February 4, 1970 (12 pages)

9 ai 2 the Nevada County Nugget — Wednesday, February 4; 1970 po100 years of Nevada County (Continued from page 1) Grass Valley the tracks followed Main to Mill, then turned south to end of line in ~ Boston Ravine. “The traction company was furnished power from Bay Counties Power company, forerunner of the Pacific Gas & Electric company, John Martin, principal financier of the enterprise, was ‘the president of the railway. W. E. Osborne of the power company petitioned the ‘board of supervisors of Nevada County and city trustees of Nevada City and Grass Valley for franchises in the spring of 1901, The supervisors granted the franchise for the distance from Grass Valley city limits to Nevada _ City boundary line by adopting ordinance No, 69, April 2, 1901. John F. Kidder, Narrow Gauge magnate, held a similar franchise in the 1890s but never developed a company. The company estimated construction of the line would cost $100,000 and fare between the two cities was set at 10 cents. The ordinance permitted the company to charge 20 cents. Nevada City granted a franchise June 24, 1901, calling for a five-cent fare inside the city limits. The city was to collect two per cent of the company's gross receipts after the first five years of operation, and the company would lose its franchise any time cars failed to run for a 24-hour period other than because of elements of power failure. Members of the original board of directors were R. R. Colgate, John Martin, E. J. de Sabla, Jr., W. M. Preison, C. A, Grow, and R. M. Hotaling. Contracts for ties and poles remained in ‘the county, with lumber companies supplying 14,000 ties necessary on a pro rata basis, Brice & Smart was a Nevada City firm supplying. ties. M. L. and D. — supplied the poles for the trolley e. heaviest used at the time on overland railways. The cars were fmmense coaches, 36 feet long, with a capacity of 32 passengers inside and car and 12 outside, and weighed 28 tons unloaded. The size of rail used and the bigness of the cars led many county residents to believe the company planned to extend to Marysville on a 37 mile route, on which the survey had been completed, and there was even talk the company planned to extend the route into Sierra county to tap vast timber and farming land. Some were of the belief the Southern Pacific railway was behind the traction company and wanted to tap an area that was served only by the Nevada County Narrow Gauge railway. Supervisor Fred Miller, who surveyed the route, drove the first pick to start _ construction at 2:45 p.m., June 5, 1901, at a point near Richard Noell's ranch on the Grass Valley road near the Coe mine. Mayor Charles Clinch of Grass Valley delivered the dedication speech, The following day a force of 200 men started construction at Half Mile House, — When construction reached the macadamized streets of Grass Valley the excavated debris on the narrow part of Main street blocked traffic. Teams to Nevada City were diverted up Murphy street and over the road through Eureka Heights. All summer long as construction proceeded, the company officials promised scheduled traffic by Admission Day, Sept. 9, celebrated in that period as a great picnicking day, with the Narrow Gauge running picnic excursions to Glenbrook and Chicago Park. A teamster's strike in San Francisco delayed necessary equipment, but the company did manage to get one car in the Glenbrook shops the week before the big day--only, there were no trucks for the car. The big trial run day was fast approaching, and still the car had nothing to roll on, Saturday, Sept. 7, the trucks Specifications called for 80-pound rail, arrived in Colfax and the Die Gauge sped them to Grass Valley and shop crews swiftly placed them under the: far, on » all was inreadiness.The holidaying crowd that had packed Grass Valley that Admission day had been advised the street car's test run would be through Mill street at 4 p.m., but asensé of disbelief pervaded the ‘throng and the actual approach.of the car, its gong clanging furiously, seemed to surprise the spectators. But run it did--packed with 60 passengers--and all 25,342 feet of the line's length. The generators and batteries had not arrived by Admission day and the single car ran from. power supplied by Gold ~ Hill company, and it failed several times_ on. that initial ‘trip, After the car crested the ridge at Town Talk, Motorman Ray L. Allen, San Francisco, clanged his gong all the way into the end of the line, built at that date only to the Plaza, Several spirited horses were met on the turnpikebut none of them became unmanageable. George Keller of Nevada City, and Edward Skewes of Town Talk, were the line's first conductors. E. O, Davis of Oakland, and Allen were imported as experienced motormen. The Transcript editorialized at that time on the dangers of urchins playing in the streets and particularly on the street car tracks, After the test run traffic was idle while the generators were being installed at Glenbrook. . Power in the amount of 500 to 575 DC volts were supplied from two 200horsepower. generators, The motors were magnetic type. A city ordinance required ‘reduced voltage inside the corporate limits of Nevada City and cars barely crawled up Sacramento street until additional power was cut in near the present site of Bergemann Funeral Chapel. The car barn was a corrugated iron building 109 feet long by 47 feet wide, and had three tracks and pits for repairs . and cleaning. While the generators were ‘being installed the final construction work was continued from the Plaza up Broad street to Pine: where on Sept. 26, C. J. Brand drove the last spike into a silver plate placed by Joe Fleming. Scheduled traffic started Sunday, Oct. 13, 1901, at noon from the Plaza in Nevada City and from the Auditorium in Grass Valley. Hourly schedules on the hour were maintained, Several stops that day were made for power adjustment and about dusk one of the cars was derailed at the Hieronimus brewery. The biggest problem the first few ‘days of operation was preventing boys from “hooking" rides on the car, Although trackage ran up the hill to Broad and Pine the company officials and city trustees felt the Broad street bridge over Deer creek was not strong enough to hold an electric car and while the company and city trustees dickered over the expense of the strengthening of the bridge, the street cars ran only to the Plaza, s Foundry in Nevada City, and Tay in Grass Valley cast wheels for the cars and furnished other parts for -maintenance of the cars,Keller worked with Archie Odgers as an operating team in the early days of the line. Odgers died in 1919 and Keller died a few. years ago. Archie's brother, John, and his sisters, Mrs, Annie Lewis, Mrs. Leila Harry and Mrs. Mary German are all living in Nevada City now. George Noyes, 70, who still resides in Nevada City, was electrician and powerhouse operator for the last 18 months of operation, succeeding Cole Boreham, ‘Born in Placer county, Noyes came here _ when he was one year old and had remained here most of his life, ‘Town Talk at 1 o'clock in the morni he returned to the’ car barns and « -pany's career, the equipment became worn ~ on the heavy loads the conductor was often construction started, was killed at the . day for the regular motorman, his son — He remembers my Joe. Phillips, was motorman on the Laide n and that, desSkewes, The Superintendent told him tolay off for the rest of the night. The conductor with Phillips was Dick Hodge. The team on the second shift was Hank Tamblyn, motorman, and Wil — . pell, conductor, Elmer ndeau was substitute motorman. Noyes remembers that on the aaneal Fourtti of July célebrations all four cars. were used and they carried "all who could hang on," Other young old timers recall that toward the end of the street car comand adequate brakes were always a problem, Often-motorman just turned the car. loose on the hills when lightly loaded. But j pulling back on the rear lever-type brakes as soon as a hill was crested and descent was started, If the conductor was unable to hold the ‘careening car two clangs of his bell called for help from the motorman on the front end brakes. . A serious derailment occurred at the passing track and one of Ah Gin's pigs was run‘over and killed. One fatal accident marred the history of the street car line. Richard Noell, near whose residence entrance to his ranch home the afternoon of May 13, 1915, Noell a 76-year old retired Grass Valley hardware dealer, stepped from behind his high hedge that obscured the track into the path of the 1:58 p.m. schedule, and was hurled into the roadway. He lingered for an hour before dying in the Grass Valley sanitarium. Superintendent Skewes was subbing that » Charles, and was only 15 feet from the elderly man when the stepped onto the ‘rail, Barreling down the rails not expecting to have a stop for passengers, Skewes was unable to halt the trolley. The car line unceremoniously came to a sudden end on Thursday, Jan. 3, 1924, the immediate cause, according to Supt. Skewes, being a storm and drifting that blocked the track at several points. Skewes gave orders not to attempt to open the line and discontinue service for that day. Later in the afternoon, Martin, president and manager of the company, telephoned Skewes to discontinue service permanently. Most of this information has been gleaned from the files ‘of The Transcript and The Union, Herb Hallett, who was one of our most prolific sources of information unobtainable from old newspapers informed us the cars arrived wrapped in paper and without trucks, When the bodies arrived at Colfax there was question-. whether they would clear a Narrow Gauge ' pailway tunnel when mounted on flat cars. Shop crews took the measurements of the cars and built a skeleton frame on a NCNG flat car and a clearance test was made, With sufficient clearance the bodies were brought to the Grass Valley freight station and another problem faced the mechanics--how: to get the cars the few blocks to the street rails. ’ Temporaray. trucks were built and located on the street car track at Bennett and Main streets in Grass Valley. A temporary narrow. gauge track was laid on ~ Bennett street and cars adie to the street car line and removed to the tem-

9 ai 2 the Nevada County Nugget — Wednesday, February 4; 1970 po100 years of Nevada County (Continued from page 1) Grass Valley the tracks followed Main to Mill, then turned south to end of line in ~ Boston Ravine. “The traction company was furnished power from Bay Counties Power company, forerunner of the Pacific Gas & Electric company, John Martin, principal financier of the enterprise, was ‘the president of the railway. W. E. Osborne of the power company petitioned the ‘board of supervisors of Nevada County and city trustees of Nevada City and Grass Valley for franchises in the spring of 1901, The supervisors granted the franchise for the distance from Grass Valley city limits to Nevada _ City boundary line by adopting ordinance No, 69, April 2, 1901. John F. Kidder, Narrow Gauge magnate, held a similar franchise in the 1890s but never developed a company. The company estimated construction of the line would cost $100,000 and fare between the two cities was set at 10 cents. The ordinance permitted the company to charge 20 cents. Nevada City granted a franchise June 24, 1901, calling for a five-cent fare inside the city limits. The city was to collect two per cent of the company's gross receipts after the first five years of operation, and the company would lose its franchise any time cars failed to run for a 24-hour period other than because of elements of power failure. Members of the original board of directors were R. R. Colgate, John Martin, E. J. de Sabla, Jr., W. M. Preison, C. A, Grow, and R. M. Hotaling. Contracts for ties and poles remained in ‘the county, with lumber companies supplying 14,000 ties necessary on a pro rata basis, Brice & Smart was a Nevada City firm supplying. ties. M. L. and D. — supplied the poles for the trolley e. heaviest used at the time on overland railways. The cars were fmmense coaches, 36 feet long, with a capacity of 32 passengers inside and car and 12 outside, and weighed 28 tons unloaded. The size of rail used and the bigness of the cars led many county residents to believe the company planned to extend to Marysville on a 37 mile route, on which the survey had been completed, and there was even talk the company planned to extend the route into Sierra county to tap vast timber and farming land. Some were of the belief the Southern Pacific railway was behind the traction company and wanted to tap an area that was served only by the Nevada County Narrow Gauge railway. Supervisor Fred Miller, who surveyed the route, drove the first pick to start _ construction at 2:45 p.m., June 5, 1901, at a point near Richard Noell's ranch on the Grass Valley road near the Coe mine. Mayor Charles Clinch of Grass Valley delivered the dedication speech, The following day a force of 200 men started construction at Half Mile House, — When construction reached the macadamized streets of Grass Valley the excavated debris on the narrow part of Main street blocked traffic. Teams to Nevada City were diverted up Murphy street and over the road through Eureka Heights. All summer long as construction proceeded, the company officials promised scheduled traffic by Admission Day, Sept. 9, celebrated in that period as a great picnicking day, with the Narrow Gauge running picnic excursions to Glenbrook and Chicago Park. A teamster's strike in San Francisco delayed necessary equipment, but the company did manage to get one car in the Glenbrook shops the week before the big day--only, there were no trucks for the car. The big trial run day was fast approaching, and still the car had nothing to roll on, Saturday, Sept. 7, the trucks Specifications called for 80-pound rail, arrived in Colfax and the Die Gauge sped them to Grass Valley and shop crews swiftly placed them under the: far, on » all was inreadiness.The holidaying crowd that had packed Grass Valley that Admission day had been advised the street car's test run would be through Mill street at 4 p.m., but asensé of disbelief pervaded the ‘throng and the actual approach.of the car, its gong clanging furiously, seemed to surprise the spectators. But run it did--packed with 60 passengers--and all 25,342 feet of the line's length. The generators and batteries had not arrived by Admission day and the single car ran from. power supplied by Gold ~ Hill company, and it failed several times_ on. that initial ‘trip, After the car crested the ridge at Town Talk, Motorman Ray L. Allen, San Francisco, clanged his gong all the way into the end of the line, built at that date only to the Plaza, Several spirited horses were met on the turnpikebut none of them became unmanageable. George Keller of Nevada City, and Edward Skewes of Town Talk, were the line's first conductors. E. O, Davis of Oakland, and Allen were imported as experienced motormen. The Transcript editorialized at that time on the dangers of urchins playing in the streets and particularly on the street car tracks, After the test run traffic was idle while the generators were being installed at Glenbrook. . Power in the amount of 500 to 575 DC volts were supplied from two 200horsepower. generators, The motors were magnetic type. A city ordinance required ‘reduced voltage inside the corporate limits

of Nevada City and cars barely crawled up Sacramento street until additional power was cut in near the present site of Bergemann Funeral Chapel. The car barn was a corrugated iron building 109 feet long by 47 feet wide, and had three tracks and pits for repairs . and cleaning. While the generators were ‘being installed the final construction work was continued from the Plaza up Broad street to Pine: where on Sept. 26, C. J. Brand drove the last spike into a silver plate placed by Joe Fleming. Scheduled traffic started Sunday, Oct. 13, 1901, at noon from the Plaza in Nevada City and from the Auditorium in Grass Valley. Hourly schedules on the hour were maintained, Several stops that day were made for power adjustment and about dusk one of the cars was derailed at the Hieronimus brewery. The biggest problem the first few ‘days of operation was preventing boys from “hooking" rides on the car, Although trackage ran up the hill to Broad and Pine the company officials and city trustees felt the Broad street bridge over Deer creek was not strong enough to hold an electric car and while the company and city trustees dickered over the expense of the strengthening of the bridge, the street cars ran only to the Plaza, s Foundry in Nevada City, and Tay in Grass Valley cast wheels for the cars and furnished other parts for -maintenance of the cars,Keller worked with Archie Odgers as an operating team in the early days of the line. Odgers died in 1919 and Keller died a few. years ago. Archie's brother, John, and his sisters, Mrs, Annie Lewis, Mrs. Leila Harry and Mrs. Mary German are all living in Nevada City now. George Noyes, 70, who still resides in Nevada City, was electrician and powerhouse operator for the last 18 months of operation, succeeding Cole Boreham, ‘Born in Placer county, Noyes came here _ when he was one year old and had remained here most of his life, ‘Town Talk at 1 o'clock in the morni he returned to the’ car barns and « -pany's career, the equipment became worn ~ on the heavy loads the conductor was often construction started, was killed at the . day for the regular motorman, his son — He remembers my Joe. Phillips, was motorman on the Laide n and that, desSkewes, The Superintendent told him tolay off for the rest of the night. The conductor with Phillips was Dick Hodge. The team on the second shift was Hank Tamblyn, motorman, and Wil — . pell, conductor, Elmer ndeau was substitute motorman. Noyes remembers that on the aaneal Fourtti of July célebrations all four cars. were used and they carried "all who could hang on," Other young old timers recall that toward the end of the street car comand adequate brakes were always a problem, Often-motorman just turned the car. loose on the hills when lightly loaded. But j pulling back on the rear lever-type brakes as soon as a hill was crested and descent was started, If the conductor was unable to hold the ‘careening car two clangs of his bell called for help from the motorman on the front end brakes. . A serious derailment occurred at the passing track and one of Ah Gin's pigs was run‘over and killed. One fatal accident marred the history of the street car line. Richard Noell, near whose residence entrance to his ranch home the afternoon of May 13, 1915, Noell a 76-year old retired Grass Valley hardware dealer, stepped from behind his high hedge that obscured the track into the path of the 1:58 p.m. schedule, and was hurled into the roadway. He lingered for an hour before dying in the Grass Valley sanitarium. Superintendent Skewes was subbing that » Charles, and was only 15 feet from the elderly man when the stepped onto the ‘rail, Barreling down the rails not expecting to have a stop for passengers, Skewes was unable to halt the trolley. The car line unceremoniously came to a sudden end on Thursday, Jan. 3, 1924, the immediate cause, according to Supt. Skewes, being a storm and drifting that blocked the track at several points. Skewes gave orders not to attempt to open the line and discontinue service for that day. Later in the afternoon, Martin, president and manager of the company, telephoned Skewes to discontinue service permanently. Most of this information has been gleaned from the files ‘of The Transcript and The Union, Herb Hallett, who was one of our most prolific sources of information unobtainable from old newspapers informed us the cars arrived wrapped in paper and without trucks, When the bodies arrived at Colfax there was question-. whether they would clear a Narrow Gauge ' pailway tunnel when mounted on flat cars. Shop crews took the measurements of the cars and built a skeleton frame on a NCNG flat car and a clearance test was made, With sufficient clearance the bodies were brought to the Grass Valley freight station and another problem faced the mechanics--how: to get the cars the few blocks to the street rails. ’ Temporaray. trucks were built and located on the street car track at Bennett and Main streets in Grass Valley. A temporary narrow. gauge track was laid on ~ Bennett street and cars adie to the street car line and removed to the tem-