Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-26

| nave Ueell DaulN treated.
| LARGE VOTE.
| In the Presidential election of 1852 Ell
| Dorado county polled 6,100 votes for Pierce
| and s. Al for Scott, q total of 11,244 votes
| San Francisco gave Pierce 1926 and Scott
| 4,l63, total of 8 1889. Sacramento county,
same election, gave Pierce 1918, Scott 8, 3,63T,
total of 6,9l5. In 1851 the votes for Gov
ernor in SIX of the principal counties of the
| State is given as follows:
san ,774
FL DOIduO... ,IO2
upa.'.---..- SUI
Sacramento............ lis
| Tuolumne. OO9
That Ell Dorado county should have had
larger population than other mining
counties is easily accounted for by the fact
| that Old Hangtown was the first congrega-
| ton of people the overland immigrant met
on arriving, and 1t was the point of destina-
| ton Of the most travelled overland route
from the States to the land of gold. In
| Hangtown the immigrant rested for
while, and took his bearings to wander off
| into some other county.
rHE EARLY EDITORS.
The first newspaper published in El Do
RADIO county was the E2 Dorado Nc,qs
started in ColOma June, 1851, editors and
| BA4bilSElF4S, i Il Hal mon anu uOlldS y.
| Springer. In December, 1851 the establish
ment was removed to Hangtown. In Feb
ruary, 1854, Harmon e Springer sold the
| printing material, ETC., of the NelpS TO Gel
| wicks IL January, and this was the origin
of the Mo,a'taia Democrat. The PlocerViHe
Ameyican was started by J. L. Wadsworth
late in 1852, or early in 1858, and continued
to be regularly published until the fire of
| July 6, 1856. The printing material being
EaIy n T. =, -
american after the fire DIR. Titus and Hon.
S. t. Gage were personally thanked for
their herculean efforts in saving the press,
so that II was the only paper issued,
| GwI AND BRoDERIcK.
The Empire County Argus was started in
| Coloma in 1853 1t was owned by num-
Der of prominent gentlemen of the Demo
cratic faith. The late Daniel W. Gelwicks
was selected as its editor and VIM. A. Jan
uary was compositor in the Office. Mat
| tiers went along very smoothly until Dan
| was informed that the editorials must be
| written fayoring the election of David C.
| Broderick for United States Senator, as
| against VIM. NJ. Gwin. This was too much
| for Dan, who was devoted to Gwin, both
politically and personally. Gelwicks at
once withdrew from the Arg,ts, inditing
| vigorous valedictory, while on the opposite
| BdEC Nelo q odiuldlOl ny lll6 I1OII- john
! Conness. A short time after this Daniel
| w. Gelwicks and VIM. a. January jointly
| took charge of, edited and published the
Democrat, as has been before stated
EARLY LEGISLATION.
Among the State Senators in the early
| days of Ell Dorado county are recorded
DR.. Benjamin F. Keene and J. Walton, in
! 1923. DR.. Keene also in 1855. Dr.
| Keene and DR.. S. +. Ham were the first
and last Presidents of the old State Medical
| Society of California. G. D. Hall, G. W.
! Hook and Ii. G. Livermore were State SEN
ators in 1886 a. French in 1855, j. G.
| McCallum H. NJ. Fiske and G. J. Carpen-
Ter in 1857, DR.. l. S. Titus and Hon. Arthur
! 81. c. Denver in 1859.
! Among the Assemblymen from Ell Do
rado county in early days were: J.J. Ken
| drick. 1851; j. Cutler, 1852; w. r. Hop
kins, 1882 a. Wing, 1852 SO; G. D. Hail,
1851 and 1857; S. A. McMeans, 1852
| elected State Treasurer in 1859; John
Conness in 1S52-54 S. Garfield, 1853; H.
Hollister, 1854; Colonel Jack johnson,
1855; and s. I. Gage and James c.. Bowe,
1856.
THE FIRST FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The date of the organization of the Fire
| Department in Placerville was June %,
1858. The following-named gentlemen
met as charter members and organized
Neptune Hose Company MOL: Alexap-
der Hunter, Louis S. Hunter, Fred F.
| Barss, j. NJ. Grantham, Joseph Fisher.
Peter B. Quinlan, Abe Seligman, Sam Lion,
| T. II. Harmon and William Salmon. A
two wheeled hose carriage was built in the
| blacksmith shop of Bloom & Gibbs, and 300
| feet of hose purchased ct San Francisco.
| Already good system of water works had
! been introduced under the superintendent
OF Peter B. Quinlan, now and for many
| years past connected with the Spring Val
ley Water Works. Shortly after came
Hope Hook and Ladder Company, No /;
then in 1857 came Confidence, No l; in
! 1858 Neptune, No. .; and in 1860 Young
America, No. 3: thus forming at that date
one of the very best fire departments in the
| interior of the State. All the companies
had full ranks, and the department was
! efficient in every respect.
A POPULAR SOCIETY.
| No resident of Ell Dorado county in the
autumn and winter of 1855 and spring of
I 1856 who became a member of that an
cient and honorable order of Clampsus
Vitus, an order founded by the Patriarchs
OF Old, can ever have effaced from his
memory the principal tenets of the order.
| 1t was introduced into Hangtown by the
late Hon. George Penn Johnston. It can
exist from the lack of material though in
| point OF numbers in February, 1856, it ex-
ceeded all other orders, societies and insti-
| tutonS in Ell Dorado county combined. 1t
| had initiated into its ranks almost every
male inhabitant in Ell Dorado county On
| February %, 1856, the Hon. Penn Johnston
| delivered an Grafton in the Presbyterian
| Church on the order, which must ever be
| memorable in the minds of all who heard
Or N.t T,- u.
great feature, but the ball given that even
| ing in the Orleans Hotel was the largest
| and grandest entertainment of that kind
ever given in the county. All the men,
bers of the Legislature, then in session at
Sacramento, came up TO participate in this
gala entertainment. The ballroom was
| decorated about the walls with all the ban
ners, emblems and symbols of the prin-
| cipal tenets, passwords and signs of the
order.
This was indeed an event of great ioy in
| Hangtown; but, like many successes in
| this life, it had Its more than sad counter
part. In a few months that pretty little
| valley, surrounded with beautiful hills,
| from scene of busy life, happiness and
wealth, was suddenly changed to one of
! desolation, sadness and destruction by the
| great fire of July 6, 1856, which had its
| mysterious origin on the roof of the Union
holel at IL CLOCK on tnat Deautlful Sun-
| day morning. The lack of water in the
| hydrants. the time of the day, the locality,
all would certainly tend to give much
| weight to the suspicion that the fire was
not accidental.
| BURNED TO ASHES.
On the morning of July Z, 1856. the sun
| shone on the little valley covered with
ashes. A few brick walls were seen here
and there, but it was inded a sad and desc
| late scene to look upon. 1t was only q few
| days, however before the energy and de-
| termination Of the people was made mani
| fest. Temporary places for business were
| in few days erected throughout the valley,
aud fragile residences were also soon con-
| structed, and before year had passed there
| was a substantially built town with a
| goodly proportion OF brick buildings
| From that time forward, Pacerville has
| passed through the varying changes incl
dent to all, or nearly all, the interior large
| toT-ns OF the mountain or mining counties
| of the State. But time has at last been
reached when Placerville and Ell Dorado
county have the promise of becoming one
| OF the most attractive parts of the interior.
The county is replete with grand natural
resources. Providence has been bountiful
| with you. you have large and varied de-