Collection: Books and Periodicals

About This Item:

Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

HISTORY OF NORTUERN UALIFORNIA. 387 It is not alone in his own properties, however, that Mr. Junkans has invested capital. Many a man who has made a success of mining owes his prosperity tu the fact that-Mr. J unkans stood beside him and by encouragement of words and money assisted him through the dark days and hard times that in nearly all cases attended mining development. True, he has not done this where his judgment told him that there was no possible chance of return, but the fact remains that there are good mines which have placed their developers in easy and evin affluent circumstances that would now be failures had it not been for Mr. Junkans’ timely and efficient aid. He was married in Weaverville, September 28, 1868, to Mary Einfalt. They have no children of their own, but have adopted and reared three children, viz.: Henry, Annie, who married Robert Berger, principal of the Redding school; and Emily, wife of Fred Haas, one of the sneceseful miners of Junction City. Mr. Junkans is a member of North Star Lodge, No. 61, I. O. O. F., and of Stella Encampment, No. 12. He is a man of rare courtesy and of marked benevolence, and many of his deeds illustrating these traits will always live in the hearts of the recipients. In the fall of 1877 Mr. Junkans visited Europe with his wife, and they made a tour of that continent, remaining until the following summer, the greater portion of the time having been spent in Germany, Mr. Junkanvs’ native country. ALFRID BURKMAN, superintendent of the brick department of the Union Press Brick and Terra Cotta Company of San Francisco,—whose works are situated at Vallejo,—has been engaged in the manutacture of brick for the past nine years. He was born in Landskrona, Sweden, in 1850. At the age of fifteen years he commenced learning the trade of machinist, and completed his apprenticeship at the age of nineteen years. He then went to Germany, and worked in a machine shop for about three years, then one year in Vienna, and about three years in Constantinople and various cities in Asia. Returning to Europe he worked in machine shops in Greece, Italy and Switzerland. Going again to hie native land, Sweden, he spent three years there. In 1879 he came tu the United States, settling in Chicago, where he worked three years in machine shops. Le then made an engagement to work in the machinery department of the Anderson Pressed Brick Company, and while operating there he became interested in the invention of improved machinery for brick-making, taking out five patents,—three of them for reducers, being improvements in the method of reducing the various kinds of clay to fine powder,—and two for brick-pressing machines, that is, for pressing the dry clay into brick. Some of his patents were used by the Anderson Pressed Brick Company in their factory in Chicago. In November, 1886, he removed to the Pacitic Coast, settling at Los Angeles, where he was engaged by a company, and while there he invented another reducer and an improved brickpressing machine, for which he received patents. This invention now forms the plant with which the Los Angeles Company and the worke at Vallejo are operating. The brick made by this machine is intended more for ornamental purposes than anything else, and sell for $40 per thousand, while ordinary brick sells for about $10. However, by means of the machinery invented by Mr. Burkman, a brick can be made by the dry process, not so finely finished, and consequently not requiring expensive labor, that could be sold almost as cheaply ae the ordinary brick, and that would stand four times the pressure. The brick made by the common process require drying for a number of days and additional handling, while brick made by Mr. Burkinan’s process are ready for the kiln immediately. Mr. Burkman is now superintendent of the brick department of these works and a stockholder. The establishment has a eapacity of 12,000 bricks in ten hours, and it