, 1876-12-23
SAMUEL ]. HENSLEY.
TUE FATHER OF A GREAT
CORPORATION.
"REMINISCENCES OF A NOBLE PIONEER.

kEM MiNUSCeNCeS Uf n NOolE FIVVEEn u.
fever the title of Natures Noble
man" was fifty and appropriately be-
slowed, it was upon the subject Of this
brief memoir. Endowed with no pre-
tensions to physical beauty nor even
symmetry of figure. he was nevertheless
a man that challenged your attention.
even in crowd. In the strongly mark
ed aqui'ine features you saw the man of
high courage and strong resolve; yet
when his mind was not occupied with
the cares of business and his features
bad relapsed into thei- normal express
ion, we can scarcely ever remember to
have seen a face upon which the Creator
had more indehbly set the
BROAD SEAL OF BENEvoLENCE.
This man was useful man, not a
convenient one. He was useful to the
State of which he became citizen in
1874; useful to his neighbors who never
asked in vain for reasonable favor;
useful to society and the cause of prog
ress, acting ever from an innate sense
of Justice and love Of truth. He was
born in Kentucky and went to Missouri
in his boyhood. Arriving at maturity
there, he soon afterwards came to Cali
fornia, where he married Miss Crosby
living near Chico. He received grant
of land adjoining that of Gen. John Bid
hat - rotaoxaI hx,< ha
Court of the United States. That
was the least of his troubles, for instead
of "crying over spilled MILK" he kept
pegging way and soon amassed quite a
fortune. He bought pair of
HIGH PRESSURE ENGINES
And built the first large high-pressrra
sidewhe oil steamer ever built in the State
of California. The Eclipse. Queen City
and Comanche had been built or put to-
gether there. but they were framed at New
Albany, Indiana and sent around inside
of clipper ships. The Helen Hensiey"
was a California boat, however. in all
but her machinery. She ran through
from San Francisco to Marysville in the
high water of 1853 and made SO much
money that when the ''combination" of
1854 was made. they were only too glad
TO take her in. She was not SO fast rs
the New World, Antelope, Wilson G.
Hunt. Senator or Confidence. but those
boats on account of their draft could
not get above Sacramento. and were
OBLIGED TO REsHIP
By smaller boats, whereas the Helen
Hensley could keep right on to Marys-
Vile at any time between November
and May. The great combination was
made in FEBRUARY 1854 and Richard
Chenery Zone of the owners of tue New
World) elected President. His way of
handling corporation Of over thous-
and employees did not suit the majority
of the stockholders and next year, Hens
ley was elected President in his place.
From that time to his death, the Presi-
dency of the Company was occupied al
ternately by himself and his trusty
friend Captain James Whitney. To their
sagacity and good judgment of men.
ton owed the success which made Eli!l-
ionaires of such men as Gen. Alfred
Redington, Capt w. H. Taylor, Ben.
M. Hartshorne, R. NJ. Jessup, r. j.
Vanderwater and VIM. II. Moor. In
1859 they commenced the construction
of
THE CHRYsoPOLIS,
Then the largest vessel ever built in
Western waters. Her engines and boil
ers are now in the palatial ferry boat
Oakland" now owned by the Central
Pacific Railroad Company. The name
of Cbrysopolis was Greek word signi
flying "City of Gold" and Major Hens
ley selected it because no other vessel
af1oat had such name. He liked orig
inality in all things. This boat ran
from November 1860 to January 1872
when she was condemned on account Of
her timbers, which were California laur-
ell, being rotten. At the same time. her
gallows-frame built uf Puget Sound fir
was perfectly sound. This settled the
case as far as laurel was concerned.
During the twelve years that the Chrys-
opolis ran on tie river. she ran off no
less than seven opposition boats, one of
which exploded in vain attempt to
beat her. These boats were the Nevada.
Washoe. Sacramento. Annie Stewart,
Princess, Victor and Visalia. The last
five boats were
PURCHASED BY THE COMPANY,
While the tragical explosion of the
Washoe in July 1864, is still plainly rec
objected. The company had built. upon
designs of Vice President Jessup (who
was splendid business man but knew
nothing about boat building the steamer
Yosemite, a very beautiful steamer, but
by no means equal to the Chrysopolis
for speed. She drew foot more water
than her consort also, and that was
another objection, She had boilers of
English, instead of American Custom
House iron; but that was the fault of the
Government which took all the Ameri-
can iron for gunboats. At this time the
Capital was in frame, the finest general
river boat-for freight and passengers
both that ever turned a wheel in Paci>
fic waters. On the ninth of October
1865, while letting 60 from the Rio Wis.,
ia wharf, the Yosemite exploded her
boiler, killing 72 white people, "a Chi
nese, and crippling at least 100 more.
This catastrophe
BROKE HENsLEY's HEART.
He and Whitney had been advised to
take her off the river, even if it took
both the Antelope and Helen Hensley
to do her work. He replied that the
Capital would be ready for duty in forty