Yolo-Kern County CA Archives Biographies.....Swete, Carrington A. 1873 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com December 8, 2005, 5:24 pm Author: Tom Gregory CARRINGTON A. SWETE Of English parentage and birth, Mr. Swete was born in Oxford March 21, 1873. His father, Fanshaw C. B. Swete, was a graduate of Dublin University, from which institution he first received the degree of A. B. and later that of A. M. He was a clergyman in the Church of England. The grandfather, John B. Swete, was the owner of Blatchford Hall, Netherexe, Train Hall, Oxton Hall and other estates. He married Lady Shafto, who passed away at Park Place, county of Devon. The father, a gentleman of means and leisure, resided at the latter place. The family on both sides were prominent in the English navy. The children in the parental family were educated at the Rossall school in Lancashire. From boyhood Carrington A. Swete made many trips to various parts of Chili and other points off the Horn, where the winters, which occur in July and August, are very stormy and where the nights are long and dark. On one of these expeditions Mr. Swete came near losing his life, when one night a storm came on, which increased in severity as the hours passed. So fearful was the power of the wind that not only the boats but the wheel house as well were torn away; the sea raged over the deck, sweeping before it the sailors, whose long training in such emergencies, however, enabled them to cling with almost superhuman power to various parts of the ship. In the midst of this crisis Mr. Swete was thrown overboard, but succeeded in grasping the guard rail, to which he hung, while the foaming waves dashed over him and the voice of the tempest thundered in his ears. A few moments, hours to him, passed ere strong hands rescued him, shaken but safe, from his perilous position. Only by the valiant efforts of the crew did the ship weather the storm, arriving at her goal crippled but with her precious cargo intact. For four years Mr. Swete sailed the ocean in trading vessels, and the life, though ofttimes fraught with grave danger, held for him a fascination the memory of which still thrills him. Responding to the alluring reports that drifted from America's great west, Mr. Swete came in 1894 to Bakersfield, Cal., but remained there scarcely three months, owing to his disappointment in the situation. From there he came to the Capay valley, where he purchased forty acres of land, thirty of which he planted to almonds and pears. Owing to the eventful career which he had led up to the time of his arrival in California, he found life somewhat monotonous during the next few years, and when, in 1898, stories of the discovery of gold in Alaska came to his ears he gladly seized the opportunity to join a party bound for the gold fields, leaving San Francisco on a two-mast lumber schooner called The Charles Hanson, manned by its own crew and captain. Eight weeks elapsed from the beginning of the journey until they reached their first landing, St. Michaels, whence they went to the Cobuck river, proceeding overland to Nome, a distance of seven hundred miles. Their sleds were drawn by the strong and capable dogs native to that land, and all fared well until the food supplies became exhausted, when they were forced to kill their faithful animals to sustain life. After days of suffering they were rescued by a passing vessel, the kindness of whose captain and crew will never be forgotten by the men they saved. Later, scurvy developed among the sailors and misery reigned supreme, men dying by dozens. Mr. Swete, however, remained immune and when the vessel reached Cape Nome he found at its height the excitement occasioned by the discovery of the precious gold. He engaged in mining on the beach and was successful but could not hold the twenty acres, as it was held by the United States from high water to low water. In the fall of 1899 he embarked for the sunny land of California, having been in the frigid climate of Alaska about eighteen months. Upon the return trip, typhoid fever appeared among the passengers and, as before, the journey was made in horror, two men becoming maniacs and had to be dealt with accordingly. After the experience above related, Mr. Swete determined to remain in peace upon his flourishing fruit ranch, and to that end proceeded to devote his entire energy and interest to the development of his property and the comfort of his family. It should be mentioned that his brother, Shafto Swete, is his partner in the orchard. A machinist by trade, he also came to Capay valley in 1894. In 1898 he went to Dawson, Alaska, over the Chilcoot Pass, and after the exciting experiences of one year returned home. Carrington A. Swete was married in Guinda to Miss Agnes Boniface, and they with their daughter, Camilla, are active members of the Congregational Church. Politically Mr. Swete is an independent Republican. Having renounced his roving life, he finds his greatest pleasure in his home and in all things that pertain to the development of Yolo county. Additional Comments: Extracted from HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA WITH Biographical Sketches OF The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth and Development From the Early Days to the Present HISTORY BY TOM GREGORY AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913] File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yolo/bios/swete129bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 5.9 Kb