We gave blood today.
The steamer Farallon, which arrived a few days ago from Puget Sound ports, brought from Seattle the hull and frame of a launch for Dr. V. P. Buckley, the well-known physician of this city. A few days ago the little craft was taken to the Union Gas-engine Company, where an engine is now being made for her. The Satellite is the name of the new launch, and before the season is over it is predicted that she will have passed everything in the bay. The vessel itself is a thing of beauty, but it is her lines which catch the yachtsman's eye. The graceful sweep of the white cedar hull, the sharp bow and overhanging stern give indications of what she can do, and, if the gas engine meets the requirements, the Satellite will be the fastest boat of her class on the bay.
The designer of the novel craft, for she will be a novelty in these waters, is R. T. Engelbrerht, now of Seattle, but formerly of this city. When only ten years old he was whittling models of boats, and, although his father's wealth and position were such as to give him his choice of vocation, he wanted nothing better than a boatshop. He became a crank on the subject, and has traveled all over the United States and studied the art of boat building in the best-known ship and navy yards.
Last year Dr. Buckley owned the Hirondel. and Attorney George A. Knight tried in vain to beat him with the Arrow. The aquatic attorney vowed to build a launch that would beat everything the physician could produce, and he has now a great bay-sweeper in course of construction. Dr. Buckley heard of Engelbrecht, and decided to try him. He became interested in the boat-builder, and was astonished when told what he could do. The result was that a contract was given for the Satellite, and Dr. Buckley is more than pleased with his bargain.
When completed the launch will be one of the most thorough little crafts afloat. She is 35.6 feet in length over all, but so beautifully is she proportioned that she does not appear to be more than 25 feet. Her extreme beam is 6 feet 8 inches; depth at bow 5.1 feet, at the stern 6 feet and amidships 4 feet. She is copper-fastened throughout, and is the first vessel ever built on the coast in which plugs have been used in stead of putty. Her rails and stanchions are of ash and her deck is seven-eighths inch fir, soaked in hot linseed oil. Her interior is a gem of art as well as of utility, and when the furnishings are in place, the Satellite will be a creditable little floating palace. There are three cabins, of which the bulkheads can be removed at will, throwing the entire vessel into one large apartment in curly maple and hardwood finish. The cabins will be lighted with incandescent lamps and the vessel will carry a 32-candle power headlight. Two bunks are in the saloon and there are two others forward.
The propeller will be a 30-inch screw with a 44-inch pitch, and the engine will be 12 horsepower with a speed of 11 knots an hour. The vessel can be steered from the side by the engineer, or forward without him. One of the peculiarities of the engine is that one lever starts, stops and backs the launch. The gearing is to be of buckskin, so that the craft will run almost without noise. A small dynamo and storage batteries will rest forward of the engine to operate the electric lights.
The Satellite will make her trial trip in about three weeks.
The Giants had a nice ceremony before the game to honor Jon Miller, who is going to the Hall of Fame. Lon Simmons spoke. Miller introduced his three children and one sang the National Anthem.
Today it was warm. The SemiCon West conference across the street was very large this week.
The City of Paris Dry Goods Company, founded by the Verdier family, was a major department store in San Francisco. I was sad when the store closed in 1970 and sadder in 1980, when Neiman Marcus tore down the store, saving the rotunda but moving it to the corner.
This is post number 700 in my blog.
We have family visiting from out of town. We had a nice dinner last night.
This article, from the 11-May-1905 Los Angeles Herald, concerns PH's grandson, William Manley Van der Weyde, who followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle. The Burelle's, founded by Frank Burelle in 1888, is still in business as BurellesLuce Clipping Service (http://www.burrellesluce.com/). Hetty Green, "The Witch of Wall Street," was a businesswoman who was reputed to be a miser. Jim Farley was a famous provider of strikebreakers to business and industry.
The photo is from the December, 1898 Broadway Magazine.
W. M. Vander Weyde, the New York photographer whose name appears on so many remarkable pictures, is the originator of a specialty. After many years' experience as a professional photographer he now directs all his efforts on the "hard to get" people. These are the celebrities like Hetty Green and Farley, the strike breaker, who do not care to have anyone know what they look like. These people do not want to be photographed and yet Vander Weyde has recent photographs of both.
Talking of the matter the other day, this specialist said: "I guess I get pictures that others cannot because I go after people at the right minute. And I want to say right here that I attribute about three-quarters of my success to one thing."
"What's that"? asked the questioner eagerly.
"I want to give every possible bit of credit to a firm called 'Burrelle's.' Burrelle has a big establishment in this city where he conducts the largest press-clipping bureau in the world. What has press clippings to do with my idea? I'll tell you. I want to know every prominent man and woman who is to visit America in the future. I want to know every big event that Is going to take place. If it is a national banquet, I want to know who will preside; if it is an international wedding, I want to know the clergyman who will officiate; if it is a yacht race, I want to know who will be prominently connected with it. Burrelle reads every paper published and from these papers he furnishes me the information months and sometimes years in advance. In this way I am able to get at people sometimes half a year before others in my line wake up to the realisation that these especial photographs will be needed. Burrelle is the secret of success and people in all sorts of business would do well to connect with Burrelle quickly."
I like pre-WWII race cars, especially pre-WWI cars. The 1908 Grand Prize of the American Automobile Association in Savannah, Georgia, was the first Grand Prix race held in the United States. The FIAT driven by Louis Wagner won.
Fireworks were relatively quiet last night. It was warm today.
The original Northwestern Pacific Railroad depot in Sonoma burned down in 1976. This replica opened in 1978 as the home of the Depot Park Museum, operated by the Sonoma Valley Historical Society (http://www.vom.com/depot/). The museum has a nice collection. A string of freight cars and a caboose sit by the platform. I took the photo on 08-April-2010.
Work was quiet today. On the way home, the 5-car Millbrae train was very crowded.
