Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 61

I TRAVEL EDITORIAL PAGE WORKSHOP FORUM HOMES li RECREATION- GARDENS SCpUTS VOL CLXX OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, SUNDAY, JUNE 21 1959 CI NO. 172 7 A' VALUATING their 1959 ses-sion, California's, lawmakers reacted with, mixed emotions' in regard to the new ground i took In the situation and came to the con- elusion that the only rational way to es tablish communication between Alameda Contra Costa Counties would be by piercing the mountain. They formed. a company, had surveys made, built the' roads leading up to and made open cuts into the mountain; then they commenced to build the tunnel. They intended it "for a toll road.

They expended all the money at their that plenty of capital would come to their assistance, because they had every reason to believe, that the tunnel road would be a paying investment But financial assistance did not come and the work had "to be aban- doned In 1877 the Alameda County supervisors visited the tunneL Everybody was more than pleased with the road I but in spite of this enthusiasm the project had to die Eighteen years passed before a change came. The Merchants Ex- change came into existence in the spring of 1895. In the fall the question came up: "What would be a good subject for debate at a spread the Exchange was to give? I proposed to revive, the tunnel, and the proposition met with approval. That meeting was held on Nov. 27, 1895.

It Was a great success and started the bajl a-rolling, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. Opposition arose where it was least expected. A mass meeting at Lafayette in March of 189S was a blow. Land owners, large and small, admitted that land would improve in value but feared that it would be held so high in price that no one would want to buy, and the project wild therefore be detri- tunnel on Tunnel Road was the shortest route to Contra Costa from Oakland. Ranch Road, and was used only for ranch purposes.

The tunnel bore' was started simultaneously at both ends and was about one-fourth of the way when the company met with' financial difficulties and abandoned the project As there were few inhabitants along the Alameda side, the only one to use the road was William Kennedy, a lessee Of the Gwinn Ranch, who used it until winter slides prevented its further use. Then it became a footpath for those on picnics, providing an admir-able. opportunity for a swain to carry the lunch basket of a winsome Inspired By Spill Years rolled on. The open cuts and the tunnel on each side of the mountain were covered by But th old Kentucky TimpsvM'ig no means dead, tears" weep- ing over the failure of mortals. From this' point on 'we pics; up ine story as told by.

the Tate J. FW. Sohst of Oakland's Pio- neec Carriage Works who was president' of the Merchants Exchange in Oakland when the tunnel was eventually completed and dedicated on Nov. 4, 1903. Here is his story of 56 yearsago: "One of the reasons why I have taien such interest in the -diggings of the is that in 1863 I.

started to take a ride to Lafayette, Contra Costa County, but did not get there be I '1 -I! rules; approved by the voters. Assemblymen generally figured that the setup was a vast Improvement. weren't so sure. 'There were pressures a'plenty in the closing days, The Assemblymen seemed to feel that they were not nerve-shattering. Senators admitted they were not "sufficient to reduce members to a state of mental or physical wreckage, or at least shock.

But, Jhey pointed out to the Knave, the difference stemmed from the fact that the sends over to the opposite house about three times as many bills js they get The result was that" the Senators had to put in more night ses-. sions. It is too early to predict what 'changes will be suggested, but it's a safe bet that at least three will be proposed. One would reduce the 30-day waiting period between bill, introduction and action to 13 days. Another would reduce the size of committee in order to make quorums easier to come' by.

And there -seemed to be considerable sunnort for brief recesses at occasional intervals to permit the bill drafters to catch up with the backlog of requests, as well as to provide the solons with an opportunity to check with their constituents. Other suggestions will be forthcoming before the next general session, and many will be worthy of consideration. Ill the meantime, take the word of veteran observers, no matter how the ground rules operate the representatives of the Senatorial and Assembly districts put in a day's work for a day's pay and then some even if you don't agree with them on their vote. A Look at the Record Does Governor Brown countenance chiseling and fraud in connection with social The Knave doesn't believe so for a moment But pause briefly and take a look at the record. Way back in Governor issued a direc-' tive to his department Some Qbservers hailed it as a good idea, others deemed it a gag rule.

But whatever it was, the five-point order waff in clear and unmistakable language. And one of those points was that no department -would support or oppose, any bill without first clearing with the Governor's departmental secretary. Jump now to the closing week of the 1959 session of the Legislature and listen to what happened. A bill fcy Sen. John Holmdahl of Oak- land, designed to allow welfare ties additional time in which to collect overpayments of welfare funds which s.

recipients received on the basis of fradu- "lent information, was up for final passage In the Assembly. Lobbying at the Gate The bill was strongly favoredby Alameda County and other county welfare departments and Assemblyman Don Mulford of Berkeley, the co-author who was carrying the measure in his house, had agreed to amendments requested by the State Department of Social Welfare. On the initial roll call, Mulford fell short of the votes necessary for a win and placed the house under a call while he attempted to round up needed strength. While he was seeking extra votes, an official of the state welfare department was standing outside the Assembly, gate lobbying against measure and that lobbying paid off, because Mulford wasn't to produce a 41-vote majority. In fact he lost a couple of votes, including one from his, own delegation, while the call was on The question naturally curs, then, was the department of "social welfare representative lobbying With the approval of the Governor's Jlepartmental secretary, or has the social welfare department decided t6 ignore the irovernor's directive? Assemblyman Mulford isn't the only, one who'd know the answer to that Kennedy Tunnel Nearly 30,000 motorists oom through the Broadway Low Level Tunnel every day going to and from Contra Costa County without giving a thought -as.

to tow their pioneer fathers managed reduce the mouhtainousbarrier against "travel between Martinez and Oakland. Nevertheless, there are, many who should remember the Tunnel Rbad; and its -0id rickety with two narrow lanes 1 that barely permitted hay. wagons to pass, let alone later-day trucks. Among those I with the long memories there are perhaps few who will recall that old tunnel by the came "Kennedy -TunneL': First discus- Was California gy. a a km From 1903 to 1937 this narrow sions of an Alameda-Cotra Costa inter-t county tunnel occurred as early as Agitation continued but the plan, dropped until 1871 -when a franchise was granted to a group who began talking construction.

But their program never materialized, though each year brought public demands for action. Not until 1879 did work, begin and then it was known as the Kennedy Toll Road, a stock w(pmpany that began anleasy grade in contrast to the heavy grade of the Summit Road (Fish Ranch Road). The, new road started at Claremont adjoining the south property line of Thomberg's Sanatorium, which is now the Hotel Claremont on the Martin Dunn Ranch (father of the late Dr. J. P.

Dunn), and passed through' ranches of Edson Adams, Kohler, John R. Anlthony Cbt(noLak TemescaDaid: William GwimC' where the atarTheilfcW' mirfaix-'cenenf JaxM were the' wooden bridges. The truss span bridges were built by white me-; chanics, i though the road grading and surfacing was; done by Chinese labor at the prevailing wage of'. $1 a day.iThe roadway was completed on both sides of the tunneL On the Contra Costa side the bore and Tdad' were entirely on the John Buckley Ranch. The road ran.

i comparatively short distance from the bore to'the Summit Road, or what is now ihe Fish This June 21 1806 Death of Lieut; Pablo Grijal'va who assisted in founding. San Francisco as a pioneer sergeant in Anza's 1776 colony. 1893 Death Leland Stanford, U.S. Senator and former governor, founder of Stanford University. -Financial strain felt in Los An 189: geles after failure of -Riverside Banking Co.

June 22 1825 Jose Maria Echeandia (new gov-, ernor) arrived at Loreto (Baja California) and four days later at San Diego. He was governor of both Californias. 1839 Francisco Garcia' Diego invested with' authority as Bishop, took up residence at Santa Barbara great San Francisco fire; 400 to 500 homes and property valuefl at $3,000,000 destroyed." 1854 The San Francisco Accumulating Fund -Association incorporated, often called the 1 "mother of the family of California saving Juni.23 i 1579 (Old calen-. dar): First Protestant religious 'Service in California conducted by1 Chaplain Francis Fletcher. Francis Drake 1 1896 Merchants and Manufacturers As-' sociation of Los Angeles formed by merger of Merchants Association (1894) and the Manufacturers Assn." Ipwiu- MS- of the 1 cause in going down the grade on the other side of the 'summit' I was thrown out of my buggy.

After gathering myself up and being convinced that there were no broken bones about me, I changed my course. I went down the creek to San Pablo anil from there home," Sohst reminisced. Many a story can be told how people lost their lives and others their limbs, io say nothing about damaged vehicles, ruined horses and destroyed goods 'on that road to Contra It seems strange people, up to the present, have endorsed the spending of money on that useless thoroughfare. With all the money the summit has not been reduced one inch in height in 60 years. Still, they had nothing but praise for the splendid work done on the old road of pe CIontrav Costa side of the hill They etth (didn't know, or didn't want to know, that it Was impossible to build a road downrthe'mpuntain for the simple riasdn that the earth formation is i resting on a', soapstone foundation and, during winter rains, the whole mountain moves.

'The, supervisors axe obliged to put planks 20 feet long to afford passage for teams in places'. 'i'tr 3 Persistant Mr. Sohst "Nearly 30 years ago (1873) Sohst fa few enterprising citizens June 26 v. 1785 King of Spam issued Instructions regarding presence of Jean Francois de Perouse in California. 1803 Death of Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuen at San Carlos Mission.

1822 Mexican Congress ordered final establishment of Empire and Itur-bedean Dynasty; short lived. 1827 uan Bautista Alvarado ejected secretary of territorial Diputacion. 1846 Gen. Stephen Kearny's Army of the Wjes (1,658 men), began march," Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe (about 1,000 miles) portion reached California later. 1906-Cpngressional Act a uthorized building of Panama Canal.

1945 International Conference of United Nations completed Its work at Saa Francisco. June 27 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's expedi- 1 tion. (tw( ships) sailed north from Navidad, New Spain. -1776 Gabriel Moraga, with settlers and padres, landed at site selected by Ahza (San Francisco). 1855 Democratic State Convention opened at Sacramento; ColFair-, fax of Yuba chosen chairman.

1933 California voters approved 21st Federal Constitution amendment repealing (Prohibition) amendment 7 -1958 Begin of San Francis-co's Founding Days. Ctyrrtfkl. UM. Tki Tri TmWMt Ca. mi ill "4' mental to progress.

Stumbling, Blocks "This beat anything ever, heard of," chuckled Sohst, "but time had to be taken to educate those people. The next step when Tom Williams of the Call-' fornia Jockey Club granted Vi Tunnel Day at the Emeryville track. The Ex- change was so enthusiastic we were sure we could raise enough money to build1, the tunneL In order to make it a posters were put up in San Fran-. cisco and all over Alameda and Contra Costa County. The press took a great interest and advertised the day welL On the day in question a band of music was en- gaged, placed fh a bus at 10 ajn.

and played through Oakland streets to arouse the public. At half past 12 directors of the Exchange got into another bus and followed the band wagon through the priit cipal streets. The mayor declared a half-holiday. After all this propaganda we ex. pected half the population to follow vk But we were sadly mistaken.

We were as far as 20th St when the would-be leaders looked back to view the crowd. Behold -not a carriage, or even a handcart in sight! Although we didn't do what we expected we did receive a little over $2,500. Worth Winning "When the survey for the tunnel was made it was found that three-fifths of ihe proposed tunnel was located in Contra I Costa County, therefore Contra Costa would have to pay for three-fifths of the work. They objected. It had always been supposed that each county would pay one-half the cost, but the law prohibited Alameda County, although it was the richer county, for paying for work done on the Contra Costa side.

At a joint session sof; the supervisors in Martinez it looked as if the game was The tunnel-would have been buried for several decades' again had not the Merchants. Ex-. change stepped forward and obligated it-self to raise one-fifth of the money re quired to build the tunnel in Contra this would mean at least $15,000. The pb-. ligation: has been met" If the tunnel had been built years ago there's no doubt in my mind 'that Lick.

Observatory would crown the head of old Mt Diablo today, because the observatory was a part of the State University. How much the university, the State, Contra Costa County and Alameda, County would have gained can be readily imag -years the grade over the summit has not been lowered one inch, whereas the roadway in the tunnel is 320 feet lower than the top of the summit road It may not sound like much to some, but take the Call Building in San Francisco. It is 310 feet to the top. Add 10 feet to that height-and you have the difference between the' summit road and that of the tunnel THE KNAVE. I0CKWELL (1895); F.

J. Zeehandalaar, secre- tary for 27 years. .1921 Oil well Shell Alamitor No. 1 shot 1 up crude oil marking the discovery, of oil on Signal Hill, Long Beach. June 24 1845 Commodore John D.

Sloat ordered to hold U.S. vessels' in the Pacific "in readiness for seizure of San Francisco if Mexico declared war. 1850 Notice of the San Francisco Typographical Society demands "piece wages" instead of "day wages 1854 Gen. John Wool issued orders for erection of quarters for military post "for. Indians near Tejon Pass." E.

F. Beale, superintendent of Indian Affairs. 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt ap-pointed international board of con- suiting engineers to report on building Panama Canal. 193i--Bodie, one-time of Mono County almost totally de-' stroyed by fre. une25 1846 John Fremont arrived at, So- nomain connection with the "Cali- Republic." 1851 Convention of quartz miners at Quartzburg, Mariposa County.

I Rules or quartz min- 1855V-Angeles-Camp, Lode min- ing town, almost entirely destroyed by fire. 1857 Camel 'Corps set out from Indian-ola (Texas) under Edward F. Beale for Fort Defiance (New Mexico) 1875-rThe Oceanic; first steamship of Central Pacific group rival of the' Pacific Mail arrived at I. D. HMT: i I.