Chronicle. The Chronicle in a peculiar way typifies San Francisco. Its news methods are a reflection of the bright spirit of the city, while its editorial methods, con- 224 Journalism in California servative and thorough as they are, are an index of the real stability of the Coast metropolis. The Chronicle has had its vicissitudes, undoubtedly, but it has survived them splendidly. It is an institution in San Francisco and Cali- fornia. For myself, I cannot conceive of San Francisco without The Chronicle, and I thoroughly believe that the time will not come when there will be such a San Francisco. H. L. PITTOCK, Publisher The Oregonian. PUBLISHER OF NEW YORK WORLD DEFINES SUCCESS Don C. Seitz, Head of Great E^astern Ne-»vspaper, Tells Secret of Chronicle Progress. THE Chronicle will live in history as one of the great enterprises of American journalism. The the- atrical leaflet became a newspaper because of the unquenchable instinct of Charles and M. H. de Young, who had in them the quality which makes papers, the ability to endure persecu- tion, to withstand unpopularity, to print the news without fear or favor, no matter what danger might ensue. The Chronicle had to fight its way. It broke the road for Pacific Coast jour- nalism. Let us hope its next fifty years will be smooth and prosperous, and that it will remain what it has now become, an institution, as all newspapers ought to be. DON C. SEITZ. CHRONICLE AN INSTITUTION, WRITES SAMUEL A PERKINS Owner of the Perkins Press, Operating Six Northwestern Newspapers, Comments on Achievement. I AM extending congratulations to The San Francisco Chronicle on its being fifty years old, but more ap- propriately, I am happy to say that The Chronicle is fifty years young, and so is the publisher. Fifty years under the same owner- ship and management is a proud dis- tinction rarely, if ever, achieved in American journalism. The San Francisco Chronicle has been a "live issue" and M. H. de Young has been a live wire throughout a half- century of marvelous development of California and the Pacific Coast, and The Chronicle and its publisher have had a large part in that development. A newspaper like The Chronicle, which has paid its way and has been built from the ground up on its earn- ings, is an institution in the best sense of the ■word. S. A. PERKINS. KEELEY OF THE HERALD IS LOOKING TO DIAMOND JUBILEE Kditor of Chicago's Latest Combination Newspaper Says He Feels Like a Tyro. HALF a century of success is a record of which you and The San Francisco Chronicle should feel proud and I extend my felicitations. Somehow with that record before me I feel like a tyro, for the paper is older than I am and yet I overheard some one in the office call me "the old man" the other day. I hope the career of The Chronicle is only starting and that I shall have the pleasure of further congratulating you and The Chronicle on your diamond jubilee. J. KEELEY. ENERGY IS ENORMOUS, WRITES CHICAGO JOURNAL PUBLISHER John C. l^astman of Great Illinois Dally Says Achievement Unlikely to Be Duplicated. PLEASE accept my heartiest con- gratulations on your Chronicle jubilee. The amount of energy and endurance implied in managing a great newspaper for half a century is enormous. It is pretty clear that you and The Chronicle do not get on each other's nerves. You have had many remarkable men in The Chronicle office; probably have some there now whom the future will recognize as remarkable; but no achievement of your staff, past, present or to come, is less likely to be dupli- cated than your own. Very truly yours, JOHN C. EASTMAN. Pacific Coast and Exposition Biographies \ \ \ r < ■ ■ Great Men and Great Men's Achievements Form the Background for Cahfornia's Progress VERY man living in a civilized community is one of two things — he is a good citizen or he is not a good citizen. Not all the good citizens, in the true sense of the term, are those who do not break the laws; nor, in- versely, are all the bad citizens those whose names are written on the rolls of our jails and penitentiaries. A man, to be a really good citizen, must put back into the commonwealth something for that which he takes out of it. In return for the right to live and prosper he must give his active or moral support toward building up that commonwealth and making it better. The one who allows "the other fellow" to do more than his share of work for the general good is shirking his bounden duties. The result : He is not taking advantage of the opportunity to make himself a good citizen. And the mere fact that he has succeeded in keeping out of jail does not make him necessarily "good." His city, his State and his country de- mand more. Looking over the history of San Francisco and California there is one thing that impresses the reader above everything else. This is the spirit of a comparatively small number of men who, ever since "the days of old, the days of gold, the days of forty-nine," have stood in the forefront in public achievement. California has needed such men as few other States in the Union have needed them. Separated from the "effete East" by two mountain ranges as California is, its development was late in beginning. When the tide of civilization did turn westward it brought, naturally enough, some of the rougher element with it. But it brought also those who had the making of stanch, fearless citizens. It is the old rule of the survival of the fittest that has been worked out since those days of clipper ships and the Cape Horn passage. Today California stands in the front rank of progressive and enlightened com- munities, fairly teeming with culture and happiness and blessed with a prosperity famed the world over. It is a Great Western Empire in itself ! Not in one business or profession alone will one find those builders of the commonwealth. They are to be met in every walk of life — more in some, perhaps, than in others, yet in all of them. It is the scheme of things worldly that one pursuit should fit into and supplement another. 227 228 Introduction to Biographies No one man can accomplish everything necessary to promote civilization — and no one man has done so. In the pages that follow in this work are set forth in detail the careers of some of the most representative men of the West, engaged in all lines of endeavor. To the aspiring young man each sketch holds out a distinct lesson. In each it is endeavored to show by what processes the subject has reached that glittering goal — Success. Simmered down, the secret is found in the five words — Intelligence, Ambition, Pluck, Application and Perseverance. With those five qualifications a man is bound to succeed in nearly any- thing to which he bends his efforts. Obstacles he brushes aside or sur- mounts; apparent failure means nothing to him but a renewal of effort; he leaves complaining and lamenting to the less hardy and makes action count. Among the very first Americans to land on the shores of San Francisco Bay were the miners. They came by way of Cape Horn. The community was then decidedly Spanish and the footsteps of the padres were still com- paratively fresh. On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall made his momentous discovery of gold in the tailrace of Sutter's mill, on the north fork of the American river where Coloma now stands. After several months the news filtered East in a roundabout way and the famous '49 rush began. Most of the incoming Argonauts did not tarry long in San Francisco. This was merely an outfitting point, and they continued on up the Sac- ramento river by boat, and then by horse or wagon or afoot to the fields of wealth. This city being an outfitting point, it of course needed out- fitters. These came with the miners, saw what fortunes might be garnered without digging with pick and shovel, and forthwith took advantage of the opportunity to establish themselves in a mercantile business. Where gold is in abundance, there is the lodestone to attract settlers. And San Francisco and California were no exception to the rule. Soon shiploads of people began literally pouring in through the Golden Gate, They represented all classes, all minds. Some remained in the city, which was spring ing up on the sand dunes by the water's edge with a mushroom- like growth ; some went on. And soon the raw gold was coming back to the mart of trade in ever-increasing shipments. Soon there were, in addition to the traders, lawyers and doctors, bankers and school teachers, to say nothing of agriculturists, lumbermen, cattlemen and engineers. The city of San Francisco, clustered as it was at first around the waterfront, began to broaden out. One sand dune after another was surmounted and the tide of civilization swept on to the next. With the opening of the route across the Isthmus of Panama vessels began making regular trips into port, and the problem of transporting goods diminished in importance. Then, as the decades rolled on, there followed the stage lines and the pony express, and at length the first transcontinental railroad. And each added stability to the empire that was springing up west of the Sierra mountains. The medical men helped along the scheme of things by guarding the health of the settlers. Early physicians rode about from mining camp to mining camp with their kits of drugs slung across their backs or thrust into their saddle-bags, ready for anything from a capital operation to the birth of another soul. Quiet, unassuming and brave, the doctors did their work Introduction to Biographies 229 and went their way, and mankind was the better for them. The doctor of today is not just like the doctor of yesterday. He is more of a special- ist, if not entirely so. And he knows more than physicians even dreamed of in the days of '49. In its mining activities California has had three sets of pioneers. First came the crude form of placer mining, wherein the "cream" of the gold deposits was washed from the beds of the mountain streams and from the gravel of the valleys, where search was made for natural "pockets" from which a fortune could be taken in a few hours or a few days. Then a period of rest from the feverish excitement and the gradual decay of those historic old settlements, painted in enduring words with such a sure hand by Bret Harte, followed by the quartz miners and their less picturesque and more businesslike work among the vast mineral deposits of the State. Finally, not so many years ago, there came to the public notice the per- fection of a new system of gold dredging, higlily profitable. San Francisco and California have many mining operators and engineers today whose repu- tation is country-wide, and whose operations involve millions. The careers of most of them read like a book of romance. Agriculturally, California, with its 40,000,000 acres of arable lands, can be surpassed by no other State in the Union. Its early-day grazing pastures and a great many of its forests have given way to blossoming fields, and its rangers and vaqueros have largely been replaced by the man with the hoe. The old Spanish land grants of thousands of varas have been cut up into smaller tracts and men are getting rich on from five to ten acres. Here might be mentioned Captain Sutter, one of the first to discover and put to advantage the agricultural and horticultural possibilities of the Sacramento Valley, and who was involuntarily responsible, by reason of the existence of his mill, for the discovery of gold by Marshall. The cattle business has by no means been throttled, nor is the State behind hand in dairying and poultry and produce raising. Here enter in the exporters of the State's commodities, men whose ships carry California goods to remote corners of the world. Sailing vessels have in most cases given way to steam, and no longer does the mariner lie hove-to waiting for a favorable breeze. Today fleets of oil steamers also are constantly leaving California's seaports, carrying the product, crude and refined, to foreign markets. In the State's fields well after well is being sunk to increase the output and millions untold are invested in this industry alone; com- petition is keen and the result has been that vast sums are kept in circula- tion, to add to the wealth of the community and of its industrial leaders. Into the forest primeval came the woodsman with his ax. He had worked his way westward clear across the continent, had crossed the Eockies and the Sierra, and now he descended upon the pines and redwoods of California. Soon log rafts began floating down the rivers or were towed down the coast, and mills, springing up overnight, turned out finished lum- ber at an ever-increasing rate. An industry was thus started which since has grown into huge proportions and has extended itself all over the Pacific Coast. And, as in the case of other lines of endeavor, the burden of this development has fallen upon the shoulders of a few big men, who have devoted money and energy toward blazing the trail. California would not have all its great power plants, its network of railroads, its steel and concrete bridges, its tunnels and its aqueducts, were 230 Introduction to Biographies it not for its engineers and promoters — and financiers. A liost of these pathfinders have placed their marks upon the industries and their develop- ment, men whose names are watchwords for scientific progress. Without capital one may accomplish but little. All the big enterprises that aid in a community's upbuikling needs must have financial backing. It is therefore no small part that the bankers of California have played in molding its history and furthering its commercial and industrial growth. The early-day bankers started in just like all their fellow-immigrants, with dingy offices and small capital. Gold dust flowed into their coffers, how- ever, as the miners returned with their earnings, and gradually, as more trade routes were opened up with the East, business began to boom. William H. Crocker, Frank B. Anderson and I. W. Hellman are typical of the strong, resourceful bankers and capitalists of today. Manufacturers, contractors, brokers, architects, accountants — all these have helped make many things possible, as have the oil and gas interests and the men behind them; the insurance interests, which protect against poverty after death for the family left behind and against loss from fire or storm or shipwreck at sea, and whose business on the Pacific Coast alone runs away up into the millions annually; and the educators, who have waged unceasing warfare against ignorance. California's public school system cannot be excelled. Back through the byways in every direction the educators have gone to establish their centers of learning. With three big universities, dozens of colleges, and other institutions where one may specialize in any subject, the State has worked its way up into the forefront in cutting down the percentage of illiteracy. No one with strength and determination need today remain untutored and untrained. As the years pass by the auto manufacturers and dealers come to be a bigger and bigger factor in every business community. It was not so many years ago that the public scoffed at those who promised to make a "no pushee, no pullee" vehicle that could be adapted to general or individual needs. We scoffed at aeroplanes and dirigibles, too, but they all have taken their places in our daily life. The automobile business is now one of the biggest in the world; yet it is still in its infancy. The electric or gasoline- propelled car has ceased to be a plaything, a toy; it is a public utility. Look in what direction one will, one sees sturdy men on whose broad backs, as it were, the world is resting. In every branch of human endeavor they are to be found. Their success has been due to personal effort, backed by the laudable ambition to leave mediocrity behind and become of the forceful few. TTow diversified are the careers of, for instance, inventors, builders of the telephone and telegraph, officers of the Army and ISTavy, sales agents and managers, public executives and legislators ! Then we find the artists, the musicians and the writers appealing to our aesthetic side, furnishing us with the finer things of life. The Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915, San Francisco's great world-show, which this volume helps to commemorate, was not the work of an Aladdin and his Lamp, even though its gorgeousness might have appeared so. The history of the exposition, like the history of San Francisco and California or of any other State or community, large or small, embodies a succession of personal achievements. It is as if the exposition, in all its Introduction to Biographies 231 splendor of yaried beauty, a beauty unsurpassed, were built up as a piece of coral is built up — one particle upon another particle and the whole cemented together, with each human insect adding his mite for the good of all. Let men band together and they can accomplish anything. Finally, the story swings around to the legal fraternity and the part it has played in this drama of a State's advancement. And the part has been an important one. In many ways it is the most interesting record of all, for it reflects every other phase of endeavor, bringing out into bold relief the high-lights of California's absorbing history. No civilization can exist without laws to govern it. This fact was early recognized, here and elsewhere. The ancients inscribed certain ''rules for conduct" on stones, setting them up along the principal highways that the public might memorize them. These "rules" were the forerunners of the law. Written later on parchment, they came down through the ages, and aside from certain radical changes consistent with the needs of the times, some of the world-old princij^les are still in force as the basis for the codes and statutes of later years. Man's almost every passion involves in some way the prescribed "rules for conduct." His liberty, property rights and bequests, his aims and his controversies, run along in keeping with the law or afoul of it at every stage. He must do certain things, and he must not do certain other things, lest he cause society in some way to suffer. This society, the coalition of mankind, is built up along certain lines of the greatest known perfection. To go outside these lines were to undermine everything; so he who would go outside tliem is, in one way or another, restricted or punished. Xo profession has developed and brought forth more great and influen- tial men than has the law. In every Avalk of life the attorney wields his power — through the courts. He makes the statutes, he interprets them, and he oftentimes directs the men who apply them. He is an entire library of sociology, civics and economics personified. The tools of his trade, as it is pointed out in Bishop's First Book of the Law, constitute the power that pervades and controls the universe. California's brilliant lawyers are legion. Their names are still as fa- miliar as are those of Patrick Henry, Robert IngersoU and Daniel Webster. They range from the brilliant Justice Stephen J, Field and Elisha 0. Crosby, the latter of Avhom helped introduce into California the English common law to replace the civil law of Eoman origin, down through the line of Hall McAllister and Samuel M. Wilson, two of the greatest prac- titioners of their day; Thomas B. Bishop, one of the original directors of the Hastings College of Law; Eeuben H. Lloyd, noted for his general cleverness; General William H. L. Barnes, he of the astounding eloquence, and Creed Haymond, "Father of the California Codes," down to the strong la\^7ers of the present day, such as Charles S. Wheeler, Alex. F. Morrison, Peter F. Dunne, Garrett McEnerney, Gavin Mc^^ab, Victor H. Metcalf, Judge Harmon Bell, R. M. Fitzgerald, Curtis Lindley, E. S. Pillsbury, E. J. McCutchen, Nathan H. Frank, John S. Partridge, M. C. Chapman and William C. Crittenden, besides those whose careers are treated at greater length hereafter. To relate at all chronologically the legal history of California, or that part of it made up of the so-called "high-lights," one is obliged to barken 22 232 Introduction to Biographies back to the establishment of the missions here in the eighteenth century — for a beginning. The padres set themselves up in the then little known Xorthern California at about the time Independence Bell was pealing forth its defiance to King George. Mission Dolores was consecrated June 29, 1776; a few months later, January 12, 1777, Santa Clara mission was founded, and in the same year the town of San Jose, near by, came into being. These dates are of interest, particularly that of the founding of San Jose, for this was the first authorized settlement in the State, receiving its authorization from Governor Felipe de Neve, and the first town in California to be ruled by a civil government. Prior to this, California was a part of New Spain, having the Viceroy of Mexico for its governing power. In 1776 it was attached to the Coman- dancia-General of the internal provinces, but a few years later reverted again to the Viceroy, The laws were made by the King of Spain and his council at Madrid, transmitted to the Viceroy and finally to the Governor. All over California presidios had been established, and couriers carried the orders from the Governor to the officers in command of these posts. That period in which California was under Spanish rule was one of the most picturesque in its history. When Mexico, after a fierce struggle with the mother country, won her independence in 1822, Alta California, as it was then known, was for a time apparently forgotten. Without courts, the district's legal controversies were adjudicated by an ecclesiastical body ruled over by Padre Jose Sanchez, then president of the missions. In the latter part of 1836 Mexico made a new set of laws whereby the alcaldes were given jurisdiction in certain civil cases. Subsequently these officials held direct rule under a Governor, the last of which, appointed for Cali- fornia by Mexico, was Pio Pico, a highly respected executive. Meanwhile, Americans had begun to drift into the territory and take up their residence, and when the United States went to war with Mexico a military governor for California was named. The first of these was Colonel Richard B. Mason, whose term of office extended from May 31, 1847, through the following year when California was ceded to the United States, until April 13, 1849. It remained for General Bennett Riley, who succeeded Colonel Mason as Governor, to establish what was the nucleus of our present judicial system. By proclamation on June 3, 1849, Governor Riley called for the election of a Superior Court of four judges and a fiscal or Attorney-General, a Judge of the first instance for each district. Alcaldes and Justices of the Peace. In August of the same year John W. Geary was chosen first Alcalde of San Francisco. Peter II. Burnett, Pacificus Ord, Lewis Dent and Jose M. Covarrubias were made Superior Judges, and Frederick Billings was ap- pointed fiscal. One of the minor Judges, with civil jurisdiction only, was the eccentric William B. Almond, who held sway in San Francisco. Judge Almond had no regular courtroom at first and he often was obliged to hold his sessions outdoors, sometimes in the rain. It is told of him that he allowed only thirty minutes for a trial, and once he had set his mind on a decision, attorneys might as well hold their peace, for no amount of argument would swerve him in the slightest. Governor Riley's judicial system was the outcome of a series of events that took place in San Francisco about the beginning of 1849. This was Introduction to Biographies 233 the formation by the citizens of what they chose to term the "Legislative Assembly," for the purpose of establishing a new form of civil government for this district. The motives of the fifteen men who constituted the as- sembly were conceded to be conspicuously upright, although their authority was not recognized. Magistrates and other officials were named and plans were made for the calling of a constitutional convention. But at this junc- ture Governor Eiley came forward with his project for creating a judiciary and, after some hesitation, the citizen body fell into line, then gradually declined in power until it disbanded. The really epochal change in the legal system of California came with the gold rush of '49. The Argonauts found upon their arrival here a peculiar combination of old customs and new. Americanized as the State was just beginning to appear, there still remained in places the Spanish atmosphere. Legislative enactment was needed, and before long it was secured. But for the time being the courts were "drumhead" affairs of the rough-and-ready sort. San Francisco was the Mecca for the immigrants, and here all the complexities of the early-day life were reflected. Hides were in general circulation as a medium of exchange. When civilization opens up new pathways there go lawyers, and the stampede toward California was no exception to the rule. Lawyers came aplenty — stern, hardy individuals who were destined to go down through the years as molders of a new empire's government. Their lives were little different from those of the miners, for they were inured to hardships, against which they were forced to struggle unceasingly. These were the days in which some of California's most noted lawyers got their start. For instance, Stephen J. Field, who was largely responsible for the establishment of old mining customs as the laws of the State, the founding of community property and the development of the Code of Civil Procedure later on. He stands out conspicuously for his position on the Supreme Court bench of the United States as well as for his historic quarrel with Justice David S. Terry, who later was assassinated. The first session of the State Legislature, which convened December 21, 1849, started in to develop the legal system and make it adequate for the public needs. Peter H. Burnett, who came here from Tennessee and shortly afterward became Governor, pointed out the workings of the civil law in the South and suggested that California adopt a similar code, made up of a combination of the common law of England, the English laws of evidence and commerce, the civil law of Louisiana and the Louisiana Code of Practice. There was strenuous objection to such a suggestion. The majority of the San Francisco bar, then numbering about a hundred members, favored the common law. Finally the English law was modified and transformed into the "American Common Law," and on April 12, 1850, it went into effect as the "fundamental unwritten law of California." But meanwhile the State had been provided with a constitution, ratified in November, 1849, and one that has since called forth much praise for the sturdy citizens that drafted it. The judicial system was defined and a supreme court, district, county and probate and justice courts were established. Jurisdiction in each case also was defined, as was the length of the terms of office. The constitution was formed with the idea that California soon was to become a member of the Union, and in this the framers were not dis- 234 Introduction to Biographies appointed. On xlugust 7, 1818, the treaty of peace between the United States and Mexico, by which Upper or Alta California was formally ceded to this country, had been ratified by proclamation of Governor Mason. Immediately after the State had provided itself with a constitution and the Legislature had established itself, General Eiley, the Military Governor, resigned from office. Then California began governing itself, although its admission to the Union did not come until September 9, 1850. The first radical change in the provisions of the original constitution was made in Sejotember, 1862, For one thing, the Supreme Court was given two additional members and, as reorganized, its judges were Silas W. Sanderson, Lorenzo Sawyer, John Currey, Augustus L. Rhodes and Oscar L. Shaffer, all learned jurists commanding the highest respect. Their terms of office were increased from six to ten years and they were given added jurisdiction, as were also District and County Judges. For the next seventeen years matters judicial ran along in this way in California; but in 1879, when another constitutional convention met, radi- cal changes were deemed necessary, to keep pace with the times and to weed out certain objectionable features. The Supreme Court was enlarged again, this time to seven members, whose terms of office were twelve years, and five commissioners were appointed Avith power to adjudicate causes referred to them by the supreme tribunal ; the Court also was divided into two departments. This convention brought into force the important provision that, in order to expedite the meting out of justice, no judge of a Superior or Supreme Court could draw his monthly salary unless he made affidavit that no cause submitted to him more than ninety days before remained undecided. The constitutional amendments known as those of 1879 went into opera- tion in 1880. Under California's Constitution, as variously revised, the citizens of the State have secured substantial justice, without being hemmed in by many of the "freak" provisions that hampered the advancement of other States of the Union. California is today governed by four well-formulated codes — the Political Code, the Penal Code, the Civil Code and the Code of Civil Procedure. Creed Ilaymond, as chairman of the Code Commission, with J. C. Burch and Charles Lindley as his associates, wrote the Codes in three years' time. After they had been submitted to an advisory board they were adopted and Avent into effect January 1, 1873. They Avere the first complete Codes ever adopted by any State and afterAvard were Avidely copied, notably in the revision of the laws of Japan. The legal development of California has passed through many stirring periods; it has brought forth many famous cases at bar and many famous lawyers. N"o State's judiciary, perhaps, can point to a more picturesque career. Still vivid in the minds of the older San Franciscans are the days of the criminal band of "Hounds" and the famous Vigilance Committees of 1851 and 1856, vigorously fought by courts and bar as being a brake on the approved forms of delivering justice. Those stirring times Avill ever remain green in memory. Back OA^er the years stretches the history of California's great men — men in every walk of life, men destined to make for progress and advance- ment and who lived out their destinies. To them California OAA^es the ful- fillment of its birthright. C. F. ADAMS ON first thought there seems to be slight connection between tlie profession of electrical engineer- ing and the commercial grow- ing of rice. But in the case of Charles F. Adams there is a close connection, for the first led him to engage in the sec- ond. Today he is do- ing electrical contract- ing under the firm name of the Power Equipment Company, and he also is secre- tary and treasurer, and one of the principal owners of the Rice Land and Products Company, ■whose rice- growing project in Co- lusa County bids fair to become the largest on the Pacific Coast. Mr. Adams, let it be said at the outset, is perhaps the eldest elec- trical engineer on the coast in point of actual, continuous experience. When he entered the profession, electricity was doing its first work and its control was largely a matter of guesswork. Since 1883 he has been doing his part in harnessing it and compelling it to do man's service. Born November 10, 1865, at North Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Mr. Adams is the son of J. S. Adams and Fannie E. (Smith) Adams. His father was a noted inventor. He served through the Civil War in Harper's Ferry arsenal and designed the first hand-grenades that had a definite time-limit for ex- ploding — grenades that were used later in the Franco-Prussian war and even in the present great war in Europe — and one of the first models of breech- loading carbine for cavalry use After the close of the war, the elder Mr. Adams became one of the pioneer inventors of the Elgin National Watch Company, and for aljout 16 years de- veloped all the special machines for the manufacture of small screws and steel parts of tlie Elgin watch. The first commercial electric lights in the Middle West, at Aurora, Illinois, were placed on steel towers designed and constructed by J. S. Adams, and the present high-power electrical transmis- sion tower is but a development of this original type. Even the present tower used for wireless telegraphy is the same type — carried aliout twice as high — as that invented and constructed by Adams for the lighting system of Detroit, Michigan, in the year 1884. Charles F. Adams received his educa- tion at Elgin, Illinois, and in 1SS3 com- menced work with his father on the development and building of electric- lighting towers. Later he built the systems of towers in Detroit, Indianapo- lis and Alameda, California. The latter. costing $40,000, was completed just a month before he became of age. In 1885 Mr. Adams went with the Jenney Electric Company of Indianapo- lis, where for two years he secured valuable practical experience. Later he was in chaige of work for the Edison General Electric Com- pany of Chicago, in- stalling many light- ing systeins in the INIiddle West. For seven years, beginning with 1S9S, he was in cliarge of tlie outside con- struction and expert repair work of the Stanley Electric & JNIanufacturing Com- pany of Pittsfield, Mass. The Pacific Gas & Electric Company em- ployed Mr. Adains in 1906 to take charge of the construction o f new stations and sub- stations following the San Francisco fire. He designed and con- structed stations in San Francisco, Oakland and Bei-keley and re- built stations and ap- paratus at Electra, Colgate, De Sabla and Centerville. By his work he assisted largely in bringing about the present high standard of station detail and per- formance. He is widely known on the Pacific Coast as an expert in the investigation and correction of engineering "trouble." When a series of disastrous water- wheel wrecks almost crippled the hydro-electric service of one big com- pany, the work of investigation and i-epair was placed in his charge. Out of a hopeless mass of scrap copper and steel, new dynamos were constructed and new water wheels vyere designed and built that are still standard. By a system of graphic analysis, never pub- lished, errors of the original design were corrected and no failures have occurred on these big units in the last five years of operation. Leaving the Pacific Gas & Electric Company in 1911, Mr. Adams has since engaged in electrical engineering and contracting. One of his recent proj- ects was the building, in 1915, of the municipal sewage-pumping plant, No. 2, for the City of Sacramento. He has one of the most complete electrical libraries on the Pacific Coast. The Rice Land and Products Com- pany, in which Mr. Adams is deeply interested, has 3,000 acres of rice cov- ered land, seven miles north of Colusa. The pumping plants for this enter- prise were installed by his firm, and a careful study of this project resulted in his acquiring a permanent interest in rice culture. A rice mill and a large extension of the rice fields will result from his plans. 235 HUBBARD FOSTER ALEXANDER THE success of Hubbard F. Alex- ander — president of the Pacific Alaska Navigation Company (The Admiral Line) — like that of many other transportation men, is the culmination of a life in which hus- tling- methods, keen foresight and the power to execute have been the contributory forces. But, unlike most of those in the same line, or in other fields, he has arrived at the zenith of pros- perity in much shorter time despite the fact that he was seemingly handicapped by a most humble beginning. He started his battle with the world as a longshoreman when only fifteen years of age; but this labor, instead of acting as a deterrent, gave him an experience that was to be useful in after years and developed him physically for a strenuous business life. Mr. Alexander was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, August 14, 1879, the son of Edward S. and Emma (Foster) Alexander. His parents were of old New England stock, his father's birthplace being Stamford, Connecticut, while his mother was born at Lowell, Massa- chusetts. After marriage his parents moved to Colorado, where his father's business interests called them. Eleven years later they moved to Tacoma, Washington. Mr. Alexander was educated in the public and private schools in Colorado Springs and Tacoma, Washington, but on account of severe financial reverses of his family, left before graduation to work on the docks at Tacoma. After two years at this work he en- tered the employ of Dodwell, Carlill & Company, who were operating the Northern Pacific Steamship Company to the Orient, and the Washington and Alaska Steamship Company to Alaska. His position with this firm was check- clerk and wharf agent, which he credit- ably filled until twenty years of age, when he reorganized the Commercial Dock Company, which .conducted a general wharfage and shipping business, and of which he became president and manager. He continued in this posi- tion for seven years, at the same time which operates acting as agent for many coastwise steamship lines. The thorough knowledge gained in these various connections led to his election in 1906 as president of the Alaska Pacific Steamship Company, a line between Puget Sound and California ports. He was then twenty-seven years of age and was probably the youngest man in a similar capacity in the country. In 1907 he became general manager of the Alaska Coast Company, which operates a line a dis- tance of 2,000 miles along the Alaska coast, and was elected its president in 1912. In 1912 the Pacific Alaska Navigation Company was organ- ized, this company taking over both the Alaska Pacific Steam- ship Company and the Alaska Coast Com- pany and becoming the operating com- pany as well as the holding company, with Mr. Alexander as president. The opera- tion of the Pacific Alaska Navigation Company under this combination covers 3,000 miles of the Pacific coast, from California to Alaska, being the longest all-the-year-around American coast- wise service. The Pacific Alaska Navigation Com- pany is known as "The Admiral Line," all of its vessels being named after admirals of the American Navy. In addition to these interests Mr. Alexander retains the position of presi- dent of the Commercial Dock Company of Tacoma, which was his first busi- ness venture and the stepping-stone to his success. Mr. Alexander is one of the most prominent men in the Northwestern country and is favorably known all over the Pacific slope. He is a mem- ber of the Union, Country and Golf and Commercial Clubs of Tacoma, the Rainier and Transportation Clubs of Seattle, the Transportation and Pacific Union Clubs of San Francisco, the California Club of Los Angeles, and of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. He married, in 1902. Miss Ruth Cald- well of Portland, Oregon, and they have one daughter. 236 WILLIAM A. BISSELL THE primary factor that makes for man's success in life is his home training. Let that be as it should be and he cannot go far wrong in carving out his independent career. In the life story of many a man his ad- vancement is explained by this one thing — proper prep- aration at home for the world's battles. This applies in every particular to William Ambrose Bissell, as- sistant traffic manager for the Santa Fe Rail- way system at San Francisco, and officer or director of a num- ber of California cor- porations. His was a scholarly environment. Born in 1848 at Lyons, Wayne County, New York, he was the son of Right Reverend W. H. A. Bissell and Martha Cotton (Moul- ton) Bissell, the for- mer Episcopal Bishop of "Vermont from 1868 until his death in 1893. Good books were his and ideals were early imparted to him by his parents. Following his common school edu- cation Mr. Bissell took a course at the Geneva Academy, Geneva, New York. The professions beckoned to him, but the broad field of business held out the stronger appeal and when 16 years old he accepted a minor position with the Michigan Central Railroad at Detroit. After three years there he came to California by way of Panama in March, 1868. At that time Cali- fornia's railway system was not on a very high plane. The Central Pacific was then operating over but ninety miles in the State and it was with this corporation, at Sacramento, that Mr. Bissell associated himself. In 1870, with the purchase of the San Jose Railroad, he was placed in charge of the traffic department at San Fran- cisco. For thirteen years Mr. Bissell remained with the Central Pacific. In 1883, however, there came a flattering offer from the Texas Pacific Railway and he became that road's Coast agent, with offices in San Francisco. He ac- cepted an even better place in Decem- ber, 1884, as Coast agent for the Atlan- tic & Pacific Railroad. This later on became a part of the Atchison Railroad system and Mr. Bissell was made its general freight and passenger agent. By this time he was a recognized leader in railroad circles. In 1894 the Atchi- son system was reorganized as the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Mr. Bis- sell thereupon was transferred to Chi- cago, but following the purchase in 1900 of the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley railroads he was brought back to San Francisco as assistant traffic manager; and here he has since re- mained, in one of the railway's inost important executive positions. When the affairs of tlie San Fran- cisco-Oakland Termi- nal Railways came to a crisis in 1913 the United Properties trus- tees chose Mr. Bissell as president of the railways, to put them back on a firm founda- tion. In this capacity he served with credit until September, 1914, when he resigned. During his years of railway service Mr. Bissell has been quiet- ly making judicious investments until to- day he has large hold- ings in corporations of various kinds. He is president of the Liver- more Water & Power Company, and a direc- tor of the Holland Sandstone Company, Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation Company, Northwest- ern Pacific Railway Company, Rich- mond Land Company, Oakland & East Side Railway Company, Santa Fe Ter- minal Company of California and the Union Savings Bank of Oakland. Mr. Bissell is in active sympathy with movements that tend to the betterment of the city, the State and the Nation, and does much work as a member of the San Francisco Chamber of Com- merce. Of California he believes its future is more brilliant than that of any other State in the Union. Socially Mr. Bissell is one of the founders of the Transportation Club of San Francisco and is past vice-president of the Pacific Union, as well as a mem- ber of the California Club of Los An- geles and of the Athenian Club and Claremont and Sequoia Country Clubs of Oakland. He was married January 7, 1870, to Miss Cora A. Messick and is the father of two grown children, William H. and Daniel R. Bissell. The family home is in Alameda and a part of each summer is spent at a cottage overlooking beautiful Lake Tahoe. Mr. Bissell also owns a ranch near Liver- more, where he occasionally spends a few days as a relaxation from his con- fining duties in the city. The shaping of Mr. Bissell's career has vitally affected California. For as a railroader he has helped build up districts which, once practically unin- habited by man, have been transformed into prosperous countrysides, linked by the railways with the world's markets. 237 ANSON S. BLAKE THAT man's works live after him is a truth that is plainly apparent. Especially does it apply to those works which have to do with the alteration and improvement of the earth's surface to meet the needs of civilization. Digging- here and there to remove certain land- marks, and employing wood, stone or concrete with steel and iron to rear certain other landmarks, man has changed things to suit himself, and he has done it well. The construction man, perhaps more than anyone else, has builded for himself permanent monuments. Generations that come after him may gaze for decades or cen- turies upon his handi- work, and may make use of the things that have cost him brains and money to make possible— without giv- ing more than a pass- ing thought to what it means to them. Anson S. Blake, president of the Blake Brotliers Company and officer in a num- ber of other concerns of a similar na- ture, is a man who has spent all his adult life in the upbuilding of the communities in which he has moved about. He has to his credit a number of projects important to the San Fran- cisco bay district, and is one of those stanch business men en whose shoul- ders much public responsibility rests. A native of San Francisco, born Au- gust 6, 1870, Mr. Blake is the son of Charles T. Blake, himself a prominent contractor in his time, and Harriet (Stiles) Blake. He went through the public grammar schools of this city, was graduated from the Boy.s' High School in 1SS7, and subsequently in 1891 finished at the University of California with the degree of A. B. Almost immediately after leaving school Mr. Blake entered upon his busi- ness career. He became secretary of the Bay Rock Company, in which his father was interested, and after two years there accepted a clerkship with the Oakland Paving Company. In 1897 he became the latter concern's secre- tary and in 1899 its president. In 1904 Mr. Blake organized with Frank W. Bilger the Blake & Bilger Company, which dealt in building inaterials and conducted a quarry. Two years ago Mr. Blake sold his interests in the Oak- land Paving Company to Mr. Bilger, who retired from the Blake & Bilger Company, and the quarrying concern was given its present designation of Blake Brothers Company. Mr. Anson S. Blake is still head of the business, which is of a general contracting and quarrying nature. One of Mr. Blake's important con- struction projects was carried out as receiver of the ScoHeld Construction Company, when he completed the $1,. ROC- OCO Government dry dock at Mare Island Navy Yard in 1910. Two contracting con- cerns failed in the en- deavor to carry through the w^ork, which lasted over a period of seven years. An idea of the huge task that confronted the engineers can be gleaned from the fact that the bottom of the dry dock consists of concrete nine and a half feet thick and that it rests on 12,000 piles. Excavation on the big receptacle was started by a company which, after heroic but unsuccessful attempts to stop the seepage that continually dam- aged the labor as fast as it was performed, threw up the contract in despair. The Scofield com- pany then took hold of it, and finally Mr. Blake completed it. In building the dock it was neces- sary to use 15,000 piles, 90,000 yards of concrete, 1,500 cubic yards of stone and 3,000,000 feet of lumber. The length of the dock is 791 feet. Its width at the bottom is 76 feet and at the top 120 feet. It will hold a vessel drawing 34 feet. The United States Government formally accepted it May 17, 1910, and on the saine day the U. S. S. California entered the dock for repairs. This project has since played a big part in making the Mare Island yard the important naval base it is today. Mr. Blake is also president of the Venice Island Land Company, which has a 3,400 acre reclamation project on the .'>an Joaquin river between Stockton and Antioch. The land has proved valuable for the growing of vegetables and grain, .-^gain, Mr. Blake is vice-president of the Union Dredging Company, which en- gages in important operations in San Francisco bay and about the deltas of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Mr. Blake was married in San Fran- cisco May 17, 1894, to Anita Day Symmes, daughter of Frank J. Symmes. He is a member of the University Club of San Francisco, the Athenian Club and Claremont Country Club of Oakland and the Faculty Club of Berkeley. 238 THEODORE Z. BLAKEMAN "A MAN advanced in years," wrote Richai-d Steele, the famous es- sayist, "that thinlvs fit to look back upon his former life and calls "hat only life which was passed with satisfaction and enjoyment, will find himself very young, if not in his infancy." Bearing in mind this truth of "The Spec- tat o r," Theodore Z. Blakeman, pioneer San Francisco attorney at law, has indeed had a well-rounded career. Roses were not strewn in his pathway. In- deed, he has gone through a great deal of unpleasantness. But it has all been life, real life, and his spirit of optimism has ever pre- vailed. Born September 29, 1842, in Green County, Kentucky, Mr. Blake- man is the son of Moses Blakeman, at one time a prominent slave- owner, and of Narcissa (Rhea) Blakeman. He is a descendant o f Adam Blakeman, who landed in America in the 17th century and established the first English Episcopal Church, at Stamford, Connecticut. Following his early education in private schools in Greensburg, near his birthplace, Mr. Blakeman entered Georgetown College, and was in his junior year there when the Civil War broke out. One day in 1S63, when Bragg had forced back the Federals and had swept close to Cincinnati, Mr. Blakeman mounted his horse, rode into the Con- federate lines and enlisted as a private in the regiment of Colonel Gano. Sub- sequently he was with Morgan in the famous raid through Ohio. The Con- federates found themselves hemmed in and surrender was decided upon. Be- fore this took place, however, Mr. Blake- man and a comrade slipped away in the darkness, procured civilian clothes, and walking boldly into Dayton bought tickets for Detroit. Mr. Blakeman made his way clear to Windsor, Canada, with- out being once challenged. At Windsor Mr. Blakeman stopped with the family of John Rodman, a Ken- tucky lawyer whom the war had forced into temporary exile. The youth took up the study of law under Rodman, and when the latter returned home Mr. Blakeman apprenticed himself to Mat- thew R. Vankoughnet, a brother of the Chancellor of the Province of Ontario. A few months later, when General Lee surrendered, Mr. Blakeman went to New York and read law in the office of John W. Ashmead, U. S. Attorney General in President Taylor's administration. He was admitted to practice in New York in 1S66. In 1S67 he went to St. Louis and began practicing after admittance to the State and Federal courts. In 1S75 he was admitted to the U. S. Supreme Court and ISSO he came to San Francisco. Since that time Mr. Blakeman has enjoyed a wide and success- ful law practice. From 1S90 until 1S96 he ap- peared in a notable suit against the Bank of California of San Francisco and the Rideout-Smitli Bank of Oroville, in which he represented bondhold- ers of the Spring Val- 1 e y Gold Company, owners of the big Cherokee mines. The action was very com- plicated and had for its basis the recovery of the mining property. After taking the case to the Supreme Court Mr. Blakeman won for his clients and the mines were sold some years later for $160,000. Mr. Blakeman is perhaps best known to the present generation of attorneys by his really remarkable work on be- lialf of the widow of the late Tliomas Bell. When he died in 1S92 Bell left an estate valued at $1,200,000. By 1S98, for one reason and another, it had dwindled to almost nothing and had $250,000 outstanding debts. At this juncture Mr. Blakeman was retained by the widow. To begin with, Mr. Blakeman had the executors turned out and in 1902 had Mrs. Bell appointed general adminis- tratrix. By suits in equity he then re- covered for the estate 14,000 acres of land, on part of which oil had been dis- covered. By selling part of this the es- tate has realized $1,780,000, and it still has left 8,000 acres for which it has been offered $2,500,000. Mr. Blakeman has built up this mag- nificent estate from next to nothing. In fact his efforts drew from Judge Hen- shaw of the Supreme Court the state- ment in open session that: "I and the members of this court ap- preciate and have some knowledge of the great volume of evidence that has been required and the vast labor cast upon you, and can bear testimony to the great value of your services to that (Bell) estate." Such a eulogy as that is so unusual as to be almost unique. It leaves noth- ing to be added. 239 LOUIS P. BOARDMAN AFTER all, there is nothing like being prepared when one sets out to accomplish some certain thing. If a man establish a grocery business, he succeeds if he has trained himself in this field and knows its pit- falls beforehand; he probably fails if he does not know them. It is much the same in any line o f work. The professions — the doctor, the law- yer — are particularly required to prepare themselves well if they are to attain anything other than a mediocre success. Louis P. Boardman owes his achievements as a lawyer largely to the fact that when he had the opportunity to study and learn the rudiments of law he took advantage of it. The result was that Mr. Boardman began doing things immediately after he was admitted to the bar. And he has been doing things — big, important things — ever since. Born in 1S74 at Reno, Nevada, Mr. Boardman is the son of Judge W. M. Boardman and Mariah (Harris) Board- man. His father was prominent in legal circles, both at the bar and on the bench, and three of his four sons, Louis P., Philip C. and Joseph Board- man, have followed in his footsteps by entering the profession also. The elder Boardman was at one time district at- torney for Washoe and Story counties, Nevada, and later on was elected judge for the same di.'strict. When it came time for Louis P. Board- man to seek an education he was placed in the hands of private tutors in Reno. Later on he went for a time to the State "University of Nevada at Reno, and when about 16 years old came to Cali- fornia with his parents. Soon after- ward he entered the University of the Pacific at Santa Clara, but when Stan- ford University was opened at Palo Alto he enrolled at the new institution of learning as a member of its first class. He was graduated from Stanford with the degree of A. B. Judge Boardman was at this time practicing law in San Francisco and the son took up his legal stud- ies in his father's of- fices. Judge Boardman was called away of- tentimes to various points in Northern Cal- ifornia in the course of his practice, and his son on such occasions carried on the routine work here. This gave him valuable experi- ence along practical lines, experience which he soon was to turn to account. Louis P. Boardman was admitted to the bar in California and almost immediately afterward repre- sented Theodore Durrant, convicted of murder, in Durrant's appeal to the United States Supreme Court on a ques- tion of constitutional law. The lower court's ruling was affirmed by the higher tribunal, but Mr. Boardman was nevertheless complimented on the able manner in which he had prepared tlie plea. Mr. Boardman's law practice is of a general nature, though largely confined to civil law. He has appeared a great deal in probate matters and at present represents the widow in the million- dollar estate of the late George K. Por- ter. This takes him to Los Angeles a great part of the time, although he maintains his permanent offices in the Crocker building, San Francisco. In politics Mr. Boardman is a Re- publican. He has not sought political preferment, however, contenting him- self merely with working on behalf of his friends. 240 PHILIP C. BOARDMAN THERE is such a thing as failing in a business or professional career because one does not realize that, to attain anything worth while, one must "stick close to the job." Pleas- ures allure and the enticement is too strong; or, perhaps, the mind and heart are not in the work and what seems pleas- ure in itself to one man appears as dull, grind- ing labor to another. Once a man lets his in- terest wander he is al- most foredoomed to failure. He might as well quit it all right then. All of which is but a prelude to the state- ment that one of the main reasons Philip C. Boardman has s u c - ceeded in the practice of law is that he real- ized all this at the out- set. When he entered upon the study of his profession he k n e w that it would require work — and plenty of it. He was cognizant of the fact that years of close application were before him, and that if he were to make a name for himself among his co-practitioners he must "stick close to the job." He has done so, and the results have been most gratifying. Mr. Boardman is a native of Nevada. He was born at Reno, January 14, 1883. His father was Judge W. M. Boardman, at one time district attorney for Washoe and Story Counties, Nevada, and after- ward district judge for the same judi- cial division. He was eminently suc- cessful in the law, both as a practi- tioner and on the bench, and his sons came naturally by their inclination for a similar career. Mr. Boardman's mother was Mariah (Harris) Boardman. When it came time for Mr. Boardman to seek an education he was sent to the public schools of his home city. When he was but 7 years old his parents moved to California, living for a time at Monterey and Pacific Grove. In 1900 Philip C. Boardman was grad- uated from the Monterey County High School. He had long planned to follow In his father's footsteps as a lawyer, as well as In those of his elder brother, Louis P. Boardman, who was at that time associated in practice with Samuel M. Shortridge. He began his law studies in this office, where he remained for a little more than two years. In the early part of 1909, having taken the necessary examinations and passed them, he was admitted to practice in the State courts of California by mo- tion before the District Court of Appeal, First Appellate District. In 1911 he was admitted also to the United States District Court. Immediately follow- ing his admittance Mr. Boardman began prac- ticing alone, and he has continued so until now. His business is of a general nature, although the bulk of his work is in civil law. He has practiced in every court in San Francisco and has ap- peared in a profes- sional capacity also in nearly every county of California. One of Mr. Board- man's coups was his rejuvenation of the Combined Oil Company, for which lie is general counsel. The concern's property in the North Midway field was, three years or so ago, in debt to the extent of $100,000. Mr. Boardman was retained to take charge of the situ- ation, and he not only put the corpora- tion entirely out of debt but he accumu- lated for it assets which today are in excess of a quarter of a million dollars. This was another result of close appli- cation, coupled with the ability to see through and unravel a complex prob- lem, keeping in touch with all the details as the matter worked itself out. Although his political leanings are toward the Republican party, Mr. Boardman is a politician in no sense other than that he is naturally inter- ested in anything that affects the city or the nation in which he lives and works. He has never sought office, nor has he been active politically except on behalf of a friend whom he felt worthy of the preferment sought. His flourishing practice has also kept Mr. Boardman too busy to take part In matters of a social or fraternal nature and he has done little along either line. He Is unmarried. 241 GEORGE O. BRADLEY GEORGE OLIVER BRADLEY, chief consulting engineer to Colonel Daniel C. Jackling, has designed and constructed mining and met- allurgical plants of a greater combined tonnage capacity than has any other one engineer in the world. And for Colonel Jackling alone he has built plants that will exceed in capacity those of any other live metalliferous mining interests in the world put together. Few persons, per- haps, aside from those personally acquainted with Mr. Bradley, or those whose interests lie in the mining or en- gineering field, know this important fact. And the reason they do not know it is simply that Mr. Bradley has not told them. Work- ing quietly and with- out ostentation, stick- ing close to his duties and making them his paramount interest, he has shunned publicity rather than sought it. And these are the very reasons why he has been able to accomplish so much in so comparatively few years. Mr. Bradley is a native of Colorado. He was born at Arvada January 17, 1867, the son of William C. Bradley, a pioneer in the Western transportation field, and Emily F. (Graves) Bradley. After receiving his education in the public schools of Golden, Colorado, Mr. Bradley, while still a youth, served a four years' apprenticeship in machinery and mechanical engineering at Denver. Immediately following this period of training Mr. Bradley accepted a posi- tion as drauglitsman for the Moffat mining properties at Leadville. Ever since then he has been associated con- stantly witli tlie development and ad- vancement of the mining industry in the various districts of the country. For eighteen years now Mr. Bradley has been associated with Colonel Jack- ling. Something like a dozen years ago began those famous experiments with low-grade copper ores that marked a new epoch in the growth of the coun- try's copper production. Mr. Bradley worked throughout that campaign which has placed Bingham, Utah, on the map and made of the Utah Copper Company one of the controlling factors in the copper industry of the United States. At Bingham was discovered a verita- ble mountain of low-grade porphyry. The ore was comparatively easy to mine, but a deterrent was found in the inability of the miners to make the Avorking of the porphyry commercially profitable. Some of the foremost min- ing engineers of the nation declared that the ores could not be made to pay. AtCopperton Mr. Bradley designed and built for the Utah Cop- per Co. a 500-ton ex- perimental reduction plant. Here was taken ore from Bingham, nearby, and here tlie experiments were car- ried on. Data collected by means of these ex- periments not only made possible the project for working tlie Bingham ores, but it was used in tlie con- struction of a plant at Garfield, Utah, with 12,000-ton daily capac- ity. This plant is now handling 26,000 tons a day. The mine at Bing- ham is today world- famous. In character it is uniciue. By reason of the process which makes it possible to work with profit the low-grade ores, it is also possible to mine with steam shovels. Round and round the moun- tain of ore the shovels have eaten their way, lessening slowly but none the less surely the vast mineral deposit. Previous to all this, Mr. Bradley built tlie plant of the Anaconda Copper Com- pany in Montana. From there he went to Bisbee, Arizona, and erected the cop- per converting plant of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company. After the completion of tliis work tliere followed the designing and building by Mr. Bradley of the reduction works of the Ray Consolidated Copper Company in Arizona and of the Chino Copper Comimny in New Mexico. Following his construction of the plant of the Butte & Superior Copper Company, Ltd., at Butte, Montana, Mr. Bradley in 1912 went to Alaska and built the works of the Alaska Gold Mines Company. At the present time Mr. Bradley is designing another gold re- duction plant, one of 10,000 tons daily capacitj^ for the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mining Company, a concern controlled by San Francisco and New York in- terests. Through all these years Mr. Bradley has worked early and late, without even so much as a vacation. Considering this, his record is easily accounted for. 242 HERBERT F. BRIGGS IP diversified experience has anything to do with a man's success — and al- most anyone will aver that it does have a lot to do with it — then Her- bert F. Brig-g-s should accomplish as much in the practice of law as he accom- plished in the ministry or in the world of business. For he has really seen life from a great many an- gles — seen it at its best and at its worst, with plenty of the mediocre in between. Ever since he was a youth Mr. Briggs had been attracted to the law as a profession. But his desire to be- come a lawyer was outweighed by another desire, that to help men who needed help. He would have gone into social service had such a thing been as well defined then as it is to- day. But at that time the church seemed to him to be the only medium through which he could work — so he entered the church. Mr. Briggs was born March 16, 1866, at Sac- ramento, California, and his father, Martin Clock Briggs, was a clergyman of the Methodist Epis- copal Church. His mother was Ellen (Green) Briggs, a native of New York State. The elder Briggs came to San Francisco on the vessel that brought the news of California's admittance into the Union. The present Mr. Briggs was educated in the Lincoln School of San Francisco, having moved to this city with his par- ents when he was about 12 years old. He was graduated from the Alameda High School in 1884, and after attend- ing for a time Evanston Academy at Evanston, 111., entered Northwestern University of Evanston. He received the degree of A. B. from this institu- tion in 1889, and after three years in the Boston University School of The- ology was given the degree of S. T. B. in 1892. The same year, by virtue of independent study, he gained the degree of A. M. from Northwestern. By this time Mr. Briggs' plans for entering the ministry had crystallized. In 1890 he had entered the California Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1892 he formally en- tered the ministry, although his final ordination did not come until 1894. His first pastorate was at Los Gatos, Cali- fornia. Three years he remained there, but in 1895 was transferred to Santa Cruz, where he served two years more. At this juncture Mr. Briggs, desiring to further his erudition the better to equip himself for the work that was to follow, spent a year and a half at the University of Berlin, specializing in New Testament Greek and theology. Then he spent an unusually productive period of six months reading theology in the library of the British Museum i n London. He returned home in 1899 to accept the chair of New Test- ament Greek in the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, but the next year returned to the California Conference. Placed in charge of the work of the City Missionary Society of San Francisco in 1900, Mr. Briggs occupied the position for one year, or until 1901, when he and his brother, A. H. Briggs, were made joint pastors of Cen- tral M. E. Church, San Francisco. In 1903, however, under the firm and honest convic- tion that he could not accomplish in the min- istry what he desired to accomplish he — and his brother also — re- signed in good standing and with- drew. For the succeeding five years Mr. Briggs gained exceedingly valuable ex- perience in the business world, along various lines. During this period he made a business trip around the world, his journey taking him to Africa, Eng- land, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, China and Hawaii. By this time the way was open for him to study law, and he took advantage of it, pursuing his work privately for three years. He passed the examinations before the District Court of Appeal and was ad- mitted to the bar May 4, 1911. Ever since then Mr. Briggs has been practicing law independently. He con- fines himself largely to civil law, with very little criminal work, and most of his practice is along probate and cor- poration law lines. Mr. Briggs is a Republican but not active in politics, although he served as a member of the Board of Library Trus- tees of Berkeley and also as a member of the Berkeley Board of Education. He belongs to the Masonic order, San Francisco Commandery No. 42, Knights Templar, to the Elks and to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He was married August 6, 1892, in Evanston, 111., to Miss Sara M. Foster. The couple have had two sons, Arthur Foster Briggs, now dead, and Herbert Mitchem Briggs, aged 13. 243 WILLIAM H. BYINGTON, JR. THE dealer in financial securities occupies an important place in tlie business community. If he is ca- pable, if he builds up his clientele and gains the confidence of investors, he may become one of the foremost figures in industrial progress. Land does not de- velop itself; money is needed to start colon- ization going. Indus- tries do not spring into popular favor without much preliminary la- bor and exploitation and the erection of factories, and for all this there is needed capital. Everywhere one turns one sees in- dustries of a hundred different natures which, were it not for proper financing, would not, could not, exist. William H. Bying- ton, Jr., dealer in first mortgage bonds and consistent booster for his native State, has for the past decade de- voted his time to the financing of California industrial projects. When called upon to provide money for a meritorious business cause, he has gone forth and secured it, no matter how great a sum might be required. His deals have run into the millions, and not only from other sections of the United States but from Europe has the needed capital been brought. Born August 29, 1882, at Downieville, Sierra County, Mr. Byington is the son of William H. Byington and Nellie Frances (McDonald) Byington. The family removed to San Francisco in 1889 and Mr. Byington attended the public schools of this city, being grad- uated from Lowell High School in 1901. In 1902 Mr. Byington entered the law department of the United Railroads of San Francisco as an adjuster of damage claims. He remained with this corpo- ration until 1907 when he became inter- ested in the sale of bonds and entered this new field, where he has since mapped out his career. At the outset Mr. Byington sold Cali- fornia securities in New York, Boston and Washington, D. C, as well as in other Eastern financial centers necessitated his traveling a deal. In 1909 he was retained by a of developers to inspect a large tract of delta land in San Joaquin County. He did so, and on his advice a corporation was organized and began the develop- ment, following out Mr. Byington's This good group ideas as to the financial procedure. This project represented something like $1,750,000. The next big deal came in 1911, when Mr. Byington, on behalf of certain Cali- fornia investors, went to Washington, D. C, and offered Truxtun Beale $3,000,000 for his fa- mous 275,000-acre Te- jon rancli in Kern and Los Angeles Counties. Mr. Byington had raised the money and was ready to close the deal at once; but Mr. Beale refused the offer and the plan was stifled. The same year Mr. Byington branched out and became interested in oil securities. In the same Eastern field in which he had started out he sold first mort- gage bonds of produc- ing California oil com- panies, at the same time handling other strong industrial secu- rities as he had done from the first. His oil operations lasted until 1913. Since then he has handled other high- class bonds in various sections of the country, while maintaining offices in San Francisco. The great European war, which has been so universally disastrous to the financing of American business schemes, also had its effect upon the operations of Mr. Byington. He was forced to halt two big deals, although they will un- doubtedly be carried through to a suc- cessful conclusion vi^hen the situation gets back to normal again. Mr. Byington, in one of these deals, brought French capital here for the purpose of a large development project in the San Joaquin Valley. There is involved $2,500,000. French representa- tives were here from Paris to bring the matter to a close, but were forced by the war to return home. Mr. Byington has invested heavily in California lands and securities on his own account, being a firm believer in the stability and future of the State. Professionally, he has confined his ef- forts in the past few years to placing high-grade first mortgage bonds on the Pacific Coast and through the Eastern States. In 1907 Mr. Byington was married in San Francisco to Celia Breitstein and has one daughter, Virginia, aged 5 years. He confines his social activities largely to membership in the Olympic Club. 244 RUSSELL W. CANTRELL WHEN the fire of April, 1906, swept over San Francisco, all but TSLzing the city to the ground, it destroyed, along with hundreds of others, the business of Russell W. Cantrell, who at that time conducted the Sterling Jewelry Com- pany. It also marked a turning point in Mr. Cantrell's life and ca- reer. For some time be- fore the conflagration Mr. Cantrell had been planning to take up the study of law. The fire decided him. From then on he was deter- mined he would carry his stock in trade "un- der his hat," where it would be at least com- paratively safe. Ac- cordingly he studied, was admitted to the bar, began practic- ing — and more and more each year since has he had cause to congratulate himself on the change. Mr. Cantrell is a na- tive of San Francisco. He was born August 28, 1881, the son of Joseph B. Cantrell, who was in the mercantile business here, and Catherine T. (Shea) Cantrell. He attended the public schools and in 1898 was graduated from the San Francisco Polytechnic High School. By this time Mr. Cantrell was look- ing forward to one day becoming an attorney at law. He was restrained from entering the profession at once, however, by the advice of his father,- who believed that no man can under- stand the law thoroughly unless he be at least 25 years old. This view was the same as that of a chief justice of the Supreme Court, who had himself abided by it and whose own career he offered as proof of his argument. At the time he left school Mr. Can- trell was still a youth. In casting about for something to occupy his time until the right moment for a law ca- reer should be at hand he saw an op- portunity as traveling salesman for a firm of diamond importers. He em- braced the chance and for the next seven or eight years traveled about on the Pacific Coast, from Alaska as far south as Mexico. This gave him a broad experience in business, which has since proved extremely useful to him. In 1905 Mr. Cantrell launched the Sterling Jewelry Company, dealing in imported diamonds, fine watches and jewelry, and continuing so until the wiping out of stock and store by the fire. Before the end of the same year he en- tered Stanford Univer- sity, where he special- ized in law. Two years later, after accom- plishing a three-year course — by dint of close application and by attending the sum- mer sessions at the University of Califor- nia — in two, he re- turned to San Fran- cisco, took the bar ex- amination and was ad- mitted to practice. During his second year at college Mr. Cantrell paid his own way by working as an expert accountant for a number of mercantile firms. He had taken up accountancy imme- diately after leaving high school and had perfected himself in it. Mr. Cantrell has had practically no practice in the criminal courts. He has confined himself to civil law, spe- cializing in corporation and like work. He also has appeared in numerous cases in the probate courts. At present he represents a son of William A. Nivells, a pioneer miner of Amador and Trinity Counties who died in 1912 leaving an estate supposed to be worth something in the neighborhood of a million dollars. A contest of Nivells' will is shortly to be brought to trial. Mr. Cantrell is general counsel for a number of real estate and other cor- porations. What with the stress of his legal practice, Mr. Cantrell has not found time to be active in politics, although he is a stanch supporter of the Demo- cratic cause, and belongs to the Iroquois Club. He also holds membership in the San Francisco Bar Association, the San Francisco Commercial Club and the Na- tional Union. Mr. Cantrell was married February 22, 1908, in San Francisco to Miss Louise Bacigalupi. His home is at 2201 Lar- kin street. 245 THOMAS A. CASHIN ON December 28, 1912, when the first street cur was operated on the Geary street line of the Municipal Railways, the new traction enter- prise boasted of but 10.90 miles of single track roadway, 9 cars and 56 employes of all kinds. During- the four remain- ing days of the first month the receipts to- taled $3,300.60. On July 1, 1915, a lit- tle more than two years and a half later, the Municipal Rail- ways was operating over about 44 miles of single track, and had 168 large type and 29 small type cars and 850 employes of all classes. The first four days of the month brought into the cor- poration's coffers $26,- 096.50. When one considers that the Municipal Railway system was placed almost at once on a paying basis un- der the management of Superintendent Thom- as A. Cashin, there is reflected on Mr. Cashin not a little honor and credit. In fact the suc- cess of the municipal enterprise, which has attracted world-wide attention, is attributed in a large degree to Superin- tendent Cashin's practical experience and his unremitting efforts toward en- largement and betterment of the city of San Francisco's project. Thomas A. Cashin is a native of San Francisco. He was born here June 19, 1879, the son of D'Arcy M. Cashin, min- ing promoter and at one time engaged in the ice and cold storage business, and of Kate E. (Taylor) Cashin. Mr. Cashin attended the grammar schools, the Boys' High School and the Polytechnic High School, afterward studying law in the oflSce of A. P. Van Duzer. This was in 1897. A year and a half later a combination of circumstances made it imperative that Mr. Cashin give up his studies and look for a lucrative position. He be- came a clerk in the otlice of the sec- retary of the Los Angeles Street Rail- way Company, located in San Francisco, and in the next three years stored up his first experience in street railway work. A better opportunity then presenting itself, Mr. Cashin went with the old Market Street Railway Company in the capacity of stenographer and time- keeper in the maintenance of way and construction department. From this he went into the accounting department, later becoming material clerk in charge of all materials, and finally became as- sistant engineer of way and construc- tion. In 1909 another opportunity for ad- vancement was placed before him. This was the superintendency of the Fresno Traction Company at Fresno, Califor- nia, and Mr. Cashin accepted. Here his capability and progressiveness mani- fested itself and he soon had gained an enviable reputation as a practical di- rector of street rail- way affairs. The re- sult was that when the Municipal Railways of San Francisco became a I'eality, railway ex- perts recommended Mr. Cashin as superintend- ent and he was ap- pointed such October 7, 1912. And let it be said here that the appoint- ment was not involved with politics in any way. Mr. Cashin is a Republican but he is not a politician. He stood on his record, as he stands today, was chosen for the place from among six aspi- rants and at the time of his appointment knew none of the Su- pervisors nor was he acquainted even with Mayor Rolph. Starting in with practically nothing. Superintendent Cashin has built up the Municipal Rail- ways in a remarkable manner. In the first year of its operation the Geary street road paid into the city treasury the total profit above all expenditures of .$85,345.80. The Geary street line, which orig- inally ran from Geary and Market streets to 33rd avenue and Geary and to 10th avenue and Fulton, was ex- tended to the Ferry and to the beach. Then was added the Van Ness avenue line to the exposition, then the Stockton street line, the Columbus avenue, the Presidio and Ferries, the California street and the Chestnut street, the latter skirting the exposition. San Francisco's Municipal Railways probably hold the record in the United States for rapid and substantial growth. Today the road is in a healthy financial condition, and in fact it has never known a deficit. Its accounts are kept abso- lutely according to the system pre- scribed by the Interstate Commerce Commission and approved by the State Railway Commission, and it is run on a strictly civil service basis. After indi- cating what the road would pay in taxes and other expenses if privately owned, it is still shown that it is making money. Already it has redeemed $101,000 worth of its outstanding bonds. Mr. Cashin, the superintendent, be- longs to the Elks, the Fresno Sequoia Club and the Indoor Yacht, Transporta- tion and Olympic Clubs of San Fran- cisco. He is unmarried. 246 JOHN BERTRAND CLAYBERG FORTY strenuous years has Judge John Bertrand Clayberg spent as a member of the legal fraternity — forty years that have brought to him mani'fold honors and a varied ex- perience. One-time chief of the Su- preme Court Commission of Montana, he is also considered an expert on mining and irrigation laws and for years has lectured on those subjects in some of the leading univer- sities of the country. Judge Clayberg was born October 8, 1853, at Cuba, Illinois. His father was George Clayberg, a farmer, and his mother Eliza- beth (Baughman) Clayberg. He was educated in the public schools of his birth- place and in 1875 was awarded the degree of LL. B. by the Univer- sity of Michigan. Prom 1874 until 1876 he was in the office of Thomas M. Cooley of Ann Ar- bor, the eminent judge and author and at that time dean of the law department of the University of Michi- gan, employed in writ- ing notes and preparing memoranda for Judge Cooley's works on Taxation and Torts, which have been considered au- thority on those subjects for many years. He was admitted to the bar at Ann Arbor March 20, 1875. Upon leaving Judge Cooley's office. Judge Clayberg opened law offices in Lansing, Michigan, in partnership with S. L. Kilbourne. A year later he re- moved to Alpena, Michigan, and formed a partnership with Robert J. Kelley. This continued five years, when it was dissolved and Judge Clayberg went into association with George H. Sleator. In the fall of 1884 Judge Clayberg came west to Helena, Montana, and became a law partner of Thomas H. Carter. "When Carter went to Congress, in 1889, Judge Clayberg formed a new association with N. W. McConnell, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court. The same year, 1889, Judge Clayberg was honored by the appointment, com- ing from Governor Preston B. Leslie, to the office of Attorney General of the Territory of Montana. After admitting to the partnership M. S. Gunn, Judge Clayberg's firm in 1894 opened a branch office in Butte. Then followed various changes until September, 1912, when Judge Clayberg removed to San Francisco, where he continues to practice in partnership with Welles Whitmore. Judge Clayberg has appeared in vari- ous cases of great importance, particu- larly in Montana. He was in the famous Drum-Lummon mining litigation, which was litigated most vigorously by many prominent mining lawyers of the United States for twenty-seven years, and dif- ferent phases of which went to the United States Supreme Court six or seven times. In this litigation the Su- preme Court finally established many important points In mining law. He also was In the A. J. Davis will case at Butte, wherein was involved an estate val- ued at about $10,000,- 000. Bob Ingersoll was associated with him as one of the attorneys. This litigation extend- ed over 22 years and in its various phases was before the Supreme Court of Montana some ten or twelve times. Several millions of dol- lars also was involved in the long drawn-out litigation between P. Augustus Heinze and the Amalgamated Cop- per Company, covering a period of ten years. During this entire litigation Judge Clay- berg was counsel for Heinze. In 1903 Judge Clay- berg was appointed chief of the Supreme Court Commission of Montana, which was organized for the pur- pose of assisting the Supreme Court in deciding a great accumulation of cases and in clearing its calendar. During the two-year existence of this commission Judge Clayberg wrote some 87 of the opinions of this court, which may be found in volumes 28 to 32 of the Mon- tana reports. In 1891 Judge Clayberg was called to lecture on mining law in the law department of his alma mater, Univer- sity of Michigan, and for 24 years con- tinued as non-resident lecturer there. About 1903 he added to his course lec- tures on irrigation law. He also lec- tured on mining law at Columbia University, and from 1903 to 1905 at the Montana School of Mines at Butte. He gave Stanford University a course of lectures on extra-lateral rights in 1913, and in 1914 lectured on the Drum- Lummon mining litigation before the law department of the University of California. By invitation, he read pa- pers on the law of "Percolating Water" before the San Prancisco Bar Associa- tion. He is the author of the article on "Mines and Minerals" published in the Cyclopaedia of Law and Procedure (commonly known as "Cyc"), which is considered as authority on the subjects. He has contributed liberally to legal publications for the past quarter of a century. Judge Clayberg organized a law de- partment at the University of Montana in 1911 and was made honorary dean, filling the chair of mining law and code pleadings until 1912. He is still consulting dean and lecturer on mining law for the institution. 247 ALFRED AUSTEN COHEN THE province of an attorney at law is just as he himself defines it. He may restrict liimself to the preparation and trial of le- gal issues after the controversy has reached tlie point where only a court can settle it; he may act, rather, in an advisory capacity, with the idea of fore- stalling lawsuits or of compromising without going into court at all — or he may make of himself a combination of lawyer and business promoter, thereby as- suming a double role. Alfred Austen Cohen has extended his oper- ations as an attorney so as to include all of these. When he was but 21 years old he or- ganized and financed the Jamaica Storage "Warehouse Company in New York City, with $100,000 capital stock, fully paid up. Within the past year he has promoted suc- cessfully the $1,000,000 Independent Ice & Cold Storage Company of San Francisco, which bids fair to become one of the largest corporations of its kind on the Pacific Coast. Born November 4, 1886, in New York City, Mr. Cohen is the son of Koppel Cohen, a builder, and Anne (Rosenthal) Cohen. He attended the public schools and the Jamaica High School of New York City, and from there went to tlie law school of the University of Denver. After about a year at this institution he continued his studies at the Brooklyn Law School of St. Lawrence University, Brooklyn, N. Y., and finished the course in 1907. It was just after he finished school that Mr. Cohen, seeing the opportunity to launch a w^arehouse enterprise, or- ganized the Jamaica Storage Ware- house Company, of which he became president and general manager. In the succeeding four years he became prom- inent in this field of business, being a member of the executive committee of the New York Furniture Warehouse- men's Association. He still represents, in a legal way, a number of warehouse concerns, and occasionally writes legal opinions on such matters for storage warehouses all over the country. In 1911 Mr. Cohen came to Nevada and was admitted to the bar in October of that year before the Supreme Court at Carson City. A few days later he gained admittance also before the Supreme Court of California at Sacramento. He practiced at Reno, however, until June 1, 1913, when he came to San Francisco and opened offices here. While in Ne- vada he was attorney for a number of corporations, among thom the Union Oil Company and the Pa- cific Telephone & Tele- graph Company. He is at present general counsel for several corporations in this city, and also is the le- gal representative of the San Francisco Property Owners' As- sociation. After a year of pre- liminary work and ne- gotiations, Mr. Cohen caused to be incorpo- rated June 4, 1915, the Independent Ice & Cold Storage Company, by the aid of Eastern cap- ital. Tlie capitalization of $1,000,000 is fully paid up and the con- cern will begin actual operations as soon as its factory is com- pleted. At the outset the company will confine itself largely to a development of the local mar- ket, but later on it will extend its business throughout the State. It ex- pects to offer strong competition in the manufacturing and sale of ice and in the maintenance and operation of cold storage wareliouses. Mr. Cohen is a director of the new corporation and its general attorney. Mr. Cotien is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association, the San Francisco Commercial Club, the New York Society of California and of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith. He was married in San Francisco April 21, 1915, to Edna B. Sonnenfeld, daughter of Abraham and Ida Meyer Brown, and resides at the Richelieu Hotel. His of- fices are in the Insurance Exchange building. Although he may be classed among the younger generation of San Fran- cisco attorneys, Mr. Cohen has already carved out for himself a career that many older members of his profession might well envy. He has found a happy combination of abilities. He was long enough in business to learn its tenets as thoroughly as he has learned those of the profession of the law. And with such a "stock in trade," many more big things — things that ultimately will prove a gi-eat benefit to the communi- ty — may well be expected of him. 248 FRANCIS M. COLVIN ALL) the World admires a self-made man. The one who fights his way alone against adversity in hew- ing out a. career has certain at- tributes not found in the individual who gets assistance over the rough places. And they are attributes which have much to do with our civilization. • r — Had Francis Marion Colvin, San Francisco attorney, been over- chary in his youth of soiling his hands with work or of burning the midnight oil over some volume of learning — this story probably would not be told. But he was not, so long as he gained the end he sought. Francis M. Colvin was born March 21, 1870, on a farm in Os- wego County, New York, son of John C. Colvin and Susan B. (Wallace) Colvin. The winter months found him at school and the summer months he spent helping his father till the farm. Time that might have been passed in play he employed in clearing land and plowing, and hauling tan-bark and railroad ties with an ox team. Thus he learned, when still a mere boy, what it meant to work for what he received. At times he "hired out" as farm hand to neigh- bors. The job always was tough, the pay always slight; but what pennies he could spare went for books, which he read with avidity. How hard earned was Mr. Colvin's money may be illustrated by a story. One winter there was an unusually heavy snowfall and the snow banked up five or six feet deep on the school- house and outbuildings. Fearing it would cause damage the school trustees employed young Colvin to shovel it off. The work was difficult, the climbing dangerous; but the boy accomplished It satisfactorily, whereupon he received — twenty-flve cents. And to collect the money he had to walk twelve miles through the snow for an order from the school clerk, return it to the trus- tees for their signatures, take it back to the clerk to be signed by him, then present it to the school treasurer for payment! When thirteen years old Mr. Colvin left home to make his own way. He continued attending school and work- ing at odd jobs, by which he managed to support himself. At fifteen he began a course at Leonardsville Academy, Leonardsville, New York, working his way through in three years. He spe- cialized in pedagogy, and after passing the examinations was, at the age of eighteen, a licensed school teacher. His first school was at East Winfleld, New York, where he taught a year, then re- moved to Nebraska and taught there another year. The Far West attracted him and he went to Western Washing- ton, where he taught eight years more. Mr. Colvin was es- sentially of that sturdy type of school- master who sets an example of thrift as well as of conduct be- fore his pupils. Dur- ing the vacation period he worked the harder. One year he donned overalls and secured a place as la- borer on the grading of the C. B. & Q. Rail- road in Nebraska. An- other he labored in a brickyard; again he lived the rough life of the logging camp; and still again he pushed a wheelbarrow on the grade of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad. In Wash- ington he successfully handled real estate and insurance as a side line and one year, between school sea- sons, pursued the same work in San Francisco. Where there is a determination to succeed, there usually is a way. Mr. Colvin found it by taking up two Government claims of 320 acres, one a homestead. The latter was in the midst of a dense forest four miles from the nearest neighbor and in order to perfect his title Mr. Colvin was obliged to build a cabin and live there. He broke a trail through virtually primeval woods and spent upward of six years in this sylvan retreat. There was where the plucky schoolmaster really learned the value of good books as companions. Carrying his books into the woods on his back he delved into them, gaining a thorough knowl- edge of general literature. At the same time he became an expert woodsman and horseman. Abandoning teaching in 1898, Mr. Col- vin traveled for a year selling furni- ture. His spare moments he had spent studying law. In 1899 he became a student in the office of John W. James of Anaconda, Montana, working in the copper mills to pay his way. Subse- quently he attended Northern Indiana University, graduated and entered the law department of Yale, which awarded him his LL.B. in June, 1905. After several months of special study he was admitted to the bar in California in 1906 and has since practiced law in San Francisco with ever-increasing success. 249 HENRY LYSANDER CORSON IF a man is to accomplish anything' in liis struggle with the -world, he must have the backing of capital, which may be either money or a certain amount of "inother wit." Just how mucli capital, and what sort, is required to attain success depends largely upon the man himself. Some men have been enabled to get a start with as lit- tle as a dollar; in the case of some others, ten thousand dollars would not be half enough. When Henry Lysan- der Corson, now a San Francisco attorney at law, started out to se- cure a practical educa- tion in the D i r i g o Business College at Augusta, Maine, h i s father gave him $100. Thereafter he made his own way, teaching school that he might attend school, and otherwise bestirring himself for a liveli- hood. Mr. Corson was born on a farm in Canaan, Maine, July 26, 1870. His parents were Ly- sander Hartwell Cor- son and Susan C. (Mor- rison) Corson and was the youngest of a family of seven, nearly all of whom came to California in the early days and still reside here. Following his early education in the public schools of Canaan, Mr. Corson went to Augusta to attend business col- lege. When he was graduated from this institution, in 1S89, he was plan- ning on a business career, but six months as a baker's employe caused him to change his mind and to de- cide that his education was incom- plete. Mr. Corson was naturally precocious in his books. He had not been enabled to attend school between the age of 13 and 17, but when he did get the op- portunity he took full advantage of it. He attended East Corinth Academy at East Corinth, Maine, for a time, then taught for about a year in country schools, two terms at Skowegan and one term at Clinton. Wishing to pre- pare himself for college he entered Hig- gins' Classical Institution at Charles- ton, largely because a school teacher of his youth was then principal there. He was graduated from Higgins' in 1892 with the college preparatory degree, being one of the Institution's first alumni. Finances — or, rather, the lack of them — still stood between Mr. Corson and the coveted college course. To overcome this he went back to teach- ing. For a year he was principal of the high school at New Vineyard, Maine, thereafter accepting a better position as principal of the Standish, Maine, high school, and after another year going to a still better post as prin- cipal of the high school at York Har- bor, Maine. Then, being in a position to carry out his plans, he matriculated at Colby College of Waterville, Maine, Which graduated him in 1898 with the degree of A. B. While in col- lege Mr. Corson be- came a member of the Chi Chapter of the Zeta Psi fraternity, and -was particular- ly active in student affairs. His class was the largest that had ever entered Colby up to that time, and it carried away with it more championships of various kinds than any preceding class. Al- though not an athlete himself, Mr. Corson was elected general manager of the college athletics for a year. He managed the foot- ball team of '97, which, for the first time in Colby's history, over- came every eleven in sight, losing not a sin- gle game. Leaving Colby, Mr. Corson began his study of the law in the ofHces of Ed- mund P. Webb of Waterville, then one of the be.st-known lawyers in Maine. Soon afterward Mr. Webb died, and Senator Charles F. Johnson took over his offices. With him Mr. Corson con- tinued his studies until he was ad- mitted to the bar before the Supreme Court of Maine at Bath on August 28, 1900, after which he practiced his pro- fession in Waterville for about a year. In 1901 Mr. Corson came west to Cal- ifornia and was married February 21, 1901, to Miss Eva Carolyn Shorey of Oakland, who was, and still is, well known as a singer. He was admitted to the practice of law in California May 4, 1901, and a month or so later opened offices in San Francisco, where he has continued in general law practice ever since, with considerable corporation and probate work. Today he is president and general counsel of the Gold Star Mining Co., general counsel for the King Placer Mining Co., and has been counsel for the Knights of the Mac- cabees. He is past-president of the State of Maine Society of California and a member of the Iroquois Club, has held various offices in the fraternal or- ders of the Masons, Druids and Macca- bees, and is a Knights Templar. Mr. Corson is a nephew of the late Dighton Corson, a renowned lawyer, once Attorney General of Nevada and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Dakota. 250 JOSEPH B. CORYELL FOR more than a quarter of a cen- tury Joseph Belleau Coryell has been a part of the business life of San Francisco and California. Starting- in in a small way, he has ad- vanced step by step until today his in- terests are among the most important in the State. And he has acquired them all by keen f o r e s i g- h t, close application and the ability to grasp an opportunity when it appeared to him. Wlien the late E. H. Harriman, some years ago, was just begin- ning' to extend his holdings in the T\^est. and at a time when he needed a representa- tive of proved ability on this coast, he chose Mr. Coryell as the man for the place. Subse- quently Mr. Coryell did much valuable work for the railroad mag- nate. One of the direct results was that he was offered the pres- idency of a railroad, but this he declined, preferring to devote himself to his private projects. He is still in- terested in Harriman affairs. A native of San Francisco, Mr. Coryell was born June 4, 1S71. His father was Dr. John R. Coryell, at one time a wide- ly-known physician, and his mother was Zoe Christine (Belleau) Coryell. Following his education Mr. Coryell, after casting about for a bit, looking over the field with an eye to the future, decided that the real estate business of- fered unusual advantages. Accordingly he opened a real estate office in San Francisco in 18S8. Real estate has been his forte ever since, although he had branched out in a number of other di- rections as an investor. In the course of his activities Mr. Coryell began pondering over the prob- able growth of the city and the direc- tions in which it was most likely to ex- pand. Land that he believed to be well situated he acquired, and it ■was not long before his prognostications began coming trvie. Today he owns more spur- track property than any other man in San Francisco. It is largely by reason of his opera- tions on Islais Creek, however, that Mr. Coryell has become locally famous for his keen business foresight. "Nerve" is the only word that expresses the opinion of San Francisco financiers and realty dealers when first they saw Mr. Coryell begin the acquirement of the blocks of mud flats on the south side of Islais Creek. No man, they reasoned, could possibly risk his money on those unsightly swamps unless he were pos- sessed of colossal nerve. This Mr. Coryell had, without doubt. And the very ones who declared at the time that the future was too uncertain to risk such an investment, have long since expressed their complete respect for the wisdom of the man; for the new San Francisco harbor project on Islais Creek has be- come a reality, for which condemnations have been carried on under what is known as the India Basin Act by the State of Cali- fornia. With his wonderful foresight Mr. Coryell saw, what everyone else seemed blind to, that nowliere else on the San Francisco wa- terfront were there lands available in the future for manufac- turing purposes. He saw, too, tliat the ter- minal building opera- tions of the three great transcontinental railroads entering Cal- ifornia must, of neces- sity, group themselves about Islais Creek especially since the franchise for the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe's joint line on Kentucky street bound the two railroads to build a steel drawbridge over the Islais chan- nel on demand. He could not overlook this assembling of railroad terminal facilities in the heart of the only waterfront land left in San Francisco available for factory purposes; nor that the interests around Islais Creek, railroad, lumber and the like, already established, were going to demand the clearing and deepening of that waterway. Here was in sight a combination of land and water shipping facilities unequaled anywhere. To a far-seeing man like Mr. Coryell the pos- sibilities w^cre obvious. He had the nerve to back his judg- ment and the initiative to put it into ef- fect. He was alone in both. He is the only man who has spent his money to improve lands on San Francisco's wa- terfront in anticipation of the coming large influx of manufacturers. And as a result of his purchases on Islais Creek he is now the largest individual owner of waterfront sites in San Francisco, and the owner of the only waterfront property now available for factories. No one else owns any free waterfront property in this city. All the rest is held either by the State, the city or by private corporations which are making use of it. To men of stanch hearts and un- swerving loyalty and hope — men like Joseph B. Coryell — San Francisco owes her bigger and better existence as the metropolis of the West. 251 JOHN HAMMOND CRABBE NOWHERE, perhaps, can one crowd so much varied experience into so short a period as in the newspaper "game." Becoming- familiar, as one does, with every walk of life, seeing- men with all their foibles and hidden characteristics bared to the gaze — no wonder such a profession makes for worldly wisdom. And by virtue of this wis- dom does it generally make for success in another sphere later on. John Hammond C r a b b e , attorney at law, rounded out his education by a turn in the newspaper b u s 1 - ness. For 14 months he was city editor of the Chico Daily Enter- prise and for 8 months more a reporter on the Woodland Mail; he still is a newspaper man in a way, for since 1905 he has held credentials of the Northern Press Syndicate. Born October 14, 1880, at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Mr. Crabbe is the son of William and Lavinia Emily (Prowse) Crabbe. In 1884 he came with his parents to California and later attended school at Nimshew, Butte County. Subsequently the family removed to a place on Butte Creek and Mr. Crabbe was obliged to ride horse- back about seven miles over two mountain ranges to West Branch school in Big Chico Canyon. Moving again in 1896 to Chico, Mr. Crabbe was graduated from the grammar schools in 1900 and entered the Chico State Normal, fin- ishing in January, 190.5. To pay his own "way, he vi^orked in the saw mills during vacation. He was very active during his Normal course. He was captain of the football, baseball and basketball teams; member of the track team; president of the associated stu- dent body and of the Ilakawinn De- bating Society; delegate to the Sacra- mento Valley Interscholastic Athletic League; editor of the Normal Record and for a year Normal reporter on the Chico Enterprise. Also, during four years, Mr. Crabbe was a member of Company A, Second Regiment Infantry, National Guard of California, and as such served a month in Oakland and San Francisco follow- ing the 1906 fire. He served seven years with the Chico "Volunteer Fire Department and for a year was its foreman, as well as member of the hose team that held the State record for racing. He received a certificate of exemption from engine company No. 2. In March, 1907, after two years as a newspaper man, Mr. Crabbe came to San Francisco and took a course in stenography from the San Francisco Business College. After several months in mercantile establishments he was employed, in February, 1908, as ste- nographer and law clerk for John O'Gara, then assistant district attorney. He studied law at odd moments and in the evenings and was admitted to the bar May 13, 1910, in the District Court of Ap- peal in San Fran- cisco. He was ad- mitted to the U. S. District and Circuit Courts May 14, 1910. Until January, 1912, he practiced and at the same time acted as clerk for leading law- yers of the city. He then opened offices for himself at 947 Pacific building. Mr. Crabbe confines himself largely to civil practice, particularly probate and contract law. He has been re- tained in several cases of note; within five years after beginning practice he was re- tained by one side or the other in personal injury damage suits aggregating more than $100,000. He was one of the two attorneys who represented La- vinia Crabbe, as administratrix of the estate of William R. Crabbe, in a dam- age suit against the Mammoth Channel Gold Mining Company, in which a Butte County jury awarded a unanimous verdict of $20,000, the largest personal injury damages ever given in the County. The case was the first prose- cuted under the Workman's Compensa- tion law. Another hard-fought case in which Mr. Crabbe was employed was that in- volving the competency of Mrs. Louella Noonan Stapleton. Mr. Crabbe and his associates, after an eight-day jury trial in San Francisco, succeeded in restoring to competency their client, who owned property worth about $100,000. He is also one of the attorneys in an impor- tant will contest pending in Buchanan County, Missouri, and in a similar ac- tion pending before the Superior Court of San Diego County, California. Mr. Crabbe has traveled extensively, professionally and for pleasure. He is prominent in the Masons, belonging to King Solomon's Lodge No. 260, F. & A. M. ; King Solomon's Chapter No. 95, R. A. M. ; California Commandery No. 1, K. T. ; and Islam Temple of Shriners; he holds membership also in the San Fran- cisco Bar Association, California State Automobile Association, American Automobile Association, Mentor Asso- ciation and the Betsy Ross Memorial Association of Philadelphia. He is a lover of the best in literature, art and music and enjoys motoring as a relaxa- tion. He was married in San Francisco in 1908 to Mary Freeman Armstrong. 252 CHARLES H. CROCKER THE correct way thoroughly to learn a business or profession is to start in at the bottom and work one's way upward until the highest pinnacle is attained. The man who does this is reasonably certain that when he at length reaches the goal he will be able to main- tain himself there; the man who gets there by the money or influence route is, on the other hand, as the insurance agent would say, a de- cidedly bad risk. When H. S. Crocker, founder of the flourish- ing publishing and sta- tionery house of H. S. Crocker Company, in- troduced into the busi- ness his son, Charles Henry Crocker, he en- couraged the young man to begin right at the beginningand work his way up. Charles H. Crocker heeded the advice and followed it. Today he is at the head of the business. Mr. Crocker was born August 29, 1865, at Sacramento, in whose public schools he re- ceived his early train- ing. When nine years old he came to San Francisco with his parents and at- tended the public schools of this city, matriculating in 1883 at the University of California. He was graduated in 1887 with the degree of A. B. His business training began at once. The house of Crocker was established in 1856 at Sacramento. In 1872 the San Francisco branch was opened and gradually the branch outgrew the parent establishment, although the lat- ter is still maintained. In 1S90 the business was incorporated under the name of H. S. Crocker Company. In 1912 the stationery and publishing con- cern of Cunningham, Curtiss & Welch of San Francisco and Los Angeles was purchased. This gives the Crocker company three houses, those at San Francisco and Sacramento under its own name and that at Los Angeles re- taining the name of Cunningham, Cur- tiss & Welsh Company. At the outset the present Mr. Crocker became an apprentice in his father's lithographing department. There was no favoritism shown him, no lessening of his work because he was the pro- prietor's son. Successively, he passed through the printing, binding, en- graving and stationery branches, then gained experience as a clerk and at length, proving his general capability, was elected one of the company di- rectors. Subsequently he became treas- urer, then vice-president, and upon the death in 1904 of his father, assumed the presidency. A great deal of the satisfying growth of the combined concern has been due to the unremitting work of Mr. Crocker. Today the H. S. Crocker Company is the largest of its kind west of Chicago. Its stationery, manufacturing and selling department is one of the largest in the United States and it owns the biggest and most up-to-date printing plant this side of St. Louis. Its book stock runs into the mil- lions and it also does a large business in of- fice furniture and fix- tures. What with the ex- ceptional service the company has given in the past, together with an even better service at present made pos- sible by an extension of its plant, "Crocker Quality" has come to have a great deal of significance. Every contract accepted by the H. S. Crocker Com- pany in printing, bind- ing and lithographing is manufactured com- plete in its own fac- tory*, by skilled me- chanics; and every bit of work passes through hands of ex- acting inspectors to insure its faultless- ness and worth. This firm is the pioneer railroad ticket printer of the west. Crocker lithographs and blank books, like Crocker stationery, are recognized as standard. Its plant, housed in two immense Class A buildings, contains more than 140,000 square feet of floor space, well lighted, airy and scrupu- lously clean. Mr. Crocker is president of the H. S. Crocker Realty Company in addition to being president of the H. S. Crocker Company of San Francisco and Sacra- mento and of Cunningham, Curtiss & Welch Company or' Los Angeles; he is vice-president of the American National Bank and the Italian-American Bank of San Francisco and of the Giant Powder Company, Consolidated; and a director of the Union Sugar Company, the Alameda Sugar Company and the Agri- cultural Credit Corporation. He is affiliated with no fraternities, but is a life member of the Olympic Club, commodore of the Pacific Motor Boat Club and holds active membership in the Bohemian Club, San Francisco Press Club, San Francisco Commercial Club and Belvedere Golf and Country Club. He is chairman of the convention committee of the National Association of Stationers, which met in San Fran- cisco in October, 1915. Mr. Crocker was married in 1905 at Del Monte to Carlotta L. Steiner. His home is at Belvedere. 253 GEORGE E. CROTHERS So replete has been the career of Georg-e Edward Crothers, Judge of the Superior Court of San Fran- cisco, with those matters considered as really worth while, that to do justice to a narration of them would require a volume. And even then the half would not be told. Born May 27, 1870, at Wapello, Iowa, he came with his parents to San Jose, California, when he was 13 years old and attended the public schools of the latter place. He entered Ice- land Stanford Junior University upon its orig-inal opening' day and received the de- gree of A. B. in 1895 in the departments of history and political science with its "pion- eer" class and the A. M. degree in 1896 in its law department. In 1896 he was ad- mitted to practice law in the State and Fed- eral courts. He en- joyed a flourishing' practice in partnership with his brother, T. G. Crothers, until his ap- pointment without so- licitation to the Superior bench August 12, 1913. Judge Crothers, before this, was one of the three attorneys of record for the executors and trustees in the cele- brated litigation over the trust and properties of the estate of the late Senator James G. Fair from 1899 to 1902 and had personal charge of the forgery branch of the litigation. Under commission from Mrs. Leland Stanford, Judge Crothers and his broth- er drafted the new section of the State Constitution relative to Stanford Uni- versity, besides several legislative acts and amendments to the University char- ter, and prepared re-conveyances of the entire endowment of the institution under the new terms and pursuant to the constitutional amendment. These and other steps were to remedy defects in the form of the endowment grants and in the terms of the trusts constitut- ing the cliarter of the University, some of which, according to a subsequent Su- preme Court decision, would have been fatally defective to the title of the University and its great endow- ment. To forestall litigation after Mrs. Stanford's death. Judge Crothers and his brother in 1903 drafted and secured the passage of an act similar to the McEnerney Act, pursuant to which his brother brought suit on behalf of the University trustees against Mrs. Stan- ford and all the world to establish the validity of the University titles and the terms, validity and legal effect of the University trust conditions. The judgment in this special proceeding is now the final authority governing the actions of the University trustees and its management. During the closing years of Mrs. Stanford's life Judge Crothers admin- istered, as sole trustee, a trust involving about $6,000,000, and con- veyed it to the Uni- versity at her death without there having been one word of pub- lic comment to excite litigation. This saved to the University Ije- tween $2,000,000 and $3,000,000, owing to the law preventing the giving of more than a third of an estate for charitable or educa- tional purposes by will. It likewise made a le- gal contest futile. And althougli he had acted as attorney for the University Trustees in the settlement of the estate, he asked only the same consideration for his work and re- sponsibility in both the special trust and the estate as "was shown each of the other two attorneys in the matter of the estate alone, ignoring tiie large fees allowed him by the legal Code, wiiich were the same as those al- lowed executors. One of the important amendments to the University charter, validated by Mr. Crothers' work, 'was one limiting the term of ofiice of trustees thereafter ap- pointed or elected to ten years. He and WhitelawReid were appointed trus- tees by Mrs. Stanford October 3, 1902, and were the first to serve ten-year terms under this provision. Judge Crothers was the first graduate to be selected as a trustee. He also inaugu- rated a plan whereby the Alumni Ad- visory Board will liereafter nominate a succession of graduates of the Univer- sity as trustees. Judge Crothers is tlie only graduate of Stanford to be selected twice as president of tlie alumni asso- ciation. Judge Crothers' educational activities have covered an unusually wide field. He lias been vice-president of the As- sociation of American Universities, is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco State Normal School, and trustee of tlie Stanford Kindergar- ten Trust, which maintains five kinder- gartens in San Francisco, and of the Stanford Union. He is a member of various societies and organizations of national scope. His endorsement for re-election in 1914 to the Superior bench by the San Francisco Bar Association was by the highest vote given any candidate. 254 t ALLEN A. CURTIS BOYS and girls of today little re- alize, when they trudge from their homes a block or two to a convenient schoolhouse, what it meant to their fathers and grandfathers half a century and more ago to acquire an education. Not then, as now, was the schoolhouse just around the corner. Oftentimes it was many w e a r y miles away; and the farmer lad who sought book learning in the forties and fifties of the last century must needs have within him a steadfast determina- tion to better his lot. The character of Al- len Allsopp Curtis needs no better intro- duction than the state- ment that while he was obtaining his early education he walked to school three miles, then walked home again and for one year walked five miles each way. This statement explains the whole of Mr. Curtis' subsequent career. Allen A. Curtis w^as not only a mining pioneer in Nevada but a redwood lumber pioneer in California. He was born November 1, 1838, near Belleville, Essex County, New Jersey. His father was Melville Curtis, a native of Newton, Lower Falls, Massachusetts, and one of nine brothers, all of them paper manufacturers. Mr. Curtis' mother was born of English parents at Quebec, Canada, her father being Commissary General and a prominent landowner. She was a direct descendant of the Morris brothers of Revolutionary war fame, one of them, Gouverneur Morris, casting his lot with the Colonies while the other remained loyal to King George. In September, 1859, Mr. Curtis came to California by way of the Isthmus. Making his way to Sacramento he 'was clerk in a hardware store there until March, 1865, when he went to Austin, Nevada, to take up silver mining. Nevada in those days ^vas far different than the Nevada of today and it was only the hardiest of pioneers that went there. Mr. Curtis first was secretary of a mining company at Austin. It was not long before his ability, perseverance and integrity were recognized and in 1868 he was made superintendent and manager of the concern. He continued to forge ahead until in 1871 he owned a controlling interest in tlie property — six years after he started in the busi- ness. For several years he was suc- cessful in mining. Then came the demonetization of silver, and this so reduced the value of the mining prop- erty that Mr. Curtis closed out his Nevada interests in 1885. During the seventeen years that Mr. Curtis man- aged the property, however, it pro- duced silver to the value of $16,000,000. While he was the projector in the erection of a quartz mill at Mineral Hills, Elko County, Nevada, and its manager for several years, Mr. Curtis did not devote all his time to wresting silver from the earth — but branched out. He be- came half owner in the firm of Paxton & Cur- tis, which owned banks at Austin, Eureka, Bel- mont and Reno, Ne- vada. These banks met all claims against them during the panic caused by the tem- porary closing of the Bank of California of San Francisco. Mr. Curtis also was part- ner in the firm of Gage, Curtis & Com- pany, which operated a large merchandise store at Austin. When, in 1885, Mr. Curtis disposed of his Nevada holdings, he returned to California and opened a large redwood lumber plant in the then virgin forests of Eel River, Humboldt County. The plant in which he was interested and which he managed was the nucleus for the town of Scotia. To connect Scotia with the outside world a rail- road was constructed by the company to Alton along the Eel River bluffs. This redwood plant then was the larg- est in California. Mr. Curtis closed out his interests there in 1902 and since has become interested in two redwood plants in Mendocino County. His Humboldt County railway ven- ture was preceded by his construction and operation of a narrow gauge rail- road from the terminus of the Nevada Central Railroad at Reese River Valley to the mines of Lander Hill in the Loyabe range through Austin, Nevada. Mr. Curtis also was at one time county treasurer for Lander County, Nevada, and at another time its county com- missioner and built the Episcopal Church at Austin. He was instrumen- tal in the founding of the Bank of Eureka and the Savings Bank of Hum- boldt County at Eureka, California, and was a director in each several years, as he was also of the Santa Rosa Bank at Santa Rosa, California. Wide recognition of his ability has come to Mr. Curtis. At the dedication of the Nevada State pavilion at the Panama-Pacific Exposition he was re- ferred to as "a Nevada pioneer of whom we are justly proud." At present his interests lie in several California corporations, among them the Glen Blair Redwood Company and the Pa- cific Coast Redwood Company. 255 DR. M. C. M. SCARES d'ALBERGARIA THERE is enough of romance in the life of Dr. M. C. M. Soares d'Albergaria to furnish material for a set of gripping volumes, for though a son of wealthy parents, people of leisure, he has from the be- ginning made his own way; and there is enough of versatil- ity in Dr. d'Alberga- ria's character to com- mand the deepest in- terest. Mine operator and dealer, autlaor, editor, manufacturer, doctor of medicine and of philosophy, and art connoisseur and col- lector of rare works of the masters — he has been the central figure in a decidedly unusual career, and today is a successful business man in San Francisco. Born in 186S in Hor- ta, Portugal, Dr. d'Al- bergaria comes of a house widely known in Europe and one which gives him entry to the most exclusive circles. His father was the Earl T. Cardozo M. Soares d'Albergaria of Portu- gal, and his mother Lady Louiza de la Cer- da (Bettencourt) d'Al- bergaria. Dr. d'Alber- garia is a cousin of the Marquis Fur- neHes and the Baron de Roches of Portugal, as well as of the Viscount de Borges da Silva of the Azores, and the late General Roque, major-general of the Portuguese army, and also of the Ariagos, late of the presidency of Port- ugal, and of the Lady Cardozo of Horta. Yet he is purely and simply an Ameri- can — and strictly without the hyphen. Following a period of instruction un- der the direction of private tutors. Dr. d'Albergaria ran away from home when twelve years old and came to the United States. He had read numerous alluring hooks, in which the '^''estern United States was described as fairly teeming with Indians, and as a land where gold lay around just waiting to be picked up. The young, imaginative boy determined to shoot a few Indians and gather up a stock of gold for himself. His first stop was New Bedford, Mas- sachusetts. From there he went to New York, then came on to California. For three years he made his way here, do- ing anything he could find to do, and attending school at San Ramon in or- der to learn the English language. Then he went to Australia whence, after a short time, he went back to Portugal — still a boy, l)ut with many of his illu- sions shattered. There followed trips through Germany and other parts of Europe, to New York, to San Francisco, to .Japan and China and on around the world again: Dr. d'Albergaria has cir- cled the globe three times. About fifteen years ago he returned to San Francisco. He began dealing in mines, buying, operating and selling thein again, in California, Nevada and Idaho. Three or four years before the 1906 fire he started, as a side issue, a perfumery business in San Francisco. Before long he had 486 stations in the United States supply- ing agents eve r y - where. The fire all but wiped out this busi- ness and for two years Dr. d'Albergaria was abroad. But in 1909 he came back once more and resumed his min- ing operations, at the same time entering the manufacturing field. Today he is presi- dent of the Fayalense Mining & Milling Co., London Mining & De- velopment Co., Puama Mining Co., Saw Pal- metto Mining Co., and others, and sole owner of the d'Albergaria Manufacturing Co. of San Francisco, New York, Chicago and St. Louis, manufacturers of fire department sup- plies and several other commodities, and also the North Star and Black Warrior mines on the Mother Lode. Dr. d'Albergaria's fame as an art con- noisseur is the result of riany years of collecting. He owns Catelo's "Mid- night Scene on the Ocean," which art- ists such as Tojetti, Emilian Schoole of Vienna, and the late Benjamin Constant have pronounced the most realistic marine painting in the world. It was presented to his grand-uncle by Queen Maria Pia, late Queen of Portugal. It is valued at $40,000. Other gems in his col- lection, which probably is worth in the aggregate $250,000, are masterpieces by Benjamin Constant, A. Schreyer, Jose Madroso, Jacques, Artz and Portuni. Art lovers from all over visit him to gaze upon these treasures. In 1S9S Dr. d'Albergaria wrote and published in English the romance of "Sanche de Bazan," a work that en- joyed a large sale and which was trans- lated into Spanish, French and German. He has also written prolifically for magazines and newspapers and is at present president and editor-in-chief of Western Life and the Optimist, two weekly publications of editorial com- ment issued in San Francisco. Although he is an accredited doctor of medicine, Dr. d'Albergaria has prac- ticed in the profession only for a short period, and that in the late nineties. What with his business and editorial duties, and his relaxation in the field of art, he today finds his time fully oc- cupied. 256 JAMES R. DAVIS THERE will ever be romance in the story of a mining camp. The very nature of the thing maizes for it. Men flock there with tlie single determination to wrest from tlie earth that which will make them im- mune thereafter from the petty strug- gles of existence. Some make their stake and go on their way rejoic- ing. Some fail, and the failures, no doubt, are in most cases largely in the majority. Of all the big gold "strikes" that have had this country agog at one time or another, that at Gold- field, Nevada, at the beginning of the pres- ent century, stands among those of the deepest popular inter- est. For one thing, it was close to home. For another thing, many of the details of its history -were un- precedented. James R. Davis, president of the Round Mountain Mining Com- pany, is classified among "the big men of Goldfield." Fortune smiled upon him. Years of prospecting over a vast extent of likely looking territory were crowned at last by tlie most surprising success. And by brains and backbone he has made of his success something to be proud of. To begin at the beginning, James R. Davis is a native of Indiana, born at Columbus, December 16, 1870. His father was Thomas C. Davis, a farmer, and his mother Martha L. (Ferguson) Davis. When he was young his parents moved to the little town of Minneapolis, Kansas, and in its public school Mr. Davis secured an education. He was but 15 years old, however, when he left school and home and started out to do for himself. Making his way to Denver, Mr. Davis studied pharmacy for two years. Min- ing appealed to him more than the drug business, however, and he started out with a prospector's outfit to hunt gold in the Sangre de Cristo range in Colorado. When he had money he prospected; when he didn't have money he mined for others. Until 1895 Mr. Davis mined in Colo- rado, with varying success. He then worked his way westward to Arizona and California. The winter of 1.S95-6 he spent at Randsburg, Kern County, California, and from there he mined and prospected on up through the Pana- mlnt range, since made famous by numerous magazine stories, and into the Death Valley country. This con- sumed the years up to 1900, when Mr. Davis went to Nome, Alaska, for a six- months' sojourn. The long hoped-for "strike" did not come. Mr. Davis worked his way back to Oregon, thence to California, and the year 1902 found him in Tonopah, Ne- vada. This heralded the turn of the tide. After prospect- ing in and about Tono- pah and the bordering desert until 1904, Mr. Davis went to Gold- field, which was just beginning to come into notice. He was one of the pioneers in the new field, the big rush not coming until 1905. With J. P. Loftus, now of Hollywood, Cal., Mr. Davis took what was known as the Loftus-Davis lease on the Sandstorm mine. In November, 1904, they made their first strike, one of the rich- est surface finds ever known in Goldfield. Ore taken from the first round of holes blasted after the big strike ran on an aver- age $5,000 to the ton. In four months Sand- storm netted Loftus and Davis $140,000 profit. All this sounds like the wildest fiction. As a matter of fact, it isGoldfield history. Then Mr. Davis and his partner took a lease on the Combination Fraction mine, the richest lease in the group. In four months it produced $350,000. In 1906, with C. H. Botsford, Loftus and Davis took an option on the Com- bination mines for $4,000,000. They sold it two weeks later to the Goldfield Con- solidated, realizing a profit of 100,000 shares of Consolidated worth then $9 a share — $900,000! Immediately after this Mr. Davis bought the controlling interest in the Round Mountain Gold Mine, 60 miles north of Tonopah, with Loftus. It was then simply a little prospect hole, not producing. The price was $87,500, with five months in which to pay. In these five months the mine paid for itself; it has since produced about $2,750,000 and Mr. Davis remains president of the company. By taking over the Nevada Hills mine at Fairview, Nevada, about the time he acquired the Round Moun- tain, Mr. Davis made another handsome profit. This mine, in which he sold his interests in 1910, has produced $2,500,000. The Round Mountain is still a big producer, giving up about $400,000 a year. It is the richest property in the To-qui-ma range. Mr. Davis, in addition to his other interests, is today a director of the Pioneer Mines Company at Towle, Placer County, Cal., and of the Traffic Oil Company. 257 S. C. DENSON D a T^O unto others as you would like to have them do unto you; do a good act whenever the op- portunity offers the chance, and never do an injustice or avoidable injury or unkindness to another; be square in all your actions and always speak the truth, and, finally, practice charity — not merely by giving alms, but in judging the acts and motives of otliers. This is my conception of true reli- gion, and I think a man who adheres strictly to it will not go to a very bad place in the future state." This, in a nutshell, is the creed of S. C. Denson, formed after more than half a cen- tury in the practice of law in the capacities of judge, prosecutor and simple attorney. It stands today as the retrospect of an inter- esting and fulsome ca- reer, bearing directly on a subject upper- most in Judge Den- son's mind — the proper punisliment of those who break our laws. In odd liours Judge Denson has writ- ten a book, publislied in 1914 under the title "Our Criminal Criminal Law," in which he sets fortli the problem of the so-called "criminal" as he lias found it. His belief — and it is no hurried conclusion — is that we go about the punishment of lawbreakers in a way that degrades them rather than works toward their cure or reforma- tion. By shutting them up and forc- ing them to live in tlie very idleness tliat doubtless helped make for their undoing in tlie first place. Judge Denson contends, we take away from convicts their chance of rejuvenation. If a man is wholly and irrevocably bad, says Judge Denson, he sliould be done away with entirely. But if he is not — and most of them are not — he should be given a chance to feel that he can work liis way back to his for- mer position. And this can be attained by letting him work for a stipulated salary, his sentence being that he must earn so much money to regain his free- dom. This would make it possible for those dependent upon him to live in the interim. Judge Denson was born September, 1839, on a farm near Quincy, Illinois, the son of John Denson and Emily (Crawford) Denson. He went from the log schoolhouse to the brick school- house near his home, then in 1857 en- tered Abingdon College in Knox Coun- ty, Illinois. He left in 1860, just be- fore graduation, and came behind an ox team across the broad plains to Cali- fornia. Stopping at Oroville, then a flourish- ing mining town. Judge Denson mined, did odd jobs, and finally entered the law offices of Joseph Lewis and Thomas Wells as a clerk. For three years he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1864 and im- mediately opened an office in Carson City, Nevada. He was a member of the first Nevada legislature and was elected District Attorney. In December, 1868, he returned to California. Locating tliis time in Sacramento, Judge Denson became a law partner of Judge H. O. Beatty, father of the late Chief Justice of tlie Supreme Court of California. In 1876 he was elected District Judge of the Sixth Dis- trict; four years later, when the new consti- tution established a Superior Court, he be- came Judge of the lat- ter body, continuing so for three years, when he resigned. Until 1888 Judge Denson was a part- ner of William H. Beatty, in that year elected Chief Justice. In 1889 Judge Denson came to San Francisco. He has since been a member of various partnerships, including one with Judge John J. De Haven, and at present, with his son, H. B. Denson, and A. E. Cooley is senior partner in the firm of Den- son, Cooley & Denson. Judge Denson has specialized in cor- poration and land law and has ap- peared in numerous court cases of note. One of these was a suit in equity, to recover the 50,000 acre Norris ranch at Sacramento. There was involved about $2,500,000 and Judge Denson won after taking the case to the United States Supreme Court. Anotlier notable case was the partition of \ the 43,000 acre Chabolla grant in Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, wliicli was divided between 150 claimants. Today the land is worth about $8,600,000. Judge Den- son is general counsel for tlie Pacific Coast Steel Company, Pacific Surety Company, Charles Nelson Lumber & Shipping Co., and several otliers. For eight years Judge Denson was chairman of the board of trustees of the San Francisco Normal School. He is a past grand master of tlie Masons and prominent in the order. He is the fatlier of three children, Mrs. D. A. Ijindley of Sacramento, Mrs. George M. Mott, Jr., of Oakland and H. B. Denson. 258 JOHN T. DONALDSON BEFORE entering' into tlie mining field, John T. Donaldson, president of the Phoenix Gold INlining- Com- pany, had already attained success in two other pursuits — ranching- and real estate. He has practically given up all his other interests, however, and to- day devotes most of his time to the develop- ment of his mines, he being also controlling stockholder in the Gold Star, of the Alleghany district, Sierra County, which has already pro- duced $1,000,000. The Phoenix gold mine, w^hich is being operated right along with profit, is on the famous California Mother Lode in the Nevada City district. It is situated in the center of what is con- sidered the best mining' section in the world. The Harmony channel, which runs through it for a distance of about a mile, should produce from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000, and on one corner of the property is "the famous Selby flat, from which so many millions of dollars were taken a few decades ago in surface digging. The Manzanita mine, with a record of pro- duction of $10,000,000, has been worked clear up to the Phoenix boundary line, and a mile and a half away, also on the Mother Lode, is the well-known North Star mine, which has produced more than $25,000,000 in its time. John T. Donaldson, head of operations at the Phoenix, is a native of Illinois. He was born in 1865 near Chicago on the farm of his father, George W. Don- aldson. His mother was Fannie (Mc- Donough) Donaldson, who, with her husband, came to America from near Belfast, Ireland. Two of Mr. Donald- son's maternal ancestors held high rank in the British Army. Mr. Donaldson attended the public schools near his home and when about 7 years old moved west with his par- ents and settled at Livermore. Subse- quently he attended Professor Smith's College at Livermore for about three years. It had been his intention to be- come a lawyer and he delved deep into Blackstone during his spare moments. He gave up these plans, however, and did not take the necessary examinations for admittance to practice. About 1880, after leaving school, Mr. Donaldson moved with his parents to a ranch in the southern part of Monterey County, where he and his father began raising stock. For a quarter of a cen- tury he remained a rancher, continuing alone after the death of his father. Throughout this period Mr. Donaldson was a leader in Monterey County devel- opment, giving of both time and money toward the general upbuilding of the community and in inducing settlers to locate Government land. About 1890 he began raising the first wheat ever grown commercially in Monterey County and a few years later intro- duced the first com- bined harvester ever operated there. For a time it was necessary to haul the wheat crop 60 miles by team and wagon to Soledad, then the nearest railway terminus. Abandoning the ranching business in 1905 Mr. Donaldson es- tablished himself i n Oakland in order to give his children the advantages of an edu- cation. Meanwhile he operated extensively in city and country real estate. In 1907 Mr. Donald- son evolved an idea which since has found great favor among the bankers — a plan for educational insurance. The project was that his company, the National Educational Society, should put out small savings banks in which par- ents could save money for the future education of their children. At inter- vals the smaller depositories were to be taken to a designated savings bank and the contents added to a fund which was to be allowed to accumulate. The fund could not be withdrawn until the child was 16 years old, and then only for the purpose of furthering its education, un- less, of course, the child died before that age, when the money became a sort of life insurance. If not w^ithdrawn beforehand, the fund was to be allowed to remain in the bank drawing interest until the child became 21 years old, when it was to be paid over if desired. The project failed because of the fact that it was overtaken by the 1907 money panic, when the general desire was to retrench. The idea has not died, however, for some of the banks are still perpetuating it and find it of great mutual benefit. Mr. Donaldson was married in 1890 in San Francisco to Cora E. Bresette and is the father of five children: George T. John E., Raymond L., Genevieve and Albert Donaldson. George T. Donald- son, the eldest, now aged 24, is manager of the Ogden store of the F. W. Wool- worth Co., and bears the distinction of having been that concern's youngest manager. John E. Donaldson is con- nected with the Oakland Tribune, and the other three are still attending school. 259 WALTER E. DORN ASIDE from his professional work, which has given him a hig-h stat- ^ us among the lawyers of San Francisco and California, Walter E. Dorn has, by his activities in another direction, made himself known from one end of the country to another to literally hundreds of thousands of persons. This is in connection with his upbuilding of the Loyal Order of Moose, which has awarded him the high- est honors in its power. Born in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California, October 30, 1870, Mr. Dorn is the son of N. A. J. Dorn and Rebecca Ellen (Walters) Dorn. He attended the public schools of his home city, later the Watson- ville High School, and in 1895 was graduated from Hastings College of the Law. He was admitted to the bar on May 25th of the same year. Starting out to prac- t i c e his profession alone, Mr. Dorn has done so ever since. His practice has been of a general civil nature though he has specialized, in a way, in commercial law. Today he is general counsel for a number of cor- porations of more than ordinary size and importance. For five years, beginning with 1897, he was assistant city attorney of San Francisco under Franklin K. Lane, the present Secretary of the Interior. He is a stanch Republican, although he confines himself to working for the general good of the party or on behalf of a friend, seeking no reward in the shape of a public office for himself. A little more than five years ago — on August 9, 1910, to be exact — Mr. Dorn organized San Francisco Lodge No. 26, Loyal Order of Moose, a lodge that was to enjoy a growth no less than phenomenal. Less than a year after its formation the lodge had a membership of 4,400 and was the largest of any kind in the world. Mr. Dorn was chosen its first dictator, the title of the ruling officer. The San Francisco lodge had made the Loyal Order of Moose "sit up and take notice." The Supreme Convention was impatient to see the dictator of the largest lodge and said so. Mr. Dorn accordingly took a big delegation in July, 1911, to Detroit, Michigan, where the Supreme Convention was in session, with the result that he was elected su- preme prelate, the third highest office in the order. At Kansas City, Missouri, the follow- ing year Mr. Dorn went up another step when the convention chose him as su- preme vice-dictator. And in 1913 at Cincinnati, Ohio, he was elected su- preme dictator, after having been a member of the Moose only three years. This, in itself, was a record, but Mr. Dorn later was to set a still higher one. Meanwhile Mr. Dorn had served a year and a half as dictator of the San Francisco lodge, being for a time both dictator and su- preme prelate until he resigned from the lesser office. When his term as supreme dic- tator expired in Au- gust, 1914, he was made a member of the supreme council, the governing body of the order, which is com- posed of the supreme officers and eight other elected mem- bers. This is the first time, by the way, that a supreme dic- tator of the Moose has been retained in the supreme council. While Mr. Dorn was supreme dictator he organized tlie military branch of the Moose along the lines of the United States Army. In the one year he or- ganized 611 companies in as many lodges of the order, and formed them into regiments of twelve companies each. There are four Moose regiments in California alone and the 1,600 lodges of Moose, with their combined mem- bership of 610,000, have in their drill teams more men than the country's standing army. Mr. Dorn's crowning coup came with his preparations for Moose Day at the Panama-Pacific International Expo- sition on July 25, 1915. He succeeded in getting out for the parade detach- ments of the Army and the Navy on a Sunday, thereby breaking a rule that had been in force for the past sixty years. Considering the rule one of convenience rather than of necessity, Mr. Dorn left no stone unturned to have his requests granted. He w^ent to the Secretary of the Navy, to the Secretary of War and even to the Vice- President — w^ho is himself a Moose — and Congressmen and Senators sent wire after wire to Washington on his behalf. The result was one of the finest parades of the exposition year. Mr. Dorn belongs to a number of fraternal orders besides the Moose. He was married August 17, 1895, in San Francisco to Ellen J. O'Reilly and is the father of five children. 260 JOHN WEBSTER DORSEY EVERY business or professional man who is kept close to his duties is in need of some form of physical relaxation. He leaves his office or establishment, forgets it for a time and comes back refreslied not only in body but in mind as well. John Webster Dor- sey, for many years a practicing attorney of San Francisco, takes his relaxation in fish- ing and hunting. And, as is his habit in other lines, he excels in both. When he goes after game he usually seeks big game — and gets it. When lie fislies, he casts his line into the deep sea and hauls out something a little smaller than a whale. Most of Mr. Dorsey's fishing is done off San- ta Catalina and Cle- mente islands. He is a member of the Tuna Club and catclies, be- sides tuna, sword-flsh, yellow-tail, black sea bass and jew-fish. In 1912, with "William B. Sharp, he effected the biggest catch of sword-fish ever made in a similar manner. In five days the two caught twelve giant sword-fish, rang- ing in weight from 155 to 260 pounds apiece. When one takes into consid- eration the real danger that lies in this sport, the feat may be appreci- ated. In trap-shooting and hunting Mr. Dorsey has captured numerous medals and trophies. He belongs to the Em- pire Gun Club for duck shooting, and in fact holds membership in nearly every organization of this nature in California. Hunting trips to Alaska have brought him many trophies in the way of moose, caribou, deer, antelope and other big game. Mr. Dorsey was born June 4, 1852, on a farm in Harford County, Maryland. His father, Algernon Sidney Dorsey, was in the cattle and ranching business in California in the early fifties, later re- turning East. His mother was Mary Alice (Webster) Dorsey. His maternal grandfather was John A. Webster, a cousin to Daniel Webster. John A. Web- ster distinguished himself in the war of 1S12 by defending the City of Balti- more from the British. He was a cap- tain in the Navy, as was his son, John A. Webster, Jr., subsequently. Following his attendance at the pub- lic schools of his birthplace, and of Bal- timore, Mr. Dorsey entered Delaware College at Newark and was graduated in 1S75. The same year lie came West and settled in Elko, Nevada, taking up the study of law in the office of Rand & Van Fleet, the latter now Federal Judge at San Francisco. He was admitted to the bar in 1S77 and practiced law in Elko until 1S91, the latter part of the time with George Baker and J. L. Wines. In 1S91 the firm opened offices in San Francisco also and Mr. Dorsey came here, con- tinuing until 1893, then until 1895 was in part- nership with George Maxwell and R. M. P. Soto. From 1897 until 1906 he was with the late R. R. Bigelow, for- mer justice of the Su- preme Court of Neva- da, and since 1911 has been a member of the firm of Dorsey and Henderson. Mr. Dorsey's practice has largely been in mining and water liti- gation, with considera- ble corporation work also. He has been gen- eral counsel for a num- ber of concerns, among them the Pacific Hard- ware & Steel Co., John- son-Locke Mercantile Co. and Atlas Paving Brick Co. One of his recent important liti- gations was a suit he brought in 1904 against the Silver Peak Mining Co. to enforce specific performance of a con- tract for the purchase of mining prop- erty estimated to be worth $10,000,000. The case has been appealed several times and is still pending in both State and Federal courts. Perhaps Mr. Dor- sey's most notable work in criminal law was his long defense of "Diamond Field Jack" Davis. Davis was convicted and three times sentenced to liang for the killing of two sheep herders in Cas- sia County, Idaho, in 1892. As a matter of fact, though he thought he might have been responsible for the herders' deaths, having had a gun-fight with un- known assailants, he was 15 miles from the real killing. Mr. Dorsey hinged his case on the fact that a 44-caliber car- tridge cannot be fired in a 45 revolver without it being indicated by the swell- ing of the shell. After seven years of effort Mr. Dorsey got Davis free through the Idaho State Board of Pardons. Although lie has not been active polit- ically in California, Mr. Dorsey was prominent in Democratic politics in Ne- vada. He served two terms as district attorney of Elko County, Nevada, 1883- 5 and 1887-9. And he was chairman in 1888 of the Nevada delegation to the St. Louis convention which nominated Grover Cleveland for the presidency. Mr. Dorsey belongs to a number of social organizations, among them the Family and Holluschickie clubs. 261 FREDERICK EGGERS I *4T BELIEVE that to accord humane treatment to a man who has vio- lated the law and is being pun- ished for it will bring him, more quickly by far than cruelty, to see his mistake and seek to rectify it by future good conduct. Prisoners appreciate thoughtfulness on their b e h a 1 f — it eases their bitterness against organized so- ciety." This, briefly, is the creed of Frederick Eggers, Sheriff of San Francisco County, by which he has accom- plished veritable won- ders in transforming' the County Jail into a place where offenders are "given a chance." Frederick Eggers formed a set of prin- ciples, then put those principles into opera- tion. He was elected on a platform in which he promised to give the people a business- 1 i k e administration with e ffl c i e n t and courteous treatment of those who had deal- ings with his office, to direct his personal attention to the jail at Ingleside, to make it sanitary and to give its prisoners humane treat- ment, all possible outdoor exercise and plenty of clean, wholesome food. This platform the Sheriff has carried out to the letter, and more. He has gained the public's esteem, saved it money while giving it better service — and many a man has he rescued from the very brink of destruction. On April 10, 1860, Mr. Eggers was born at Hanover, Germany. When a small boy he went to New York City and from there, in 1876, to San Fran- cisco. After three years in the grocery business he became a salesman in the wholesale tea and coffee business, re- maining with this until his election as Sheriff. It is a great truth that those who know most of the work of Sheriff Eggers are those who have been most affected by it — his prisoners. Not long after his assumption of office the Sheriff discovered an old Dutch oven which had been used in the former Industrial School a quarter of a century before. He put the oven into shape and the baking of the jail's bread in it began. Daily the oven turns out 350 to 400 three-pound loaves, saving the tax- payers $300 monthly. By the development of the jail's truck gardens the Sheriff gives outdoor em- ployment to thirty or forty men each day. Its products net the city $160 and more a month; besides, vegetables are furnished free to the Relief Home, City Prison, Emergency and Tuberculosis hospitals and other charitable institu- tions — and it gives the prisoners exer- cise and fresh air, besides fresh, green food. Sheriff Eggers also has been working about forty men in the improve- ment of unaccepted streets in the poorer sections of the city. This is of direct and lasting benefit. On a Sunday even- ing at the jail more than six hundred pris- oners are guests of the Sheriff at a picture sliow and vaudeville entertainment put on by other prisoners in a chapel fitted up at a cost of $3,000, borne by Sheriff Eggers. "You will notice the absence of revolvers or rifles in the hands of the guards," says the Sheriff in describ- ing his shows. "There is a reason — I want to put everyone on his honor. "They know that if there is any disorder the entertainments will cease. The result is they respect me. Should one become fractious I feel certain a dozen others would quell him immedi- ately." In stimulating the interest of his pris- oners. Sheriff Eggers has not stopped with the moving pictures and vaude- ville. Realizing that those men and women held on felony charges — whom he is not allowed by law to give em- ployment outside the jail walls — find close confinement extremely irksome, he has established a circulating library for their benefit. It already contains considerably more than a thousand volumes of good, uplifting literature and it is steadily growing by the con- tributions of those of the public who believe in assisting the less fortunate. As for the prisoners themselves, they are eager to make use of the library, and it is not difficult to discover that their reading is doing them good. Under his system of penal control, Sheriff Eggers finds so few real diffi- culties in the administration of the jail that he is able to devote the more time to his office duties. He has re- duced these to a system, wherein effi- ciency and courtesy are the watch- words. The Sheriff, his deputies and his bailiffs in the civil and criminal courts have been praised repeatedly by jurists, lawyers and the general pub- lic for their attention to duty and their thoroughness. 1262 HENRY EIGKHOFF of enlightened IN watching tlie upbuilding of a com- munity it is easy for one to pick out from among the men with whom he comes in contact the workers for the common good, and dis- tinguish them from those who might be classified as drones. The one sort of man is ever active, willing at all times to do his share and more, and considering him- self a part of that which he is striving to forward. The other sort is content to sit back, as inactive as if he had no interest at all at stake, and leave the solving of problems to his neighbors and associates. Looking over the career of Henry Bick- hoff as he has moulded It since his advent to San Francisco, one does not hesitate in naming him as one of the workers. For more than a quarter of a century he has taken prominent part in the affairs of his adopted city and State, and ever as a champion progress. Mr. Eickhoff is a native of New York City. He was born in the Eastern metropolis Januar3^ 17, 1S56, the son of Anthony Eickhoff and Elisa (Neuen- schwander) Eickhoff. His father was of German birth and a philologist and journalist of note, writing five lan- guages. He came froin a German uni- versity to New Orleans and in the early days, before 1850, taught school in St. Louis. He was sent to Congress and during the administration of President Cleveland was made an auditor 'Of the United States Treasury Department in special charge of the Consular service. The present Mr. Eickhoff's mother was born in Switzerland. Following his preliminary education in the public and private schools of New York City the younger Mr. Eick- hoff took a business and classical course at St. Francis Xavier Academy. By this time he had fully made up his mind to enter the legal profession and to prepare himself for it attended the Columbia Law College, which graduated him with the degree of LL. B. in 1875. In June of the same year Mr. Eick- hoff came to San Francisco and entered the law offices of Paul Neumann as a clerk. Two years later, in 1877, he was admitted to the bar before the Supreme Court of California at Sacramento, and later was admitted to practice also in the United States Supreme Court. About this time he became Mr. Neumann's law partner and continued as such until 1883, when Mr. Neumann was appointed Attorney -General of Hawaii. For some years after this Mr. Eickhoff practiced alone, with consistent success. The present firm of Lindley & Eickhoff was formed with Judge Curtis H. Lindley in 1886. Through all these years since he first became an exponent of Blackstone, Mr. Eick- hoff has aligned him- self with those who desire to see the city, the State and the nation forge ahead. He took part in a reform movement of histori- cal significance when, with J. J. Dwyer, Judge Jeremiah F. Sullivan, Samuel H. Daniels and A. A. Watkins, he was a member of the re- organization commit- tee that ended the political rule of Boss Chris Buckley in San Francisco in 1890. He was associated with Matt L Sullivan in the Heney-Fickert recount and was one of the committee that conducted the campaign of Heney for District Attorney. He has also been a trustee of San Rafael, where he made his home for some years. When, in February of 1915, Dennis M. Duffy resigned from the State Board of Prison Directors, Governor Hiram Johnson immediately nained Mr. Eick- hoff to fill the vacancy, recognizing in him a man who would do his duty with a clear conscience and without truck- ling to any other controlling factor than right and justice. Politically Mr. Eickhoff is a Democrat, but he has al- ways been a standi supporter of Gover- nor Johnson and during the last cam- paign took an active interest in John- son's political fortunes. Mr. Eickhoff has taken a keen interest in club, activities. He was formerly president of the Columbia College Alumni Association of California and of the Cosmos Club, is a member of "The Family," the San Francisco Commercial Club, Merchants' Exchange, Common- wealth Club, Union League Club, the German Benevolent Association, Ameri- can Bar Association, California Bar Association, San Francisco Bar Asso- ciation and a number of other organ- izations. He is also prominent in the Masonic order. Mr. Eickhoff was married September 13, 1882, in San Francisco to Jessie M. Lowe and is the father of four children, Gregory H., Victor, Tekla and Henry Eickhoff, Jr. 24 263 HENRY ENGELS SOME four decades ago Henry En- gels, then a young man, was asso- ciated with his father and brothers, the former the late Henry Engels, in the foundry and metal business in San Francisco. In those days the firm paid from 35 to 40 cents a pound for pig copper and the cliief source of supply was the Lake Superior copper region. Tlie de- mand for copper was increasing, thanks to the great improve- ments tlien being made in electrical a p p 1 i- ances and machinery, and attention began to be directed more and more to the value of the red metal. These conditions form the impetus for the years of effort tliat followed on the part of the Engels family — years that have re- sulted in the organi- zation of the Engels Copper Mining Com- pany and the operation by it of one of the most valuable holdings of its kind on the Pacific Coast. Thus does sup- ply follow demand and development projects materialize when once a field has been opened for them. To go back a bit, the younger Henry Engels, now president of the Engels Copper Mining Company, is a native of San Francisco, born February 1, 1854. He attended the private and public schools of this city, and to round out his education attended and was grad- uated from Heald's Business College, wJiich at that time w^as in the old Piatt's Hall where the Mills building now stands and where the mining company's offices are located. From business col- lege Mr. Engels went into his father's foundry. The rapid approach of a crisis in the copper situation, studied long and ear- nestly by the elder Engels and his sons, finally determined them to pros- pect and, if possible, to develop a cop- per mine. They had had valuable ex- periences in mining and metallurgy, and were well equipped for that which they set out to do. After several years of prospecting the Engels located, in the late '70s, in Lights Canyon, Plumas County, where the present mines are situated. Realiz- ing that to develop a district they must live in it and give their entire time to it, and that if there is to be any prog- ress it must follow as the result of hard work, they proceeded to do both. This hard work and close study of geo- logic conditions later made it possible for them to promote their enterprise witli success. Before this time, in the sixties in fact and even as early as the fifties, prospec- tors had made their way into the Plu- mas County district. Both alluvial and lode mining for gold was done and in 1865 rich copper ore being discovered, a small smelter was built and run intermit- tently for four years. The amount of copper that alloyed the gold was not attractive to the pioneer prospec- tors, however, and they soon joined the rush to Virginia City, where the gold and silver ex- citement was intense. For years hardly any further attention was given to the Lights Canyon district until the Engels family lo- cated there. To quote from the Mining and Scientific Press, of a recent is- sue: "At that time there was no railroad nearer than Reno, 150 miles away, and mining in sucli a remote locality was difficult, though a fair tonnage of rich ore was mined and shipped to Swan- sea. The discoverer and his sons, Henry and William Engels, who have been largely responsible for the later devel- opment of the mine, were courageous and persistent, however, and the assess- ment work necessary to hold the prop- erty was so directed as to block out constantly increasing amounts of ore." The Engels were determined to prove a good mine before seeking outside cap- ital. At first there was no boom in cop- per, and few seemed to realize the great future for the metal, so it was difficult to interest investors. The railroad that Kennedy surveyed and planned to build through Plumas County failed, and it was only after twenty years that the Western Pacific began to build the line. But during this time actual work by the Engels proved the existence of rich ore in great quantities, and in 1906 their company was organized. Then followed more persistence in opening up the mine witli small capital; but tlie stockliolders wore kept together by tlieir faith in the promoters, and in the manager, Mr. E. E. Paxton, and by pro- viding more funds placed the property on a profital)le basis. Today the mine is paying well and is being enlarged so as to double the present capacity. The mill of the Engels mine is unique in that it is the only one yet built in which no other process than flotation is used for the recovery of copper. '264 J JAMES EDWARD FENTON THE length and breadth of the Pacific Coast have made up the field of James Edward Fenton in the practice of his profession — the law. He has appeared before the bar in Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California, and finally has chosen San Francisco as the scene of his further endeav- ors. James Edward Fen- ton was born in Clark County, Missouri, on the farm of his father, James Davis Fenton. His mother was Mar- s' a r e t (Pinkerton) Fenton. In 1865, when he was but an eight- year-old boy, he ac- companied his parents on a grilling trip across the plains be- hind a plodding team of oxen. Six months after the family left Missouri they reached Oregon, where they settled. Following his early education in the com- mon schools of Ore- gon, Mr. Fenton en- tered Christian Col- lege of Monmouth, from which he was graduated in 1877 with the degree of Master of Arts. The following year he entered the educa- tional field himself when he was elected professor of mathematics at Christian College. He was for two years in this position, and then for two years more taught in various academies in Oregon, being principal of those at Bethel and Eugene. Under the tutorship of William M. Ramsey, now Justice of the Supreme Court of Oregon, Mr. Fenton entered upon the study of law in Ramsey's of- fices at Salem. In 1SS2 he was ad- mitted to practice by the Supreme Court of the State, and in 1884 began the active pursuit of his profession at Eugene. Six years later, in 1890, Mr. Fenton gave up his practice at Eugene and re- moved to Spokane, "Wasliington, where he formed a law partnersliip witli his brother, Charles R. Fenton, under the firm style of Fenton & Fenton. Pos- sessed of a strong taste for politics, Mr. Fenton was early led to take an active part in public affairs, aligning himself with the Democratic party. He was a candidate in 1880 on the Democratic ticket of Polk County, Oregon, for the State Legislature, but his party being in the minority he failed of election. In 1888 he announced his candidacy for county judge of Lane County, Oregon, and was defeated by only two votes. At the fall election of 1892, however, he was nominated and elected prosecuting attorney of Spokane County, Washing- ton, and held that office for two years. He was a delegate in 1896 from the State of Washington to the National Democratic convention at Chicago which nominated William Jennings Bryan for the presi- dency. In 1898 he was tendered the nomina- tion for Congress in the State of Washing- ton but declined to ac- cept the honor. Mr. Fenton continued the practice of his pro- fession in the State of Washington until the fall of 1898, when he removed to Nome, Alaska. This was the year of the world-wide rush to the Alaskan gold fields, v.'hen hun- dreds and thousands of fortune-seekers from all quarters of the globe penetrated into the North. In Alaska Mr. Fenton divided his time for the ensuing six years between min- ing and the practice of law. His legal work was largely in mining and criminal law and while he was in the northern territory he took an ac- tive part in the most important min- ing litigation before the courts. One of the suits was to establish title to the placer property known as No. 1 on Daniels Creek in the Topkok mining district, in wliich was involved some $1,000,000. In another, the Glacier Bench mining litigation, was involved |500,- 000. In 1903, leaving Alaska behind him, Mr. Fenton came southward as far as California and gained admittance to the bar in this State. In 1904 he lo- cated in San Francisco, practicing here until June, 1906, just after the big fire, Avhen he returned to Seattle. In 1908 he went to Portland and became assist- ant counsel for the Southern Pacific Company in association with his broth- er, W. D. Fenton, chief counsel for the corporation. In this capacity Mr. Fenton took an active part in the liti- gation between the United States and the Oregon & California Railroad Com- pany, wherein the Government sought to forfeit the Oregon Land Grant. In 1911 he resigned from this position and returned to San Francisco, where he continues alone in the practice of his profession. Fraternally, Mr. Fenton' is a member of the Spokane lodge of the Scottish Rite and of El Katif Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of Spokane. He also belongs to the B. P. O. Elks. 265 HERBERT FLEISHHACKER MANY things make up those attri- butes that aid a man toward suc- cess. Not the least of these is inherent ambition, coupled with strict honesty of purpose and perform- ance. All these are recognized char- acteristics of Herbert Fleishhacker, president of the Anglo & London Paris Na- tional Bank, financier, capitalist and officer or director of a num- ber of sound corpora- tions. The career of Her- bert Fleishhacker has been a succession of hard-won achieve- ments. He did not ac- quire, at the outset, the "higher education." But the lack of it at no time seemed a handicap; he did things just the same. A native of San Francisco, born here November 2, 1S72, Mr. Fleishhacker was sent to school for eight years by his parents, Aaron and Delia (Stern) Fleishhacker, and attended Heald's Business College one year more. When fif- teen years old he became a bookkeeper in his father's paper business, but after about a year and a half entered the manufacturing end. Here was his start and he made the most of it. After four years as a paper manu- facturer he went into the sales depart- ment and became a traveling salesman for the concern. As he traveled he kept his eyes open for opportunities. In Oregon he saw the need of paper mills. This led to his establishment of the first mills of the kind in the State, at Oregon City. The project was a success and later he organized a large lumber company near Eugene, Oregon. Again success attended him. Returning to California, Mr. Fleish- hacker organized and promoted the Electric Power Company at Floriston. Gradually he acquired or built other properties in various parts of the State, among them the Truckee River Elec- tric Company, which was sold in 1909 for nearly $2,000,000, and the Sacra- mento Valley Power Company, which brought something like $1,000,000 in 1912. At one time he had more than a dozen power plants and factories in operation and still retains his interest in a number of them. From a promoter Mr. Fleishhacker easily became a banker. In 1907 he accepted the managership of the Lon- don, Paris & American Bank of San Francisco. When, on March 1, 1909, this institution absorbed the Anglo- California Bank, Ltd., and became the Anglo & London Paris National Bank of today, he went up a step higher and became vice-president and man- ager. He was chosen president of the bank in March, 1911, upon the resigna- tion from that position of S. Green- baum. When Mr. Fleishhacker became a part of the London, Paris & American Bank in 1907 the de- posits were $4,500,000; today the bank that he heads has deposits in excess of $30,000,000 and is the largest in- .stitution of its kind west of the Rocky IMountains. It is pro- gressive, conservative, and makes a specialty of exchange business. In addition to his presidency of the Anglo & London Paris Bank, Mr. Fleish- hacker is president of the Northwestern Electric Company, the Floriston Land & Power Company and the Reno (Nevada) Traction Company; is vice-president of the Anglo-California Trust Company, the Central California T r a c ti o n Company, the City Electric Company and the Great Western Power Com- pany, and a director of the Crown- Columbia Paper Pulp Company, the Swiss-American Bank, the Floriston Pulp & Paper Company and a number of others. Not the least interesting of Mr. Fleishhacker's characteristics is hia love of home, and within the family circle he is usually to be found in his leisure moments. He was married August 9, 1905, to Miss May Belle Greenbaum and the couple have three children, Marjorie, Herbert Jr. and Alan Howard. Not to mention Mr. Fleishhacker's connection with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition would be to omit an important work he has done on behalf of San Francisco and Cali- fornia. He has given of his co-opera- tion to the great world show from its very start; he has backed it with money and with lirains. It is significant that the financial side of the Exposition is handled through the Anglo & London Paris National Bank, that the vast daily receipts are hauled to the bank's doors in a steel vault on wheels every even- ing. Herbert Fleishhacker is a type of man whom it would be well to pattern after. To men such as he San Fran- cisco owes much — how much one can readily conceive in a comparison of the city as it exists today, with its sky- scrapers and modern business concerns, and as it existed nine years ago in its ashes, with business almost annihilated by the great conflagration. 266 DR. ANTONIO A. R. F. FONTECHA WHEN the Republic of Honduras accepted the formal invitation from the President of the United States to participate of- ficially in the Panama-Pacific Exposi- tion — it was one of the first nations, by the way, to announce its acceptance — it placed in charge of its exhibit a man whose wide experience and ability in such matters had long been recognized. This man is Dr. Antonio A. Ramirez F. Pontecha, who, as Commissioner -General for Honduras to the Exposition, has adver- tised his country in more favorable a light than, perhaps, it has ever been exploited in the United States. In a magnificent building, tastefully fitted up, he arranged a series of exhibits that were doubtless as surprising to the thousands of visitors w h o viewed them as they were comprehensive. Dr. Fontecha has been given many honors by the govern- m e n t he represents. Pour times has he been commissioner-general for Hon- duras to expositions, two of them at Paris and one at Madrid, as well as that at San Francisco. He also has been Minister for Honduras at Paris and Madrid, and represented his country in the conference at Madrid in 1905-7 re- garding the controversy over the boundary between Honduras and Nic- aragua. He is a physician and surgeon, has been rector of the Central Uni- versity of Honduras at Tegucigalpa, and at present is president of the Hon- duras Academy. He holds membership, besides, in the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, the Royal Academy of History and the Royal Society of Geography, all of Spain. In order to "diffuse and popularize knowledge of Honduras, and to dissi- pate the legends that ignorance and passion have spread of the nation abroad," Dr. Fontecha has written an interesting volume commemorative of the Panama-Pacific Exposition. It is probably the most accurate and com- plete work ever written on Honduras and is of unusual interest. Honduras was discovered by Chris- topher Columbus in 1502, during the fourth voyage of that famous naviga- tor. It is in the exact center of Central America, with Guatemala, Salvador and Nicaragua for neighbors; and, in the words of Dr. Fontecha, offers "for any enterprising man, as well as for the assiduous workman and laborer, the most favorable opportunities and con- ditions for the development of his activities." Its topography is made up of high mountains, elevated plateaus and deep valleys of wondrous fertility and there is found within its borders practically all the animal and vegetable life com- mon to either the torrid or temperate zones. In many places it is covered with heavy forest growths of rich and valuable timber, i n - eluding mahogany, rosewood, logwood, brazilwood and others, with pine at the higher elevations. Agriculturally, Hon- duras, with the proper development, will one day yield enormously. The culture of bananas leads in importance, but there is also grown Indian corn, French beans, rice, wheat, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, potatoes, cocoanuts, sugar, rubber, indigo and sarsaparilla. As for the manner in which cereals thrive, Honduras could easily be made the granary for all Central Amer- ica. The raising of cattle is one of Honduras' principal industries, made possible by the great extent of natural pasturage. Much stock is exported, along with bananas and other commodities, not only to the United States and other countries on this side of the Atlantic but also to Europe. One of the things that most distin- guishes this really wonderful country is its vast mineral wealth. Treasure hunters were attracted to it by the thousands during the time of the Spanish domination; then for a long time the mining development was neg- lected, and it is only since about 1881 that the exploitation of mines has been on the ascendancy. Gold, silver, plati- num, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, iron, quicksilver and antimony occur, as do sulphur, tin, alum, saltpetre, mica and others. Precious gems also are to be found, as well as coal, and oil is believed to exist in quantities. Rich mineral vv^aters await only exploitation to become profitable. Honduras, the third in size of the Central American states, has an area of about 45,000 square miles, and a population, in 1912, of 578,482. The .birth rate is high and the death rate surprisingly low^. It can boast of a well-organized judiciary; railways, telegraph and telephones; a system of good roads built on the tracks made by the Spanish conquerors, and an up-to- date postoffice system. Primary public instruction is free and compulsory; in 1913 there were 37,897 children being educated in 916 schools. These schools, with several modern colleges and universities, are bringing about an enlightenment that makes the future of Honduras assured. 267 G. S. S. FORNEY President Central California Gas Company. f ABRAHAM LINCOLN FRICK IN the past two decades few names have been connected with noted court cases in Alameda County so often as the name of Abraliam Lin- coln Frick, whether as prosecutor, judg-e or defender. Big cases mean prominence in the legal profession. Judge Frick is prom- inent. Seme of his cases have been of nation- wide interest and in their handling he has gained wide repute as an interpreter of civil and criminal law. This has been especially true of his criminal work, although he has handled many civil cases of broad tcope and general interest. One at least of his cases has had a pro- found influence on the legal profession of Cal- ifornia, and perhaps of the whole country. Tliis was his recent representation of At- torney George J. Mc- Donough. McDonough, repre- senting a client ac- cused of participation in election frauds, was asked by the Alameda County Grand Jury tO' tell who retained him and furnished bail for sucli client. On advice of Judge Frick, he declined to tell. He was or- dered to do so by Superior Judge Ogden and refused, whereupon he was ad- judged guilty of contempt and sen- tenced to the county jail. Judge Frick took out a writ of habeas corpus, returnable before the District Court of Appeals, • which sustained Judge Ogden. He then brought the habeas corpus action before the Su- preme Court of California ■which, sitting en banc, rendered an almost unanimous decision reversing Judge Ogden and forming an epochal precedent govern- ing confidential relations between at- torney and client. From a profes- sional standpoint, Judge Frick con- siders this one of his most gratifying cuses. Judge Frick comes of American pre- Revolutionary stock. He is the son of George Washington Frick, a native of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, who wedded Miss Mary Elizabetli Bry- ant in Illinois in 1852 and came to Cal- ifornia w^itli his bride in that year. He taught in the first public school in San- ta Cruz, then moved to Centerville and, in 1S57, to Sonoma County. During the Civil War he w^as president of the Sonoma County Bethel Union League. Abraham Lincoln Frick was born near Petaluma February 21, 1866, and is a brother to George William Frick, now Alameda County Superintendent of Schools. But Abraham Lincoln Frick chose the law. He was educated in the public schools and then went to the Hastings Law College, being graduated in 1SS8. He was admitted to practice by the Supreme Court on June 28, 1888. Despite the usual early struggles, Judge Frick was soon successful in his chosen work. He served as deputy dis- trict attorney in Ala- meda County under George W. Reed and later as chief deputy under Charles E. Snook. On December 10, 1894, he was appointed a superior judge to fill the unexpired term of Judge F. W. Henshaw, who became a Su- preme Court justice. On May 21, 1896, the young jurist took a wife, Miss Matilda M. Bader of Oakland. His real career as an eloquent pleader at the bar began after leav- ing the superior bench. The first important case was the defense of Clara Falmer, a sev- enteen-year-old girl charged with muruer. Tills case helped vastly to build Judge Frick's reputation. The trial consumed several weeks. Finally the jury went out for twenty minutes and acquitted the defendant, who since has justified all the work in her be- half. This case also established the repu- tation of Dr. O. D. Hamlin as an alien- ist, thus bringing a young lawyer and a young doctor into the prominence they have held ever since in Alameda County. Since that case, Judge Frick has fought many big court battles with less than the usual percentage of defeats. One of his most important struggles was the successful defense of Mrs. Brown for the killing of her husband, a case of nation-wide prominence, whose details were flashed broadcast over the telegraph wires. Another val- iant defense was that of Tom Power, accused of murder. In twenty-two mur- der cases wliich Judge Frick has de- fended, none of his clients has paid the e.xtreme penalty. In civil cases success has likewise at- tended him. An important recent one was the defense of Dr. Jolin Robertson of the Livermore Sanitarium, sued for $80,000 damages by a patient. This physician, by the way, had been an op- ponent of Dr. Hamlin as alienist in the Falmer case. Judge Frick is medium tall, and slim, of the incisive type of attorney, with a vibrant, resonant voice. Whether pros- ecutor or defender, lie lias lield tlie re- spect of his opponents and has chal- lenged the best of their talents to com- bat his marshaling of the law. 269 CHARLES H. GAUNT THE broad and vigorous adminis- tration of a public utility, so closely identified with our every- day affairs as the telegraph, creates a business and social asset of high value; and the exceptional organ- ization and operation of the forces of the Western Union Telegraph Company on the I'aciflc Coast indicate the skill and capacity of Charles H. Gaunt, the General Manager, to meet every condition that arises in the conduct of that company's relations with the public. Mr. Gaunt, pursuing a course similar to most executives o f public service corpo- rations, has spent all of his active business life in the study and handling of tele- graphic problems o n their technical side, and in the manage- ment of the forces dealing with the users of the telegraph on the popular side. He has reached out and drawn to his service men of both dom- inant personality and unusual ability to carry out his ideas of corporate man- agement in its relation to the compli- cated demands of the public; and there has been no department of the work in which he has not succeeded, nor any portion of the duties imposed upon him that have not received progressive and up-to-date performance. Mr. Gaunt is a native of New York, born in Steuben County, August 29, 1869. With the prevailing enthusiasm of the young men of that period he directed his attention to the electrical field, and entered the fascinating occu- pation of telegrapher, first at the small office in his home town in New Jersey, to which he moved while young, then in New York City, where he developed his skill and formed impressions of the possibilities of telegraphic expansion and operation that have been of great value to him in applying his expertness to the wider fields of the West. In 1889 Mr. Gaunt went to Helena, Montana, then a thriving mining city, and as manager of the Northern Pacific Railway's telegraph department passed that period of development and hard work through which all forceful men go in preparation for a successful career in the Western territory, where fresh expansion and breadth of operation call for the best type of mental capacity and physical endurance. accepted, the position of Superintendent of Telegraph of the Santa Fe Railway System, and with this opportunity he applied the principles of telegraphic development and control which he had long studied and prepared for, with the result that the telegraph organization and efliciency brought o u t o n that railroad system exceeded in economic value and substantial usefulness any that had been built up upon large railroad properties. His admin- istrative success was so marked that an ad- vancement in 1905 to the position of Assist- ant General Manager of the parent lines of the Santa Fe Railway, in addition to his duties as head of the telegraph department of the entire system, carried him into the direct management of the railroad property with consequent en- largement of experi- ence and capacity for responsibility. Mr. Gaunt was ap- pointed General Superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Company at San Francisco in July, 1910, and his title was changed to that of General Man- ager in December, 1912; his jurisdic- tional territory being composed of the States of California, Oregon, Washing- ton, Arizona and Nevada, together with British Columbia in Canada. With the same energy and resourcefulness exer- cised in his railroad work he has built up the Western Union service on the Pacific Coast so that it is an organized telegraphic facility which embraces in commercial usefulness and adequate equipment every modern and progress- ive, idea that highly trained men can apply to the needs of business develop- ment and the daily activities of the people. As the scope of the Western Union's operations brings the company in close touch w^ith every community, the vigorous and thorough policy insti- tuted and maintained by Mr. Gaunt is felt in all parts of the territory as- signed to his management. Mr. Gaunt married Miss Mary Flesher of Helena, Montana, in 1890, and their family consists of one son, now grown. Throughout his business career Mr. Gaunt has been keenly active in securing a wide commercial acquaint- ance, both in the territory administered by him and throughout the United States. He is a member of the Bohemian, Press and Country Clubs of San Fran- In 1902 Mr. Gaunt was tendered, and cisco, and a lover of automobile touring. 270 JOHN GINTY CONFIDENCE in a public official fol- lows only after it is proved tliat the office is efficiently and hon- estly conducted. This is particu- larly true of tlie Assessor's office, which is the real financial agency of the city. In San Francisco 84 per cent of tlie entire expense of the city is raised by taxa- tion. San Francisco has been fortunate in the selection of its Asses- sors during the past sixteen years; not a suspicion lias been voiced against t li e i r ability or integrity. Doctor Wasliington Dodge served four con- secutive terms and John G i n t y, present .Assessor, was ap- pointed on Doctor Dodge's recommenda- tion. In a letter to the mayor. Doctor Dodge said: "I know of no one in the city that could be- gin to discharge the duties of the office as efficiently as John Ginty. He is thorough- ly informed on the laws governing tax- ation and had always taken a deep interest in matters relating to this subject previous to his connection with the office. I engaged him as my Chief Deputy on account of his expert knowledge." Mr. Ginty has carried out all the good features of Doctor Dodge's adminis- tration and has added further improve- ments which will save the City and County thousands of dollars annually. To aid in the work of appraising prop- erty he keeps a ledger account of each block in the city, and posts to the ac- count the sale of property as reported each day, also all building permits or contracts affecting building operations in each block. Notwithstanding that 80 per cent of the deeds recorded state only a nominal consideration, Mr. Ginty always ferrets out and finds the true consideration paid. On completion of a l^uilding it is inspected, measured and appraised by a set of tables covering different classes of buildings showing an average cost per cubic or square foot to build. These are compiled from architect tables and from actual cost prices of thousands of houses erected since the great fire of 1906. The assessed values of land are based on a unit front foot value in each block, with table calculations for varying depth of the lot and corner influences, similar to the Somers system but based on compilations made from sales in this city for a number of years and reflecting the community idea of values as ex- pressed in sales since 1906. Mr. Ginty also is the inventor of an ingenious map and street guide by which a stranger in the city could, inside of one minute, locate on the map any block of land, public building or given ad- dress, and the street car line that would carry him there. Travelers familiar with the Baedeker guide, used in most European cities and witli the street guides of the principal cities of the United States, declare tliat Mr. Ginty's map and street guide is superior to any guide book they have had occasion to use. Quiet and unassum- ing, Mr. Ginty is al- ways ready to listen to complaints of tax payers and to investi- gate alleged errors and grant reductions in as- sessments that the law or the circumstances will permit. Socially, he prefers the quiet of his own home and the company of his family. At the early age of fourteen he left school to enter a printing office, with the intention of mak- ing journalism his life work. Not liking it, however, he drifted into railroading and after learning telegraphy rapidly ad- vanced until he was a station agent, superintendent clerk and acting train dispatcher. The wanderlust born in him led him to come in 1868 to Cali- fornia. Here he has been for the past forty years actively engaged in busi- ness, most of the time in banking. He has filled with credit important execu- tive positions in National banks, sav- ings banks and loan and mortgage com- panies in various parts of the State, giving him an experience in land ap- praising, as a credit man and as an expert accountant that has been valu- able in his present work. This is the first political office held by Mr. Ginty, although he has always taken an interest in public matters and is a member of several charitable societies, fraternal organizations and clubs organized for the study of civic conditions. His father and three brothers served in the Civil War, two of the brothers being killed in battle. An Assessor is, in many respects, the most important official the people elect. His discretion, judgment and honesty vitally affect every tax payer. It is of vast consequence to the progress and welfare of the people that they choose a competent and upright Assessor, since one either incapable or wanting in integrity may do incalculable harm. Measured by this standard, Mr. Ginty has no rival in the hearts of the people. 271 T. SEYMOUR HALL A DISTINCTIVELY new method of dealing- in securities is that worked out and put into force by T. Seymour Hall, secretary-treas- urer and managing director of the Oak- land Street Improvement Bond Com- pany. He has simplified this form of financial transaction, has educated the in- vesting public up to the change and has placed the entire plan on a solid foundation that insures complete confidence on the part of his patrons. Street improvement bonds, issued in odd denominations with partial payment on the principal due each year, are not sold out- right by Mr. Hall's concern. Instead, the bonds, chosen with great care as to their soundness and worth, are deposited in trust, and trust receipts in even denominations and for definite matur- ities are issued and sold. Tliese receipts entitle the holder to the amount of his in- vestment in original- form bonds held by the trustee, and he can se- cure these bonds, if he so desires, at any time upon presentation of his trust receipts. The security is exactly the same as where the bonds are sold outright. Only the form of the transaction is different, and the new form is superior to the old because of its great convenience. The security holder, too, is absolutely safe. He simply cannot lose. Not only have the bonds been standardized and found to be of sterling worth before they are handled by Mr. Hall at all, but the in- vestor is absolutely independent of the bond house, for his securities are in the hands of a third party, the disin- terested trustee, where they can be had at any time. By the very merit of its plan and by means also of national advertising — this is the first time, by the way, a California security, as such, has been nationally advertised — the Oakland Street Improvement Bond Company is receiving a very satisfactory response. It is especially conservative in the choice of its bonds, and from its ever growing clientele has never come any- thing but confidence and appreciation. Mr. Hall, who has been more instru- mental than any other man in working out the details of the new investment plan, was born February 16, 1880, at Honolulu, H. I. His father, W. W. Hall, was proprietor of B. O. Hall & Son, Ltd., the largest American hardware firm in the islands. His mother was Elizabeth (Van Cleve) Hall. After taking a pre- paratory course at Oahu College, Mr. Hall came in 1897 to Berkeley, where he attended high school. In 1900 he entered the University of California with the class of 1904, but after a year entered Harvard with the class of '05, taking a general social science course. Force of c i r c u m- stances made it nec- essary for Mr. Hall to leave Harvard in the spring of 1902, before graduation. He en- rolled at the school of the Simmonds Hard- ware Company at St. Louis, maintained for the convenience o f prospective hardware dealers, and took a general business course. Then for a year and a half he w^as on the road for the Simmonds Company, but in 1907 resigned and returned to Berke- ley, where he associ- ated himself with the real estate firm of Ma- son-McDuffie Company. After a year with the Mason-McDviffle Com- pany Mr. Hall launched out independently in the mortgage loan business in Berkeley. In November, 1909, he was married to Miss Ruth Houghton of Oakland and immediately thereafter was called back to Honolulu by the ill health of his father. For a year he was in charge of the automobile depart- ment of E. O. Hall & Son, the business founded by his grandfather. Then fol- lowing his father's death in May, 1911. he sold the hardware business and in 1912 returned, this time to Oakland, where he again engaged in mortgage loans. During Mr. Hall's experience in the mortgage business he had devoted con- siderable time to the collection of data and to the study of mortgage institu- tions of this country and Europe, with particular attention to the methods of the great Credit Foncier of France. The application of this knowledge, which proved invaluable, was made pos- sible w^hen he turned to the study of the California street improvement bond. He helped organize the Oakland Street Improvement Bond Company, through which his ideas have been worked out with great success. As the firm's clien- tele and operations grow, it is proba- ble that it will handle municipal bonds In addition to the securities it now carries. Mr. Hall's social activities are con- fined to the Athenian-Nile Club of Oak- land and the Phi Delta Theta fra- ternity. He has two sons, Seymour Houghton Hall, aged five, and Win- slow William Hall, aged three and a half. 272 WENDELL P. HAMMON THE name of Wendell P. Hammon is as naturally associated with the idea of the development of Northern California as the name California itself is associated with the idea of a domain of gold and prosperity, of fruit and flowers, of sunshine and health. Oroville knows him as a man who did much to bring the town out of the leth- argy that followed the mining boom, and make it a solid, pro- gressive community; San Francisco and the rest of the State know him as a business man Of high enterprise and unimpeachable integ- rity. It is, perhaps, as a pioneer in the field of gold dredging that ,Mr. Hammon is the bestknown. Not that he has confined himself to this, how- ever. He has been, and is yet, deeply interested in the grow- ing of fruit, particu- larly of oranges, and is connected in one way or another with a number of corporations of varied scope. Born May 23, 1854, at Conneautville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, Mr. Hammon is the son of Marshall M. Ham- mon and Harriet S. (Cooper) Hammon. His paternal ancestors settled at Provi- dence, R. I., about the year 1726. Fol- lowing a course in the primary and grammar schools of his birthplace Mr. Hammon attended the State Normal School at Edinboro, Erie County. He left the institution in 1875, before grad- uation, however, to come to California. Arriving here, looking for an open- ing, Mr. Hammon secured a position as salesman for the fruit importing concern of L. Green & Sons of Perry, Ohio. He took a keen interest in the fruit industry and two years later, see- ing the opportunity of launching out for himself, engaged in tlie nursery business. Meanwhile he studied the subject deeply and in a few years he was being spoken of as an authority on horticulture. His removal to Butte County, which was to be the scene of most of his future operations, came in 1890, w^hen he planted a large orchard about ten miles below Oroville near the Feather River. He devoted most of the next ten years to fruit growing, although he had begun to investigate mining and operated in a rather small way in Eastern Oregon, Idaho and Ari- zona. Ever since the days of the Argonauts it had been generally known that there was gold in Butte County. Oroville was at one time an important mining cen- ter; but then came tlie slump and the field was practically abandoned. The Chinese had worked the flats along the Feather River by their crude methods, but even they had given it up as not commercially profitable. Mr. Hammon was astonished, when a well was being sunk on his property, to dis- cover excellent pay gravel. He looked fur- tlier, then secured an option on about a thousand acres and prospected it t h o r- oughly. Tlie result was gratifying, but tliere remained the question of how mining could be carried on, on a large scale. Gold dredging had never been succes^^ful on the Pacific Coast up to that time, and this method appeared impractical until Mr. Hammon ran across a new type of dredger then in use on the Cliicago drainage canal. He had a sim- ilar dredger built, or- ganized the Feather River Exploration Company, and began operations Marcii 1, 1898. As in the case of nearly every new enterprise, progress in the gold dredg- ing was difficult. There were those wlio scoffed, wlio declared the project was certain to fail. For a time it was all expenditure, with no returns. But the dredger was gradually improved until success was assured. The rest of the story is so well known as not to need the telling. Let it sufl;ice to say that today W. P. Hammon directs the largest gold-dredging operations in the world, and that his companies have con- trol of more than 10,000 acres of land in California and Oregon — with more than thirty dredgers at work. Among his corporations engaged in this indus- try are the Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields, Calaveras Dredging Co., and Powder River Gold Dredging Co. He continues to bo a big factor in the fruit growing industry, as president of the Oroville Orange and Olive Groves, and operates his own packing plants. Besides tliis he is interested as officer or director in the Finnell Land Co., Hammon Engineering Co., Plumas Investment Co., Santuario Co., the Yuba Construction Co. and Sierra Pacific Elec- tric Co. One of Mr. Hammon's latest acliieve- ments was the organization of the Ven- tura Consolidated Oil Fields, whose stock is listed on the Boston Stock Ex- change. Subsidiaries of this are the Montebello Oil Co. and the Ventura Re- fining Co. 273 JOHN R. HANIFY NEARLY every business man has some sort of relaxation — some sport or hobby whicli brings him rest and change from the daily routine of work. For some It is athlet- ics, for others reading, for others the making of collections of one kind or another. For John R. Hanify, founder and head of J. R. Hanify Co., lumber manufac- turers and dealers, it is yachting. "When, just a few weeks ago, Mr. Hanify won with his racing sloop Westward tlie magnificent gold cup offered l)y King George V of Great Britain he but demonstrated again liis prowess as a sailor of yachts. He did not gain for him- self by this latest coup a reputation as a yachtsman. The rep- utation was already his. Throughout, the ca- reer of John R. Hanify has been a succession of personal efforts rightly directed. , Born in New York City Sep- tember 15, 1862, his father was Francis Hanify, at one time in charge of the damage claims department of the Inman line of steamships, and his mother was Bridget (Ryder) Hanify. He attended St. Francis Xavier College in New York, but in 1876, following his mother's death, accompanied his father to California. The intention was to return to New York, but the elder Hanify passed away a few months after his arrival on the Coast and the boy was left to shift for himself. He was not quite 14 years old. Mr. Hanify succeeded in landing a position as offlce boy with the Moore & Smith Lumber Company. Thus began a successful 17 years' connection with this firm. He rose from ofRce boy to book- keeper, to cashier, to office manager and finally became general manager of the concern, and gained valuable prac- tical experience in the manufacturing end of the industry. In 1893 Mr. Hanify went into business for himself under the firm name "J. R. Hanify," accepting the selling agency for various sawmills. After three or four years he took in as a partner Albert C. Hooper, son of John A. Hooper, and changed the firm name to J. R. Hanify & Co. At the same time he became inter- ested in the manufacture as well as the sale of lumber, and began building sailing vessels and steamers for the transportation of their products. The firm also became owners of a substan- tial tract of timber land in Humboldt County, and of 50 per cent of the stock of the Bucksport & Elk River Railroad Co., connecting the Elk River lumber mill with the shipping point on Hum- boldt bay. Mr. Hanify purchased the assets of the copartnership in 1906 and Mr. Hooper retired from the firm. For a little more than a year Mr. Hanify operated alone, but in April, 1907, incorpo- rated under the name of the J. R. Hanify Co., allowing each of his older employes to ac- quire a substantial in- terest in the business. He has built six steam- ers, although he now operates but three, having disposed of the smaller ones. One of his largest vessels is the Francis Hanify, a combination tanker and lumber carrier de- signed for coast-to- coast trade through the Panama Canal. He also has built eight sailing vessels, three of which he now operates. In civic affairs Mr. Hanify has been ac- tively interested. For a number of years he was a member of the appeals committee of the San Francisco Chamber of Com- merce. He also was a member of the Commerce Chamber party that about three years ago visited Japan to fur- ther the commercial relations between San Francisco and the Orient. Ever since he was 15 or 16 years old Mr. Hanify has been deeply interested in amateur yachting. The first sloop lie owned was the Myrtle, a 32-foot boat. Since that time he has built three schooner yachts, although the only one he owns at present is the Martha. He has built two motorboats and still operates one of them, the Scout. The sloop Westward is Mr. Hanify's pride. It was built especially for the Panama-Pacific Exposition races and was designed by William Gardner of New York, designer also of the Vanitie, which has been competing with the Resolute as a candidate for the defense of the American cup. The Westward has won every time she has started. She has won one race for the Sir Thomas Lipton cup, which must be w^on three times, and also brought to her owner the beautiful King George cup last August. Mr. Hanify was for two years com- modore of the San Francisco Yacht Club, in 1909-10, and is a member also of the Corinthian Yacht Club of New York. He is a director of the Olympic Club of San Francisco, and a member of the Pacific Union, Bohemian and others. 274 CARL A. HENRY IN an adage of such long- standing that its inception goes far back into the mists of antiquity, young men are solemnly advised that in order to at- tain eminence in this world of competi- tion they must begin at the very bottom in some line of work and struggle up- ward by degrees. Then, once up, they will re- main up. Glancing over the careers of men who have gained eminence in their respective lines in San Francisco and California, it is wonderful to note to how many of them this ancient rule applies. The number that started in as office boys is staggering. There seems to be another rule — less thought of as such but neverthe- less true — that a youth, if he has it in him to be a first-class office boy, has it in liim also to develop into a flrst- class business man. And most of them do develop thus. Carl A. Henry, one of the most widely known business men on the Pacific Coast today, started his ca- reer as an office boy. That is, he really started out as a newsboy. Before and after school he delivered newspapers in San Francisco's financial section. This lasted some time, iintil he was about 14 years old in fact, when he secured a position as office boy with one of his customers. Just about thirty years have passed since Mr. Henry left the Boys' High School and began shifting for himself. Today he is one of the joint agents in the Pacific department of several of the world's leading fire insurance com- panies; and, besides this, he is vice- president of the Owl Drug Company, one of the foremost concerns of its kind in the United States. Mr. Henry was born May 21, 1872, at San Jose, California. Wlien Mr. Henry was still a small boy his parents moved to San Francisco and it was in the pub- lic schools of this city that he gained his education. From office boy in an insurance firm Mr. Henry rose steadily until he was placed in charge of the office work. About 1893 he saw an opportunity to engage in the insurance business for himself, and embraced it. He became local agent for a number of important Are insurance companies, and built up the business until he had the largest agency of its sort in the city. Until 1899 Mr. Henry retained these agencies, but in the latter year he dropped them and took over instead the general agencies of the Sun Insurance Office of London founded in 1710 and the oldest insurance company in the world. Sun Underwriters Agency of London, and the Michigan Fire and Marine of Detroit. A few years ago Mr. Henry merged his business with that of Willard O. "Wayman, representing as gen- eral agent the National of Hartford, Colonial Fire Underwriters Agency and the Me- chanics & Traders of New Orleans. The con- cern does the largest fire insurance business west of Chicago. The combined resources of its six companies is $52,000,000. Its terri- tory extends as far east as, and including, Colorado, and e m- braces California, Ne- vada, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Ore- gon, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, Alaska and Britisli Columbia. Branch offices are maintained in Los Angeles, Port- land, Seattle, Spokane and Denver. For the past seven years Mr. Henry has been vice-president of the Owl Drug Company, and with R. E. Miller, the president, controls the concern. He has injected his personality into the "Owl" as he has injected it into the insurance field, and the results have been equally as apparent. He is a vital force in tlie conducting of the com- pany's business affairs, acting chiefly in an advisory capacity. His enthusiasm for doing things well, for accepting nothing short of the very best, is almost proverbial. Mr. Henry belongs to a number of social organizations, among them the Claremont Country Club and Athenian Club of Oakland, and the Olympic and Bohemian Clubs of San Francisco, as well as to Yerba Buena Parlor of the Native Sons. Fraternally he is a Ma- son, holding membership in Golden Gate Commandery, K. T., and in Islam Tem- ple of the Shrine. As a relaxation from business Mr. Henry indulges in deep-sea fishing, principally at Monterey and Santa Cruz. He also owns a number of fine Airedale terriers, some of which have won blue ribbons. 275 ALFRED HERTZ IT was a distinct compliment to Cal- ifornia and tlie West ■when Alfred Hertz consented to come here to di- rect the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He has been called "the big man of the Metropolitan Grand Opera," and as a big- man he was wel- comed to San Fran- cisco last July. Perhaps it is well to introduce Hertz with the same words used in The San Francisco Chronicle, upon the oc- casion of his initial ap- pearance in San Fran- cisco August 6th last, directing the Exposi- tion Orchestra, aug- mented to more than 100 musicians, in the great Beethoven con- cert at the Civic Audi- t o r i u m. Said The Chronicle : "A giant of energy. Hertz employs his forces in quantities to be estimated only in terms of superlative power. It seemed as though by sheer appli- cation of his own vigor he himself played ev- erything from tympani to contrabasso. Ha epitomized the ener- gies of one hundred men and in the climaxes exposed a Dionysiac joy in their tumultuous shoutings; he summed up in his person the efficiency of all and added thereto a surplus of force which directed them all and controlled them; or, once or twice, condemned them all when in the failure to ride as fast and as far and as high as he willed, the members of the great orchestra faltered. At such moments Hertz was not to be regarded as a being of sartorial propriety, nor even as one amenable to the conven- tions which politely ignore sweat. He wrestled with a god on the mountain, and he did not let him go until he had the victory." A native of Germany, Alfred Hertz was born July 15, 1872, at Frankfort-on- the-Main, the son of Leo Hertz and Sara (Koenigswerther) Hertz. Follow- ing his preliminary education at Frank- fort Gymnasium, he began liis so fruit- ful study of music at Raff Conserva- torium, Frankfort. How rapidly he ad- vanced in this great conservatory founded by Joachim Raff and Hans von Buelow as president, may be gathered from the fact that upon his graduation from his courses in piano, theory, in- strumentation and musical history he was appointed, when not yet twenty years old, to the directorship of the Hoftheater at Altenburg in Saxony. Here, at the age of twenty, he was decorated with the Order of Art and Science of Saxony. Here, also, he pro- duced for the first time anywhere Hum- perdinck's "Hansel and Gretel." Until 1S95 Mr. Hertz filled this posi- tion at Altenburg with ever increasing success. Then he was called to Barmen- Elberfeld, where for four years he was conductor of opera and concerts at the Stadttheater. In the spring of 1899 the works of Fritz Delius, then somewhat obscure, were to con- stitute a program at St. James' Hall, Lon- don. Delius had heard Hertz in Elberfeld, and prevailed upon him to conduct the rendition of Delius' works. By this time Hertz' fame as a conductor had spread all over Europe. During his London engagement Maurice Grau offered the young man the baton that Anton Seidl had laid down. It w^as a distinct honor, but one which Hertz was unable to accept just at that time, as he had a three-year contract to fulfill at the Stadt- theater, Breslau. This contract he carried out. In 1902 the way was clear to bring Hertz to America. Grau re- newed his offers and the brilliant young conductor accepted, assuming at once the musical direction of the Metropoli- tan Grand Opera forces in New York. On December 24, 1903, Hertz directed the first performance of "Parsifal" ever heard outside of Bayreuth, and on Jan- uary 22, 1907, the first and only per- formance at the Metropolitan Opera House of Richard Strauss' "Salome." He directed the first performance of "Konigskinder" December 28, 1910, at the Metropolitan, and he was responsible for first production of important Amer- ican novelties, such as "Pipe of Desire" by Converse, "Mona" by Horatio Parker, and "Cyrano de Bergerac" by Walter Damrosch. One of his chief triumphs was the first production of Richard Strauss' "Der Rosencavalier." For thirteen successive and success- ful years Hertz remained at the Metro- politan as conductor, and then resigned. His departure was the occasion for one of the greatest demonstrations ever ac- corded a musician. But he left, he said, in order to devote himself to "the higher things in music." His next move was to convert the loosely organized Los Angeles Sym- phony Orchestra into a compact band capable of the greatest and nicest ef- fects, in order to produce Parker's new $10,000 prize opera, "Fairyland." Then he was brought to San Francisco and given the musical directorship of our Symphony Orchestra with prac- tically unlimited powers. And the fruits of his endeavors are soon to be seen. 276 I HOWARD C. HOLMES IN this day and age we have come to take nearly everything for granted. A big engineering proj- ect makes life easier for us — we consider it only for a moment, then accept it without further ado. Only a few of us go behind the achieve- ment and consider the ingenuity it typifies, or the man who made it possible. One of the first things noticed by a visitor to San Fran- cisco is the city's fa- mous ferry terminal. This was built under the direction of How- ard Carlton Holmes, civil and consulting engineer, who has con- ceived and put into execution so many projects as to make himself an exception to the general rule that the men behind achievements of this sort are little known. Rather, he is recog- nized up and down the Pacific Coast as one of the foremost engineers west of the Rocky Mountains. Since the age of seventeen Mr. Holmes has been iden- tified with engineering. He was born June 10, 1854, at Nantucket, Massa- chusetts, and when five years old came with his parents to San Francisco. His father, C. Holmes, was prominent in the early history of San Francisco as a miner, then as a building contractor. After receiving his education in the public schools of this city, the younger Mr. Holmes started out as a surveyor and became identified with a number of leading engineers. He was only nineteen years old when he made all the contour surveys necessary for the development of Lake Chabot, Oak- land's principal source of water supply. At twenty-one Mr. Holmes passed an examination for appointment as United States deputy surveyor. Soon after- ward he became assistant engineer of the State Board of Harbor Commis- sioners, leaving this position to design and build the Alameda mole and depot for the South Pacific Coast Railway Company. It might be well to say at this point that the millions who visited the Panama-Pacific Exposition gazed upon Mr. Holmes' work when they viewed the yacht ■ harbor, its passenger and freight slips and all the other exposi- tion water terminals. As consulting engineer on docks and wharves for the exposition he designed all these fea- tures. Mr. Holmes directed his attention to street railway construction when, in 1887-8, he built the Powell Street Railroad, known as the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad. During the next few years he built the cable railroad at Portland, that at Spokane and the Madison Street Railroad at Seattle. Returning to San Francisco he con- structed the Sacramento street branch of the Powell street road, the lower end of the California Street Cable Railroad and extended the Union Street Cable Rail- road from Fillmore to the Presidio. Later he secured the con- tract for the electric street railway at Stockton. Becoming chief en- gineer of the Harbor Board in 1892, Mr. Holmes built the water terminals for all the railroads run- ning into San Fran- cisco with the excep- tion of the Southern Pacific, and even in the latter's slips were installed the freight and passenger hoists invented by him. One of his innovations was a teredo-proof pile for wharves, concrete over a core of wooden piles. This type of pile has been used a number of years with great success. As chief engineer of the San Fran- cisco, Oakland & San Jose Railroad Company, the Key Route, Mr. Holmes designed and constructed the terminal mole which extends 16,000 feet into San Francisco bay. He also built the Sacra- mento electric road and the greater part of the Oakland, Alameda & Piedmont Railroad, now incorporated with the Oakland Transit Company. Resigning in 1901 from his position with the Harbor Board, Mr. Holmes became chief engineer for the San Fran- cisco Dry Dock Company. He built Hunter's Point Dry Dock No. 2, at that time the largest graving dock on the Pacific Coast. Later he prepared plans for dry dock No. 3 at Hunter's Point, one of the world's biggest and one that will care for the greatest ocean liners and battle-ships. Today, in the East as well as the West, Mr. Holmes is considered an au- thority in his line. In 1904 he was commissioned by the Boston Harbor and Land Board to report on the re- spective merits of graving and float- ing docks. He also planned the Cana- dian Government's dry dock at Victoria. He has a goodly private practice, be- sides being consulting engineer for the Western Pacific Railway Company for docks and wharves. Mr. Holmes is a member of the Ameri- can Society of Civil Engineers and of various other prominent professidnal, fraternal and social organizations. 277 CHARLES FREDERICK HORNER ONE of the first things that impress the visitor to California is the intense loyalty of its citizens. Whatever is indigenous to — what- ever pertains to — the State is dear to the heart of every Californian. Of all things loved the best is the "native son," the one who from his earliest days has lived in the environ- ment of its mountains and sunshine and boun- teous harvests; and it is worthy of note that a large percentage of the men who now direct the destinies of the State, in politics and business, belong to this class. In this regard, the story of Charles Fred- erick Horner, assessor of Alameda County, is worth the telling. Mr. Horner is a native of the Golden State. His father came West with the rush of '49, and subsequently was a flour miller for many years. The elder Hor- ner was a native of New Jersey, where he spent the early part of his life. His brother, J. M. Horner, had preceded him here by some years, and it was in conjunction with this brother that he entered the flour mill- ing business. In fact, the honor of founding the first flour mill in the State belongs to J. M. Horner. It was located at Union City and continued to be the largest producing mill in California for a long while. The two brothers prospered and among other things received a Spanish land grant now known as Horner's Addition, San Francisco. Charles Frederick Horner was born at Irvington, Cal., November 11, 1858, the son of W. Y. and Anna Bmley Horner. He attended the primary schools of that city and then became a scholar at Washington College, Irving- ton. Some time after leaving college he became interested in the culture of sugar and determined to try his fortune in the Hawaiian Islands, where he went in 1879. The islands, then as now, de- pended on sugar as their main crop and the field of opportunity open to Mr. Horner was one of exceptional advan- tages. He was not slow to make use of every favorable circumstance and soon won a competence from the trade. With the advancing years his holdings in- creased and he became a man of the largest influence, doing an annual busi- ness of big proportions. He also in- terested himself in public questions and served two terms (1887-8) as a member of the Hawaiian Legislature. His bus- iness continued to prosper and he was looked upon as one of the leading fig- ures in the sugar industry of what is now among our richest insular posses- sions. Owing to a thorough study of the subject, Mr. Hor- ner was able to in- troduce many improve- ments in the planting of the cane and its handling, which result- ed in important eco- nomic advance. In short, he entered into all departments of the industry and helped materially in its ex- pansion. Returning to the United States in 1896, Mr. Horner established himself at Centerville, Cal., and lent his sup- port to its growth, as- sisting every under- taking with the public welfare as its aim. He is well known in a political way, and was elected Supervisor of the County for three terms on the Republi- can ticket, discharging the duties of that office in a way that has received general approval. Under his administration a rule of economy and efliciency was obtained, resulting in a substantial saving to the com- munity. This county is one of sin- gular wealth, being located in a district blessed with every advantage of Nature and having excellent transit facilities in all directions, and its industrial im- portance has also enhanced in recent years until there are few counties in the State which can point to a finer record of growth in all departments. In July, 1911, Mr. Horner was appointed by the Board of Supervisors of Alameda County assessor to fill a vacancy, and upon as- suming the duties of assessor moved to Oakland, where he has since resided. Coming to the ofl^ce at this critical stage of the county's development, Mr. Horner has met with a complete measure of success and is certainly one of the most popular men in the county. Mr. Horner is an active member of the Native Sons of the Golden West and a supporter of all the ideals for which that organization stands. He is also affiliated with the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of the World, Druids, Odd Fellows, Moose and B. P. O. Elks. Although a busy man he finds times to take an active part in the affairs of all and stands high among fraternalists of the State. 278 JAMES IIORSBURGH, JR. To do one-tenth of what James Horsburgh, Jr., has accomplished in the interests of California, were to merit everlasting honor as the builder of an emjjire. And to write it, doing justice to a myriad of details, were to begin the task of com- piling a veritable li- brary of history. For it is history that James Horsburgh, Jr., has made. It is the history of California — its growth from a lit- tle-known section to one of the strongest and most wonderful States in the Union. And it is written in millions of printed pages, a product of un- remitting effort and a fertile brain. W h e n, just a few months ago, Mr. Hors- burgli resigned as gen- eral passenger agent of the Southern Pacific Company to handle Willys-Overland auto- mobiles in the San Francisco district, the San Francisco Chroni- cle paid him this trib- ute: "The friends of James Horsburgh, Jr., predict that his peculiar genius, liis never-failing, hearty good nature and his immense energy will find a wider and better expression than ever before as one of the officials of the Willys- Overland organization." James Horsburgh, Jr., is father of the famous "Raisin Day"; Sunset Magazine was conceived and started by him; due to his preliminary efforts Imperial Val- ley was transformed from desert into a fertile spot; tons of literature advertis- ing California and the West have been written by him and distributed to the four corners of the world; he first brought Luther Burbank into public notice; farmers' institutes. State farms and agricultural demonstration trains by the dozen owe their being to him; convention after convention has lie brought to San Francisco, entertained the delegates and sent them back home rejoicing; he has fostered as many col- onization projects as perhaps any man in California. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mr. Horsburgh removed w^ith his parents to Hamilton, Canada, when he was but two yeais old. He began railroading when he was still a inere youth, first as office boy in the office of the general manager and treasurer of the Great Western Railway in Canada, later be- coming a clerk in the same department. In 1873, still a boy, Mr. Horsburgh came to California and became a rate clerk in the general passenger depart- ment of the Southern Pacific. Head- quarters were then in Sacramento, but soon they were moved to San Francisco and Mr. Horsburgh came here with them. Prom clerk ho became chief clerk and, in October, 1884, was ap- pointed assistant general passenger agent. In April, 1906. three days be- fore the great San Francisco fire, he was made general passen- ger agent upon tlie re- tirement from that position of General T. H. Goodman. Immediately M r. Horsburgh was thrown into a situation that was almost un- precedented. Under the most trying conditions in the days following the fire he moved 244,- 000 pe'rsons out of stricken San Francisco without cost to them and without injuring a single one. It was upon the re- alization that Califor- nia differed from other sections of the coun- try, that people had to be brought here to see for themselves before they could understand its advantages, that Mr. Horsburgh based his entire publicity campaign. He went after and secured for San Francisco the great convention of the Grand Army of the Republic, fol- lowed by that of the Knights Tem- plar and then by that of the Christian Endeavor. For the last-named gather- ing were brought 23.000 delegates from' east of the Rocky Mountains. And by their means the gospel of California was spread amazingly wide. At another time, when such things were sorely needed, he had his field agents organize improvement associa- tions througliout California; then he got all the clubs in the Sacramento Valley to amalgamate and did the same with those in the San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere. By a publicity cam- paign he helped the prune growers sell the 90,000,000 pounds surplus of their crop. When the raisin growers got into deep water he did the same for them — the result was "Raisin Day," which saved the situation. Sunset Magazine, a monument to his ability and progres- siveness, speaks for itself. The South- ern Pacific building at the Panama- Pacific Exposition was the evolution of his idea; and in dozens of other ways did he assist in the great world show. And now, believing the automobile to be the coming transportation factor, he has entered this new field — and his future, as The Chronicle has pointed out, is assured. 25 279 CHARLES F. HUMPHREY SEVERAL thousand miles separate California from the Philippine Is- lands, and one does not commonly associate the two so widely dif- ferent regions togetlier. But they are linked closely in the mind of Charles Franklin Humphrey of San Francisco, for not only is he a farmer in California, but a plantationist in the southern islands also. All of Mr. Hum- phrey's interests today are of a development nature. He has ac- quired large acreages of land, not for specu- lation purposes but to make it bear and pro- duce useful commodi- ties. Until recently a practicing lawyer, he has turned away from this pliase of his ca- reer and all of his time and attention is now devoted to the ad- vancement of his pri- vate projects. Mr. Humphrey was born November 23, 1872, at Belleville, Kan- sas, the son of James C. Humplirey and Anna (Counter) Hum- phrey. His parents removed to Kansas from Canada, wliere the elder Humphrey published several newspapers. Tliere- fore, while receiving the groundwork of his education in the local public schools, Charles F. Humphrey naturally spent his spare time working in his father's newspaper office. In this way Mr. Humphrey gained a thorough knowledge of the newspaper •game," from both the mechanical and the editorial standpoints. When he en- tered the University of Kansas at Law- rence in 1888, he continued to go back to the newspaper work during his va- cation periods, working at different times on the Omaha Bee, the Lincoln State Journal and the Kansas City Star. During all this time, however, Mr. Humphrey was looking forward to a career in the law. Accordingly, fol- lowing his graduation from the Uni- versity of Kansas with the class of 1892, he entered the law institution of the University, taking his degree in 1894. In the same year lie was admittel to practice in Kansas, but instead of open- ing an office there he came west and spent a year in Portland, Oregon, part of the time with Bradstreet's Mercan- tile Agency and the remainder in the law offices of Emmons & Emmons. The year 1895 brought him to San Francisco. He practiced law independently until some time later, when he became a member of the partnership of Humplirey & Hubbard, a partnersliip tliat was con- tinued until 1914, when it was dissolved. At the same time Mr. Humphrey ceased the practice of law entirely, tlie better to manage his private interests. For about eight years Mr. Humplirey lived witli liis family in Eu- rope, at different pe- riods residing in Ger- m a n y, France and Spain, that his chil- dren miglit learn tlie various languages first-hand and other- wise have the best op- portunities for an ex- tensive education. On August 1, 1915, he brouglit his family back to San Francisco, wliere he will hence- fortli make his perma- nent residence, spend- ing his summers at Belvedere. Mr. Humphrey's Phil- ippine interests are in the Cagayan Valley, Island of Luzon. He owns there a large tract of land, which he has developed to the raising of tobac- co. He has taken a deep interest in the furtherance of this enterprise and in ad- dition to the growing of tobacco is ex- perimenting with sugar. Although he now raises only enough sugar tor the plantation's own consumption, he may increase his acreage in the future so as to enter the field commercially. The fact that Mr. Humphrey owns about three thousand acres of excel- lent land in California makes of him a California farmer also. His products are highly diversified, running from fruit to cattle. All of his operations are of a private nature and he has formed no corporations to exploit his projects. Socially, Mr. Humphrey is a member of a number of clubs, among them the Royal Polo and Golf Club of Madrid, Spain, the Golf Club of Montrieaux, Switzerland, and the Bohemian, Union League and Olympic Clubs of San Fran- cisco. He also is a Shriner and a Knight Templar in the Masonic order. He was married January 16, 1899, to Elizabeth Warren, daughter of John Warren, Esq., of Cheshire, England. He is the father of two sons, James and John Humphrey, tlie former of whom is now at Phillips Exeter Academy, pre- paring for Harvard University. 280 CASSIUS A. HUTTON CONSIDERING that Cassius A. Hut- ton, with an education obtained by the sweat of his brow, was at one time the youngest national bank cashier in the United States — with this in view one needs no ex- planation of how Mr. Hutton has been able to build up from nothing the largest flour jobbing business west of the Missis- sippi River. Strenuous and per- sistent e f£ o r t, and close application to business — this is the secret of his success, of every success. He has struggled against competition as keen as that in any other commercial pursuit. There have been times when the future looked dark, when it seemed that all his efforts were in vain. But fortitude and per- sistence on every oc- casion carried the day, as such attri- butes nearly always will. C. A. Hutton was born September 4, 1867, on a farm at Algonac, Michigan, the son of William H. Hutton and M. J. (Higgins) Hutton. When twelve years old he left home and made his way through the public schools of Attica, Michigan. Following his graduation from the high school of Lapeer, Michi- gan, he attended business college at Bay City. With the world before him, and the necessity of putting his knowledge to account in his mind, Mr. Hutton en- tered a railroad office and pursued the study of telegraphy. At the age of nineteen he started as a telegrapher with the Chicago & Grand Trunk Rail- road Company. The year 18S8 brought him to Cheney, Washington, where he took a position in the station office of the Northern Pacific. Two or three years more as a rail- roader and Mr. Hutton began look- ing about him for an opportunity for more rapid advancement. He was offered a position as bookkeeper in the First National Bank of Cheney and accepted it. As he labored over his figures Mr. Hutton kept his eyes open for knowledge of the business in which he had cast his lot. This desire to learn was noticed and it was not very long until he was given the position of assistant cashier. He was still in his early twenties when he secured the cashiership. After several years in banking, Mr. Hutton left it to become business manager for a flour milling concern of Cheney. This was his first intro- duction to the business in which he was later on to become so forceful a figure. In 1S9S he came to San Fran- cisco to represent the firm as sales agent, and a short while later he opened in the flour jobbing business for himself in a small way. When he started ojit in his new field as an independent jobber, Mr. Hutton had only about $3,000 in capital. He steadily enlarged his business, however, until in 1908 he or- ganized the C. A. Hut- ton Flour Company, with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and incorpo- rated. The present volume of business runs between $1,500,- 000 and $2,000,000 a j'ear, with capital and s u r p 1 us of $300,000. The corporation, which Mr. Hutton owns and controls entirely with the exception of a few shares issued for organization purposes, confines itself to domestic trade in California. In a civic way Mr. Hutton has been active. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Commer- cial Club, and the Olympic and Trans- portation Clubs. Fraternally, he is a past master of the Masons and is a member of Mission Lodge No. 169, A. F. & A. M. Mr. Hutton is married and has one son, Harold P. Hutton, who is asso- ciated with him in business. He is a lover of home and his new residence at 95 West Clay Park, representing an outlay of $50,000, is one of the most attractive in the city. California is essentially a land of industrial enterprises. Time was when it produced little of the real neces- sities of life. Its rich deposits of gold distracted the settler and left him but little interested in anything but the wresting of a fortune from its hills and river beds. Today, what with the directing of attention to the "gold" that can be made to grow upon its fertile acres, other interests claim the populace, and California has become a little country within itself — self-sup- porting. One of the most important of these industries of today is the flour busi- ness, and in this C. A. Hutton has played, and is destined to play in the future, an important part. 281 COLONEL D. C. JACKLING COLONEL. Daniel Cowan Jackling, whose business career is well enough known not to need further exploitation, occupies the unusual position in respect to San Francisco of putting something into the city with- out taking anything out of it. In other words Colonel Jackling, as the general public probably does not realize, has not a single business in- terest in San Francisco, despite the fact that he maintains headquarters here in order that his various mining and other properties may be easily ac- cessible to him. He spends annually great sums of money in San Francisco in maintaining his offices and his home, but neither asks nor receives anything in the monetary line in return. None of Colonel Jackling's interests is exploited to the general public, nor are his operations carried on by the public's aid. Yet he is one of the big- gest and most influential business men in the West. Among others. Colonel Jackling is interested in one way or another in the following corporations: Utah Copper Company, Ray Consolidated Copper Company, Alaska Gold Mines Company, Bingham & Garfield Railway, Ray & Gila Valley Railway, Utah Power & Light Company, Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, Nevada Northern Railroad, Chino Copper Company, Butte & Superior Copper Company, Utah State National Bank, McCornick Com- pany of Salt Lake City, Garfield (Utah) Banking Company, Salt Lake Security & Trust Company, Utah Hotel Company and Utah Hotel Operating Company, Utah Fire Clay Company, Pacific-Alas- ka Navigation Company, First National Bank of Denver, Garden City Sugar & Land Company of Garden City, Kansas, United Iron Works of Oakland and Kansas City Structural Iron Company. 282 1 L. T. JACKS THE idea that "Opportunity knocks but once at eacli man's door," and the attendant idea that un- less full advantage is taken of the chance Opportunity will not call again — this is by no means of universal application. For if Opportunity fails to seek him out, the red- blooded man will seek out Opportunity. He doesn't wait for the knocking on the door. Lile T. Jacks, San Francisco attorney at law, didn't sit around waiting when it came time for him to get out and hustle for an edu- cation and for a career. He hustled. And this involved, at one period, working in a hotel for his board and, at an- other period, digging ditches and keeping pace with men many years his senior. But he gained his goal. Mr. Jacks was born March 26, 1877, on a farm at Meadow Valley near Quincy, Plumas County, California. His father is Richard Jacks, farmer and miner, and his mother Florence Fremont (Bell) Jacks. He attended tiie public schools of the neighborhood, and after finishing the grammar grades worked for some time as a common laborer for a mining company. The next year he entered the Quincy High School, work- ing in the evenings at the Plumas House, where he boarded. He was grad- uated in 1900. Soon after this Mr. Jacks entered the mining field by locating what was known as the Smith's Flat placer claim. He purchased the necessary equipment, rented water and worked the claim for three seasons, making enough money to come to San Francisco in January, 1901. He took a course in the Gal- lagher-Marsh Business College, and after finishing entered the evening law school of the Young Men's Christian Association, where he received his A. B. degree. The course covered a period, in all, of four years. He also took a post- graduate course at St. Ignatius Uni- versity. Meanwhile, immediately after taking up the study of law Mr. Jacks worked for a month as stenographer in a mer- , cantile firm, holding down this position in the day time and attending school in the evenings. In 1902 Mr. Jacks was placed in charge of the schools' supply department under the direction of the Board of Education, a position he re- tained until about the time he com- pleted his law course. In 1906 he became a deputy under County Clerk Harry I. Mulcrevy. This position he resigned in 1908, took his bar examinations and was admitted to practice November IS, 1908, before the District Court of Appeals of California, Since then he has been admitted by the United States District and Circuit Courts. For about a year after he first was admitted he was a clerk in the law offices of McNair & Stoker. Then he started practicing; in- dependently and has done so ever since, with the exception of about a year wlien he maintained his office in connection with tliat of Frank S. Brit- tain, now attorney for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. Confining himself al- most exclusively to the practice of civil law, Mr. Jacks has special- ized in probate matters and has handled a number of important estates in court. Among these was the $250,000 estate of Mrs. Ruth Hannah Muzzy, which has been settled and distributed to the heirs. Mr. Jacks represented Mrs. Lovell White, chairman of the .Outdoor Art League Club, an auxiliary of the Cali- fornia Women's Club, in the fight be- fore the 1914 State Legislature on be- half of the cemetery condemnation bill. This was a measure to amend the code of civil procedure relative to eminent domain, so that the City of San Fran- cisco might take over old cemetery lands and make memorial parks out of them. Mr. Jacks framed the bill, which was the only bill of a similar nature that was passed by the Senate. The whole bill is to be taken up again be- fore the next legislature. In addition to his probate and other work Mr. Jacks is attorney for several corporations and business concerns, the Home Manufacturing Company; the Imperial Company, manufacturers of waterproofing; Fish Brothers, real estate dealers, and several others. Socially, Mr. Jacks is a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West, the Deutscher Club, Woodmen of the World, and other private clubs. He was mar- ried in San Anselmo. September 21, 191.3. to Miss Ethel Kluver, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kluver of San Fran- cisco, and granddaughter of the late Henry Dobbel, wealthy California pio- neer and member of the Vigilance Com- mittee of San Francisco's early days. 283 HENRY T. JONES WHEN business philosophers have set forth, as the iriiit of long ex- perience, what thing's are nec- essary to bring about a man's rise in the world, the whole weighty argument may be boiled down and re- solved into three words — ability, effort and perseverance. Given those a t t r i - butes, a man may gain all others with but little extra trouble. But it is essential that he have the three. The man who will not or cannot assimilate learning, the man who yawns and watches the office clock, the man who flits from one position to the other in the hope of "landing something good" with- out vi^orking up to it — such men to failure are foredoomed. Henry T. Jones is today general super- intendent of the United Railroads of San Francisco because he has, and has had all along, ability, per- severance and pluck. In order to learn all about the busi- ness he had chosen for a career he began at the very bottom. He worked, he was dependable, and it was not long until his worth was rec- ognized. Mr. Jones is a native of Bristol, England. He was born January 22, 1866, the son of Daniel Jones, a Colonel in the British Army, and Emma (Proc- tor) Jones. He attended Rugby schools and in 1881 entered the Royal Navy and was assigned to H. M. S. Britannica. Two years later his father died and he left the navy. Almost at once Mr. Jones entered the employment of Sir Clifton Robinson, who at that time was constructing the Higate Hill cable railroad in London, after having been manager of the Bristol Tramways. This was the first road of its kind in Europe and was designed after the cable railroads of San Francisco, which were the first in the world. In 1SS4 Mr. Jones, in his capacity of conductor, operated the first car over the Higate Hill line, with the Lord Mayor of London and other digni- taries as guests. After a few months as a "platform man" Mr. Jones was given a clerkship in the company's offices, remaining in this position until 1887. Thereafter, for a time, he traveled abroad. Returning to London from Mexico, he learned that Sir Clifton Robinson had come to the Ignited States, to Los Angeles, Cali- fornia, where he was installing a line for the Los Angeles Cable Railroad. Desiring to stay on with his first em- ployer, Mr. Jones returned to America and Sir Clifton made him assistant superintendent of the road. In 1890 Mr. Jones did something that few men do. He went back to get more experience in the actual handling of street cars. In need of fresh air, and in the belief that with a firmer groundwork in the street railway business he would be better enabled to main- tain an executive posi- tion when he came to it, he came to San Francisco and became a conductor on the old Market Street Cable Railway. Since that time he has remained in San Francisco and has risen steadily through the ranks to the position he now holds. Successively he be- came inspector, car dispatcher and time- table expert, and in 1902 when the United Railroads was organ- i z e d was appointed superintendent of employment. Two years later he was made division super- intendent and this position he held for nine years. He was appointed acting general superintendent in July, 1913, to succeed the late Elwood Hibbs. Mean- while, in addition to the regular duties of his office, he also continued as the company's time-table expert as well as chief of the employment bureau. On January 1, 191.5, he was formally made general superintendent. Mr. Jones personally has employed all the men of the rank and file that the United Railroads has added to its pay- roll since the company's formation in 1902. He is a born executive and withal one of the most popular men in the service of the United Railroads. Today he is at the head of actual oper- ation of a road that has 278 miles of single track, electric and cable. Includ- ing 1900 platform men, he has under his direction about 2500 employes of all classes. His has been a long and faith- ful service. And the days that he has worked 20 hours out of the 24, notably following the fire of 1906 and during the subsequent strike, have borne their fruit. Mr. Jones is a member of the Trans- portation Club and the Indoor Yacht Club. He was married in 1902 in San Francisco to Miss Blanche A. Le Juene, daughter of A. Le Juene, the noted Belgian sculptor. He has two sons, George F. Jones, 10, and Burgess William Jones, 6. ■284 FRANCIS V. KEESLING ONE thinking of an exponent of the law naturally associates with the profession the idea of a man whose interest lies wholly in the interpretation of Blaclistone. The im- pression of versatility is not present, and it is somewhat surprising to find a lawyer taking part in anything so "frivo- lous" as, for instance, baseball, or in some- thing so practical as military affairs. Francis V. Keesling, in his career as a law- yer, has found pleas- ure in both these side pursuits. In his stu- dent days at Stanford University he was baseball manager. During the San Fran- cisco fire of 1906 he was major of a Na- tional Guard battalion that won great praise for its work in pre- serving order and in saving life and prop- erty. The law, how- ever, is his forte and in this and in semi- public life he has ren- dered such service that his friends, at the State primary election in 1914, ran him for the Republican nomination for Governor and gave him a flattering vote of 65,028. Born in San Jose February 17, 1877, Mr. Keesling was educated in the pub- lic schools of the Garden City, being graduated from the San Jose High School in 1894. He was a member of the Gamma Eta Kappa fraternity and represented the High School in a de- bate against the State Normal School. Entering Stanford University he se- cured the degree of A. B. in 1898. As he went along his personal popularity increased. He was first president of his class; was editor-in-chief of the Stanford Quad in 1898, the year he was baseball manager; and held member- ship in the Sigma Nu fraternity, the Phi Delta Phi, Skull and Snakes Honor Society and the Press Club. Following his graduation Mr. Kees- ling continued his study of the law in the office of "William M. Pierson and Crothers & Crothers. On December 31, 1898, he formally was admitted to the bar. Prior to this, in 1898, he spent three months organizing a compaign to se- cure for Stanford University a con- stitutional amendment correcting vital defects in the foundation trusts and grants and making provision for ex- emption from taxation by the I^egis- lature. In 1899 he obtained from the Legislature a submission to the people of the desired amendment. He kept at work in the educational campaign until late in the summer of 1900, when he toured the State. The final result was the adoption of the amendment by the voters and the giving of untold benefits to the University. Mr. Keesling enlisted as a private in the National Guard of California, Bat- tery D, First Artillery, in July, 1901. He was elected a lieutenant in March, 1902, and in De- cember of the same year was made a cap- tain in command of the battery. He was spe- cially detailed as a representative of the State to the joint ma- neuvers of the United States Army and the National Guard at West Point in 1903, and subsequently was elected associate mem- ber of the Military Service Institution. The fire of 1906 brought a test of his efficiency. He was elected major of the First Battalion, Coast Artillery, w^hose vv^ork "wSiS unequalled by any Army or National Guard force on similar duty. In the California archives and elsewhere are official reports setting forth this fact. The late E. H. Harri- man, the railroad king, paid a well- deserved tribute when he said: "These men left their private affairs and their homes at a critical time, many laboring under the distress of personal loss, and gave their service to their State in her hour of need. Praise, and only praise, is due the Na- tional Guard of California for its serv- ice in this crisis." Similar commendation was set forth by Governor Pardee in his message to the extra session of the Legislature June 2, 1906. Mr. Keesling has always been a stanch Republican and at present is chairman of the Republican State Cen- tral Committee. In 1907 he was elected regent of the Sigma Nu fraternity at Chicago. Socially he is an active club member; fraternally, he is a thirty- third degree Mason and at present is senior grand warden of the Grand Lodge, F. & A. M., of California. Limiting his professional practice to civil law, Mr. Keesling has taken part in many important legal matters. Fol- lowing the passage of the Dick Bill he practically rewrote the State law to conform to it. He heads the Stanford Law Association as its president. Mr. Keesling was married in 1903 to Haidee Grau of Sacramento and is the father of four children. The family home is in Presidio Terrace, San Fran- cisco. 285 E. J. KINGSBURY THE world owes much to the in- ventor — how much, one can read- ily conceive by gazing about at the innumerable "necessities of life" which our forfathers knew nothing of and were forced to do without. In- ventions liave made earth more livable; they have lifted man from the gloom of ig- norance and made him master of all he sur- veys. Primarily, E. J. Kingsbury is a m e - chanical and electrical engineer. But he also is an inventor and to- day he has to his credit at least three really big accomplishments along this line, with innumerable others of lesser importance. His latest coup is the electrograph. This is an electrical advertis- ing device w^hereby, through patented mechanisms known as the "unit control," let- ters, characters and il- lustrations may be shown extempora- neously either by night or by day. The "unit control" allows any number of different currents of electricity to pass over the same wire at the same time without inter- ference, thus making it possible for a single contact and a single wire to con- trol an unlimited number of points. By means of a standard typewriter the different characters may be written on one or more signs with only one key for each letter or character and one wire per character. The advantages of the electrograph over any other elec- trical advertising device are extempo- raneous control as compared with pre- viously prepared "copy," low cost of construction and operation, and the fact that it is the only device whereby pic- tures, cartoons and colored illustrations may be flashed on an electrical sign at will, different pictures appearing on the same space at different periods. Mr. Kingsbury invented the electro- graph while he was in Juneau, Alaska, and has been devoting his time to its development since 1914. He incorpo- rated in Alaska under the firm name of the Kingsbury Electrograph Company, of which he is president and manager. The initial financing of the concern was completed in Alaska and the first unit of the electrograph is now being built. Since early in 1915 the general oflfices have been in the Merchants National Bank Building, San Francisco. E. J. Kingsbury is a native of Minne- sota. He was born July 12, 1878, at Le Roy, the son of Dr. E. J. Kingsbury, a physician and surgeon, and M. H. (Hard) Kingsbury. He attended the public schools of Cannonsburg, Pa., was graduated from the high school of Knapp, Wis., and later from McAllister Col- lege at St. Paul. He took post-graduate work in mechanical and electrical engi- neering at Armour In- stitute, Chicago, and was awarded the de- grees of M. E. and E. E. in 1899. His first work was witli the Atwood Lum- ber Company in Min- nesota, where he in- stalled power stations for something more than two years. Then for four years he in- stalled and operated power stations for the Great Northern R a i 1- way. At the end of this period he became su- perintendent of power and light for the White Pass & lukon Railway at Skagway, Alaska, and after three years went with the Alaska-Treadwell Gold Mines Co. at Treadwell, with whom he remained four years in the installation and operation of hydro- electric machinery. Among Mr. Kingsbury's other inven- tions is an electrical safet5' device for railroad bridges and culverts. In case of fire, washout, strain or stress to the bridge, the device throws the sema- phore signals and automatically calls up the train dispatcher and gives him the number and name of the bridge. All this is accomplished on existing telegraph wires and in operation it has proved eminently successful. Mr. Kingsbury also invented and per- fected a mechanical refrigeration sys- tem through the use of electro-chemis- try. This is to be used in homes in small units, the current required being less than that consumed by a 60-watt Mazda lamp. Another of his inventions is an automatic cut-off for steam en- gine governors, which will, for instance, make impossible the running away of an engine. Mr. Kingsbury is also sec- retary-treasurer of the Quertier Ma- chine Co. of San Francisco. In 1900, at Willow River, Minn.. Mr. Kingsbury married Miss Eva Thomp- son, and is the father of one son, Orval H. Kingsbury, who is now attending Lowell High School. 286 EMILIO LASTRETO IF it were necessary to describe, in one word, the character of Emilio Lastreto, that word would be "ver- satile." For not only is Emilio La- streto a successful practicing attorney but he also is a linguist, a notable in- terpreter of Shakespearean roles, a writer, and a fencer of national reputation. And, aside from all tins, he is active in a civic way as well as socially and f r a t e r- nally. Mr. Lastreto is a na- tive of San Francisco. He was born February 25, 1S69, the son of Luigi Felix Lastreto, who for half a century carried on here a com- mission business with Central and Soutli American countries. His mother was Char- lotte (Parrain) Lastre- to. After passing through tlie Wasliing- . t o n Grammar School, M r . Lastreto entered the Boys' High School, from which he was graduated in 1885. For two years fol- lowing this he was en- rolled at Hastings Col- lege of the Law in San Francisco. Because he was below the age of 21, however, the institution could not graduate him. Not to be forestalled by a mere matter of age, Mr. Lastreto and several other youtlis in the same situation clubbed together and completed their studies in- dependently. Then, on May 5, 1890, Mr. Lastreto was admitted to tlie bar before the Supreme Court of California at Sacramento. Several years later, on December 23, 1898, he was admitted to practice before the United States Cir- cuit and District Courts also. Immediately after securing his cre- dentials Mr. Lastreto began practicing alone in San Francisco, and has con- tinued so ever since. His law w^ork is of a general civil nature. He speaks French, Spanish and Italian fluently, in addition to English, and his clientele is largely composed of members of those three races resident in this section of the State. Mr. Lastreto has assisted in several probate cases of importance and has also practiced some in mining law, although his interests in mining are largely those of an investor. He has also been admitted to practice before the United States Land Offices. As a Shakespearean actor Mr. Las- treto is widely and favorably known. On the lop story of his home on Rus- sian Hill he has fitted up a small, but no less complete, private theater. It has everything in scenery, lighting effects and properties that the regular stage has. Four years ago he organized the Lastreto Shakespearean Players, whose productions, presented before private audiences only, have elicited much praise. Speaking of Mr. Lastreto's por- trayal of lago in "Othello," a reviewer said: "Brobdignagian in tlie superb manner in which he pictured lago on his Lilliput stage, Lastreto won tlie encomiums of his audience by his enthusiasm and disclosed why, for the mere love of acting, he has been willing single-handed to equip his playhouse and bear the financial burden of the series of Shakespearean shows that liave made it lo- cally famous." For t w e n t y-f i v e years Mr. Lastreto has been playing Siiake- speare. Though always as an amateur, he has appeared o n several occasions witli famous professionals. In 18'.».3 he appeared with Sarah Bernhardt in "Cleopatra," "La Tos- ca" and "Jeanne d'Arc" at the old Grand Opera House. In his private theater he has played Shylock in "The Mer- chant of Venic e," Othello and lago in "Othello," Cardinal W o 1 s e y in "K i n g Henry VIII," and the title roles in "Hamlet," Richard III," "Mac- beth," and "King Lear." For years Mr. Lastreto has been an exponent of fencing, ana has done more different kinds of fencing than any other amateur in the West. His efforts have won for him a number of cham- pionship medals. In the early nineties he gave a series of exhibitions at tne Olympic Club with Professor Tronchet, then champion of America, and for years he has been the club's fencing leader. He was chairman of the department of athletics for fencing of the Panama- Pacific International Exposition and was judge and director of the exposition tournament, held at the Olympic Club in May, 1915. On different occasions he has vi^ritten articles on fencing for the magazines; his writings also include dramas, several of which were produced here before the 1906 fire, at the old Columbia Theater Ever since it was organized, Mr. Lastreto has been chairman of the Orphan's Board of the Independent Or- der of Red Men. He is past-sachem of Yosemite Tribe No. 103, I. O. R. M., past-president of Alcalde Parlor No. 154, N. S. G. W., vice-president of the North Beach Promotion Association, and a member of the Players' Club of San Francisco. He viras married June 6, 1906, in San Francisco to Goldie Cuffleld and has three children, Eva, Emilio and Carlo Lastreto. Mr. Lastrato's offices are in the Chronicle building where he has been established since 1892. He is the Chronicle building's oldest ten- ant. 287 JAY MONROE LATIMER THE largest verdict for personal damages ever awarded by a jury in a California court was won by Jay Monroe Latimer, San Fran- cisco attorney at law, on belialf of a client. Such a record, in itself, is sufficient to establisli the reputa- t i o n of a practicing lawyer. But in the case of Mr. Latimer it mere- ly strengthened a rep- utation already gained by reason of a long continued and consist- ent success in tlie field of his chosen profes- sion. The suit in question was that of Elsa U. Arnold et al. vs. the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railways. The plaintiff, widow of Joseph Charles Arnold, a civil engineer killed when a train of the defendant corporation Struck the automo- bile in whicli he was riding, asked dam- ages of $75,000 for her husband's death. The trial, held in the Superior Court of Contra Costa County at Martinez in February, 1914, lasted eight days and a night. Attorney Latimer, by stipula- tion, spoke less than an hour in liis address to the jury, but in this hour he displayed such power of oratory — as described in the newspapers of the next day — and drew such colorful word pic- tures of the widow and three children suddenly bereft of husband and father, as to elicit tears from jury and court- room spectators alike. After being out only about an hour the jury returned a verdict in which Mrs. Arnold was awarded damages of $30,000 — a record figure. To glance over Mr. Latimer's career from the ))Cginning, lie was born August 12, 1875, on a farm near Le Roy, Medina County, Ohio. His father was Julius A. Latimer, a retired lawyer, and his mother Mary Elizabeth (Leonard) Lati- mer. Mr. Latimer attended the public schools of Le Roy, meanwhile doing his allotted work at home in the mornings and evenings, and in the summer season taking his place in the fields with the men. "When he was eighteen years old he was graduated from the Le Roy High School. Thereafter he entered upon a combined teacher's and ousiness course at Wayne Normal College at Wayne, Nebraska, but left before graduation to read law in the office of his brother, George A. Latimer, at Norfolk, Nebraska. He remained with his brother until 1896, when he removed to Butte, Montana. In 1899 Mr. Latimer entered the law department of the University of Wash- ington at Seattle. The next year, how- ever, he heard the call of the North, with the result that he gathered to- gether his belongings and went to Nome, Alaska. He began there the practice of law, continuing for three years, with the exception of one win- ter when he returned to Seattle and pursued his studies at the law school. He built up a clientele rapidly, doing a general civil law business and specializ- ing in mining law. In fact he tried some of the most important mining cases that came up in Alaska w^hile he made his residence there. In 1902 he was defeated in the contest for appointment a s United States Attorney at Nome under Presi- d e n t Roosevelt. Mr. Latimer spent eight or ten months in 1903 in Juneau, then removed to Fair- banks, Alaska, and practiced his pro- fession there until 1908, when he came to San Francisco. He has remained here ever since. While living at Fairbanks, Mr. Lati- mer sought relaxation in authorship. The result was an ably written and profusely illustrated article entitled, "Our Riches of the Far North," pub- lished in Metropolitan Magazine of November, 1907. At present Mr. Latimer, in view of the volume of such business that he is asked to handle, might be said to specialize in actions for damages. He also does considerable work of a pro- bate nature, and has settled a number of goodly estates in the past few years. Although he is a strong Republican, and is ever actively interested In fur- thering the party's cause, Mr. Latimer could not be termed a politician. At the instance of his friends he Ijecame a candidate, in 1914, for the short term as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California, to fill the po- sition made vacant by the death of Chief Justice Beatty. The office was won, however, by Matt I. Sul- livan. Mr. Latimer confines his fraternal ac- tivities to membership in American Lodge No. 5, Knights of Pythias, of San Francisco. 283 JEREMIAH LYNCH HE has swum in Alaska's river Yukon, in the Nile of mystic Egypt — and has written gripping books about each. In the capi- tals of the Old World and the new he is equally at home. He i.s as well known in Cairo, to use the words of the famous Lord Kitchener, as in his own San Francisco. And between the two world extremes one finds his footsteps everywhere. It is condensation, not elaboration, that is difficult in telling the story of Jeremiah Lynch, author, club- man and world trav- eler. His has been a well-rounded life, tinc- tured with just enough hardship to make the pleasant side the more appreciated. Jeremiah Lynch, a native of Massachu- setts, came to Califor- nia with his parents in 1858, when he was quite a child. The family settled in Shas- ta, then a flourishing mining to^vn, where Mr. Lynch's boyhood was spent. The boy at- tended the common schools of Shasta, then for one year was enrolled in the San Francisco High School — but his formal education was discontinued when he was sixteen years old. In the world's school he has gained all the rest of that learning which has enabled him to be- come the recognized authority in liter- ature and other subjects that he is today. In 1S70 Mr. Lynch came to San Fran- cisco to remain. In 1876, during the bonanza excitement when fortunes were being made on every side, he be- came a member of the San Francisco Stock Exchange, with which he re- mained affiliated for twenty years. He was elected president of the Exchange in 18S8 and at the end of his first term was re-elected by unanimous vote. Although he always had taken a keen interest in politics, Mr. Lynch did not enter the political arena until 1882, when he ran for the State Senate on the Democratic ticket and won the seat by a majority of five thousand votes. Dur- ing the two regular sessions of the Legislature and a special session called by Governor Stoneman in 1885, Mr. Lynch made a persistent and determined fight against every unnecessary appro- priation and measure of extravagance. During this and two other terms Mr. Lynch was closely connected with the many attempts at legislation against the railroads. In fact he introduced several measures to prevent railway aggression, but all were defeated by the corporation hirelings. Jeremiah Lynch, to quote from The San Francisco Chronicle, is the man "who made San Francisco too hot to hold Boss Buckley." The senator's fight against Christopher Buckley, un- scrupulous Democratic blind boss of the eighties and nineties, had its inception while Mr. Lynch was in the State Legislature, when he saw in all their force the evils of "the system." Senator Lynch wrote a little monograph entitled "Buckleyism," which subsequently became famous for its scathing denunciation of the blind politician and his myrmidons. The pamphlet received a column and a half re- view in the London Times and was noted by Professor Bryce in his "American Com- monwealth." With the publication of "Buckleyism" the fight was on. It was the first open and in- dependent cry against bossism. But it was not until after he had spent some time abroad that Senator Lynch brouglit his campaign against crooked politics to a decided victory. Returning to San Francisco he became a member of the Wallace Grand Jury and was largely instrumental in caus- ing that body to indict Chris Buckley and his fellow boss, Sam Rainey. The political career of Senator Lynch closed with his race for the United States Senate, soon after his Grand Jury work. He was given a consider- able number of votes in the caucus. Stephen J. White secured the nomina- tion, however, and was elected. Since that time Senator Lynch has been in politics simply in an advisory sort of capacity. Tlie rush of gold seekers to the Klon- dike carried Mr. Lynch along with it, and in the fall of 1898 he found himself in the frozen north at the head of large mining operations. He remained in the Klondike three years. At times he had as many as a hundred men working un- der his direction, and he returned to civilization in 1902 with a handsome fortune. He is well remembered in Alaska as the man who invented a new method of tliawing the ground to work it for gold. He evolved and perfected a hollow drill through vrhich steam is fed, thawing as it goes, and by which work that for- merly took three or four men eight hours to perform can be done in twice 289 as many minutes. Mr. Lynch never has patented his process. He saw tliat tlie mining- community needed it and lie gave it willingly for the general good. Today the drill is being used all over Alaska. Since his return from Alaska Mr. Lyncli has had no business pursuit. He has spent his time in extensive travel, has been to Europe and Egypt a dozen times or more and has circled the globe. As an autlior Mr. Lynch has gained particular note. His friends were so surprised at the literary excellence of his tirst production, "Buckleyism," tliat tliey couldn't believe lie, a man who had never displayed his talent in this direc- tion, wrote it. So he wrote another book to prove he did. This second book w^as the famous "Egyptian Sketches," a work that the book reviewers promptly termed a classic. It is well written and as popu- lar today as when it first was issued. It was commented upon widely by the Athenaeum and the London Spectator for its vivid portrayal of true Egyptian life and scenery. The ■work was pro- duced in 1891, after Mr. Lynch had spent a year in the lotus land. While in Alaska, Mr. Lynch wrote and had published in London another in- teresting book, "Three Years in the Klondike." Tliis excited such comment as to cause it to be translated into both French and Spanish. It, like "Egyptian Sketches," is a faithful portrayal of a certain spot on the earth's surface. One can "feel" the cold when one pe- ruses its pages. What is considered by many Mr. Lynch's chief work is the latest book, "A Senator of the Fifties," published in 1911. This is the story of one of the most exciting decades San Francisco and California have known, told with the brilliant but ill-fated David Brod- erick, one-time political boss and United States Senator, as the principal character. The book is considered one of the most valuable additions to the history of California of recent years. During tliese years in which his larger books have appeared, Mr. Lynch has written a number of miscellaneous poems of acknowledged worth which, if collected, would fill a volume. Late- ly, however, he has done nothing seri- ous in this line, although his friends are importuning liim to take advan- tage of good healtli and a clear brain to produce sometliing more and give the reading world the benefit of his w^ide experience, his quaint humor and his ability as a story teller. Mr. Lynch is no longer a senator. He has not been for twenty years. But his friends persist in calling liim sucli, and as "Senator" Lyncli he undoubtedly will go down to posterity. He has never married. Tie is one of the "old guard" of the Bohemian Club, where he makes his home when in San Francisco. On two occasions Mr. Lynch has writ- ten and produced a high jinks for the Bohemian Club. One of these, still vivid in the minds of the Bohemians, was the presentation of "The Lady Isis in Bohemia" on the evening of May 5, 1914. The occasion was the giving of a precious mummy to the club by Mr. Lynch. During the year 1890, while in Egypt, Mr. Lynch procured a mummy which he presented to the Bohemian Club. The mummy -was that of a female member of the re|ral family representing the twenty-fourth Egyptian dynasty and was discovered at Girgeli on the Nile just prior to the arrival there of Mr. Lynch and United States Consul-Gen- eral Schuyler on their way to Tliebes. Two other mummies he brought back, those of high priests, later found their way into the Golden Gate Park Memo- rial Museum. These were destroyed, as was that of the princess, in the fire of April, 1906. So highly prized had the mummy been by the Bohemian Club that Mr. Lynch set out to secure another to replace the one that was lost. One thing and an- other came up and it was not until seven years later that he journeyel to Cairo. There he found that no mum- mies were to be had. When found, tliey were in most instances claimed by the Cairo Museum. About to give up in despair, Mr. Lynch learned of the existence of the mummy of a royal princess, a worship- per of the great goddess Isis, in the palace of a Pasha where it had rested many years. The Pasha was dead but his relatives, not regarding the ancient relic with the same veneration, agreed to part with it. It was only by the intervention of certain high potentates in Cairo, liowever, and the winning over of Lord Kitchener, present war lord of Great Britain, that Mr. Lynch obtained permission to transport his prize to San Francisco. The Lady Isis was installed in her present resting place in the Bohemian Club with lavish ceremony and after the presentation of the sketch which Mr. Lynch had written for the occa- sion. Not the least striking attribute of Mr. Lynch — and a biographer, to be just, must be complete — is his versatility. He is one of the best amateur billiard and chess players in California. He can swim all day and ride all night, even now. He has read pretty much of everything worth reading and remem- bers most of it. He can read Egyptian hieroglyphics easily. Socially, Mr. Lynch maintains his reputation for cosmopolitanism for he is a member of fifteen clubs from Cairo to San Francisco, including Paris, New York and London, among tliose of the latter the Authors' Club and the Royal Geographical Society. 290 JOHN J. McCLELLAN THERE is something- about a pipe- organist that seems to lift him out, as it were, from among- tlie rest of mankind. Undouljtedly this something is liis art. A man wlio can bring fortli from a keyl)oard of endless intricacy tones that will move the thousands to tears, or hold them spell- bound veritably for hours — there is in this man the sublimity of profound genius. He is like the novelist, the artist, only more so. For music appeals to our primal emotions as words or colors never can. John Jasper McClel- lan, who appeared in five wonderful recitals in Festival Hall at the Panama-Pacific Inter- national Exposition, is a pipe-organist. He is such in the fullest sense. Music to him is life itself. As organist at the famous Mormon Tabernacle at Salt Lake City he is accus- tomed to do frequently what he did in San F r a n c i s c o — sway a throng as it never was swayed before by the mere movement of a finger. "Professor McClellan," to quote a critic, "understands an organ as others understand a person. To him it is something more than a collection of pipes. It has life. It breathes. It talks to him. He is a master which it obeys and he caresses it as others would a pet. He talks to it with his hands and it responds in the language of music. It becomes eloquent under his touch. People flocked to hear its oratory." John J. McClellan was born at Pay- son, Utah, April 20, 1874. At the age of ten he began his study of music. Later he went to Saginaw, Michigan, and studied two years with A. W. Platte; then to Ann Arbor and was graduated from the University of Mich- igan School of Music, where he was a pupil under Professors A. A. Stanley, Johanij Erich Schmaal, Alberto Jonas and Xavier Scharwenka. He also was a pupil of Ernst Jedliczka of Berlin, Germany. While at Ann Arbor Professor Mc- Clellan organized and directed the first large orchestra there. He also was organist of St. Thomas Catholic Church and pianist of the University Choral Society. In 1893 he was assistant to Professor Stanley on the great organ used at the World's Columbian Exposi- tion at Chicago, which later was Installed at Michigan University. Fol- lowing this he became assistant to Pro- fessor Jonas in the Michigan School of Music and during 1895-96 taught musi- cal theory there. He was professor of music in the Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah, in 1900-01 and in the latter year beca.me a member of the faculty of the University of Utah. Since October 1, 1900, Professor McClellan has been organist of the Mormon Taberna- cle, which has the sec- ond largest pipe organ in the world; conduc- tor of the Salt Lake Opera Company since 1902, and director of the Salt Lake Sym- phony Orchestra since 1908. He founded the Utah Conservatory of Music at Salt Lake in 1911 and remains dean and head of the piano- forte department. He is now at work on an original course for the study of the piano. To- day he is regarded as the leading musician of T'tah and more stu- dents have gone from his studio to European and Eastern art cen- t e r s than from any other studio in the State. Professor McClellan's reputation as a concert organ recitalist is interna- tional. He has "opened" pipe organs in nearly every State. He gave four recitals at the World's Fair in St. Louis and ten on the great organ at the Jamestown Exposition, besides those at San Francisco's great fair. Everywhere, music lovers and critics have considered him one of the most thorough musicians and artists of his generation. Not only is Professor McClellan an exponent of melody — he creates it. In addition to several songs, anthems and instrumental compositions he composed the "National Ode to Irrigation," which has been sung at the National Irrigation Congresses of Portland, Sacramento and Boise by the Ogden (Utah) Tabernacle Choir of 200 voices, each rendition costing $12,000. In 1911 he was official accompanist of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's triumphal tour from Salt Lake to the New York City Land Show, during which they sang- his ode more than thirty times at a cost exceeding $50,000. He is Utah State President of the National As- sociation of Organists and a colleague of the American Guild of Organists, as well as secretary of the Clayton Music Company of Salt Lake City. Professor McClellan is essentially an artist. And his devotion to this art is one of his most noticeable character- istics. 291 CHARLES R. McCORMICK LOOKING back over the passage of time, twelve years does not seem at all long to the most of us. Why, twelve years ago we weren't much different than we And ourselves today. But, if time may be measured by activities, this period must appear unusually extended to Charles R. McCormick. For it was only a dozen years ago that he established in San Francisco a lumber business which today is one of the largest on the Pacific Coast. In 1903 Charles R. McCormick, with little back of him other than practical experience, opened offlces in San Francisco and began selling lumber on a commission basis. He then had but one em- ploye — a stenographer. Today his employes are numbered by hun- dreds. He is at the head of Charles R. Mc- Cormick & Co., lum- ber manufacturers and dealers, and of a num- ber of subsidiary con- cerns, whose annual business runs into the millions. And lumber shipped from his mills goes to all parts of the world. Born July 6, 1870, at Saginaw, Mich- igan, Mr. McCormick is the son of A. W. McCormick, a pioneer lumber man of Michigan. The elder McCormick went to Saginaw — which was for years the greatest lumbering district in the world — in 1858, when it was a small village, and grew up w^ith the town. Mr. McCormick's mother was Harriet (Frisbie) McCormick. After attending the public schools of Saginaw, Mr. McCormick followed his parents to New York State, w^here his father purchased a farm and retired from business. Later on he attended the military academy at Albany, N. Y., leaving there when eighteen years old and for two years thereafter working in the Albany lumber district. As in the case with so many success- ful men, Mr. McCormick began at the very bottom. With the experience thus acquired he went to Ontonaeron, Mich- igan, on Lake Superior, and became grader in the mills of the Diamond Match Company. Five years later he went into the lumber inspection and shipping business for himself. In 1S96 a forest fire destroyed Ontonagon and its mills and Mr. McCormick removed to Menominee, Michigan, and estab- lished himself. In 1901 he came west to Portland, and a few months later came to San Francisco to accept a posi- tion as San Francisco manager for the Hammond Lumber Company. He re- mained with the Hammond people until he opened his own offices in 1903. Since then Charles R. McCormick & Co. have built, and now operate, ten lumber steamers. Mr. McCormick is president of the companies that own and operate the steamers Klamath, Wil- lamette, Yosemite, Multnomah, Celilo, Sliosbone and Wapama, and also oper- ates the steamers J. B. Stetson, Temple E. Dorr and Nehalem and the schooner Forest Home. Besides this, the c mpany is now building a wooden schooner of record size, capable of car- rying 2,000,000 feet of lumber and with semi-Diesel engines as auxiliaries. The Mc- Cormick steamers car- ried in excess of 20,000 passengers up and down the Pacific Coast in 1915. Mr. McCormick and h i s associates have practically made the town of St. Helens, Oregon, 30 miles down the Columbia River from Portland. He is president and control- ling stockholder, not only of Charles R. Mc- Cormick & Co., but also of the St. Helens Lumber Company and Columbia County Lum- ber Company, which operate two huge lumber mills at St. Helens. He is president of the St. Hel- ens Creosoting Co., which has there the largest plant of its kind in the West; of the St. Helens Shipbuilding Co., which has its own sliipyard for constructing the McCormick vessels; and president also of the St. Helens Light & Power Co. and other related concerns. St. Helens has several miles of waterfront, besides 12 miles of railroad running back into the timber, and it is Mr. McCormick's idea to make the place a real manufac- turing center, with the erection of ad- ditional factories to handle the by- products of the lumber mills, which now are manufacturing 100,000,000 feet of lumber a year. The Charles R. McCormick interests handled 201,000,000 feet of lumber in 1914. Sales offices are maintained at San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and New York, and yards at San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Oceanside and Escondido, besides a 1,000-foot loading dock at San Pedro. The large yard at San Diego carries a lumber stock of 10,000,000 feet, and the San Pedro dock a stock of 4,000,000 to 6,000,- 000 feet of mining timbers; from San Pedro are supplied nearly all the mines of Arizona. This San Pedro mining- timber business alone averages $1,500,- 000 a year in volume. In 1907 Mr. McCormick was married in San Francisco to Miss Florence C. Cole, daughter of the late Edward P. Cole, a prominent attorney. The couple have two children, Charles R., Jr., and Florence C. McCormick. 202 BENJAMIN L. McKINLEY FOR thirteen consecutive years Ben- jamin L. McKinley was in the United States District Attorney's office at San Francisco. During this period, starting in with tlie rank of assistant United States attorney, he advanced himself to the position of chief assistant, and finally to the United States attorneyship itself. Such a record can stand alone. Mr. McKinley was appointed to the United States A t t o r- ney's office. Northern District of California, on July 26, 1901, by the late President McKin- ley. From the outset he was successful in prosecuting actions, both civil and criminal, and the records of the office disclose hundreds of instances in which he won signal victories at bar. He handled all legal matters pertain- ing to the Postofflce Department within liis jurisdiction, in o s t of the work of the United States Secret Service, the more important Customs cases and a great deal of miscellaneous actions. He served under three United States Attorneys, Marshall B. Wood- worth, Robert T. Devlin and John L. McNab. On January 1, 1911, he became chief assistant, by appointment; then on June 26, 1913, following the resigna- tion of McNab from the office, Mr. Mc- Kinley was appointed McNab's succes- sor by United States District Judge William C. Van Fleet. Six months later, after filling the office with general sat- isfaction, he resigned and was suc- ceeded in turn by John W. Preston, the present U. S. Attorney. Mr. McKinley is a native of San Fran- cisco. He was born July 26, 1874, the son of Benjamin F. McKinley, for many years connected with the Postoffice De- partment, and of Mary A. (Daly) Mc- Kinley. President William McKinley was his first cousin. After receiving his preliminary edu- cation in San Francisco's public schools Mr. McKinley was graduated from the Clement Grammar School with the class of 1888. He then entered St. Ignatius College and was graduated from that in- stitution in 1893 with the degree of A. B., later on being awarded the degree of Master of Arts there also. Im- mediately after leaving St. Ignatius Mr. McKinley enrolled at Hastings Col- lege of the Law, the legal department of the University of California, secured his LL. B. and was admitted to practice law in California in 1896. Five years Mr. McKinley practiced law independently in San Francisco, with "consistent success, before he re- ceived his appointment as assistant United States District Attor- ney. Since his with- drawal from that office in 1914 he has resumed h 1 s private practice. His professional work at present is in all branches of the law. He was given a dis- tinct honor when, in 1913, he was appointed professor of law at St. Ignatius College, h i s alma mater. He has held this position since, regardless of the fact that it takes up considerable time which might be ap- plied to pursuits of greater pecuniary re- ward. Politically, Mr. Mc- Kinley has never been active as an office seeker, although he has worked consist- ently for his party's success. He is a stanch Republican and on one occasion, in 1909, at the earnest solicitations of his friends, made the race for City At- torney with the indorsement of the Business Men's Committee, but was de- feated. For many years Mr. McKinley has been an earnest worker on behalf of the Young Men's Institute and has held various offices in the organization. He was elected Grand President of the T. M. I. in 1914 and served until 1915, dur- ing which time he was head of a juris- diction in which the order has 7,000 or 8,000 members. He was also for a long time Colonel of the First Regiment, League of the Cross Cadets, resigning in 1913, after having brought the regi- ment up to a high state of efficiency. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, belongs to San Fran- cisco lodge No. 3, B. P. O. Elks, and is past president of Precita Parlor No. 187, Native Sons of the Golden West. Because of his long connection with the United States Attorney's office, and the large number of cases he tried in the United States courts, Mr. McKin- ley is today considered one of Califor- nia's leading authorities on Federal law. 293 J. E. MANNING THE truly useful citizen, in any community, is he who is willing at any time to serve either liis city, his State or liis country in any way in which lie can accomplisli the most good. J. E. Manning, attor- ney at law, has in at least two ways given this service. He enlisted for the Span- ish-American War and helped fight for his country in tlie Philip- pines, and lie repre- sented Marin County at the last session of the State Legislature and was a stanch de- fender of his constitu- ents' rights. A native of Califor- nia, Mr. Manning was born in Oakland, Octo- ber 3, 1S73, the son of Andrew Manning, a farmer, and Mary (Ke- hoe) Manning. After securing his prelimi- nary education at Sa- cred Heart College of San Francisco, he at- tended for a year at St. Mary's College, Oak- land, and was gradu- ated in 1892 with the degree of B. S. The same year, with his mind set on the study of law, Mr. Manning entered Hastings College of Law. His spare time he spent in the law offices of Fisher Ames, furthering his knowledge of the profession. Hastings awarded him his LL. B. in 1895 and at once he was ad- mitted to the bar and commenced prac- tice in association with Mr. Ames, his preceptor. This continued until June, 1898, when, the United States of America calling for volunteers in its war with Spain, Mr. Manning enlisted as a private in Battery A. 1st Battalion, California Heavy Artillery, U. S. V. He saw serv- ice in the Philippines from November, 1898, to July, 1899, when his command returned to San Francisco, where he was mustered out. He was a non-com- missioned officer at the time his organ- ization was discharged from the service. Upon doffing the khaki for "civilians" once more, he resumed his professional association with Mr. Ames, and, follow- ing the San Francisco fire of 1906, be- came a member of the law partnership of Ames & Manning, a partnership which continues to this day. Since 1903 Mr. Manning has made his home in San An- selmo, Marin County, although his offices are in the Pacific building, San Francisco. In 1908 he was chosen city attorney of the town of San Anselmo, Marin County, and filled this position with credit until May, 1914. At the general election on November 3, 1914, Mr. Manning was chosen as State Assemblyman from the 17th Assembly district, Marin County, on the Repub- lican ticket. Subsequently he fathered a number of important bills. While at the Legislature he was characterized by his fair and impartial attitude toward labor, as w^ell as by his refusal to take the labor pro- gramme — or any other programme, for that matter — right down the line. When an at- tempt was made, just before the election, to get him to bind him- self to one fixed policy, his answer was that on all important ques- tions a lawmaker must consider carefully all arguments, pro a n d con, before he can ar- rive at a conclusion that satisfies his con- science tliat he is right. This attitude he maintained in the face of all who approached him with the idea of attempting to swerve him from his policy of justice. One of Mr. Man- ning's bills, which was passed and ap- proved, places the street improvement bond on a solid basis and it makes it merchantable and one that a bank will accept. Instead of the contractor mak- ing collections on the bonds the amounts of the interest and redemption are placed on the tax bills, and all the banker need to do is to go each six months to the city treasurer and collect his accumulated interest, and each year, from the same office, collect installment redemption payment on the bonds he holds. Another bill prepared by Mr. Man- ning which passed both houses and was vetoed, provided for the improvement of streets and roads in unincorporated towns by the County Board of Supervi- sors. As it is at present, a town must incorporate before it can do street work, and in many cases the expense is prohibitory. The bill, if it became a law, ■would make incorporation unnecessary. In addition to his other public serv- ices, Mr. Manning has been secretary of the sanitary board of sanitary dis- trict No. 1 of Marin County for the past eleven years. His law practice is almost entirely of a civil nature. He is general counsel for a number of corporations and has also done considerable work in the pro- bate courts. Mr. Manning is a member of the B. P. O. Elks, the Native Sons of the Golden West and the United Spanish War Veterans. m JOSEPH MARTIN refrigeratini ONE of California's piiiicipal in- dustries is the shipping of per- ishable fruit in refrigerating cars across the Sierra and Rockies to Eastern markets, and depositing it, thousands of carloads a year, fresh and tempting on the breakfast tables of Chicago, New York and a score of other cities. Joseph Martin, gen- eral manager of the National Ice and Cold Storage Company o f California, in the early eighties ^vas responsi- ble for the first ship- in e n t of California fruit under ice to the East. Ho^v much good has resulted to Cali- f o r n i a through this project may readily be conceived. Thousands of men and women to- day are provided with employment by the State's fruit industry. California's greatest advertising asset is her ability to place her fruit on the Eastern markets in a season when the East itself is shivering under snow and ice — and this asset is directly trace- able to Mr. Martin's launching of the scheme. With the success of this project as- sured Mr. Martin turned about and laid the foundation for another great industry by shipping to Australia the first ice and cold storage machines ever used in the Antipodes. This has made it possible to ship Australian meat to the United States, to the British Isles and to Continental Europe, and the trade has gone on unceasingly ever since. Joseph Martin was born in Prods- ham, Cheshire, England, April 21, 1854, the son of Joseph Martin and Mary (Grice) Martin. He was educated at Overton College in Frodsham and in 1868, when fourteen years old, came to San Francisco by way of the Cape Horn passage. He arrived here Octo- ber 21, 1868. It is significant that his first em- ployment was in the ice business. He advanced rapidly. In 1872, when only eighteen, he was sent on an important mission to England and Europe, where he remained nearly a year. Returning to California he became, like others, interested in the gold mining possi- bilities of this State and Nevada. He entered the new field, locating for a time at Virginia City, Nevada, during the boom there. The year 1875, however, brought Mr. Martin back to San Francisco. He or- ganized the Mountain Ice Company in 1878, operated it with profit for five years and in 1883 launched the Floris- ton Ice Company. Later he helped form the Union Ice Company, and about this same time started the ship- ping of California fruit overland. At different times Mr. Martin has organ- ized and operated a score or more of ice manufacturing concerns. In his building up of the ice and cold storage business he has come to l)e known as one of the leaders in the in- dustry here and else- wliere. By an amalgamation of the smaller plants in 1912 was organized the National Ice and Cold Storage Company of California, with an authorized capital stock of $15,000,000. The company's charter is the most compre- hensive ever granted any ice and cold stor- age enterprise. With an eye to the opening of the Panoma Canal the corporation map- ped out an extensive field. It is authorized to buy, sell and deal in ice and all kinds of refrigeration and to carry on an export and import business upon the broadest lines with several States and foreign countries; to maintain offices and stores in the United States and foreign countries; to construct and operate refrigerating plants anywhere: to buy, sell and deal in securities of other corporations and to buy, obtain and hold patent rights and trade marks. Joseph Martin has been characterized as the man who started the ice busi- ness on this coast "with a single cake of ice" and nursed it into a great in- dustry. But while doing this he was not neglecting to look about him for opportunities of other kinds. He in- vested in several oil and mining prop- erties with good success. In addition to his very responsible position as general manager of the National Ice and Cold Storage Company of California, Mr. Martin is vice-presi- dent of the Fresno Consumers' Ice Company, vice-president of the Nevada National Ice & Cold Storage Company, a director of the Commercial Petro- leum Company and the Atlas Wonder IMining Company, and secretary of the Sparks-Reno Electric Railroad. Mr. Martin is one of those men who believe that to attain real success in any enterprise, one must absorb just as much knowledge as possible of his business. It was with the view of furthering his education in this way that, in 1909, he toured the world in- specting the ice and cold storage plants of every foreign city in which they could be found. His two sons, Joseph Martin, Jr., and Chester Miller Martin, accompanied him and the trip w^as a combination of business and pleasure. It 295 CAPTAIN WILLIAM MATSON ONE bright day in the year 1S67 the schooner Bridgewater, after a long and hazardous voyag'e around the Horn from New York City, passed in through the Golden Gate and dropped anchor in tlie Bay of San Francisco. Among the crew, which was impatient to rid itself of memories cf storms encountered and overcome and to stand once more on terra firma, was a husky 18-year-old youth — Wil- liam Matson. That was nearly half a century ago, the day when William Matson first strode up Market street in San Fran- cisco, eager for an inspection of tlie city whose fame already reached around the world. Today, after decades crammed full of activity. Captain Will- iam Matson stands as founder and liead of the Matson Navigation Company, ono of the greatest ocean transportation companies on the Pacific, as Consul for Sweden, as president or director of sev- eral big corporations and as one of the most highly respected and most influen- tial workers for commercial an.l civic betterment in the State of California. Among the corporations in which Captain Matson is interested as officer or director are: Matson Navigation Co., Honolulu Consolidated Oil Co., Paau- hau Sugar Plantation Co., Atlns Won- der Mining Co., Commercial Petroleum Co., Hawaiian Oil Co., Honolulu Oil Co., Honolulu Plantation Co., Parkside Realty Co. and Wonder Water Co. Captain Matson is a power in busi- ness circles. And he is a power because of upright dealing, a spirit Of progres- siveness, and a firm belief that Califor- nia is to become, with its industries and its shipping, one of the foremost of these United States. 296 E. J. MILEY NEVER does a man gain success in tliis world witliout tiiere be- ing a good reason for it. Analyze his career and you will find, invariably, honest expenditure of effort and a consistent struggle against re- versals on the high road to achievement. When circumstances over which he had no control forced him into inactivity in one line, Einmor Jerome Miley turned to another and developed himself in that. Today he is presi- dent and general manager of the State Consolidated Oil Com- p a n y , with offices in Los Angeles, and a commanding figure in the oil industry of the nation. Born October 22,1873, in St. Clair County, Illinois, son of George C. Miley and Nancy (Wildermann) Miley, he was orphaned when still young. When seventeen years old he came to California, was graduated from the San Francisco High School in 1895, and on this foundation began building his career. His start was in the fruit growing business, of which he had learned a great deal during his school vacations. He leased deciduous fruit orchards in Solano County and for the next five years shipped his product, with prevailing success, to outside markets. During the same period he also raised citrus fruits in Southern California. About this time interest was being awakened in California's possibilities as an oil producing State. In 1900 Mr. Miley sold his fruit holdings and be- came interested with Joseph B. Dabney in oil. The two leased a tract of land in the McKittrick district in the San Joaquin Valley and drilled ten wells the first year. Later the Dabney Oil Company was formed and Mr. Dabney and Mr. Miley sold out their holdings to the new concern. Mr. Miley then turned about and be- came interested in the Silver Bow Oil Company, with holdings in the McKit- trick and Midway districts. The Mid- way has since become one of the most famous oil sections in the world, but at that time it was undeveloped and Mr. Miley was one of its pioneer pros- pectors. The Silver Bow was a Mon- tana corporation and Mr. Miley was its general manager for California. In- dependently, he drilled and brought in the first commercial ■well in the extreme north end of the McKittrick district. In 1903 came a slump in the oil in- dustry and Mr. Miley's company ceased operations. He started out for himself and drilled several wells, but the market failing to relax he went to Nevada and interested himself in mining. He began developing copper mines, only to run into another period of financial de- pression following the San Francisco fire of 1906. Then he returned to San Fianci.sco ;in0,000,000, of which approximately $35,000,- 000 in stock was is- s u e d to absorb the subsidiary companies. By the end of 1914 the company produced $44,000,000, made a net recovery of $29,000,000 and paid a total of $27,398,215 in dividends or $7.70 per share. As far as known this is a record. Nixon and Wing- field extended their in- vestments to banking, live stock, real estate and other business pursuits and acquired the Nixon Na- tional Bank of Reno and the First National Bank of Winnemucca. In 1909 they decided upon a friendly dissolu- tion of the partnership. The banks — with the exception of that of John S. Cook & Co. at Goldfleld — the real estate and other property went to Senator Nixon, while the mining and other interests passed to Mr. Wing- field. In 1912 Senator Nixon died and Gov- ernor Oddie appointed Mr. Wingfield as United States Senator from Nevada. But Mr. Wingfield declined to accept as he wished to devote all his time to his business and the upbuilding of the State. Shortly thereafter the Nixon heirs requested Mr. Wingfleld to act as presi- dent of the Senator's banking insti- tutions in Nevada. Later the interest of the Nixon estate in these banks was sold to Mr. Wingfield and he is now president and controlling factor in the Nixon National Bank of Reno, First National Bank of Winnemucca, Bank of Nevada Savings & Trust Co. of Reno, Carson "Valley Bank of Carson and John S. Cook & Co., Bankers, of Goldfleld. In addition he is president of the Goldfleld Consolidated Mines Co., and of numerous other mining cor- porations, and has extensive ranch and live stock interests. Mr. Wingfleld believes in spending his money where he made it. He has done many things for Nevada, simply because he thought it would help make it grow and prosper — where the profit to himself was very little or nothing. 3.38 f HYRUM SMITH WOOLLEY EVERYTHING that Hyrum Smith Woolley has undertaken in the way of business has been on an unusually large scale. When he was ranching in Idaho he had a place of 15,000 acres; when, later on, he fur- nished the timber for the construction of the Oregon Short Line, he furnished all the timber; today he is back of a big mining development project in which 40,000 acres of rich alumina nitrate bearing lands are in- volved. Mr. Woolley is a na- tive of Salt Lake City, Utah. He was born July 16, 1S52. the son of Edwin D. Woolley, merchant and farmer, and of Mary Ellen (Wilding) TS^oolley. Between the ages of seven and sixteen Mr. Woolley attended school in the winter and worked during the summer months. Cir- cumstances made it necessary that he be- gin earning a liveli- hood, and the remain- der of his education he has gained in the great school of business. Upon striking out for himself, Mr. Woolley determined to learn the blacksmithing trade. He se- cured a position as apprentice, and so rapidly did he advance himself that six months later he was doing a journey- man's work, and in two years had be- come a full-fledged journeyman. He broke all records and took the State prize by completing the building of a "wagon w^ithin a year after he entered the business. For four years Mr. Woolley carried on his trade. Then, seized with the wanderlust, he went to the Sandwich Islands. He became proficient in speak- ing the Hawaiian language and for four years was in charge of a sugar factory on the plantation of Laiea, Island of Oahu. Returning to tlie continent in 1877, he took over a 15,000-acre ranch in Bannock County, Idaho, and began oper- ating it. At the same time he started a general merchandise store at Paris, Bear Lake County, Idaho. . When the construction of the Oregon Short Line began in 1882, from McCam- mon, Idaho, to Ham's Fork, Wyoming, Mr. Woolley secured the contract to furnish all the necessary timber for ties and bridges. The right to cut tim- ber from along the 180-mile right-of- way was vested in him by the Govern- ment. Mr. "U^ooUey delivered every stick of the wood by wagon. He had as high as 150 teams of horses going at once on hauls ranging from 10 to 150 miles, and had seven portable saw- mills in full operation. He did not com- plete his work until 1883. In 1S85 Mr. Woolley's store was burned down and thereafter for ten years he confined himself to ranching. He handled from 5,000 to 10,000 head of cattle each year, and when Colonel W. F. Cody ("Buffalo Bill") opened his Wild West show at the Chicago World's Pair, Mr. Woolley fur- nished him his initial 150 head of horses. Leaving Idaho in 1895, Mr. Woolley went to New York City and engaged in mining and land promotion. In 1900, the year of the big gold rush to Nome, he organized, with Ja- cob Furst of Seattle, the Pacific Abstract Title & Trust Com- panj', with headquar- ters at Nome. He had charge of this business until 1901, when ill- ness compelled him to give it up and return to New York. In 1901 IMr. T\^oolley invented the Woolley Smokeless Furnace, which is still the best smokeless furnace i n the "world "which acts by natural draft. Be- tween 800 and 1,000 of the furnaces are in use in Pittsburgh alone today. Mr. "^^ooUey disposed of his patent, however, some years ago. Mr. Woolley returned west to Nevada in 1907, and was interested in mining there until 1910, when he went to Port- land and from there came to California, .•settling near Crescent City, where he lias remained most of the time since and where he at present has a large land project. It was while investigating a placer mining property in Harney County, Oregon, that Mr. Woolley discovered a vast deposit of 40,000 acres of alumina nitrate. Under his direction the land has been located for development. From present indications this is the largest and highest grade deposit of its kind ever found in the United States, and the discovery is considered of par- ticular importance because it is believed it will make the United States Govern- ment entirely independent of Chile and the German Empire for its supply of nitrates and related products, so nec- essary in the manufacture of explosives. Chemical analysis of the Harney County ore has shown a contei t of 20 per cent potassium nitrate and 23 per cent alumina, and even the residue, red oxide of iron, is of commercial value. Mr. Woolley's time is at present de- voted to the development of this project. In 1873 Mr. Woolley was married in Salt Lake City to Minerva Rich. He is the father of nine children, eight of whom are still living. 339 CHARLES E. PIPER THE man who has a reputation for straight dealing among liis fellows has something whose monetary value to him is ex- ceeded only by its mor- al value. Such a rep- utation has Charles E. Piper, attorney at law, of San Francisco. No lawyer stands higher in this respect than he. A judge on this Coast tells of a case tried a few years ago in Seattle in which the attorneys for the plaintiff, believing the case could not be won, abandoned it. The plaintiff had a just cause but the evidence available was o v e r- whelmingly for the de- fendant. When the evi- dence was all in spec- tators and witnesses went home, taking for granted what tlie ver- dict would be. The de- fense attorney declined to argue the case, say- ing there could be but one verdict and that for his client The trial judge communicated to Mr Piper that it would be a waste of time to argue the matter to the jury. The clerk and bailiff volunteered to tell him that lie was a fool for trying such a one-sided issue. INIr. Piper made his argument, however, and the jury rendered a verdict in full for the plaintiff. Mr Piper was born in Illinois in 1872. He completed the courses prescribed in the public schools, business col- lege, classical college, divinity school, college of law and schools of oratory. He attended Yale University i n 1898-1899. He received the collegiate degree of A. B. in 1898 and the law degree of LiL. B. in 1903. He does a gen- eral practice and from the beginning has had unusual success. Mr. Piper is a mem- ber of the Greek letter fraternity A. T. O., a Knight Templar, mem- ber of the 32nd degree Scottish Rite and of the Mystic Shrine. J. A. ELSTON J A. Elston, United States Congress- man-elect from the Sixth District • of California, owes his being sent to Washington as a representative of the people to the fact that he has constantly applied himself to his work. Congressman Elston was born at Woodland, California, February 10. 1875. The basis of his education h e received in Hes- perian College o f Woodland, of which his father, A. M. Elston, for a quarter of a century was presi- dent. Following his graduation in 1892, Mr. Elston entered the Uni- versity of California, which he left in 1897 with the degree of Ph. B. One year he was president of the Asso- ciated Student Body, another editor of the University of Califor- n i a Magazine, played baseball and belonged t o t h e Delta Upsilon fraternity and the Phi Beta Kappa honor fraternity. For two years, 1911-13, he was president of the Uni- versity Alumni Asso- ciation. For a year following his graduation Mr. Elston was principal of the public schools of Watsonville. Then for a year and a half he was prin- cipal of the Intermediate High School of Berkeley and a member of the Alameda County Board of Education. In the fall of 1899 he was admitted to the bar, be- ginning his practice in San Francisco. His first public office was his appoint- ment as executive secretary to Governor I'ardoe. He held the position for a little more than three years when he became pri- vate secretary, vice A. B. Nye, who became State Comptroller. For two years Mr. Elston ■was attorney for the State Board of Health, resigning to engage in private law practice, with offices in Berkeley and Oakland. In 1911 he was ap- pointed by Governor Johnson to the board of trustees of the State Institution for the Deaf and Blind, re- signing in 1914 upon his election to C o n - gress by a plurality of nearly 6,000 votes. Congressman Elston was married in May, 1911, to Miss Tallu- lah Le Conte, grand- daughter of Professor John Le Conte, first president of the University of California. They have one child, a daughter, two years old. 340 STUART CHISHOLM How inconsistent it is, says Stuart Chishiolm, for one who erects a magnificent liouse costing fif- teen or twenty thousand dollars to neglect to beautify the surrounding land- scape, the home's set- ting. For the outdoors, particularly in C a 1 i - fornia, is as much our real home as the house itself. Stuart Chisholm, landscape architect, went to Europe and for three years he delved into this and into gen- eral principles of art and composition, vis- iting dozens of famous gardens in France, Germany, Italy, Eng- land and Scotland. In 1914 he again spent six months abroad, in England, in an inten- sive study of formal gardening. Since 1910 Mr. Chis- holm has been practic- ing landscaping in Cal- ifornia. The first two years were marked by his connection with the planting of the 800- acre estate of F. W. Sharon at Menlo Park. Subsequently he landscaped the estates of William Cranston and E. J. Thomas at Los Altos, that of Gale Carter in Marin County and that of Mor- timer Fleishhacker at Woodside. He also laid out the grounds for the Illin- ois State Building at the Panama - Pacific Exposition. i'eiliaps Mr. C h i s - holm's most distinctive work thus far has been on the beautiful Alex- a n d e r Russell home bordering the sea along the Great High- way. Reclaimed from the wind-blown sand dunes, the garden has upset horticultural rules right and left. Several months of the present year Mr. Chisholm spent in the East where he planned a number of land- scaped estates, includ- ing those of G. Brinton Roberts and Dr. Alfred Stengel of Philadel- phia; E. Nelson Fell, "Creedmoor," Warren- ton, Va. ; Lucien Keith, Colonel Dorst, and Fairfax Harrison, all of Warrenton, Va. ; John S. Barbour of Wash- ington, D. C, and tlie 800 acres of G. Temple Gwathmey at Fauquier Springs, Va., along the Rappahannock P.iver. 341 / / I I '\ Index to Journalism in California and Pacific Coast and Exposition Biographies INDEX Journalism in California — A— ABEND ZEITUNG, career of, v-37. ACCESSORY TRANSIT CO., proposes to dig a canal, vi-4S. ADAMS PRESS, invented 1S35, v-35. ADVERTISEMENTS, preponderate over reading matter in 1S50, ii-11; ad- vertisers not eager for big type, vii-53; growth of summer resort, xx-166; great volume of in Golden Jubilee edition of Chronicle, xxiii-190. AGITATIONS, sand lot troubles, xii-91. AGRICULTURE, earliest Americans found hopes on, i-6, expansion of cereal industry, vi-51; development of in State, vi-51; waning glory of cereal crops, xv-120. ALASKA, gold discoveries in the Klon- dike, xviii-151. ALTA CALIFORNIA, San Francisco's first daily, ii-15; career of, v-36; ab- sorbs Times, ix-'i3; its publication office and editorial rooms, xiii-iib; its many changes of ownership, xiii-100; David C. Broderick one time owner of, xii-lUO; de- clining prestige of, xvi-125; disappear- ance of, xviii-145; sold to McCrellish & Co., xviii-145. AMERICAN, career of, v-37. AMERICAN FLAG, charges that Leg- islature was corrupted, vii-61. AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION, uses railway wires, xvi-129. ANDERSEN, E. J., first secretary of Charles de Young, xvi-132; writer on naval subjects, xvi-132. ANNEXATION, California by the United Slates, i-1; of Cuba favored, iii-20. ANNUAL EDITIONS, a Chronicle fea- ture, xv-120; Chronicle prints SO-page an- nual 1907, xxi-176. ANZA. Juan Baptista de, names Mis- sion Dolores, i-1. ARGONAUT, under management of Somers & Pixley, xiii-105. ARIZONA, Chronicle advocates admis- sion of to Union, xviii-150. ASSOCIATED PRESS, see also West- ern Associated Press, New York Asso- ciated Press and Chronicle Press Asso- ciation, xvi-130; New York, its early patrons in California, xvi-129. ATHENAEUM and California Critic, career of, v-37. ATHERTON, Gertrude, her early in- clination for journalism, xix-160. AUSTRALIA, much space to intelli- gence from, ii-12. AUTHORS, their contributions made acceptable by illustrations, xix-155. AUTHORS' CARNIVAL, Chronicle re- ports at great length, xv-118. AVIATION, Chronicle pictures its fu- ture in 1S81, xiii-103. — B— BANKING, loose methods, x-S2; failure of Bank of California, x-81; Bank of California rehabilitated, x-S3; Nevada Bank founded, x-83; San Francisco banks victimized by Pinney, xi-S7; several banks close as result of Pinney's frauds- xi-S7; exposure of loose methods by Chronicle cause adoption of laws to regu- late, xi-S9; Commission, created as re- sult of Pinney exposure, xi-S9. BAGGETT, W. T., Hearst's agent in purchase of Examiner, xvi-126. BALLINGER, Frank, reporter and city editor, xiii-lOo. BARNES, W. H. L., defends Evening- Post and is decorated, x-79; makes speecii at Midwinter Exposition ground break- ing, xvii-llO. BARNES, George E., criticises work of eaily reporters, vii-57. BARTLETT, Washington A., fixes name of San Francisco, i-7. BARTLETT, William, editorial writer for Bulletin, xviii-14 6. BAUSMAN, William, editorial writer, xiii-105. BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO, discovered by Portola"s hunting party, i-2; entrance named by Fremont, i-2; Captain Richard- son monopolizes its traffic, i-3; importance of recognized, vi-4 7; water front troubles, vi-49; attempt to change bulkhead line frustrated, vi-49; dock constructed at Hunter's Point vi-50; offer to improve San Francisco water front, vi-50. BEECHER TRIAL, reported at great length by San Francisco papers, xiv-114. BENICIA, fails to appropriate name San Francisco, i-7. BENJAMIN, Benny, sporting editor of Chronicle, xxi-177. BENNETT, Ira E., star reporter and Washington correspondent of Chronicle, xix-159. BENTON, CRITIC, career of, v-37. BIG BONANZA, discovery of creates excitement, x-79; enormous output of the mines, xi-84. BIERCE, Ambrose, his work on News Letter, xiii-105; on staff of Examiner, xix-160. BIGELOW, Harry, reporter and maga- zine publisher, xix-159. BIMETALLISM, book on by John P. Young published in single edition of Chronicle, xviii-151; Bimetallist of Lon- don says publication of Young's book was unprecedented newspaper enterprise, xviii-152. BLACK FLAGS, San Francisco Chron- icle's correspondent interviews, xiii-104. BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, created by Constitution of 1S79, xii-95. BOHEMIAN CLUB, honors memory of Daniel O'Connell, xiii-106; newspaper members of, xvi-114. 345 346 Index BOSSISM, Chris Buckley, Democratic boss, xviii-74S; people indifferent to its consequences, xxi-171. BOWMAN, J. F., death of in 1SS4, xvi-432. BRANNAN, Samuel, leader of jNIormon colony, i-4 ; withdraws from Alormon Colony, 1-6. BRIDGE, first bridge built in Cali- fornia, i-3. BRODERICK, David C, his early career, iv-26; killed in duel by Terry, vi-44; political career, vi-45; Legislature honors his memory, vii-59; one time owner of Alta California, xiii-100. BROOKLYN, brings Mormon colony to Terba Buena, 1-4. BONNER, John, editorial writer of The Chronicle, xix-159. BOOTH, Newton, vetoes bill to relieve Harry Meiggs of criminal charges, iv-32. BRYCE, James, English historian, criticises Constitution of 1879, xii-9l; says Chronicle was well written, xiii-103. BUCKLEY, Chris, the blind boss of the Democrats, xviii-147; advocates dol- lar limit, xx-163. BUGLE, career of. v-37. BULKHEAD LINE, San Francisco har- bor, vi-49. BULLETIN (San Francisco), first pub- lished in 1855, ii-15; its sudden rise of popularity, iv-27; advocates lynch law, iv-28; strenuously advocates retrench- ment, v-34; abandons general for specific headings, ix-73; course of shaped by George K. Fitch, ix-73; vehemently op- poses Goat island scheme, ix-75; its early literary supplement, xiii-99; its publica- tion office and editorial rooms, xiii-99; a morning paper in early days, xiii-100; ignores railway abuses after 1879, xvi- 125; avoids big heads, xviii-146; old timers applaud its hostility to expendi- ture, xviii-146; opposes Spring Valley purchase, xviii-147: conduct under man- agement of R. A. Crothers, xx-162: Fre- mont Older, managing editor, xx-162; one of three daily survivors from pioneer days, xxii-180. BUNKER. William M., sells Evening Keport, xviii-145. BURKE, H. J., reporter on Call, xiii-104. BURLTNGAME, W. D., cashier of Chronicle, xxi-177. BURNHAM & ROOT, architects of Chronicle building, Market, Geary and Kearny streets, xvii-135; devise a plan for beautifying San Francisco, xx-166. BUSINESS, promoted by adhering to gold money, vii-61. — c— CALIFORNIA. Commodore Sloat's proclamation of possession, i-1 ; made free State by Monterey convention, iii-19; State division projects, vi-45; lo- cation of State Capital, vi-47. CALIFORNIA CHRONICLE, career of, v-37. CALIFORNIA P^ARMER, career of, V-37. CALIFORNIA MAIL, career of, v-37. CALIFORNIA REGISTER, career of. v-37. CALIFORNIA STAR, first newspaper published in Yerba Buena, i-4; first num- ber appears, i-6; issues a boost paper, i-6; original copy in Memorial Museum, ii-8; career of, v-36. CALIFORNIAN, first paper published in California, i-5; its defective plant, i-5; removes to San Francisco, i-5; career of. v-36. CALL (San Francisco), issued at 12V2 cents a week, ix-73; under joint owner- ship of Fitch, Simonion and I'ickering, ix-73; its publication ottice and editorial rooms, xiii-99; fails as co-operative ven- ture, xiii-100; installs a French printing press, xiii-100; indifferent to railway regulation, xvi-125; purchased by John D. Spreckels, xviii-146; avoids big heads. xviii-14 6; changes made after its pur- chase by Spreckels. xviii-149; acquisition of by Spreckels results in more vigorous methods, xx-162; suspends publication for several weeks, xxi-176; changes of ownership of. xxii-lSO; sold to M. H. de Young, xxii-lSO; extinction of causes much comment, xxii-181. CANALS, early consideration of de- sirability of linking Atlantic and Pa- cific, vi-4 7; Vanderbilt's Nicaragua project, vi-48. CANNON, Frank J.. Coast exchange editor Chronicle, xvi-133; elected United States Senator, xvi-133. CAPITAL, location of State, vi-47. CARTOONS, increasing use of, xx-16S. CASEY, James P., assailed by James King of William in Bulletin, iv-29; shoots James King of William, iv-29; hanged by the Vigilantes, iv-30. CATHOLIC STANDARD, career of, v-37. CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILWAY, its originators, ix-75; tries to grab Goat island, ix-75. CHALK PROCESS, described, xvi-130; used in newspaper illustrating, xvi-130. CHARTERS (San Francisco), adoption of prevented bv fear of expenditure, xviii-146; adoption of that of 1898. xx-162; cause of rejection of several, xx-161; small votes cast at election for, xx-162. CHARITIES, newspapers mainstay of, xx-167; lives of inmates of Children's Hospital and Relief Home brightened, xxii-lS6; tovs sent to orphans of war, xxii-186. CHESLEY, James G., cashier of Chronicle, xxi-177. CHINA, conquest of advocated by San Francisco editor, iii-21. CHINESE, crusade against immigra- tion, xv-120; vote of California on exclu- sion, xv-120. CHIROGRAPHY, bad handwriting of Joaciuin Miller. xix-15S. CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, career of. v-37. CHRISTIAN OBSERVER, career of, v-37. CHRYSOPHYLAE, first name given to Golden Gate, i-2. CHRONICLE, see San Francisco Chronicle. Index 347 CHRONICLE PRESS ASSOCIATION, formed by M. H. de Young, xvi-129; patrons of, xvi-129. CITY EDITOR, duties of, xix-157. CITY EDITORS, use made by tliem of teleplione, xix-157; of Clironicle, 1S70- 1896, S. P. Sutherland, A. B. Henderson, Horace R. Hudson, Thomas Garrett, Ernest S. Simpson, xix-lGO. CITY HALL, its excessive cost due to conservatism, xviii-146; built on install- ment plan, xviii-14 7; not satisfactory architecturally, xviii-147. CIVIC CENTER, plans for projected, xx-166. CIVIC IMPROVEMENT, first public work in California, i-3; Ralston's ener- getic promotion of, x-Sl. CIVIL WAR, makes business prosper- ous in San Francisco, v-36; stimulates desire for news, vi-42; editorial discus- sion on eve of, vi-43; high cost of news paper during, vii-57; inadequate accounts of local movements, vii-58; attempt of Southern sympathizers to capture a Pa- cific Mail steamer, vii-5S; a minister who sympathized with the South, vii-fiO; Cali- fornia attitude not clearly understood, vli-61; history of specially written for Chronicle, xv-121. CIRCULATION, small editions printed in pioneer days, iv-28. CLIMATE, a favorite topic in the BOs, v-41; Chronicle's exploitation of glories of California, xv-121; that of California eulogized by Chronicle, xviii-150; Tetraz- zini sings in open air on Christmas eve, 1910, xxi-178. CLIPPER ships, interest in their ex- ploits, vi-48. CLLTBS, formation of women's in San Francisco, xx-167. COFFEY, James V., editorial writer and reporter, xiii-105; member of Legis- lature and chairman of San Francisco delegation, xiii-105; many times re- elected to Superior Judgeship, xiii-105. COLEMAN, William T., opposes con- certed withdrawal of patronage from Herald, iv-30. COLTON & SEMPLE, first publishers of California, i-5. COLONIES, from South objected to, iii-20. COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION, M. H. de Young appointed Commissioner-at- Large by President Harrison, xvii-137. COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER, v-37. COMMITTEE OP FIFTY, in 1906, its admirable work, xxi-171. COMSTOCK, discoveries give impetus to business, i.\-77. COMPOSING ROOM, it ceases to dic- tate to the editor, vii-53; economies ef- fected by machines offset by innovations, xix-156. CONSOLIDATION ACT, increases po- lice force, 1856; bristled with prohibi- tions, v-39: its system of checks and balances, xviii-146. CONSTITUTION, first convention at Monterey, iii-19. CONS'riTUTION of 1879, misrepre- sented, xii-91; antagonized by corpora- tions, xii-92; fight for financed by Chronicle, xii-92; not a sand lot instru- ment, xii-93; convention called before sand lot troubles, xii-93; convention called by Legislature of 1875-76, xii-93; land and railway monopoly cause con- vention for to be called, xii-93; election in favor of calling convention, xii-9:^; modifies rigors of libel law, xii-94; adop- tion of, xii-94; thoroughly discussed, xii-94; interests seek to prevent discus- sion by hiring all halls, xii-95; antici- pated modern reforms, xii-95; vote for and against, xii-95; popular indifference causes sacrifice of reforms of, xii-95; did not drive out capital, xii-95; ends land monopoly, xv-119; anticipated recent re- form movements, xvi-124. CO-OPERATION, newspapers fruit of, xix-153. CORA, hanged by the Vigilantes, iv-30. CORRUPTION, combined interests an- tagonize Constitution of 1879, xii-92. CORTISSOZ, Royal, his criticism of the P. P. I. E., xxiii-192. CORYN, Sydney, writes History of Civil War for Chronicle, xv-121. COSGRAVE, James O'Hara, publisher of Wave, xix-160. COURIER, career of. v-37. COURTS, corrupted and justice para- lyzed, iv-25; Bulletin menaces Court and jury, iv-28. CRAFT, Miss Mabel, Sunday editor of Chronicle, xix-159. CRIME, briefly reported, ii-12; rampant between 1849-51, ii-12; not promoted by extended accounts of, ii-12, 13; criminal element not in the majority in 1S5G, iv-25; killing of Richardsoai by Cora, iv-28; criminal element sides with James P. Casey, iv-29; the true cause of in- solence of law-defying class, iv-31; crim- inal element ceases to be assertive, v-34. CROTHERS, R. A., conducts Bulletin, xx-162. CUBA, annexation of advocated, lii-20. CURRENT OPINION, of New York, founded by Fred Somers, xiii-105. — D— DAGGETT, Rolin M., editorial writer of The Chronicle, xix-159. DAILY MAIL, writers and contribu- tors, xiii-106; its career and demise, xiii-106. DAM, Harry J., Chronicle reporter, makes London success, xvi-133. DAVIS, Sam, reporter and publisher, xiii-105. DEL MAR, Alexander, authority on subject of money, xvi-133; regular con- tributor to Chronicle, xvi-133. DEMOCRATIC PRESS, predecessor of San Francisco Examiner, vii-63. DEMOKRAT, German, career of, v-37; one of the three survivors from the 50.s, xxii-180. DEXSMORE, G. B., editorial writer and dramatic critic, xiii-105. DEPRESSION of business in 1857, v-34; that following election of Grover Cleveland, xvii-137; workingmen claim to have removed it, xx-163. DEVELOPMENT, Chronicle annuals a record of State's progress, xv-121. DEWEY, W. S., reporter and special writer, xiii-105. 348 Index De YOUNG (brothers Charles and M. H.). organize party favoring Consti- tution of 1J>79, xii-92; exhibit their confi- dence in future of San Francisco, xiv-lOS. De YOUNG,, Charles, with his brother, M. H., starts the San Francisco Chronicle, \iii-64; insists on proper nominations, xi-88; his consideration for employes, xiii-107; brings first electric lamps from Paris in 1878, xiv-109; his great faith In future of electric lighting, xiv-lOS; death of in 1880, xv-117. De YOUNG, Charles (son of M. H.), receives his baptism of fire, xxi-174; talock and Wharf Company's offer to im- prove water front, vi-50; of land dreaded x-(8; railway land grants not antag- onized at first, x-79; land and railway cause of calling Constitutional conven- tion, xii-93; fears of land absorption vanish, xv-119; a subject for Eastern newspaper jokesmith, xvi-124- none in newsgathering, xviii-144. MORALS, public, land frauds under- mine, iii-19. MORGUE, adopted by Chronicle in early seventies, xiv-110. MORMONS, issue California Star in Yerba Buena, i-4. MORMON COLONY, brings printing press, i-4. MOSS, William S., one of founders of Examiner, viii-63. MUNICIPAL, corruption boldly at- tacked, ii-14; assaults upon corruption ineffective because of the overshadowing slavery question, iii-23; gross extrava- gance and corruption prior to 1856, iv-25; expenditures greatly reduced by People's party, iv-25; offices sold to highest bidder, iv-27; lax methods of accounting, iv-31; no civic improvements made for many years, v-33; ingrained fear of corruption, v-34; retrenchment after 1856, v-34; Con- solidation act a barrier to extravagance, v-39; People's party junta names tickets, vi-42; San Francisco bonds itself to aid Southern Pacific, ix-75; pay-as-you-go policy costly, xv, xviii-146; acquisition of Spring Valley water works opposed, xviii-147; expenditures without improve- ments, xviii-148; difficulty of obtaining a charter for San Francisco, xx-161; Consolidation act replaced by a charter in 1898, xx-162; heavy expenditures but no improvements, xx-163; extravagance and turpitude, xx-163; Schmitz elected a third time, xx-163. MUSEUM, Midwinter Memorial, con- tains first California press, ii-S; con- tains copies of earliest papers. i'-S; growth of Midwinter memorial in Golden Gate Park, xxii-185. MULFORD, Prentice, contributor of special articles, ix-71; his descriptions of miners and mining camp scenes, xvi- 133. — N— NAPOLEON, III., probable instigator of filibustering schemes, iii-22. NATIONAL, career of, v-37. NATIVES, easy mode of life, i-1 ; not addicted to reading, i-4; discourage im- migration, i-5. NAUGHTON. W. W., sporting editor of Chronicle, xvi-133. NAVIGATION, strong interest in, vi-48. NAVAL IRREGULARITIES, Mon- taigne, Hanscom and Jordan charged with, xi-187. NAVY PAY CERTIFICATES, value- less paper accepted by banks, xi-S7. NERI. Father, his demonstration of electric lighting, xiy-110. NESFTELD, David, editorial writer Daily Mail, xiii-106. NEVADA BANK, founded by Flood, O'Brien and Mackey, x-83. NEWS, transmitted through the mis- sions. i-2: of gold discovery weeks reach- ing Monterey, i-2; not rapidly transmit- Index 353 ted to Californian, i-5; early papers de- ficient in, ii-9; received by steamer, ii-10; steamer editions in early days, ii-10; lit- tle space accorded to its presentation, ii-10; conciseness a feature of presenta- tion, ii-10; by overland stage line, ii-10; by Pony Express, ii-10; Point Lobos tele- graph constructed, ii-10; Los Angeles a poor base in early days, ii-11; reporting not highly developed, ii-11; important events briefly treated, ii-12; mining in- telligence cliiefly copied, ii-12; municipal documents quoted at length, ii-12; first Mayor of San Fi'ancisco's message, ii-12; intelligence from Australia accorded much space, ii-12; crime briefly reported, ii-12; subordinated to editorial, ii-14j use of telegraph increases during sixties, ix-73; Chronicle Press Association formed, xvi-12y; Chronicle secures New York Associated Press franchise, xvi-129; American Press Association, xvi-129; California patrons of New York Asso- ciated Press, xvi-129; gathered by phone, xix-156; general use of wireless tele- graph, xxii-lSl; always enough to fill up with, xix-157; care taken by modern newspapers to verify, xxii-184. NEWSPAPERS and their activities; Terba Buena had no paper before the occupation, i-3 ; California Star, first paper published in Yerba Buena, i-4; Colton & Semple first publishers in Cali- fornia, i-5; the plant of the Califor- nian, i-5; Californian moves from Monterey to San Francisco, i-5; first boost edition published in California, i-6; liven up Yerba Buena after occupation, 1-6; Pony Express started by New York publishers, ii-9; papers published in East before occupation, ii-9; twelve dailies in 1853, ii-10; a specimen daily of 1850, ii-11; boldly attack municipal corruption, ii-14; those of pioneer days merely pamphlets, ii-14; editorial columns popu- lar, ii-14; personal journalism rampant, ii-14; anonymity a characteristic of early publications, ii-14; editors in personal encounters, ii-14; ephemeral existence of early publications, ii-15; San Francisco's first daily, ii-15; not much capital re- quired to start them, ii-16; not profitable, ii-15; San Francisco's first batch, ii-15; not severe critics of land frauds, iii-17; pioneer editors well informed, iii-19: encouragement of filibustering by, iii-19; editors favor annexation movements, iii- 20; favor annexation of Cuba, iii-20; ad- vocate annexation of China, iii-21 ; slavery the engrossing subject, iii-22; ab- sorption in national affairs diverts atten- tion from local evils, iii-23; James King of William's personalities, iv-2fi; small circulations in pioneer days, iv-2S; Vigi- lance Committee of lS5fi causes with- drawal of advertising from Herald, iv- 30; absence of conventionalism, iv-31; much space devoted to slavery discus- sion, v-35; little attention devoted tp literature, art, etc., v-35; not paying en- terprises during fifties, v-35; publisher and editor combined in one person, v-35; lack of attractive features in pioneer days. v-3fi; list of tliose published dur- ing fifties, v-3fi: equipment of an office during the fifties, v-36; editors produce the sensations, v-35; Sunday weeklies, v-37; their limited appeal in the fifties, V-3S; produced by small forces, v-38; those of the fifties filled with scandals, v-39; editors who dropped into poetry, v-39; college bred men resort to jour- nalism, v-40; editorial rivalry intense in fifties, v-40; public partial to editorial "scrapping," v-40; dramatic criticism a prominent feature, v-41; early discus- sions of climate, v-41; telegraph pro- motes disposition to amplify, vi-4 2; opin- ions in demand prior to Civil War, vi-42; defend acts of Vigilance Committee, vi- 44; discuss Broderick-'rerry duel, vi-44; little interest in State division question, vi-45; not concerned over Slate capital location, vi-47; a unit on importance of bay of San Francisco, vi-47; maritime re- ports a feature, vi-4S; insistent demand for low taxes retards improvements, vi- 50; brag about big wheat farm.s, vi-51; list of survivors of Civil War, vii-54;an extensive mortality list, vi-53; slow Im- provement in journalistic methods, vii-53; dominance of the composing room, vii-53; flamboyant typography avoided, vii-5.i; advertisers not exacting as to typog- raphy, vii-53; effect of reduction of paper prices, vii-57; George E. Barnes criticises early reporting, vii-57; names of some of early reporters, vii-57; reporting during the sixties, vii-58: unsatisfaciory reports of local movements during Civil War, vii-5S; activity in editorial columns dur- ing Civil War, vii-5y; San Francisco jour- nals with Southern proclivities, vii-59; mobs gut ottices of Confederate sym- pathizers, vii-GO; attitude toward specific contract act, vii-Gl; prevent scaling of debts by tlireats of ostracism, vii-62; San Francisco Chronicle founded, viii-63; foundation of San Francisco Examiner, viii-63; Dramatic Chronicle first name of San Francisco Chronicle, viii-64; tlieir early home, viii-G5; assassination of Lincoln, illustrated by Chronicle, viii-69; Bret Harte, Mark Twain and Joaquin Miller contributors to Chronicle, ix-71- 72; Chronicle reports earthquake of lS6c>; in extras, ix-72; make-up of dailies dur- ing sixties, ix-73; Alta absorbs Times, ix-73; Call published at 121/2 cents a week, ix-73: Bulletin and Call under same ownership, ix-73; build great hopes on completion of overland railway, ix-74; hostility of to converting Goat island into railway terminal, ix-75; attitude of toward mining stock gambling, ix-77; Chronicle's assaults on land monopoly, x-79; affected by discovery of Big Bonanza, x-80; expose mining stock manipulators, x-Sl; warn £)t'0Ple of danger of mining stock .'peculation, x-S3; attempt to institute libel suits against Chronicle in every county, xi-85; as a source for historical infcrmation, xii- 91; Chronicle's advocacy of Con.'-titut ion •of 1879; xii-92; antagonists of Constitu- tion of 1879 try to drive Chronicle out of business, xii-92; Eastern press ill in- formed concerning Constitution of 1879, xii-93; retraction bill introdticed in Leg- islature, xii-93; libel law amended con- fining actir-ns to a single county, xii-94; career of Chronicle typifies development of journalism, x;ii-97; heads modest and otherwise, xiii-98; Chronicle introduces Innovations in heading, xiii-97: Chronicle issues first eight-page edition, xiii-99; advent of Sunday magazine, xiii-99; low- grade-literary offerings, xiii-99; journal- istic conservatism illustrated by the Bul- letin, xiii-99; modest quarters of early journals, xiii-99; makeshift quarters of in earlv days, xiii-100; a co-operative failure.xiii-lOO: c^areer of Loring Picker- ing. yiii-lOO; clinnges in ownership of Alta California, xiii-lOO; J. W. Simonton, Pacific Coa.'^t manager New York Asso- 354 Index cJated Press, xiii-100; four-page editions maintain tlieir vogue, xiii-101; liand com- position and cost of, xiii-101; Robert Louis Stevenson's newspaper worlc, xiii- 102; San Francisco Chronicle well writ- ten, xiii-103; growtli of Sunday magazine, xiii-103; limited space accorded to sports in early days, xiii-103; reporters who could do all around work, xiii-104; a list of well-known writers of the eighties, xiii-105; Examiner's devotion to orthodox Democracy, xiii-105; editors politically honored, xiii-105; Samuel Seabough's vigorous editorials, xiii-106; John P. Young made managing editor Chronicle in 1S78, xiii-107; Chronicle moves into its Kearny and Bush street building, xiv- lOS; Chronicle's Kearny-street first San Francisco building specially constructed for a newspaper, xiv-108; equipment of the new Chronicle office, xiv-lOS; San Francisco Chronicle inaugurates index card system in its library, xiv-110; Chronicle indexed, xiv-110; Whitelaw Reid says Chronicle has best library sys- tem in country, xiv-111; French attach great importance to interview in Chron- icle with Henri Rochefort, xiv-113; pub- lication of overland passenger list, xiv- 113; publication of letter list by Chron- icle, xiv-113; methods of still provincial in the eighties, xiv-113; take lively inter- est in outside world, xiv-114; reports of Franco-Prussian war, xiv-114; complain that Eastern press minimizes Pacific Coast happenings, xiv-115; account of Grant reception by Chronicle an unprec- edented feat of reporting, xv-118; Chronicle employs first woman reporter, xv-119; big promotion editions, xv-120; the days when there vvere party organs, xvi-123; San Francisco Chronicle's un- aided fight against railway abuses, xvi- 125; Examiner appears as a morning paper, xvi-126; Chronicle a pronounced advocate of protection, xvi-127; Chron- icle's weather warnings an instance of journalism that does things, xvi-127: Call, Bulletin and Sacramento Union patrons of New York Associated Press, xvi-129; American Press Association, xvi- 129; Chronicle Press Association formed, xvi-129; improvement in character of il- lustrations, xvi-130; zinc etched plates used in illustrating, xvi-131; methodical make tip of matter, xvi-131; number of capable writers increases during the eighties, xvi-131; Chronicle attaches pro- moted to high positions, xvi-132; McEwen, Flynn and Goodman start a weekly, xvi-i34; erection of skyscraper of Chronicle an instance of journalism that does things, xvii-13fi; comparison il- lustrating growth of Chronicle, xvii-137; prosperity promotes development of journalism, xviii-144; no monopoly in news gathering, xviii-144; only become great bv the slow process of upbuilding, xviii-145; vicissitudes and decease of Alta California, xviii-145: disappearance of Stock Exchange, xviii-145; Evening Re- port killed by reduction to 1 cent, xviii- 145: Call purchased by John D. Spreckels, xviii-14fi; editorial writers for Bulletin and Call, xviii-146; on municipal acquisi- tion of water system, xviii-147; contro- versies over street improvements, xviii- 148; disappearance of the editorial pre- dicted, xviii-14S; Charles M. Shortridge editor of the Call, xviii-149; Chronicle's special irrigation editions, xviii-149; their attitude toward Hawaiian annexa- ton, xviii-150; publication of Young's Bimetallism or Monometallism in a single issue of Chronicle an unprece- dented newspaper feat, xviii-152; cheap- est of all manufactured products, xix- 153; fruit of co-operation, xix-153; the people's library, xix-154; print best products of modern literature, xix- 154; Sunday magazine the people's library, xix-154; the rewards they offer the author, xix-154; introduction of type- setting machines, xix-155; introduction and use of telephone by, xix-156; care taken by modern to verify reports, xix- 157; the pressure of matter, x»x-157; ef- forts made to verify stories, xix-157; use of typewriting machines, xix-158;. shorthand reports not common, xix-158; literary ranks recruited from, xix-158; expose irregularities of municipal gov- ernment, xx-163; destruction by fire of Chronicle tower, xx-164: Schniitz-Ruef crowd bring suits against Chronicle, xx- 164; President Roosevelt applauds Chron- icle monograph on modern trusts, xx-165; growth of summer resort advertising^ xx-166; help charitable undertakings, xx-167; report women's club activities^ xx-167; growing use of color illustra- tion, xx-168; growth of cartooning in, xx-168; continue to assail Ruef-Schmitz methods, xxi-170; part played by them in. the great fire, xxi-171; efforts of staffs- to avoid break in publication, xxi-172; joint edition of Chronicle, Examiner and Call, xxi-173; Fillmore street their headquarters, xxi-174; slight interest In telegraphic news for a time, xxi-174; many pages of small ads of inquiry, xxi- 174; plants of all San Francisco papers- destroyed in 1906, xxi-175; Chronicle prints sixty-two-page Sunday editions- November, 1906, xxi-176; Chronicle's re- port of Jeffries-Johnson fight at Reno, xxi-177; longest telegraphic report ever- sent to Coast, xxi-177; death of Charles,, son of M. H. de Young, September 17, 1913, x.xi-179: number of publications in California 1912, xxii-lSO; German Demo- krat. Bulletin and Journal of Commerce survivors from pioneer days, xxii-189; San Francisco becomes a two-morning- daily city, xxii-181; general use of wire- less telegraph by, xxii-181; many editions^ printed by those of San Francisco, xxii- 182; suburban editions printed by San Francisco papers, xxii-lS2; special trains, used to send out early editions, xxii-182; many changes in make up, xxii-182; labors of night editor greatly increased, xxii-lS2; cheapest of manufactured products, xxii-lS3; number of employes of Chronicle 1915, xxii-184; care taken to verify statements, xxii-lS4; Chronicle' publishes Japanese and Pan-American special editions, xxii-lSS; "Journalism in. California," by John P. Young, written for Chronicle's Jubilee Edition, xxiii-191; part played by them in making a suc- cess of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, xxiii-193. NEW YORK ASSOCIATED PRESS, J. W. Simonton Pacific Coast manager, xiii-lOO; Chronicle secures franchise from, xvi-129; Call. Bulletin and Sacra- mento Union its patrons, xvi-129. NEWS LETTER, office gutted by unioa mob, vii-60: founded by Frederick Mar- riott, xiii-105. NEUTRALITY, not respected, iii-21. NICARAGUA ROUTE, canal projected by Vanderbilt, vi-48. Index 355 NIGHT EDITOR, many changes in malce up increases his work, xxii-lS2. NON-PARTISANISM, People's parties after 1S56, vi-42. NORRIS, Frank, receives inspiration in Clironicle office, xix-160. NORTH BEACH, attempt of Harry Meiggs to boost, iv-31. NUGENT, John, founds Herald, v-37. —0— O'BRIEN, William, one of big bonanza owners, x-79. O'CONNELL, Daniel, reporter and special writer, xiii-105; Bohemians honor with annual dinner, xiii-106. ODD FELLOWS, specially prepared history of in Chronicle, xv-121. OLDER, Fremont, managing editor of Bulletin, xx-162. O'MEARA, James, on editorial rivalry in the fifties, v-40; his account of Brod- erick-Terry duel, vi-4 6. OPAL CITY, name given to Midwinter Exposition, xvii-141. OUTING EDITIONS, of San Francisco Chronicle, xx-167. OVERLAND STAGE LINE, news by, ii-10. — P— PACIFIC, career of the, v-36. PACIFIC COAST, Chronicle its cham- pion, xviii-150. PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COM- PANY, attempt of Southerners to captur© its vessels, vii-5S. PALACE HOTEL, construction started by Ralston, x-S2. PAGE, Horace F., member of Con- gress, charged with buying votes, xi-87. PANICS, effects of that of 1857, v-34. PAN-AMERICAN EDITION published by Chronicle, xxii-lSS. PANAMA CANAL, proposals that an- ticipated its construction, vi-4S. PANAMA-PACIFIC INTER- NATIONAL EXPOSITION, opened Feb- ruary 20, 1915, xxiii-192; attendance, xxiii-192; appreciation of by Eastern and foreign critics, xxiii-192; Chronicle devotes twelve pages to description in its Jubilee Edition, xxiii-193. PALL MALL GAZETTE, false stories concerning Stevenson in San Francisco, xxiii-102. PAPER, high cost of white news paper during the war, vii-57; cost of white news in big Sunday editions, xix- 153. PARIS OF AMERICA, W. C. Ralston aimed to make San Francisco, x-92; city beautiful idea in San Francisco, xx-166. POLITICAL, divisions in Democratic ranks, iv-26: nominations sold, iv-27; Law and Order party advocates not all mob sympathizers, iv-29; People's party formed as result of Vigilante uprising, y-33; People's party makes nominations in secret, vi-42; mixed condition of Dem- ocratic party, vi-45; rapid decline of Southern Democrats after 1860, viii-59; local Republican boss helps Pinney to escape, xi-S5; Republican bossism, xi-85; Pinney as manipulator, xi-85; San Fran- cisco Chronicle a Republican paper, but not an organ, x-SS; Republicans defeated as result of Pinney's exposures, xi-S8; Senatorial aspirants seek newspaper help, xiii-106; when Democratic editors opposed centralization, xvi-123; Buckley Democratic boss, xviii-14S; Buckley puts good men at head of his party, xviii-148; claims of Ruef and Schmitz, xx-163; suc- cess of the Workingmen, xx-163. PATHFINDER, career of the, v-37. PATRONAGE, offices sold for money. PAVEMENTS, hostility of Bulletin to smooth, xviii-148 PEOPLE'S PARTY, makes big reduc- tions in expenditures, iv-25; outcome of Vigilante uprising, v-33; its opposition to improvement, xviii-14 6. PERSONAL JOURNALISM, preva- lence of, ii-14; in 1856, iv-26; applauded by pioneers, iv-2S; utter aljsence of con- ventionality in pioneer press, iv-31. PETROLEUM, no interest in its de- velopment in early days, xv-117. PHOTOGRAPHY, use in newspaper il- lustrating processes, xvi-131. PICAYUNE, Evening, career of the San Francisco, v-37. PICKERING, Loring, part owner of San Francisco Call, ix-73; controls course of Call, ix-73; relations of proprietors of Call and Bulletin, xiii-100; his news- paper career, xiii-100. PICTORIAL TOWN TALK, v-37. PINDRAY, Marquis de, plots against Mexico, iii-22. PINNEY, George M., chief clerk United States Mint, xi-85; clerk in Navy pay office, xi-85; fails as a stock broker and absconds, xi-S5; surrenders as a deserter, xi-85; relation of his revela- tions involve Chronicle in libel suits, xi-87; witness for The Chronicle at Placerville, xi-87; develops forgetfulness, xi-87. PIXLEY, Frank, editor and publisher, xiii-105; his conduct of the Argonaut, xiii-105; still in harness in late eighties, xvi-131. POETRY, editors addicted to quoting, v-39. POLICE, inadequate force during pioneer period, ii-12; six constables in San Francisco in 1849, v-39; force in- creased in 1856, v-39. POLICE GAZETTE, career of, v-37. POLK, Willis, draws designs for a thirty-seven-story Chronicle building, xxii-189. POND, E. B., Buckley's candidate for Mayor, xviii-148. PONY EXPRESS, New York papers start one, ii-9; between Missouri river and San Francisco, ii-10; arrival of first rider, ii-10; dangers incurred by riders, ii-11; beats telegraphic arrangements, ii-11. POPULATION, California and San Francisco in 1856, iv-28; slow growth after 1856, vi-51. PORTOLA, his hunting party dis- covers bay of San Francisco, i-2. PRESIDENT, career of the San Fran- cisco, v-37. PRIMARIES, ignored after 1856. vi-42; efforts of Chronicle to secure honest, xx-164. Index PRICES CURRENT, career of the ban Francisco, v-36. PRINTERS, start San Francisco Call and sell out, xiii-100. PRINTING PRESS, first one used in California, i-4; brought by Mormon colony 1-4; earliest California in Golden Gate Park Museum, ii-S; hand presses in use, v-35; Adams steam-power press v-Jo; effect of introduction of rotary presses, v-35; Hoe's first press, v-35- first perfecting press in Cincinnati, v-36; The Chronicle's four-cylinder. xiii-lOl- ban Francisco Call's French fast press' xiii-lOl; Chronicle installs two Hoe per- fecting, xiv-109. PROMOTION, universality of boosting habit. 11-9; first boost paper issued, i-6- Harry Meigg's an active promoter of im- provements, iv-31: Chronicle's big "Pros- perity" edition, xv-120. PROGRESS AND POVERTY, Henry George's book, x-7S; circumstances unde- which It was written, xiii-102; its land monopolization theories discredited, xv- PROSPECTS OP CALIFORNIA, title of first boost paper, i-6. PROSPERITY, promotes development of journalism, xviii-144; cause of that of San Francisco, xx-163; Schmitz and ■'^H*^^™^'^"'''' to have made city prosperous xxi-170; city prosperous on eve of great nre, xxi-171. PROSPERITY EDITION, published by Chronicle in 188-', xv-120 PROTECTIVE POLICY, Chronicle's stanch advocacy of, xvi-126; Chronicle devotes eight pages to subject, xvi-127- ban Francisco Chronicle's devotion to principles of, xviii-152; a Chronicle pre- diction made in 1SS2 realized, xviii-lo'^- twelve-page presentation of merits of system in Chronicle, xx-166 PUBLIC BALANCE, career of the San Francisco, v-37. ^.jPyBLIC IMPROVEMENTS, needed by — R— i^,^'^-^^!^^^^'^ completion of overland looked forward to, ix-74; early efforts at monopoly by Central Pacific, ix-75- attempt of Central Pacific to secure Goat island, ix-75; San Francisco issues bonds to Southern Pacific, ix-75; corrupt methods of Central Pacific managers, ix-^6; when California had but one road IT i attitude of people toward at- tempted monopoly, ix-76; last spike of first overland driven, ix-76: all favor big Jfn"tli^'"S"'^ *°'a?-'^^A Legislature domN nated by, xii-93; Central Pacific in- stigates retraction act, xii-93; Consti- tution of 1879 creates Commission with plenary powers, xii-95; Henry George not a victim of their oppression, xiii-101- publication by newspapers of overland passenger list, xiv-113; Interstate Com- ^J^i 99^'^i-.*;'^^^';'"^ wedge of regulation. ?Vy''lr'^'. ^'"'® fear of monopoly felt in *^« Efist, xvi-124; how the Southern Pa- cific beat attempts at regulation, xvi-l"!- ^lfi^*^9r;'"?>"','?i?''''*'.°" °^ Legislatures hv', ^7-1 or' 9;'l'foi'.nias venal commissions, xvi-12.^: Chronicle's efforts to secure regulation of, xvi-125; wires used to transmit news, xvi-129. RALSTON, W. C, his remarkable career, x-Sl; promotes manufactures and x-si'' ^^^^^^^^^^^' x-^1; tragic death of, RApUSSETT-BOULBON, Count Gaston Kaoul de, plots against Mexico, iii-22 READING HABIT, its effect on devel- opment of California, i-4. r./^^^^P^^^'r.r^'"^^'^ ^t by Constitutiou of 1& i9, xiii-95. REGULATION, opposed by Demo- cratic press, xvi-123; attempts at rail- way control in California, xvi-124. • i^.^^P,' Whitelaw, his tribute to Chron- icle s library system, xiv-lll; his opin- ion of future of reporting, xiii-lOl REMEDIAL LOAN ASSOCIATION ..^^^'f?^ through efforts of Chronicle.' ^ I^ENO, Johnson-Jeffries fight in 1910, REPORTING, conciseness a character- istic of early, li-ii; duels briefly re- corded in pioneer days, ii-15; not high- ly developed in fifties, v-38; an early editor criticizes work of reporters, vii- 57 ; not on a high plane during the sixties, V11-08; local room recruited from the professions, xiii-104; future reporters to be Macaulays, xiii-104; account of Grant reception in Chronicle, xv-llS; authcs' carnival reported at great length, xv-118- !< lorence Apponyi Loughead, first woman reporter, xv-119; reporters endeavor to get the truth, xix-157; shorthand not much employed, xix-15S; longhand de- velops facility of expression, xix-15S- ban Francisco Chronicle sends dozen men to report prize fight at Reno, xxi-177- visible improvement over old methods XX11-1S4; qualifications of a modern re- porter, xxii-lS4. RETRACTION ACT, beaten in Legis- lature, 1877-78. xii-93. RICHARDSON. Captain, enjoys mo- nopoly of bay traffic, i-3. ^^RICHARDSON, killing of by Cora, iv- RITCHIE, Anna Cora Mowatt, Lon- don correspondent of Chronicle, ix-71. ROACH, Philip A., one of founders of Examiner, viii-63. ROBERTSON, Peter, president of Bo- hemian Club, xvi-132; author of "The Seedy Gentleman," xvi-132; dramatic critic of Chronicle, xvi-132. ROBESON, Secor, Secretary of the Navy, xi-S7. ROCHEFORT. Henri, interviewed by Chronicle, xiv-113. ROOSEVELT. Theodore, his attitude on trusts, xx-165; his first visit to San Francisco, xx-165. RUEP, Abraham, his gang of "paint eaters," xx-163. — s— SAN DIEGO, linked with San Fran- cisco in chain of missions, 1-2. SAND LOT. disturbances fore- .shadowed, ix-76; and Constitution of 1879, xii-91; Denis Kearney's participa- tion in, xii-93. SAN FRANCISCO, connected by tele- graph with San Jose and Point Lobos. ii-10; first Vigilance Committee, ii-12; name changed from Yerba Buena, i-7; in Index 357 the eighties, xiv-109; peculiarities of its people made much of, xiv-113; news- paper methods indicate provincialism, xiv-113. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, founded 1S65, viii-64; its boyish founders, viii-64; started as "Dramatic Chronicle," viii-64; its humble beginnings, viii-64; novel modes of expanding circulation, viii-65; soon gains advertising patronage, viii-66; its modest equipment, viii-65; Mark Twain writes for, viii-66; Bret Harte an early contributor, viii-66; Tre- menhere Johns, first dramatic critic, viii- 67; theater managers dislike its frank criticism, viii-6b; publishes first news of Lincoln's assassination, viii-68; illustra- ton of assassination of Lincoln, viii-69; boosts Mark Twain, ix-71; Anna Cora Mowatt Richie, first London correspond- ent of, ix-71; Prentice Mulford contrib- utor, ix-71; Dramatic Chronicle appears as Daily Morning Chronicle, ix-71; Bret Harte's uncopyrighted contributions, ix- 71; Joaquin Miller's contributions to, ix- 72; reports earthquake of 1868 in ex- tenso, ix-72; Henry George writes for, x-79; exposes mining stock manipulators, x-Sl; Pinney's story published in, xi-85; criminal libel suits instituted by Repub- lican politicians, xi-85; tried for libel in El Dorado county, x-87; charges H. F. Page with buying votes, xi-87; a Repub- lican paper but not an organ, xi-88; causes adoption of law to regulate bank- ing, xi-S9; advocates adoption of Con- stitution of 1879, xii-92; opponents of Constitution of 1879 try to drive out of business, xii-92; defies antagonists of Confstitution of 1879, xii-93; causes de- feat of retraction act, xii-93; brings about modification of libel law, xii-94; its thorough discussion of Constitution of 1879, xii-94; hires halls for advocates of Constitution of 1879, xii-95; celebrates victory of advocates of new Constitution, xii-95; its career typifies development of journalism, xiii-97; breaks away from set headings, xiii-97: Sunday eight-page edi- tion Issued, xiii-99; its home before 1878, xiii-101; relations with Robert Louis Stevenson, xiii-102; James Bryce pays a tribute to its writers, xiii-103; prophesies future of aviation in 1881, xiii-103; growth of Sunday magazine, xiii-103; a training school for journalists, xiii-104; Albert Sutliffe its correspondent in Tong King, xiii-104; Samuel Seabough's vigor- ous editorials, xiii-106; John P. Young becomes managing editor, 1878, xiii-107; moves into its Kearny and Bush street building, xiv-108; up to date equipment of Kearny-street new home of, xiv-109; installs two Hoe perfecting presses, xiv- 109; its Kearny-street building in heart of theater district, xiv-110; index card system installed in 1879, xiv-110; sub- stitutes index card system for scrap books, xiv-110; its advent in the field of journalism that "does things," xiv-111; its account of the diamond mine swindle, xi-v-112: its reports of Modoc war, xiv- 112; interviews Henri Rochefort, French communists, xiv-113; success of its war on stock gambling, xv-117; death of Charles de Young, xv-117; M. H. de Young assumes full control of, xv-117; its report of Grant's reception, xv-118; reports author's carnival at great length, xv-118; first to employ woman reporter, xv-119; leads successful fight against Chinese immigration, xv-120; its pre- dilection for statistics, xv-120; novel features of its annual editions, xv-l"U- 126; publishes a history of education, xvi-127; maugurates a weather warning service, xvi-127; secures franchise from New York Associated Press, xvi-129- George Hamlin Fitch joins Chronicle in 1880, xvi-132; Vivian's articles in Sun- day magazine, xvi-132; a training school for statesmen, xvi-132; its new building at Market, Geary and Kearny streets, xvii-135; establishes center of city, xvii- 136; its building in the heart of the city, xvii-136; publishes sixty-page edition to celebrate occupation of new building, xvii-136; twenty-five years of growth described, xvii-137; advocates purchase of water system in 1877, xviii-147; advo- cates smooth pavements, xviii-148; spe- cial editions devoted to irrigation, xviii- 149; special edition on development of State under Spanish and American rule, xviii-149; its Midwinter Exposition edir tion, xvii-150; champions Pacific Coast interests, xviii-150; urges climatic ad- vantages of Southern California, xviii- 150; predicts two great cities in Cali- fornia, xviii-150; story of Hawaiian an- nexation by Walter Gifford Smith, xviii- 151; sends corps of correspondents to Klondike, xviii-151; special Klondike edi- tion July 29, 1897, xviii-151; publishes Young's "Bimetallism or Monometal- lism," xvii5-152; its devotion to princi- ples of protection, xviii-152; difficulty experienced getting suitable magazine matter, xix-154; introduces telephone into its new building, xix-156; Rollin M. Daggett, Walter Gifford Smith, Taliesin Evans, James O'Meara and Marcus P. Wiggin, editorial writers for, xix-159; George F. Weeks first Sunday editor, xix- 159; Frank Bailey Millard commences career on, xix-159; some of its Sunday editors, xix-159; city editors, 1870-1906, xix-160; its exposures of graft, xx-163: tower of its building burned during cele- bration of W. P. C. victory, xx-164: as- sists Fairfax Wheelan in effort to se- cure fair primary election, xx-164; prints monograph on trusts by John P. Young, xx-165; twelve-page article on protection in 1894, xx-166; outing editions of, xx- 167; Davenport's cartoons, xx-16S; a^^- dition to its building, xxi-170; attempts to issue extra April 18. 1906, xxi-172; Charles de Young (son of M. H.) receives his baptism of fire, xxi-174: printed in Oakland Herald office, xxi-174; after big fire establishes office on Fillmore street, xxi-174; cause of destruction of its build- ing, xxi-175: its valuable reference li- brarv destroyed, xxi-175: first downtown building to be restored after fire, xxi-175; its Market-street quarters bustling three months after fire, xxi-176; Charles de Young (son of M. H.) made business manager, xxi-176: its various business managers, xxi-176; W. H. B. Fowler becomes business manager, xxi-176; cashiers of, xxi-177; prints halftones of Reno prize fight morning after event, xxi-177; Tetrazzini sings in front of Chronicle ofl^ce, xxi-178; celebrates fif- tieth anniversary, xxii-lSO; employes present album to M. H. de Young, xxii- 184; number of employes, xxii-184; col- lects toys and clothing for war orphans, xxii-186; causes formation of Remedial ■358 Index Loan Association, xxii-187; Willis Polk draws designs for a thirty-seven-story building for, xxii-lS9; Golden Jubilee edi- tion, January 16, 1915, xxiii-190; cele- brates Golden Jubilee by publishing "Journalism in California," a twenty- two-page article, xxiii-191; defeats efforts of Spring Valley to sell water system at an exorbitant figure, xxiii-194. SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER, ses Examiner. SAN FRANCISCO DOCK AND WHARF COMPANY, offers to build stone docks, vi-50. SCHMITZ, Eugene, conditions during his term of Mayoralty, xx-163; his third election to Mayoralty, xx-163; claims to have made city prosperous, xxi-170. SCRAP BOOKS, discarded by Chron- icle in 18S0, xiv-110. SCRIPPS LEAGUE, buys Evening Re- port and makes a penny paper of it, xviii-145 SEABOUGH, Samuel, editorial writer, xiii-105; his attainments and methods of writing, xiii-106. SENSATIONS, found in editorial col- umns, v-35. SHARON, William, brings about re- habilitation of Bank of California, x-S2. SHORTHAND, not much employed in modern reporting, xix-158. SHORTRIDGE, Charles M., becomes editor of the Call, xviii-149. SIERRA NEVADA DEAL, end of stock gambling excitement, xv-116. SIGNAL SERVICE, co-operates with Chronicle in testing value of weather warnings, xvi-127. SIGNED ARTICLES, rare in early days, 11-14. SIMONTON, James A., part owner of San Francisco Call, ix-73. SIMPSON, Ernest S., city editor of Chronicle, xix-159. SKYSCRAPERS, first tall building in San Francisco erected by M. H. de Young, xvii-135; M. H. de Young builds seventeen-story annex to Chronicle, xxi- 171; another soaring building contem- plated for Chronicle, xii-189. SLAVERY, hopes of extending insti- tution to California, i-7; Monterey con- vention decides against, iii-19; many sympathizers with institution, iii-19; con- fused attitude toward, iii-19; editorial at- titude toward fugitive slave act, iii-20; attempts to introduce into California re- sisted, iii-20; filibustering schemes pro- moted by its supporters, iii-21; plans of French adventurer antagonized by South- erners, iii-22; the absorbing editorial topic of pioneer editors, iii-22; sentiment against crystallizes slowly, iii-22; hos- tility to Broderick shown by its sup- porters, iv-26; great space devoted to discussion of, v-35; red hot editorials on eve of Civil War, vi-43; agitation of ques- tion responsible for Broderick-Terry duel, vi-M; intolerant attitude of South- erners, vi-4 5. SLOAT, Commodore, proclamation to natives of California, i-1. SMITH, Peter, fraudulent land trans- actions, iii-18; bulkhead job to patch up his titles, vi-49. SMITH, Walter Gifford, writes story ,of Hawaiian annexation for Chronicle, xyiii-151; editorial writer for Chronicle, SMITH, Harry B., sporting editor of Chronicle, xxi-177. SOMERS, Fred, reporter, correspond- ent and publisher xiii-105; assailed by Assemblyman, xiii-105. SOULE, Frank, author of Annals of ban Francisco, v-39; a poetical editor, v-40. ' SOUTHERNERS, influential in pioneer days, iii-19; seek to introduce colonies with slaves, iii-20; stigmatize Northern Democrats as mudsills and doughfaces, vi-45; rapid decline of influence after 1860, vii-59. SOUTHERN PACIFIC, incorporated in 1865, ix-75. SPAIN, Mexico revolts from, i-1; in- difference of Spaniards to trade, i-4; her rule in province of California, i-1; dis- courages immigration, i-5. SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, fol- lowed by prosperity, xx-163. SPEAR, Nathan, reaches Yerba Buena 1840, i-3. SPECIAL TRAINS, used by San Francisco papers, xxii-182. SPECIAL EDITIONS, Japanese and Pan-American published by Chronicle, xxii-188; Chronicle's Golden Jubilee edi- tion, January 16, 1915, xxiii-190. SPECIFIC CONTRACT ACT, to pre- serve circulation of gold, vii-61. SPIRIT OF THE TIMES, career of, v-37. SPORTS, limited space accorded in early days, xiii-103; Thomas E. Flynn, Chronicle's first sporting editor, xiii-103; early sporting editors of Chronicle, xvi- 133; report of a great prize fight at Reno, xxi-177; increased attention paid to re- porting, xxi-177; Benny Benjamin, sport- ing editor Chronicle, xxi-177. SPRECKELS, J. D., purchases Call, xviii-146; sells Call to M. H. de Young. xxii-181. SPRING VALLEY, valuation of in 1877, xviii-147; hostility to its purchase, xviii-147. STANFORD, Leland, directs legisla- tion, xii-93. STATE BOARD OP EQUALIZATION, its power for good destroyed, xvi-125. STATE DIVISION, little excitement over early efforts, vi-45. STATISTICS, a feature of Chronicle annuals, xv-120. STEELE, Rufus, Sunday editor of Chronicle, xix-159. STEAMER EDITIONS, newspapers publish on arrival of, ii-10; peculiarities of, ii-11. STEVENS, Ashton, dramatic critic of Examiner, xix-160. STEVENSON, Robert Louis, his career in San Francisco xiii-102; a Pall Mall Gazette yarn about him, xiii-102; Chron- icle publishes one of his earliest stories. xix-154. STODDARD, Charles Warren, poem of welcome to ex-President Grant in Chron- icle, xv-118. STOCK, Ernest C. police reporter for half a century, xiii-105. STOCK EXCHANGE, becomes a news- paper, x-80; dies when mining stock gambling subsides, xviil-145. Index ;>59 STUCK clAMBLERS, abandon Scat- after adoption of Constitution of 1ST9, .\ii-95. STOCK REPORT, becomes a news- paper, x-SO. STREET. Arthur, reporter for, Chron- icle, xix-159. SUBURBS, special editions printed for by San Francisco papers, xxii-182. SUMMER RESORTS, multiplication of, xx-166. SUMNER, Charles, attaclt on discussed virulently, vi-43. SUN, career of, v-37. SUNDAY MAGAZINE Chronicle starts feature, xiii-99; Chronicle embarrasses weeklies, xiii-103; struggle to secure matter for in eighties, xin-103; cost of white paper, xix-153; library of American people, xlx-154; the sheet anchor of mod- ern literary workers, xix-154; contrib- uted to by the best authors, xix-154; wlien authors welcomed tlie syndicate, xix-154; preparation of special articles, xix-155; illustration promotes their pop- ularity, xix-155: use of halftones and colored pictures, xix-155; editors of Chronicle's, xix-159; first editor of Chronicle's, xix-159. SUNDAY VARIETIES, career of, v-37. SUNRISE CASE, brutal treatment of sailors exposed, x-7S. SUTLIFFE. Albert, member of Chron- icle staff, xiii-104; early book reviewer of Chronicle, xvi-132. SUTTER'S MILL, gold discovered, i-2. SYDNEY COVES, San Francisco's early criminal element, ii-12. SYNDICATES, authors appear in newspapers in advance of books, xix-15!; part played by them, xix-154. — T— TAXATION, low taxes People's party slogan, v-33; George K. Fitch advocates low, ix-74; Courts nullify provision of Constitution of 1879 designed to remove inequalities, xii-95; more equitable under Constitution of 1879, xv-119; the dollar limit policy, xviii-147; limitation of key- note of municipal politics, xviii-147; Chris Buckley and dollar limit policy, xviii-147: dominating fear of excessive, xx-161; demand for low made use of bv boss, xx-163. TELEGRAPH, line constructed from San Francisco to Point Lobos, ii-10; line between San Francisco and San Jose, ii- 10; Los Angeles and San Francisco con- nected, ii-11; use of news improves ap- pearance of papers, vi-42; hill used as maritime lookout, vi-48; liberal use of by San Francisco paper.«5, xiv-114: intro- duction of wireless, xxii-181. TELEPHONE, its introduction in 1879, xix-156; part played by it in modern newspaper ofRce, xix-156; part played bv it in verifying reports, xix-157. TERRY. David S.. kills Broderick in a duel, vi-44; political career, vi-45. TETRAZZINT. Prima Donna sings in public, xxi-178. TIMES, career of San Francisco, x-37; of London experiments in tvpesetting, xi.\-155. TIMMINS, Jolin. earliest manuninK editor of Chronicle, xiii-105. TITLES, new.spapers always urgent for settlejnent, iii-18. TONG KING, Albert Sutliffe reports rebellion for Chronicle, xiii-104. TOWNSEND, Edward, Chronicle re- porter, xvi-133; elected to Congress, xvi- TOWNSEND, George Alfred, special correspondent of Chronicle, xvi-133. TOWN TALK (Pictorial), career of San Francisco, v-37. TRADERS, Yankee skippers visit the missions, i-3. TRIBUNE, Oakland, affords facilities to San Francisco morning papers, xxi- TRUE VIGILANTE, career of San Franc.sco, v-37. TRUSTS, Chronicle publishes ex- tended monograph on, xx-165. TYPEWRITERS, general use of in newspaper offices, xix-15S. TYPOGRAPHY, headings in early days, xiii-97; cost of hand composition, xiii-101; flamboyant headings objected to by Pickering and Fitch, xviii-146; experi- ments in machine typesetting, xix-155; Mergenthaler's linotype, xix-156; econo- mies effected by linotype, xix-156; the growth of freaking, xix-156. — u— UPTOK, Matthew G., editorial writer Bulletin, xviii-146. — V— VACATION, growtli uf the liabit, xx- 166. VALLEJO, Mariano O., witli Larkin seeks to appropriate name San Fran- cisco, i-7. VANDERBILT, Cornelius, project^5 Nicaragua canal, vi-4S. VAN NESS AVENUE, propo.si^l to make it business centei-, xxi-175. VERDENAL, D. P., on deck in the eighties, xvi-131. VIGILANCE COMMITTEE, first one. formed in 1851, ii-12; the organization of 1856, ii-13; actions of that of 1856 widely discussed, iv-24; called together when James King of William is shot, iv-29; causes witlidrawal of patronage from San Francisco Herald, iv-30; Peo- ple's party formed by its members, \-:'>3; its acts defended, vi-44. VIVIAN, Thomas J., dramatic critic and special writer for Chronicle, xri- 132; author of article on future of avia- tion written in 18S1, xiii-in3. — w— WALKER. William, liis filibustering exploits, iii-21. WARD, Josiah, city editor of Exam- iner, xix-159. WARDELL. B. A., cashier of Chron- icle, xxi-177. 30 360 Index AVAR ORPHANS. Chronicle collects toys and clothing for, xxii-lS6. "WASHINGTON, B. F., one of founders of Examiner, xiii-63. WATER SUPPLY, efforts of Spring Valley to sell at an exorbitant figure defeated, xxiii-194. AVAVE, published by Cosgrave and Hume, xix-160. WEATHER WARNINGS, service in- stituted by Chronicle, xvi-127. AVEEKS, George F.. Clironicle's first Sunday editor, xix-159. AVELLER, Charles L., one of founders of Examiner, viii-63. WESTERN ASSOCIATED PRESS, takes over Chronicle Press Association, xvi-130. WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH, carries 40,000 telegraphic report of prize fight for Chronicle, xxi-17S. WHARVES. the long wharf con- structed by Meiggs, iv-32. WHEAT, enofmous shipments of, vi-51. WHEELAN, Fairfax, efforts to force honest elections, xx-164. WHIG, career of San Francisco, v-37. WIGGIN, Marcus P., editorial writer for Chronicle, xix-159. WILI>TAM. .Tames King of, see King James of William. WILSON, Piercv, book reviewer for Chronicle, xvi-132. WIRELESS, introduction of Marconi system, xxii-lSl. WOMEN, their club activities, xx-]fi7. WOOD, William S., a contemporary worker with Clemens, viii-66. — Y— VERBA BUENA, in 1S41, i-3; William Sturgis Hinckley its first Alcalde, i-3; first store started 1S36, i-3: first bridge constructed, i-3; did not awaken until advent of printing press, i-4; its first newspaper issued, i-4; conditions in dur- ing year after occvipation, i-6; name changed to San Francisco, i-7; com- merce of first year after occupation, i-7; Verba Buena Cemetery used as City Hall site, xvili-147. VOUNG, JOHN P., early journalistic career, xiii-107; made managing editor of Chronicle 1S7S, xiii-107; writes book on bimetallism for Chronicle, xviii-15] ; writes manufacturing industries of Japan for Chronicle, xviii-1.52; his man- ufacturing industries of Japan published as a Senate public document, xviii-152; monograph by him on trusts written for The Chronicle, xx-165; writes "Journal- ism in California" for Chronicle's Golden Jubilee edition, xxiii-191. ZINCOGRAPH, process of making, xvi- 131. INDEX Pacific Coast and Exposition Biographies PAGE Adams, Charles F 235 Alexander, H. F 236 Bissell, William A 237 Blake, Anson S 238 Blakeman, Thomas Z 239 Boardman, Lonis P 240 Boardman, Philip C 241 Bradley, George 242 Briggs, Herbert F 243 Byington, William H., Jr 244 Cantrell, Russell W 245 Cashin, Thomas A 246 Chisholm, Stuart 341 Clayberg, John B 247 Gohen, Alfred Austen 248 Colvin, Francis M 249 Corson, Henry L 250 Coryell, John B 251 Crabbe, John H 252 Crocker, Charles H 253 Crothers, Judge George E 254 Curtis, Allen A 255 d 'Albergaria, Dr. M. C. M. Soares. . 256 Davis, James R 257 Denson, S. C 258 Donaldson, John T 259 Dorn. Walter E 260 Dorsey, John W 261 Eggers, Frederick 262 Eiekhoft', Henry 263 PAGE. Elston, J. A 340 Engels, Henry 264 Fenton, James E 265 Fleishhacker, Herbert 26G Fontecha, Dr. Antonio A. Ramirez F. 267 Forney, C. S S 268 Friek, A. L 269 Gaunt, Charles H., Jr 270 Ginty, John 271 Hall, T. Seymour 272 Hammon, Wendell P 273 Hanify, John R 274 Henry, Carl A 275 Hertz, Alfred 276 Holmes, Howard C 277 Horner, C. F 278 Horsburgh, James, Jr 279 Humphrey, Charles F 280 Hutton, Cassius A 281 Jackling, Colonel Daniel C 282 Jacks, Lyle T 283 Jones, Henry T 284 Keesliug, Francis V 285 Kingsbury, E. J 2S6 Lastreto, Eniilio 287 Latimer, Jay Monroe 288 Lynch, Jeremiah 289-90 3G1 362 Biographical Index TACi:. MeClellau, John J 291 McCormick, Charles R 292 McKinley, Benjamin L 293 Manning, James E 294 Martin, Joseph 295 Matson, Captain William 296 Miley, E.J 297 Miller, Thomas L 298 Minot, Thomas S 299 Molony, J. R .300 Moran, P. J 301 Morf, Panl G 302 Morris, Leon E 303 Mullgardt, Louis C 304 Mur.loek, C. P 305 Murphy, Thomas R 306 Murray, MajorGeneral Arthur, U. S. A 307 Noble, Hiram Holmes 308 Nunlist, William A 309 O 'Brien, Edward II 310 Percy, John Albert 311 Piper, Charles E 340 Preston, John W 312 Price, George E 313 Rand, W. J., Jr 314 PAGE. Rispin, H. A 315 Roos, Robert A 316 Rosenheim, Samuel 317 Rothschild, Joseph 318 Rulofson, A. C 319 Schmitt, Milton L 320 Sea, William, Jr 321 Short, Frank H 322 Short, Frank R 323 Shumate, Dr. Thomas E 324 Soto, R. M. F 325 Stoddard, George Hill 326 Talbott, Edward J 327 Trask, J. E. D 328 Vandercook, A. E 329 Van Ee, J. Charles Kemp 330 Wenzelberger, A 331 White, J. E 332 Whiting, Randolph A' 333 Whitney, Vincent 334 Wilbur, Edward D 335 Wilson, Fred S 336 Wilson, John Ralph 337 Wingfielil, George 338 Woolley, Hyrum S 339 i •/', i! 'm^ 0- ' -,# ■m"^ AUSTIN BOOKSHOP BERNARD TITOWSKY 82-64 AUSTIN STREET KEW GARDENS, N.Y. 114,5 AMERICAN uic-r^^., ^^