electricity

WHO PUT THOSE EELS IN THE EEL RIVER?

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

Here’s a no-brainer: If you’re building a dam across the “Eel” River, expect that you’ll likely have to deal with some eels.

The hydroelectric dam on the south fork of the Eel River promised to finally bring a new source of electricity to Sonoma and Marin County, where the “juice” was notoriously flaky. This power from Mendocino County was expected to be more reliable, more affordable (electricity was about 25 times more expensive than it is today) and available in more areas; in a deal brokered by James Wyatt Oates, new lines would carry service “in all directions throughout the county.” Only one obstacle stood in the way of all that goodness – and that squirmy obstacle numbered in the many thousands.

So great were the numbers of eels trying to return to their upstream spawning grounds that workers first hauled them out of the water with pitchforks. That either proved too much work or eels continued to slip through and gum up the works, so they decided to electrocute the eels (as well as anything else in the river that was nearby). “Now great loads of dead eels are hauled away and buried every few days.”

Those “eels” were not eels at all (or a fish, either): They were Pacific Lampreys, which can grow up to 30″ long and like the salmon, must return to fresh water spawning grounds to breed (MORE INFO). They once outnumbered salmon by 100+ to 1, and their vast populations served as a decoy for spawning salmon from hungry seals, bears, and humans. “They may be the prey of choice for just about everything, except – as my tribal elders tell me – the white people. Every creature loves lampreys because of the high fat content,” a fishery biologist recently told a Washington state newspaper. Although whites considered it a “trash fish,” tribes in the Northwest used its oil for earaches and the skin as bandage wraps, as well as eating them it’s said to taste like a cross between a pork chop and mackerel). The Pacific Lamprey is still mostly ignored by researchers, and is now endangered in the Western U.S.

KILL MANY EELS BY ELECTRICITY

The Snow Mountain Power & Water Company is having great difficulty with the unusual number of eels in the river this season. The wiggling fishy mass gets into the power plant through the canal. Great piles of eels have been removed with pitchforks. Finally the electricians have hit on the novel plan of electrocuting them as they entered the canal, and now great loads of dead eels are hauled away and buried every few days. The eels are supposed to have been attracted by the great run of young trout of which they are very fond. The Fish Commission is much pleased with the solution of the difficulty as it does away with enormous quantities of the worst enemy the trout have in the district.

– Press Democrat, May 17, 1908

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POWER BROKER OATES

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

In 1907 Santa Rosa, the Twentieth Century was finally roaring in like thunder. Like other places in California, Sonoma County went car crazy; that year, locals were also experiencing a kind of future shock over the rapid deployment of telephones, a technology that many were still uneasy about. Missing from this picture of modernity was one crucial component: Dependable electricity.

A reliable power supply was the bane of both North Bay and East Bay, which shared a single line from a hydroelectric dam in the Sierra foothills. Invariably during winter storms, a tree would fall somewhere against the line or a pole would be washed out and the “juice” would be off, sometimes for days. Thus there was excitement in Sonoma County when it was learned that the Snow Mountain Water & Power Company planned to build a hydroelectric plant on the south fork of the Eel River near Potter Valley in Mendocino County. It took about a year to complete and had disasterous environmental consequences (to be discussed in a later post) but the project still generates power and diverts water to the Sonoma County Water Agency via Lake Mendocino. The reservoir behind the dam is Lake Van Arsdale, named for the man who built the system, W.W. Van Arsdale.

Another electrical proposal came before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors that year, seeking to string transmission lines from Mendocino throughout Sonoma County. Yet the backers of this project claimed they had “nothing to do with the big Eel river enterprise in any manner.” Wink, wink. Permission was granted. Unknown is whether Van Arsdale gave his approval to the setup, or whether this group was rushing to have the lines approved before the Snow Mountain Water & Power Company made an application to bring their own lines into the county. But what we do know for certain is that the broker in this deal was none other than our anti-hero, Mr. James Wyatt Oates.

This is the second time we’ve seen Oates act as the power broker in a high stakes game. In 1905, he had walked into a City Council meeting with an offer of $200,000 to purchase the entire Santa Rosa municipal bond as the consigliere of a consortium of secret investors. This time, he was upfront about representing Frank M. Burris, president of the Sonoma Valley Bank. Who else was involved is unknown – Van Arsdale may well have been a silent partner – but the involvement of a well-established local banker like Burris ensured the project was well capitalized, probably with the investments of Sonoma’s wealthy elite, almost certainly including the savvy Oates. (Burris was the son of the bank’s founder, and the old Burris homestead in the town of Sonoma is currently the MacArthur Place Inn & Spa).

“JUICE” FOR ALL SONOMA COUNTY
Application For a Franchise For Distribution of Current Made to the Supervisors Here Monday

A matter likely to prove of great importance in the future development of Sonoma county was made public on Monday when Colonel James W. Oates appeared in behalf of Frank M. Burris and applied to the Supervisors for a franchise for distributing electric current for lights, power, and other purposes in all directions throughout the county.

The franchise is for a trunk line from Mendocino county through Cloverdale, Healdsburg and all the intermediate towns to Santa Rosa, thence through the Sonoma Valley and Sonoma to the Napa county line; also from Santa Rosa to Petaluma and intermediate towns.

While those interested say that this application has nothing to do with the big Eel river enterprise in any manner yet those familiar with conditions are satisfied that power from the plant will be handled, when it is available.

– Press Democrat, May 7, 1907
MORE “JUICE” WILL SOON ARRIVE HERE
Progress Made on the Big System on Eel River Through Mendocino and Sonoma Counties

The construction of the power line from Eel river through Mendocino county into Sonoma is progressing nicely. Wire is being strung on the poles from the power house to Cold Creek and a force of men are now at work placing poles south from Pieta. The power line wire is “No. 9” aluminum. The pipe line to connect the tunnel with the power house is being riveted and the machinery is being rapidly put together while work is being rushed on the power house building. It is expected that power will be available for use as far as Ukiah by the first of the year.

– Press Democrat, September 28, 1907

370 MILES OF WIRE FOR NEW “JUICE”
Eighty Thousand Dollars Cost of Wire Line for Eel River Concern–Will Ask for More Franchises

The Snow Mountain Water & Power Company is rapidly completing the electric power line from its source of supply near Eel river southerly to Sonoma county, all of the necessary material being on hand and most of the line constructed.

It will be remembered that a short time ago a franchise was granted for bringing the concern into and across Sonoma county, entry the county north of Preston and continuing down to this city, thence to Petaluma and the Marin county line, south of that city, and also from this city by Sonoma to the Napa county line. Already the material for erecting the entire line through this county is on hand, as is also the case in Napa county, where the company have a similar franchise.

[…]

It is understood that the policy of the company is to procure a large consumption and to do this, say they intend to keep rated down to living prices. They consider that such a policy is not only necessary in order to acquire a large consumption but as they are looking to a long investment with a fair income, they realize that to get that they must have a large patronage. This is one of the most momentous things that has happened in this section of the county. Electricity is the power and light of the future, and the advent of this enterprise cannot fail to add greatly, not only to the convenience of people, but to the value of property in all the country touched by it.

It is understood that the company will ask for other franchises in order to distribute the “juice” in different sections of the county.

– Press Democrat, October 1, 1907

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ANOTHER STORM, ANOTHER LONG BLACKOUT

Jeff Elliott Leave a comment

For all that Santa Rosa suffered in the earthquake year, at least they kept the lights on – until the first big winter storm. The day-long blackout wasn’t quite as bad as the 1904 outage that kept the “juice” off for two days, but it must have rubbed nerves for all those with fresh memories of the burdensome week of darkness following the quake.

On the same page as the news item were two text ads from “George H. Trask, The Light Man,” who apparently sold generators. Why his ad headline had the wacky spelling and mixed case of “TOWN iN DARKNEkS” is anybody’s guess.

“JUICE” WAS OFF EARLY IN DAY
No Light or Power, Telegraph or Long Distance Telephone in Consequence of Damage Done by Storm

The storm did things to the lighting business and to the telegraph and telephone long distance service on Monday.

Manager Jones, of the telegraph company, found his wires out of business further south than Petaluma and Sonoma soon after eight o-clock in the morning, and they were not in commission when night came.

The telephone company was also cut off from communication with San Francisco and other places, so that Santa Rosa for hours was not in communication with the outside world.

As for the lighting and power service citizens are aware that both were off all day and night, and, consequently when night came, happy was the man who had gas in his store or house, and still happier was he who owned a lantern with which to guide his footsteps about town. The main trouble was far removed from Santa Rosa and the exact nature had not been reported at the Santa Rosa office up to midnight. If there is anything in misery loving company Petaluma, San Rafael, Sonoma and Napa and possibly other places were in the same fix.

The lack of “juice” stopped the electric cars early in the day and of course this occasioned considerable inconvenience. A number of lighting wires were down in different parts of town. Some slides were expected on the railroads Monday night.


TOWN iN DARKNEkS

To the Merchants and Business Men of Santa Rosa !

How many times are you going to stand for this ?

This is the first time this season–but who knows how many times more?

I am ready to furnish LIGHT that you can control yourself. MORE LIGHT for LESS MONEY.

If you can’t stand the strain of being put out of business for want of Light see
GEORGE H. TRASK,
The Light Man, 513 5th st.


There is little use trying to bring light over a line more than 300 miles long when the weather is stormy.

You can have it within 20 feet and make it yourself if you see
George H. Trask,
The Light Man, 513 5th st.

– Press Democrat, December 11, 1906

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