The San Francisco call., 1897-12-19
Its Operation Gives New Life
to the Valley
Towns.
Brilliant Achievements Of the Enter.
prising Projectors OF the
New Railway.


decided factor in the progress of the
cities and counties through which it
passes. Competing as it does with one
Of the greatest railway corporations of
the age, which had for years held the
commerce of California at it's mercy.
the Valley Road has succeeded in fore
ing freight rates to a level which now
permits the grower to reap some of the
profits to which his toll is entitled. The
construction of the road was of vast
benefit to the mercantile interests of
the State, and in years to come, bring
ing with it the extension of it's lines to
all the fruitful spots in California, the
people of the State will have reason to
revere the memory of the promoters of
one of the greatest enterprises of the
decade.
The preliminary work which ended
in the building of the Valley Railroad
began in 1892, when the Traffic Asso-
cldtlon at meeting held on October 26
decided that competing road in Cali
1ornia was decided necessity in order
to preserve the independence Of COM
merce. The executive committee in it's
report called attention to the attitude
Of the Southern Pacific toward the
people OF CaifOl mia, saying that it
took pains to punish those unfriendIv
TO 1t, and to coerce those independent
Of 1t. But few merchants in San Fran
cisco had either the independence or
the means to set it at defiance: the
rest were humbled humiliated and
terrorized."
The sentiment of the people through
out the State was in favor of a compet-
ing railroad. and scarcely had the mat
ter been brOached when it was taken
up by the leading business man as well
as the humblest agriculturist with en-
thusiasm. In 1898 a committee of the
Traffic Association visited Stockton.
Fresno, Merced, Berenda, MADEIRA. Mo-
desto, Tulare. Hanford, Visalia and
Bakersfield and sounded the citi-
Zens of those cities upon the uues-
ton of a competing line.
The response was so universally in
favor of the project that in June, 1893
a committee consisting of Alvinza Hav-
ward, Barry Baldwin, Isaac Upham
John T. Doyle, F. w. Van Sicklen.
Robert Watt. Charles NJ. Yates. Frank
Dalton and J. S. Leeds was appointed
to solicit subscriptions for the pro-
posed railway through the San joaquin
Valley.
In San Francisco, however, there pre-
vailed luke-warm spirit among the
merchants relative to the affair The
executive committee appointed early in
the fray to raise $3.50 900 in order to be-
gin operations on the road from Stock
ton to Bakersfield was unable to raise
half that sum UP to January Il, 1895.
On that day a meeting, attended by the
representative men of the city, includ-
ing every business man of wealth and
reputation, was held at the Chamber
Of Commerce. A number of speeches
were made, in which attention was
called to the difficulties that blocked
the path of the enterprise. Claus
Spreckels, who was present, listened to
the addresses calmly, and, after one
speaker had alluded to the matter of
raising $35O.0OO and pointed out that
little could be accomplished with
that sum, he arose and said:
Make the fund you propose to raise
100000 and 1 will put my name down
for $4,000"
This had magical effect upon the
meeting, and before adjournment a
committee of twelve was appointed to
solicit subscriptions. These gentlemen
were: Claus Spreckels, James D. Phe-
Ian, Q. D. Baldwin, Daniel Meyer, w.
F. Whittier, Albert Miller, John T.
Doyle, E. F. Preston, Charles Hol-
brook, Thomas Magee, James L. Flood
and Alexander Boyd. Mr.. Spreckels
was elected chairman and E. f. Pres
ton secretary of the committee.
AS evidencing their faith in the new
project the leading business men came
forward with handsome subscriptions
Claus Spreckels gave $500,00 his son
John D. Spreckels entered his name for
100000 and another 100000 for his
brother, Adolph b. Spreckels. Alvinza
Hayward and w. F. Whittier dropped
into line for $4,000 apiece, Adam Grant
$25 900, Daniel Meyer $25, 900, A. Borel
s25, 900. The first days subscription to
the road aggregated $1,025,00 The
So 900, 600 mark was passed on February
8, 1895, the subscriptions amounting to
$2,057 ,000 This sum being required to
enable the incorporation of the concern,
the necessary papers were drawn up
and filed on February 25, after having
received the Endorsement of the stock
holders. The election of a board of di-
rectors at the meeting held on the fol-
lowing day resulted in the following
choice: Claus Spreckels, president; w.
4 w HlIlleI, llISl VICE pIeSlu6nl, ROBERT
Watt, second vice-president; John D.
Spreckels, ]. B. Stetson, Charles Hol-
brook, Leon Sloss, Alvinza Hayward,
Isaac Upham, A. II. Payson, Thomas
Magee, Z. F. Preston.
At a special meeting of the board on
March w. B. Storey Jr. was elected
chief engineer. The board now began
the active discussion of the various
routes submitted by interested parties.
The canvassing for subscriptions at in
terror points was energetically pushed
In order to secure the road Stockton
had raised $125,000. A bill granting
terminal facilities in San Francisco to
the road was passed by the Legislature
on March II. On the day the bill
passed the board of directors sent out
the first invitation for bids on a lot of
10000 tons of steel rails. This marked
the beginning of construction work on
the line.
On April 16 a committee on prelim-
mary survey was appointed by the
directors, made up of the following
named gentlemen: Robert Watt.
Charles Holbrook, Thomas Magee. On
the same day the first purchase of
material, consisting of 1000 tons of