The record-union., 1897-04-03

ifornia, February %, 1910. In April
OF the same year the steamship Oregon
made an excursion to Benicia from San
Francisco, which is reputed to have
been the first trip of steamship OF
any magnitude into any of the In
terror waters adjacent to the Bay of
San Francisco
The first of the series of river steam
boats of which any record was kept
was put together at Benicia. 1t was
of fifty tons burthen and had been
brought around Cape Horn. It's first
trip UP the river to Sacramento was
made August II, 1S49 On the 25th
of the same month small steamer
from Philadelphia began to ply the
river.
Probably the first boat advertised
to make regular trips on the river was
the Sacramento. She was built on the
Yolo side of the river, where the town
of Washington now stands, and made
her first trip in September, 1S49. she
was fitted with two engines of sixteen
horsepower. and could accommodate
100 passengers.
FIRST OCEAN STEAMER
On the Sd of October, 1S49. the pro
peller McKim entered San Francisco
Bay. She had doubled Cape Horn, ana
was destined to be the first ocean
steamer to navigate the waters of CaH-
fcrnias great river She drew eight
feet of water, and as that meant
fifteen feet while under headway many
doubted her ability to reach this city.
But their fears proved ungrounded
The ship tied up to the Sacramento
wharfs on the 9th of October, having
met with no distractions OF any kind
while making the trip. Shortly after
wards the steamship Senator became
the rival of the McKim.
THE NEW WORLD.
The steamship New World arrived at
San Francisco, July II, 1850. She was
320 feet long and of $50 tons burthen,
being by far the largest ocean steamer
which up to that time had been de-
signed for traffic on the Sacramento
River. She was built in New York in
1S49-1S50, but before being completed
her proprietor became financially en-
barrassed. Deputy Sheriffs according
ly took possession. When the day
for launching came along the
Sheriff himself went on board
Steam was made, and the
Sheriff was curious to know why. He
was informed that it was merely to
test the engines. and was satisfied.
After circling about for an hour the
big ship passed through the Narrows,
the Sheriff and his posse deposited into
a small boat and instructed to pull for
the shore, and the New World was off
for the Sacramento.
RUIN OF THE RIVER.
For a number of years the New
World made alternate trips between
Sacramento and San Francisco with
the Senator, but as time passed and
the miner substituted the hose and the
monitor for the cradle and the long
tom the silt came down with the water,
and owing to the shoals at Newtown
the sediment settled and the bottom
of the river raised, almost impercepti-
bly,, it is true, but still raised, until
the day finally arrived when the keels
of the giants of the ocean, the noble
craft that had breasted the terrific
gales of Cape Horn, touched the silt
that the miners had sent down, and
ocean traffic on the Sacramento was a
thing to be recalled, but not again to
be seen. 1t became q legend which
was listened to by the rising genera
ton with incredulity, but to-day the
pioneer looks forward to the day in
the near future when the old play will
once more be re-enacted, and the
Wharfs of Sacramento will once more
present scene such as was Of daily
occurrence in those days Of old, those
DAYS of gold. those DAYS of 40"