Yuba County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter 13 The City Of Marysville, Part 1 1924
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Book Title: History Of Yuba And Sutter Counties
CHAPTER XIII
THE CITY OF MARYSVILLE
THE CHRISTENING OF THE CITY
The story of the christening of the city of Marysville is best told by
Stephen J. Field, who later was chosen first alcalde of the place. After
telling, in his memoirs of those early days, how he was attracted from his home
in New York by the report of the finding of gold in California, and how he
landed in San Francisco on December 28, 1849, with but ten dollars in his
pockets, seven of which went for cartage of his two trunks. Judge Field
describes his river trip to Vernon and his sudden determination to proceed to
Nye's Ranch instead.
Three or four hours after leaving Sacramento on the steamer Lawrence, for
Vernon, the captain suddenly cried out with great emphasis, "Stop her! stop
her!" and with some difficulty the boat escaped running into what seemed to be a
solitary house standing in a vast lake of water. Field asked what place this
was, and was told that it was Vernon — the town where he had been advised to
settle as a rising young lawyer. He turned to the captain and said he believed
he would not put out his shingle just then at Vernon, but would go further on.
The next place at which the boat stopped was Nicolaus; and the following day
the party landed at a place called Nye's Ranch, at the confluence of the Feather
and Yuba Rivers. No sooner had the vessel struck the landing at Nye's Ranch than
all the passengers, some forty or fifty in number, as if moved by a common
impulse, started for an old adobe building that stood upon the bank of the
river, and near which were numerous tents. Judging by the number of these tents,
Field concluded there were from 500 to 1000 people there. When the newcomers
reached the adobe and entered the principal room, they saw a map spread out upon
the counter, containing the plan of a town, which was called "Yubaville," and a
man standing behind it, crying out, "Gentlemen, put your names down; put your
names down, all you that want lots!" Field asked the price of the lots and was
told that they were "$250 each for lots 80 feet by 160 feet." Field then said,
"But suppose a man puts his name down and afterwards doesn't want the lots?" "Oh
you need not take them if you don't want them; put your names down gentlemen,
you that want lots." Taking the man at his word, Field wrote his name,
subscribing for sixty-five lots, aggregating in all $16,250. This produced a
great sensation. While Field had but about $20 left of money he had raised in
San Francisco selling newspapers from New York at $1 each, it was immediately
noised about that a great capitalist had come up from San Francisco to invest in
lots in the rising town. The consequence was that the proprietors of the place
waited upon Field and showed him great attention.
Two of the proprietors were French gentlemen, named Covillaud and Sicard.
They were delighted when they found Field could speak French, and insisted upon
showing him the townsite. It was a beautiful spot, surrounded by live oaks that
reminded the visitor of the oak parks in England, and the neighborhood Field
considered lovely. Field at once saw that the place, from its position at the
head of practical river navigation, was destined to become an important depot
for the neighboring mines, and that its natural beauty and the salubrity of its
climate would render it a pleasant place for residence.
Field, having handed Charles Covillaud, one of the proprietors, a copy of a
New York paper containing a notice of Field's departure for California and
wishing him God speed, the Frenchman, able to read English, saw and read the
article. He at once hunted up Field and said, "Ah Monsieur, you are the Monsieur
Field, the lawyer from New York, mentioned in the paper?" Field meekly and
modestly confessed, when Covillaud rejoined, "We must have a deed drawn for our
land."
Field made inquiries and found that the proprietors had purchased the tract
upon which the town was laid out, and several leagues of land adjoining, of
General — then Captain — John A. Sutter, but had not received a conveyance of
the property. Field assured Covillaud he would draw the deed. Immediately, a
couple of vaqueros were dispatched for Captain Sutter, who then lived at Hock
Farm, six miles below the present site of Yuba City on Feather River. When
Sutter arrived, the deed was ready for signature. It was for some leagues of
land, a considerably larger tract than Field had ever before aided in
transferring. And when it was signed, there was no officer to take the
acknowledgement of the grantor, nor any office in which it could be recorded,
nearer than Sacramento.
Field at once suggested that in a place of such fine prospects, where much
business and many transactions in real property were likely, there ought to be
an officer to take acknowledgments and record deeds, and a magistrate for the
preservation of order and the settlement of disputes. It happened that a new
house, the frame of which had been brought in by steamer, was put up that day.
It was suggested by Covillaud that the people of the new settlement should meet
there that evening and celebrate the execution of the deed, and take into
consideration the subject of organizing a town by the election of magistrates.
When evening came, the house was filled. It is true it had no floor, but the
sides were boarded up and a roof was overhead, and seats of improvised planks
were ready for the assemblage. The proprietors sent around to the tents for
something to give cheer to the meeting, and, strange as it may seem, they found
two baskets of champagne. These they secured, and their contents were joyously
disposed of. When the wine was passed around, Field was called upon for a
speech. He started out by predicting in glowing terms the prosperity of the new
town, and referred to its advantageous situation on the Feather and Yuba Rivers.
He told how it was the most accessible point for vessels coming from San
Francisco and Sacramento, and must in time become the depot for all the trade
with the northern mines. He pronounced the auriferous region lying east of the
Feather River and north of the Yuba the finest and richest in the country, and
said he felt certain that its commerce must concentrate at the junction of the
rivers. He impressed upon the settlers the advisability of organizing and
establishing a government, and said the first thing to be done was to call an
election and choose magistrates and a town council. These remarks met with
general favor, and it was resolved that a public meeting should be held in front
of the adobe house the next morning, and that if this meeting approved the
project, an election should be held at once.
Accordingly, on the following morning, which was the 18th of January, 1850,
a public meeting of the citizens was there held, and it was resolved that a town
government should be established and that there should be elected an
ayuntamiento, or town council, a first and second alcalde, and a marshal. The
alcalde was a judicial officer under the Spanish and Mexican laws, having a
jurisdiction something like that of a justice of the peace. But in the anomalous
condition of affairs in California at that time, he assumed and exercised, as a
matter of necessity, very great powers.
The election ordered took place in the afternoon of the same day. Field had
modestly whispered to different persons at the meeting in the new house, the
night before, that his name was mentioned by his friends for the office of
alcalde. His nomination followed. But he was not to have the office without a
struggle. An opposition candidate appeared, and an exciting election ensued. The
main objection entered against Field was that he was a newcomer. He had been in
town only three days; his opponent had been there six days. Field won by nine
votes.
On the evening of the election, there was a general gathering of people at
the adobe house, the principal building of the place, to hear the official
announcement of the result of the election. When this was made, some one
proposed that a name should be adopted for the new town. One man suggested
"Yubafield," because of its situation on the Yuba River; and another,
"Yubaville," for the same reason. A third urged the name "Circumdoro"
(surrounded with gold, as he translated the word), because there were mines in
every direction roundabout. But there was a fourth, a solid and substantial old
man, evidently of kindly domestic affections, who had come out to California to
better his fortune. He rose and remarked that there was an American lady in the
place, the wife of one of the proprietors; that her name was Mary, and that, in
his opinion, her name ought to be given to the town, and it should be called, in
her honor, "Marysville." No sooner had he made the suggestion than the meeting
broke out into loud hurrahs; every hat made a circle around its owner's head,
and the new town was christened "Marysville" without a dissenting voice. For a
few days afterward, the town was called Yubaville and Marysville; but the latter
name soon was generally adopted, and the place has been so called ever since.
The lady in whose honor it was named was the late Mrs. Mary (Murphy) Covillaud,
wife of Charles Covillaud, one of the founders of Yuba County. She was one of
the survivors of the Donner Party, which suffered so frightfully while crossing
the Sierra Nevadas in the winter of 1846-1847, and had been living here ever
since that terrible time.
A Tribute to Marysville's Godmother
Through the courtesy of Mrs. Mary M. Fairfowl, of Eugene, Ore., the editor
is able to produce with this chapter a photograph of Mrs. Covillaud. It is a
likeness made by Mrs. Fairfowl, granddaughter of Mary Covillaud, from a painting
made by a French artist while the Covillauds were still residing in Marysville.
Mrs. Fairfowl is herself an artist of no mean ability. We quote from the letter
sent by her to the editor with the photograph:
"Since you are writing, a history of Marysville and Yuba County, may I use
this opportunity to correct a statement that is so often erroneously made,
namely, that Marysville was named for Mary Covillaud because she was the first,
or only, woman in Marysville at the time? This, I have been told by those who
know, and were there at the time, is not true. In fact, there were many families
living at the place that afterwards became Marysville, at the time grandmother
arrived.
"In a Marysville Appeal of the year 1871, the author of the 'Letters
from Juanita' speaks incidentally of the naming of Marysville. He recalls
William G. Murphy and his sister, Mary Murphy, and adds, 'who became the wife of
Charles Covillaud on Christmas Day, 1848, and who subsequently gave the name to
your now famed city. I had the good fortune to become acquainted with the lady,
and, now that she slumbers in the grave, say that never on the soil of
California has a woman trod of a purer nature, more amiable disposition, a more
generous heart. When she went away from earth, it was with the regret and
lamentations of thousands.'
"And for those who love Marysville and the home, I feel they would like to
know that the one for whom Marysville was named was one of California's first
home-makers — shedding its quiet life far for those who else were homeless.'
"And from all that I have, been told of her, she was one of California's
first social workers — but one, who made her home the center for all her good
works. And, although she had servants in her home, to send on her errands of
mercy, she always went herself to carry what was needed to the poor, and with
her own hands cared for and nursed the sick.
"And the books and pictures still in the family show that she found a way,
although cut off from civilization, to put art and science and the best in
literature into her home. And her worn books on plant life show the study she
gave to her garden. And her garden, I have been told, was one of the most
beautiful in early California days. So this valiant little woman overcame all
difficulties to realize her vision of a wife, a mother, and of a home. And I
have always believed that her light shone on the type of men who came to
California in the early days."
The remains of Mrs. Covillaud now rest in the family plot in a Marysville
cemetery. Each Memorial Day the Native Daughters of the Golden West, members of
Marysville Parlor, place sweet flowers above her grave.
A Highly Prized Souvenir
A letter written by the late Chief Justice Stephen J. Field on July 17,
1880, from Washington, D. C, to Dr. R. H. McDaniel, father of the present judge
of the superior court of Yuba County, is in the possession of the Yuba County
jurist, and is highly prized, both because it bears the signature of Judge Field
and because it makes reference to the strong friendship that in the early days
of Marysville existed between Judge Field and Dr. McDaniel. Dr. McDaniel did not
receive the letter, having died five days before it was written, his death being
unknown to Judge Field, who also has answered the final summons. The letter
reads as follows:
"Washington, D. C„ July 17, 1880.
"My dear Doctor:
"I have mailed to you today a copy of my little book entitled 'Personal
Reminiscences of Early Days in California.' This narrative was dictated to a
shorthand reporter in San Francisco in the summer of 1877; and it has been put
in print for the perusal of a few friends, not published. It is a very meager
account of what I saw, and of my experiences in Yuba County. Had I at the time
supposed it would ever be printed, I should have given a much more extended
history of men and things in Marysville. Another year I shall probably issue a
new edition, and shall then give a much more full account of those whom I met
and knew and loved in old Yuba. Among other things, I wish to incorporate some
incidents of yourself and of your experience. At your early leisure please jot
these down as they may occur to you, so that when I visit your city in September
next you may give me your memoranda.
"I remember with gratitude your attentions to me during my fearful sickness
of 1856, and how, probably, to your attentions I am indebted more than to those
of any other one, that I passed safely through. I often think of those days and
of the many friends I had in Marysville. Please present my kind regards to Mrs.
McDaniel and believe me to be
"Very sincerely yours,
"Stephen J. Field."
AN EARLY ACCOUNT OF THE CITY
It will be interesting to observe, in passing, how the historian of other
days viewed the city of Marysville while it still was in swaddling clothes. In
the preface to the first directory ever printed of the new settlement, in 1853,
a copy of which the compiler found in the possession of Steve C. Howser, now a
member of the Marysville police force, the following sketch of the city is given:
"What is now known as the City of Marysville, three and a half years ago was
called Nye's Ranch. At that period but one tenement graced the northern bank of
the Yuba River. Its locality was near the site of the 'Ohio House,' at the foot
of D Street. It was an adobe structure, venerable and antique, but doomed to
fall in the great fire of August, 1851. With this single exception, the plain
upon which our city now stands was unadorned by the hand of art, and
uninhabited, save by the occupants of the castle and the roving squads of idle
and worthless Indians.
"Early in the winter of 1849 and 1850, the mountain trade began to center at
this point, the small boats engaged in freighting from the lower cities finding
this a natural and almost necessary terminus. The consequence was, that large
quantities of goods were soon deposited upon what is now the Plaza, teams and
packers came crowding in from the mountains, a brisk and profitable trade sprung
up, a hundred snow-white tents lent their charm to the scene, and Nye's Ranch
began to give promise of future importance.
"The proprietors of the ranch, Messrs. Sampson, Ramirez, Covillaud, and
Sicard, did not long remain blind to their own interests, nor to the signs of
the times, but as early as December conceived the idea of laying out a city. A
surveyor was accordingly procured, and the old ranch laid off into lots, blocks
and ranges; and city lots were soon being sold and conveyed with all the
technical solemnity incident to the transfer of an English manor.
Earliest Form of Government
"Things being thus organized, large numbers of adventurers from below daily
landed upon our shores, pitched their tents, and commenced business. But up to
this period there was no government, no law, no officers of justice; and
questions of interest and importance, involving the rights of citizens, were
constantly arising. Accordingly, on the 18th of January, 1850, an election was
held, at which some three hundred votes were cast. Stephen J. Field, Esq., was
duly elected chief judiciary of the realm, or in Spanish parlance, alcalde. T.
M. Twitchell was elected sheriff, but for some reason declined serving,
whereupon R. B. Buchanan was appointed in his place. A common council also was
elected. Mr. Field soon after received a commission from the governor,
qualified, and commenced the administration of law and justice in an able and
satisfactory manner, as the records of his proceedings, now reposing in the
archives of the county, will abundantly testify.
"The wheels of government being thus set in motion by the popular will, the
oil of a liberal fee bill preserved the machinery, and everything connected with
the growth and prosperity of our city moved forward with unparalleled success. A
thousand avenues to wealth opened before us; trade increased with a rapidity
hitherto unknown; steamers daily visited our landings; buildings arose on every
street and corner; hotels were furnished and opened; saloons were erected and
richly ornamented; and every feature of the young city assumed the aspect of
thrift and enterprise.
First County Election
"Thus matters progressed till the first Monday in April, when, pursuant to
an act of the legislature, an election was held for county officers. A swarm of
candidates, irrespective of politics, took the field; and after a warm though
good-natured contest, the following named gentlemen were elected: County judge,
H. P. Haun; county attorney, S. B. Mulford; county clerk, E. D. Wheeler;
sheriff, R. B. Buchanan; county recorder, Alfred Lawton; county surveyor, J. B.
Cushing; county treasurer, U. W. Taylor; county assessor, S. C. Tompkins;
coroner, S. T. Brewster. At this election about 800 votes were cast in Marysville.
New City Incorporated
"During the summer of 1850 improvements in town were moderate, many feeling
undecided as to which of the up-river towns would be 'the place.' The following
winter was extremely dull — money scarce, and real estate very much depressed.
Notwithstanding these unfavorable signs, a bill, during the winter, passed the
legislature, incorporating the 'City of Marysville,' dividing it into four
wards, and authorizing an election on the first Monday of March, 1851, for mayor
and eight aldermen. The election resulted in the following choice: For mayor, S.
M. Miles; aldermen, Messrs. Ransom, Stambaugh, Shaeffer, Tallman, Smith, Rice,
Covillaud, and Tompkins. With the return of spring, and the establishment of a
regular municipal government, a new and cheering era dawned upon the City of
Marysville. Business, in all its phases, revived; and improvements of a durable
nature began to be made. And since that period our city has progressed with a
firm, healthy step, constantly increasing in wealth, population and beauty. The
river bed has been cleared of obstructions, so that steamers visit us every day
in the year. Our population now numbers nearly ten thousand. The canvas tent of
1849 and 1850 has retired, to give room for elegant brick structures which now
adorn every portion of our city, giving pleasing and substantial evidence of our
prosperity. Mills, iron works, machine shops and manufactories are established
to supply the wants of the community; churches and schools to improve our
education and morals; and charitable institutions to gladden the hearts and
ameliorate the condition of the unfortunate among us. Two daily newspapers are
published, which contain all the important news, both foreign and at home.
"Thus do we stand before the world, three years having changed the
wilderness to a city; and. considering our commercial advantages, our beds of
gold, our lofty mountain forests and broad, productive fields, we certainly can,
without exaggeration, indulge the brightest hopes for the future greatness of
our beloved Marysville."
In the days when the above was written, Marysville and Yuba City were
connected up with a toll-bridge built by Bryan & Saunders at a cost of $20,000.
It was the crossing for those going to the valley points below Marysville by
Knight's Ferry, and also for those going to Shasta, Trinity Diggings and Oregon.
The bridge was located near the west end of Third Street and crossed the Feather
River to the central and business part of Yuba City. G. M. Hanson, who collected
the toll, had a charter on the bridge covering twenty years. The bridge was over
500 feet long, and was thirty- five feet above low-water mark and six feet above
highest water mark.
THE BAPTISM OF FIRE
Marysville's First Fire
Through the courtesy of Mrs. Carolyn E. Hamilton, of Rockford, Ill., there
will be added to the archives of the historical room of the Packard Free Library
here a well-preserved lithograph picturing the first disastrous conflagration
ever to visit Marysville on the night of August 30, 1851.
Mrs. Hamilton, writing to City Clerk E. B. Stanwood a letter donating the
lithograph, explains that she never lived in Marysville; that she discovered the
lithograph in a second-hand store in Rockford and realizing its historical
value, determined to present it to the city of Marysville.
In the lower left-hand corner beneath the lithograph is written the words:
"From Hiram Hattley to Lucinda S. Hattley," giving the impression that the donor
lived in Marysville at the date of the fire, when Marysville was scarcely two
years old, and that Hattley mailed the lithograph to a relative in the East. The
earliest history of Marysville published refers to the disastrous fire as follows:
"The first baptism of fire occurred on Saturday night, August 30, 1851. The
blaze originated in a Chinese wash-house on High Street, and spread with the
utmost rapidity. The buildings were chiefly of board and canvas, and so dry had
they become in the long heat of summer that in an almost incredibly short space
of time three blocks of them were burning fiercely.
"The people were panic-stricken. There was no organization to combat the
flames, and no one had authority as leader. The citizens, however, manfully
disputed the advance of the destroyer, and in two hours succeeded in subduing
the flames. The district burned was included between D, Second, E and First
Streets, the Plaza, and the Yuba River. The flames were prevented from crossing
D Street to the east by hanging blankets over the fronts of the buildings and
keeping them thoroughly wet.
"The buildings burned, eighty in number, were in the chief business portion
of the city, and the loss was estimated at about $500,000. The old adobe
building at the foot of D Street, the first ever to be erected in Marysville,
and which was serving as a jail, was among those lost. The next day new
buildings were commenced, and soon the whole territory was again alive with
business. The widespread destruction awakened the citizens to a realization of
their unprotected state and turned their thoughts to the organization of a fire
department."
The lithograph shows the old-time bucket fire brigade at work.
Other Early Fires
Ten days later the citizens had again to contend with the enemy. At one
o'clock Wednesday morning, September 10, 1851, flames were seen issuing from the
rear of the wholesale liquor store of Mitchell & Nunes, on the south side of
First Street, east of D Street. In half an hour twenty-five buildings, situated
between D and First Streets, Oak Street (then Maiden Lane), and the river were
in ruins. Water carts were used to convey water to the scene of the conflict,
and this was thrown upon the burning buildings by the excited citizens. The
estimated loss was $80,000.
The origin of these two earliest fires was doubtful, although they were
generally supposed to have been the work of incendiaries. Steps were immediately
taken to form a fire department, which resulted in the organization of Mutual
Hook & Ladder Company No. 1, on the 18th of September.
At one o'clock in the afternoon of January 23, 1852, a fire broke out in the
American Hotel in Maiden Lane (now Oak Street). The new fire company responded
promptly to the call to duty, with their hook-and-ladder apparatus, and soon
extinguished the flames. Again a small fire occurred on Thursday afternoon,
February 19, 1852, in a vacant building on High Street. This fire was also
subdued before much damage was done. Thus, by the organization of this company,
the city was happily saved from what might, in both cases, have been disastrous
conflagrations.
The year 1854 was a noted one in the fire annals of the city, no less than
three fires occurring, two of them being very destructive. On May 25, 1854, a
fire was discovered in the Mansion House on the east side of D Street, between
Second and Third Streets. The Eureka Hand Engine Company and the Mutual Hook &
Ladder Company were quickly on the spot, and worked energetically for nearly two
hours in their endeavor to arrest the course of the devouring element. The block
bounded by D Street, Maiden Lane, Second and Third Streets, was all reduced to
ruins, except the Empire Block, which still stands. The flames there crossed D
Street and fastened themselves on the theater and courthouse, formerly the old
St. Charles Hotel, and with but few exceptions destroyed the entire block
between Second, Third, D and High Streets. Then they leaped over Third Street
and made some progress north, reducing to ashes the Presbyterian Church and a
number of dwellings between Third and Fourth Streets. Here their progress was
finally arrested and the fire extinguished. The loss sustained in this blaze was
estimated at $158,550.
The second conflagration of the year was still more extensive and
disastrous. A fire originated in a Chinese house on the corner of Second Street
and Virgin Alley about ten p. m., on July 18; and, although it was subdued in
fifty minutes, so fiercely did it burn, that five squares, comprising over 200
buildings, were swept away. A high wind prevailed, and spread the flames so
rapidly that it was only with the utmost exertions of the small fire department,
aided by the citizens, that they were subdued. The boundaries of the district
burned extended from the corner of B and Second Streets to the corner of B and
Fourth Streets, down Fourth Street to C, north to Fifth Street, west to D
Street, down D Street to Second Street, and then east to B Street. It will be
observed that the area destroyed covered some of the territory burned over by
the fire in May, which had been largely rebuilt. The Tremont House and City Hall
were included in the loss, which footed up the immense sum of $250, 000.
The third blaze in 1854 occurred at midnight, October 22, and originated in
an unoccupied house on B Street, between First and Second Streets. Eleven houses
were consumed, valued at $11,000.
The city was then free from any disastrous conflagrations until 1856, when
another of the old-time visitations is recorded. In the month of August, 1856, a
blaze was discovered in a stable on F Street, between First and Second Streets.
The alarm was promptly sounded; and the whole fire department, consisting of
three hand engines and the hook and ladder company, responded. As the fire was
on the river bank, two of the engines were placed on the ferry-boat for
convenience in working; but the clumsy craft sank with its precious burden, and
the fire raged on. The balance of the department, with the active assistance of
the citizens, finally subdued the flames, after they had consumed about $145,000
worth of property. The burned district was in the heaviest business locality,
and the loss was great in proportion. It extended along First Street to the
Merchants' Hotel, then up Commercial Alley, and on the south side of the Plaza.
At 3:30 a. m., November 17, 1864, fire was discovered in the rear of a
clothing store under the old brick theater on D Street, between Second and Third
Streets. The spread of the flames to any extent was prevented; but the theater,
with the stores under it, was entirely destroyed. The loss was estimated at
$40,000.
The next noted blaze occurred on July 17, 1871. A fire originated at noon in
Swain's sash factory on Fourth Street and spread toward the north. The whole
block lying between D, C, Fourth, and Fifth Streets was destroyed, with the
exception of the Presbyterian Church and a few dwellings. W. C. Swain's factory,
John Pefrer's factory, and Harrington's factory were all consumed. The loss was
about $80,000.
About half past eleven o'clock on Sunday night, September 7, 1879, fire was
discovered in the store of E. C. Ross & Company on D Street. A general alarm was
sounded, and soon the whole fire department was on hand with the three steamers.
The fire had made so much progress, however, that the firemen were unable to
extinguish it until it had burned the stores of E. C. Ross & Company and N. D.
Popert, and two houses on High Street. The loss was about $50,000, besides the
damage to goods removed from stores in danger of being consumed.
The Fire at the Southern Pacific Freight Sheds
In the same year the greater portion of the freight sheds and platform of
the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at Sixth and A Streets was wiped out by
fire, together with much additional property. Starting in the freight shed at
the north end of the unloading platform, the blaze spread to box cars standing
on the sidings, thence to the Denton House, a two-story brick building on the
west side of A Street, that occupied the lots where the Fourth Ward House now
stands. The Denton House was completely razed, together with three saloons that
stood to the south of Denton's store and saloon, which were located on the
ground floor of his building. The loss was estimated at almost $100,000.
Fire and Flood Combine
On September 19, 1887, a large hole was burned out of the heart of the
business section of Marysville. About 12:20 a. m.. Police Officer John Colford
discovered what appeared to him to be but a bundle of shakes burning in the
driveway of the Union Lumber Company's yard, which then was located at the
southwest corner of Fourth and C Streets. Before Colford could summon the fire
department, the lumber yard, which covered the space now occupied by the
Marysville Water Company's attractive park, was a seething mass. Despite the
work of the fire laddies, the flames crossed the alley now known as Oak Street
and ignited a frame barn on the west side filled with hay, and also a dwelling
occupied by Mrs. Wiscotschill and her daughter. Soon the fire was carried by the
night wind to the row of then frame structures occupied by Joseph Brass as a
grocery and tobacco store, the shoe shop of Joseph Bowen, the office of George
Merritt, the tailor shop of H. Voss, and the fruit stand of William Hoffart. At
the same time the fire attacked the Louvre Saloon, the Ben Bigelow gun store,
and B. F. Oilman's Red House. These, like the frame stores to the north, were
gutted, and the Meyer bakery and the stores of Kertchem & Corley, both in the
Odd Fellows' Building, were threatened. At the north end of the block, the
flames ate into the water works building and destroyed the underpinning of the
large tanks carrying the water with which the fire was being fought. In a short
time the tanks collapsed with a roar, spilling their waters into D Street, where
they were almost knee-deep.
Anticipating the loss of the tanks, L. C. Williams, who was both engineer of
the fire department and chief engineer for the water company, had arranged, an
hour before, to pump water for the fire from the company's wells directly into
the mains. The engine house on the east side of the water plant was then
threatened. Although the heat became almost unbearable, and wet sacks had to be
thrown over him by citizens as he worked, John Colford, Jr., assistant engineer,
stayed at his post and fed wood into the furnaces, that the water-works engines
might be kept going. For his heroic work that night Colford was later presented
with a gold watch and chain by the citizens of Marysville.
The loss in this fire was $165,000. In less than a month the owners of the
buildings destroyed had let contracts to have them rebuilt, and in more
substantial form. On March 1, 1888, Joseph Brass moved into his new two-story
brick structure. Soon after, the water company purchased the lots to the north
of the Brass Block and placed one-story brick structures on them. All the other
buildings to the south were also rapidly restored.
It was the fourth fire to take place within five weeks on Monday mornings at
the same hour, and the citizens then were convinced that a firebug was at work
in the city. In a short time their suspicions were verified; for several weeks
later, on Monday morning, the large Denton barn at Seventh and A Streets, filled
with hay, was found ablaze. Running from it, one Jack Hayes was encountered by
citizens. Hayes had formerly been a drayman for the Buckeye Mills Company. He
was arrested, and confessed that he was the firebug. His reason for his crime
was that he had become discouraged, and vexed at the world, because of injuries
which he received in falling from the roof of the Buckeye flour mills, and from
the results of which he was left a cripple for life.
Frost & Shaffer Fire
The next fire of large proportions occurred on the morning of July 5, 1888.
Shortly after midnight, and while Fourth of July celebrants were yet discharging
fireworks, the blaze" was discovered in the packing room of Frost & Shaffer in
the Ellis Block. A skyrocket falling through the skylight of the building was
blamed for this conflagration. The flames, fanned by a strong wind from the
south, crept to the rear and crossed High Street to the stables of W. T. Ellis
and J. R. Garrett, and at the same time to the north end of the block, taking in
its course the buildings then owned by C. J. Ripley. The barley rooms of W. T.
Ellis, to the south, also were threatened. Besides Ripley, Ellis and Garrett,
other losers in the fire were the Marysville Savings Bank, F. W. H. Aaron, C. A.
Glidden, and all the tenants on the upper floors of the structure who were
occupants of lodgings. After the fire, W. T. Ellis purchased the interests of
all owners in this block, and has since owned it in its entirety. It is now the
property of his estate, which is managed by his son, W. T. Ellis. Jr.
Later Fires
On July 16, 1890, the building at Second and Elm Streets, occupied by the
Union Soda Works, was found in flames at an early morning hour. Firemen working
in the building discovered the remains of George Ball, driver for the concern,
and a highly esteemed citizen. Examination of the remains and of the premises
showed that he had been murdered for money supposed to be in the building, and
the building ignited to cover up the crime. As related in another chapter, his
slayers were captured. One died in the county jail while awaiting trial. The
other was sent to the penitentiary. A third accomplice, who was said to have
planned the deed, was killed in Stockton.
In a fire occurring on October 11, 1895, the city lost its only
fruit-packing plant of that time, located at the corner of Twelfth and E
Streets, and conducted by R. W. Skinner, now a Sutter County grower. A loss of
$32,000 was sustained in this fire.
On December 19 of the same year, the Empire Foundry & Harvester Works, at
Fifth and F Streets, went up in smoke with a loss of $20,000. This was another
blow to the city's industrial life.
Twenty-eight horses, including a noted racer, owned by Daniel Morgan, were
burned in a fire that destroyed the New York Stables on Second Street, between C
and Oak Streets, on September 15, 1896.
On July 6, 1898, the stable at Second and High Streets, built by Henry
Elmore, who had formerly occupied the New York Stables, was also destroyed,
together with the warehouses of W. T. Ellis and White, Cooley & Cutts, located
at the rear.
On September 26, 1900, occurred the burning of the Marysville Brewery at
Ninth and B Streets, owned by M. Reisinger. The same year the stable of Daniel
McCrate, on High Street, between Second and Third, was destroyed.
Esteemed Youth Loses Life
Frank Peck, aged nineteen, son of County Surveyor and Mrs. W. F. Peck of
Yuba City, Sutter County, lost his life, and the Marysville Woolen Mills Company
sustained a loss of $150,000, in a fire that consumed the woolen mills plant, at
the southeast corner of Second and B Streets, on Friday evening, March 10, 1899.
Young Peck followed the hosemen into the blazing lower story of the mill, was
blinded by the heavy smoke, became confused when he sought an exit, and
succumbed to the terrific heat and to suffocation. His remains were found the
following Sunday, after relatives and friends had hoped in vain that those who
reported the young man at the scene of the fire were mistaken. He was a graduate
of the Marysville High School, class of 1898, and at the time of his death held
the State championship amateur mile bicycle record.
In this fire Marysville lost its largest manufacturing establishment. The
blaze was found at eight o'clock in the evening, and did not at first cause much
concern; but soon the flames crept into the upper portion of the mill, putting
the entire plant beyond saving. Both the south and east walls fell into the
ruins. Only a portion of the old engine room at the south of the structure was
saved. The insurance companies paid $75,000 toward the loss.
Burning of the Old Theater Building
In June, 1903, Marysville lost its old-time theater building. The fire
started in the planing mill of Swain & Hudson on the south, and ate through a
window in the wall dividing the planing mill and the show-house.
Out of this fire grew the present Atkins Theater, on the site of the old
planing mill, and the Elks Home, on the lot where the old theater stood.
Fire Chief Loses Life
Loss of life, including that of Fire Chief Joseph J. Bradley and other
members of the fire department, accompanied a fire that broke out in the tin
shop of White, Cooley & Cutts on High Street, December 18, 1906.
Ignorant of the fact that a shipment of dynamite had temporarily been stored
in the tin shop, the firemen worked on both the High Street and E Street sides
of the burning building. Chief Bradley was directing the men at the nozzle on
the E Street side when the dynamite exploded with a deafening roar. Bradley's
body was pierced by fragments of metal and other foreign substances. He died in
about a week from the wounds, which were considered fatal from the start. R.
Moran, volunteer fire-fighter, lost a leg and died in a few days from the shock.
Others who were injured, including firemen and citizens, were Harry Wyrick,
Charles Onyett, John Mock, Jack Darniele, Bert Rathburn, F. E. Smith, John
Thomas, F. Hughes, Viola Shaffer, Mrs. Earl Hall, H. A. Niemeyer, present public
administrator, Walter Edeler, Al Driscoll, Clark Matson, L. H. Richards, Frank
Williams, George Baird, Albert Lewek, Espie White, F. Cunningham, W. S. Kirk,
and two Chinamen and three Japanese. Several lawsuits were brought against the
firm of White, Cooley & Cutts, and judgments were rendered for the injured.
Destruction of the Binet Row
The Binet Row, frame dwellings on B Street near Seventh, fed one of the
hottest fires in the city's history. This fire took place on July 21, 1908, and
wiped out the row, spreading also to the homes of Mrs. Susan Slicer, M. Schwab,
Kate A. Murray, Mary Santry, Mrs. J. Lockhart, John Galligan, and Mrs. A. Lynn,
all of which were destroyed. The old grammar-school building on the north side
of Seventh Street suffered damage in the sum of $1000. Morgan J. Williams, E. J.
Goodpastor, Mrs. J. F. Keane, P. J. Binet, W. C. Poole, and A. L. Poole,
tenants, lost most of their effects.
Other Fires
On November 4, 1908, a fire that started in the delicatessen department
of the W. T. Ellis grocery store did $15,000 damage.
On April 7, 1909, the Yuba County Hospital had a narrow escape from
destruction; and on November 14 of the same year the Peri Block on D Street,
between Third and Fourth, was destroyed with a loss of $75,000. This fire was
communicated to the stores of S. Ewell and the S. G. King Company. The tenants
in the Peri Block who lost heavily were F. S. Juch, H. D. King, and F. B. Moor.
Other fires showing a heavy loss were those in the Marysville Steam Laundry,
on July 19, 1911; the Moran Packing Company, on August 15, 1912; the Kelly
Brothers stable, on July 21, 1913; arid the Marysville Woolen Mills, on January
17, 1918. In the Kelly Brothers fire, County Surveyor Leslie B. Crook, who
climbed into the hayloft to fight the fire, narrowly escaped with his life. He
was badly burned, and his life hung in the balance for some time.
Biggest of All
For extent of territory covered, and for damage done, the fire of July 2,
1921, will always be remembered as the most thrilling and disastrous in the
history of the city, up to the present time. This fire started in the Pavilion
Stables at the northwest corner of Sixth and B Streets while the north wind was
raging at a velocity said to have been seventy miles an hour; and in less time
than it takes to write it, a dozen fires were started from flying sparks in the
section bounded by Sixth, First, B and Yuba Streets. The oil-soaked trestle of
the Southern Pacific Company, extending from Fourth to Second Street, carried
the fire lightning-like through the doomed section, scattering the blaze to both
sides of A Street. Only the Front Street levee stayed the flames, when there
were no other buildings for the fire to attack.
The loss in this fire amounted to $300,000. Boys shooting firecrackers at
the rear of the Pavilion Stables were blamed for this destructive conflagration.
The burned section is gradually being built up again, for the most part with
residences and hotels.
MARYSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
The City's First Fire Company
The devastating, fires that visited the young city of Marysville in 1851
caused the question of a fire department to be seriously discussed. The need of
such a department was now very apparent, and the fact was conceded by all that
an organization of some kind, provided with suitable apparatus for fighting the
devouring element, was imperatively necessary to protect the city from the
frequent accidental and incendiary fires. With this object in view, a number of
citizens met on September 18, 1851, and perfected the organization of a fire
company, which was christened Mutual Hook & Ladder Company, No. 1. At the
inception of the movement, the company was a purely independent organization;
but soon after, it was placed under the control and patronage of the city
authorities.
Other Early Companies
The names of the companies that followed in the wake of Mutual No. 1 were:
Eureka Engine Company, No. 1; Yuba Engine Company, No. 2; Eureka Hose Company,
No. 1; Mutual Engine Company, No. 3; Yuba Hose Company, No. 2; Mutual Hose
Company, No. 3; Salamander Hook & Ladder Company, No. 1; Warren Engine Company,
No. 4; Pioneer Engine Company, No. 5; Protection Engine Company, No. 2; Pacific
Engine Company, No. 3; and Tiger Engine Company, No. 4.
Fraternity and Rivalry Among the Early Companies
Among firemen, especially in the volunteer departments, there always has
existed in a remarkable degree a fraternal feeling; and although, in the hurry
and heat of action, sharp rivalries and seeming animosities may spring up, when
the work is over, all such bitter spirit vanishes, and the members of different
organizations mingle together in the most amiable and harmonious social
intercourse. This fraternal spirit goes beyond the limits of one city, extending
over miles of distance to meet a kindred feeling in the hearts of firemen in
other cities.
It was no different in early days. On Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1851,
an exhibition of this fraternal spirit was given on the occasion of a visit by
the Mutual Hook & Ladder Company, No. 1, of Sacramento, to the Marysville
Company. The guests were entertained at a grand banquet in the evening, at which
the mayor and prominent citizens were present. The visitors returned to
Sacramento the next day. This visit was subsequently returned, and the
Marysville company was received with great honors and courtesies. On June 17,
1852, the Howard Engine Company of San Francisco visited Marysville. In the
afternoon, after the procession, the members of the fire companies, with invited
guests, sat down to a banquet in the Hotel du Commerce. The stay of the Howards
was necessarily brief, and they embarked at four o'clock on the Governor Dana
for Sacramento.
These were but the first of many similar courtesies between the various
volunteer companies of Marysville and those of her sister cities. Frequent
balls, receptions, and parades were given, which were productive of much
enjoyment and pleasure. Not to be a member of the fire department was in those
days to be outside the pale of social activities.
Competitive trials were frequent, and great rivalry existed as to the length
of time required to make a run and get on a stream of water, and especially as
to the distance to which a stream could be thrown. At the first State fair held
in Marysville, in 1858, the Warren Engine Company, No. 4, using a Hunneman tub
hand engine, threw a stream of water 215 feet, which was about thirteen feet
farther than any of the rival companies' best efforts. This company was but one
of about twelve companies organized in Marysville after the formation of Mutual
Hook & Ladder Company, No. 1. All of the rival companies were equipped with hand
pumps, and were on an equal footing, as regards equipment, in tests of skill and
strength.
In 1862, however, the Eureka Company, aided by the city, purchased in the
East what was then considered the last word in fire-fighting apparatus. In these
days of powerful gasoline engines, the old-time steamer would probably cut a
poor figure; but so great a bone of contention was the introduction of the
steamer in the ranks of the rival companies, that the common council put an end
to the constant bickering by ordering the other companies to disband, leaving
the Eureka Company alone in the field.
This condition of affairs existed for about a year, when it became apparent
that but one engine would not afford the rapidly growing city adequate
protection; so the council permitted the formation of three additional engine
companies, equipped, of course, with hand engines. This arrangement proved
satisfactory until 1872, when the council found it expedient to purchase another
steamer. In 1876, a third steam engine was added to the equipment, being the one
that had been on exhibition at the Centennial Exhibition. The first steam engine
coming to this coast was shipped to Marysville. It is now a permanent exhibit at
Sutter's Fort, in Sacramento.
Personnel of the Department
Chief Engineers: During the fifties the following firemen filled the
position of chief engineer, in the order named: D. Buckley, P. H. Pierce, Jr.,
Charles Ball, A. W. Nightingill, and P. J. Welch, the latter serving until 1861.
During the later sixties the following filled the position, in the order named:
W. P. Winkley, Jim B. Leaman, William Murphy, F. D. Hudson, William C. Ogden,
and D. H. Harney. The last-named served also during the years 1870, 1872, 1873,
and after a short lapse, from 1874 to 1878. In the days since Harney (now
deceased), who was the father of Horticultural Commissioner George W. Harney of
Yuba County, the position has been filled by the following, in the order named:
John Colford, Sr., L. C. Williams, James O. Rusby, George B. Baldwin, Fred C.
Meyers, B. B. Divver, Clarence E. Rockefeller, Joseph J. Bradley, C. H. Hedges,
William B. Meek.
In the past thirt years death has removed many of the once valiant
fire-fighters of the city, among them Luther Gates, driver of the early-day
hose-wagon; William Gates, his son, an engine driver; and the following hosemen:
Louis P. Knorsa, Jacob Knorsa, Edward Knorsa (brothers), James Sullivan, Clinton
Cunningham, Francis Heenan, Porter Andross, Henry Hadlich, Jesse Rathburn, J. M.
Morrissey, and Leo Haggerty. Fire Chief Joseph J. Bradley; C. J. Price,
engineer; Thomas Norman, assistant engineer; and Phil J. Divver, engineer, have
also answered the final call.
Present Officers and Members: The officers and members of the department in
1923 were: William B. Meek, chief; William Reilly, assistant chief; Goya J.
Rodriguez, captain of the house; William H. Norman and Frank Looze, engine
drivers; Lloyd Sligar, relief driver; and the following ten hosemen: Louis
Anthony, John J. Barrett, Francis Johnson, Carl Syvertsen, Edward Kneebone,
Eugene Correll, Charles H. Rowe, Edwin Brow, James Durkin, and E. H. Holmes.
Reminiscent of the fire-fighting days of 1854 in Marysville is a fireman's
certificate, yellow with age and worn, and yet well preserved considering it was
secreted for sixty-three years. This paper, resurrected five years ago in the
ruins of the pioneer town of Shasta, Shasta County, is now among the effects of
the late Judge James M. Morrissey, justice of the peace of Marysville Township,
who died suddenly in his office in December, 1922. The certificate was found
during a Grand Parlor session of the Native Sons of the Golden West, held in
Redding, Shasta County, in 1917. It reads:
"Marysville Fire Department. Fireman's Certificate.
"Office of Chief Engineer. Marysville, November 27, 1854.
"This certifies that George Schrater is a fireman of the City of Marysville,
attached to Eureka Hose Company, No. 1, he having been duly confirmed as such by
the City Council on the 19th day of October, 1854.
"Signed, Charles Ball, Chief Engineer,
"G. E. Winter, Mayor,
"W. Wilsonsmith, City Clerk."
Improvements in Equipment
In the year 1917 the horse-drawn fire apparatus used for so many years in
the fire department was put away by the common council, at the urge of the board
of fire underwriters. In its stead were purchased a motor-driven chemical and
hose wagon and a motor-driven engine, at a cost of $15,000. The old steam
engines, two in number, are kept in reserve, giving to the city what is thought
to be adequate protection. The motor-driven engine has a pump capacity of 1100
gallons per minute; the chemical-and-hose- wagon engine, a capacity of 550
gallons a minute. At the present time the department carries 3500 feet of 2
1/2-inch hose, and 600 feet of l 1/2-inch hose.
In the early part of the year 1923, the old City Hall fire-bell, which for
more than half a century had sounded the fire alarms and tolled many a requiem,
was lowered from the City Hall tower, and a siren substituted. A general protest
was sounded by the people, who had learned to love the old bell because of the
part it had taken in both their joys and their sorrows. The protest grew so
strong that at the end of a month the city council was
forced to replace the bell and dispense with the siren.
Additional Comments:
Extracted from:
HISTORY OF YUBA and SUTTER COUNTIES
CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches OF
The Leading Men and Women of the Counties Who Have Been Identified with Their
Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present
HISTORY BY
PETER J. DELAY
ILLUSTRATED
COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME
HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
1924
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