The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-12-17
INDUSTRIES OF
SAN FRANCISCO
e%o&oeoeo 100000 o%o%oeo%oHe

II will be seen from a historical view
Of San Francisco how II has grown from
a small semi-barbarous settlement and
with the process of time has developed by
successive stages into one of the wealth.
est, proudest and most promising OF the
ten largest cities OF America.
Systematic organization among the
business men Of large cities is 10 certain
extent necessity alike for the purpose
Of self protection and the promotion OF
public welfare.
In April, 1850, the Chamber OF Commerce
was organized; on June l. 1865 the Mer-
chants Exchange. with a capital stock
Of 900, came into existence; these
were followed by the Board OF Trade. the
! Stock Exchange Board, the Produce Ex-
change. etc. This article, however is to
deal less with these than with the manu-
featuring Industries of San Francisco.
which are second 10 no city in the world
or equal population. Necessity was in
truth the mother OF invention and manu-
featuring here California is especially
rich in the metals, gold, silver. copper and
tin being principal, although nearly
every description OF metal is found in
greater or less abundance, and it is prob
able that the necessity of having suitable
machinery 10 develop these ore deposits
and the inadequate transportation facili-
ties existing in the early days OF Cali
fornia sharpened the wits and prompted
an extra eXertion OF many of the min
Ing experts OF this State.
James w. Marshall discovered gold at
Coloma, California. forty-five miles north
east of Sacramento January 10, lS4s. The
attention of the civilized world was at
tracted toward California. AT the time
of this discovery San Francisco had but
45O population. but the year OF 1913 saw
5000 immigrants hock here from all over
the world, and during 1S4s ,l,5O0.0OO q
month was taken from the newly discov-
cred placer diggings in this State 1t is
not TO be wondered at, then, that we ex-
Gel in the manufacture OF mining ma
chinery. There are machines invented
from time TO time which. when intro
duced, prove most valuable to the indus
try or the purpose for which they were
constructed. There is hardly a single line
OF anything manufactured which could
keep pace with the great competition
found in every branch and pursuit OF mer-
camille interests at present, IL IL were not
for the time and labor saving devices
used in their construction. II is a difficult
matter for the busy man TO keep in touch
with the latest inventions, especially
when they come with such manifold reg
ularity, and 1t is not the purpose OF this
article TO speak in a biased way OF any
particular manufacturer or machine but
chinery which originated in this city and
which has been installed in such a way
as TO give the purpose national signif-
canoe.
II has been asserted by various well
known persons on the lecture platform
and from the editorial desk that San
Francisco is nothing more than a way
station" through which passes the great
commercial tide from East to West leav-
] In hf1 ,torr ~ @ ral, IL,
the city. This construction OF san Fran
cisco's business life is entirely erroneous,
for in the extent and variety Of her man
ufactures this city can hold her own with
any Of approximate size and with many
much greater in population and age. Much
attention has been paid Of late TO a pecu-
liar class Of machinery necessary for the
saving OF gold In the sands Of Cape Nome
and York. The Krogh Manufacturing
Company are keeping pace with the times,
as they come TO the front with the Drake
amalgamator. They are the sole manufac-
turers of this machine, which is a very
simple and practical device. The Krogh
Manufacturing Company's suction dredge
and centrifugal pumps have q reputation
second to none in the State.
This locality demonstrates very well the
particular aptness Of our machinery men
for readily grasping situations. The Stan
islaus Dredging Company give US the
Donahue patent caisson dredge, which
they have used largely in recovering gold
from the river bottoms OF California The
California and Alaska Gold Dredging
Company propose TO take this dredge to
Alaska.
The Risdon Iron Works are known
throughout the civilized world for the
manufacture OF dredging and mining ma
chinery, and they ship their dredges TO
many foreign countries as well as TO all
parts OF the United States.
Possibly there has been no machinery
in this section that has received the at
tention given the various classes used In
hydraulic work.
This is largely due to the necessity OF
irrigating and to the fact that great force
is derived from the mountain streams
which can be stored and used in the dry
season for producing power, the water
being largely placed in reservoirs during
the rainy season and utilized in the sum-
mer for tho purpose Of operating ma
chinery. In this connection might be
mentioned the Pelton water wheel which
is distinctively California product and
is justly regarded as most useful inven-
ton. By II water is converted into power
in simple and economical way. These
wheels are sent away from this city in
large numbers TO all parts OF the world
and their popularity shows that they have
met the IHOSl sang ulilS expectations or the
purchaser. San Francisco can feel hon
ored that this wheel recently received an
award of the Elliot Cresson gold medal
of the Franklin Institute of PENNSYLVANIA.
The Abner Doble Company OF this city
have evolved a water wheel pronounced
by experts in tangential water wheels to
be one OF the most perfect in construc-
ton manufactured to-day and the results
obtained from the working Of this wheel
have given the Abner Doble Company
high rank in the field OF hydraulic en-
cheering. They have recently installed
a plant for the Mount Whitney Power
Company at Visalia. Cal, developing 1000
horsepower under q head OF 300 feet.
Centrifugal pumps are almost an exclu-
sive manufacture of this city. They are
used largely in dredging and are made
either single or compound for city water
works, irrigating. reclamation OF land
mining, dredging, pumping rock. gravel.
pulp, etc, and many OF them are spe-
cially designed sand and gravel pumps,
adapted for Cape Nome and Klondike
mining. The Byron Jackson Machine
Works OF this city are very large man
ufacturers OF centrifugal pumps The
business Of this firm is not confined TO
California. Their pumps are In use at the
Peoria Water Works, Peoria, ILL.,, and also
al the city of Rockford, ILL.,, where three
l0-inch vertical centrifugal pumps were
installed.