The morning call., 1893-05-28
THE SECOND EPOCH.

The second epoch in the history of The
CALL began in 1869. when Mr.. Loring
Pickering and his partners, Messrs. Fitch
and Sin1onton, came into possession of the
plant and good viii of the paper by pur
chase. Mr.. Pickering became director and
managing editor. The old proprietors had dis
appe red from the scene. Ayers had gone 10
Honolulu TO publish paper for the Hawaiians,
and perhaps at that early day sowed seed that
found growth in the recent Provisional Govern
ment. Barnes WIS in South America.
Forester and Jobson were In their
graves. The Office of the paper had beer
removed from the rather too snug quarters Oh
Commercial street to the building on Clay
street, south side, below Leidesdurtf, where Il
still is, having taken In much more space re.
Gently to accommodate THE CALLS growing
wants, both In regard to the editorial and me-
chanlcal departments of the business Mr..
Pickering enTe ed on his duties with cheerful
alacrity which showed that the position suited
him, and that his heart was in his work. He
always held the idea that for leading journal
a morning daily was the most available. ana
had sought TO get into the position he occupied
at the beginning OF 1869 for some time. L
was TO realize this favorite idea that lie had
bent all his energies to the purchase of IHE
CALL as being the paper best calculated tOf
the object he had in view.
Taking up the history of the paper under Mr..
Plckeling's administration and just after lie
had entered on the direction of It's affairs, We
hDd 1t was almost Immediately enlarged and
improved in many other respects.
Mr.. Pickering was journalist by habit an'
instinct and was fond Of the employment
equally self-controlled and placid, whether sue
cess or failure awaited him. In his lifetime he
bad been connected with no less than seven
newspapers, first beginning with one half
ownership in the Hennepin Herald, Illinois. in
1915 In March, 1876, he removed from Hen
nepin TO ST. Louis, Mo-, where he purchased.
an interest in the RTissourian, and pub
lished it under the name of the
st. Louis Union. beginning in August,
1916. His first newspaper ven ure after arris-
Ing in California was the purchase of the Placer
Times in Sacramento in connection with MIR.
Aldfich and Mr. Joseph L. Lawrence Subse-
auently the Placer Times was united with the
II ianscript, a journal published by Mr.. G. X.
Fitch before Mr.. PicKering'S arrival in this
State. aud the publication was continued under
the name of The Times aud Transcript" This
paper was afterward sold to Messrs. Vincent
Geiger, b. 4. Washington and George Kerr
and subsequently removed 10 San Francisco.
In 1855 Mr. Pic ering. in company with Mr.
Fitch, purchased the Alta Califo MIA from A
MS Merrill. and sold it to Frederick BiacCr
lIsh & Co. In 1866. MIR. Pickering went abb,
after this transaction and returned TO Call.
fornia in 1860. He rejoined the Alta California
at the solicitation Of Mir MaeCrelltSh. bur he
left 1t In about two months, as things were not
as agreeable there as they might have been.
The same year he purchased an interest n'the
Evening Bulletin, and in 1859 acquired
THE CALL, dispOsing of interests in the
paper afterwaid 10 Mr.. Fitch and Mr..
Simonton.
1t will be seen by this brief record Of Mr..
PickerIng's connection with journalism that he
must have acquired considerable experience in
the business and was in ev-ry way well quail
ned for the task he had undertaken topitOt
HE CALL on its new departure. Wt'h the ex-
ception OF the buikhead monopoly no We Y i'm
portant measure had occupied the public nind
during the ten years preceding his taR ing pos
session OF the parer and becoming It's manager
The period might in uuth be GATED
tue war dec de. There wa, res'lessness
and uncertainty in all branches OF
business in California. particularly t6a'
of journalism; but the years OF The next