hubert howe bancroft - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History ...

THE IRON INDUSTRY. 06
rnple the number is Imported. Cables—special factories noted in 8. F. Time*,
May 22, 1861—Are still drawn largely from England. Cal. possesses numerous
improvements in drills, crushers, and means for saving fuel, lessening
friction, etc. Patent drills are worked with compressed air for purifying the
atmosphere below. Combination amalgamating pans cost about $500. Smelting
and assaying are treated under mining, but special metallurgical works
have been erected in the leading bay towns. & F. Bull, Jnly 2, Aug. 15,
1856; 8. F. Herald, Nov. 30-Dec. 5, 1857. Boilers are made at several of the
foundries, besides the special establishments. About 700 are made annually,
valued at 9700,000. Horizontal tubes made at these places are preferred.
One firm alone has fully three dozen in hand at a time. J. Donahue made
them in 1853. Alia Cal., June 18, 1853. Peter Donahue, the pioneer foundryxnan
of California, was born at Glasgow on Jan. 11, 1822, of Irish parentage.
Brought to America at the age of 11, he was placed as apprentice at
the machine-shops of Paterson, N. J., and after some experience at other
foundries, he went to Pern in 1847, as assistant engineer of a gunboat, passing
thence to S. F. in charge of Oregon's machinery. His brother James, a
boiler-maker, encountered him here, and jointly they opened a smithy on
Montgomery st, in 1849, moving in the following spring to the Happy Valley
region, to form the beginning for the present Union iron-works. Taking into
partnership their brother Michael, a moulder, thus forming a union of three
leading arts in their craft, they made the first castings m the state, constructed
the first steam-engine, later in use on the Tiburon, the monitor
Camanche, and other important works. Michael returned east, and became
thrice mayor of Davenport, Iowa. Peter entered with zest into a number of
enterprises, assisting to establish the S. F. gas-works in 1852-4, the Omnibus
street-railway, the first of its kind in 8. F., and the S. F. and San Jos* railway,
the profits and sale money from which enabled him to build the S. F.
and North Pacific railway. His zeal for industrial undertakings hastened
his death, which occurred Nov. 26, 1885, and held him back from political and
other honors, although he accepted the position of lieut-col on Gen. Cobb's staff,
and for a time the presidency of the society of Pioneers. There is room for
many imitators of Uoi Donohue's successful career, as may be instanced by
one of the youngest firms in this branch, Rifenburg & Hughes, of the 8.
Diego Standard iron-works, started in 1886. W. G. Rifenburg was born in
Cortland co., N. Y., Jan. 3, 1836, and became noted for his fortunate experiments
in fruit culture.
Much of the material for the foundries comes from a local rollins-milL
A portion of the old iron was formerly exported at a profit; to the larger
neglected part rails were in due time added which might with little labor be
reconverted into useful material. This gave rise in 1866 to a rolling-mill,
the Pacific, to which was granted a tract of land at Potrero Pt, S. F. It
opened in July 1868, and has gradually increased its capacity, with the aid of
gas-furnaces, so that it now employs about 800 men, often night and day, half
a dozen engines, as many hammers, and other machinery. It contains depta
for puddling, for bars and beams, for iron and steel rails, the latter since
1881 for engine forgings, for car and ship iron, for bolts, nails, and washers,
for coil chains, for repairs, etc. Another rolling-mill has been opened at the
railway shops in Sacramento. The Cetunu of 1880 credits the one rolling-mill
then existing with $1,000,000 capital, 320 men, 3 puddling furnaces, 5 hammen,
4 trains of rolls, with a capacity for 100 tons a day, and a total product
of 14,000 tons, worth 1780,000, the material being placed at $535,000, and
the wages at $177,700. 8. F. BulL, May 26, 1866; 5. F. Times, Feb. 27, 1868;
8. F. Warm., Jan. 17, 1881.
The first railway locomotive was made in 1865 at the Union works, for
the 8. Jose road, and so well that a dozen have since been ordered there.
8. F. BulL, July 18, Aug. 7, 1865. But an earlier locomotive engine was
turned out by the Vulcan works in 1862, for Oregon. Sac, Union, May 22,
1862; Alia Cat, May 18, 1862; Oct. 13, 1871. A toy engine made by Chinese
was exhibited in 1856. /