Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • Page 71

if 7 AT RES EDITORIALS CITI IM NO. 148 OAKLAND TRIBUNE, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1951 VOL CLV especially as the tide would start to come in. It was real pleasure to shoot in back of Archie, as he would not stop to chase a wounded duck, but left it to the shooters behind him. He always had a good string of birds before shooting time was over. I used to own an Irish water spaniel those days, and my brother would go along the Bayshore with the dog who often picked up many wounded birds.

The old rock wall along the estuary in back of the Southern Pacific yards, was also a favorite duck shooting ground. It was necessary to have a good dog those days, as the ducks, would fall into the estuary or into the mud, and my Irish spaniel retrieved many ducks. An old timer who had a small rat terrier dog often took hold of the dog's tail and tossed him out in the water. The dog retrieved the ducks, and it was said this man never shot a duck himself, but carried an empty gun with two unloaded shells which he would pull out, claiming he shot the ducks which the dog retrieved." Oakland in 1907 There is a special fascination in old magazines, granting that there is a sufficient sprinkling of silver in the reader's hair, and The Knave was delighted the other day to come upon a copy of "The Critic" through the agency of a friend. The date was September 14, 1907, PISGUST with a National Administration which condones corruption, which persistently refuses to economize and which is bent on discouraging, if not wiping out, free enterprise.

Those are some of the factors the Knave has heard assigned for the success of Republican fund-raising events in recent weeks. They are undoubtedly the paramount reasons in the resurgence of GOP activity, but there are other reasons, also, why the $100 per plate dinners are gaining such widespread acceptance. Fund drives in the past have some times left a community, or party nominees high and dry while the money went elsewhere. But in the current series of events most of the money stays at home where it was raised. The forthcoming Alameda County dinner on December 10 is a case in point.

Aside from meeting the state and national quotas something the county has failed to do in the past and paying the actual dinner costs, all the contribution will be used to finance local party organizations and campaigns. And that means that if attendance expectations are met, as they seem likely to be, there will be a sizeable campaign fund available for concentration on electing GOP candidates in the June primary so that forces won't be spread so thin in the general election in November. And that leads to another reason why the dinners are winning general acceptance. None of the local money is being used to advance the interests of any presidential aspirant prior to the July, 1952, convention. That means that no matter who the contributor might favor as the GOP presidential nominee he knows that his money is not going to be used for or against that candidate but will be directed instead toward the election of a Republican President, re-election of a U.S.

senator and increasing the number of GOP congressmen and legislators. Waning Interest grant called for one league, more or less, and its northern boundary was the San Leandro Creek. The eastern boundary was the crest of the hills. The southern boundary was the San Lorenzo' Creek. The west, of course, was the Bay shore'." This description, observes Dr.

Corwin, indicates that Bay Farm Island and the Oakland Airport was part of the Estudillo land grant The Davis Report "After Don Jose Joaquin had settled on this land he was given a written permit from Governor Alvarado to ocupy the land," Dr. Corwin continues to quote Davis. "While the Governor had the matter under consideration Guillermo (William) Castro, whose claim was adjoining Estudillo's south of the creek, 'intrigued with the Governor to obtain the same Both were summoned by the Governor to show their respective claims. Estudillo triumphed over Castro. His grant was duly issued.

It comprised 7010 acres. A proviso was that the grantees were not to disturb the Indians, as long as they needed the places for winter camping grounds and for raising their crops. The squatters gave as their excuses that there were Indians there at the time. Their usual camping place, Dr. Corwin points out was about where the Fairmont County Hospital is located, but they did cultivate land in the place where the squatters located near what is now San Lorenzo.

Estudillo died in 1852 and there was four years of litigation after which the Estudillo heirs were given title to the lands of the squatters on condition that they would buy back the claims for $30 an acre." West Oakland Days J. L. Sternitzky, retired Oakland police inspector, reminisces about his young days in West Oakland with the observation that the California Door Company, situated on Wood Street near 16th, directly across the street from the Southern Pacific Depot, might have been called Oakland's Police College. He notes that many who afterward became prominent in the police department first graduated from a course of sash and door making. Among them lie mentions the late Chief Jimmy Drew, Inspector Charles McCarthy, ah3 Inspector Jack -Mulhern; in addition to Sergeant Frank Ahem' and himself, who are still living.

"I can remember when they had a contract for a whole shipload of redwood doors for the Russian Government," Sternitzky writes. "In the early days of the company a great boiler exploded and several people were killed. It was said portions of human anatomy were found in Grondona's vegetable garden at 15th and Willow Street and on the roof of a house at 13th and Wood Street. Mr. Bowles was superintendent, and Jack Waters was foreman of the plant All the kids liked Jack Waters.

He seemed to understand them. No doubt many others worked there for a time also including Tony Hassler, the machinist; Fred Bowles and Victor Bowles, sons of the superintendent; Mike Fox, and Billy Lucas. Fred Jones, with whom I worked, later became, superintendent The Bay Was a Playground "Later all the marsh land opposite 16th Street Depot, extending from about 18th and Wood Street to about 26th Street, to Peralta Street, and on the east side from about 18th Street to 26th to Union Street, was filled by dredging off the Bay shore opposite the 16th Street Depot. A large hole became known as the dredger hole. Many duck hunters erected duck blinds, and it was a favorite duck shooting grounds for years.

Two bookkeepers' working at the old Emeryville Race fTrack opposite Shell Mound Park shot ducks there for years. Tom Williams, manager of the race track, was an estimable gentleman. I will never forget the wonderful banquets held for his friends at the track oysters on the half shell, roast chicken, cocktails, Van Dyck cigars, and entertainment Shell Mound Park was known to thousands of picnickers. There many of the Bay area lodges and societies held their annual picinics. At one picnic, shortly after a Teamsters Strike in San Francisco, several people were shot and some knocked to the floor with beer glasses, which had the inscription on them, "Stolen in Shell Mound Park." On Seventh Street, near Cedar there was a salt water bath house, and around the Bay shore near Dalton's Foundry the Bay shore had some clay banks which furnished a diving board for the kids at high tide.

At the foot of 12th Street another favorite swimming spot was furnished when the rocks were removed. Before the Bay shore was dredged any didn't think much of the role; however, observing that "in less capable hands it might fall very flat but Mr. Dillon makes it interesting for the entire two and a half hours of the performance." It was to have been followed by "The Telephone Girl." Ferris Hartman was the star at Idora; Richard Jose, the ex-San Jose blacksmith of "Silver Threads Among the Gold" singing fame, was the headliner at the Bell; and "East Lynne" was the attraction at the Macdonough, now the State at 14th and Broadway. There was to be high jinks at Ye Liberty on September 17 when "Too Much Johnson" was to be presented for the delectation of Oakland Lodge of Elks, No. 171.

The actors would include, besides Bacon, Henry C. Mortimer, Mabel Blake, Isetta Jewel, Henry Shumer, George Friend, George P. Webster, E. L. Bennison, Robert Harrison, Georgie Cooper and Josephine Withrow.

Webster and Friend still reside in the Bay area; Miss Jewel has become a political figure; Miss Cooper, the widow of Landers Stevens, is represented on the screen by her son George, a producer-director of stature. Fly in the Ointment But it wasn't all milk and honey in 1907 when San Francisco was trying to rebuild itself. There was trouble in Vancouver where racial riots involving the Japanese had developed. The Critic was pretty stern about the whole thing and contended that "the race problem we are contending with here is not based entirely on prejudice, but represents a real and genuine feeling. The British have got it now, and perhaps Japanese statesmen are now wondering whether in the event of trouble with this country, the Anglo-Japanese alliance would amount to much.

Blood is thicker than water and the Japanese may learn this sometime. At that, war at the present time seems foolish, when one considers the impoverished condition of Japan. It takes money to make war and Japan spent about all she could get together three years ago against Russia. The country could not be mortgaged for much more now and nothing but the strongest sort of Jingoism could drive Japanese statesmen into a fight at this date. yeaxs from now it may be different" As a matter of "fact it required 34 years to get the war started and 44 year about the signing of the peace treaty.

At that it is doubtful if the riots in Vancouver had anything to do with it, beyond creating hard feeling. More important, in retrospect, is the fact that The Piedmont Hamman, Turkish and Russian Baths were being operated at 24th near Broadway; that the Hotel Vendome in San Jose had been "thoroughly rebuilt and that the Hotel Rafael in San Rafael was "headquarters for the Automobile and that if you cut out the advertisement of Bert Lissner, the jeweler at 1103 Washington Street, he would be delighted to furnish you with "a box of silver polish," granting that you accompanied the coupon with the sum of 12 cents. Old St. Patrick's Church Walter J. Johnston, 1630 Bridge Avenue, who worked for The Tribune when it was published in the Galindo Hotel building on Eighth Street, would like to have someone arrange a reunion of former parishioners of Old St Patrick's Church and School.

He has some fond memories of the old institution where he. City Manager John F. Hassler, County Clerk J. J. Kingston, former Supervisor John F.

Mullins, and the late New York Yankees baseball scout, Joe Devine, and many others got their early education. Johnston writes that his thoughts of Old St Patrick's "provoked a lot of golden memories, flooding my heart with laughter and tears. They all go before me: The Rev. J. B.

McNally, Robert Sampson, Barry, O'Connell, Quinn and Hoolihan. Smiling at me from Rainbow Land, I can hear the silver-voiced tenor of Assemblyman John J. Burke, and the harmony of the Chapel Choir. Members May Gaines, Margie Cuddyre, Patrick Cuddyre, Katherine Cullen, Vivian Cullen, Bessie Short, Elizabeth McPeake, J. H.

Long, Kitty Hanley, Agnes FarreL Lillian Halloran, Mary Hayes, Martin Hynes, Annie Ahem and Weston Hayes. The choir was under the direction of Professor Sandy, father of the chief of the Piedmont Fire Department. I can see the Christian Brothers, Leo, Gregory, Lucius, Vitus, Michael, Thomas and Andrews, playing handball in the little church yard with the following school boys: Bert Towns, Joseph Hassler, Doc Silvey, Freddie Walsh," Harry, CDonnell and Frank Duffy. Every Friday morning at 9 am. the good Sisters of the Order of St.

Joseph, would march the school children to Mass. Some of the nuns, Sister Cecilia-JRose, Hilary, Bernadette, Perpetual. Sitting in the pews would be: Julia Inkster, Catherine Cuddyre, May Cuddyre, L. Gasper, Sarah A. Mullins, William H.

L. May Halloran, Sabina Flanagan, E. J. Flanagan, J. Henry Sheehan, Jack Prentiville, Tony Hassler, Tommy Simpson, Pat Treacy, Ruth Odermatt and Mary Madden.

My youth won't ever return, but you just mention a reunion, and my step quickens. I can hardly wait to meet the old gang, to capture once again the joy of life and the glamour of living." Hospitality Repaid A. C. Aitken writes that he was looking over some old papers recently and was reminded of a story told him by I. L.

Borden Jr. of Borden Station and Borden Highway fame about bis father, the big-scale rancher and votary of harness racing. "In the late '60s or early "rOs," Aitken says, "two men with a fine driving team came to the Borden home toward evening and were invited to dinner as well as to spend the night. Several weeks later they passed Borden and once more were invited to be guests. It was then that they revealed their names Huntington and Stanford and their mission which was to explore the San Joaquin Valley for a railroad route.

In gratitude for the Borden hospitality, they disclosed the route and suggested that Borden plant all the hay and grain he could as the horse-power grading crews would be in the area the following year and would be in need of all such feed. Borden did and sold his crops so advantageously that the family thereafter was considered quite prosperous. In fact that circumstance was the backlog that enabled my friend, the son, to buy and develop Victoria Island, named for his wife, in the Delta. Victoria Island, about 6000 acres, is a reclamation of very rich peat and sediment soils highly developed to asparagus, corn and other productive crops. The elder Borden died a few years ago at about 90 years of age.

Borden Station is a few miles south of Madera." Old Grant School Adrienne Orchison has been reading with interest recollections of the old Cole School but feels that the old Grant School has been neglected. It was located on Broadway at 29th. "Our group," she writes, "came from around Webster and 21st a friendly neighborhood and -the old estates were still beautiful. The Moffett place, and the Matthews, the old Cole estate where Douglas Tilden, the famous California sculptor, had; his studio in a rear barn. DiV Charles' R.

Brown- often bicycled down Webster on his way to the First Congregational Church, where the Athens Club now stands; friendly Dr. Alexander Allen of St. Paul's always had time to stop and talk; and we children used to call a greeting to Father McNally of St. Patrick's, who rode horseback all over town. Looking back is a sign of age, we are told, but the memories of our lives before the World Wars is really pleasant to think about today." Stockton Losing Landmark One of Stockton's pioneer landmarks, the old Weber Hall, has been razed to make room for construction of an auditorium by St.

Mary's Church at Washington and San Joaquin. The hall, located on a Capt. Charles Weber grant, was built about 100 years ago and at one time served as Stockton's main assembly building. Weber Hall was one of the oldest structures in the city. Its ground floor formerly housed St.

Mary's School and the second floor was headquarters for the Emmett Guard. In recent years the second floor has been used as a lodge room. The original volunteer unit, Company Sixth Regiment of the Third Brigade, was made up primarily of Irish militiamen. It later was incorporated into the National Guard. Few old-timers still are living who remember Weber Hall in its hey-day as the city's public function center.

However, Attorney C. P. Ren-don and Albert Greene, both in their 90's, hold vivid memories of activities held there. Ren-don, once a member of the old Emmett Guard, trained with the company there. He said the unit consisted of about 100 men, "but of course they all didn't attend at once," he recalled.

The new building, to cost in excess of $75,000, will house a main auditorium and basketball court, as well as meeting rooms and kitchen. Note to Contributors From time to time valued contributors to this page write letters complaining either that their contributions have not been printed or asking on what specif ic date certain letters will be published. Many interesting letters have to be set aside or rejected because they have been duplicated in the reminiscences of others already printed; some have to be held up because of the exigencies of space and make-up of the page; some must be eliminated because of unqualified statements that are unwittingly libelous; and others because of historical inaccuracies, understandable because memory plays tricks on us alL The lot of The Knave, like that of the Gilbert and Sullivan policeman, is not always a happy one; but contributions are always welcome and rejections are painful THE KNAVE. i The show of strength by supporters of Governor Warren at recent Republican sessions about the state seems to have resulted in a dwindling of activity in behalf of a so-called uninstructed delegation to the GOP National Convention. Observers tell that, splinter, and special interest groups opposed fornia's Governor as a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination have not made discernible headway despite some clever handling of propaganda.

One possible reason, the Knave hears, is that some who might have been misled at the start are beginning to realize what is involved. Lawyers found outas they should have known from the start that they must have express permission from an actual candidate or his official representative before they can use his name on a ticket in California. And no candidate in his right mind would want to trade punches with a "favorite son." We have reported previously that Senator Taf will not permit his name to be entered in the California primary and that the same goes for Generals MacArthur and Eisenhower. If, then, the ''uninstructed' clique has no candidate's name to head its delegation, who will they put up, and what standing would that person have, either0with California voters, or with the presidential convention? Another possible reason for waning interest in the maneuverings of the malcontents is the realization that if they sincerely wanted an "uninstructed" delegation they would have sought to make the necessary changes in the elections law while the Legislature was in session and not waited until such legal revisions are and the weekly was announced as the "official organ of the Harbor League," whatever that was. It sold for 10 cents and was published "every Saturday" by C.

E. Wilson, who had his offices at 957 Broadway. This issue had a good deal of information in its advertisements. There was, for instance, the promise of the Ferndale Lithia Water Company that "each drop bubbles with 1000 molecules of health," same being available for relief of kidney and bladder troubles at 906 Broadway; and the news that Esther Meyer, Mme. Georgette, Mme.

Pouyanne, Mme. Virot and "others" had conspired to. design a new line of "millinery, coats and suits" which would be displayed in a grand opening at Abrahamson's, a department store located at the Southeast corner, of 13th and Washington Street; and the intelligence that one could secure the "best lunch in Oakland for the sunt of "50 cents "with j-wine' fee that as tilte and holidays, at the American-Italian Restaurant which was located at 409 JOth Street; and that "mining men" would be accommodated for American and European plan lodging at the Arlington Hotel, corner of Ninth and Washington Streets, for as little as $1.50 a day and up. Advertising Doctors The American Medical Society apparently had not laid down its strict rules on advertising in 1907 because The Critic carried a column of paid news in this matter. There are some rather famous names in the list, many gone but a few still practicing, names like Drs.

H. D. Bell, Carl E. Curdts, M. Lewis Emerson (would that be our present coroner, Dr.

Mark L. Henry M. Fine (he was the house physician at the Orpheum and a celebrated obstetrician); W. H. Irwin, the Kergans, W.

and H. Katherine McClurg, H. B. Mehrmann, the beloved W. S.

Porter who did so much for the advance of art in this area; George G. Reinle, whose pre-canceled bills if laid end to end would pay off the Community Chest quota and leave something for the Damon Runyon Fund; and Luella Stone Swauger, the obstetrician, who was godmother to an endless chain of Chinese children whom she delivered in addition to her regular practice. There were also four osteopaths in Oakland at that time, Drs. Frank H. Avery, Charles and Lillian Bucholz, and Etta C.

Wakefield; and one midwife of "London, Paris and NeW York." Her name was Madame E. Simon and she announced that she was a "graduate midwife" with "35 years experience" and would provide a "comfortable home for ladies in confinement" with "treatment confidential." All this would take place at 3120 Washington Street in Fruitvale and the telephone number was Merritt 167. Theater 44 Years Ago Oakland's theater was father active in 1907, judging from the reports in The Critic. Harry W. Bishop was the manager of Ye Liberty Playhouse, now the Century, and Frank Bacon, who was to win fame many years later in "Lightnin'w Was the comedian.

The; attraction for the week of September 14 was "The Girl I Left Behind Me." At the Columbia on 10th Street between Broadway and Washington the show was "The Girl from Paris'1 and out at Park, which was also being operated by Bishop at the time, "The Black Hussar" was being presented with "Ship Ahoy" to follow. "The Girl from Paris' Was in its second week featuring Sybil Page and the comedian was Ben Dillon, not yet teaQed with Will King, who "easily earns his salary by keeping the audience in the best of good nature with his own idea of comedy. The critic of The Critic Early San Lorenzo Days Dr. Cecil Corwin feels that from time to time he should familiarize the readers of these pages with early Alameda County history when land grants and rights were matters of discussion. He cites, for instance, an episode that occurred at San Lorenzo in 1852.

"I have two versions of that episode," the Hayward resident writes, "which I will give side by side. First the squatters side from Jacob Wright Harlan who said: 'On the south side of San Lorenzo Creek, there is a piece of excellent land, where formerly lived a number of Indians. This land was claimed by both Castro and Estudillo. There was much doubt among us Americans of its belonging to either. So I determined, together with others, to take up some of this disputed piece of land.

We did so and my choice of a piece was that which I afterward sold to Mr. E. T. Crane. While I was building my house, Mr.

William Heath Davis, manager for the Estudillo grantee came to me and ordered me oft We knew each other well for I had done business with him during the Gold Rush days, so after talking it over, he allowed me to stay temporarily. I moved into my house in November, 185L pavis, who wrote a book entitled "Sixty Years in Calif or-; nia," has a somewhat different account, say-ing: 'I was manager of the Estudillo grant from the Mexican government for military services, and which he had occupied since 1835. This person could walk out at low tide for about a mile before encountering water, and many fine clam beds were also located there. The wild sprig duck would stand in the sand about a block from the shore, and would not pay any attention to persons wading out on the sand. Later, Archie Grondoha a famous shot used to shoot ducks about a half mile from shore.

We all wore rubber boots out there, Y-.