San Francisco's great disaster; a full account of the recent terrible destruction of life and property by earthquake, fire and volcano in California and at Vesuvius .. online

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SAN FRANCISCO S GREAT DISASTER. 377

the earliest records at St. Petersburg would precede those
at Kew.

In England there are seismographs at Shide, Bidston,
and Liverpool, and another in Edinburgh. The great earth-
quakes originate in the Japan area, in Central America,
and up in Alaska. It is supposed that the sea deepens very
abruptly off the Japanese coast, and in that region there are
rapid changes in tho stresses to which the crust of the earth
is exposed. Further, wherever there are volcanoes earth-
quakes are liable to take place.

In Japan there are numerous seismographic observa-
tories, and in Italy as well. It is important to have them in
those countries, particularly in Japan where such tremen-
dous havoc is wrought by earthquakes from time to time.



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CALIFORNIA, LAND OF GOLD AND ROMANCE.

California, the State which has been so sorely stricken
by Providence, has a history replete with the picturesque
and romantic, the grim and tragic If now the hand of
affliction is laid upon her by nature, the story aboimds in
lavish generosity, from that same nature. California has a
wider range of climate than any State in the Union; pro-
duces a greater variety of fruits of the soif; enjoys benign
influences from Pacific breezes, and boasts rich veins of
every mineral, except coal. The heavens, the earth, the
kingdoms under the earth pay tribute to the State which
sets watch at the Golden Gate.

The settlements of the Spanish missionaries within the
present limits of the State of California date from the first
foundation of San Diego, in 1769. The missions that were
later founded north of San Diego were, with the original
establishment itself, for a time known merely by some col-
lective name, such as the Northern Missions. But later
the name California, already long since applied to the
country of the peninsular missions to the southward, was
extended to the new land, with various prefixes or qualify-
ing phrases; and out of these the definite name Alta (or
Upper) California at last came, being applied to our present
country during the whele period of the Mexican Republi-
can ownership. As to the origin of the name California,
no strious question remains that this name, as first applied,
between 1535 and 1539 to a portion of Lower California,
was derived from an old printed romance, the one whidi
Mr. Edward Everett Hale rediscovered in 1862, and from
which he drew his now accepted conclusion

378



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SAN FRANCISCO'S GREAT DISASTER. 379

For, in this romance, the name California was already
before 1520 applied to a fabulous island, described as near
the Indies, and also "very near the Terrestrial Paradise."
Cotonists whom Cortes brought to the newly discovered
peninsula in 1535, and who returned the next year, may
have been the first to apply the name to this supposed island,
on which they had been for a time resident. The coast of
Uiq)er California was first visited during the voyage of the
explorer Juan Cabrillo in 1542-43. Several landings were
then made on the coast and on the islands, in the Santa
Barbara region * * *. In 1579, Drake's famous visit took
place * * *. It is * * * almost perfectly sure that he did
not enter or observe the Golden Gate, and that he got no
sort of idea of the existence of the Great Bay * * * This
result of the examination of the evidence about Drake's
voyage is now fairly well accepted, although some people
will always try to insist that Drake discovered our Bay of
San Francisco. The name San Francisco was probably
applied to a port on this coast for the first time by Cerme-
non, who, in a voyage from the Philippines, in 1595, rati
ashore, while exploring the coast near Point Reyes. It is
now, however, perfectly sure that neither he nor any other
Spanish navigator before 1769 applied this name to our
present bay which remained utterly unknown to Europeans
during all this period * * *.

In 1602-3, Sebastian Vizcaino conducted a Spanish
exploring expedition along the California coast ♦ * *.
Frcwn this voyage a little more knowledge of the character
of the coast was gained; and thenceforth geographical
researches in the region of California ceased for over a
century and a half. With only this meagre result we reach
the era of the first settlement of Upper California.



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380 SAN FRANCISCO'S GREAT DISASTER.

The missions of the peninsula of Lower California
passed, in 1767, by the expulsion of the Jesuits, into the
hands of the Franciscans; and the Spanish government,
whose attention was attracted in this direction by the
changed conditions, ordered the immediate prosecution of
a long-cherished plan to provide the Manilla ships, on their
return voyage, with good ports of supply and repairs, and
to occupy the northwest land as a safeguard against Rus-
sian or other aggressions * * *. Thus began the career
of Spanish discovery and settlement in California. The
early years show a generally rapid progress, only one great
disaster occurring — the destruction of San Diego Mission,
in 1775, ^y assailing Indians. But this loss was quickly
repaired. In 1770, the Mission of San Carlos was founded
at Monterey. In 1772, a land expedition, under Pages and
Crespi, first explored the eastern shore of our San Franicsco
Bay, in an effort to reach by land the old Port of San
Francisco * * *. After 1775, the old name began to be
generally applied to the new Bay, and so, thenceforth, the
name Port of San Francisco means what we now mean
thereby. In 1775, Lieutenant Ayala entered the new har-
bor by water. In the following year, the Mission at San
Francisco was founded, and in October its church was dedi-
cated. Not only missions, however, but pueblos, inhabited
by Spanish colonists, lay in the official plan of the new
undertakings. The first of these to be established was San
Jose, founded in November, 1777. The next was Los
Angeles, founded in September, 1781.

BEFORE GOLD WAe DISCOVERED.

Early in 1846, the Americans in California numbered
about 200, mostly able-bodied men, and who in their ac-
cur was universal throughout the territory. This quickened



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SAN FRANCISCO S GREAT DISASTER.



381



tivity, enterprise, and audacity, constituted quite a formid-
able element in this sparsely inhabited region. The popula-
ton of California at this time was 6,000 Mexicans and 200,
000 Indians. We now come to a period in the history of
California that has never been made clear, and respecting
which there are conflicting statements and opinions. The
following facts were obtained by careful inquiry of intelli-
gent parties who lived in California during the period men-
tioned, and who participated in the scenes narrated. The
native Californians appear to have entertained no very
strong affection for their own government, or, rather, they
felt that under the influences at work they would inevi-
tably, and at no very distant period, become a dismembered
branch of the Mexican nation; and the matter was finally
narrowed down to this contested point, namely, whether
this stage surgery should be performed by Americans or
English, the real struggle being between these two nation-
alities. In the northern part of the territory, such native
Californians as the Vallejos, Castros, etc., with the old
American settlers, Leese, Larkin, and others, sympathized
with the United States, and desired annexation to the
American republic.

In the south, Pio Pico, then governor of the territory,
and other prominent native Californians, with James
Alexander Forbes, the English consul, who settled in Santa
Qara in 1828, were exerting themselves to bring the country
under English domination. * * * This was the state of
affairs for two or three years previous to the Mexican War.
For some months before the news that hostilities between
the United States and Mexico had commenced, reached
California, the belief that such an event would certainly oc-
cur was universal throughout the territory. This quickenel
the impulses of all parties, and stimulated the two rivals —



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382 SAN Francisco's great disaster.

the American and English — in their efforts to be the first
to obtain a permanent hold of the country. The United
States government had sent Colonel Fremont to the Pacific,
on an exploring expedition. Colonel Fremont had passed
through California, and was on his way to Oregon, when,
in March, 1846, Lieutenant Gillespie, of the United States
marine service was sent from Washington with dispatches
to Colonel Fremont. Lieutenant Gillespie went across Mex-
ico to Mazatlan, and from thence by sea to California.
He finally overtook Fremont early in June, 1846, a short
distance on the road to Oregon, and communicated to him
the purport of his dispatches, they having been committed
to memory and the papers destroyed before he entered
Mexico. What these instruction authorized Colonel Fre-
mont to do has never been promulgated, but it is said they
directed him to remain in California, and hold himself in
readiness to cooperate with the United States fleet, in case
war with Mexico should occur. Fremont immediately re-
turned to* California, and camped a short time on Feather
River, and then took up his headquarters at Sutter's Fort.

DECLARED INDEPENDENT.

A few days after, on Sunday, June 14th, 1846, a party
of fourteen Americans, under no apparent command, ap-
peared in Sonoma, captured the place, raised the Bear flag,
proclaimed the independence of California, and carried off
to Fremont's headquarters four prominent citizens, namely,
the two Vallejos, J. P. Lease, and Colonel Prudhon. On
the consummation of these achievements, one Merritt was
elected captain. This was a rough party of revolutionists,
and the manner in which they improvised the famous Bear
flag shows upon what slender means nations and kingdoms



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SAN Francisco's great disaster. 383

are sometimes started. From an estimable old lady they
obtained a fragmentary portion of her white skirt, on which
they painted what was intended to represent a grizzly bear,
but not being artistic in their w^ork, the Mexicans, with their
usual happy faculty on such occasions, called it the *'Ban-
dera Colchis," or "Hog Flag." This flag now ornaments
the rooms of the Pioneer Society in San Francisco. On
the 1 8th of June, 1846, William B. Ide, a native of New
England, who had emigrated to California the year previ-
ous, issued a proclamation as commander-in-chief of the
fortress of Sonoma. This proclamation declared the pur-
pose to overthrow the existing government, and establish
in its place the republican form. General Castro now pro-
posed to attack the feebly manned post at Sonoma, but he
was frustrated by a rapid movement of Fremont, who, on
the 4th day of July, 1846, called a meeting of Americans
at Sonoma; and this assembly, acting under his advice,
proclaimed the independence of the country, appointed
Fremont, governor and declared war against Mexico.
During these proceedings at Sonoma, a flag with one star
floated over the headquarters of Fremont at Sutter's Fort.
Commodore Montgomery, of the United States sloop-of-
war Portsmouth, then lying in San Francisco Bay, had, on
the 8th of July, taken possession of Yerba Buena and raised
the American flag on the plaza. This, of course, settled
the business for all parties. The Mexican flag and the
Bear flag were lowered, and in due time, nolens volens,
all acquiesced in the flying of the Stars and Stripes.

"STARS AND STRIPES" UP.

Commodore Sloat had heard of the commencemctif of
hostilities on the Rio Grande, sailed from Mazatlan for



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384 SAN Francisco's great disaster. ';^

California, took possession of the country and raised the
American flag on his own responsibility. These decisive
steps, on the part of Commodore Sloat, were not taken
a moment too soon, as on the 14th of July the British man-
of-war Collingwood, Sir George Seymour commanding,
arrived at Monterey, intending, as Sir George acknowl-
edged, "to take possession of that portion of the country.''
In August, Commodore Sloat relinquished the command
of the Pacific squadron to Commodore Stockton, who im-
mediately instituted bold and vigorous measures for the
subjugation of the territory. All his available force for
land operations was 350 men — sailors and marines. But
so rapid and skilful were Stockton's movements, and so
efficient was the cooperation of Fremont with his small
troop that California was effectually conquered in Jan-
uary, 1847. Ehiring all this period the people of the United
States were ignorant of what was transpiring in California
and vice versa. But the action of Commodore Sloat and
Commodore Stockton did, but anticipate the wishes of the
government, which had, in June, 1846, despatched Gen-
eral Kearney across the country from Fort Leavenworth
at the head of 1,600 men, with orders to conquer Cali-
fornia and when conquereS to assume the governership of
the territory. General Kearney arrived in California via
Sam Pasqual with greatly diminished forces in December
1846, a few weeks before active military operations in
that region ceased.

In the summer of 1847, the American residents of
California, numbering perhaps 2,000, and mostly estab-
lished near San Francisco Bay, looked forward with hope
and confidence to the future. It so happened that at this
time one of the leading representatives of American in-



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SAN Francisco's great disaster. 385

terests in California was John A. Sutter, a Swiss by his
parentage ; a German by the place of his birth in Baden ; an
American by residence and naturalization, and a Mexican
by subsequent residence, and naturalization in California.
In 1839 he settled at the junction of the Sacramento
and American rivers, near the site of the present city of
Sacremento. His ranche became known as Sutter's Fort.
In the summer of 1847, ^^ planned the building of a flour
mill, and partly to get lumber for it he planned a saw
mill, too. Since there was no good timber in the valley,
the saw mill must be in the mountains. The site for it
was selected by James W. Marshall, a native of New Jersey,
a wheelwright by occupation, industrious, generous, honest
but "cranky," full of wild fancies, and defective in some
kinds of business sense. The place for his mill was in the
small valley of Coloma, 1,500 feet above the level of the
sea, and forty-five miles from Sutter's Fort, from which it
was accessible by wagon without expense for roadmaking.

Early in 1848, the saw mill was nearly completed.
The water had been turned into the race to carry away
some of the loose dirt and gravel, and then had Been turned
off again. On the afternoon of Monday, January 24, Mar-
shall was walking in the tail race, when on its rotten granite
bed rock he saw some yellow particles and picked up sev-
eral of them. The largest were the size of grains of wheat
He thought they were gold and went to the mill, where
he told the men that he had found a gold mine. At the
time little importance was attached to his statement. It
was regarded. as a proper subject for ridicule.

Marshall hammered his new metal and found it mal-
leable ; he put it into the kitchen fire, and observed that it
did not readily melt or become discolored; he compared its



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386 SAN Francisco's great disaster,

color with gold coin; and the more he examined it the
more he was convinced that it was gold. He soon found
an opportunity to show his discovery to Sutter, who tested
the metal with acid and by careful weighing, and satisfied
himself that Marshall's conclusion was correct. In the
spring of 1848 San Francisco, a village of 700 inhabitants,
had two newspapers, the "Califomian" and the "California
Star," both weeklies. The first printed mention of the gold
discovery was a paragraph in the former, tmder date of the
15 th of March, stating that a gold mine had been found at
Sutter's Mill, and that a package of the metal worth $30
had been received at New Helvetia. Before the middle of
June the whole territory resounded with the cry of "gold!"
Nea^rly all the men hurried off to the mines. Workshops,
stores, dwellings, vines and even ripe fields of grain were
left for a time to take care of themselves. The reports of
the discovery, which began to reach the Atlantic States in
September, 1849, commanded little credence there before
January ; but the news of the arrival of large amounts of
gold at Mazatlan, Valparaiso, Panama and New York, in
the latter part of the winter, put an end to all doubt, and in
the spring there were such a rush of peaceful migration as
the world had never seen. In 1849, 25,000— according to
one authority, 50,000 — immigrants went by land, and
23,000 by sea from the region east of the Rocky Mountains,
and by sea perhaps 40,000 from other parts of the world.
The gold yield of 1848 was estimated at $5,000,000; that
in 1849 ^^ $23,000,000; that of 1850 at $50,000,000; that
of 1853 at $65,000,000, the banner production. Since then
there has been a decline, but California still yields an
enormous annual output. California was admitted to the
Union as a free State in 1850. The citizens had organized



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SAN Francisco's great disaster. 387

a state government with an anti-slavery constitution. Con-
gress debated for ten months on the question of admission.
The Missouri Compromise, the whole question of slavery
pro and con entered into the controversy. Giants like Clay,
Webster and Seward had part in it. Finally the famous
Clay Omnibus Bill was passed, in August, 1850, and in its
accepted shape required : ( i ) Utah and New Mexico to be
organized into territories, without reference to slavery;
(2) California to be admitted as a free State; (3) $10,-
000,000 to be paid to Texas for her claim to New Mexico;

(4) fugitive slaves to be returned to their masters; and

(5) the slave trade to be abolished in the District of Colum-
bia. The compromises were received by the leaders of the
two great parties as a final settlement of the vexed ques-
tions which had so long troubld Congress and agitated the
country, but the storm was only temporarily allayed. In
accordance with these measures California became a State
of the Union September 9, 1850. The most important
feature of this bill, in its bearing upon future struggles and
conflicts, was the fugitive slave law. In the midst of the
discussion of these topics occurred the death of President
Taylor, July 9, 1850, one year and four months after his
inauguration.



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THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE.

The story of the Vigilance Committee is among the
most notable of San Francisco's traditions. This associa-
tion was organized on May 15, 1856. For some time the
corrupt-ion in the courts of law, the insecurity of the ballot-
box in elections, and the infamous character of some of the
public officials had been the subject of complaint, not only
in San Francisco, but throughout the State of California.
It was evident that it would become the duty of the people
to protect themselves by reforming the courts, protecting
the ballot and controlling the greedy and unprincipled poli-
ticians. The latter were represented by a newspaper called
the Sunday Times, edited by one James P. Casey. The
opinion of the better classes of citizens was voiced by the
Evening Bulletin, whose editor was James King. On the
14th of May, 1856, King was shot by Casey, in the public
street, receiving a wound from which he died six days
later, and intense excitement of feeling in the city was pro-
duced. Casey surrendered himself and was lodged in jail.
During the evening of the 14th some of the members of a
vigilance committee which had been formed in 1851, and
which had then checked a free riot of crime in the sud-
denly populated and unorganized city, by trying and exe-
cuting a few desperadoes, came together and determined the
organization of another committee for the same purpose.
The next day (the 15th) a set of rules and regulations were
drawn up which each member was obliged to sign. The
committee took spacious rooms, and all citizens of San
Francisco having the welfare of the city at heart were in-
vited to join the association. Several thousands enrolled
themselves in a few days * * *. The members of the vigi-

388



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SAN FRANCISCO'S GREAT DISASTER. 389

lance committee were divided into companies of 100, each
company having a captain.



VIQILANT8 BEGIN THEIR WORK.

Early on Sunday (the i8th) orders were sent to dif-
ferent captains to appear with their companies ready for
duty at the headquarters of the committee, in Sacramento
Street, at nine o'clock. When all the companies had arrived,
they were formed into one body, in all about 2,000 men.
Sixty picked men were selected as a guard for the execu-
tive committee. At half-past eleven the whole force moved
in the direction of the jail. A large number of spectators
had collected, but there was no confusion, no noise. They
marched through the city to Broadway, and there formed
in the open space before the jail * * *. The houses oppo-
site the jail were searched for men and arms secreted there>
the committee wishing to prevent any chance of a collision
which might lead to bloodshed. A cannon was then brought
forward and placed in front of the jail, the muzzle pointed
at the door. The jailer was now called upon to deliver
Casey to the committee, and complied, being unable to re-
sist. One Charles Cora, who had killed a United States
marshal the November previous, was taken from the jail
at the same time. The two prisoners were escorted to the
quarters of the vigilance committee and there confined un-
der guard. Two days afterwards (May 20th) Mr. King
died. Casey and Cora were put on trial before a tribunal
which the committee had organized, were condemned to
death, and were hanged, with solemnity, on the 22d, from
a platform erected in front of the building on Sa^^^mento
Street



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390 SAN FRANCISCO'S GREAT DISASTER.

MAKE WAR ON RUFFIANS.

The executive committee, finding that the power they
held was perfectly under control, and that tliere was no
danger of any popular excesses, determined to continue
their work and rid the country of the gang of ruffians which
had for so long a time managed elections in San Francisco
and its vicinity. These men were all well known, and
were ordered to leave San Francisco. Many went away.
Those who had refused to go were arrested and taken to
the rooms of the committee, where they were confined un-
til opportunities offered for shipping them out of the coun-
try * * *. The governor of California at this time was
Mr. J. Neely Johnson * * *. The major-general of the
second division of state militia (which included the city
and county of San Francisco) was Mr. Willam T. Sher-
man (afterwards well known in the world as Greneral Sher-
man) who had resigned his commission in the United
States army and had become a partner in the banking house
of Lucas, Turner & Cot, in San Francisco * * *, To-
ward the end of May, Governor Johnson * * * appealed
to General Sherman for advice and assistance in putting
a stop to the vigilance committee. At this time, General
Wool was in command of the United States troops, and
Commodore Farragut had charge of the Navy Yard. Gen-
eral Wool was applied to for arms, and Commodore Far-
ragut was asked to station a vessel of war at anchor off
San Francisco. Both officers declined to act as requested,
having no authority to do so. When Governor Johnson re-
turned to Sacramento, a writ was issued, at his request, by
Judge Terry, of the supreme court, commanding the sheriflf
of San Francisco to bring before him one William Mulli-
gan, who was then in the hands of the vigilance commit-



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SAN FRANCISCO S GREAT DISASTER. 39I

tee. The vigilance committee refused to surrender their
prisoner to the sheriff, and General Sherman was ordered
to call out the militia of his division to support that officer.
At the same time the governor issued a proclamation de-
claring the city of San Francisco in a state of insurrection.
General Sherman found it impossible to arm his militia for
service, and resigned the command. The governor sought
and obtained arms elsewhere ; but the schooner which
brought them was seized and the arms possessed by the