The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-08-02

XIX OiupN, sui USdt, TWO utuO!e.
cad boats. pilots house near Nanaimo.
&c. The object in selling is not stated.
THE EARLY COMMERCE OF SAN
FRANCISCO.
When. Iii July, 1916. the American
flag was raised on the shores of San
Francisco Bay by Montgomery, com-
mander Of the United States vessel
Portsmouth, the country which was
thereby secu ei tn the United States
was bare and desolate. The trade in
hides and tallow could not be dignifed
by the name of commerce. The an
nexation Of California TO the United
States started . tide Of emigration to
this POW ~ il,Eas pQt1 - = q -
teesa o psuf ~ bsugSdn9h
pho1e essSe. 49, y enesg -
- 81 &c; 81 = ., -; !!
San f.epcisco; IN 1913 tue Same ports
sent out G7s ships. and ID 1850 sent
fleet of $50 large vessels. A steamship
line was in lS4S Established from New
York to San Francisco, via the isthmus
of Panama. aud soon after an opposition
line was started by the late Commodore
Vanderbilt. February 2Sth. 1s49, the
steamer Cslifornis, the first of the line
of mail steamers. arrived. March 3lst
the steamship Oregon came in. and at
the end of July there were nearly two
hundred squsre-rigged vessels 10 the
bsrbor. So rapidly did the number
multiply that at one time, in the au-
tuDn Of l849, the hsrbor Was filled with
shipping, forming perfect town on the
water, while the bay was alive with small
boats and sailing craft.
Steam navigation of the bay wa. in.
ausurated 10y Mr.. Leidcsdorff, who
brought small steamer. named The
Steamboat. FROM SitkA. This little
boat was the first vessel propelled by
steam hoated On the bay. November
Is, lS47, she made her tria! trip around
Wood Island. AS Yerba Buena or Goat
Island WAS then called. The Steamboat,
soon after her trial trip. ran upon the
rocks IL the northern part Of the bay
and was destroyed. But the steam
navigation of the bay was firmly es-
tablished in 1S49, when the iron steamer
Pioneer, brought in pieces from Boston,
was put in service. The Pioneer soon
had as rivals the iron steamboat Mint
and the propeller Mckim. All these
boats ran between San Francisco and
points on the Sacramento aud San Jos-
qu'n rivers. Soon after the steamboat
Senator was pat on this route.
The first vessels which came TO San
Francisco were forced to anchor in the
stream and discharge their cargoes by
lighters. The expense Of lighterage
was sometimes enormous. Many of the
cargoes which were sold to defrsy ex-
penses did not bring enough TO pay for
freight and lighterage. But in May.
lsi9. q wharf association was formed,
and Central Wharf was constructed. 1t
was. however, partially destroyed in the
fire Of 1850, but was rebuilt, and by
October extended 1000 feet into the bay.
Market street wharf was at this time
built 600 feet into the bay; California
street. 400 feet; Howson's Pier. 100
feet; Sacramento street. 800 feet: Clay
str eet. 1900 feet; Washington street
wharf. 275 feet; Broadway. $50 feet.
Other wharves were built which ex-
tended from 200 to 500 feet from shore.
During the year ls49 CSC ships arrived
aud discharged at the wharves of this
port.
During the year 1850 from 30 to Is
vessels arrived in the harbor each day,
and the customhouse drew in % much
money that it could not be conveniently
counted. and was in consequence first
measured and then weighed. One hun.
bred and four steamers. including those
from Panama, regularly came to this
port. and the imports exceeded those Of
any State III the Union with the excep-
ton of New York, Massachusetts, and
Louisiana. The towns around the bay
could be easily reached by means of nu.
merous large and well appointed steam.
boats. aud ell along the coast larger
steamers regularly carried the mails.
October 81. 1851. there were in port 232
American vessels, Of which Q were ocean
steamers. There were also SO British
vessels. II French, 6 Chilean. 10 Bre-
men, 4 Austrian, 1 German. ard 14S
storeships.
In the rush to California many old
and condemned ships in Eastern ports
were fitted up and sent hitler. filed TO
overlooking with freight and psssen.
gers; and when such vessels arrived at
their destination. many Of them were
found unfit for further service. and we're
used ~ storeships. This will account
for the large number OF storeships then
in the harbor.