Yuba County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter 13 The City Of Marysville, Part 1 1924 ************************************************ 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 http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 January 4, 2012, 1:27 am 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 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yuba/history/1924/historyo/chapter1326gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 53.1 Kb