Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-27
The Purcnase Of Brick Lands.

Section u of the "Act TO define, regulate and
govern the State Prisons Of California" approved
april Is, 1,s1, reads as follows:
Section y The Board of Directors shall have
power, in their discretion, to purchase any clay
lands suitable Tor brick making that may lie contig
uous to the san Quentin prison grounds not to ex-
coed in value the sum of $4,000.
The bill which was made oa is for this law was
introduced early as January, 1880. 1t appears
from the testimony of the Poard that they had no
conscious knowledge OF the fact that this prov sion
had been Incorporated into the bill. 1t appears in
the testimony given before that the owner OF this
brick land had for some time prior to the introduce
ton OF that bill sought TO make sale Of this land to
the prison. The land in question is portion of a
tract comprising S7G acre. owned by Daniel Porter,
OF San Francisco. The fifty-twO acres Immediately
al Joining the prison grounds contains deposits
OF clay suitable for brick making, and is
an irregular fraction Of the larger body.
The summit Of hill running north and south
this strip forms natural segregation
line in making iu1icous subdivision of the tract
Some data must have been present IN the minds of
the legislative committee which influenced the
amount Of Appropriation written in the bill, aud
from testimony before US we find the amount to
have been named with reference to the purchase OF
the PARTICULAR fifty two acres (52. 055) subsequently
purchased for the sum OF SIS 6l6 $500 per acre.
The conveyance is dated July H. 1880. We are UNI
able to state with any satisac DRY deniteness TO
who acted for the state in conducting the negota-
tions for this purchase Hon. W. II. Sears repre-
/ scented David Portsr (the owner of the and) and
U u
ment of a committee in relation to the matter con-
sistng Of Directors Everson and McNutt, but the
/ powers conferred upon this committee are not
enumerated. Director Chapman, in giving his ties
| timOny, gave frum memory the name OF
Director Schell as the representative OF
the State, but Dir, ctor Sctell testified shat
the only part taken by him was in the matter
Of hastily examining the abstract OF title. The
amount for the payment Of the purchase price was
drawn in favor of J. p Ames in the sum of sl5 GIG
This warrant was assigned in blank and delivered
to W. H. Sears, attorney for David Porter There
is no record of the report OF any committee inform
ing the Board as to the value OF the land or its
adaptability u the for which it was being pur
chased no report OF progress in negotatio s. aud
no record Of the time occasion when the Board
! reached conclusion or agreement among its mem.
bers to the method OF the purchase or the price
/ 10 be paid. he right to make tn purchase was
vested in the discretion OF the Board. We find nc
record OF any transaction creating agency to act
fer the Board in the premises. The right OF con
demnatlan existed, but there is no evidence that
/ proceedings in condemnation were at any time
suggested or contemplated in the councils of the
Board From the evidence before us, the transac
ton appears 70 have reached conclusion somewhcr,
outside Of the Board and to have been in negativ,
way acquiesccd in 10y that body
A. TO the value OF the land, our examination OF il
leads 70 the conclusion that it contains large deposits
OF clay valuable for brick making IL is in tcsti
mony that this clay is worth 50 cents per cubic yart
/ ii sold for removal. Estimated by this standard
the clay contained IN the land is worth a largely
] IN excess OF Tue price pau As Illustrating I'M
msthoi Of arriving at the value Of the land, tn
[ following statement Of the brick. making accoun
{ from April, lss0, to July 1, ISL, derived iron
the books Of the prison, isrepresented here:
STATEMENT OF BRICK ACCOUNT, APRIL, 1880
TO JULY l, 1881.
Brick on hand April l, 1880 (estimatedl 10000
Brick on hand June, 1850, - july 1881. 100000
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 10000
Brick sold April. 1850, to july ISL. 1.67563
Brick used April, 1850, 70 July, lSsl..... l,509,59
Brick on hand July /, lssl..-.....,..... 10000
Total. 1885, 10
Value OF brick sold q SIS 500 ...,..... sl2,6i9 4
Value OF brick used q, 5O9 500. ........... 1852
Value OF brick on hand July /. 1SSl...-.. 9,l00
Total. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. sslGo2 ?
Expense for burning brick ............ sls, SOL :
Profit and loss NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1000 0
Purchase Of brick land .................. 1850 0
Total. Observation-Disclosures. sSO,5o4 =
To which add value OF O, 600 brick nodded
and now Deug burned IN Kun No. 8. 5000